That voice sounded somewhat familiar.
Ye Jia always arrived at school early every Monday because that was the morning when this person’s voice would broadcast over the school speakers.
It was a clear, cool tone, crisp and clean.
She turned her head slowly, looking behind her in disbelief.
Ning Yunshu completely ignored Ye Jia.
He simply handed a forgotten file to Ye Shao-hua, saying, “It’s getting late. I’ll head back now. See you tomorrow.”
He smiled at Ye Shao-hua before turning to leave and getting into his black car.
Ye Shao-hua took the file and walked back into the villa.
Ye Jia stood frozen in place, staring incredulously at Ye Shao-hua. “Why were your things in Ning Yunshu’s car?”
She had studied so hard, practiced oil painting so diligently—all just to get a little closer to that person.
Ye Jia wanted to ask more, but Ye Shao-hua didn’t even respond. She simply had the gate closed behind her.
Standing outside the gate, Ye Jia’s expression darkened.
Ning Corporation’s new smartphone had already hit the market, causing quite a stir.
The E-Phone had replaced M Country’s popular Orange Phone, becoming the highest-performing smartphone globally.
Some experts even tested it and found that its processing and analytical speeds surpassed those of the C2 computer!
At the same time, a new star emerged in the IT world—Y. Their understanding of networks seemed to exceed anything anyone had ever known.
Many people overseas were trying to learn more about this rising star.
“What? Gao Heng wants to collaborate with us?” Ning Tao looked puzzled when his assistant delivered the news. He picked up the office phone. “Mr. Gao?”
“Manager Ning,” Gao Heng said on the other end, giving Uncle Ye and the others a reassuring look. “I know you’re developing the E-Phone. Would you be interested in partnering with my 3D imaging technology?”
Ning Tao found the question odd. “I believe our CEO isn’t considering that direction at the moment.”
“Not considering it?” Gao Heng was taken aback. He stood up. “To be frank, I’ll soon be collaborating with Y. Since you’re also in the electronics and networking field, you know what they represent…”
“Wait, you’ve contacted Y?” Ning Tao sounded surprised.
Would Ye Shao-hua even respond to Gao Heng?
Gao Heng didn’t overthink it. His tone was confident. “I’ve already sent them a personal email. A partnership between us is inevitable—it’s only a matter of time.”
Ning Tao: “…Is that so?”
“So, Manager Ning, will you work with us?” Gao Heng asked with a smile.
Ning Tao also smiled, though meaningfully. “No, thank you.”
Gao Heng clearly hadn’t expected that answer. He paused. “Manager Ning, why not take a couple of days to think it over?”
Ning Tao gave a vague reply and ended the call.
“Let’s go. We’re heading to Ye Corporation.”
**
Meanwhile, everyone at Ye Corporation was swamped with work.
The company’s stocks were falling every day. Gao Heng’s departure to start his own venture had further shaken confidence in Ye Corporation.
Ye Shao-hua sat leisurely in her office chair, a laptop resting on her knees. The screen displayed strange patterns marked with numbers.
Passersby would glance curiously, but no one understood what they were seeing. They simply assumed Miss Ye was doodling nonsense.
“Sis! Sis!” Ye Chen rushed out of the office. “Ning Corporation sees potential in us! They actually signed a partnership agreement for the E-Phone! Sis, it’s the E-Phone! Our company is saved!”
Behind him was a smiling Ning Tao.
“Miss Ye, pleasure working with you,” Ning Tao said. If this were Ning Corporation, he would’ve hugged Ye Shao-hua and cheered. “Here’s the contract. Please take a look.”
Ning Tao could already imagine it—when they changed the course of global networking history, would textbooks mention his name?
Hearing Ning Tao, Ye Chen straightened up. “Manager Ning, there’s no need to discuss this with my sister. She doesn’t understand these things. Mr. Li, our analyst, is waiting in the conference room. Let’s talk there.”
Ning Tao: “…?” What the—?
Unaware of Ning Tao’s bewildered expression, Ye Chen suddenly remembered something and pulled a phone from his pocket.
“Sis, this is the latest E-Phone model,” he said, handing it to Ye Shao-hua. “When newer models come out, you’ll get the first one. Stop using that second-hand phone of yours. From now on, I’ll provide all your phones.”
Ning Tao: “…”
Ye Shao-hua was also taken aback. In truth, that “second-hand phone” was something she had assembled herself. It might look old, but inside, it was meticulously crafted. No other phone on the market could outperform it for at least a decade.
But seeing Ye Chen’s earnest expression, she smiled. “Alright, you can buy my phones from now on.”
“Absolutely,” Ye Chen said, pleased that she accepted. Then he led Ning Tao away.
Ning Tao’s expression was complicated.
When Gao Heng, Uncle Ye, and the others heard that the Ye family had signed a contract with the Ning family, they were shocked.
Gao Heng was in the middle of discussing a collaboration with someone from overseas. As he walked out with Ye Jia and the others, they ran into Ye Chen’s group.
Ye Jia’s gaze swept past the people in front and landed on the two at the back—Ye Shao-hua and Ning Yunshu.
“Manager Ning, I can’t believe you turned me down only to choose the Ye family in the end?” Gao Heng looked at Ning Tao, utterly bewildered. “Are you serious? You’re partnering with Ye Corporation?”
In the past, Ye Chen would’ve lost his temper at Gao Heng’s condescending attitude. But after a month of training at the company, he had learned to control his emotions.
Ning Tao smiled. “As you can see, I believe our collaboration with Ye Corporation will be very successful. We’re holding a press conference tomorrow, Monday.”
Hearing this, not only Uncle Ye but even Gao Heng chuckled dismissively. “Manager Ning, do you know who I’m meeting tonight? Dex, the representative of Y. He’s very interested in my 3D imaging technology. Manager Ning, it’s not too late to back out. Otherwise, after tomorrow’s press conference, this will go down as the most disastrous collaboration in Ning Corporation’s history.”
