As the pampered daughter of a wealthy family, Hou Mingzhu had always been showered with adoration, never feeling the need to strive for anything.
Her parents could only motivate her through tangible rewards, primarily money.
At times, to obtain certifications or achieve certain results, Hou Mingzhu's father would set clear monetary values, providing her with a direct incentive for her efforts. This habit, formed early on, was difficult to change.
"President Hou, no, Miss Hou, perhaps you've always lived a life of privilege and don't understand the hardships of ordinary people. Not all problems can be solved with money, especially since my Brother Ye isn't short of it. He's disheartened now, and nothing anyone says will help. I think he's decided to go all the way down this path. Brother Ye is really serious this time. I've tried to persuade him to no avail, so perhaps you could try, President Hou."
Hou Mingzhu hadn't expected it to be so troublesome. She had only dealt with a village girl; how much influence could one village girl have? Hou Mingzhu had always thought this way and hadn't anticipated the severe consequences that followed.
"My Brother Ye probably despises me the most. If I were to go and plead with him, it would likely be counterproductive."
Hou Mingzhu was mainly afraid to go. Except for the time Ye Tiancheng sought investment, when he showed her some respect, he had no further requests. Everything changed afterward. She later realized that was Ye Tiancheng's true nature.
Ye Tiancheng was incredibly defiant. He couldn't be treated like a peasant who had suddenly struck it rich. This person possessed many qualities, one of which was a grand worldview, as if he were a successful individual who had transmigrated. Therefore, ordinary favors wouldn't sway this important figure.
"Then there's nothing we can do; we can only live day by day. Brother Ye has already sold all the saplings that haven't fully grown. This completely shows that he's past the point of no return."
"Don't be so pessimistic; there might still be a turning point. I refuse to believe that Ye Tiancheng would truly retire from the world and abandon worldly affairs for a woman. A truly great person wouldn't be so narrow-minded."
Of course, Hou Mingzhu kept telling herself this, or she might have died of stress. She hadn't secured the shares of Nong Jia Cai yet, and her ambition to create a powerful catering empire remained unfulfilled. Now, with issues in vegetable supply and quality, she could hold on for a while. If this continued, Tian Fu Catering would likely have to close down.
"President Hou, regardless, I'm just a subordinate. I can't be of much use at critical moments. Brother Ye doesn't take my words seriously. This is a problem for you higher-ups; you should resolve it."
This little fatty seemed harmless, but he was actually quite cunning. Hou Mingzhu was an excellent judge of character. No one could influence Ye Tiancheng now. Hou Mingzhu had been counting on Ye Tiancheng as her right-hand man to help persuade him. Yet, the little fatty kicked the ball back, showing no respect for Hou Mingzhu.
After a tour of the horticultural center, Hou Mingzhu felt her anger rise several notches. While the place appeared unchanged on the surface, internally, it was gradually deteriorating. If Ye Tiancheng didn't return to take charge soon, there would likely be even bigger problems. Hou Qing'er had always had a good premonition, and this worry grew stronger, even developing into anxiety.
Upon returning, Hou Mingzhu contacted He Wu, whom she had previously planted near Ye Tiancheng.
"You must complete this mission. You've already received millions from me, and you know I'm not short of money. As long as you can get Ye Tiancheng to come out of seclusion, I'll offer you ten million this time."
The reason He Wu could start a fire and then disappear was that he had been feigning ignorance and acting foolishly, never showing off and always appearing clumsy in everything he did.
Of course, Ye Tiancheng had never paid much attention to him, fearing he was sent by Hou Mingzhu, so he had always been wary of this person. However, this fellow had hidden himself too well. After Hou Qing'er's incident, no blame had fallen on him.
"Miss Hou, I told you I wanted to run away, but you wouldn't let me, saying it would be like trying to cover up a guilty conscience and that Ye Tiancheng would find out. So, I took the risk and listened to you. But the mission you're proposing now is too difficult. I'm only assigned menial tasks every day. With my status, do you think Ye Tiancheng would listen to me? Definitely not. Even the words of the popular little fatty by his side are treated like farts. What am I?"
Since Hou Mingzhu had contacted him with great difficulty, He Wu felt it was necessary to vent all the unfair treatment he had received during this time.
Hou Mingzhu couldn't help but roll her eyes at this fool's constant negative complaints. If she didn't think she could still use him, she would have found an opportunity to break his legs long ago.
"So, you're not going to do it?"
"I can try, but it will definitely fail. And with my status, if I try to persuade him, I'm afraid the previous arson incident might be exposed. Miss Hou, I'll listen to whatever you say, and I can take responsibility for all the consequences. But I don't want to implicate you."
Hou Mingzhu was extremely intelligent and immediately realized that this person was using her as leverage. However, at this point, there seemed to be no better option.
"Alright, continue to hide yourself, don't expose yourself, and don't seek the limelight. Strive to be an ordinary subordinate by Ye Tiancheng's side. When I need you, I will activate this chess piece."
Having narrowly escaped, He Wu breathed a sigh of relief. He knew very well that a woman like Hou Mingzhu, who acted so ruthlessly, would eventually face consequences with Ye Tiancheng. It was only a matter of time.
A few days later, due to Ye Tiancheng's passive resistance, Nong Jia Cai suffered a significant blow in the industry. Su Muxian could no longer sit still. She immediately went to the horticultural center to speak with the little fatty, and then intended to find Ye Tiancheng at his shed to talk. However, Ye Tiancheng refused to see anyone.
Hearing that Su Muxian had been rebuffed, Hou Mingzhu was overjoyed. But then she realized she was also a victim. If business continued like this, the eventual outcome would be closure.
She had lost count of how many days it had been since Hou Qing'er left. She had thought her longing would lessen with time, but why did she miss her more and more?
When they were together, she had felt comfortable and under no pressure. Moreover, Hou Qing'er treated him well, which was why Ye Tiancheng had chosen her. But only when he truly lost this person did he realize that the connection was a soul-deep compatibility.
In other words, it was unique. Finding someone as good as her seemed impossible.
Perhaps with the passage of time, he would forget this person. But the more he thought about it, the more he remembered.
Ye Tiancheng would lie in his shed and sleep whenever he had nothing to do, occasionally drinking a little. The purpose of drinking was to drown his sorrows, to get groggy and continue sleeping.
He couldn't recall how long it had been since he last shaved; he looked very disheveled. Ye Tiancheng didn't care. His current appearance was that of a carefree hermit.
It started raining outside again. It had been raining frequently these past few days. The plastic sheeting on the roof rustled noisily, making one feel even more drowsy.
As for the plastic sheeting, it wasn't that Ye Tiancheng was diligent and insisted on putting it up. The main reason was that without a piece of plastic sheeting to block the holes and gaps, Ye Tiancheng would be drenched like a drowned rat every time it rained.
Ye Tiancheng was enjoying his freedom, but someone couldn't stand it. Strictly speaking, it wasn't a person: "Hey, Great God Ye, that's enough. Everyone outside wants to find you. You've set up a barrier here, and no one can get in. They're all anxious. You haven't worked for a day, and you're delaying the interests of many people. It's one thing for the daughters of wealthy families, but what about the workers at the horticultural center? Don't you care about them?"
"Care about what? I can't even control my own life, and you want me to pretend to be a savior and control other people's lives? That's too much. I don't want to pretend to be so awesome."
Nuwa Stone had been appearing more frequently these past few days, mainly because Ye Tiancheng was too decadent and seemed intent on continuing this way. This had greatly worried the Nuwa Stone, who strongly supported Ye Tiancheng's pursuit of a career. The previous day, when the saplings were sold, the Nuwa Stone had vehemently disagreed, but it was ultimately futile, and Ye Tiancheng had sold them his way.
"Ye Tiancheng, I won't beat around the bush. I just want to see you become strong. Tell me, what conditions do you have? Just name them. Can you stop being so self-destructive?"
"Heh, your fighting spirit is useless. I'm truly tired. If there's anything that could reignite my fighting spirit, it would be if there were a way to resurrect Hou Qing'er."
"The body is gone. At least for a soul's return, you need a body. Besides, what kind of immortal art is that? Hou Qing'er has already entered the cycle of reincarnation. Stop thinking about it. You can't just give up on your life because one person is gone. Look at what you've become."
"The reason I set up this barrier is that I don't want anyone to disturb me. But even so, I can't avoid being nagged by you. My ears are getting calloused, you stinky rock. Hurry up and leave, don't make me lose my temper. When I lose my temper, I can't control my emotions, and it's quite hurtful."
Seeing that Ye Tiancheng was about to get angry, knowing that he sometimes had a rogue streak, the Nuwa Stone immediately fled, not daring to bother him further, fearing it would annoy him and cause other problems. The Nuwa Stone didn't want to be implicated.
After half a day of silence, Ye Tiancheng finally confirmed that the Nuwa Stone had indeed left. In fact, he felt a little empty. When someone was nagging him, he found it annoying, but when that person was gone, he felt exceptionally lonely.
Outside, only the sound of rain hitting the plastic sheeting could be heard. Ye Tiancheng, who had been feeling sleepy, was now completely awake. Memories of his time with Hou Qing'er became very clear. Ye Tiancheng wished he had an enemy right now.
Even if that enemy were very powerful, as long as he worked hard, Ye Tiancheng would at least have a direction in life. Even if he had to suffer a lot on the path of revenge, it would be better than having no goal now. He felt that after Hou Qing'er left, he was like a rootless duckweed, drifting with the wind.
Suddenly, he sensed someone outside the barrier trying to break in, but failing.
Ye Tiancheng glanced over and saw that it was Hou Mingzhu. It seemed another mediator had arrived, and this mediator was quite determined. Dusk was falling, and it was raining heavily; she clearly couldn't bear it any longer.