Chapter 1393: Discussing a Cooperation

Ye Chen helped the mother and daughter to their feet. Looking at He Yingxiu, he said, "Ms. He, regarding the matter of you coming to Jin Ling to see Ruoli this time, I must ask you to keep it one hundred percent confidential. You must not tell anyone, including the people of the He family!"

He Yingxiu naturally understood that the best way to keep a secret was to tell no one. Otherwise, once a crack appeared, no matter how small, it could eventually be discovered by outsiders.

Ruoli was her own daughter, so He Yingxiu could ensure she would never leak it herself. However, it was hard to say for the rest of the He family; even her own father might not be one hundred percent trustworthy. Therefore, for her daughter's safety, she would naturally keep her mouth shut.

Thus, she said very firmly, "Young Master Ye, please rest assured. I will certainly keep this matter a secret. After leaving here, I will never tell anyone!"

Su Ruoli, standing to the side, heard this and hurriedly asked, "Mom, when do you plan to leave?"

He Yingxiu thought for a moment and said, "I told your grandfather that I am going to the Jiaodong Peninsula tomorrow to search for your whereabouts, so I will go there tomorrow."

Su Ruoli's face was full of reluctance. Like a little girl, she hugged He Yingxiu's single arm and acted spoiled: "Mom... you haven't seen me for so long. Can't you stay and keep me company for one more day?"

He Yingxiu sighed and said earnestly, "Ruoli, of course Mom wants to stay and keep you company. Let alone one more day, even if I could stay here with you forever, Mom would be willing..."

Having said this, He Yingxiu said helplessly, "But... the entire He family knows that I have exhausted all my efforts to find you. I even told your grandfather this time that no matter what Young Master Ye and I talked about, or what the outcome was, I must go to the Jiaodong Peninsula tomorrow to continue searching for you. If I suddenly stay in Jin Ling and don't leave, I'm afraid your grandfather will become suspicious..."

"Although I don't suspect your grandfather would have the heart to harm you, the He family has too many people and too many loose lips; there are too many uncontrollable factors. Moreover, although we have already broken with the Su family, I have always suspected that the Su family is secretly observing our movements. If the Su family finds out you are still alive, they might continue to target you."

As soon as Su Ruoli heard He Yingxiu mention the Su family, her expression immediately became filled with resentment. She said coldly, "Mom! Our He family has worked diligently and conscientiously for the Su family for so many years. In the end, not only does the Su family not cherish old feelings or family ties, they even sold me to the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. This grudge, I will definitely avenge in the future!"

He Yingxiu smiled bitterly, "In the eyes of the Su family, we are just bodyguards they hired with money. In ancient times, we would be the servants who guarded the house. They feel that as long as they give us money, we should risk our lives for them. In their eyes, we were never worth them investing any feelings into."

As she spoke, she sighed softly and added, "Regarding revenge, Mom suggests you stop thinking about it for now. The strength of the Su family is something the He family cannot compare to in any way. In the future, follow Young Master Ye and just settle down to serve him. Don't dwell on taking revenge on the Su family anymore."

Su Ruoli's eyes turned red as she choked up, "I will not give up on revenge. If one year isn't enough, then three or five years; if three or five years isn't enough, then ten or eight years. If that's still not enough, then twenty or thirty years. But one day, I will make the Su family pay for all of this!"

He Yingxiu said helplessly, "There is no point in Mom trying to persuade you about what's in your heart, but you must control your emotions. This is a critical stage for your cultivation to improve. You must never let hatred become your inner demon!"

Su Ruoli nodded gently.

Ye Chen spoke up at this moment, "Ms. He, you and Ruoli haven't seen each other for a long time. Why don't you go back to your room to rest first? I believe you must have a lot to say to each other. I will have someone send you dinner in a while. If you need anything else, feel free to contact the staff at any time."

He Yingxiu bowed slightly and said, "Then thank you, Young Master Ye!"

Ye Chen smiled slightly and added, "By the way, Ms. He, if you and the He family are interested, we can also discuss a cooperation in the future. I will hire you to work for me here, so you and Ruoli won't have to be separated."

Before He Yingxiu could speak, Su Ruoli, standing to the side, said excitedly, "That would be great! Mom, you should move to Jin Ling to live then!"

He Yingxiu's expression was somewhat awkward as she said, "Young Master Ye, if, as you just said, I shouldn't tell others about Ruoli, then naturally I cannot bring people from the He family over to cooperate with you alongside Ruoli... But if I cannot bring the He family over, then as a disabled person, my abilities are truly limited. I wouldn't know what I could do for you then..."

Ye Chen smiled slightly and said, "Ms. He, I understand what you mean, but in my view, this problem is not contradictory."

Having said this, Ye Chen paused slightly before explaining, "First of all, I am indeed interested in a deep cooperation with the He family. This cooperation is based on you and the other members of the He family. Therefore, regarding whether to accept the cooperation, you don't need to consider Ruoli at all. Even if the He family sends dozens of people to Jin Ling with you in the future, in principle, they will not know of Ruoli's existence."

He Yingxiu nodded gently and said, "I understand, Young Master Ye. Even if the entire He family establishes a deep cooperation with you, no other members of the He family besides me can know about Ruoli's situation. I understand it correctly, right?"

"No problem," Ye Chen said with a smile. "The He family has now broken with the Su family and also needs a stable source of income. And I am currently thinking about expanding my sphere of influence, so I am in need of people. Therefore, I really hope the He family can cooperate with me. Moreover, the remuneration I can give the He family is definitely something the He family members cannot refuse."

He Yingxiu bowed slightly and said respectfully, "Young Master Ye, whether the He family cooperates with you is a decision for my father. So, I must presumptuously ask you: what kind of conditions can you offer the He family? If it is convenient, you can tell me directly, and I will convey it to my father for him to make the decision."

Ye Chen asked with a smile, "What conditions did the Su family offer you before?"

He Yingxiu said, "The Su family would give the He family a fixed contract fee every year, amounting to 600 million RMB, paid monthly at 50 million RMB. In addition, there would be an assessment at the end of the year. If the He family met the standard for the tasks completed throughout the year, they would receive an additional bonus of 100 to 200 million."

Ye Chen nodded gently and smiled, "This is basically the same model as a base salary plus performance bonus for an employee."

"Yes," He Yingxiu said helplessly. "In order to earn more money, the He family could only do their best to serve the Su family in the past. This is mainly because among the direct descendants of the He family, there are more than fifty people practicing martial arts. The various medicinal herbs required for so many people to practice martial arts account for more than half of the He family's income. After Ruoli's incident, we broke with the Su family, and the Su family immediately stopped cash payments. They didn't even pay the 50 million for last month. During this period, the He family's financial situation has been unable to make ends meet, and everyone's cultivation progress has been greatly affected."

Upon hearing this, Ye Chen raised his eyebrows and asked curiously, "Ms. He, may I ask, what medicinal herbs do you all need for your cultivation?" ===== CHAPTER 1394 =====