The Young Lady is a Bit Unruly [Fragrant Harbor] - Chapter 53 Ye Baoling?

Chapter 53 Ye Baoling?

Yang Pinxian and Ye Jinsong’s 30th wedding anniversary was celebrated modestly with only members of the third branch gathering together.

The family had prepared a large cake, and the couple cut it together while taking photos.

Daddy, Mommy, move closer.

Ye Yongqi, who had recently taken up photography, was holding the camera to capture pictures of her parents.

Yang Pinxian and Ye Jinsong could only awkwardly inch closer in front of others.

Ye Baoling observed this and found their relationship somewhat strange.

There were plenty of middle-aged couples with distant relationships, and she didn’t have time to dwell on it.

After the photos, Fourth Aunt Tang Jing arranged for the servants to cut a piece of cake for the elderly lady first.

Having just finished dinner, Guan Lao Taijun couldn’t eat much. She raised her voice to instruct, I’ll have a small piece. Cut a larger slice for Bao Ling—I think she’s lost weight.

Ye Baoling had been busy lately and eating more, so she actually felt she had gained weight. She smiled and said, Grandma, I haven’t lost weight; there’s more flesh around my waist than before. Fourth Aunt, I’ll have a small piece too.

Ye Yongqi was also wary of gaining weight: After this summer break, my little belly has started to show. Fourth Aunt, I want a small piece too.

Hearing everyone watching their weight, Tang Jing teased with a laugh, I’m the thinnest, so I’ll eat more. Look at how skinny all of you are—I haven’t said a word. If you consider yourselves fat, then I must be chanting Amitabha. No one is allowed to cut small pieces—eat up!

Everyone was amused.

After distributing cake to each person, Tang Jing remembered that Second Wife wasn’t feeling well and hadn’t come, so she asked Ye Huaili to take a piece of cake to his mother.

While eating cake, the conversation turned to Xian Bi coming to Hong Kong to drink herbal tea.

The third branch knew Ye Baoling worked at Ye Qingtang but didn’t know she was in charge of this promotion.

Tang Jing curiously asked Ye Baoling, Was Xian Bi intentionally cooperating with your publicity stunt, or was it accidental?

Ye Baoling couldn’t tell the truth and simply smiled, It was unintentional; we were just discussing cooperation when reporters happened to take photos.

Is Xian Bi really going to be Ye Qingtang’s spokesperson?

Ye Baoling shook her head, It hasn’t been finalized yet. We don’t know if it’ll work out.

Ye Jinfeng rarely joined in the conversation, Why ask her? She wouldn’t know. You’re putting her on the spot.

Ye Baoling disliked Ye Jinfeng but smiled without responding.

Ye Huaizhang knew his wife didn’t want her work at Ye Qingtang disclosed publicly, so he remained silent.

Ye Jinsong remarked, If Ye Qingtang goes public and the stock price gets boosted, it would be a good thing.

After all, the third branch also held shares in Ye Qingtang.

Guan Lao Taijun, being conservative, said, But our equity will be diluted. We already have a small stake.

Ye Jinfeng advised his mother, Mom, consider both sides. Going public gives a clear valuation, so we know how much our shares are worth. Moreover, to manage market value properly, the oldest branch can’t be as stingy about dividends anymore. Getting dividends would be good for us.

Tang Jing added, That Jasmine Iced Tea from Ye Qingtang is really delicious. Have you tried it?

Ye Yongqi, still nibbling her cake, said, I’ve had it; it’s very good. There’s some in the fridge at home.

The servants then brought out over ten bottles of Jasmine Iced Tea. After finishing the cake, the iced tea was very refreshing and cut through the richness.

The cake wasn’t overly sweet and tasted quite good, but Ye Baoling could only manage a few small bites before pushing the remainder toward Ye Huaizhang, expecting him to place it on the table behind them.

Ye Huaizhang mistakenly thought she wanted him to finish the leftover cake.

How could he possibly eat her leftovers in front of so many people?

Yet as the cake rested in his hand, he hesitated briefly before ultimately choosing to eat it.

Unscrewing the cap of her Jasmine Iced Tea, Ye Baoling turned back and caught him eating her half-finished cake. She couldn’t help muttering under her breath, Why be so frugal?

Ye Huaizhang: …

After the cake, Ye Baoling accompanied the elderly lady upstairs. Guan Lao Taijun was a pragmatic woman—while she often nagged Ye Huaizhang, she never criticized Ye Baoling directly.

In front of Ye Baoling, she always emphasized that women should build their own careers as a foundation.

Today was no exception, though she added two extra remarks.

Career is important, but enjoying life matters too. What’s the point of working so hard in this world? Never let your career block your path to enjoying life.

The old lady knew how to persuade people. Had she insisted that women should prioritize family, it would have sparked resistance.

But she didn’t.

Instead, she advised balancing career with life enjoyment.

The underlying message was clear.

Young people tended to accept this approach more readily.

Before bed, lying on the large mattress after enjoying marital intimacy, Ye Baoling said to the man still hovering over her, The old lady told me earlier that women should love themselves more and enjoy life more.

Ye Huaizhang thrust into her again. Then let’s have one more round.

Take advantage of youth.

Ye Baoling thought to herself—if they didn’t do it often now, they might end up like Ye Huaizhang’s parents by middle age: mutually disgusted yet maintaining superficial harmony.

Who knew what the future held?

The only advantage this room had over hers was the larger bathtub, suitable for two.

Afterward, they soaked in the tub.

He said, I spent over three hours in the Blue Brick Tunnel this afternoon.

Any new discoveries?

Ye Huaizhang rested his head on his arms against the wall. There’s clay near the Silver Snake Mountain section that closely resembles the brick door clay in our wine cellar.

Ye Baoling sat up, water lapping at her waist. A blue brick door under Silver Snake Mountain? Could there be another cellar there?

Can’t rule it out.

But both the Oldest Branch and Third Branch cellars had doors opening toward the Blue Brick Tunnel from the wine cellar side. If there were a door at Silver Snake Mountain, how would it open?

Ye Huaizhang hadn’t figured it out yet. We’ll study it slowly when we have time.

His gaze lingered on the two peaks swaying at her waistline before he leaned down and captured one with his mouth.

The bathwater rippled outward…

The couple didn’t go out on Sunday, staying home instead. They explored the Blue Brick Tunnel and circled the Silver Snake Mountain area.

Sure enough, there was a spot where the pale gray clay differed subtly from its surroundings.

If there really were a door here, how would they enter?

Ye Baoling joked, Follow Sun Dianying’s method.

Blow it up.

Ye Huaizhang: Then we’d both be buried inside.

They’d find a way eventually, given time.

In a hotel in Port City’s West District.

Ye Kaisen pulled on his trousers, fastening his belt.

He said to Qi Yuxiu, who was lying on the bed, If Wan Xiwena is indeed Shen Wanjie’s illegitimate daughter, then he’s clearly guilty of favoritism. But think about it—the company is full of personal connections and relationships. With just this alone, do we have enough leverage to bring him down? Shen Wanjie rose to power partly because his father used to work under my second uncle. It’s all about connections. Especially now, with Ye Qingtang’s IPO approaching, my second uncle definitely doesn’t want major personnel changes in upper management. In the end, it’ll likely be a case of smoothing things over.

Qi Yuxiu remained lying on the bed with no intention of getting up. Propping her head up with one hand, she asked, Are we really going to waste such a good card?

After fastening his belt, Ye Kaisen put on his shirt while buttoning it up. Even if we do bring down Shen Wanjie, Lin Zhong will still promote his own people. There are several capable vice presidents in the Herbal Tea division, all eager for promotion.

At least we’d have a chance to push someone favorable to you.

Look how much effort we put into ousting Liu Tiejun, their marketing director. What was the result? Lin Zhong is too cunning—he’d rather let Qu Zhengming serve as director of two departments than give you a chance to promote your own people.

Qi Yuxiu asked, Then what should we do?

Ye Kaisen had his own idea: Use this leverage to win over Shen Wanjie and make him one of us.

Put nicely, it was winning him over; in reality, it was blackmail.

Using their own spear against their own shield.

Qi Yuxiu’s expression brightened. That’s actually a good approach. On the surface, he remains Lin Zhong’s person, but in reality, he’ll be ours.

You go talk to him.

Is it appropriate for me to go? After all, she was just a manager.

You’re my person. That’s enough. Ye Kaisen picked up his wallet and walked out.

Qi Yuxiu sat up and began planning how to handle this appropriately.

On Monday morning, not long after Ye Baoling arrived at the company, Qu Zhengming called her in for a talk.

About promoting you to deputy manager, as we discussed last Friday—have you thought it over?

Ye Baoling smiled and nodded. I accept.

At this point, she wasn’t afraid of encountering the Ye family members in mid-to-senior management meetings. She had genuinely earned her position through her own capabilities. With the company in need of talent, even her grandfather couldn’t force her to leave Ye Qingtang.

Qu Zhengming was pleased with her confident response.

That’s great. Do you have a preferred department? There are currently no deputy manager openings in the Product or Brand departments, and you’re not familiar with other divisions. Would you like to try the Marketing Department?

Qu Zhengming’s meaning was clear—if she joined Marketing, she could continue to look out for her.

Everyone has their selfish side, and she couldn’t bear to let such talented person like Ye Baoling go to another department.

Ye Baoling smiled. I’ll go to Marketing.

Excellent! Marketing desperately needs someone with your capabilities to expand the market. However, you’ll need to continue handling Jasmine Iced Tea promotion work for the next two weeks. After the company goes public, we’ll fully transfer promotion responsibilities to the Brand Department.

Understood. By the way, Director Qu, I previously promised the promotion team members that they could take time off after completing the promotion tasks. Since things have slowed down now, everyone can take rotating breaks.

Qu Zhengming readily agreed: No problem, I’ll handle the coordination. Let’s go, we have a meeting to attend.

Today was the mid-term review meeting for the Jasmine Iced Tea promotion team.

As soon as they entered the office, He Jiayi started cheering: Congratulations on your promotion, Manager Gu!

Biu biu biu! Bang! Bang! Biu biu! Wang Bingchang, the most lively of them all, created a makeshift fireworks display with sound effects and hand gestures in the meeting room.

Ye Baoling smiled and gestured for them to lower the volume: Keep it down, the official announcement hasn’t been released yet. What if we celebrate too early and I don’t get promoted?

Someone joked: Manager Gu, are you trying to avoid treating everyone to a meal?

Ye Baoling: Whether I get promoted or not, we’re definitely having this meal. Just now, President Qu also agreed that starting tomorrow, everyone can begin taking their paid leave in shifts.

The team cheered loudly: Thank you, President Qu! Thank you, Manager Gu!

Qu Zhengming said: This promotion campaign has been unprecedentedly successful! We achieved the best results with the smallest budget. Our outstanding performance has greatly surprised the company’s upper management. During last week’s executive meeting, the chairman praised you all for a full fifteen minutes.

Really?

Absolutely true. This city-wide marketing sensation is thanks to Gu Baolin and all our colleagues’ hard work. Besides the scheduled rotations for rest, there will be performance bonuses later.

Ye Baoling added: Every member of our promotion team has contributed, and everyone will certainly receive their share of the bonuses.

Wow wow wow!

After boosting morale, Qu Zhengming left first as he had other matters to attend to.

Only then did Ye Baoling continue: We still need to complete the promotion work. After the company goes public, everything will be handed over to the branding department. So next, we need to do some paid promotions. The branding department colleagues definitely understand why we need paid promotions. I won’t elaborate further in this meeting. What’s the most expensive type of promotion? Of course, hiring celebrities. If we can get Xian Bi, our promotion campaign will come full circle and is bound to set Hong Kong abuzz.

But Xian Bi’s endorsement fee is four million!

Yeah, Manager Gu, the company would never approve such high promotion costs.

Ye Baoling said: Not an endorsement, just filming one commercial. The cost will definitely be lower. I’ll handle the negotiations later.

She didn’t mention that she had already started the discussions.

After the meeting, when they returned to their workstations, He Jiayi quietly asked Ye Baoling: I don’t understand – why do we need to do paid promotions at this stage?

Ye Baoling smiled: First, to consolidate the success of our promotion. Second, and most importantly, if we achieve such great results with so little money, wouldn’t those brainless upper management people think that promotions don’t require funding, just brains? Then the branding department colleagues would really have no way to do their jobs properly.

He Jiayi gave her a sly look: You really know your stuff.

Nearby, Rao Qiutong overheard this and quietly opened her notebook.

After the company’s mid-level management meeting ended, Qi Yuxiu quickly approached Shen Wanjie: President Shen, our logistics department has some work that needs coordination with your team. Do you have time?

Shen Wanjie glanced at her. He was always quite polite to headquarters staff.

Manager Qi, I have about 10 minutes free later. What do you need to discuss?

I’ll come to your office to discuss this.

Qi Yuxiu followed Shen Wanjie to the 10th-floor general manager’s office.

After sitting down, Qi Yuxiu took a letter from her folder and handed it over.

General Shen, take a look at this.

Shen Wanjie’s face instantly changed upon opening the envelope.

Inside was a printed whistleblower letter accusing Shen Wanjie of favoritism and misconduct. One of the allegations was that he had concealed the truth from the company and appointed his illegitimate daughter Wan Xiwena, who lacked work experience, as the head of an important project.

Seeing his changed expression, Qi Yuxiu hurried to reassure him: You must be wondering why this letter is with me. General Shen intercepted it and asked me to deliver it to you personally. He told me to tell you not to worry.

Hearing this from Qi Yuxiu, Shen Wanjie felt slightly relieved.

However, Ye Kaisen had specifically sent Qi Yuxiu to deliver the letter—he must have other motives.

He pressed the letter under the envelope and forced a smile. Please convey my thanks to General Shen.

Qi Yuxiu: General Shen has always admired you. He truly hopes to become genuine friends with you.

Genuine friends? Shen Wanjie understood her meaning.

Of course… I’ve always admired General Shen’s decisiveness and courage. If given the opportunity, I would naturally hope to become friends with him.

Shen Wanjie knew this whistleblower letter might not be genuine. Ye Kaisen had likely discovered that Wan Xiwena was his illegitimate daughter and was using this to pressure him.

Qi Yuxiu smiled. That’s wonderful. General Shen never mistreats his own people. I hope we can collaborate more smoothly in the future.

But Shen Wanjie had no intention of being controlled by someone of lower rank. Then please arrange a time with General Shen. I’d like to speak with him personally.

Qi Yuxiu was slightly taken aback but soon smiled again. Alright, I’ll let him know.

After Qi Yuxiu left, Shen Wanjie’s face darkened.

Furious, he crumpled the whistleblower letter and threw it into the trash.

A few seconds later, he retrieved the paper ball, unfolded it, tore it to pieces, and only then discarded it.

Just then, his secretary entered with a document for him to sign. Opening it, he saw it was Gu Baolin’s promotion appointment.

The reason his daughter had attracted Ye Kaisen’s attention was that the first Jasmine Herbal Tea promotion plan had encountered difficulties. Instead of helping cover it up, Qu Zhengming had deliberately escalated the issue and used the opportunity to push Gu Baolin into the spotlight.

With Qu Zhengming’s full support, Gu Baolin’s second promotion was so successful, it only highlighted his daughter’s incompetence and his own favoritism.

Ultimately, it was Qu Zhengming who had caused him this trouble.

And Gu Baolin too.

One act of disloyalty, a hundred times unusable.

He nearly gritted his teeth until they bled.

Before leaving work, Qi Yuxiu received a call from Ye Kaisen.

I spoke with Shen Wanjie. It went quite well.

Qi Yuxiu sounded slightly displeased. He insisted on talking to you.

He has a request.

What request?

He wants us to help him bring Qu Zhengming down. He guessed we have leverage against Qu Zhengming.

This suited Qi Yuxiu perfectly. No problem. We’ve been planning to take Qu Zhengming down anyway, haven’t we?

And Gu Baolin too.

Qi Yuxiu hesitated slightly—after all, Gu Baolin was so useful.

Ye Kaisen asked: Reluctant to let her go?

Qi Yuxiu gritted her teeth. This person is useful but hard to control. I always expected they could be sacrificed at any time. I’ll follow your arrangements.

Good, then listen to me.

The two quickly outlined the plan over the phone.

Knock knock knock!

A knocking sound came from the door.

Qi Yuxiu hurriedly ended the call before saying, Come in.

The person entering happened to be Ye Baoling.

Ye Baoling brought the cardboard recycling money for the latest month. Sister Xiu, this month’s cardboard money totals 8,012 yuan. After deducting 3,000 yuan distributed to the cleaning staff and 300 yuan in bonuses, the remainder is all here. Please review it.

Qi Yuxiu smiled as she took the envelope. You’ve worked hard.

It’s all part of my duties.

Qi Yuxiu directly took out 1,000 yuan and gave it to Ye Baoling. This 1,000 is for you.

So much?

Take it.

Thank you, Sister Xiu. Ye Baoling smiled as she accepted the money. Sister Xiu, when will Zeng Zhentao from the R&D department return?

Qi Yuxiu: He should be back tomorrow or the day after. When that happens, things will definitely get lively. Be prepared to handle it.

Ye Baoling asked in return: How should I handle it?

Qi Yuxiu: General Shen and I have discussed it. It might not be appropriate for you to file the report. We’ll find someone else to report anonymously. During the meeting, proceed as we planned – you’ll take the initiative to testify that Qu Zhengming sent you to swap the formula. After we bring Qu Zhengming down, General Shen will step in to protect you. Within this year, we can promote you from deputy manager to manager.

Ye Baoling worried: This jasmine iced drink is performing so well. I’m afraid that after upper management discovers the formula was swapped, they might not want to change it back and just go with the mistake…

Unauthorized formula changes are a matter of principle. There will definitely be a strict investigation.

After discussing coping strategies for a while, Qi Yuxiu finally said: After your promotion to deputy manager, your position will move to the herbal tea marketing department, no longer in our logistics division. Your workload will increase. Later, please inform the two team leaders in the cleaning department that someone else might take over your work soon. However, I’ll still give you your share of the cardboard money.

Still getting cardboard money after leaving logistics?

This sounded like an empty promise to keep her hooked.

Ye Baoling didn’t question it, just smiled and nodded: I understand.

After leaving Qi Yuxiu’s office, Ye Baoling took the cardboard money and distributed it to A Xia and the others.

She didn’t mention a single word about what Qi Yuxiu had asked her to convey.

Afterward, she went to the 6th floor. Gao Lizhen and He Jiayi helped her move the materials from her workstation to the deputy manager’s office in the marketing department.

In less than three months at Ye Qingtang, she had secured her own office.

This might be the career goal that others spend their entire lives pursuing.

The marketing department staff were unprecedentedly enthusiastic toward her.

After all, she had previously helped everyone achieve their performance targets, was the fastest-promoted employee in Ye Qingtang’s history, and was Qu Zhengming’s favored protege.

The marketing department already had two deputy managers: Manager Dai, responsible for Southeast Asian sales, and Manager Huang, responsible for Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan sales.

After Ye Baoling joined, her main responsibility would be developing new markets.

However, all the currently untapped markets were particularly difficult to penetrate.

Mainland China had a large population, but since reform and opening up had just begun, people were still struggling to solve basic subsistence needs, resulting in extremely low demand for beverage consumption.
The European and American markets are indeed vast, with affluent populations there. However, Ye Qingtang has traditionally focused on herbal tea, which Westerners are unaccustomed to drinking, so its current market share in Europe and America is virtually nonexistent…

Manager Huang kindly suggested to her: You might consider South Korea and Japan. East Asian cultures share similarities with ours, making it easier to penetrate their markets compared to Europe and America.

Ye Baoling smiled and nodded: I’ll study and learn first, and I hope you’ll guide me along the way.

Feel free to ask me anytime if you have questions.

Qu Zhengming took time out of his schedule to attend a meeting, and everyone once again applauded to welcome Ye Baoling’s inclusion.

Bao Lin is responsible for developing new markets and currently has no team members. Is anyone from the other two groups willing to transfer to Gu Baolin’s team? Interested parties, please raise your hands.

Although everyone liked Ye Baoling, when it came to matters of personal interest, their colleagues remained quite clear-headed.

No one raised their hand for a long time.

Awkward.

Ye Baoling didn’t mind. She smiled and said, Following me might involve some hardship initially. If we can’t break into new markets right away, it could also be quite leisurely…

The crowd chuckled.

But I guarantee that everyone in my team will eventually enjoy great benefits.

Colleagues egged each other on, suggesting who should go.

Finally, A Zhen, who had worked with Ye Baoling before, loyally raised her hand. I’ll give it a try.

Wow! Everyone applauded A Zhen’s courage.

Qu Zhengming asked, Anyone else?

There wasn’t.

Can I?

The voice came from the doorway.

It turned out Gao Lizhen, after helping Ye Baoling move things upstairs, hadn’t left.

Qu Zhengming looked at Ye Baoling. She’s from the product department, no experience…

Meaning, you can refuse.

But Ye Baoling never turned away those who trusted her. She welcomed her openly: You can!

A true leader can embrace those less capable.

She just needed to be strong enough herself.

Manager Gu Baolin’s three-person team was officially formed.

*

The next day, when Zeng Zhentao from the R&D team returned to work from abroad, Shen Wanjie made his move that very morning.

Before acting, he called Ye Kaisen: General Shen, I’m worried Lin Zhong might suppress this privately to protect his people. You know I can’t openly oppose him. What if the chairman doesn’t arrive in time?

Ye Kaisen told him to stay calm: I’ll make sure he comes.

Otherwise, how could they pin the mismanagement accusation on Lin Zhong?

Ye Kaisen was more anxious about this than Shen Wanjie.

Half an hour later, Gu Baolin and Qu Zhengming were summoned to the conference room on the 29th floor.

Lin Zhong sat at the head of the table and said, We’ve received reports that you secretly changed the Jasmine Iced Tea formula. Is this true?

Qu Zhengming looked completely baffled. Wasn’t the formula modification approved by the company?

Ye Baoling reminded her, What Director Lin means is that we changed the modified formula too.

Qu Zhengming grew even more confused. Director Lin, Director Shen, the two of us? How could we possibly change the formula? We’ve shipped so much Jasmine Iced Tea already. How could the formula have been changed?

Shen Wanjie, seated beside Lin Zhong, said, Because the altered formula only has minor differences. Especially at room temperature, they’re basically identical. Normally, everyone in the company drinks room temperature Jasmine Iced Tea. Even if you had it chilled, without comparing both formulas side by side, it would be hard to tell them apart.

Qu Zhengming shook her head. We didn’t secretly change the formula.

Shen Wanjie countered, But someone saw it, someone heard about it, and surveillance footage caught Gu Baolin sneaking into the R&D lab to change the formula. There’s no denying it. The R&D staff are already heading to the factory to compare the formulas. We’ll have results soon.

Ye Baoling asked, What surveillance footage?

Shen Wanjie smirked coldly. You might not know this, but our office building has limited surveillance. Besides the elevators and finance office, the R&D lab also has cameras.

As he spoke, the conference room door opened. Cai Yongming escorted Ye Qizu inside, followed by several middle managers including Qi Yuxiu and Liu Xiang.

Ye Qizu was farsighted. The moment he entered, he spotted his granddaughter.

Shen Wanjie quickly introduced, Chairman, this is Gu Baolin.

Ye Qizu’s pupils instantly widened in shock!

Gu Baolin…

The old fox immediately understood.

The outstanding child he had envied from other families was actually his own good-for-nothing granddaughter Ye Baoling?!!

Ye Qizu looked at his granddaughter with mixed emotions.

Ye Baoling ignored her grandfather, instead calmly scanning the crowd.

The show was about to begin.

Author’s note: Ye Huaizhang: Don’t be too shocked, there’s even more shocking news you don’t know yet.

To be continued tomorrow, see you all tomorrow, dear readers.