"Sir, will it be alright for Anran to go out at this time?" Li Xuewen feigned concern.
"She's so naive, she deserves any consequences!" Ye Guoli said, his face darkened.
He had no affection for this daughter of his.
For Ye Guoli, Ye Anran's existence was a constant reminder of his humble origins.
Ye Guoli was an in-law of the Shi Family.
Shi Corporation was built from scratch by Ye Anran's maternal grandfather, Staten, when he was young. Staten only had one apple of his eye, which was Ye Anran's mother.
Despite hailing from a rural area, Ye Guoli was honest and highly competent in his youth, earning Staten's admiration. Worried about the succession of Shi Corporation, Staten chose Ye Guoli to be his son-in-law.
However, Staten was also a shrewd and careful man. Fearing for the future of his daughter and granddaughter, he left 20% of Shi Corporation's shares to Ye Anran as her dowry in his will.
Ye Guoli only had 30% of the shares, and although he never brought up the topic over the years, he had always coveted Ye Anran's 20% of shares.
So when he found out that Ye Anran was dating Bo Youlin, he was extremely anxious. The Bo Family was a prominent family. In S city, they were business giants with solid foundations, incomparable to Shi Corporation.
If Bo Youlin and Ye Anran got married, who would end up with the 20% of shares was yet uncertain.
As an unsettling son-in-law, Ye Guoli was anxious that Bo Youlin would turn against him and covet Shi Corporation, just like him. That's why he allowed Li Xuewen and Ye Rouxin to set a trap to break up Bo Youlin and Ye Anran.
"Sir, don't be angry. Anran is just young and naive. Even if she does get married, she will still need the support of her maternal home. Without her maternal home, does she really think her husband's family will value her! However..." Li Xuewen gently smiled, while giving Ye Guoli a shoulder massage.
"However what?" Ye Guoli looked up at her.
"However, I guess Ye Anran left to find Bo Jinyu. If she stays with Bo Jinyu, I'm afraid…" Li Xuewen did not finish her sentence, but she knew that Ye Guoli would understand.
Ye Rouxin deliberately said, "Mom, don't say that. Sister surely wouldn't be foolish enough to just hand over her 20% shares to someone else!"
On the surface, it seemed as if she was defending Ye Anran, but her real intent was very sinister.
Ye Guoli's face further darkened as he listened to his wife and daughter. Only by gaining control of that 20% of shares could he secure his position in Shi Corporation. Moreover, he had been contemplating renaming Shi Corporation to Ye Corporation for a long time.
"How about that Li Ming you mentioned last time?"
Hearing Ye Guoli's words, Li Xuewen knew that he was starting to accept her idea and hastily replied, "Li Ming, the son of my distant cousin. He's over six feet tall and very lively. He just comes from an ordinary background. Heard he's a local temporary city management worker and may have a chance of getting a permanent job in the future."
"That's not bad, it's not important for a man to have a good background, as long as he's ambitious. Start implementing the plan you talked about last time!" There was a hint of ruthlessness in Ye Guoli's eyes as he closed them and said calmly.
Li Xuewen revealed a triumphant smile behind him.
Ye Rouxin's face was distorted with excitement.
Her cousin Li Ming, indeed, is tall and quite good-looking, but...he has a reputation as a wife-beater and doesn't have a proper job!
...
...
Ye Anran walked on the street, feeling weird.
She amazingly, had no tears.
She felt awful. Overnight, everyone had abandoned her. But she, didn't shed a single tear. Her eyes were incredibly dry.
She just wanted to find a place to scream.
She took out her phone and dialed her best friend Zuo Aiai's number: "Ai Zi, are you free?"
"Mistress An, what can I do for you?"
"I'm feeling stifled, can we go out and shout a bit?"
"Didn't you go to a banquet tonight? Why do you suddenly want to sing?"
"I went, but ended up watching a combat tournament!" Ye Anran felt disgusted remembering the scene.
"Combat tournament? What do you mean?"
"I saw Bo Youlin and Ye Rouxin making a fool of themselves!"
"Pfft ..." Zuo Aiai laughed, only to realize something was wrong, "Wait … Bo Youlin? Ye Rouxin? Did I hear wrong? How did your lover end up with that bitch Ye Rouxin?"
Ye Anran hailed a taxi, got in and explained the whole incident to Ai Zi.
She was surprised herself. Under the double blow of a breakup and being kicked out of the house, she was alarmingly calm, explaining the whole incident from start to finish systematically.
"Damn, it's really about protecting yourself from fire, theft, and your step-sister! I always saw Bo Youlin as a gentleman, but I never imagined he could be so filthy behind closed doors! He even hooked up with that Slut Ye Rouxin!"
"And your jerk of a father, he's just too much! It's clear that it's Ye Rouxin's fault, but he asked you to make way for Ye Rouxin! If you refuse, he kicks you out. Turns out the saying about having a stepmother leading to having a stepfather is true! Netizens didn't lie!"
Zuo Aiai was furious. At the end of her tirade, she suddenly remembered Ye Anran and anxiously asked, "An'an, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I just feel suffocated and want to go out and scream. So, are you coming?"
Hearing that Ye Anran's voice sounded normal, Zuo Aiai let out a sigh of relief. She quickly replied, "Yes, yes, yes! This is the time for me, your reliable friend, to step up. Tell me your location. I'll cancel my date and accompany you to scream until dawn!"
Ye Anran gave Zuo Aiai the address, hung up the phone and smiled gently.
At least, she still has good friends!
She, wasn't entirely alone.
It wasn't all bad.
She tugged the corners of her mouth into a gentle smile.
Arriving at the location, Zuo Aiai got out of the car and entered the venue.
The venue, an entertainment club called Exquisite, had recently opened in S city. With twelve floors providing multiple recreational activities, the most luxurious was the VIP area on the top floor, which was reserved for elite business meetings, and not anyone could afford to enter.
Even more intriguing was the unidentified major shareholder behind the scenes. All they knew was that the major shareholder was very wealthy and elusive.
However, Ye Anran never intended to go to the top floor. She just wanted to go to the fifth floor to let out a scream or two, to let off steam.
"Why is it her?"
Just as she entered, outside Exquisite, a Maybach pulled up. The car window rolled down, revealing an extraordinarily handsome face watching the slender figure enter the entrance.