Mrs. Li's face stiffened, and the more she looked at Li Ye, the more she wanted to slap him!
Although Ms. Zhao's tone was normal, Mrs. Li inexplicably sensed a hint of danger in her voice: "What does Li Ye take my son for? Using such low-class and despicable means to coerce my son into accepting his advances?"
“Our two families have been partners for many years. I think Lao Zhang doesn’t want to make a big deal out of this, so I came to give you a heads-up beforehand.” Ms. Zhao decisively issued the death certificate for Li Ye: “There is absolutely no possibility between Li Ye and our Xiao He. This time, I will let it go for the sake of your Mr. Li. I hope he will respect his status in the future and not do anything to make things difficult for our Xiao He.”
Although Mrs. Li knew that her son had lost his mind and dared to use such underhanded tactics to scheme against Mr. Zhang right under the noses of the Zhang family's shrewd members, the Li family genuinely hoped that Zhang Chaohe and Xiao Ye could be together.
After all, gaining Zhang Chaohe's support is equivalent to gaining the assistance of the two major groups, Hengxiang and Shengjing. Within the industry, no other daughter-in-law can bring such enormous benefits to the Li family.
Mrs. Li tried to give Li Ye one last chance, so she began to sincerely appeal to his emotions: "Good sister, what are you saying? The two children got along well last time, didn't they? This time, Li Ye was too impatient. I will definitely teach him a lesson later and make him apologize to Mr. Zhang!"
She pushed the pomegranate juice on the table toward Ms. Zhao, trying to extinguish her anger: "The two children just had a little disagreement, why make such a judgment that it's impossible?"
Ms. Zhao was furious at her nonchalant attitude—your son first acted inhumanely, trying to wage a media war to ruin our family's reputation, and now he's just going to brush it off with a casual "minor conflict"?
That's wishful thinking!
Ms. Zhao bent her index finger and gently tapped the documents on the table: "Good sister, I'll be frank with you, children with wicked intentions are not allowed to enter my home."
Mrs. Li never expected the other party to be so shameless, actually pointing her finger at her and accusing her son of being dishonest! She stood up abruptly, so angry that she stopped calling them "sister" and "brother": "Dishonest? Mrs. Zhang, that's a really harsh way to put it!"
Ms. Zhao remained unmoved, her aura imposing: "Am I wrong? Li Ye likes my Xiao He, but instead of thinking about how to pursue her earnestly and practically, he wants to force Xiao He to submit through public opinion. Has he ever respected my Xiao He even a little bit?"
"In a work setting like a press conference, he openly declared his intention to pursue my Xiaohe, using moral blackmail tactics, and even sent her flowers for several days in a row, causing such a huge disruption to Xiaohe's company's normal work order. It's not an exaggeration to say that he has malicious intentions, is it?"
"Finally, since a misunderstanding happened by chance, my Xiaohe was willing to save face for both families and only thought about how to reduce the heat. Instead of being grateful and cooperating, he actually hired online trolls to smear Xiaohe's reputation, trying to take the opportunity to rise to fame. Isn't that malicious?"
Mrs. Li said angrily, "What do you mean by 'climbing the social ladder'? He..."
She couldn't even bring herself to say it. Li Ye's actions were indeed a despicable and underhanded tactic, strikingly similar to the methods used by celebrities who desperately wanted to marry into wealthy families!
Mrs. Li suppressed her anger. Although she did not think that Ms. Zhao could represent the Zhang family in negotiations, Ms. Zhao's tough stance made it hard to say whether she was really sent by Chairman Zhang.
She forced a guilty smile: "In the end, it is our Li family who has wronged you in this matter. Don't worry, sister, we will definitely give Xiaohe an explanation!"
Ms. Zhao could see her reluctance, but since she had already received a clear statement, she didn't care whether she was willing or not. She left the Li family with her head held high, and as soon as she got into her car, she called Zhang Chaohe: "Dian Dian, I've taken care of Li Ye!"
Zhang Chaohe was taken aback. He thought Ms. Zhao was referring to the solution on the trending topics—after all, just now, a well-known paparazzi suddenly revealed shocking news about Li Ye's chaotic private life and his ambiguous relationships with several female celebrities!
The trending topic appeared out of nowhere, gleaming with the dazzling light of paid advertising, and shot straight to the top of the charts. The small group of CP fans that Li Ye had just lured in with his old trick of 999 roses instantly flew into a rage, flooding Li Ye's private Weibo account to demand how dare he do that!
[Li Ye, with your tarnished resume, how dare you apply for a job with Boss Zhang?]
So using such a dirty trick as a public confession is because you're experienced? - Little Zhang was almost dying of embarrassment. I'm so stupid.
【You're good at making games, but can't you be half as good a person as you are at making games? You'd better just focus on making games and not mess with my company! (smile) (smile)】
Zhang Chaohe almost felt a lump in his throat. He lowered his head and whispered, "Thank you, Auntie."
Ms. Zhao sighed: "You child, why didn't you tell the family about how he bullied you? Your dad and brother thought you liked him, and they were furious when they saw the awful things he did."
Zhang Chaohe glanced furtively at Cheng Jixue, who was quietly reading the script beside him. Seeing that Cheng Jixue was being polite and not eavesdropping on the phone call, Zhang Chaohe hesitated for a moment before turning around slightly, trying to maintain his image as a cold and domineering CEO: "I originally wanted to settle accounts after the collaboration ended."
Li Ye's damaged image will definitely damage the game's reputation, and of course, it will also affect collaborations. But since it won't hurt us to let him ride our coattails, let him ride our coattails. Just be prepared to be punished later.
Although he felt a little wronged, when you're out making money, can everything go smoothly?
Ms. Zhao almost laughed in exasperation at his sensible remarks: "Dian Dian, how much money can a game collaboration make? Is it worth sacrificing your happiness? Our family has no shortage of money. Your father and aunt asked you to start your own business not so that you could make a lot of money, but so that you could find joy and value in your work."
"Do what you want to do and what you like to do. Don't wrong yourself. You are the youngest child in the Zhang family. No one deserves to make you suffer. If anything happens, be sure to tell your family. Your family will always be your strongest support, you know?"
Ms. Zhao gave him repeated instructions before hanging up the phone. Zhang Chaohe looked up at the sky for a while, trying to hold back the tears welling up in his eyes. He hadn't felt particularly angry or wronged when Li Ye had tricked him and left him with no recourse, but upon hearing Ms. Zhao's voice, he suddenly realized that he didn't need to tolerate Li Ye at all.
It's just a collaboration; take it or leave it!
May the plague god get out of here!
Zhang Chaohe walked back and sat down as if nothing had happened. Cheng Jixue looked at him with gentle comfort, flicked the script in her hand without saying a word, and let Zhang Chaohe calm down on his own.
He closed his eyes to rest until he felt the carefree joy of the past return to his body, then took out his phone to continue browsing the trending topics.
The online sentiment is now almost entirely one-sided. With Li Ye's clown-like antics as a precedent, everyone has subconsciously joined the ranks of fans shipping Qiu Yue as a couple. Besides those shipping the couple, some netizens and their rivals are fiercely criticizing Li Ye, some are advocating for the collaboration, and a small group is using a historical magnifying glass to frantically explain the background of the story in "The Golden Hairpin" during that era.
In any case, Weibo is currently in a state of chaos, with one funny story after another. Zhang Chaohe quickly became engrossed in the joy of watching the drama unfold and completely forgot about his earlier grievances.
Cheng Jixue glanced at him, then quietly opened her chat window with Ji Boyang. Her dim-witted nephew's excitement seemed to practically overflow the screen:
"Does that feel good, Uncle? He's the one who swindled you out of twenty million!"
"Don't worry, I've already spoken to my family. Li Ye and his father will be severely injured this time, even if they don't have a complete overhaul!"
"I directly upgraded Li Ye to the highest tier of 'gossip' membership. I wonder if he's happy about it?"
The reason why the Ji family can be called a top-tier orthodox wealthy family is that after a century of accumulation, not only does the family have a terrifyingly abundant fortune, but its extensive network of relatives and friends also extends to important positions in the military, politics, and business. The uncles and brothers in the family help and support each other along the way, which is why they have achieved their current prosperity.
Therefore, with just one sentence from Ji Er, Li Ye will soon suffer a devastating blow from three powerful figures. The He family, the target of the previous mild attack, was severely weakened and is still struggling to recover. However, Li Ye's actions this time are far more egregious than what He Guangyin did back then.
I'll probably receive a MAX version of the "dimensional reduction attack" package.
But Cheng Jixue didn't intend to tell Zhang Chaohe about this. While twirling his phone, he recalled the intelligence he had just gathered and decided to put it to use to see if he could make the goose happy.
Cheng Jixue opened the chat window of her unjustly accused nephew and ordered a few dishes without any hesitation, asking him to send them over as soon as possible.
"Don't say things you shouldn't say, understand?"
Ji Boyang: This is my second uncle, the good second uncle who only knows how to make me deliver takeout, right?
Ji Boyang coldly replied: "1".
You don't deserve a formal answer!
⚹
Zhang Chaohe originally planned to just grab something to eat at the cafeteria for lunch, but Cheng Jixue suddenly said that a friend of his had cooked a lot of dishes at home and wanted to bring some over for him. He suggested that if Zhang Chaohe didn't mind, they could have lunch together.
Zhang Chaohe: I'm so embarrassed, tears are about to stream down my face.
When Cheng Jixue's friend arrived, Zhang Chaohe discovered that the other party was actually Mr. Ji, who had bid against Li Ye at the last charity auction.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend. He happily shook hands with the other person and greeted him: "What a coincidence, you know Cheng Jixue?"
Ji Boyang glanced expressionlessly at his gentle second uncle, who was smiling like a beacon of understanding, and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. However, he had already accepted reality and was ready to accept his fate, so he eagerly put his hand on his second uncle's shoulder: "Yes, Xiaoxue and I are good friends!"
Zhang Chaohe: Wait a minute, what did you call him?
At the same time, a sinister, chilling gaze fell upon him, and his second uncle pressed his palm against the back of his hand with a little force: "Boyang really knows how to joke."
Ji Boyang then realized what nonsense he had just said—although he was panicked, he remained calm on the surface and immediately tried to make amends with a grin: "Just kidding, Brother Cheng, I was just kidding."
Zhang Chaohe always felt that there was something strange about these two, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it... However, since they were able to bring each other lunch, they must have a very good relationship, right?
Mr. Zhang suddenly asked, "I'm curious, how did you two meet?"
He is now just like Cheng Xuelan before he signed the contract—how could a rich second-generation from out of town be able to get along with an innocent and kind artist in such a short time?
You wouldn't happen to be the second incarnation of the one who fell in love on the grave, would you?
Ji Boyang: You won't believe it, but I knew him when I was still in my mother's womb.
But he was actually sweating bullets inside, because he hadn't discussed the answer to this question with his second uncle beforehand!
Ji Boyang looked up and met his second uncle's gaze with deep affection, his eyes filled with "Save me," but his second uncle returned his gaze with a standard polite and gentle smile, his eyes saying "Think for yourself!"
Ji Boyang was betrayed and his mind went blank. He couldn't come up with a reason that was neither outrageous nor would affect his second uncle's relationship with his future second aunt.
However, not only Zhang Chaohe was still waiting for his answer, but even his second uncle was threatening him with his eyes.
Just as Zhang Chaohe was becoming increasingly suspicious and feeling that something was amiss, Ji Boyang's eyes lit up, and he quickly said, "I am a seasoned Peking Opera enthusiast!"
"After seeing Mr. Cheng's performance, I felt great admiration for him, and that's how we became good friends!"
What a positive and inspiring reason! Ji Boyang thought with satisfaction that such a humble and studious persona would definitely leave a very good impression on his future aunt!
Although he didn't know that the moment he spent a whopping 20 million to buy Ms. Zhao's ancient painting, Ji Boyang's image in Zhang Chaohe's mind had already become that of an eternal king of vengeful spirits...
Zhang Chaohe finally became a little smarter. He wasn't fooled by the kid's simple words. Instead, he asked seriously, "Then why don't you say a few words on the spot?"
However, Cheng Jixue, who had just been standing very close to Ji Boyang, subconsciously took two steps back!
Zhang Chaohe immediately sensed something was wrong—before he could react, Ji Boyang had already stepped forward with great joy and grabbed Zhang Chaohe's hand!
He looked so surprised and satisfied, with a touch of shy happiness on his face: "Since Mr. Zhang insisted, I will reluctantly perform a section of Dingjun Mountain!"
Zhang Chaohe: I don't know why I have a bad feeling.
The next second, he truly experienced what it meant for a voice to be deafening and utterly overwhelming—Ji Boyang's singing vividly demonstrated what it meant to be "all emotion and no technique." Although Zhang Chaohe didn't know how to count beats and rhythms, he knew that Ji Boyang was terribly off-key!
Seeing the bewildered look on Xiao Zhang's face, as if he'd stepped out of his body, Ji Boyang felt a pang of guilt. He thought sadly, "That's why my great-aunt only likes my second uncle and not me... But I didn't want to sing off-key!"
The ruthlessness of the Ji family men should be reflected in the business and political arenas. My second uncle is enough as an artistic genius—after all, I can't find a good wife who is a business genius like my second uncle; I can only work hard myself…
Seeing Ji Boyang's dejected and disappointed look, Zhang Chaohe suppressed his conscience and grabbed the other's hand: "You sang very well!"
Ji Boyang looked up in surprise: !!
Cheng Jixue, who was standing silently to the side, was almost bursting with anger. She heard Xiao Zhang sincerely say, "Learn more from your brother Cheng. As long as you put in the effort, you can even grind an iron rod into a needle. With more practice, you will get better!"
Ji Boyang was deeply moved. This was the first time someone had given him such profound recognition in art. His second aunt was indeed not only beautiful but also kind-hearted, and she could actually see through his stubborn exterior to his fragile heart!
He grasped Zhang's lean yet strong hand tightly, moved, and said, "On behalf of the organization, I declare you qualified!"
Ji Boyang: You're a qualified second aunt now!
Zhang Chaohe: You're a qualified friend now!
Everyone understood their own perspective and was very satisfied, creating a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere without any sense of incongruity.
Only Cheng Jixue, who had been watching the whole thing from the sidelines, raised an eyebrow.
What is this? Is this the official establishment of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Silly Dogs?
While Mr. Zhang went out to wash his hands and prepare for dinner, Cheng Jixue whispered to Ji Boyang, "You should spend more time with him when you have nothing to do."
Ji Boyang was shocked: "Although I understand your eagerness to integrate into the Zhang family, I came to Haishi to work on our family's biotechnology company!"
Don't think that just because I delivered takeout to you twice, I'm your intelligence agent... I'm a domineering CEO too!
A genuine, domineering CEO!
Cheng Jixue smiled slightly—Ji Boyang noticed that his second uncle seemed to be addicted to acting, and the tea connoisseur almost choked on the 82-year-old Longjing tea.
Ji Er patiently guided him: "Think about who else is in Mr. Zhang's family?"
Ji Boyang knew his future sister-in-law's family background by heart: "Those related by blood include her father and brothers..."
Wait a minute, isn't Zhang Yinshan, the elder brother of my second aunt, a legendary figure who made his fortune in biotechnology?
Ji Boyang was instantly filled with fighting spirit and confidently declared, "Leave it to my second uncle. We'll take down one partner and give Mr. Zhang another one in return!"