The Wealthy and Influential Fiancé has the Ability to Read Mind
Extra 3
Ye Zhenghong and the Jiang family had indeed acquired a significant share of Ye Shuyan’s equity at a high price, but the complete separation of Ye Shuyan from the Ye family was an earthquake for the Ye Group, causing a continuous drop in stock prices.
To stabilize the stock price, Ye Shuchen sought assistance from the Jiang family once again. After agreeing to several conditions and relinquishing 2% of the shares, the Jiang family finally stepped in to help, and the stock price stabilized.
However, Ye Shuchen felt some resentment towards the Jiang family’s opportunistic behavior. Jiang Miao, on the other hand, comforted him, saying, “Dad and Brother won’t harm us. This way, our families are tied together. When one prospers, we all prosper. They’ll do their best to help us.”
“I discussed it with Dad and Brother,” Jiang Miao continued, “We can use their commercial system and smart hotel system for free for half a year. If funds are still tight, we can settle the payment later.”
Ye Shuchen frowned, “Isn’t their system still in the testing phase? Let’s wait until it stabilizes.”
Although he agreed to have Ye Group’s hotels use the Jiang family’s developed smart hotel system, it was contingent upon the system’s performance being comparable to the Nuanyang system.
Ye Shuchen wasn’t naive. The Nuanyang system had been incredibly efficient since it was integrated into the hotels. While there were significant maintenance costs following the split from his brother’s business, the assessment department had provided precise data showing that hotels using the Nuanyang system experienced a 30% increase in revenue compared to before integration, along with a 20% reduction in labor costs.
With so many hotels under the Ye Group’s umbrella, if half of them reflected such figures, the hotel sector would definitely yield substantial profits, making it one of the highest-earning segments aside from real estate.
The large cooperative projects with the Jiang family were still in the investment phase, and profits might be several months away. He couldn’t take chances with projects that were clearly profitable.
Jiang Miao still wanted to say something, but Ye Shuchen patiently reassured her, “Miao Miao, you’ve already obtained what you deserve. Let’s just focus on normal operations. There’s no need to constantly compare ourselves to my Big Brother. This is wealth that many people can only dream of in their lifetime.”
Before he could finish, Jiang Miao frowned and said, “Why would you think that? One should be wary even in comfort. Don’t you understand your big brother? He’s a fierce wolf. This time, it’s because of our family backing, and with your Dad, Mom, and Grandma together, they helped you secure what you deserved. But do you really think he’ll be willing?”
“If he grows stronger, he will definitely fight back.”
Ye Shuchen replied, “We can wait until we’re firmly established…”
“By the time we’re stable, he’ll be even more stable,” Jiang Miao countered, “This split is a huge blow to him. He probably thinks we need to develop steadily, so he might let his guard down. We should take him by surprise.”
“What are we afraid of? With the Jiang family backing us, after we deal with him, we can develop steadily too.”
Ye Shuchen felt that Jiang Miao had become overly fixated on Ye Shuyan and Tang Nuan. Knowing he couldn’t persuade her, he decided to use a delaying tactic, saying, “Let’s just think about it a bit longer.”
Unfortunately, neither Ye Shuyan nor Tang Nuan wanted him to delay. Two days later, Jiang Miao exploded with rage upon seeing the trending news online.
It turned out that Tang Nuan’s investment, “Nine Layers of Spring,” had sold its rights in several countries.
The internet was filled with praise.
Netizens translated the reviews from foreign audiences, and everyone felt proud and honored. Once upon a time, martial arts and fantasy dramas from Hua country held an undeniable position internationally.
However, with the intervention of capital in the past decade, high-quality dramas have become scarce, and the martial arts dramas airing internationally are mostly old ones.
Finally, an excellent traditional drama has emerged, and netizens are fully supporting it.
With this success, the platform that was negotiating with Jiang Miao to purchase “Jade Compass Order” not only lowered its offer but also turned around to compete with other platforms for the exclusive broadcasting rights of “Nine Layers of Spring.”
Around the same time, articles began to surface online criticizing the “Jade Compass Order.”
In fact, compared to other domestic dramas, “Jade Compass Order” is quite a decent martial arts series. However, as Director Xiao pointed out earlier, the crew, from Director Feng to Jinag Miao, had lost that original intent and their primary focus was still on profit.
Jiang Miao, on the other hand, valued the quality of the drama. But as her attention shifted entirely to the variety show “Mutual Pursuit,” she became less involved. Some investors were eager to provide a small role for their daughter, believing that this show would offer a great opportunity, even if the role was minor as long as it stood out a bit.
Jiang Miao asked Director Feng, and after hearing that it wouldn’t have any impact, he accepted the offer. Director Feng was cautious and didn’t dare to make big moves, but privately arranged some inconspicuous supporting roles that Jiang Miao wouldn’t notice at all.
As a result, the first half of “Jade Compass Order” was quite engaging, but the second half began to show signs of filler content. While individually they might not stand out, the contrast with “Nine Layers of Spring” revealed significant pacing issues.
[The wealthy brothers are still battling over their inheritance, but when it comes to the competition between sisters-in-law, the eldest sister is clearly the winner!]
Netizens praised Tang Nuan, to the point where even Jiang Miao’s status as a wealthy heiress seemed overshadowed by Tang Nuan’s impressive performance.
Because the Jiang family’s heiress could succeed with anyone, but it wasn’t easy for someone to make others give her up, Tang Nuan managed to do just that. Ye Shuyan gave up Jiang Miao for Tang Nuan.
Those remarks hit Jiang Miao’s fragile nerves, making her unable to bear it. She could only think of one thing: she had to trample Ye Shuyan and Tang Nuan underfoot, forcing everyone to see them begging her for mercy!
She immediately called in Father Jiang and Jiang Zhan to pressure Ye Shuchen to replace the Nuanyang system.
The hotel management system was a crucial part of Ye Shuyan’s business segment, and the Nuanyang system was invented by Tang Nuan. By suppressing this, she could deal them a fatal blow.
The hotels under the Ye Group, which were the first to integrate the Nuanyang system, accounted for a significant portion of their business.
In Jiang Miao’s words, even without the system, Ye Group’s hotels were still profitable. The Jiang family’s system was not necessarily inferior, and even if it turned out to be subpar, the losses would only be minimal.
At this moment, inflicting a heavy blow on Ye Shuyan was more important.
Although Ye Shuchen was unwilling, the Jiang family was now powerful. They not only held shares in the Ye Group but also controlled two major future projects. After several rounds of disputes, Ye Shuchen had to concede, though he felt stifled.
But in his heart, he understood that Jiang Miao was targeting Tang Nuan, while the Jiang family was purely pursuing their own interests. The Nuanyang system had been evaluated and had passed nearly a year of testing, showing very promising profitability.
The Jiang family merely aimed to establish a foothold in the smart hotel system market. Ye Group’s hotels were their current clients, and they wouldn’t have to bear any risks. Once Ye Group’s hotels integrated the system, other hotels would naturally follow suit, expanding the Jiang family’s business effortlessly.
Ye Shuchen argued his case, and Ye Zhenghong also intervened to mediate. In the end, both sides took a step back and agreed to replace a portion of the soon-to-expire mid to high end systems first, with plans to implement the Jiang family’s system after it was fully developed.
Jiang Miao personally called Tang Nuan, “Aren’t those hotels’ contracts about to expire soon? We signed a one-year contract for the Nuanyang system just to be cautious back then…”
The Nuanyang System was initially integrated into several high-end hotels of the Ye family, and their contracts were indeed nearing expiration. The mid-range hotels were integrated later and still had a few months left.
For Jiang Miao, even though there weren’t many high-end hotels, they represented the brand’s image. Losing a significant portion of business in such a short time would definitely make Tang Nuan anxious.
However, Tang Nuan just chuckled lightly and said, “Okay.”
Jiang Miao frowned in confusion. When she tried to call again, she found that she couldn’t get through. Thinking that Tang Nuan might be putting on a brave face and was likely in a panic talking to Ye Shuyan, her mood felt a lot better.
Tang Nuan was indeed on a video call with Ye Shuyan, but she was happy, saying, “It worked!”
“…Jiang Miao is very paranoid right now and easily manipulated. The Jiang family probably wants to take advantage of Ye Shuchen’s unstable situation to exploit this opportunity. This is the best chance to control the Ye family. Once they do, the Ye family will become their source of nourishment.”
Ye Shuyan laughed, “Yes, that way it will be inseparable.”
Tang Nuan expressed concern, “But isn’t it too early for that kind of inseparability?”
Ye Shuyan smiled mysteriously, “It will be. Right now, the Jiang family is pressuring Ye Shuchen. Later, Ye Shuchen won’t be able to let them go…”
Tang Nuan didn’t quite understand, and Ye Shuyan said, “You’ll know in a week. Once they withdraw, we’ll withdraw completely.”
At this point, he added, “Also, about Old Master Xie’s birthday banquet, will you be okay going alone?”
Tang Nuan proudly lifted her chin, “Don’t worry, I’m not the same person I was a year ago.”
Ye Shuyan laughed, “Of course! You’re my wife now, and you’re amazing!”
Tang Nuan chuckled, then straightened her expression, saying, “Call me President Tang!”
Ye Shuyan played along, replying respectfully, “President Tang.”
Despite their flirtatious banter, they remained efficient and focused on work.
Before long, the Jiang and Ye families announced a plan for deeper collaboration, which included an upgraded and smarter hotel management system. They claimed it was an enhancement of the Nuanyang system that would be piloted in their highest-end hotels. If successful, all Ye family hotels would completely replace the Nuanyang system within a year.
It sounded as if the Nuanyang system had flaws.
In response, the Nuanyang Hotel Management Company quickly announced that it would fully withdraw from the Ye family hotels. Once the current contracts expire, they will not be renewed.
When Ye Zhenghong and Ye Shuchen heard the news, they felt a sense of unease. Ye Shuchen even called Tang Nuan, urging her not to act impulsively, as losing the Ye family hotels would result in significant losses for the Nuanyang system.
Tang Nuan laughed, “Not at all! There are plenty of hotels out there. The Nuanyang system isn’t afraid of competition. Just make good use of the Jiang family’s system, and I wish you all the best!”
Some outsiders often underestimate the complexity of industry specifics. She had seen too many people who thought that being able to design an ad meant they could also create architectural plans. While the Internet is a broad category, hospital systems and hotel systems are entirely different.
Software is just the surface; a truly effective system requires a deep understanding of the hotel industry. She didn’t believe the Jiang family could know hotels better than they did.
Regardless, the Jiang family welcomed the news of the Nuanyang system withdrawal and eagerly began integrating their own system.
If Ye Shuchen and the Jiang family’s actions only raised suspicions, then Tang Nuan’s decisive withdrawal clearly signaled that the Ye brothers had completely fallen out.
This time, more netizens supported Ye Shuyan and Tang Nuan. In sibling inheritance disputes, it’s typically possible for each to take half and maintain operations as usual. Yet now, Ye Shuchen had teamed up with the Jiang family to attempt a total annihilation of his older brother.
Some analysts suggested that the Jiang family was taking advantage of the situation, implying that Ye Shuchen would become their puppet…
When Ye Shuchen saw this analysis, his heart sank. He recalled the benefits the Jiang family had gained from the Ye family in just a few short months, which made him feel frustrated. However, with Tang Nuan’s move, it felt like his escape route had been blocked, forcing him to be tightly bound to the Jiang family.
Jiang Miao was pleased, thinking that Tang Nuan was acting impulsively and would soon regret it. She listened to her fantasies of Ye Shuyan and Tang Nuan feeling defeated and remorseful, but Ye Shuchen couldn’t help but get furious, “When have you ever seen her act impulsively? Look at you, everything you do is impulsive!”
“I told you to wait a few months, but you insisted on acting immediately. Do you know how people online are talking about us right now?”
Seeing him lose his temper, Jiang Miao became angry as well, “Ye Shuchen, have some conscience! Who do you think I’m doing this for?”
“What they say online is just temporary. In the end, it’s the winners who write history. Just wait until those two have to beg us, then let’s see what they’ll say online!”
At that moment, she actually realized that online opinions were fleeting.
Ye Shuchen’s face turned red with anger, while Jiang Miao was even more enraged, “Ye Shuchen, if it weren’t for me, how could you have gotten to your current position…”
Ye Shuchen suddenly interrupted her with a shout, “Stop using that to guilt-trip me! We both know how much your Jiang family has profited from this. Are you doing this for me or for your own family? We both know the truth.”
Jiang Miao naturally disagreed, and the two ended up in a heated argument, parting on bad terms.
However, the next day, they still had to attend Old Master Xie’s birthday banquet. No matter how angry Ye Shuchen was, he had come this far, and he had to continue.
Tang Nuan also attended, coming alone since Ye Shuyan was on a business trip. In the past, that would have been unthinkable, but now she could handle herself confidently, mingling with various big shots and elites.
Jiang Miao, however, had a different view. She had heard that Ye Shuyan had been away for a long time, and she thought it was because they were anxious. With no solutions domestically, Ye Shuyan could only seek help overseas. In her eyes, Tang Nuan was desperately looking for support, even attending the banquet alone to network.
Seeing Tang Nuan chatting with several prominent figures, Jiang Miao pulled Ye Shuchen over.
Her intention was to humiliate Tang Nuan, especially since Ye Shuyan wasn’t there to back her up.
Tang Nuan, on the other hand, didn’t mind at all and even offered Jiang Miao a spot to join them.
However, after waiting for a long time, Jiang Miao found she couldn’t find a chance to interrupt the conversation.
She simply couldn’t keep up with their discussions.
Ye Shuchen observed silently, surprised by Tang Nuan’s remarkable growth over the past year. Listening to her effortlessly discuss trends and business with the heirs of powerful families, he began to notice the gap between her and Jiang Miao, who was still focused on finding opportunities to belittle Tang Nuan.
Feeling Jiang Miao digging her nails into his arm, Ye Shuchen grew increasingly impatient. They were discussing finance, so he directly interjected, asking if the hotel system was suitable.
When Ye Shuchen didn’t speak up, Jiang Miao had to take the initiative. During a brief pause in the conversation, she brought up the topic of smart hotel systems…
Though everyone maintained a polite demeanor, Ye Shuchen sensed the atmosphere suddenly stiffen, and he felt utterly embarrassed. Meanwhile, Jiang Miao continued to ramble on, seemingly trying to prove she was better than Tang Nuan.
Tang Nuan smiled and said her goodbyes before leaving.
Jiang Miao felt increasingly triumphant.
Afterward, she deliberately followed Tang Nuan, and when they reached the group of women, someone finally spoke up about Ye Shuchen’s embarrassing moment at the welcome banquet.
Jiang Miao’s expression darkened, but she couldn’t resist saying, “She’s obviously just pretending to set up a trap for Shuchen and my in-laws. Uncle Xie and the others are so sharp, how could they not see through her tricks?”
Mrs. Xie, Xie Feiming’s wife, laughed and replied, “Oh, they definitely saw through it. My father-in-law even mentioned it to us when he got back. He said Tang Nuan is impressive.”
“So what if it’s fake? Acting pitiful is still effective. She’s using an open strategy, able to move people and force her opponents to retreat, that’s a skill in itself.”
“If she were a helpless little rabbit who couldn’t even protect her own interests and just complained about others behind their backs, my father-in-law wouldn’t appreciate her at all.”
Jiang Miao’s face turned a mix of green and red, but she didn’t dare to provoke Mrs. Xie further and could only suppress her anger as she went off to find Ye Shuchen.
On the second floor, Xie Jianzhong and a few other big shots watched this unfold and could only shake their heads and sigh.
Xie Jianzhong glanced at Ye Zhenghong, who was still discussing the joint development of land with him.
Perhaps because the Jiang family was pressing too hard, Ye Zhenghong felt a sense of urgency and was desperately trying to pull the Xie family into partnership.
Xie Jianzhong was starting to lose patience. If it weren’t for the late Old Master Ye and Ye Shuyan, he wouldn’t have bothered with this confused man at all.
“Old Ye,” Xie Jianzhong said, “you have a life of wealth but don’t know how to enjoy it. Your father spoiled you and arranged everything perfectly, yet you’re unhappy. Why stir up trouble?”
Ye Zhenghong frowned, “I don’t want to stir up trouble either. You saw how capable our Shuchen is. I just want him to take on some responsibilities, but the eldest insists on splitting the family… and with Shuyan’s temperament, sigh…”
Xie Jianzhong, hearing him belittle Ye Shuyan again, felt both pity and frustration. He decided to cut straight to the point. “Old Ye, do you really think that Ye Shuyan, who was raised by your father and doubled the value of the Ye family, would be easily pushed back by you and the Jiang family?”
Ye Zhenghong fell silent.
Xie Jianzhong realized that deep down, Ye Zhenghong probably knew the truth. He had chosen to favor his younger son, and now it was too late to turn back. Even if he understood it was a mistake, he could only struggle, a little struggle might allow him to survive, but without it, he’d likely face immediate downfall.
Seeing the situation, Xie Jianzhong decided not to waste more words, “Let’s not discuss the land development anymore. I’ve started to scale back on real estate since last year.” He looked at Ye Zhenghong, “Are you so close to your wife that you’ve completely forgotten about the Deng family?”
“That’s Ye Shuyan’s maternal grandfather. Even if the old man has stepped back, the connections remain, and his news will always be one step ahead of ours.”
Ye Zhenghong’s expression suddenly changed.
Xie Jianzhong saw that he understood and patted his shoulder before getting up to leave.
Meanwhile, in the hall downstairs, Jiang Miao found Tang Nuan, who was on her own.
“Tang Nuan, keep pretending. This is just the beginning. Once our Jiang family’s hotel system is in place, let’s see if your Nuanyang Hotel Management stock can hold up.”
Tang Nuan suddenly smiled, “What to do? Our company’s stock has already started to rise!” She turned her phone to show Jiang Miao, “You should check the news while you still can.”
Jiang Miao was confused, and Tang Nuan explained, “Oh, just to clarify, companies like Ricca in the U.S., Haval in France, and Jinhua in Alei are all internationally renowned hotel management firms. The hotels they manage together account for about fifty percent of the global market. As for the Ye family’s hotels…,” she made a gesture with her pinky finger, “they only occupy this much.”
After saying that, she headed towards Mrs. Xie, but after a couple of steps, she seemed to remember something, “Oh, right!” She turned back to Jiang Miao, smiling, “This is just the beginning…”
Jiang Miao wanted to say something else, but Ye Shuchen was already rushing toward her, looking very troubled.
He had seen the news. It turned out that during Ye Shuyan’s nearly month-long business trip, he had signed contracts with several top international hotel management companies. This meant that in the future, the Nuanyang system would be integrated into many global hotels, and they wouldn’t be lacking the Ye family’s little business at all. On the contrary, the Ye family had chosen to abandon a universally accepted good system for a newly developed one.
Because of the inheritance disputes between the Ye brothers, investors were already closely watching the situation of both families, making them very sensitive to this news.
Sure enough, that afternoon, Nuanyang Hotel Management’s stock soared, while the Ye family’s stock began to plummet.
But as Tang Nuan had said, this was just the beginning…
Just as Ye Shuchen was frantically trying to negotiate with the Jiang family to bring the Nuanyang system back, the Jiang family stubbornly refused, using the contract as an excuse to forcefully implement their hotel system.
Then, suddenly, the government announced macro-control policies for the real estate market.
Stocks in real estate development and physical sectors began to plummet!
The high-profile collaboration project that Ye Shuchen and the Jiang family had announced was now a death knell, with Ye family stocks hitting their bottom limit for three consecutive days, showing signs of a steep decline with no recovery in sight.
Not only Ye Shuchen but even Ye Zhenghong and Old Madam Ye were thrown into a panic. Under normal circumstances, they might have been able to hold up, but now, having invested heavily in Ye Shuyan’s equity, their funds were tight, and they were relying on the development projects to recoup their capital.
Now, with these regulatory measures in place, it was difficult to recoup funds, and the new land purchased with the Jiang family still required significant loan repayments… At this rate, within six months, the Ye family’s cash flow would be severed!
The Ye family approached the Jiang family once again, but the Jiang family was equally in a panic. The importance of any hotel smart system was now irrelevant; everyone knew that the Jiang family had invested a substantial amount in real estate development alongside the Ye family.
So, while the real estate sector plummeted, the internet sector was thriving, and ironically, the Jiang family’s stock was falling!
Both families’ stocks were hand-in-hand at the top of the loss rankings.
They had initially plotted carefully to showcase the Jiang family’s dominant position, but now it wasn’t so easy to distance themselves from the Ye family… Hundreds of billions were at stake. Father Jiang, his lips blistered from stress, discussed with Jiang Zhan how to break free from the Ye family.
But how could Ye Shuchen agree to that? If the Jiang family hadn’t pressured him, he and his brother would never have reached this point! Since they had pushed him into this mess, they shouldn’t expect to come out unscathed.
“Jiang Miao said,” Ye Shuchen looked at Father Jiang and Jiang Zhan with a smile, “You took my Ye family’s shares and forced out the Nuanyang system, all for my good. Now it seems she was right. Dad, Brother, you have to help us this time, or both our families will be done for!”
Father Jiang and Jiang Zhan exchanged uneasy glances. They felt a chill. A cornered dog will jump over the wall and if they really pushed Ye Shuchen too far, he might recklessly drag the Jiang family down with him…
But they had no options left! There was no way to recover their investment. The hundreds of billions the Jiang family had put in were all lost.
They felt helpless, but the Ye family’s shareholders had their own plans. They trapped Ye Zhenghong, Ye Shuchen, and Jiang Miao in the Ye family’s old mansion, insisting they bring Ye Shuyan back.
“Sigh, Shuyan was indeed raised by the old man himself. No wonder he wanted to reduce investments in real estate development. He must have known the policy changes early on.”
“Director Ye, we can’t control your favoritism towards your younger son, but you can’t joke with the entire group!”
Ye Shuchen gritted his teeth in anger, “Wasn’t it you who were dissatisfied with my elder brother’s actions and supported me back then?”
The shareholders chimed in, “Exactly! We supported you, and you sold the Ye family to the Jiang family, listening to a woman and trying to finish off your elder brother?”
“Your elder brother doubled the market value of the Ye family in a few years. You’ve only been in charge for less than half a year. Look at what’s left in the group! Is there even half the market value left?”
The shareholders were so furious they were trembling, directly slamming the table, “No matter what, we want President Ye back!”
Jiang Miao trembled with anger at these words, “That’s impossible! Besides, this is a national policy. How can you blame…”
“Shut up!” One of the shareholders pointed at Jiang Miao and shouted, “You stirred this whole thing up from the beginning! You have no ability but think too highly of yourself, no wonder President Ye looks down on you!”
“You used Ye Shuchen as a tool to take revenge on President Ye. Don’t drag us down!” The shareholder became increasingly angry, “If you don’t want to apologize and bring him back, then let your Jiang family handle this. We’re not interested in your family matters!”
Jiang Miao was taken aback as she never expected to be scolded by a minor shareholder. She glared at Ye Shuchen, but he was in a daze, suddenly awakened by the shareholder’s words.
He realized that he had always been a tool for Jiang Miao to take revenge on Ye Shuyan. Her targeting of Ye Shuyan and his wife was not just because of her unwillingness to be stepped on, but because she loathed Ye Shuyan for making her feel humiliated, for not choosing her. She had never changed…
Indeed, the onlooker sees clearly, how foolish he had been.
“Shuchen!” Jiang Miao wanted to call him to take her side, but Ye Shuchen looked at her and said, “We need to go and ask my elder brother to come back. You should also personally apologize to my sister-in-law.”
“That’s impossible!” Jiang Miao screamed. Yet a malicious smile flickered in Ye Shuchen’s eyes. “Then the Jiang family can come and fill this hole.”
Jiang Miao was speechless. She knew too well that the Jiang family wouldn’t be able to fill this hole.
Another shareholder, seeing that they had backed down, softened his tone and said, “That’s more like it. Director Ye, you say you’re partial to your younger son, then just give him more shares and let him enjoy some dividends. The company should still be entrusted to President Ye. That way, everyone will be comfortable…”
How could they be comfortable? Ye Zhenghong slumped on the sofa, realizing that only the shareholders would be comfortable. With Ye Shuyan’s temperament, if they had to ask him back, they were afraid there would be nothing left…