The Lin family lived in a bungalow area, quite far from the Fu residence. Fortunately, it wasn’t raining. After dinner, many elderly people were chatting and playing with children at the mouth of the alley.
Fu Qixuan stepped forward and asked politely, “Aunties, may I ask if an elderly lady named Xie Huifen lives here? I need to discuss something with her.”
An old woman sized him up and replied, “You’re looking for Huifen? She’s sick and in the hospital. She sold her house, so she doesn’t live here anymore. If you want to find her, you should contact her granddaughter.”
Another old woman scoffed. “What’s the use of finding her granddaughter? If you ask me, it was her who angered Old Xie. Otherwise, how could someone usually so healthy suddenly fall ill? Young man, what do you want with Old Xie? She’s unconscious now, probably on her last legs. Finding her is useless.”
Fu Qixuan found an excuse. “An elder in my family once received kindness from Grandma Xie and sent me to find her to repay the favor. Grandma Xie is sick? Do you know which hospital she’s in? I can cover the medical bills and find good doctors to help treat her.”
Upon hearing this, the several old women perked up immediately. “You’re willing to pay? That would be a great thing! Old Xie’s illness probably costs a fortune. Who knows if her granddaughter, even after selling the house, is willing to spend it on her? If you can help Old Xie, that would be wonderful. We don’t actually know which hospital she’s in, but we can give you her granddaughter’s phone number. You can ask her.”
Fu Qixuan noted down Lin Xiaoyun’s number and asked nonchalantly, “From what you’re saying, it seems Grandma Xie’s granddaughter doesn’t have a good relationship with her? I’d like to understand more. My family only asked me to repay Grandma Xie herself. I don’t want to get into any trouble.”
These old ladies understood things like this best. With someone like Lin Xiaoyun, so vain and money-grubbing, wouldn’t she latch onto a rich young man the moment she saw him? If she scared this young man away, who would take care of Old Xie?
So, they didn’t hide anything, speaking the truth one after another.
“Lin Xiaoyun has been pretty, sweet-talking, and good at coaxing people since she was little. Old Xie couldn’t bear to eat well or dress well, saving every penny to spend on her. Her grades were average, making it hard to find a job. Old Xie even asked around everywhere, trying to see what she could do. In the end, she went and hooked up with a rich man!”
“Aiyo, she became someone’s mistress. Let me tell you secretly, she even tried to use a pregnancy to force her way into the family. But the legitimate wife was formidable. She brought people to block her at home and beat her straight into the hospital. That’s when she finally behaved. How else would we know about these things? It made Old Xie so angry she needed several IV drips to recover.”
“It’s not that we speak harshly, but Lin Xiaoyun is truly outrageous. Her eyes are only on money. When she was little, she’d smile and greet us when she saw us. Now that she’s grown up, her eyes are on the top of her head. She shows no filial piety towards Old Xie at all, a complete ingrate. Old Xie used to cry whenever she brought up her granddaughter with us.”
“Actually, Lin Xiaoyun hasn’t come back for a year. A while ago, when she heard this area might be demolished, she suddenly came back. Old Xie’s neighbor even heard them arguing. Not long after, an ambulance was called to take her to the hospital. Old Xie’s face was deathly pale. We heard it was a cerebral hemorrhage, and she went into a coma in the ICU. We don’t know what happened after that, only that Lin Xiaoyun sold the house.”
“She wouldn’t have just dumped Old Xie somewhere to fend for herself, would she? We’re just a bunch of uneducated old ladies and don’t know what to do. Young man, you look capable, and Old Xie did your family a kindness. You must find her and cure her. She’s such a good person, never had a cross word with anyone in decades. How did she end up with such a debt-collecting granddaughter…”
As they spoke, some of the old women began wiping their tears. When people get old, they fear unfilial descendants the most. They were all old neighbors who had lived here for decades, familiar beyond familiar. Seeing Old Xie angered to such a state by her granddaughter chilled their hearts, and they felt terribly sad inside.
Fu Qixuan hadn’t expected what Xu Ziyan said to actually be true. All the information he had investigated was problematic, instantly making his mood become complicated. Facing several old women with tear-streaked faces, Fu Qixuan assured them, “Aunties, don’t worry. I will find Grandma Xie as soon as possible, be responsible for her medical expenses, and take care of her until the end.”
Fu Qixuan thanked them and left quickly. His objective this time was already achieved. True to his word, he immediately had people arrange to upgrade Xie Huifen’s hospital room to VIP, hired professional caregivers to look after her, and requested expert consultations.
Initially, he was just being charitable, wanting to help Lin Xiaoyun. Since the one truly suffering was Xie Huifen, and he happened to come across this, helping Xie Huifen directly was the right thing. Now, Lin Xiaoyun had completely become a corporate spy in his eyes, and he had no other thoughts about her.
By the time he returned to the Fu residence, the rain had stopped, and the weather had turned sultry again. As soon as he entered, he asked the servant, “Where’s Xu Ziyan?”
The servant replied, “The Second Young Miss said it was too stuffy and went to swim in the pool.”
Xu Ziyan particularly enjoys playing in the water, almost going down to the pool to swim every day. Knowing she liked to splash around and play freely in there, the Fu family never went over, lest she feel embarrassed.
Fu Qixuan, however, paused for a moment and changed direction towards the pool. He had to verify what this so-called “inner thoughts” business was about. Xu Ziyan was swimming, wearing a swimsuit and soaking in the water, which was the least likely time for her to hide any high-tech devices. Even if it was shameless, he had to go and investigate.
Xu Ziyan was surprised to see him. She swam over towards him, thinking:『He’s back already? Didn’t go comfort his precious?
Wait, that’s not right. He didn’t go look at documents or work? What’s he looking for me for? Could it be that Social Butterfly put in a bad word about me, and he’s here to settle accounts?
But that doesn’t make sense either. On the surface, I haven’t fallen out with Ding Jie yet. Lin Xiaoyun, Ding Jie, and I are supposed to be on the same side. Lin Xiaoyun has no reason to harm me, right?』
Fu Qixuan looked at Xu Ziyan, confirming she hadn’t spoken and didn’t look like she could be hiding anything. Finally, his worldview collapsed, and he began to question his life.
How could such a thing as hearing inner thoughts exist in this world???
Would it be strange if Sun Wukong appeared someday?
He had worshiped Sun Wukong as a child until his parents solemnly told him those were all fake. Now he worships science, only for his parents to solemnly tell him he could hear inner thoughts. He truly felt a sense of world-weariness.
Xu Ziyan rested her arms on the pool’s edge, wearing a puzzled expression. Fu Qixuan said, “Starting tomorrow, you’ll come to the company with me as my secretary. Two employees will be assigned to help you through the internship period.”
Xu Ziyan immediately said, “I want flexible working hours and a private office!”
“Internship performance scores are very important. Work tasks will be arranged flexibly. There are no spare offices. You’ll share an office with me. Breakfast is at seven tomorrow morning. Don’t be late.” After saying this, Fu Qixuan left.
He heard Xu Ziyan let out a wail, falling into the swimming pool, cursing in her heart:『What a lunatic! Just give me a sinecure to idle away the days! If I share an office with him, how am I supposed to binge dramas, eat snacks, and doze off? Perform well my foot! The world should just end already! This is utterly pointless!』
As Fu Qixuan walked farther away, he gradually couldn’t hear her inner thoughts anymore. He took a deep breath and decided to work through the night to clear his head. It was the perfect time to formulate a plan to deal with the Ding family.
He was now the helmsman of the Fu family. With so many things recently happening to the Fu family, in his eyes, the opponent was definitely not Ding Jie alone, but the entire Ding family.
The Fu and Ding families had been opposed for a long time. His grandfather’s initial demotion was due to a secret report by the Ding Family’s Old Master. The Zheng Liqiang under his father who embezzled public funds and harmed the company was again instructed by Ding Jie’s Father.
Reaching his generation, he originally thought the Ding family only had Ding Yao. While the two families wouldn’t shake hands and make peace, they also wouldn’t continue fighting. Who knew another Ding Jie would pop up? The moment he returned to the Ding family, he took aim at the Fu family, using them as his proof of loyalty. Was this looking down on the Fu family, or looking down on him?
In the original plot, Lin Xiaoyun took advantage of Fu Qixuan’s kindness, and with Xu Ziyan’s help, stole the company secrets, dealing a critical blow to the company at a crucial moment.
But now, Fu Qixuan was already on guard against Lin Xiaoyun and had ignited his fighting spirit. Regardless of whether the Ding family would continue with their petty maneuvers later, he would not let this matter pass so easily. The Ding family must pay the price!
Xu Ziyan splashed around in the water for a bit and swam a few more laps before returning to her room. Although she kept muttering about the world collapsing and how she should just not care, her interactions with the Fu family were actually quite polite.
The Fu family had been so concerned about her internship and graduation thesis. Even Fu Qixuan, this Domineering CEO who detested the original host the most, was giving her special treatment. She felt too embarrassed to slack off excessively. Just take sharing an office with Fu Qixuan; the one more affected should actually be the busy Fu Qixuan.
Therefore, Xu Ziyan decided to sleep early, firstly to nurture her health, secondly to get up early for work. Once she got to the company, she could always nap on the desk if she got tired. Heh, with her current status as the Domineering CEO’s sister, she wasn’t afraid of being fired!
Humming a tune, she finished her shower. The moment she opened the door, she heard the incessant ringing of her phone. Picking it up, she saw Ding Jie had sent who knows how many messages and made who knows how many calls.
She answered casually, “Hello? What is it?”
The words of accusation Ding Jie was about to utter paused. He frowned. “Can’t I look for you if there’s nothing?”
Xu Ziyan retorted, “Have you ever looked for me when there’s nothing?”
Ding Jie was left speechless and got straight to the point. “Weren’t you kicked out of the Fu family and cut off? When did you return?”
Xu Ziyan didn’t answer directly, only saying, “My parents dote on me. They’ll be fine once I coax them. How could they really cut me off? What’s wrong? Isn’t it good that I’m staying home?”
“You didn’t tell me.”
“I thought you were feeling too guilty recently to contact me. Besides, do I need to specifically tell you whether I stay home or not?” Xu Ziyan put the phone on speaker and started blow-drying her hair.
She had never ignored Ding Jie like this during a phone call before. Ding Jie thought it was because he took the game and left her at the club, making her angry. So last time she had deliberately or inadvertently targeted his mother, and now didn’t even tell him about something as big as staying with the Fu family—this was her giving him the cold shoulder, waiting for him to coax her.
Although Ding Jie felt very stifled, Xu Ziyan staying with the Fu family raised her usable value immensely. From Lin Xiaoyun’s observations, the Fu family had already forgiven Xu Ziyan and treated her very well. Then, using Xu Ziyan to stab the Fu family would absolutely be a fatal blow.
So Ding Jie softened his tone and coaxed, “Lately, my father wants to put me in an important position and has given me a lot of work. I’m truly busy, sometimes not even having time to eat, so I’ve neglected you. Once I’m done, I’ll definitely accompany you properly, okay?”
Xu Ziyan let out a light laugh. “Last time we ran into your brother, you said we were just ordinary classmates. What’s there for classmates to ‘accompany’? Ding Jie, what are we? Actual couples are more intimate. They eat together, go on dates, even give the woman a supplementary card. What about you? I can’t even see you. Ordinary classmates don’t need to contact each other often, right?”
Ding Jie needed her precisely now; how could he not contact her? But meeting frequently, he really had no time. Moreover, if he wanted Xu Ziyan to deal with the Fu family, on the surface, he couldn’t get too close to Xu Ziyan, or it would definitely alert the Fu family. So, suppressing his displeasure, he said, “I’ll have someone send a card to you right now. Go shopping to pass the time. I’ll make an appointment with you the moment I’m done.”
Xu Ziyan raised an eyebrow and agreed readily. “Alright.”
Her original intention was just to complete a mission. She hadn’t expected to accidentally get a card. Since it was offered for free, of course she accepted it without hesitation.
001:『Congratulations, Host. Mission completed: Confront Ding Jie about what this relationship really is. Reward: 1 skill point. Host, I know you want to add it to Luck. I’ll add it for you right now!』
Xu Ziyan smiled. 『You’re a fast learner. With good luck, everything goes smoothly.』
In the original plot, after the Fu family collapsed and Xu Ziyan lost her usefulness, Ding Jie couldn’t be bothered with her. Xu Ziyan often saw Ding Jie with Bai Qingqing and finally confronted him.
Xu Ziyan hadn’t just been idling away her time these past few days; she had studied the plot. For storylines like this, she could squeeze them in wherever there was an opening. As long as she completed all the simple plots ahead of time, she could gain a large amount of luck points. By then, perhaps relying on good fortune she could turn calamity into blessing and live a long life.
Hearing her laugh, Ding Jie thought she was appeased and brought up the main matter. “Today, did you meet someone named ‘Lin Xiaoyun’?”
Xu Ziyan casually hit the record button. “Yes. A pitiful soul. My Eldest Brother helped her out. She’s his secretary now.”
Ding Jie spoke obliquely, “She… really likes your eldest brother. I hope you can help her.”
In response, Xu Ziyan replied with shocking bluntness, “So you hired her? I knew she was obviously a green tea bitch (a derogatory term for a two-faced, manipulative woman), so what’s with the act of purity here? You want me to help her? It’s not to help her steal company secrets from my brother, is it?” She laughed, “How did you come up with this plan? You really hit the nail on the head.”
Talking on the phone gave Ding Jie a sense of insecurity; he didn’t want to spell things out so clearly. Hearing Xu Ziyan say all this made him tense up, but by the end, he felt she strongly approved of his method.
Remembering how Xu Ziyan loved him to the point of obsession and was devoted to helping him, not caring about the Fu family at all, he relaxed again and replied, “You just need to cooperate with her. She’ll find you when she needs something. I heard Fu Dongfeng intends to arrange for you to enter the company? Find a way to get a job by Fu Qixuan’s side. That way you can coordinate with Lin Xiaoyun.”
Xu Ziyan agreed, “I’ll listen to you. I’ll start work tomorrow then. I’m going to sleep now, or I won’t be able to get up.”
Before Ding Jie could say anything else, Xu Ziyan hung up. Ding Jie felt a flicker of strangeness, but upon reflection, decided Xu Ziyan was just too eager to complete the task he had given her—she needed to conserve her energy to lobby for that company position. Fu Qixuan wasn’t an easy man to deal with; staying in the Executive Office would likely be very difficult.
So Ding Jie didn’t dwell on it and called the game development team in for overtime. The Game Creation Competition was coming up soon. The game he had acquired had immense potential and was exceptionally eye-catching. It was bound to win the championship.
These past few days, the incident with Song Jie’s hot search had tarnished the Ding Family’s image. The company shareholders were full of complaints. He needed to achieve another success. Then, when he took sole charge of a project within the company, the shareholders would have nothing to say. Therefore, this was absolutely crucial; there could be no mistakes.