In truth, Ye Guofu had also assumed that Manager Shao would send his daughter packing within a few days.
After all, Manager Shao wasn’t someone he could easily control.
He had only wanted to use this opportunity to make it clear to the company that Ye Shaohua was his daughter.
Right now, Ye Guofu was busy grooming a few trusted confidants within the company so he could eventually hand the reins over to her with peace of mind.
Originally, Director Meng and Meng Ze had been among those he favored.
But now, with this unexpected turn of events…
Lost in thought, Ye Guofu absentmindedly placed a chicken wing—Ye Shaohua’s favorite—into her bowl.
Ye Shaohua replied nonchalantly, “Yeah, Manager Shao asked me to stay in the Finance Department.”
Her tone was casual, as if this were just a trivial matter.
Yet the atmosphere at the table instantly froze.
Yang Qin, unaware of what staying in the Finance Department truly meant, forced a smile and offered hollow praise, “Shaohua, that’s amazing! Being able to stay at the company is such an achievement. I’m so happy for you.”
Ye Guofu, still holding another chicken wing mid-air, stared at Ye Shaohua, his eyes wide with shock. “Wait… what did you just say?”
“I said Manager Shao invited me to stay in the Finance Department. But I still have college entrance exams to deal with, so I can’t be there full-time. I’ll talk to him tomorrow night and sort it out.”
To Ye Shaohua, joining the Finance Department was no big deal.
But for Ye Guofu, this news was almost too much to process.
The surprise had come too suddenly.
The standards for the Finance Department were notoriously high—only the best of the best could make it in.
Ye Guofu immediately called Manager Shao to confirm. When he heard the latter’s effusive praise for Ye Shaohua, he pinched himself hard to make sure he wasn’t dreaming, then nearly teared up with joy.
Unlike Ye Guofu’s elation, Ye Yun’s smile stiffened, her expression briefly blank.
Ye Guofu, noticing her reaction, narrowed his eyes. “Aren’t you happy?”
Having lived two lifetimes, Ye Yun quickly masked her emotions.
“Of course I am,” she said after a pause. “I was just surprised. So many people have tried and failed to get into the Finance Department, and yet you succeeded.”
Ye Shaohua’s eyes narrowed slightly. Ye Yun’s smile was painfully forced.
And why wouldn’t it be?
Ye Yun had always prided herself on her rebirth, using her foreknowledge to stay ahead at every turn.
Yet the Finance Department—a place she had desperately tried and failed to enter—had been effortlessly secured by Ye Shaohua, the very person she looked down on!
The original Ye Shaohua’s memories contained little about Ye Yun’s struggles at the company, so she had no idea how many times Manager Shao had rejected her.
Ye Shaohua smirked. So you’re already cracking under the pressure?
Just wait until I take over the company and cut you and your brother out entirely. You’ll lose your mind.
**
Class 13’s academic foundation was abysmal. Getting them to perform well would take real effort.
It had been several lifetimes since Ye Shaohua last hit the books seriously.
Fortunately, Class 13 specialized in science subjects—her strong suit. If they had been an arts class, compiling study materials in such a short time would’ve been far more challenging.
By 2 a.m., she went downstairs for some milk, only to find the lights still on in the living room.
The air smelled strongly of alcohol.
Ye Guofu sat alone at the table, so drunk he didn’t even notice her walking behind him.
Leaning against the staircase, Ye Shaohua spotted a photo on the table—her late mother.
She watched silently for a while before grabbing her milk and heading back upstairs, deep in thought.
That night, many people lay awake.
Ye Yun was one of them. The shock of Ye Shaohua’s achievement kept her tossing and turning until dawn. The next morning, she had to layer on heavy makeup to hide her exhaustion.
Despite her late night, Ye Shaohua’s sharp mental stamina left her unfazed by the lack of sleep.
After tutoring her classmates during the day, she slipped out during break to the stock exchange.
“Why did you pick Shenzhen stocks?” Yun Yi couldn’t resist asking the girl lounging lazily in her oversized school uniform.
He had no idea why he was striking up a conversation with this unkempt-looking student, but—
He put down his phone, curiosity getting the better of him.
Had his carefully laid smokescreen not been convincing enough?
Ye Shaohua glanced at him, momentarily surprised.
The guy wore an ordinary tracksuit and a baseball cap, which he now tipped back to reveal striking, magnetic eyes.
Despite his casual attire, there was an unmistakable air of refinement in his movements.
“Random pick,” she replied flatly.
Yeah, right.
Out of the corner of his eye, Yun Yi noticed her breezing through a high-level IQ test on her phone—a four-digit multiplication problem solved in a glance.
If he believed her “random pick” excuse, he’d be an idiot.
But the girl was ice-cold, with an almost rebellious aura.
Yun Yi suddenly realized that the aloof, untouchable reputation people often pinned on him actually suited her far better.
**
“Mr. Yun, your car’s ready.”
Yun Yi hadn’t expected to run into the girl again, let alone recognize her instantly in a crowd.
Under the blazing May sun in Qing City, he slowly pulled his secretary’s modest Volkswagen up beside her.
“Need a ride?”
Ye Shaohua looked up. “Your name?”
“Yun Yi. Yun as in ‘cloud,’ Yi as in ‘roam.’”
The overly poetic introduction made her roll her eyes. She yanked open the passenger door. “Ye Corporation.”
**
Ye Yun had come to see Manager Shao.
She never expected to spot Ye Shaohua stepping out of a Volkswagen at the company entrance.
At first, she assumed it was just a taxi—after all, Ye Shaohua was still a student without a car of her own.
But then the driver got out too.
A young man.
After Ye Shaohua hopped out, she casually tossed a baseball cap back at him.
With her lifetime of experience, Ye Yun prided herself on her judgment—it was how she had so effortlessly ensnared Meng Ze after her rebirth.
Now, she scrutinized this man who seemed unusually close to Ye Shaohua.
He carried himself with undeniable presence, but—
He drove a cheap Volkswagen. Wore budget sportswear.
His sharp jawline and elegantly tapered fingers suggested he might be handsome, but Ye Yun was no longer the naive girl who cared only about looks.
At his age, without family backing like Meng Ze’s, talent alone meant little in the long run.
Still, the sight of the Ye heiress cozying up to some nobody in a Volkswagen was… telling.
Ye Yun lingered at the entrance, watching as Ye Shaohua walked toward the building while the guy stood back, gaze fixed on her with unsettling intensity.
Distracted by the new contact in her phone, Ye Shaohua didn’t notice Ye Yun—but she did nearly collide with Meng Ze, who had been waiting impatiently in the lounge.
His face was still bruised from their last encounter, the injuries doing nothing for his appearance.
“Ye Shaohua,” he snapped, frustration boiling over, “what the hell did you say to your father?”
She paused, phone in hand, and slowly lifted her eyes to him.
Meng Ze, true to form, didn’t disappoint.
“We agreed to call off the engagement, and then you go running to your dad? I never took you for such a schemer!” His voice dripped with disgust. “After all these years, I didn’t think you’d stoop this low. Don’t make me regret ever knowing you.”
