Chapter 114: Chapter 114

Ye Ling looked at Zhao Guodong with furrowed brows, "What are you talking about every day? I really don’t understand you. My jade pendant was lost, and it was Minister Shen who found it and returned it to me. Why would I lie to you about this? What benefit would I get?"

Zhao Guodong was reluctant to speak openly because he was afraid she’d feel embarrassed, "Forget it, let’s just pretend nothing happened this time. In any case, stop these things on your own; it’s pointless."

These words left Ye Ling confused, while Zhang Linong couldn’t help himself anymore. He pulled Zhao Guodong aside and said to Ye Ling, "Ye Ling, we’ll head back now."

Ye Ling nodded and turned to go back into the house.

On the way, Zhao Guodong reluctantly shook off Zhang Linong’s hand, "I said all that to her for her own good, otherwise if she’s in too deep, won’t she be the one who gets hurt?"

"Ye Ling is strong, you don’t need to worry about her. You should take care of yourself first. Don’t say those things to Ye Ling anymore, or else you’ll regret it, and don’t say I didn’t warn you." Zhang Linong gave him a glance.

Zhao Guodong calmed down and finally nodded, "Actually, I don’t want to hurt Ye Ling either. If I really spell things out one day, I know we won’t even be able to be friends with Ye Ling anymore."

Zhang Linong kicked him, "Get lost."

This really made him so angry he felt like spitting blood. He decided to stop caring about this idiot; if he gets hurt, it’s his own doing.

Zhao Guodong watched as Zhang Linong walked away, then turned to ask Wang Ping, "Which part did I say wrong this time?"

Wang Ping wasn’t exactly a genius in this area either, and he didn’t know, "You didn’t say anything wrong, maybe it’s because Lining thinks this way it’ll hurt Ye Ling."

Zhao Guodong nodded, "I think so too."

Well, these two seemed to be on the same page.

So many things happened on the first day at the company. Ye Ling felt at odds with the company and apart from meals, spent most of the time hiding in the room reading and solving problems. Three days flew by, with Zhao Guodong’s complaints growing, but Zhang Linong had always been tolerant, and Ye Ling could see he was truly exhausted.

During the lunch break, Zhao Guodong dragged Zhang Linong and Wang Ping to his room while Ye Ling tried to shoo them out, "It’s the middle of the day, why are you all in my room? Go back and sleep."

"You’re being so unfair! We have something to discuss with you!" Zhao Guodong said nonchalantly, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Zhang Linong and Wang Ping also found seats next to him, and Ye Ling, with her back to the door, sat in a chair. Seeing they wouldn’t leave, she had to relent, "Say what you have to say quickly."

"Ye Ling, you weren’t before. I know you’re upset, but aren’t we lifelong brothers?" Zhao Guodong first appealed to emotion, subtly trying to mend ties with Ye Ling, "These days you can see that Shen Bin has been giving us a hard time. Otherwise, how could we be so tired? I’m thinking we should find a chance to screw him over."

So that’s what this is about.

Ye Ling raised her eyebrows. In her previous life, she heard people in the company say that Shen Bin was the Living Yama and famously strict in training soldiers, but soldiers coming out from under him excelled everywhere, which is undeniably respectable. This could explain, too, why Zhao Guodong and the others were being trained by Shen Bin, showing the company’s intention for them.

Seeing Ye Ling silent, Zhao Guodong thought she agreed and continued, "We know tomorrow his blind date is coming to the company. We should find an opportunity to lead her away, and you can claim you’re dating Shen Bin to scare her off."

Beside him, Zhang Linong’s mouth twitched—had he known this was the plan, he wouldn’t have come along.

Wang Ping couldn’t help but glance worriedly at Zhao Guodong; Ye Ling liked Dongzi, but they wanted Ye Ling to claim she was Minister Shen’s girlfriend; would Ye Ling be happy with this?

Thinking of this, Wang Ping sneaked a look at Ye Ling’s face, which indeed had darkened, realizing it was a bad move, and quietly tugged at Zhao Guodong’s sleeve, "Dongzi, think of another way, like putting spiders in his bed."

"I thought of that; he lives on a mountain, why would he be scared of that?" Zhao Guodong also realized this would put Ye Ling in a tough spot, "Ye Ling, I know you won’t be happy, but aren’t we good buddies? Besides, it’s not real, don’t overthink it. It’s just to scare his date away, so he’ll have to focus on us less."

"No." Ye Ling rejected outright.

Only Zhao Guodong could come up with such a stupid idea.

"Why not?" Zhao Guodong couldn’t help but ask when she refused so decisively.

"No means no, why do you need a reason?" Ye Ling didn’t want to say more, "Alright, just leave."

"Ye Ling, are you jealous about Minister Shen dating? Do you like Minister Shen?" Zhao Guodong raised his voice.

Even if he hadn’t noticed by now, it was obvious to Zhang Linong and Wang Ping how much this question angered him.

"I don’t like him at all, never will, got it?" Ye Ling glared back, raising her voice too.

The room fell silent for a moment, Zhao Guodong’s face fluctuating, but he obediently stood up, "Minister Shen."

Zhang Linong and Wang Ping, who weren’t sitting properly earlier, also stood up. Though only trained for three days, they already had a stance akin to standing at attention.

Ye Ling wanted to cover her face. What a mess, she’d said just that one sentence, and the person in question heard it. She never discussed Shen Bin in private, yet now he’s seen it. God knows what he’d think.

"None of you training anymore? Waiting till the sun sets to go out?" Shen Bin barked sternly, "Get out, and everyone runs five laps."

"Yes." Zhao Guodong muttered in dissatisfaction, "It’s just a company, why so strict?"

But at this company, this is the way things are; it’s all military-style management.

They’ve been exhausted by Shen Bin’s push over the past two days. At first, Zhao Guodong was rebellious; as a result, Shen Bin was even tougher until Zhao Guodong dared not resist, which got somewhat better.

The three of them left, Ye Ling without turning back. At this point, she didn’t want to face Shen Bin either. This was tricky to explain; could she really say they planned to have her pretend to be his girlfriend? Moreover, Ye Ling knew that in her past life, Shen Bin had a thing for Ye Qian, which only worsened her distaste for him, making liking him impossible.

After a long while, she heard the person standing at the door leave, and Ye Ling sighed in relief. This teaches you never to speak about others behind their backs; you’re bound to get caught someday.

But this wasn’t anything big. Shen Bin’s heart was with Ye Qian, so hearing this wouldn’t exactly offend him, right?

The next day brought complications. Ye Ling heard her father say she should join the training too. She was dumbfounded, "Dad, I’m not a boy." (To be continued. If you liked this story, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)