Chapter 3000: Ms. Yao
"Little Hui, little sister!" The little boy ran over, actively picking up a toy and inviting the little girl to play with him.
The little girl was rather shy, probably because she usually had few friends. She first leaned closer to her mother, and only after receiving encouragement did she join the little boy.
At that moment, Ms. Yao's phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, her gaze darkened slightly. She then glanced at Little Hui's mother, who gave her a gentle smile, and Ms. Yao stepped aside to answer the call.
What the person on the other end said couldn't be heard in this fake reflection world, but Ms. Yao's words were very clear. "Wasn't the money already sent at the end of last month? It's only been ten days, and it's all gone?"
Her voice wasn't angry, but calm with a hint of sarcasm.
After a pause, she spoke as if conceding, "Let's talk about it in a couple of days. I can't keep asking Chengren for money. His money is also something he has to ask others for."
After a few more perfunctory words, Ms. Yao hung up and returned to the sofa.
Seeing her troubled expression, Little Hui's mother said, "Blood relations are a natural bond, but that's built on the foundation of being human. No matter how one's identity changes, human nature is hard to change. Mutual respect is the prerequisite for harmony."
Ms. Yao smiled at her. "Sister Jun, I understand."
"Good, as long as you know. You have your own family now, and soon you'll have your own child. Think more about yourself." Little Hui's mother stood up, walked over to her daughter, carefully asked if she needed to go to the bathroom, and then carried the child away for a moment.
Ms. Yao watched them leave, then turned her gaze to Little Hui's father, who was talking with someone in the garden outside.
Little Hui's father was indeed more handsome than Wang Chengren. For his business to be this successful, it must rely on more than just luck. Most of the guests today were trying to build a good relationship with him.
Ms. Yao watched him for a while, then looked over at Wang Chengren in the corner. Wang Chengren was also looking at Little Hui's father, the envy and longing in his eyes completely impossible to hide.
Ms. Yao's expression was calm. She opened her phone and played a saved video—a funny clip of a pet dog imitating its owner's limp. She watched and laughed.
She seemed uninterested in socializing. After sitting for a while, she walked alone into the study.
Xu Huo and the Painting Woman followed Ms. Yao. They saw her enter the study and sit directly behind the desk, naturally flipping through the books placed there.
Soon, Little Hui's father came up. He seemed to be fetching something and wasn't surprised to see Ms. Yao. "I told you last time, don't casually enter mine and Junjun's study."
Little Hui's father was a very imposing man, especially when his sharp gaze was fixed on someone. But Ms. Yao showed no sign of fear. She said, "A friend of mine saw you drunk and entering a hotel with a woman in the neighboring city."
"Your friend?" Little Hui's father sneered. "You mean the private detective you hired."
"Wang Chengren's mouth is all talk, and you're never short of women around you," Ms. Yao said. "I think there's something wrong with the Wang family's genes."
"If it weren't for that, with your family background, you would never have married Wang Chengren," Little Hui's father said. "You were able to marry him and get this comfortable life only because he's greedy for beauty."
Ms. Yao also smiled. "You didn't deny it. So you really did cheat."
"Our marital life is none of your concern, an outsider," Little Hui's father said impatiently. "This is my last warning. Get out."
Ms. Yao didn't argue and quickly left the study.
Soon, Little Hui's mother came in with a glass of water. Little Hui's father relaxed for a moment. "Yao Nan's mind is messed up. Don't get too close to her from now on."
"She's a very capable person." Little Hui's mother brought the water to his lips. "You valued her back then precisely because she was bold and meticulous. She handled some company matters very well. Though her methods weren't always clean, how many people in big business are truly clean? Don't be too hard on her."
Little Hui's father wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head gently against her abdomen. "A normal person, even when doing bad things, stays within predictable limits. But an abnormal person—it's hard to say what they might do."
Little Hui's mother smiled and stroked his head. "Nan Nan has more of a bottom line than you do."
The conversation in the study didn't last long. Shortly after Ms. Yao left, Little Hui's parents' figures disappeared, followed by a quiet argument between Ms. Yao and Wang Chengren in the restroom.
It turned out Wang Chengren had seen Ms. Yao and Little Hui's father entering the study one after the other and was questioning whether she was hiding something from him.
Ms. Yao pulled out a USB drive. "Haven't you always wanted to know the company's bidding reserve price? I stole it for you."
Wang Chengren was startled. His first reaction wasn't joy but fear. He grabbed the USB drive and asked, "Did he catch you? What did he say?"
"So what if he caught me?" Ms. Yao looked at him. "Could he kill us?"
Wang Chengren paced in frustration. "Are you out of your mind? He can't kill us, but kicking us out of the company and sending us back to our hometown would be easy. If we can't stay in the company, where will you get the money to support those bloodsucking leeches in your family!"
Ms. Yao suddenly laughed at his frantic expression. "The reserve price is fake. Go ahead and sell it. It'll give the other side a false expectation and help the company save some money."
Wang Chengren realized they were using him as a pawn to fool others. He immediately said, "Do you think they're fools? Once the investigation and audit are done, both sides will have a clear idea of how much it can sell for!"
Ms. Yao reached out and touched his face. "That has nothing to do with you. Whether it works or not, they won't hold you accountable. Don't overthink it, okay?"
Wang Chengren calmed down strangely, but he was still worried. "He really won't come after me afterward?"
"This matter was only known to two people. I didn't want to hide it from you, but you need to perform well when handing over the information." Ms. Yao took his hand instead. "Saving a sum of money proves our contribution to the company and helps us secure our position."
Wang Chengren was a little excited and a little moved. He couldn't help but hug Ms. Yao. "Wife, you're so good to me!"
Ms. Yao patted his back. "In the future, tell me more about things. We're husband and wife, always a family. I'll definitely be on your side."
Wang Chengren nodded vigorously, then hugged Ms. Yao's head and kissed her forehead. Holding the USB drive, he walked out with a light, floating step.
Ms. Yao's emotions had actually remained unchanged throughout. She pulled out a tissue and wiped her forehead in front of the mirror, staring coldly at her reflection for a long time before finally leaving.
At that moment, the Painting Woman dragged the real Wang Chengren, who had been hiding behind the screen, out.
Wang Chengren touched the Painting Woman's arm and received a slap in return before he sighed in relief. "Good, good. You guys are real."
Looking toward the mirror, the replay of past events seemed to move him. "Nan Nan used to be really good to me. She considered everything for me, never let me worry..."
The Painting Woman raised her communicator in confusion. "Doesn't her meaning just boil down to 'your brain isn't good enough, so don't think too much'?"
Wang Chengren choked, wearing an expression of "So what?" as he looked at her.
"Ms. Yao seems far more capable than you. Little Hui's parents relied on her heavily. After they died, why didn't she stay in the company?" Xu Huo asked. Even if her position in the Wang family company wasn't high, after Wang Chengren gained custody of Wang Xiaohui, the couple could have had significant say in the company.
But the records showed that Ms. Yao directly withdrew from the company. Wang Chengren took a position but was marginalized. Regardless of where Ms. Yao's focus lay, she shouldn't have given up the company so easily, only to stay at the Wang family estate as a full-time wife targeting Wang Xiaohui.
This also contradicted her behavior when interacting with Little Hui's parents.