It seemed that Cen Xiucheng hadn't been idle after their last encounter, but his actions had met with opposition from Cen Ya and Ni Na.
Unfortunately, despite his capabilities, Cen Xiucheng couldn't bring himself to be ruthless with Cen Ya and Ni Na. Therefore, it was hard to say whether he could save Shan Jin Jewelry and salvage the losses.
However, how the Cen family chose to squabble among themselves was none of her concern.
***
The next day, Ni Na arrived at the Taoxun building. She stood before the entrance of Taoxun, her expression filled with hesitation.
She was here to see Ye Zhi today. The power struggle at Shan Jin Jewelry yesterday had turned their Cen family into a laughingstock. Although Ou Minghan had tried to keep it from her, she was still aware of the situation.
She was furious and deeply upset. She had never imagined that her usually obedient and well-behaved son would do something like this.
After much thought, she could only conceive of one possibility.
It must be as Ou Minghan had said: Cen Xiucheng, in his eagerness to win Ye Zhi over and compete with Qi Xuan, was in such a hurry to regain control of Shan Jin Jewelry!
Therefore, she was here to warn Ye Zhi, to tell her to stay away from Cen Xiucheng and to stop bothering him!
With this thought, Ni Na felt a surge of strength. She tilted her head slightly and walked into the Taoxun building with an air of arrogance.
"I want to see Ye Zhi, also known as your General Manager Ye!" Ni Na said, her chin slightly raised, her tone haughty.
The receptionist blinked. Who was this? She looked somewhat familiar, yet also a stranger. Unsure, she took another look.
"Madam, do you have an appointment?" the receptionist asked with a standard, eight-tooth smile.
"No. Just tell her to come down and greet me! I am Cen Xiucheng's mother!" Ni Na declared even more arrogantly.
"I'm sorry, Madam, but without an appointment, you cannot see General Manager Ye." The receptionist politely refused with her standard smile.
Ni Na's face immediately fell. "Do you know who I am? I am a Duchess!"
"I apologize, Madam, but without an appointment, you cannot see General Manager Ye. It doesn't matter if you are a Duchess or a Duke's daughter, it's not possible~" The receptionist's smile widened. She finally understood why this woman seemed both familiar and unfamiliar.
"You...!" Ni Na was furious. She hadn't expected to be mocked by a mere receptionist!
In her anger, she repeatedly asked the receptionist to call Ye Zhi, but the receptionist kept repeating the same phrase. Of course, the only difference was that the receptionist's attitude became increasingly pleasant, impeccably so.
"Just you wait to be fired!" Ni Na said angrily, then turned and left, defeated.
Watching her depart, the receptionist smiled even more happily.
Fired? Impossible! Thanks to this Duchess, she'd earned a chance for a raise!
Later, the young receptionist reported the incident up the chain, all the way to Ye Zhi.
Ye Zhi found it utterly baffling. What was with the Cen family? Why did they all seem so eager to see her?
Just then, Ye Zhi's phone rang.
The call was from Su Ming. Ye Zhi didn't even need to ask to guess the situation.
She quickly answered the call. As she had suspected, Ni Na had found Su Ming through connections, hoping to arrange a meeting with Ye Zhi.
"Same old rules," Ye Zhi said calmly. "Five million. Transfer it to my account first, and once the money is in, I'll meet you."
Su Ming paused, then asked curiously, "General Manager Ye, do you have some kind of feud or relationship with the Cen family? It all seems rather strange to me."
"Don't just say it's strange to you; even I can't figure it out," Ye Zhi said with a hint of helplessness. "They clearly see me as an enemy, yet they're always eager to send me money. What am I supposed to do but take it?"
Su Ming chuckled, "Indeed, you must take it."
After hanging up, Su Ming relayed Ye Zhi's request to Ni Na.
"What? She's asking me for money?!" Ni Na was enraged.
Su Ming paused, then couldn't help but ask, "Madam Ni Na, I recall your son mentioning that your family signed an agreement with the Ye family. If either party intentionally harasses the other, a penalty of five million is incurred. So, isn't this five million the penalty agreed upon with the Ye family? You are the one actively seeking to meet Ye Zhi, so shouldn't you be the one to pay?"
"I, I..." Ni Na was momentarily speechless. She couldn't help but retort, "How can this be the same?"
She was a Duchess, while Ye Zhi was merely a vixen who was seducing her son. Furthermore, she was an elder. Her willingness to condescend and meet Ye Zhi was a favor, wasn't it?
"How is it not the same?" Su Ming countered.
Ni Na opened her mouth, but suddenly realized that the thoughts in her mind were too difficult to articulate.
"Madam Ni Na, please think it over carefully. General Manager Ye is a person of principle; you won't be able to see her if you don't pay," Su Ming said calmly. "Contact me when you've made up your mind."
The call ended, and Ni Na felt a profound sense of disappointment.
Did she really have to spend five million to meet Ye Zhi? Even the evil mother-in-laws in idol dramas only produced five million when asking the female protagonist to leave their son!
She didn't really want to spend the money, but she also couldn't avoid meeting Ye Zhi.
Actually, the agreement between the Cen family and the Ye family was handled by Cen Xiucheng. She had only glanced at it and found no issues, so she hadn't paid much attention to it.
It was only when Su Ming mentioned it today that she remembered that clause.
However, this only made her angrier.
Meeting Ye Zhi cost five million. In such circumstances, shouldn't Cen Xiucheng be avoiding Ye Zhi? The fact that he was willing to pay this money only further indicated that Ou Minghan was right, that Cen Xiucheng truly intended to pursue Ye Zhi.
With this thought, Ni Na became even more determined to meet Ye Zhi.
Soon after, Ye Zhi received Su Ming's reply. The five million arrived shortly thereafter.
Ye Zhi notified the receptionist, and when Ni Na entered the Taoxun building again, someone escorted her upstairs.
Ni Na arrived at the reception room. She had barely sat down when Ye Zhi pushed open the door and walked in.
"Madam Cen, hello," Ye Zhi nodded slightly. "Would you care for something to drink?"
Ni Na was slightly taken aback.
She hadn't met Ye Zhi many times; this was only their second encounter. However, compared to Ye Zhi's relaxed demeanor last time, this time she exuded a very different aura.
It was a presence that commanded involuntary respect. She had seen it in her husband and in some of the Cen family's important partners.
Ni Na snapped back to reality and said coldly, "No, thank you!"
"Alright," Ye Zhi said calmly. "Then let's get straight to the point. What brings you here?"
"Miss Ye," Ni Na said, lifting her head slightly, her expression indifferent. "Although your business is doing quite well now, it's still incomparable to our Cen family..."