Volume One, Chapter 15: The Thought of Leaving Arises

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For a long time, there was no reply.

Qiao Ye’s heart gradually sank. The man in front of her suddenly opened his eyes, clear and devoid of any flirtation.

Lu Tingxiao loosened his grip, leaned back slightly to create distance, his voice calm and reserved.

“Sorry, I drank too much. You can go home now.”

Qiao Ye propped herself up, fully understanding his meaning.

His heart belonged only to that woman.

And she was always just a substitute.

Qiao Ye didn’t even remember how she got home; when she came to, the sky was already turning light.

A new day had begun—she couldn’t dwell on this anymore.

Yesterday could be dismissed as drunkenness, as if she had never said anything.

Just as she arrived at the company, Manager Lin walked in.

“President Qiao, I want to resign.”

Manager Lin was an elder, and Qiao Ye knew the recent incident had been a heavy blow for him.

He had worked hard on the project, only to have it snatched away halfway; anyone would feel unsettled.

“If it’s because of the project, I can offer you better,” Qiao Ye tried to persuade him, knowing it wasn’t easy to find a good subordinate; moreover, she admired how conscientious Manager Lin was.

Manager Lin hesitated, glanced back at the office door, then closed it behind him. Turning around, he said,

“President Qiao, there’s no one else in the office now, so I’ll be honest. I actually received an invitation from Yuansen Group a while ago.”

“I looked into it—they offered a very high salary and even tried to see if they could poach you along with me.”

Qiao Ye was surprised; she hadn’t expected that to be part of it.

Seeing that Qiao Ye did not get angry, Manager Lin continued.

“I saw it during the last bet—they just want to drive you out of the company.”

“Even if they fail this time, there will definitely be a next. Do you really want to spend your workdays scheming with these opportunists?”

Every word struck a chord with Qiao Ye; how could she not understand?

But she was unwilling to hand the company over to Lu Qi’an just like that!

“President Qiao, everyone has clearly seen what you have done for the company over the years.”

“I know it’s been hard on you, but the current Lu Corporation is your best proof of loyalty. Any company seeing what you’ve done wouldn’t hesitate to welcome you.”

Finishing his words, Manager Lin stood up with a sigh.

“I’m just taking this chance before I leave to speak honestly. We are colleagues, and I sincerely wish you a better future.”

“I understand, thank you. I’ll consider it.”

Qiao Ye knew no amount of persuasion would help, so she nodded slightly, looked at him, smiled, and took out a pen to sign.

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“I approve your resignation. Wishing you smooth sailing ahead.”

After sending Manager Lin off, Qiao Ye’s mood was still unsettled.

He was right—no matter if she could survive this time, she couldn’t always be so lucky.

Besides, she held no shares.

Even the title of Acting CEO was only because she was forced to take it at the time.

Given that, stepping back at her peak might truly be a good idea.

Qiao Ye opened her inbox and glanced at the messages she had intercepted.

There were all kinds of invitations from various companies.

The most recent one was indeed from Yuansen.

Moreover, they had persistently sent several messages.

Tempted, Qiao Ye clicked to reply, and soon received contact details.

After hesitating, she added the contact.

“Miss Qiao, Yuansen sincerely hopes you’ll join our company.”

The other party enthusiastically introduced the company’s philosophy and culture, ending with:

“Do you remember Li Guang?”

Qiao Ye’s eyes widened in surprise—this name...

“I remember, he was my senior in school and very capable.”

“You remember well. It was General Manager Li who strongly recommended you. Our company also conducted background checks and found your personal abilities outstanding, so we sincerely invite you.”

“But I thought your company was always overseas?”

Qiao Ye was reluctant to leave; she had lived here for over twenty years and had grown attached.

“We plan to open branches domestically. If you’re uncomfortable living abroad, you can choose to work at one of our branches.”

They were thorough—leaving almost no grounds for refusal.

After some thought, Qiao Ye replied:

“Could you give me some time to consider? I still have some unfinished business here.”

“Of course, feel free to contact me anytime once you’ve decided.”

The conversation ended.

The more Qiao Ye thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.

She could no longer live under the shadow of Lu Corporation and Lu Tingxiao.

She had worked so hard over the years to improve herself, so she wouldn’t have to live at others’ mercy.

Since she could never have a future with Lu Tingxiao, it was better to let go.

Giving up was also a form of liberation.

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Having resolved this in her mind, Qiao Ye’s heart felt somewhat lighter.

But there was still the bet, and even if she gave up the company, she couldn’t let it fall into Lu Qi’an’s hands!

Just as she was about to continue working, her phone rang.

It was Tangdou.

Qiao Ye’s expression softened as she answered gently.

“Hello, little Tangdou, what’s wrong?”

“Wuwuwu, Mommy, big brother is being bullied!”

Qiao Ye sprang up immediately and hurriedly asked.

“What happened? Don’t worry, Mommy’s coming right now.”

After hanging up, she rushed to the kindergarten.

At the teacher’s office, she immediately saw Chu Yun’er and Yuanbao.

Doubao and Tangdou were sitting nearby; Tangdou was wiping tears, looking wronged, while Doubao glared fiercely at Yuanbao.

The teacher was caught in the middle and brightened when she saw Qiao Ye.

“Ms. Qiao, you’re here! It’s like this: Ms. Chu insists Doubao plotted against her son, causing him to break his leg. See here.”

“I wondered why our little Tangdou was so upset, turns out he ran into some troublemakers.”

“Qiao Ye, your son did something bad, and you’re trying to turn things around here!” Chu Yun’er grit her teeth. Since being kicked out, her life had been difficult.

Lu Qi’an was often home late due to work; she was left alone with the children and couldn’t just sit idly by.

Thinking of Lu Tingxiao whom she had seen recently, Chu Yun’er had deliberately inquired about the school Doubao and Tangdou attended.

She had wanted Yuanbao to befriend them, to curry favor with Lu Tingxiao.

But Yuanbao had been pranked several times by Doubao.

Chu Yun’er couldn’t tolerate Yuanbao being bullied and thought to get even.

Even if Lu Tingxiao came knocking, she could soften her tone and apologize later to mend things.

But Yuanbao was so useless—he not only didn’t follow her plan, he actually fell down by himself!

What a failure!

“Doubao has always been obedient; he wouldn’t hurt your son on purpose.”

Qiao Ye said firmly, then turned to the angry Doubao, gently ruffling his black hair and smiling warmly.

“Doubao, tell Mommy exactly what happened, alright?”