Chapter 699

After sending Chen Zi off, Li Heng turned to Song Yu and said, "We just finished dinner, let's go for a walk at New Future."

Song Yu readily agreed.

Li Lan, who was nearby, said, "I'm coming too."

And so, the three of them got into a van and headed toward New Future Training School.

On the way, Li Lan said, "Little brother, you could buy a car in the capital; it would be more convenient for you and your girlfriend to get around. If there's ever a special situation, I could use it too."

Li Heng thought that made sense: "Alright, I'll ask someone about it later."

An hour later, the three of them arrived at New Future School. Classes were in session, with eleven classrooms currently active.

Li Heng first inspected each classroom from the outside before finally heading toward Wang Ye's office.

Wang Ye was on the phone, communicating with the person in charge of the Xi'an branch about some matters.

Li Heng didn't make a sound; he poured two cups of tea for Song Yu and his second sister, then sat down on the side to wait.

Ten minutes later, the call ended, and Wang Ye stood up to greet them: "Mr. Li, you're here."

Li Heng looked up and smiled at her.

After staring at each other for a moment, Wang Ye smiled, "Well, I received notice the moment you and Song Yu entered the school gates. But I was busy, and I also wanted you to experience the school's atmosphere for yourself, so I didn't disturb you."

Li Heng nodded and pointed to the sofa nearby: "Don't just stand there, sit."

Wang Ye sat down as told, then greeted Song Yu and Li Lan.

While drinking tea, Li Heng asked, "How is the enrollment for this term?"

Wang Ye expressed her joy in a single sentence: "The new intake is full. This term, our twelve schools have enrolled over 50,000 students, with tuition fees exceeding 60 million, of which the overseas advanced classes still contribute more than half."

Li Lan had long known that New Future School was unstoppable, but hearing this terrifying revenue figure, she still couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.

Song Yu was fine; having been close with Yang Yingwen, she knew a thing or two about New Future, so she was mentally prepared.

However, being prepared was one thing, but the terrifying figure of 60 million still left her deep in thought for a while.

Li Heng continued to ask, "How have the teaching materials been selling lately?"

Wang Ye knew the numbers by heart: "Since they hit the market in every province on April 1st, it's been about five months, and the harvest has been equally gratifying. As of this Tuesday, the total recorded revenue is 93.06 million."

Li Heng was surprised: "That high? Over 90 million?"

Wang Ye stood up, took a stack of documents from her desk, and handed them to him: "This is the detailed financial report prepared by Accountant Liu. Boss, please take a look."

After handing him the documents, Wang Ye sat back down and said, "Regarding the teaching materials, I originally wanted to wait until revenue broke 100 million to give you a surprise. I didn't expect you to come today."

For the next half hour, Li Heng flipped through the various reports. Finally, he closed the documents and sighed: "Well done. Putting you in charge of New Future School was one of the most correct decisions I've made in this life."

For some reason, Wang Ye felt a surge of excitement upon hearing this. For someone like her who wasn't short on money, a thousand words or breaking 100 million in revenue couldn't compare to this highest praise from Mr. Li.

Li Heng asked, "How are Professor He Wen and Professor Zhao Li performing?"

Wang Ye said, "He Wen, who heads the Tianjin branch, is leading the pack in both revenue and enrollment. Zhao Li's ability is also commendable; she deserves the most credit for the six newly opened branches. Mr. Li, I want to focus on cultivating them."

This "focus on cultivating" implied grooming them as successors.

Li Heng understood the subtext and pondered for a moment before asking, "What about Yingwen?"

Wang Ye glanced at Song Yu and said, "If Mr. Li allows it, I plan to take her with me in the future."

Li Heng pondered for a long time before waving his hand: "Don't rush with Yingwen; let's wait until she graduates. Between He Wen and Zhao Li, who do you favor more?"

Wang Ye phrased it carefully: "If Mr. Li intends to take over New Future personally, both are fine. If there are other arrangements, I suggest Professor Zhao Li; she is steady and composed, yet doesn't lack a fighting spirit. Moreover, I admire her character more."

Well, Wang Ye's implication was too obvious—she was essentially telling him that if New Future was intended for Song Yu in the future, then Zhao Li would be a more convenient choice for the handover.

Li Heng asked, "If Zhao Li takes over in the future, how should we settle Professor He Wen?"

Wang Ye said, "That's easy. If Mr. Li intends to keep Yang Yingwen, then He Wen can come with me."

Li Heng smiled and gave the go-ahead: "Fine. You handle the persuasion for He Wen when the time comes."

Wang Ye said readily, "No problem."

For the next hour and a half, they discussed personnel transfers and management for New Future. When they finished after 4:00 PM, he asked, "Where is Professor Zhao Li now?"

Wang Ye said, "She just returned from a business trip to the Wuhan branch yesterday. I gave her two days off; she should be at home with her children today."

Li Heng instructed, "Give her a call and ask if she's free to have dinner with us tonight."

Hearing this, Wang Ye looked at Song Yu again, stood up, and walked to the desk to pick up the white receiver.

The call connected, and Wang Ye said directly, "Professor Zhao Li, Mr. Li is here. He's inviting you to dinner and wants to know if you're free?"

Wang Ye's style was always this blunt, though Li Heng was used to it.

Zhao Li, on the other end of the line, was stunned. Her heart skipped a beat; she hadn't expected the big boss to personally name her for dinner. She looked at her half-grown child playing on the sofa and then at her husband simmering porridge in the kitchen. She suddenly felt a bit uneasy and hesitant.

Ordinarily, she considered herself reasonably attractive, but surely not enough to catch the big boss's eye, right?

She had seen Song Yu—such a peerless beauty. Mr. Li shouldn't have any ideas about her.

It wasn't strange for her to have such wild thoughts. During her business trips over the past year, she had heard many stories about bosses sexually harassing female subordinates, and she had even encountered local bosses who had expressed such intentions toward her, all of which she had rejected.

As the saying goes, once bitten, twice shy.

Especially now that her status and power in New Future were growing day by day, could it be that the big boss had developed ideas about her just to better control New Future?

Should she go to this dinner?

She had already resigned from Renmin University and was fully committed to New Future; she couldn't afford to lose this job, nor did she want to.

But if she went, what should she do if the boss really had those intentions?

While she was pondering, Wang Ye's voice came through again: "Professor Zhao Li, are you there?"

Zhao Li came back to her senses: "I'm here. Which restaurant?"

Wang Ye named a rather high-end restaurant and said, "You've been to Private Room 302 with me before. Just come over directly later. By the way, come quietly; don't tell anyone."

Zhao Li was dazed. She wanted to ask more, but the phone had already been hung up.

Come quietly—how quietly?

Don't tell anyone—does that include her husband?

Hesitating, Zhao Li finally stood up and went to the kitchen door to tell her husband: "Something urgent came up at New Future, I have to go. I might be back late."

Her husband said considerately, "When will you be back? I'll come pick you up."

Zhao Li said, "Manager Wang's call was urgent, I'm not sure either. If I'm not back after 8:00 PM, you go ahead and put the kids to sleep. Also, don't bolt the door; I'll open it myself when I get back."

Her husband didn't suspect a thing and agreed.

Zhao Li went to the bedroom and began picking out clothes, dressing up carefully. Looking at her rather charming reflection in the mirror, she hesitated for a moment and then found a pair of scissors to tuck into her bag.

She rushed to the restaurant Wang Ye had mentioned, went up to the second floor, and arrived at Private Room 302.

Looking at the door, she suddenly became very nervous. She reached out to knock several times before finally knocking tremblingly.

"Knock, knock, knock!"

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The door opened, and it was Wang Ye who opened it.

"Manager Wang." The moment she saw Wang Ye, Zhao Li let out a sigh of relief. So, it wasn't a private dinner with the boss.

Once inside the room, seeing Song Yu and Li Lan there, Zhao Li couldn't help but laugh at herself. She realized how ridiculous she had been—with a peerless beauty like Song Yu by his side, how could the big boss possibly have eyes for her?

Besides, what kind of person was Li Heng?

A literary giant of his generation, a legendary musician, talented, handsome, and wealthy, in the prime of his life—he was the white knight of every woman's dreams. Even if he wanted to play around, he wouldn't look for a married woman like her.

Thinking of this, as Zhao Li looked at Li Heng, she couldn't help but wonder: If someone like this really wanted a one-night stand with her, could she refuse?

Wang Ye greeted her and said, "We've already ordered. Take a look at the menu and see if there's anything special you want."

Facing Li Heng, Zhao Li was slightly reserved. She waved her hand and smiled: "No need, I love all the dishes you've ordered. Don't waste money."

Li Heng spoke up: "Don't be polite, order two more; we've already ordered plenty."

Hearing him say that, Zhao Li couldn't refuse anymore. She ordered one dish and then silently observed everyone at the table, secretly wondering: Song Yu is the boss's girlfriend, Li Lan is the boss's second sister, Wang Ye is the boss's right-hand woman—why on earth was she called over?

She couldn't figure it out no matter how she thought about it, so Zhao Li could only remain cautious and wait.

Unfortunately, they drank three rounds without the big boss saying anything particularly special, which only added to her confusion.

Just as she was completely baffled, Wang Ye said to her, "Come with me to the washroom."

Zhao Li didn't think much of it and followed her out.

Arriving at a corner in the hallway, Wang Ye asked her, "Are you very confused about why I called you over alone instead of anyone else from the company?"

After staring at Wang Ye for a moment, Zhao Li nodded.

Wang Ye asked playfully, "Did you bring a knife or anything in your bag?"

Zhao Li was startled and felt guilty, but she smiled and didn't answer.

Wang Ye seemed to see through her facade, smiled, and said, "I said that on purpose. You've been struggling with this the whole way here, right?"

Zhao Li had seen some of the world, so she quickly calmed down: "Why did Manager Wang do this?"

Wang Ye answered with a question: "Do you know why I gave up a good life in Hong Kong to come to the mainland?"

In this era, objectively speaking, there was still a significant gap between the mainland and Hong Kong. Her decision to come to the mainland was something not only Zhao Li and others couldn't understand, but even Wang Ye's own family had strongly opposed.

Zhao Li wasn't stupid; after pondering for a moment, she tentatively asked, "For the boss?"

Wang Ye didn't answer directly: "He's not short on beauties by his side, each one more beautiful than the last."

Zhao Li was dazed: "One after another? There... there are others?"

Wang Ye brushed her hair back with her right hand and reminded her: "That's not the point."

Hearing this, Zhao Li laughed bitterly. She realized that the Manager Wang before her was 100% interested in the boss, but hadn't succeeded.

At this point, the heart Zhao Li had been holding in her throat finally settled down.

Both women were smart; some things only needed to be hinted at. Wang Ye hadn't said these things for no reason—they all had a purpose.

Thinking about it, it made sense. If someone was willing to tell you their biggest secret, it was equivalent to saying: You are someone I trust, and we are on the same side.