Hou Mingzhu was truly angry. People like her never gave up until they achieved their goals. If this vicious woman's major plan was delayed, it wasn't a joke; people would absolutely die.
"Sister Mingzhu, I know I was wrong. I can try to salvage this. Please don't be angry with me anymore. Give me some more time, okay? I'll find a way to make Ye Tiancheng forgive me."
"Alright, Hou Xiaolin. It seems you still haven't grasped the magnitude of your mistake. I can accept your repentance, but before that, I need your brain to clear up."
After speaking, Hou Mingzhu had her subordinate directly push Hou Xiaolin's head into a water缸. She let her struggle for a minute before pulling her out.
Hou Xiaolin was suffocating and had drunk a lot of water, coughing incessantly. She was so terrified that she looked like a傻子, frozen in place, lying on the ground motionless.
"Cough, cough, cough..."
After a long while, Hou Xiaolin finally regained some semblance of awareness. She had thought Hou Mingzhu was going to kill her just now. Now that she was alive, she could more profoundly realize how precious life was.
"Remember this: the purpose I sent you for was to completely subdue Ye Tiancheng, not to mess everything up like you have now. Hou Xiaolin, I can give you one chance, but if you can't grasp it, there won't be a second!"
Hou Xiaolin scrambled up desperately and kowtowed frantically to Hou Mingzhu!
"I'll do whatever you say. I'll definitely try my best this time!"
Ye Tiancheng hadn't seen Hou Xiaolin for about three to four days, and the news he heard again was not good.
Ye Tiancheng heard from his subordinate that Hou Xiaolin had been a bit depressed lately and seemed to be seeing a doctor. Her health was poor, and her mood was also bad. The double blow had left her completely weakened. Thinking about the past connection with Hou Qing'er, certain words brought back many memories. The past was like the wind, and sometimes the contrast between past and present was the most heartbreaking. Ye Tiancheng finally softened his heart.
He hadn't seen Hou Xiaolin for several days and felt somewhat guilty. Ye Tiancheng took the initiative to find Hou Xiaolin and asked about her health.
"Xiaolin, I heard you haven't been feeling well lately. Let me go with you to see a doctor."
"No need, Brother Ye. I can still manage. I've been diligently studying company knowledge these past two days. I was short-sighted before. When I went to the company, I didn't work hard but always thought of enjoying your success. I know I was wrong now. Look, I've copied down the functions of these medicines every day, and I can understand the research and development of new drugs."
It turned out Hou Xiaolin had actually been doing something practical these past few days. Ye Tiancheng saw the densely written notes she had made for her studies, clearly indicating she had put in effort, not just going through the motions to make a fool of herself.
"I heard you haven't been feeling well and that your mood has been even worse lately. If that's the case, you should focus on recovering and not overwork yourself. I'm afraid your body won't be able to handle it."
Clearly, he was still willing to care about her. Bringing this up, Hou Xiaolin excitedly said to Ye Tiancheng.
"Brother Ye, please let me return to the company. Give me another chance, and I promise I'll perform well. I won't disappoint you all again. I want to make a name for myself in the pharmaceutical industry. You gave me such a great platform, and I didn't cherish it. I regret it deeply now and only hope for another chance to start over."
Seeing Hou Xiaolin's pitiful state, Ye Tiancheng was indeed a bit moved. Moreover, he had been feeling a bit regretful these past few days. Although Hou Xiaolin had done many excessive things, she was once just an ordinary waitress. Now that he had rushed her development, her position was not commensurate with her abilities, which was understandable.
"Alright, don't rush about work matters for now. Rest for a couple of days, and then I'll let you continue your studies at the company. I was in a bad mood that day and didn't even attend Little Fatty and Wang Xiaomiao's engagement banquet. Now Little Fatty has invited me to dinner alone. Why don't you accompany me?"
Ye Tiancheng's words clearly meant he had forgiven her. Hou Xiaolin couldn't be happier. Her eyes sparkled, her face turned bright red, and she immediately nodded vigorously, agreeing to Ye Tiancheng's request.
When they arrived at the private room in the restaurant, Wang Xiaomiao and Fatty were already seated. Fatty was wearing a suit today, very formal, looking quite like a groom. Wang Xiaomiao was wearing a red qipao. She was already a beautiful woman with a great figure, and wearing a qipao further accentuated her curves. She looked festive and was perfectly suited for the role of a bride-to-be.
"Brother Ye, I really didn't expect Miss Hou to be accompanying you. I thought it would be Xue'er."
"My disciple is busy with business at the company. There's a major meeting tomorrow, and she'll probably be working through the night. Unlike me, her master, who idles around all day and has time to come here for a meal."
Little Fatty was very adept at handling things and quickly poured Ye Tiancheng a drink.
"Brother Ye, this is intellectual labor. Without your direction, how could we subordinates live such good lives?"
"Don't be so polite. I'll drink this glass to wish you both all the best, and a happy and harmonious future together, a hundred years of good marriage."
After speaking, Ye Tiancheng drank the wine in one gulp. Little Fatty quickly followed suit, as this was a courtesy that could not be overlooked.
"By the way, Brother Ye, I must thank you again here for the villa you gave me as a wedding gift. Your younger brother will definitely follow you for the rest of my life. Now you, Brother Ye, are in your prime, but even if you fall on hard times one day, as long as I, Little Fatty, have a bite to eat, I will never let Brother Ye starve with me."
Ye Tiancheng had never doubted Little Fatty's loyalty. Hearing Little Fatty say this, he was very touched, but he still chuckled twice.
"You rascal, don't curse me. I never want to fall on hard times. I want to be a rich man my whole life and let my brothers enjoy the good life with me."
At the dinner table, Hou Xiaolin behaved completely differently from before. The woman had become smarter, learned her lesson, and was now very virtuous. She didn't speak next to Ye Tiancheng. When others spoke, Hou Xiaolin would only smile faintly, diligently serving at the banquet, pouring drinks for this person and that. There was also a plate of steamed crabs on the table, and Hou Xiaolin had personally shelled almost all of them. Everyone at the table enjoyed the fruits of her labor.
The reason Hou Xiaolin was enduring humiliation now was entirely due to the circumstances. It was all to create a positive impression of herself in everyone's eyes, as there had been too much negative news about her before. If she were to overdo it now, she would only earn the disgust of others.
"Brother Ye, you and Sister Lin look quite compatible. When is the good news coming? Little Fatty and I will definitely give a grand gift to congratulate my brother and sister-in-law!"
Little Fatty clearly didn't like Hou Xiaolin much, so no matter how she behaved, Little Fatty deliberately avoided bringing the conversation around to her. However, Wang Xiaomiao was different. As a woman, Wang Xiaomiao wanted to help Hou Xiaolin, especially since Hou Xiaolin had previously given Wang Xiaomiao a set of luxury cosmetics. It was, after all, a bit of camaraderie between women.
"It's too early to say anything concrete. I'm afraid you'll be under too much pressure. After all, Fatty is so generous; who knows if he'll bankrupt himself to pay my bride price."
Ye Tiancheng's words caused the people at the table to burst into hearty laughter. The atmosphere at the dining table was lively. Little Fatty kept cracking jokes, and Ye Tiancheng played along, as they had met in their humble beginnings and had struggled together from nothing.
After attending the banquet, Hou Xiaolin saw Ye Tiancheng home to sleep, while she herself went to the company to work as Lin Xue's assistant for free.
Hearing that the company was holding a meeting tomorrow, Hou Xiaolin felt that this was the opportune moment to showcase her skills. As expected, Hou Xiaolin had chosen correctly. Lin Xue did not hold grudges from the past and chose to help Hou Xiaolin.
After that meeting, Hou Xiaolin officially returned to the company, and through the diligent efforts of that scheming woman, Ye Tiancheng soon regained his position as the person in charge.
Hou Xiaolin contacted her boss, Hou Mingzhu, and the two of them secretly took Ye Tiancheng's company's pharmaceutical formulas. They then manipulated things behind the scenes. In just half a month, they caused nearly 100 million yuan to flow out of Ye Tiancheng's company, with Hou Mingzhu being the beneficiary.
Recently, Hou Xiaolin had been in charge of the company. Moreover, after mastering the operational secrets herself, Hou Xiaolin very cleverly transferred Lin Xue to a less important department.
Originally, this was a cold case. Such a large operation might not discover these accounting issues for a long time. However, no matter how meticulous Hou Xiaolin's plan was, she couldn't foresee unexpected events, as not everything could go smoothly.
Recently, Ye Tiancheng's pharmaceutical company had developed a very popular drug called Longdan Xiegan Wan. This drug could clear the "three highs," namely high blood pressure and high blood lipids, and even improve diabetes. It was not only a breakthrough in the medical field but also brought immense business opportunities.
Hou Xiaolin's main target was this drug. Now, Hou Mingzhu had also started a pharmaceutical company and launched a similar drug, but it was priced at nearly half the price of Ye Tiancheng's company's Longdan Xiegan Wan.
Therefore, people generally recognized Longdan Xiegan Wan. However, patients were often in difficult economic situations, so they naturally chose the cheaper option. As a result, Ye Tiancheng's company's genuine product began to stagnate in sales.
Yang Xiaoxiao noticed that the expensive medicines in the store were selling out quickly. Several popular drugs now had substitutes, so she had to discuss it with Ye Tiancheng.
"It's fine, let them copy. It doesn't matter. We still have many new drugs. If they like to copy, let them copy. They can never surpass us."
"Mr. Ye, I'm worried about your business partner's schemes, so you should investigate. I fear they might use other tricks."
"It's alright. I'm busy with many things on hand right now and might not have time to deal with these minor issues for a while. We shouldn't fear our enemies; our opponents are always ourselves. I need to develop some new drugs."
Ye Tiancheng didn't take Yang Xiaoxiao's words seriously, and soon something strange happened.
An old man, trembling, came to the pharmacy to buy medicine. He showed a diagnosis report indicating a blood lipid problem. Yang Xiaoxiao naturally recommended the miracle drug, the popular online medication, Longdan Xiegan Wan.
The old man took it in the pharmacy. Yang Xiaoxiao hadn't intended for him to eat it there, but the old man said he felt weak and didn't have hot water at home, so he managed to trick her into giving him some hot water.
Not long after taking the medicine, the old man collapsed on the ground, foaming at the mouth.
"There's something wrong with this medicine! What did you mix into the drugs? This is pure murder for profit!"