Chapter 868: Sister! All My Efforts Raising You Weren

Ning Pingping entered and greeted Li Ye first, then noticed the several dishes on his desk.

She smiled and said, “Comrade Li Ye—oh, I should call you Deputy Factory Director Li now. I came half an hour early just to treat you to a meal, but still arrived too late.”

Li Ye frowned slightly. “You want to treat me to a meal? How did you know I was on duty today?”

Ning Pingping smiled faintly. “A man of the mountains has his own methods.”

“.”

Li Ye’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

Ning Pingping was sent abroad two years ago by Li Ye, under the guise of Fenghua Apparel. He hadn’t seen her since; now, seeing her again, he felt she had changed greatly.

The first time Li Ye met Ning Pingping was at the textile college’s fashion show team. Back then, she was stubborn.

Due to societal prejudice, the first generation of mainland models faced harsh conditions; when Wen Guohua and Li Ye watched their rehearsals, she masked her youthful insecurity and fear with a quiet coldness.

But after meeting Wen Guohua, her stubbornness faded. The last time they met at the Zhongliang compound gate, her eyes were filled with resentment and grievance—she had lost herself.

But today, her confidence seemed to have returned, even tinged with a subtle air of arrogance.

Li Ye had seen this arrogance before—in many people, like Lin Qiuyan, Li Dayong’s ex-girlfriend.

He could understand this arrogance; after all, they were among the rare university graduates of their time, and had studied abroad to learn “advanced experience.” A bit of pride was inevitable.

But this understanding assumed you didn’t mistake your pride for a license to look down on others.

Yet Ning Pingping’s attitude toward Li Ye now felt condescending, just like when his senior sister Cai Minying first met him.

But now, Cai Minying no longer carried that air of arrogance. Li Ye had knocked it out of her with three simple moves.

Li Ye glanced at Ning Pingping and smiled faintly. “No need to treat me. If you have something to say, sit down for a bit. I’ll finish these two bites. I remember you went abroad to study two years ago—did you come back on leave for the Spring Festival?”

“No. American universities operate on a credit system. I finished all my credits early and earned my master’s degree, so I graduated ahead of schedule.”

Ning Pingping smiled as she explained, her tone carrying a hint of pride.

She had been a textile college student in China, then “skipped grades” and graduated early overseas—deep inside, she felt superior, convinced she was exceptional.

“Oh, that’s good. No matter how wonderful the outside world is, nothing beats home.”

Li Ye nodded and focused on his lunch. In the dead of winter, his sisters had brought him four dishes and a soup—not to eat cold leftovers.

But this made Ning Pingping uncomfortable.

【Didn’t he hear me offer to treat him?】

During her years interning at the Lighthouse, Ning Pingping, with her striking looks, figure, and elite-student status, had deeply experienced “ladies first” treatment. She wasn’t used to Li Ye’s indifference.

Shouldn’t Li Ye have set aside these lunchboxes and thermoses and enthusiastically accepted her invitation to dine out at a fancy restaurant?

But Ning Pingping didn’t know that even the finest star-rated restaurant couldn’t match home-cooked meals sent by family.

Ning Pingping instinctively wanted to leave, but held back. She turned her gaze elsewhere, trying to distract herself.

Then she noticed the other girls in the office watching her with flickering eyes—some curious, some gossipy, some wary.

Ning Pingping chuckled awkwardly. “I guess I came at a bad time. I’m really sorry.”

Little Li Ying smiled warmly. “No, no—we just came to bring Brother his food. You don’t need to mind us.”

【I don’t mind you? But you’re right here getting in the way!】

Ning Pingping chuckled and noticed Li Juan typing furiously on Li Ye’s computer. She changed the subject: “The mainland has developed so fast these past few years! You’re even using microcomputers now. I used IBM’s personal PC at the Lighthouse—it was truly nice. What brand is yours?”

Li Juan lifted her eyes and said flatly, “It’s made in the mainland ourselves.”

Ning Pingping froze. “Made in the mainland? How is that possible? Personal PCs at the Lighthouse are cutting-edge tech. Only a few companies can produce the critical CPUs. Which electronics factory in China can even make CPU integrated circuits?”

“It’s made by us ourselves.”

Li Juan muttered and lowered her head, ignoring Ning Pingping.

She knew Fengyu computers used many imported parts—but she disliked Ning Pingping, so she stubbornly insisted.

But Li Ye was practical. He explained calmly, “This personal computer is indeed made in the mainland, but it incorporates many overseas technologies—it’s a collaborative production.”

“Oh, I knew it!”

Ning Pingping smiled lightly, sat on the sofa, and crossed her legs. She stopped arguing with Li Juan.

But the disdain in her expression immediately annoyed Li Juan.

This girl was blunt and hot-tempered—her feelings always showed on her face. She was ready to confront Ning Pingping: “You’ve drunk a few sips of foreign ink—do you even remember your own surname?”

But little sister Li Ying beat her to it, smiling brightly at Ning Pingping: “Are you studying computer science at the Lighthouse? I’m really interested in computers too!”

Ning Pingping shook her head. “No, I studied fashion design. I just happened to pick up some computer knowledge.”

“Fashion design? I love fashion too! No wonder your clothes are so beautiful—are they your own designs?”

“Sort of. I made a few small modifications myself.”

“Oh oh oh, you’re amazing! What school did you study at?”

Li Ying chattered on, quickly warming up to Ning Pingping, making her older sister Li Juan want to kick her in the face.

【Can’t you see I don’t get along with her? Which side are you on?】

But soon, “Second Sister” Fu Yiruo joined the conversation too, chatting cheerfully and finding common ground, leaving Li Juan with nowhere to vent her frustration.

Li Juan could angrily fight with Li Ying—but with Second Sister? Bloodline domination had been perfected.

Li Ye watched Li Juan hammering the keyboard and sighed inwardly—this foolish girl didn’t realize Li Ying and Fu Yiruo were teasing Ning Pingping.

The two girls played off each other perfectly, skillfully extracting information: Which college in the Lighthouse did she attend? How did it compare to Rhode Island School of Design, Parsons, or Italy’s Marangoni Institute?

Who was her master’s advisor? What design school did he belong to? And so on.

Ning Pingping could handle it at first, but soon her expression grew strained.

Why were these two girls asking such sharp questions?

Because while Rhode Island, Parsons, and Marangoni were world-famous in fashion design, they meant nothing in the mainland—ninety-nine percent of people had never heard their names.

You’re now bluntly asking me to compare my second-rate school to theirs? It’s like a Peking University student asking, “How does Hangzhou Normal compare to us?”

So Ning Pingping seized an opening and smiled sweetly at Li Ying and Fu Yiruo: “You seem very familiar with overseas schools. Are you planning to study abroad too? What schools are you attending now?”

Little Li Ying blinked. “I’m still in high school in Hong Kong. But my two older sisters are at Peking University.”

“High school in Hong Kong?”

Ning Pingping’s smile froze on her face.

And her old resentment, just like two years ago, surged uncontrollably.

Why, among all the “social climbers”—the phoenix sons and phoenix daughters—were their fates so different?

She had truly loved Wen Guohua, yet everyone forcibly tore them apart, then gave her an overseas study chance—and she had been overjoyed.

And Fenghua Apparel covered all her living and tuition costs abroad; she never had to endure discrimination by working menial jobs. She felt deep gratitude toward Wen Guohua and Li Ye.

But now look at Li Ye, who had climbed into Wen Leyu’s circle—his whole family rose with him. Even his little sister could go to Hong Kong for high school?

Studying abroad in high school? What kind of privilege was that?

Compared to him, what was she?

Li Ye was a country boy. She was a Beijing household registration!

【I must be strong. Never show weakness to anyone.】

Ning Pingping took a deep breath, swallowed back the mist in her eyes, and smiled brightly. “Hong Kong? That’s nice. I met a few students from Hong Kong at the Lighthouse—they seemed very cultured and well-mannered.”

Li Ying’s eyes narrowed slightly, a sharp glance flashing, then she smiled sweetly. “Yes, yes! I’ve met many wonderful compatriots in Hong Kong—but also many locals who are really unpleasant.”

“They’re Chinese, yet when they speak to me, they either use only English, or half English, half Chinese—like half-cooked rice, choking you.”

Ning Pingping’s forced smile froze again. Half English, half Chinese? Wasn’t that exactly what she’d just done?

Earlier, when chatting with Li Ying and Fu Yiruo, she’d sprinkled English words into her Chinese sentences, thinking it fashionable. Now, described as “half-cooked rice,” it sounded painfully offensive.

And Li Ying wasn’t done. Her next words were even sharper.

“Of course, most Hong Kong people are fine—they revere our ancestors, love our culture, and hold deep devotion to Han culture.”

“But others who cling to British passports are laughable. They have yellow skin and black hair, their ancestors all trace back to Zhonghua—and yet they worship a queen ten thousand miles away.”

“I just don’t get it—doesn’t that queen know the saying, ‘Those not of our kind have different hearts’? Doesn’t she watch them?”

Li Ye smiled faintly.

【Good. My sister is a firm nationalist. Not a waste of all my efforts raising her.】

But Ning Pingping’s face flushed crimson. She truly didn’t understand what she’d done to upset this little girl so much.

Was it because she’d repeatedly implied the Lighthouse’s superiority over the mainland?

But when she saw Li Juan, hunched over the computer, quietly snickering, she suddenly understood.

Her earlier argument with Li Juan had triggered these girls’ “family loyalty over truth” instinct.

But why are you laughing, Li Ye?

Are you also so uncultured? How did Wen Leyu ever fall for you?

Ning Pingping took several deep breaths, then said, “Li Ye, can I speak with you alone?”

“.”

All the girls’ eyes snapped to Li Ye’s face.

Li Ye waved to Fu Yiruo, Li Ying, and the others. “Go wait outside. Don’t close the door.”

The girls’ expressions turned instantly vivid—alert, gossipy, curious, layered with unspoken meaning:

【What’s your relationship with this celebrity? What can’t we hear? We’ll tell your wife!】

Li Ye laughed helplessly. “Your sister-in-law knows Ning Pingping. Don’t overthink it.”

“.”

Fu Yiruo and the others reluctantly left.

When they were gone, Ning Pingping sat up straight and said solemnly, “Li Ye, two years ago, I was deeply grateful to you—for giving me the chance to step beyond our borders and see the world.”

“But now, I realize the price I paid was losing the most important time with Guohua.”

Li Ye raised an eyebrow and said coolly, “Are you blaming me? But I’m curious—what do you mean by ‘the most important moments’ with Wen Guohua?”

“Do you think you’d have had a chance to become a daughter-in-law of the Wen family if you hadn’t gone abroad?”

Ning Pingping’s chest heaved violently; Li Ye’s calm words hurt more than Li Ying’s earlier sarcasm.

She gritted her teeth and said, “If I hadn’t left, there would still have been a chance—but now that I’ve left, there’s absolutely none left.”

【You had a chance? What chance? Did you think you could sneak in a grandchild for Teacher Ke while you were still deep in love with Wen Guohua?】

To be honest, if two years ago Ning Pingping had lowered her pride and gotten pregnant before marriage, she might have secured even a sliver of opportunity—but her pride likely made her scorn such tactics, and so she missed the only chance she ever had.

Li Ye looked at Ning Pingping and said, “If there’s truly no chance left, why are you coming to me? Don’t tell me you’re here asking for compensation.”

Ning Pingping slowly shook her head. “No. I want to cooperate with you.”

Li Ye fell silent for a few seconds, then smiled. “Cooperate? I run an auto plant. Are you here to sell me machine tools and engine oil? Or help me import automobile production technology?”

Ning Pingping blinked, then smirked. “Li Ye, let’s cut the crap. Others might not know how Fenghua Clothing grew, but I do—without the Wen family’s full support, where would you be today?”

“Of course, if you don’t want to admit it, that’s fine. Just pass a message to Hao Jian—I’ll go talk to him myself.”

【What message do you want me to pass? That you’re my brother-in-law’s former third mistress? When Pan Xiaoying tried to crush you, I didn’t agree—that was already giving you face. And now you still…】

The smile faded from Li Ye’s face; his expression and tone turned utterly icy.

He’d paused just now because he’d been considering whether Wen Guohua knew Ning Pingping had come to see him.

Logically, if there was an issue, Wen Guohua should’ve come to Li Ye himself—but Li Ye knew that during certain periods, people like Wen Guohua did indeed “keep mistresses,” and the boundaries there were hard to judge.

But after hearing Ning Pingping’s words just now, Li Ye was certain her so-called “cooperation” had nothing to do with Wen Guohua—she’d come to him on her own.

Fenghua Clothing did receive support from the Wen family during its rapid growth—Wen Leyu even clashed with Guo Donglun!

But Wen Guohua would never have hinted to Ning Pingping that “without the Wen family, you wouldn’t be where you are today.”

The intimacy between Ning Pingping and Wen Guohua was far lower than Li Ye had assumed; she had no idea about the tangled ties and true relationship between Li Ye and the Wen family.

Li Ye said coolly, “If you believe that without the Wen family there would be no Li Ye today, then you should go cooperate with the Wen family—not come here, chasing after me when the real source is right in front of you.”

Ning Pingping didn’t reply immediately. Instead, she pulled several documents from her bag and handed them to Li Ye.

“These are the investigation reports from Lighthouse’s most authoritative research firm. Take a look first—we’ll discuss cooperation after.”

Li Ye took the documents, glanced at them casually, and immediately guessed Ning Pingping’s intent.

It was a survey of the mainland’s most popular TV and movie stars. Number one was Liu Xiaoqing, followed by Tang Guoqiang and others—but Ning Pingping ranked third.

Li Ye pondered for a moment but didn’t immediately deny the report’s accuracy—over the past few years, Ning Pingping’s exposure had indeed been substantial.

Ning Pingping had grown alongside Fenghua Clothing as its advertising face.

In an era when a single TV gala or song could make a star, Ning Pingping, who appeared on television every quarter, was unquestionably a top-tier influencer—otherwise, how could Li Ying have recognized her instantly?

Moreover, during her trip to Lighthouse for study, Fenghua Clothing filmed many commercials there, adopting an “international” style that achieved excellent results; in viewers’ eyes, Ning Pingping’s influence was indeed significant.

Li Ye set the documents down and asked coolly, “If you think this is your leverage, then what do you want in exchange?”

Ning Pingping said calmly, “I admit my fame came from Fenghua Clothing’s support, but I’ve also contributed real value to its growth.”

“So I only want independent operating rights to the Fenghua line—I don’t want the Doukou or Liren lines. And I’ll continue endorsing Fenghua Clothing going forward.”

“Li Ye, you’ve seen the world—you know how valuable celebrity endorsements are in Europe and America.”

“Huh~”

【In the end, she’s been blinded by overseas glitter, seeing only the glamour of stars, never the darkness they endure.】

If Li Ye told her the story of that old man, would she still dare to propose cooperation?