The Ye family ancestral home, a building steeped in darkness, still stood tall and imposing.
After meeting Gu Zhi, Old Mrs. Huo wanted her granddaughter to live nearby, so Ye Fei moved from the villa where Ye Qingyuan’s family lived to the ancestral home.
However, since Ye Fei moved into the Ye family home, the others, for some reason, had also started returning more frequently.
When Ye Fei entered, Gu Zhi was helping Ye Wen with his homework.
Although she usually spoiled the child, she never relaxed when it came to his education.
“Yaoyao is back,” Gu Zhi said upon seeing her enter, smiling as she instructed a servant to pour juice.
Ye Wen glanced up at her, abruptly stood up, grabbed his homework, and headed upstairs, with a servant hastily chasing after him.
His dislike was unmistakable.
Old Mrs. Huo didn’t pay much attention to Ye Wen’s attitude toward Ye Fei and eagerly asked her about Zhi Yuan.
“How was it? Did you have a good time?”
“It was alright,” Ye Fei replied, resting her chin on her hand.
Seeing that she wasn’t resistant, Gu Zhi’s joy was evident.
“Zhi Yuan has had an excellent reputation in Jiangcheng all these years, and he’s a gentle person,” Old Mrs. Huo praised Zhi Yuan.
Most importantly, over all these years, Ye Fei was the first girl Grandpa Zhi had approved of.
This proved that the marriage alliance between the Zhi and Ye families was already a done deal.
Thinking of this, Gu Zhi couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Ye Yanqiu, who had just stepped out of her room, happened to overhear Old Mrs. Huo’s words. She paused for a moment before entering the living room.
“Yaoyao is back,” she said, taking a seat opposite Ye Fei with graceful poise. “How was it? Did your date go smoothly today?”
It seemed everyone in the Ye family was very interested in her dinner with Zhi Yuan today.
Lost in thoughts of Zhi Huai, Ye Fei had no interest in dealing with them. After exchanging a few casual words, she headed to her room.
Seeing her reaction, Ye Yanqiu turned her gaze to Old Mrs. Huo. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Old Mrs. Huo merely glanced at her. “What could happen? She’s just tired.”
Not getting the answer she expected, Ye Yanqiu returned to her room with a dark expression.
After throwing her handbag onto the bed, she took out her phone and made a call.
The person on the other end seemed to be in a cheerful mood, humming a tune as they answered.
“Didn’t you say those photos would definitely work? Why hasn’t she reacted at all?” Ye Yanqiu fired off a barrage of questions.
The person on the other end was taken aback before quickly recovering.
“That can’t be!”
A family like the Zhi’s would never accept a marriage partner who had questionable relationships with other men before marriage.
“Could it be that Zhi Yuan didn’t see the photos?”
Listening to her words, Ye Yanqiu sat back on the bed, rummaged through her bag for a lighter, and lit a slim cigarette.
“To be safe, I even sent them to his company,” the person on the other end said anxiously.
Whether at home or at the company, Zhi Yuan should have seen those photos.
“Zhi Yuan has had no scandals all these years. No matter the occasion, he’s always been humble and polite. Someone like him wouldn’t do something as rude as kicking your sister out.”
So, the fact that the dinner went ahead was entirely due to Zhi Yuan’s gentlemanly demeanor.
Ye Yanqiu slid open the glass door and stepped onto the balcony. The ember at her fingertips glowed as she tilted her head back and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
“Then what should I do next? I can’t just stand by and watch her actually marry into the Zhi family!”
Watching Ye Fei marry into the Zhi family would truly drive her insane, completely and utterly mad.
Someone who has wandered for so many years, living like a stray dog—no education, no experience.
How does someone like that deserve to marry into the Zhi family? Just because she once met Zhi Yuanhong, does that give her the right to have everything?
Then what was the point of all her years of hard work?
“Yanqiu, what are you afraid of?” Fang Zhizi on the other end laughed. “Whether it’s background, education, or personal ability, you surpass her in every way. It’s still unclear who will win or lose between the two of you.”
Giving up now would be far too early.
Ye Yanqiu exhaled a puff of smoke upward. She had worked hard to get to where she was today, not to become someone else’s stepping stone.
“The Zhi family probably wouldn’t like a daughter-in-law with questionable morals and poor character. Besides, since her return, she’s been hanging around Nanhuang—this isn’t exactly secret news. If photos alone aren’t damaging enough, then we’ll just have to find another way.”
Listening to her friend’s words, Ye Yanqiu stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray.
Just as she hung up, a breaking news alert popped up on her phone screen.
Popular actress Song Yue promoted to Kopi brand ambassador—today’s official announcement photos are stunning!
Ye Yanqiu slammed the ashtray onto the floor and immediately dialed her agent’s number.
“What’s going on?!”
Why had Song Yue become the brand ambassador? Over the past two years, she and Song Yue had been fiercely competing for resources, both with hit dramas under their belts.
Their popularity had always been neck and neck, with both excelling in commercial endorsements and acting roles.
They were both waiting to see who would seize the opportunity to soar.
Securing the position of Kopi’s regional spokesperson was the biggest bargaining chip she could grasp.
But now, Kopi had unexpectedly announced Song Yue as a brand ambassador, putting her on the same level.
“Weren’t they supposed to announce me as the regional spokesperson soon?” Ye Yanqiu suppressed her anger.
On the other end, her agent, Sister Zhou, hurriedly explained, “I don’t know how this happened either.”
Kopi hadn’t officially announced Ye Yanqiu as the regional spokesperson yet. Instead, they had thrown Song Yue into the mix as a brand ambassador.
Now the two were on equal footing. Sister Zhou was already frantic herself, let alone Ye Yanqiu.
“How did you handle the negotiations? How could something like this happen?”
Listening to Ye Yanqiu’s words, Sister Zhou’s forehead grew sweatier by the second. In truth, the rumor about the regional spokesperson had been something she’d picked up from other channels.
It was true that a senior executive at Kopi liked Ye Yanqiu and had recommended her as the spokesperson.
But the matter hadn’t yet been formally discussed between the two parties. They had simply gotten wind of the news early.
To generate more buzz, they had released advance publicity, and the hype had finally started to build.
Now Song Yue had been announced.
The rumors they had spread to stir up excitement were everywhere. If Kopi didn’t announce Ye Yanqiu soon, things could get very messy.
“I’ll contact them immediately. Don’t worry.”
Ye Yanqiu felt no joy upon hearing Zhou Jie’s promise. “If I lose face here, you won’t be able to stay in this industry either.”
As the call ended, Zhou Jie slammed her phone heavily onto the table.
The team was enveloped in a deathly silence—everyone knew just how volatile this young lady’s temper could be.
If they couldn’t come up with a solution soon, they would truly be in deep trouble.
Yet, this marketing campaign had only been launched after receiving a confirmed response. Who could have guessed that Kopi still hadn’t made any official announcement?
The online public opinion was now heavily against Ye Yanqiu, and the war between her and Song Yue had reignited.
If she failed to secure the Kopi endorsement, it would likely deal a severe blow to her reputation.
“Zhou Jie, I heard that Kopi’s chief designer, Bree, is vacationing in Dongzhou. Why don’t we try reaching out to her?”
Hearing this, Zhou Jie saw a glimmer of hope.
Bree, Kopi’s chief designer, was the creative genius behind all of the brand’s current hit jewelry collections.
Her status within Kopi was extremely high, and her influence was immense.
If they could approach her, there might still be a chance to turn things around.