Volume 1, Chapter 42: The Relationship Between the Lin and Ye Families!!

As a member of the Ye family, she had been instrumental in the founding of the Jun Tianxia Group, having partnered with the Ye family to secure the initial financing. She personally held forty percent of the shares, giving her words significant weight.

At Ye Bing’s outburst, Lin Dahai and his son were stunned. Lin Dahai, in particular, felt his heart skip a beat. Ye Bing was no pushover, especially given her substantial stake and her status as a Ye. He dared not provoke her lightly.

"Ye Bing, stop grandstanding here!" Lin Zhicheng spoke up, though he was bracing himself. He was inwardly terrified of her; they had grown up in the same high-end residential complex, and the Ye and Lin families had been very close. The children had often played together, but even then, Ye Bing had been fierce, frequently putting the boys in their place. She was tougher than any boy, with her most legendary feat being the time she chased three Lin boys down the street with a brick, knocking two of them flat.

"Jun Tianxia is not entirely your Lin family’s property. Don’t forget, our Ye family still holds forty percent of the shares!" Ye Bing retorted. "I don’t care about your internal family meetings, but remember this: it was only out of respect for Ruoxue that I convinced my family to invest in Jun Tianxia. Now that it’s successful, you want to oust her? Ha! You’re dreaming. At worst, the Ye family will just pull our shares right now!"

Ye Bing stood with her hands on her hips, looking formidable and completely unconcerned with her image. Lin Ruoxue’s eyes turned red; in this moment, only her best friend was standing by her, shielding her without hesitation.

"Pull your shares? That sounds great! By all means, do it!" Lin Zhicheng clapped his hands, his tone full of delight, his face twisted in a wild grin. Now that Jun Tianxia had grown, its reputation and client base were well-established. Its market value was worlds apart from what it had been years ago. If the Ye family pulled out now, it would actually be a win.

"I could hear your little scheme from abroad. You think I’d sell my shares to your Lin family at face value? In your dreams!" Ye Bing suddenly snapped. "I’ll turn right around and sell them to the Qin family, and let you all tear each other to pieces!"

Lin Dahai’s face changed drastically. He knew all too well that Ye Bing was capable of such spiteful behavior. The Lin and Qin families were bitter rivals; if the Qin family truly gained forty percent of the shares, it would be catastrophic. Half of Jun Tianxia would be handed over to their enemies.

"Ye Bing, don't be impulsive! Everything is negotiable!" Lin Dahai quickly adopted a fawning smile, desperate to stabilize the situation. If she really did sell to the Qin family, he would be in deep trouble—the Matriarch would have his head.

"Negotiate your grandmother's business! Do you even deserve to?" Ye Bing spat. "How could Ruoxue have an uncle like you? You’re heartless and ungrateful. Save your breath!"

Ye Bing refused to play along. Faced with her aggression, Lin Zhicheng fell silent, not daring to interject again. Lin Dahai, terrified, looked awkward and trapped. "Fine, I’ll go back and discuss this with the Matriarch. We’ll revisit this later. Ruoxue, don’t take today’s events to heart. I’ll take my leave now."

He signaled to his son, and they rose to leave. They had arrived with such arrogance, but they departed in complete disarray. Ye Bing watched them go, sneering with a twisted lip.

"Ye Bing, you didn't have to do that. I was already prepared to leave," Lin Ruoxue said, exhaling a deep, melancholy sigh. She felt lost. She had considered leaving the Lin family to start her own company, but she lacked the capital. Over the years, she had earned plenty for the family, but her own share of the profits was minimal—barely enough to cover her living expenses.

"Don't be ridiculous. Together, we’re invincible!" Ye Bing insisted. "Besides, I’d be so bored without you! By the way, I’ve already taken care of that Su Ming. What are your next steps? Are you really going to accept him?"

"I don't have the energy to worry about him," Lin Ruoxue replied anxiously. "The pressure from my uncle is far beyond what you can imagine. The company’s accounts have been drained, and there’s a mountain of IOUs waiting for me to collect, or the company will grind to a halt."

Hearing this, Lin Ruoxue looked pale and defeated. The company had been running smoothly until her grandfather fell into a coma and her grandmother took charge, leading to this current state of affairs. Her uncle’s backroom dealings had utterly ruined a company that once held all the winning cards.

"If I may be blunt, your Lin family has even more useless parasites than the Ye family," Ye Bing said coldly. "But don't worry. Jun Tianxia is the only sanctuary we have left, and I won't let the parasites from either family touch it."

"I'll do my best," Ruoxue replied.

"I’m heading out immediately to collect the debt owed by the Shuntian Group. Come with me," Ruoxue decided. It was the only way to quickly restore liquidity.

"I’m coming with you," Ye Bing agreed. "That President Lu is a total pervert; I won't let you go alone."

***

Meanwhile, at Longzhou University’s Department of Performing Arts, Su Ming entered the teaching building, intending to see how his sister was settling in. As he walked down the corridor, he spotted Yingying. She was sitting in her wheelchair, straining to look through a classroom window.

Su Ming frowned and walked over. "Yingying, don't you have class? Why aren't you inside?"

Hearing his voice, Su Yingying jumped, quickly pulling her wheelchair back. She lowered her head, silent, like a child caught doing something wrong.

"I asked you a question. Why aren't you in there?" Su Ming crouched down to look at her face. "I checked—you have classes all day until six. What’s going on?"

Seeing her expression, he knew something was wrong.

"Brother, don't ask. Let's just go home," she said, finally looking up with a forced smile. "I don't have class until tomorrow. I'll make you fish when we get back. Let's not stay at the hotel."

"No, you clearly have class. If you're hungry, I'll go buy you something," Su Ming pressed, his suspicion growing. "Tell me exactly what's going on, or I’ll go ask the department head myself."