THD Chapter 35

Over the years, the Ye family had undergone tremendous changes. Once a seed of doubt was planted, it was bound to take root and flourish. In the beginning, Father Ye alone had suspected his eldest son and second young master, but under his relentless pressure, the two brothers had finally fought back. With Ye Xiqing's subtle "reminder," however, Father Ye refused to let them turn the tables. In the end, he won the confrontation.

Yet the "betrayal" of his two sons, combined with his advancing age, left Father Ye seriously ill. As a result, Third Young Master Ye suddenly became the family's only remaining pillar, and he could hardly conceal his satisfaction.

As the youngest child, he had never expected to inherit the family business. That privilege should have belonged to his two older brothers. But fortune favored him. His eldest and second brothers had been cast aside and sent overseas, while his aging father could no longer raise another heir. Naturally, the entire Ye family empire fell into his hands.

He had gained everything with almost no effort. Every day, he returned home in high spirits and dutifully tried to cheer up his gloomy father. Whether Father Ye's mood improved or worsened at the sight of him was another matter entirely.

Father Ye sat in a wheelchair while a caregiver slowly pushed him through the glass greenhouse in the courtyard so he could enjoy the sunshine. The moment he saw Third Young Master Ye grinning from ear to ear beside him, an inexplicable wave of irritation rose within him. Still, after losing two sons and falling gravely ill, he no longer dared vent his anger on his only remaining son. He could only endure the constant pestering in silence.

When he noticed the figures approaching from afar, his expression immediately brightened.

"Qingqing, Li'er, you're back too!"

Supporting Ye Xueli by the shoulder, Ye Xiqing walked over and greeted him warmly.

"Dad, I've come back to see you."

Inwardly, however, she thought, Dad has fallen ill again. I really am useless. I only hope a cure for his illness can be developed soon.

Hearing her heartfelt thoughts, Father Ye's eyes filled with tears.

His precious little daughter truly was his sweetest child.

Unlike those two ungrateful sons.

Seeing how delighted his father was, Third Young Master Ye pursed his lips in displeasure. She really knew how to make people happy without even trying. But what was the point? She was a woman. No matter how much Father Ye doted on her, the Ye family could never truly be hers. She would marry someday, bear children with another family's surname, and leave the Ye household behind.

Feeling immensely superior, he greeted them lazily.

"So, little sister's back, and she brought Li'er too. What happened this time? Did you quarrel with Qin Nian again and run back to your parents' home?"

Until then, Ye Xueli had kept her head lowered in silence. At his words, she slowly looked up, revealing eyes swollen red from crying. She gazed at Father Ye with obvious grievance before suddenly collapsing into tears. Leaning against his wheelchair, she sobbed,

"Dad... I don't want to stay with Qin Nian anymore. I want a divorce."

Both Father Ye and Third Young Master Ye were stunned.

"Why are you suddenly talking about divorce?"

Acting every bit the caring elder sister, Ye Xiqing helped Ye Xueli into a nearby chair before speaking calmly.

"It really couldn't continue. By the time I arrived, they had already come to blows."

"Besides, Qingqing Technology is preparing to acquire Qin Nian's Nianxing Technology. Since our companies are destined to become rivals, it's better for them to cut ties now."

Ye Xueli was not Father Ye's biological daughter, and after hearing Ye Xiqing's explanation, he naturally had no objection. Even so, one question remained.

What would become of Ye Xueli after her divorce?

Ye Xiqing answered before he could ask.

"Let Xueli join the company and learn."

"The Ye family company?" Father Ye asked.

"Of course. Qingqing Technology requires experienced professionals with technical expertise. Xueli is already starting late if she wants to enter this field."

Third Young Master Ye immediately objected.

"What does Ye Xueli know about business? She's just a dancer!"

Ye Xiqing merely smiled.

"And you think you're qualified simply because you have a foreign degree? Xueli earned admission to X University through her own efforts while training in dance. As for your abilities... I'd rather not comment."

"Running a company isn't about having a diploma! What would a spoiled rich girl know?"

"I'm a rich young lady too," Ye Xiqing replied coolly. "The difference is that I've already built my own company, while you're still living off our parents. How exactly are you qualified to criticize anyone?"

"What you're doing... what you're doing..." Third Young Master Ye stammered angrily. "You know perfectly well what's going on!"

"What exactly is going on? I don't know. Go ahead and say it if you dare."

"Enough!"

Realizing they were on the verge of exposing the secrets surrounding mind-reading and rebirth, Father Ye hurriedly interrupted.

He looked at Ye Xueli and made his decision without hesitation.

"Fine. If your sister thinks this is best, then we'll do it. I'll arrange for you to join the company tomorrow."

Ye Xueli immediately thanked him gratefully.

Third Young Master Ye, however, exploded.

"Why? She's just an adopted daughter you picked up! She stole eighteen years of your biological daughter's life as the pampered young miss of the Ye family. Don't you hate her? And now you're even helping her enter the company?"

Ye Xueli looked at him quietly before asking,

"That's exactly what I'd like to ask you, Third Brother. You always said you loved me as your own younger sister. So why is it that now, the only thing you ever call me is 'the adopted daughter'?"

"Why am I the adopted daughter? Why is my sister living away from home? Wasn't it all because of the mistakes you made back then, Third Young Master Ye?"

Third Young Master Ye froze in place. Only then did he realize that even Ye Xueli had stood up to argue with him.

Despite the brother's lack of brotherly affection and the sisters' open defiance, the two true heads of the Ye family remained remarkably calm. They sat leisurely in their seats, sipping their drinks as if nothing unusual was happening.

True apex predators never need to hunt personally. To preserve their dominance, it is often better to let their subordinates fight among themselves.

Father Ye glanced at Ye Xiqing, who sat beside him just as relaxed. He wondered whether she had truly accepted Ye Xueli as her younger sister out of pure kindness, or whether her talent for managing people had become so natural that orchestrating situations like this no longer required conscious effort.

At the very least, it solved one of his worries.

He worried about his two elder sons, and naturally he worried about his youngest son as well. If someone could truly become a sword capable of standing against Third Young Master Ye, that would be ideal.

As for the future heir...

Father Ye looked at Ye Xiqing once more.

If only his daughter had been born a son.

Ye Xiqing noticed the complicated expression in her father's eyes and simply smiled before taking another sip of her chilled papaya milkshake.

Surely no one still believed they could compete with her now.

...

The announcement of a collaboration between the Ye Group and Qingqing Technology caused an immediate sensation.

Almost everyone already knew that Ye Xiqing was the long-lost daughter of the Ye family who had returned in spectacular fashion. Yet despite that relationship, she had never allowed the Ye Group to associate itself with Qingqing Technology. She had even forbidden the company from advertising slogans such as, "The ingredients in our skincare products come from Qingqing Technology."

But today, the two companies had officially joined forces.

Since its founding, Qingqing Technology had devoted itself to women's health. Menstrual pain medication had been only its first breakthrough, not its final goal.

From investors to researchers, the entire company was composed of women, and its research had always focused on gynecological diseases.

Few pharmaceutical companies openly dedicated themselves to women's healthcare. The attention felt almost flattering.

Like a catfish thrown into a pond, Qingqing Technology forced competing pharmaceutical companies to improve their own women's health products or surrender half of the consumer market.

After all, women make up half the world's population.

Although many companies tried to imitate Ye Xiqing's success, Qingqing Technology remained the pioneer and naturally occupied a unique place in women's hearts.

The primary consumers of beauty and skincare products were women. Simply being known as the family that had "raised Ye Xiqing" was enough to elevate the Ye Group's image, let alone launching their first genuine collaboration.

Sensing an explosive news story, reporters rushed in like sharks smelling blood. Hou Nianyun was among them.

However, because of her unusually close relationship with Ye Xiqing, she immediately sensed that something was off.

The collaboration itself was already surprising, but what surprised her even more was Ye Xiqing's personal appearance at the launch event.

What kind of occasion required Boss Ye herself to attend?

Looking at the Ye family representatives...

Surely they hadn't brought another group of useless people, had they?

Wait.

Ye Xueli?

Hou Nianyun stared at her in astonishment.

After graduation, her former college roommates had scattered across the country. She had only imagined meeting them again someday while visiting each other's cities. She had never expected such an unexpected reunion.

Her thoughts raced.

Ye Xiqing.

Ye Xueli.

The two names intertwined repeatedly until the answer finally became obvious.

You've hidden this well.

...

As expected, Ye Xiqing was the centerpiece of the press conference.

The media had long studied her interview habits. They knew she preferred direct questions, so they immediately began asking about the details of the new skincare product.

Ye Xiqing answered each question calmly.

"Its primary function is slowing visible skin aging. It also has some effect on wrinkles, age spots, and other natural signs of aging, although those improvements are relatively modest."

"It wasn't intentionally developed. It was simply a byproduct during our research into skin disease treatments. Since I wasn't using it and my family kept urging me to commercialize it, I handed it over."

"Whether it's worth buying depends on the customer. Compared with ordinary moisturizers, it definitely offers additional benefits. Either way, you'll probably buy skincare products anyway, so choosing this isn't exactly a bad deal."

"It's not that I don't want to exaggerate its effects. There's already too much exaggeration in the skincare industry. Even if I did, nobody would believe me."

"Of course I still hope everyone buys it. Qingqing Technology needs funding to continue developing new treatments, and I've always hoped more people would support our research."

"Take today's patent, for example. Although the Ye Group received priority production rights, we still welcome skincare companies from every sector to license it. The Ye Group hasn't bought exclusive ownership. The patent belongs to everyone."

Laughter filled the conference hall.

Everyone had assumed Qingqing Technology, after years of building its reputation through women's healthcare, had finally decided to cash in.

Instead, they witnessed something entirely unexpected.

The contrast between the two companies was striking.

Qingqing Technology remained detached, while the Ye Group maintained complete neutrality. Even its own businesses received no special treatment.

Since Ye Xiqing answered professional questions so casually, there was little else to ask about the product itself.

Fortunately, experienced reporters knew that the real story often lay elsewhere.

Hou Nianyun immediately raised her hand.

As expected, Ye Xiqing chose her.

Representing Qingxue Media, Hou Nianyun asked with a teasing smile, "Normally, CEO Meng attends events like this. What made you decide to come personally today, Xiqing?"

Ye Xiqing smiled back.

"You're the first person today to ask the important question."

"Since you asked, I'll answer."

"This is only a skincare product launch, so attending isn't particularly special."

She turned toward the woman seated beside her.

"But the lady next to me happens to be my sister."

"Oh..."

With Hou Nianyun leading the applause, the reporters immediately caught on.

Ye Xiqing gently pulled Ye Xueli toward the front of the stage.

"Next, everyone, please enjoy Ms. Ye's performance."

Ye Xueli stood, greeted the audience once again, and naturally became the center of attention.

This was probably Third Young Master Ye's greatest mistake.

Ye Xiqing had already taken from the Ye Group the one thing that mattered most.

Its customers.

Yet he still believed he could seize control of a company that had lost its soul without Ye Xiqing.

Ye Xueli had been fortunate enough to grow up under the Ye family's care for eighteen years.

They taught her everything.

Everything except the ambition to challenge the truly powerful.

Since that was the case, becoming Ye Xiqing's protected younger sister did not seem so bad.

After all...

She was simply too strong.

...

The Ye family's new skincare product sold out almost instantly.

Previously, Qingqing Technology's supporters had mixed feelings toward the Ye family. They couldn't ignore the family because Ye Xiqing belonged to it, yet they disliked the fact that all three Ye brothers worked in the company while Ye Xiqing herself remained absent.

Only after it was confirmed that the two elder brothers had been forced out, and that Ye Xiqing had personally elevated Ye Xueli, did her supporters finally accept the Ye Group into their list of favored companies.

As for that little brother whose name nobody even remembered...

They could always dig up some embarrassing history to help Ye Xiqing's rise.

Some people never need to cultivate a fanbase.

Others do it effortlessly.

Ye Xiqing had never deliberately tried to profit from her fans, yet her supporters had become remarkably enthusiastic. They practically volunteered to support her while brainstorming even better ways to strengthen her influence.

Before Ye Xiqing became involved, only casual consumers bought products without much thought.

Now everyone mobilized at once.

People abandoned their previous skincare brands and switched without hesitation.

Beauty products depended heavily on marketing.

Ye Xiqing needed none.

Her customers came to her willingly.

...

As long as Father Ye remained alive, he would never comfortably hand over all his shares to anyone.

Fortunately, Ye Xiqing was a considerate daughter and showed no interest in taking control.

However, with her two elder brothers gone, nobody wanted the dividends that had originally belonged to them.

Could he simply give those dividends to her?

Third Young Master Ye protested fiercely.

As Ye Xiqing's reputation continued to soar, Father Ye increased her effective shareholding by another five percent and raised her dividend allocation by eight percent.

She already held more than anyone except her parents.

Why should she receive even more?

His objections accomplished nothing.

His daughter had merely accepted dividends.

Third Young Master Ye, on the other hand, clearly wanted much more than that.

With a casual wave of his hand, Father Ye transferred the entire eight percent previously allocated to Eldest Young Master Ye and Second Young Master Ye to Ye Xiqing.

To make the numbers look neater, Ye Xiqing voluntarily transferred one percent to Ye Xueli.

Seeing this, Ji Yuxiu also gave Ye Xueli another one percent.

Given Father Ye's declining health, the only things he truly feared were death and losing control.

He certainly wasn't worried about his family spending his money.

Without hesitation, he granted Ye Xueli another three percent and increased Ye Xiqing's shares by an additional five percent.

In the end, Ye Xiqing controlled twenty percent of the company.

Ye Xueli held five percent.

Third Young Master Ye was left with a pitiful four percent.

Filled with ambition and determined to inherit everything, Third Young Master Ye suddenly realized that, within this family, he could not even compete with Ye Xueli.

Why?

Wasn't he supposed to be the Ye family's sole heir?

...

After placing Ye Xueli securely inside the Ye Group, Ye Xiqing lost interest in its affairs.

She would contribute only in proportion to what she received.

Since Father Ye refused to hand over complete ownership, she naturally had no intention of managing the Ye Group as though it were her own company.

She would simply collect dividends from time to time and borrow money from her father whenever necessary.

Between Qingqing Technology's profits and her dividends from the Ye family, Ye Xiqing became extraordinarily wealthy.

Acquiring Qin Nian's struggling pharmaceutical company was effortless.

That company had been nothing more than scrap metal in Qin Nian's hands.

In hers, it was a treasure.

Qin Nian's face was still wrapped in bandages from the wounds Ye Xueli had inflicted.

Even so, he could only lower his head before Ye Xiqing.

She looked at him and smiled faintly.

"Senior, ten years have passed."

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