Upon realizing who Ye Chen really was, Bi Lina quickly switched to a fawning tone, her voice sickly sweet:"Ye class rep, your arrival is truly an honor for Buckingham Palace, and for me, your old classmate. Please, come in…"
She thought that buttering Ye Chen up would make him forget or overlook her earlier humiliations.
But she had misjudged Ye Chen completely.
Chen Zekai was overjoyed when he heard her. "Xiao Bi, you're a classmate of Mr. Ye?"
"Yes, yes!" Bi Lina replied eagerly. "Mr. Ye was our class rep back in college. We were very close!"
Chen Zekai immediately said, "Excellent! Fantastic! Tomorrow, report directly to the CEO's office. From now on, you'll be the HR director of Buckingham Palace!"
Jumping from team leader to HR director meant skipping at least three levels of promotion at the hotel. The salary would be ten times higher—and the HR director wielded considerable power, a true executive role.
Bi Lina nearly passed out from the excitement.
But then Ye Chen's expression turned dark. He asked coldly, "Chen Zong, do you even know what kind of relationship I have with Bi Lina?"
Thinking Ye Chen wasn't satisfied with just a director position, Chen Zekai became even more nervous and said, "If you're not pleased, how about making her the hotel's deputy GM?"
Bi Lina almost burst into tears from sheer joy. A deputy GM! That meant power second only to the top.
But just then, Ye Chen barked, "I called Bi Lina for help because I didn't have a membership card. And what did she do? She humiliated me repeatedly and even tried to have security beat me up. Now you're promoting her to deputy GM? What's that supposed to mean—are you trying to go against me?"
Chen Zekai's heart sank.Damn! I've messed up big time!
He shot Bi Lina a furious look—then, without warning, slapped her hard across the face."How dare you insult Mr. Ye? Are you suicidal?!"
Bi Lina collapsed to the ground, trembling, sobbing as she kowtowed repeatedly. "I was wrong, Director Chen!"
Chen Zekai kicked her, sending her flying a few meters away. "You blind bitch! I'll make sure you learn what it means to mess with Mr. Ye!"
Then he yelled to the guards, "Beat her! Beat her half to death! Ruin her surgically altered face! And spread the word: Any company in Jinling that dares hire her will be at war with me, Chen Zekai!"
Bi Lina was terrified and screamed, "Director Chen, please! I was wrong! Spare me!"
"Now you're sorry? You think Mr. Ye is someone you can insult? If not for him, you'd be dead already!"
Crying hysterically, Bi Lina crawled toward Ye Chen on her knees. "Class rep, I was wrong! Please forgive me for the sake of our old friendship!"
Ye Chen looked down coldly."Bi Lina, if we're classmates, why did you insult me? Why did you insult my wife?"
"I… I was just being stupid! Please, forgive me…"
Ye Chen replied coldly, "If people don't cross me, I don't cross them. But if they do—I never forgive."
Then he sneered, "You brewed this bitter wine yourself—now drink it!"
Chen Zekai shouted, "You worthless dog! Say another word to Mr. Ye and I'll have your mouth ripped off your face!"
Bi Lina dared not speak again. She just knelt there, sobbing.
Ye Chen completely ignored her, turned to Chen Zekai, and said indifferently, "Let's talk about the Sky Garden in your office."
Chen Zekai bowed and replied immediately, "Yes, Mr. Ye, please follow me!"
Then he barked, "Keep beating her!"
"Yes, Director Chen!"
The guards didn't hesitate. They rushed forward and beat Bi Lina until she was wailing in agony.
Ye Chen didn't even flinch. Led by the respectful Chen Zekai, he entered the Buckingham Palace hotel.
Once in the office, Ye Chen got straight to the point."My wedding anniversary is coming up. I want to reserve the entire Sky Garden. Can you do it?"
Chen Zekai responded without a pause:"Mr. Ye, normally, to be fair to our VIP members, the Sky Garden cannot be fully booked—not even for government officials. But if you want, we can close it permanently to everyone else and keep it exclusively for you."
Ye Chen waved that off. "That won't be necessary. Just reserve it for my anniversary. Also, I want to plan a surprise for my wife. I'll need your cooperation."
"Understood! Mr. Ye, I and the entire staff of Buckingham Palace will do anything you ask!"
…
After everything was arranged, Ye Chen took a public bus home.
Surprisingly, everyone on the bus was watching the same trending video on their phones.
It was footage of him at Cui Ge Xuan restaurant—throwing down 13 million yuan in cash!
The video started with Tang Sihai's Rolls-Royce convoy, then the security guards carrying black briefcases, then the pile of cash, and finally the humiliated sales manager. The whole dramatic scene had been uploaded online.
Fortunately, it didn't capture Ye Chen's face.
Still, the video went viral throughout Jinling. Everyone was guessing: Who was this mysterious billionaire?
Young women especially began fantasizing about meeting this humble, hidden prince.
Ye Chen reviewed the video and was relieved that his face was unrecognizable.
By the time he arrived home, the atmosphere was joyful.
Xiao Churan had secured a contract with the Dihao Group, and she was about to be promoted to Director at the Xiao family business. Her parents were overjoyed and teary-eyed.
After years of being looked down upon by the family, they could finally lift their heads high.
Even Ye Chen's in-laws were surprisingly friendly today.
His mother-in-law beamed and said,"What a wonderful day! My daughter really is something special!"
Then, for once, she turned to Ye Chen and smiled."And you, Ye Chen, since you helped inspire Churan today, I won't make you cook. Let's eat out tonight!"
Xiao Churan suggested with a smile,"Why don't we go to the Kempinski Hotel for some Western food?"
Her mom blurted out, "Isn't that too expensive? Over a thousand per person, right?"
Xiao Churan chuckled,"Mom, directors earn a lot—my annual salary is a million now."
Her mom clapped gleefully."That's amazing! My daughter has finally made it!"
Then she added:"But from now on, you have to give me at least 70% of your salary. Young people don't know how to manage money—give it to me, and I'll keep it safe for you!"
Xiao Churan nodded with a grin,"Alright, Mom. But on one condition—you stop criticizing Ye Chen all the time. He is your son-in-law, after all!"
Her mom replied,"Fine! For your sake, I'll go easy on him in the future!"