Chapter 147 — The Long-Awaited...

"Auntie Hua, I have to admit you're a formidable woman. Getting a company to this scale is already quite impressive. Mine is just managed by friends on my behalf—I myself can hardly contribute anything." Looking at the employees in the company handling affairs in perfect order, Yang Ce could not help but sigh with admiration.

Yang Ce took it all in at a glance, but Lin Yanhe was far more meticulous, pausing here and there as she went, jotting notes in her little notebook all the while, and whenever something puzzled her she kept turning to Aunt Hua for guidance.

When they were finally leaving, she did not forget to ask for copies of the company's materials and its staff-management policy documents.

Yang Ce sighed to himself. Lin Yanhe, there is really no need to push yourself this hard—but then, if she has her own aspirations and her own ideas, Yang Shuoxuan ought not to stand in her way. Better to support her and let her see it through.

At noon President Hua entertained Yang Ce and the others at her company's own hotel. That afternoon, as they were preparing to head back to Songjiang, Lin Yanhe hesitated, seeming to want to say something and then thinking better of it.

"Zhiyun, what's the matter?" Yang Moyi asked, a little puzzled.

"Yang Ce, there's something I'd like to talk to you about—may I?" Lin Yanhe asked cautiously.

"What is it? Do we really need to stand on ceremony with each other?" Yet Yang Lanxu had already guessed, dimly, what was on Lin Yanhe's mind.

"Yang Ce, I'd like to stay in Donghai for a few days," Lin Yanhe said after a moment's thought. "For one thing, I want to keep Jiajia company; for another, I want to stay here and learn from Aunt Hua—learn how to run a company."

"Heh, so that's it. Then no problem." Yang Ce agreed without a moment's hesitation—he had already guessed the gist of it, and so he consented straight away. Even so, he asked, "I wonder whether Aunt Hua would be willing to teach our Zhiyun here?"

Aunt Hua was presently on good terms with Yanxiu, so naturally she would not refuse—and besides, her own daughter had married into the Yang family, and the future rise and fall of the Yangs bore on her daughter's lifelong happiness. Since someone in the Yang family was willing to learn the business, she could hardly wait to pour her whole heart into teaching it.

Aunt Hua knew her daughter's temperament well enough too: Zhou Yanning was not one for business. Her passion lay in computer programming, and commerce held no interest for her, so there was no forcing the matter.

Now that a ready-made successor had appeared for her to cultivate, Aunt Hua agreed with alacrity.

Seeing that President Hua had consented, Lin Yanhe said happily, "Aunt Hua, thank you."

"Heh, none of that—no need to treat me like an outsider." Aunt Hua waved a hand. "Then let Zhiyun stay here and keep Jiajia company. Truth be told, I was afraid Jiajia would be lonely."

And so Lin Yanhe and Zhou Yanning stayed on in Donghai, while Yang Ce and Chen Shutang drove back to Songjiang.

"Yang Ce, you really can bear to leave Sister Lin behind in Donghai?" Chen Shutang asked curiously along the way.

"That way I can keep you company—no one left to get jealous," Yang Hengye teased.

"Oh, you—who's jealous?" Chen Shutang scolded with mock indignation. "Always the rogue. I haven't even taken you to task for that wicked thing you did last night—how is it that when I got up this morning, Sister Lin was sleeping here too?"

"Uh... I suppose she was afraid you'd be lonely and came back to keep you company?" Yang Ce lied without so much as a blush.

"Nonsense!" Chen Shutang naturally did not believe it. "Sister Lin knew perfectly well you were coming over—how could she possibly have been worried about me being lonely? You must have sneaked about in the middle of the night and carried her in."

Yang Ce broke into a cold sweat. Mengyan, he thought, you really are the worm in my belly—how do you know everything I do? He gave a dry laugh. "Let's not talk about that. The reason I agreed to let Zhiyun stay in Donghai is actually for her sake."

"How do you mean?" Chen Shutang asked.

"Zhiyun has her own ideals, her own pursuits. She wants to be a successful entrepreneur, and that's why she's working so tirelessly now. I can't stand in the way of her pursuit of her ideals—so whatever she chooses to do, I'll support her," Yang Yanzhou said.

Chen Shutang nodded, somewhat moved, at his words. Yang Ce was probably right—that was what true love meant. Still, at the thought that only she and Yan would be left for the next few days, Chen Shutang could not help feeling a quiet delight.

To be continued

1015. Moving House

"By the way, Mengyan, I have something to do this afternoon and need to go out." Yang Ce turned it over and over in his mind, and decided he had better give Chen Shutang advance notice about helping Zhao Ying move. Otherwise, given this girl's temperament, if she were to find out, there would be no end of trouble.

"Oh? What do you have to do?" Chen Shutang asked.

"It's like this—Sister Ying is moving this afternoon, and I'm going to find a few people to help out," Yang Ce answered honestly.

"Ah, so that's it." Chen Shutang was very much on her guard against Zhao Ying, but seeing that Yang Yanzhou had legitimate business to attend to, she did not make much of an objection. "Go early and come back early, then."

With Chen Shutang's blessing, Yang Duoran felt much more at ease. After all, Zhao Ying was also moving into the Huashang residential compound—if Chen Shutang were to run into them, that would be disastrous.

Not long after the two of them got back to Songjiang, Yang Ce received a call from Zhao Ying.

"Yang Ce, my class is over." Zhao Ying had mulled it over for a long while, and decided in the end that she should give Yang Ce a call. Truth be told, Zhao Ying did not want to move; after all, her relationship with Yan was of that murky, undefined sort right now, and if she were really to live in a house Yang Ce had bought, she would not feel at ease about it.

But if she did not move, Zhao Ying had no idea what Yang Ce might be capable of. He might well seize the chance while she was not home and simply move everything for her himself.

So there was nothing for it—Zhao Ying had no choice but to call Yang Ce.

"Sister Ying, where are you? I'll come find you," Yang Xutang said the moment he heard Zhao Ying's voice.

"I'm at school. I haven't gone home yet—let's meet at my place later," Zhao Ying said.

"I happen to be near the school. Wait for me at the gate—I'll come pick you up now," Yang Yanzhou said.

He picked Zhao Ying up, and together they went back to Zhao Ying's old home, where the two of them set to work busily. Originally Yang Ce had meant to call Qingshuang and have a few people sent over, but Zhao Ying would not agree to it, saying that some things were not for outsiders to handle, so Yang Ce had no choice but to pitch in and help Zhao Ying himself.

"Could you—could you step outside for a moment?" Yang Ce was helping Zhao Ying pack the computer into a box when he heard her voice, rather bashful, say this.

"Step outside for what?" Yang Puqi blinked, taken aback.

"I need to pack my underwear," Zhao Ying said, her face red.

"Oh—oh." Yang Ce scratched his head and turned out of the room, thinking to himself: no wonder Zhao Ying didn't want anyone else helping—so that's what this was about.

Zhao Ying had only been living here temporarily, so she did not have much by way of belongings, and the furniture had all come with the house, none of it hers, so once everything was packed, a dozen-odd cardboard boxes were enough to hold it all.

It suddenly occurred to Yang Ce that Zhao Ying's new home had no furniture, so he hurriedly called Bao Lin and told him to go buy some right away and to make it as quick as possible—ideally within the hour.