After the Black Gold Consortium moved into Jiangcheng, they purchased the Financial Center to serve as their office building.
Thousands had already gathered in front of the Financial Center, a dense, swirling crowd. The prestige and background of the Black Gold Consortium were simply too vast. Everyone took pride in the prospect of joining them. In the upper echelons of Jiangcheng, and even in the circles of Longdu, being employed by the Black Gold Consortium was considered an unparalleled honor.
Of course, this also meant that joining the consortium was fraught with difficulty. There were only fifteen positions available, yet over seven thousand people had come for the interviews—and these were just the ones who had passed the initial screening!
Chen Xiaoran and her best friend were applying for the most competitive roles. There were only two spots, but four thousand people were vying for them. It was a one-in-two-thousand chance. Even though Chen Xiaoran excelled in every respect, she felt no certainty at all. The applicants were talented individuals from all over the country; there were plenty who possessed higher degrees, better academic records, and stronger backgrounds than her. She was merely trying her luck.
Yet, if she were to succeed, as her father Chen Guiyuan put it, it would bring great honor to their ancestors.
"Xinyi, I'm so nervous!" Chen Xiaoran clutched her resume, her body trembling slightly.
Her best friend, Zhou Xinyi, was more carefree and asked curiously, "Xiaoran, is Ye Lingtian really as pathetic as you say?"
"Hm? Ye Lingtian, what are you doing here?" As it happened, Chen Xiaoran spotted Ye Lingtian arriving as well.
"I’m here to have a look at my company," Ye Lingtian said, glancing at her before walking past. Had it not been for the sake of his adoptive mother, He Wenqian, he wouldn't even have bothered to respond.
Chen Xiaoran immediately shouted, "Xinyi, did you hear that? I told you, right? He actually claimed the Black Gold Consortium is his company!"
Zhou Xinyi’s mouth hung open in disbelief. "Yeah, yeah, yeah! Is he crazy? If the Black Gold Consortium were his, why would he be desperately clinging to your house?"
Eventually, Ye Lingtian entered his private office, greeted by Black Emperor and several high-level executives. Standing before the floor-to-ceiling windows, he could overlook the entire city of Jiangcheng.
One executive flattered him, "Chairman Ye, are you satisfied with your office? Standing here is like having the entire city of Jiangcheng beneath your feet! You are witnessing the highest vantage point of the city!"
Black Emperor, standing nearby, sneered, "What is a mere Jiangcheng? The Master has even seen the scenery from the top of the world!"
Ye Lingtian looked out over Jiangzhou and said indifferently, "I just saw my adoptive mother's daughter arrive to apply for a job here."
"Hire her unconditionally."
Once Ye Lingtian issued this command, the executives scrambled to carry it out. He wasn't doing this for Chen Xiaoran; he was doing it for his adoptive mother. If Chen Xiaoran were hired, his adoptive mother would surely be happy. And if she were happy, he would be too.
At that moment, Chen Xiaoran and Zhou Xinyi were in the interview queue. The interviews were conducted in three languages—in addition to Chinese and English, one had to master at least one other language to even qualify. It was clear how difficult the process was. The two girls were practicing with a minor language when a staff member approached with a megaphone and called out, "Are Ms. Chen Xiaoran and Ms. Zhou Xinyi here?"
"Teacher, we are here!" The two immediately waved their hands.
"Good, follow me."
Under the bewildered stares of the crowd, the two were led into a conference room. They were incredibly anxious. What was this? An early interview? Or had something gone wrong?
Inside the conference room sat eight interviewers. Seeing the girls, they stood up immediately and asked warmly, "Are you Ms. Chen Xiaoran and Ms. Zhou Xinyi?"
"Yes, that's us!" They nodded quickly.
"Congratulations, you have both been hired! Tell the others in the queue to disperse!"
"Boom..."
It felt like a bolt from the blue. They hadn't even been interviewed yet! They were hired just like that? The Black Gold Consortium was famous for its impartiality. They didn't care about status or background; they only cared about ability. It was fairness and justice in the strictest sense! That was one of the reasons the Black Gold Consortium had taken the world by storm—the wealthy and powerful were proud to have their children enter the company because it was untainted and based purely on merit.
So what was going on? The other applicants, who had formed a long line, were also stunned. What was happening? They hadn't even been interviewed! Was it decided just like that? They should at least have let everyone go through the interview process first! And since these two had been plucked from the line, this clearly had to be favoritism.
Everyone except the Black Gold Consortium staff was completely baffled.
"I’m reporting this! There’s back-door dealing in the Black Gold Consortium’s interviews!"
"Right! These two are definitely connections! We don't accept this!"
"Give us an explanation!"
The applicants began to protest.
"Security!!!"
"Throw them all out!"
"Remember—the Black Gold Consortium has no need to explain its actions to any of you! Here, our rules are the rules! We choose whom we want to choose!"
Soon, all the other applicants were driven away, leaving only the confused Chen Xiaoran and Zhou Xinyi. Faced with the two of them, the arrogant members of the Black Gold Consortium did a complete 180-degree turn in attitude.
"Ms. Chen, Ms. Zhou, congratulations on becoming members of the Black Gold Consortium! You are welcome to report for work at any time!"
Chen Xiaoran was deeply perplexed. "Teachers, why us? We haven't even had our interviews yet!"
The interviewers exchanged glances and smiled. This was a direct order from the supreme Black Emperor himself! But one of them offered a casual explanation: "Although there was no interview, we have studied every applicant, and after considering everything, you two were the most suitable!"
Afterward, the two went through the hiring process in a daze. Putting their confusion aside, they held their offer letters and ran home in high spirits, eager to share the news with Chen Guiyuan and He Wenqian.
"What? You were hired?" The couple was ecstatic. This was a momentous achievement that brought glory to their ancestors! With their daughter working at the Black Gold Consortium, Chen Guiyuan walked with his head held high in Jiangcheng’s social circles. He immediately called the Chen Family to share the great news.
"My daughter has made something of herself! And Xinyi, you’ve done well too! The Zhou family will be even happier than we are when they hear this!" He Wenqian wept with joy.
"By the way, where is Tian'er? Didn't you see him? I told him to go and find you, to gain some experience!" He Wenqian suddenly recalled.
At the mention of Ye Lingtian, the smile on Chen Xiaoran’s face vanished. "We saw him! He said the Black Gold Consortium was his company and he came to have a look!"
Chen Guiyuan was quite angry. "Hmph! A mouth full of nonsense!"
He Wenqian tried to smooth things over, laughing awkwardly, "Tian'er just likes to joke."
Chen Guiyuan sneered, "From now on, the gap between him and Xiaoran will be like heaven and earth! One is with the Black Gold Consortium, and the other doesn't even have a job! If he wants to pursue my daughter, he should try getting into the Black Gold Consortium first!"
"Aren't you making things difficult for Lingtian? Is the Black Gold Consortium the kind of place you can just walk into?"
Chen Xiaoran said with a haughty air, "Mom, you know that’s true! So stop trying to force things on us!"
"Mom, Dad, we do have one question though..." Chen Xiaoran started to talk about the interview, but He Wenqian suddenly received a phone call. Moments later, her expression changed drastically. "What are you saying? Say that again!"
After hanging up, He Wenqian’s body trembled violently, cold sweat breaking out across her forehead as she turned deathly pale.
"Mom, what’s wrong?" The three of them gathered around her.
"My company was just... just invested in with fifty billion!"
It was a staggering revelation. At He Wenqian's words, the three of them nearly lost their minds.
"Fifty billion? Hiss!" Even Chen Guiyuan gasped for air repeatedly. The entire Chen family’s assets combined didn't add up to fifty billion!
"Are you mistaken? Your pharmaceutical company is on the verge of bankruptcy! Who would invest fifty billion in you?" Chen Guiyuan asked skeptically.
He Wenqian nodded calmly. "It’s true! The funds have already arrived! It was the Black Gold Consortium that invested!"
"What???"
The entire Chen family was going crazy. First, Chen Xiaoran was hired by the Black Gold Consortium, and then the Black Gold Consortium invested fifty billion into He Wenqian’s company! My god! What kind of luck was this? How could the Black Gold Consortium be so generous? The key was that they had no connection with the Black Gold Consortium, nor did they know anyone inside it!
Confusion! They were completely baffled!
"Is my Chen family about to hit it big? Hahaha..." Chen Guiyuan decided to stop questioning it. It was time to celebrate!
After assigning tasks to Black Emperor and the others, Ye Lingtian returned. The entire Chen family was present, celebrating for Chen Xiaoran. All of Jiangcheng knew about her hiring, and it had spread through the upper circles, with the Chen family receiving endless praise.
Ye Lingtian frowned. Really? It was just a job at the Black Gold Consortium, just an investment of fifty billion—was there really any need to be this excited?
"Adoptive mother, actually..." Ye Lingtian had nothing to hide and was just about to tell her that all of this was his doing, but Chen Xiaoran interrupted him.
"Are you going to say that the Black Gold Consortium is actually yours, that I was hired because of you, and that my mom’s company got the fifty-billion investment because of you?"
Ye Lingtian nodded. "Hm? You knew?"
Chen Xiaoran sneered repeatedly. "Heh, I guessed you’d brag like that! See how well I know you?"
"Hahaha..."
"Who would have thought? Xiaoran predicted you’d say that!" The Chen family members all laughed.
He Wenqian frowned as well. Why was this child like this? Just moments ago, Chen Xiaoran had predicted exactly what Ye Lingtian would say, and she hadn't wanted to believe it.
Chen Guiyuan was even more dissatisfied. Ye Lingtian only knew how to brag, and his lies were always completely detached from reality! Ye Lingtian couldn't be bothered to explain; the truth was simply too complicated to articulate.
"Heh, Ye Lingtian, if you really were the owner of the Black Gold Consortium, why would you be groveling and insisting on living in our house? You would have left long ago!" Chen Xiaoran looked down on him more than ever.
"I will leave, but not yet." After saying this, Ye Lingtian returned to his room. He was living there only to utilize the ice vein beneath the house to suppress his Congenital Fire Poison; once the ice vein was depleted, he would leave. But to the Chen family, it looked as though Ye Lingtian was desperately clinging to their home.
"What a shameless person," many of them cursed under their breath.
He Wenqian ignored them and returned to her room to check on the investment details. Shortly after, she received a call from an unknown number.
"Hello, Wenqian, can you recognize my voice?" A magnetic voice came through.
He Wenqian’s entire body shuddered. "You... you are Ye Changsheng?"
"Yes, it’s me."
"Listen! Do not speak of this! Keep it confidential! Make sure no one is around you!"
"Okay!"
"Wenqian, I know that you have taken Ye Lingtian into your home!"
"Ah? You know?" He Wenqian was filled with shock. As expected of the head of the Hundred Clans! He already knew? "But... what are you planning to do?" She began to tremble.
"Wenqian, don't be afraid. Actually, for all these years, I have been searching for Tian'er! I owe him and his mother too much! I want to make amends to Tian'er!"
"Now that I hold the power of the Ye Clan, no one dares to threaten Tian'er anymore. And it will not implicate you."
He Wenqian felt relieved.
"Now, I only hope Tian'er can live a peaceful and carefree life! I entrust this child to your care as his adoptive mother. Rest assured, I will not treat the Chen family poorly."
He Wenqian immediately said, "Ah? I certainly will! Tian'er is like my own biological son! Even if you didn't say anything, I would be responsible for him for the rest of his life!"
"Good, then I am at ease."
"By the way, it seems Tian'er has a marriage contract with your daughter, correct?"
He Wenqian hurriedly acknowledged it.
"Then let your daughter marry Tian'er! Let her be the daughter-in-law of Ye Changsheng!"
"Okay, okay..." He Wenqian was trembling.
"However, this matter must be kept strictly confidential. For now, only you and I know!"
After hanging up, He Wenqian remained agitated for a long time. She finally understood! Why the Black Gold Consortium had invested fifty billion? Why they had broken the rules to hire her daughter? It was all arranged by Ye Changsheng! The confusion was resolved, but she dared not tell a soul.
He Wenqian went to Ye Lingtian’s room to check on him and call him down for dinner.
"Tian'er, what do you want to do? Your adoptive mother has fifty billion for you to spend! You can do whatever you want!"
At the dinner table, He Wenqian asked this. Since the money was invested by Ye Changsheng, it was essentially Ye Lingtian’s money.
"Mom! Do you know what you are saying?" Chen Guiyuan and his daughter were immediately anxious. "That’s fifty billion the Black Gold Consortium invested in you, and you’re just giving it to him?"
He Wenqian ignored them. "Tian'er, don't worry, your adoptive mother can certainly afford to support you! Do you want to work, or do you want to start a business?"
Chen Guiyuan nodded. "I agree with that much! A man at least needs a career!"
Ye Lingtian, however, said, "Adoptive mother, I don't want to do anything for the time being."
"Hmph!" Chen Xiaoran immediately sneered. *Living off us and he’s so righteous about it? Our family is supporting a giant baby?*
Chen Guiyuan’s face was filled with disappointment.
"Adoptive mother, I am waiting for news."
"What news?"
"I am investigating the whereabouts of my mother and all the enemies from back then! I want revenge!"
As soon as these words were out, He Wenqian’s face changed. "This child is talking nonsense! What ability do you have to seek revenge?"
Whenever she remembered the assassination back then, her face turned pale and her body trembled, her hand subconsciously reaching toward her right pinky finger. In truth, that finger had long since been severed; it was a prosthetic. If one didn't look closely, it wasn't obvious.
Ye Lingtian noticed this and immediately asked, "Adoptive mother, what happened to your right pinky?"
This question made He Wenqian even more panicked. "It's nothing! I'm fine! I was in a car accident!"
The truth was that she had been punished for helping Ye Lingtian and his mother—her finger had been cut off. That was how she had saved the Chen family! They couldn't afford to provoke those people! The enemies from back then were untouchable! The one who had cut off her finger was the greatest king of the Jiangcheng underworld—the Bandit Chief of Jiangcheng. The Chen family’s status in Jiangcheng was not low, but if they encountered the Bandit Chief, they would be torn to shreds in minutes. Thus, He Wenqian had never told Chen Guiyuan why she had lost the finger.
Yet, that Bandit Chief was the weakest of the forces involved in the assassination of Ye Lingtian’s mother. Not to mention the Ye Clan, which stood at the pinnacle of the Dragon Kingdom! How could Ye Lingtian possibly seek revenge? It was wishful thinking! It was a dream one wouldn't even dare to have.
"You shouldn't even think about revenge! You are nowhere near capable enough," He Wenqian said bluntly.
"Don't worry, adoptive mother. Even the Ye Clan of Longdu will eventually have to crawl at my feet."
Hearing this, Chen Xiaoran was just about to sneer when Ye Lingtian’s phone rang. It was Black Emperor. Unless it was an emergency, Black Emperor would not contact him this way.
"Speak!" Ye Lingtian answered the phone with a displeased expression.
"Master, things are somewhat tricky. We have encountered heavy resistance during our search! It seems the Dragon Kingdom's side does not want us to continue digging. For now, we can only trace it back to Jiangcheng," Black Emperor said in a cold voice.
"Then what about those Four Great War Gods? Tell them to wait in my office tomorrow! I want to ask them exactly what they are trying to do."
As soon as Ye Lingtian said this, everyone at the table stared at him.
"Boom!"
What had they just heard? This good-for-nothing actually wanted to hold the Four Great War Gods accountable? No one bragged like that!
Chen Xiaoran shouted, "Mom! Did you hear that? Does he know what he’s saying? You want me to marry someone like this?"
*Grandstanding! A clown!*
He Wenqian also looked at Ye Lingtian with slight disappointment. *Even your father, Ye Changsheng, wouldn't dare to make such a boast! You are trying to prove you have the ability to seek revenge in this way?*
"I don't want to hear this kind of talk ever again! Otherwise, I will throw you out myself!" Chen Guiyuan roared. He was disappointed in Ye Lingtian to the extreme!
"Alright, Tian'er, don't think about your mother's business anymore."
"For now, just rest for a while. If you need money, just tell your adoptive mother," He Wenqian said immediately.
"Dad, Mom, I'm finished. I'm going back to my room to prepare for starting work tomorrow!" Chen Xiaoran glared angrily at Ye Lingtian before heading upstairs. She didn't even want to share a dinner table with him.
The next day, Chen Xiaoran and her best friend Zhou Xinyi agreed to report to the Black Gold Consortium. To leave a good impression, they arrived two hours early and sat in the lobby waiting; there were hardly any people around.
But soon, four people hurried in from outside. The four were tall and upright, giving off an oppressive aura like towering mountains. A sense of overwhelming energy radiated from them, making one’s scalp tingle and body tremble. It was killing intent!
It immediately caught Chen Xiaoran’s attention. Why did these four look so familiar?
"Xiaoran! As expected of the Black Gold Consortium! Even the security guards are this impressive?" Zhou Xinyi’s voice rang out beside her.
Chen Xiaoran explained, "The security guards of the Black Gold Consortium are the elite of the elite! Only top-tier experts who have retired from the various War God Temples around the world are qualified to enter the selection!"
Of course, Chen Xiaoran had seen these four before. They were the Four Great War Gods of the Kingdom! Because Ye Lingtian was going to hold them accountable today, they had hurried over early in the morning, fearing they would be late if Ye Lingtian arrived before them. To keep a low profile, the four had specifically not worn their uniforms and had gone out of their way to hide their aura. As a result, Chen Xiaoran only felt they were familiar but did not recognize them.
After Ye Lingtian woke up and absorbed enough chill from the ice vein beneath the Chen villa to suppress his Congenital Fire Poison, he headed leisurely toward the Black Gold Consortium.