Teasing the Icy President

Ye Ziqian was idling in his office when he suddenly remembered that infuriating little girl who had once driven him up the wall.

“Uncle Zhong-call Mu Qingtian over here!” Ye Ziqian said while fiddling with a bonsai plant, addressing Lu Zizhong, who was standing in the office awaiting orders.

“The little girl has taken leave. She said she needs to prepare and will officially start working full-time tomorrow,” Lu Zizhong replied earnestly.

An Shaochen was waiting at the door to see Ye Ziqian, inquiring about when the funds for the investment account of the electronic technology company would be transferred.

“President Ye-” An Shaochen stood there without saying anything further.

“Convene a shareholders’ meeting. For the restructuring of this electronic technology company, I’ve decided to adopt a bidding process among the company’s shareholders. Whoever wins the bid will be in charge of the project. Since you’re so familiar with it, the position of principal consultant for this project naturally falls to you. I hope everything goes smoothly…” Ye Ziqian spoke slowly.

An Shaochen stood there, his face clouded with gloom. Ye Ziqian’s decision was effectively sidelining him. An Shaochen had poured all his energy and effort into the preliminary work, and now, with a single sentence, the president was about to hand over all his hard work to someone else.

“Nan Yan, Qing Shan, you two go with Mr. An to arrange the meeting venue. Uncle Zhong, notify the shareholders. We’ll start the meeting shortly. Wait! I’ll write the bid amount on my computer. When the bidding ends, come over to check the bid and see if the price is appropriate.” Ye Ziqian opened his computer, entered a number, and then placed a book face down on the keyboard.

Lu Zizhong approached with a tablet: “President, why not write it here? I’ll keep it with me.”

“In my office, are you worried about someone spying or losing it? Uncle Zhong, you’ve been absent-minded lately. Are you getting too old for this job?” Ye Ziqian’s face showed a strange smirk.

Lu Zizhong said nothing, simply standing quietly by the side.

After everyone had left, Lu Zizhong said to Ye Ziqian, “President, isn’t pushing him too hard like this going to make him desperate?”

“You mean An Shaochen? He wouldn’t dare. How’s the task I assigned you coming along?”

“Targeting his family? Isn’t that too cruel? The bomb is already in place, rest assured,” Lu Zizhong replied seriously.

“Uncle Zhong, you really are getting old. In our line of work, you need to be ruthless,” Ye Ziqian’s face was as cold as ice.

“Bring An’s wife to the apartment tonight!” Ye Ziqian commanded.

“Yes, understood. It will be done.”

The shareholders’ bidding meeting was held as scheduled in the third-floor conference room.

Each shareholder presented their bids, stating their lowest offers. The new manager of the casino, Mr. Li, one of the shareholders, ultimately won the bid with the highest offer.

“Mr. Li and Mr. An will need to collaborate closely from now on,” Ye Ziqian said with a touch of warmth, prompting applause from all the shareholders present.

Ye Ziqian returned to his office, the door unlocked and the room empty.

The book he had left face down on the computer keyboard had been turned upright. After the shareholders’ meeting, Ye Ziqian hadn’t called anyone back to the office to check the bid amount. He didn’t feel the need to explain himself to everyone, but he sensed that someone untrustworthy was lurking nearby-the book on the keyboard had clearly been moved.

Who could it be?

Nan Yan knocked on the door and entered, carrying a stack of documents. “President, these are the materials submitted by the shareholders during the meeting. Please review them to see if any adjustments are needed. They’re already feasible proposals.”

“Didn’t you look at them?” Ye Ziqian asked, staring at him.

“No, Mr. An told me to bring them to you,” Nan Yan replied cautiously.

“Mr. An-An Shaochen. What a guy. Where is he now?” Ye Ziqian inquired.

Nan Yan, who had been about to leave, turned back upon hearing the question. He stood respectfully in front of Ye Ziqian. “President, he probably went home. He seemed quite disheartened after the bidding.”

“You two are close?” Ye Ziqian asked coldly.

“Yes, we have some personal ties, and a bit of family connection as well,” Nan Yan replied.

“Hmm. As long as you’re on the right side, that’s what matters. No one can afford to be confused at any time,” Ye Ziqian said, his gaze icy as he stared at Nan Yan.

“President, rest assured. Nan Yan and Qing Shan will remain absolutely loyal to you! We’ll be your right-hand men,” Nan Yan declared solemnly.

After seeing Nie Shuangshuang off, Mu Qingtian lazily lay down on her bed, glancing at the mess of leftovers on the table but making no move to clean up.

“Mom, is everything okay at home? I’m doing fine here. Has Dad’s condition improved? I’m earning money now, lots of it, so I can pay for Dad’s treatment. I’ll send money home next month… Don’t worry, it’s safe work, definitely safe… Look at me, I’m so plain and chubby-what could possibly happen? Haha, alright, I’ll hang up now. I’ve got some things to take care of.” Mu Qingtian hung up the phone, tears streaming down her face.

Her mother had reminded her to take care of herself, to eat well and not just focus on earning money at the expense of her health. She assured Mu Qingtian that everything at home was fine and urged her to keep enough for her own living expenses, not to skimp on herself. Growing up, Mu Qingtian had always been pushed by her mother to excel at everything. This sudden shift in tone made her heart ache. All the hardships she endured here were for the sake of building a simple, stable life for her parents and herself.

Starting tomorrow, I’ll be someone who earns a lot of money. I can bring my parents to this city and hire the best doctors to treat Dad’s cerebral thrombosis.

With these thoughts, Mu Qingtian drifted off into a contented sleep.

When she woke up, sunlight was already streaming into her room, casting a fresh, morning glow over everything. Mu Qingtian quickly washed up, put on a pair of black leggings, a black-and-white checkered skirt, and a simple T-shirt. As she was about to leave, she felt her white sneakers looked out of place, so she went back and changed into black ones. Satisfied, she smiled at the chubby girl in the mirror.

When Mu Qingtian arrived at Ye Ziqian’s mansion, she had taken the bus and then walked the rest of the way. By the time she reached the Ye Mansion, it was already 7 a.m. She had woken up at 5:30, and half of the beautiful morning was already gone.

Mu Qingtian stood outside the gate, hesitating. Pressing the doorbell didn’t seem appropriate-what if the master of the house wasn’t up yet? It wouldn’t be right to disturb him.

She paced back and forth in front of Ye Ziqian’s gate, swinging her arms as she walked. Before long, she saw Lu Zizhong hurrying over.

“Little girl, what are you doing here so early in the morning?” he asked, surprised, as he opened the gate for her.

“Good morning, Uncle Zhong! I’m here to start work. Didn’t we agree yesterday that I’d take the afternoon off and start this morning? I set my alarm early-am I too early?” Mu Qingtian’s chubby face beamed with a bright smile.

“Why were you pacing outside the gate?” Lu Zizhong asked, clearly a bit embarrassed, though he didn’t plan to explain why.

What Mu Qingtian didn’t know was that while she was swinging her plump arms and pacing outside, the security guards at the Ye Mansion had noticed her and immediately reported it to Lu Zizhong, who was helping Ye Ziqian get dressed. That’s why he had rushed out.

“Who’s the fool swinging their arms around here this early in the morning? Did they mistake the Ye Mansion for a public park? Is this some new homeless person in the city?” Ye Ziqian said coldly.

Lu Zizhong rushed in, slightly out of breath. “President Ye, it’s Mu Qingtian.”

Ye Ziqian frowned.

Lu Zizhong quickly ran back out.

“I’m here to work as the housekeeper. What should I do today? Cook, do laundry, or clean?” Mu Qingtian spoke loudly, as if afraid Lu Zizhong wouldn’t hear her. He looked at her in surprise.

“We have a chef for cooking, cleaners for tidying up, and a washing machine for laundry,” Lu Zizhong explained.

“Then what should I do? I came here ready to work hard and earn money! I’m determined to get this job!” Mu Qingtian said earnestly.

“You’re short on money?”

“Not exactly. I live simply-just enough to get by. But I want my parents to live a normal, happy life. My dad has cerebral thrombosis and needs a lot of money for treatment. That’s why I dropped out of school and took on odd jobs. If I only did one job, I’d earn very little-just enough for myself.” As she spoke, a shadow of worry passed over her chubby face.

“Come on, there’s a lot to learn. Being a housekeeper here is different from other places. Speak less, do more, and follow instructions. That’s all you need to do,” Lu Zizhong told her seriously.

“Uncle! I’m here, I’m here to work! Tell me what I should do!” Mu Qingtian shouted as soon as she saw President Ye.

Ye Ziqian felt like there were suddenly five hundred ducks quacking in his ears. He frowned at her. “First, learn to keep your mouth shut!”

“If I keep my mouth shut, will I get paid?” Mu Qingtian asked with utmost seriousness. She set her large backpack on the sofa and started doing some chest stretches.

“Yes! If you don’t say a word all day, I’ll give you a thousand as a reward!” Ye Ziqian said, exasperated.

Mu Qingtian promptly closed her mouth, determined not to utter a single word that day. The mention of a thousand yuan had caught her attention. She didn’t fully grasp how much money could really do, but during her time working multiple jobs, a thousand yuan was equivalent to what she earned in a month selling drinks at a bar.

Once inside the Ye Mansion, Mu Qingtian felt right at home. The last time she had wandered around wearing Ye Ziqian’s clothes, she had memorized the layout of the house and where everything was placed. She headed straight for the trash bins, emptying them one by one and using a large bag she found to collect the garbage.

Ye Ziqian watched her bustling around in a chaotic manner, feeling utterly speechless but not bothering to stop her. He let her do as she pleased.

“Uncle Zhong, teach her what needs to be done today. Get her up to speed as quickly as possible,” Ye Ziqian said to Lu Zizhong.

“Don’t worry, President Ye. I’ll handle the training,” Lu Zizhong assured him.