However, Hou Mingzhu changed her strategy. After overcoming this crisis, the pampered daughter regained her power, status, and wealth, yet she dressed like a pure university student and approached Ye Tiancheng with an innocent expression.
To be honest, Ye Tiancheng, despite his battle-hardened nature, was quite susceptible to this approach. She was infinitely better than the previous haughty daughter dressed in designer clothes. Regardless, she didn't make him uncomfortable, which was the most important thing.
"Brother Ye, after this setback, I've realized that I can't live my life aimlessly. Those enjoyments are fleeting, and after them comes endless emptiness. I want to learn from a true powerhouse. Can I be an ordinary employee by your side?"
"An ordinary employee? Hou Mingzhu, that would mean serving tea and pouring water. Have you lost your mind? No, I mean no offense, I just want to know, are you sure?"
Ye Tiancheng could hardly recognize the woman before him as Hou Mingzhu, someone who wore tens of thousands of yuan high heels and would willingly come to him to earn a meager three thousand yuan a month. From her appearance and demeanor, he could barely identify her.
"Brother Ye, you might think this is my childish immaturity, but I want to tell you that I'm absolutely not here to slack off. I've thought about this decision for a long time, and I've come here after careful consideration. I don't want to be like a child, changing my mind constantly, which would make you lose trust in me."
Hou Mingzhu's words were quite moving, and her current demeanor seemed genuinely serious. Even the arrogance in her eyes had vanished, suggesting that this experience had indeed been a significant trial for her.
"Of course, I'm willing to give everyone a chance. But Hou Mingzhu, if you're truly here to learn, I welcome you. Even if we had past grievances, those are all in the past, and I've forgotten them and won't pursue them further. However, if you intend to do anything malicious, and I catch even the slightest hint of it, I will kill you directly and throw you into the cliff to keep company with the corpses."
Hou Mingzhu showed no fear at Ye Tiancheng's words. Instead, her expression was calm, and her eyes flashed with a fearless light.
"Ye Tiancheng, I've made up my mind. Few things in my life have allowed me to make my own decisions. You might not believe this, but I truly didn't want to be born into the Hou family. As an only daughter, everything was arranged for me. It was precisely because I didn't want to accept an arranged marriage that I opposed you. But we've already broken off our engagement, and I want to live for myself. I don't want people to call me Miss Hou of the Hou family. I am Hou Mingzhu, and I am an independent person, detached from my family."
Ye Tiancheng was surprised that Hou Mingzhu could say such things. He had previously thought she was empty-headed, only caring about fashion and spending. It seemed one shouldn't underestimate people's growth. After not seeing her for a few days, her reappearance was refreshing.
"Hou Mingzhu, I'm a ruthless person, and I need to tell you this in advance. Don't blame me when you face the consequences. I truly won't tolerate any schemes around me. If you plan to play any games, I advise you not to come near me. Human life is precious; it's only once. You're not like me; you can't afford to play these games. So, I'll give you three days to reconsider. If you're worried, don't come."
"Ye Tiancheng, I've finally made up my mind. I truly want to learn from you. You can order me to do anything. I'm not afraid of dirty or tiring work, as long as it helps me improve. You saw from my week of experimentation that I can endure hardship. I just want to become stronger, not be short-sighted like I am now, getting nervous and flustered at the slightest problem, unable to do anything."
Seeing Hou Mingzhu's determination, Ye Tiancheng couldn't bear to keep discouraging her. Stripped of her spoiled heiress persona, Hou Mingzhu was just an ordinary young girl. Moreover, she hadn't committed any grave sins before. Helping someone grow from a less-than-ideal state would be more rewarding.
"Alright, Hou Mingzhu, I accept you. You can join my company. You'll start as my assistant."
Initially, Hou Mingzhu thought that once Ye Tiancheng agreed, she could gradually become his confidante. However, Ye Tiancheng was cautious and didn't personally mentor Hou Mingzhu. Instead, he handed her over to Xiao Pang.
"Brother Pang, I've finished cleaning everything. I've also ordered coffee and desserts for the colleagues. Are there any other tasks for me?"
"Then go and clean the other floors. Miss Hou, please don't linger around me. Find something else to do. Your presence makes me feel pressured."
Xiao Pang's words were quite direct. Previously, this Hou Mingzhu was arrogant and looked down on everyone. She often insulted him in front of Xiao Pang, calling him a fatso with useless fat and no future. This had caused Xiao Pang significant psychological trauma.
"Okay, I'll do it right away."
Hou Mingzhu was furious, but what could she do? To slowly climb up, she had to endure some hardship by Ye Tiancheng's side. Only by lying low could she have a chance to gain Ye Tiancheng's trust.
However, these days were truly difficult to endure. Hou Mingzhu felt that in the past month, she had experienced more hardship than in her entire life. Especially with the ongoing preparations for the agricultural conference. Due to Ye Tiancheng's involvement, his horticultural center had many new varieties that the organizers strongly invited him to showcase. Ye Tiancheng also wanted to take this opportunity to promote the fame of many agricultural products from his horticultural center, so he had been busy with this agricultural conference recently.
Hou Mingzhu didn't know how long she could last, but thinking that there was no other good way to get close to Ye Tiancheng, this was her only chance. Hou Mingzhu could only grit her teeth and persevere.
As the agricultural conference was about to begin, Su Muxian visited the day before, and her words indicated a desire to cooperate with Ye Tiancheng.
"Brother Ye, you're doing exceptionally well in the pharmaceutical industry now. I assume these agricultural products are no longer of interest to you. How about we, the Su family, handle all the agricultural products from your horticultural center this time? It would be like us assisting you."
"Su Muxian, I didn't expect you to get involved in this mess. This agricultural conference is merely for publicity; it's not profitable."
"Brother Ye, my perspective isn't that narrow. The reason I'm offering my free labor this time is to have more contact with you. I'm trying to curry favor with you, haven't you noticed?"
"You want to take over my entire agricultural product production line, don't you? I know what you're implying: that if I can earn so much money by growing a single pear, there's no need to venture into other industries."
"Brother Ye, you are indeed very smart. We can be considered original collaborators. The time I bought a basket of your pears, I didn't expect to gain so much profit. I've always remembered that. I feel that our collaboration back then was just the beginning, and we should have closer cooperation in the future."
Ye Tiancheng understood. Su Muxian had come to make money with him. However, Ye Tiancheng had always been strict with agricultural products and didn't want others to interfere, as it would be difficult to resolve if anything went wrong.
"It's probably not necessary. I believe I can figure it out myself. Besides, I have quite a few people under my company now. If they can't handle such small matters, I'll be very disappointed. And I'm paying them salaries, so they should be doing something substantial."
"Actually, I also want to do business with you in pharmaceuticals. But apart from the farm-to-table dishes before, you've never accepted me. My grandfather always admired you and told me to follow you. But now, even Miss Hou has infiltrated your company, and I'm not even considered your collaborator. I feel a bit pathetic."
Su Muxian was actually using this agricultural conference for her personal gain. Su Muxian was indeed a bit anxious. She hadn't expected Hou Mingzhu to be so bold as to go and work for Ye Tiancheng's subordinate, Xiao Pang. When even a young lady from a prominent family was trying so hard, Su Muxian realized that if she didn't make an effort, she would completely lose Ye Tiancheng.
Ye Tiancheng was now a hot commodity. Su Muxian told herself that she had to be proactive, otherwise, she wouldn't be a match for the formidable Hou Mingzhu.
"So, you're also paying attention to Hou Mingzhu." Ye Tiancheng was very perceptive. Although he didn't fully understand women's hearts, it was clear that Su Muxian was targeting Hou Mingzhu this time. He couldn't fail to notice this.
"Alright, how about this? You can also come to my company as an intern, just like Miss Hou. Perhaps you two will become good colleagues."
"That's probably not necessary. I'm too accustomed to a leisurely life. If I'm suddenly subjected to control, I might not be able to handle it."
"Alright then, it seems we haven't reached a point of cooperation yet. We'll talk about it later."
However, Ye Tiancheng thought Su Muxian was a good person, at least she had been his benefactor in the beginning. But Ye Tiancheng feared trouble. He had collaborated with Su Muxian before when selling farm-to-table dishes to Hong Mingzhu. The Su family was quite shrewd and profit-driven, and their ideas sometimes clashed with his.
"Alright then, actually, I don't quite understand why you're in the pharmaceutical industry."
"Because it's meaningful. I feel that after entering the pharmaceutical field, I've helped many people in distress. Just like agricultural products, it's about doing good deeds. Moreover, most of the crops I developed before were also used for medicinal purposes. Why not directly use pharmaceuticals for drugs?"
Su Muxian listened carefully to Ye Tiancheng's explanation and then began to express her views. Su Muxian's point was not to discourage Ye Tiancheng from making pharmaceuticals, but perhaps to maximize profits. Pharmaceuticals were already scarce commodities. Since Ye Tiancheng had achieved exclusivity and others couldn't imitate him, he could be like the popular Pien Tze Huang, possessing great value. Once he achieved market monopoly, a box of medicine could sell for thousands of yuan.
"You're quite ruthless. If you say that, I wouldn't dare entrust the agricultural product exchange conference to you. Your imagination is too wild; you're really going all out for money."
"The industries we are in, on the surface, are for the benefit of the people, but in reality, aren't we just trying to make money? Brother Ye, you have a broader mind than I do, and you're also very wealthy. But the money you have now is still not enough compared to top billionaires. And you've been doing public welfare, donating teaching buildings to impoverished mountainous areas. This is a considerable expense. With buildings rising one after another, I think it won't be long before you find it a bit strenuous. Since there's an opportunity to make money now, why not seize it and earn a substantial amount? After all, no one can be certain about the future market. If the market is good now, you shouldn't miss this opportunity."