Chapter 151, Chapter 148: The Milkmaid and the Sweetheart

The next morning, Ye Chen rose from his bedside and jogged around the neighborhood. Passing by Feng Zhi Xiao’s house, he noticed it was quiet inside. Needless to say, Feng Zhi Xiao was probably spending another night at the casino. Ever since the casino opened, the kid hadn’t come home once.

After a quick wash, Ye Chen immediately drove toward Tianya Group. Habitually, he switched on the radio in the car, as he usually liked to keep up with national affairs. The broadcast announced the arrival of Typhoon Sura, the third typhoon of the year. In a coastal city like Jianghuai, typhoons were a commonplace occurrence, so Ye Chen paid little attention. Moreover, the radio reported that Typhoon Sura would pass about ten kilometers offshore from Jianghuai and make landfall in Shenzhen.

Upon arriving at the company, Xiao Mei politely greeted Ye Chen. Every time she greeted him, her face would flush red. Ye Chen thought to himself, could this girl have a crush on me?

In the elevator, Ye Chen spotted a familiar face, but the moment their eyes met, the person quickly averted her gaze. Ye Chen, unfazed by the crowd, chuckled, “Hey, milkmaid, you’re here too!”

“Ah!” Xingxing snapped angrily, gritting her teeth. “Jerk! Don’t I have to work?”

“Oh, I thought your job was milking cows!” Ye Chen muttered.

Suddenly, the man drinking soy milk opposite burst out laughing and sprayed it all over Xingxing’s face. Everyone around was stunned—not only because the man had sprayed soy milk on her face, but because the white liquid splattered on her face looked like the aftermath of a wild encounter.

Click, click… the sound of camera phones snapping photos filled the air. The man hurriedly pulled out a tissue, looking distressed. “I-I'm sorry, it was unintentional!”

Xingxing was utterly dumbfounded. She didn’t say a word, then slowly wiped the soy milk from her face and walked out, her expression blank and dazed, as if lost in thought.

The elevator doors closed, and Ye Chen got off on the tenth floor, whistling as he entered the office of Business Group One. Everyone was already at their desks working. Fang Fei saw Ye Chen and immediately handed him a green cup. “Ye Chen, this is a gift from me. You can use it for drinking water in the office!”

“Thanks!” Ye Chen nodded without thinking much, took the cup, and went to fill it at the water dispenser. As he lifted the cup to drink, he noticed an identical red cup on Fang Fei’s desk, engraved with the word “Darling.” Ye Chen was momentarily stunned, then quickly glanced at his own cup. It too bore two words: “Sweetheart.”

He quickly set the cup down on the desk, deciding then and there to put it away and not use it again.

“All right, everyone, we’ve been working on the North City District project for quite some time now. Any insights to share?” Ye Chen leaned back in his chair, smiling at the group. “It’s late October already, and several typhoons have passed. Shouldn’t we hold a summary meeting?”

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“Vice President Ye, meetings aren’t held here,” Liu Shang glanced at Ye Chen. “You’re the vice president. Isn’t it more appropriate to gather all departments in the conference room with President Li present?”

Ye Chen was momentarily taken aback. Liu Shang was right; as vice president, meetings should follow protocol and be properly documented. Ye Chen nodded and smiled, “Okay, then let’s prepare for the first meeting since I took office!”

He promptly notified the secretarial department to arrange the meeting.

However, shortly after, the secretaries informed Ye Chen that President Li and Assistant Lin were both out of the office, asking if the meeting should proceed. Ye Chen thought for a moment. What did Li Ruo have to do with this? Even without him, work must go on. So, Ye Chen instructed all departments to continue with the meeting.

“By the way, where did President Li go?” Ye Chen asked the secretarial staff.

“Oh, he went to inspect Xiangming Mountain today. The company is considering investing in a recreational resort there,” the secretary replied quickly.

“I see,” Ye Chen paused, then said, “Alright, let’s continue with our work.”

The meeting went on as Ye Chen personally gave a report on the progress of the North City District project and highlighted some important points. Midway through, the once clear sky suddenly darkened with swirling black clouds, and a fierce wind rattled the glass windows.

“What’s going on? Why did the weather suddenly change?” someone asked curiously.

“It’s the typhoon—Sura is here!” Fang Fei glanced at Ye Chen anxiously.

“Enough talk, let’s keep the meeting going!” Ye Chen waved dismissively. But just then, the lights flickered and the power went out. The room plunged into darkness. Fang Fei, sitting next to Ye Chen, nervously grabbed his hand in the pitch black.

“What’s happening?”

“Power outage? Strange, the company has never lost power before!”

Whispers spread among the group. Ye Chen released Fang Fei’s hand, stood up, and said, “Everyone, remain calm. Secretary Zhang, call the power company immediately and find out what’s going on!”

“Understood!” Zhang nodded and made the call. Soon, he returned with the news: the typhoon had caused trees to fall and sever power lines. The repair crews couldn’t perform emergency repairs due to the dangerous weather conditions.

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Silence fell over the room. Ye Chen was stunned. “But didn’t the meteorological bureau say the typhoon wouldn’t make landfall in Jianghuai City? Why is it having such a big impact here? Secretary Zhang, call the meteorological bureau and get some answers!”

“Right away!” Zhang complied. Since President Li was away, Vice President Ye was effectively the company’s spokesperson. Zhang dialed the bureau, but the response was rambling and vague. Ye Chen grabbed the phone in frustration. “Enough with the nonsense! Tell me directly—did the typhoon make landfall in Jianghuai City or not?”

“Well…” there was a brief pause. “Yes, it did.”

“Damn it! Where exactly did Typhoon Sura make landfall in Jianghuai City?” Ye Chen demanded sternly.

“Near Xiangming Mountain,” came the reluctant reply. The meteorologists admitted their detection was flawed; their projections were based on experience rather than thorough calculations. As a result, the typhoon was set to cross Jianghuai City, likely causing tens of billions in direct economic losses.

“Damn!” Ye Chen exclaimed. “That means President Li is in danger!”

A cold chill ran through everyone. If the typhoon truly made landfall near Xiangming Mountain, President Li’s safety was at risk. The room fell silent, heavy with tension and dread.

Suddenly, Ye Chen rushed out. Not long after, his phone rang. The caller ID showed Lin Ziwen. Ye Chen hurriedly answered, but the signal was poor, drowned out by static and noise.

“Ye Chen, help! Come quickly, it’s President Li! We’re trapped on Xiangming Mountain. You have to save us!”

“Where exactly on Xiangming Mountain? Tell me!” Ye Chen shouted.

“On Xiangming Mountain…” The call cut off abruptly.

Ye Chen raced down the stairs. Without power, emergency lights illuminated the hallways, but the elevators were out of order. Passing the elevator shaft, he saw security guards trying to pry open a stalled elevator where several employees were trapped.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Chen dashed down from the tenth floor and burst out into the storm. Outside, the city was flooded, torrential rain pouring from the sky. Cars crawled through the water with hazard lights flashing. Ye Chen hurriedly climbed into his modified Alto, which had an elevated exhaust pipe to prevent water ingress. Without hesitation, he sped off toward Xiangming Mountain, determined to rescue those trapped amidst the raging typhoon.