The Arrogant President’s Cute Assistant

What Ye Ranxi didn’t expect was that a large group of reporters was gathering there. Although she was already used to standing under the spotlight, the sudden appearance of the reporters still made her feel flustered.

“Xiaoxi, come here.” A familiar voice reached her ears. Ye Ranxi turned to see it was Han Shengyu.

What was he doing here? Ye Ranxi didn’t have time to think much. Seeing him waving her over, she walked in his direction.

Fortunately, with Han Shengyu as her cover, she managed to get into the reception smoothly. Otherwise, she would have to deal with those reporters’ tricky questions again.

“I’m glad you’re here. I wouldn’t know what to do on my own,” Ye Ranxi said playfully, sticking out her tongue and thanking him.

Han Shengyu smiled. “It’s nothing. I just happened to run into you. Are you here alone?”

“Yeah.” Ye Ranxi smiled. She should have come with Ling Xiaonai, but right now she didn’t even know where he was. “I’ll go inside first.”

“Okay.” Han Shengyu nodded with a smile, but in his eyes, a hint of disappointment flickered. He thought he could let go and hide his feelings well, but he later realized he couldn’t hide them at all.

Ye Ranxi walked toward the center of the venue. She didn’t see Ling Xiaonai, but she did spot Zhang Huiwen.

“Auntie.” Ye Ranxi politely greeted her. Although she didn’t like her and knew that Zhang Huiwen was unhappy with her, she still maintained the necessary courtesy.

Zhang Huiwen merely nodded, looking her up and down with a seemingly malicious gaze.

From an outsider’s perspective, she was a very elegant woman. Her hair was styled up, and she wore a deep black long dress. Although she was over forty, she looked no different from a woman in her thirties.

Ye Ranxi couldn’t understand why Zhang Huiwen moved the company’s funds. With her current economic strength, she should be able to handle any crisis. Perhaps there were many things she didn’t know behind this.

The more she didn’t understand the truth, the more curious Ye Ranxi became.

Zhang Huiwen examined Ye Ranxi with a calm expression, but inside she felt a rising panic. She knew that Ye Ranxi was aware of her secret, and if she revealed this matter, the entire Ling Corporation would not spare her.

It seemed she needed to eliminate Ye Ranxi sooner rather than later; otherwise, it would bring more trouble in the future.

Ye Ranxi had always known that Zhang Huiwen didn’t particularly like her, and one could even say she had a bit of a disdain for her. Now that Ye Ranxi knew Zhang Huiwen’s secret, their interactions felt very awkward.

When Zhang Huiwen brushed past her, Ye Ranxi let out a sigh of relief.

Not seeing Ling Xiaonai anywhere in the venue, Ye Ranxi didn’t think much of it and sat down at a table on the side.

“Xiaoxi-Jie, why are you here alone?” a sweet voice came from in front of her. Ye Ranxi looked up to see Wen Nuan.

Wen Nuan was looking quite beautiful today, wearing a pink tulle dress that made her skin appear even fairer. She wore a pair of silver high heels, and her makeup was exquisite, almost like a happy princess who had stepped out of a fairytale.

“I’m just bored, so I’m taking a break here,” Ye Ranxi smiled, shaking her glass of red wine a little before taking a sip.

Wen Nuan sat down opposite her. “Why didn’t you call Xiaonai-Ge to come keep you company? Oh, I forgot! Xiaonai-Ge went home early this morning to pick me up. Maybe that’s why he hasn’t had time for you. Xiaoxi-Jie, you’re not mad at me, right?”

At first, Ye Ranxi thought Wen Nuan genuinely wanted to be good friends with her. Now, she finally saw through her true colors-giving her a treat and then stabbing her in the back, right?

If Wen Nuan could learn to be so hypocritical, what couldn’t Ye Ranxi do? Ye Ranxi broke into a smile, as if nothing had happened. “Of course not. Xiaonai said he considers you his best sister, so it’s natural he’d take care of you.”

Ye Ranxi deliberately emphasized the word “sister.” Yes, she intended for Wen Nuan to hear it.

Wen Nuan despised the fact that Ling Xiaonai considered her a sister. She used to think that he only saw her as a little sister because she was young, and once she grew up, he would treat her as someone he liked.

If she was his sister, they could never be together.

Wen Nuan’s face suddenly turned pale. Ye Ranxi initially thought her words had upset her. Wen Nuan pressed her hand tightly against her chest, unable to say a word, looking genuinely uncomfortable.

After a while, Wen Nuan’s complexion returned to normal. She looked up, a bit apologetic, and said to Ye Ranxi, “Xiaoxi-Jie, I wasn’t feeling well just now. Sorry to make you laugh at me.”

“How could I? If you’re not feeling well, you should see a doctor.” Ye Ranxi didn’t engage further. After all, Wen Nuan liked to play the victim, and she wasn’t new to that.

“I’ve seen a doctor, and she said it’s normal to feel nauseous during pregnancy.” Wen Nuan’s eyes were sparkling with delight, a broad smile lighting up her face.

Pregnant? Ye Ranxi turned to look at her, her mind going blank. When did she get pregnant? Who was the father?

“Xiaoxi-Jie, it’s Xiaonai-Ge’s baby…” Wen Nuan lowered her gaze, her expression a mix of bashfulness and joy. “I know you like Xiaonai-Ge, but I really didn’t mean for this to happen…”

The child inside her was Ling Xiaonai’s? Ye Ranxi let out a cold laugh; she felt like a fool being played for a joke.

Just a couple of days ago, Ling Xiaonai had held her close, whispering sweet nothings, and now Wen Nuan was telling her she was already pregnant with his child? Could this world be any more dramatic?

“Xiaoxi-Jie, are you angry? That day, Xiaonai-Ge was in a bad mood and might have had a bit too much to drink, so… please don’t force me to abort this baby. I will raise him on my own. This is my child with Xiaonai-Ge…” Wen Nuan was now wearing a pitiful expression, holding Ye Ranxi’s hand in a plea, her voice breaking with emotion.

Ye Ranxi’s gaze fell on the white jade bracelet on Wen Nuan’s wrist, and she found herself momentarily distracted. Although she wasn’t an expert on jade, she could tell this bracelet was remarkably translucent and must be quite valuable.

She had never seen Wen Nuan wear this bracelet before. “Where did you get the bracelet?”

“This…” Wen Nuan glanced at the white jade bracelet. “It was a gift from my aunt. She said it’s a family heirloom of the Ling Family, meant to be passed down to the future daughter-in-law of the Ling Family… Xiaoxi-Jie, I really didn’t mean to steal Xiaonai-Ge from you.”

So now everyone in the Ling Family was on her side, even Ling Xiaonai…

Ye Ranxi hadn’t forgotten her ambition to marry into the Ling Family, but knowing that Ling Xiaonai had such a close relationship with Wen Nuan made her feel as if her heart had been brutally sliced open.

“Xiaoxi-Jie…” Wen Nuan caught sight of Ling Xiaonai approaching and her tears flowed like a dam breaking. “Please don’t blame Xiaonai-Ge for this. Blame me if you need to; it’s all my fault…”

So, seeing Ling Xiaonai coming, she was hastily pushing all the blame onto her? Ye Ranxi had already witnessed Wen Nuan’s cunning at the Ling family’s home. She hadn’t expected her to resort to the same old tricks again.

“What’s going on?” Ling Xiaonai approached, not even glancing at Wen Nuan, his gaze fixed directly on Ye Ranxi.

Just the thought that he had once looked at Wen Nuan with that same intensity pierced Ye Ranxi’s heart, making it hard for her to breathe. She had told herself not to care, but it was impossible to follow through.

Ye Ranxi didn’t say anything; instead, she forcibly pulled her hand away from Wen Nuan’s grip and was about to stand up to leave when a strong hand clasped tightly around her wrist.

“Xiaoxi, what’s going on?” Ling Xiaonai didn’t let her evade him, pulling her body back toward him and forcing her to look at his face.

What was going on? Didn’t he know better than anyone? Ye Ranxi nearly used all her strength to push him away. “Don’t touch me.”

“Just tell me what’s happening.”

Wen Nuan, fearing that Ye Ranxi might reveal everything, quickly hugged Ling Xiaonai’s arm and acted coyly. “Xiaonai-Ge, it’s not Xiaoxi-Jie’s fault; it’s all my doing… If I hadn’t made her angry…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Ling Xiaonai’s fierce gaze interrupted her. When he was angry, his eyes seemed capable of freezing anything in their path, and Wen Nuan felt a shiver run down her spine under his intense stare.

“Enough. You two don’t have to put on a show in front of me,” Ye Ranxi said with a cold smile. She realized she had been foolish all along, easily deceived by Ling Xiaonai.

From that moment on, she didn’t want to see them ever again. If they wanted to be together so badly, why should she linger like a thorn in their side, hindering the development of their relationship?

Ye Ranxi tried to leave, but Ling Xiaonai still held tightly to her hand. He feared that if he let go, she would vanish like before, never to return, because he saw the finality in her eyes. It was as if she was saying, “Ling Xiaonai, I never want to see you again in this lifetime.”

“Let go,” she said firmly.

“I won’t.”

“She’s telling you to let go. Didn’t you hear her?”

Ye Ranxi lifted her gaze and was met with the tall, imposing figure of Han Shengyu.

He had been discussing project matters with a board member from another corporation nearby and noticed Ling Xiaonai holding Ye Ranxi’s hand while she seemed determined to break free. That’s why he had approached them.

Ling Xiaonai narrowed his eyes slightly, frowning deeply. This action signified he was not happy at all.

He knew about the history between Ye Ranxi and Han Shengyu; it was Han Shengyu who had taken her away initially. If he weren’t worried about Ye Ranxi getting upset, he would have let the Han Corporation collapse out of spite for being in this situation. He couldn’t believe he actually had the nerve to stand in front of him now. Ling Xiaonai had always been a proud person, intolerant of challenges to his authority, and Han Shengyu continuously tried to pull Ye Ranxi away from him. Ling Xiaonai wished more than anything for Han Shengyu to disappear from her life forever.