Great Power Reclamation

Chapter 2882 Ume's Interview

Having prepared so many questions, some sharp and some incisive, Wu Mei was confident she could silence this hypocrite.

In the end, she was the one speechless. From this man, she sensed a spirit she had never felt before: selflessness...

She had received a lot of education from childhood, especially about selflessness and dedication, but to be honest, she had never met such a person.

Because selfishness is human nature, even the teachers and leaders who taught her these things, which one of them would truly be without selfish motives?
But she sensed it in this man; he considered everyone else in everything he did, but he never thought of her...

Editor-in-Chief Xie is already urging her to finish the manuscript, but she hasn't written it yet. All her previous preparations seem pointless after her conversation with this man...

Mr. Xie naturally sensed the change in her emotions and spoke earnestly to her.

"Wumei, you've just joined the company and are still in your internship. You need to quickly produce results to shut others up and reduce the pressure on me."

"For a newspaper like ours, achievements aren't just about ordinary people and events. We need to find substantial topics and figures. Your topic selection this time is excellent. Don't waste your time."

Ume was stunned for a long time before finally having to answer:
"Understood, sir! I will definitely complete the task!"

The voice coming from Xie's microphone was clearly displeased: "What do you mean by 'completing the task'? I didn't instruct you to do anything. It was your own choice, so this concerns your future and has nothing to do with anyone else!"

Ume was about to say something when the call ended.

She was filled with mixed emotions, but she also understood that she had to complete this task, or her future would be in jeopardy.

She just didn't understand why Ye Yuze was being targeted like this when he had no connection with the editor-in-chief.
However, she did come here for the interview because she wanted to. Now that things have come to this point, she has to grit her teeth and keep going. Since she can't break through with Ye Yuze, she'll find someone else.

After a few days in Junken City, everyone spoke highly of Ye Yuze's wife, Yu'e, saying she was gentle, virtuous, kind, and a career woman.

She made a phone call to make an appointment, and to her surprise, Yu'e was already at home. She immediately rushed to the Ye family's house.

The only villa complex in the military reclamation city is located here, built against the mountain, surrounded by birdsong, fragrant flowers, and lush greenery.

The villa is not luxurious; its most distinctive feature is that it blends seamlessly with the natural scenery.

Calling it a villa is a bit of a stretch; it's more accurate to call it a detached house, as it's not very big, just in a rather elegant setting.

Wu Mei was overjoyed. She had been here for a few days and thought that the gap between the rich and poor in Junken City was not that big. She never expected that the rich people were hiding here.

Seeing two blond, blue-eyed foreigners jogging, Ume went up and greeted them.

"Excuse me, are all the people living here rich?"

Fearing that people might not understand, Wu Mei asked in English.

One of the shorter white men glanced at Ume, then looked at his companion:

Are we rich?

His companion nodded: "Of course, most of the high-income earners in the military reclamation city are here."

Then he burst into laughter.

Ume was completely bewildered: "What are you laughing at? Is that question funny?"

Kevin ruffled his signature curly hair, leaned closer to Wu Mei, and smiled knowingly into his deep blue eyes, speaking fluent and clear Chinese:

"You're not from Junken City, are you? That's a very unprofessional question!"

Ume choked a little, feeling embarrassed, but forced herself to remain calm:

"I'm reporter Wu Mei. I'm conducting an interview. The environment here is so nice, a villa area. The people living here must be the most successful and financially powerful people in the military reclamation city, right?"

She subconsciously clenched her interview notebook, as if trying to grasp a pre-set "evidence" that could support her mission—evidence to expose Ye Yuze's hypocritical nature.

Kevin and his companion exchanged a glance and then burst into an even louder, more hearty laugh, startling several birds perched in the sycamore trees by the roadside.

"Success? Ha! Economic strength?"

Kevin finally managed to stop laughing and pointed to a very simple, off-white building in the distance, with a few dusty work clothes casually hanging on the windowsill.

"See that? That's my house. It's piled high with circuit boards, servers, and all that code I never seem to finish writing. My wife hates that about me the most!"

He then pointed to another building next door, "That one? Old Zhang, the stubborn old man who works on high-temperature alloy materials. His lab exploded three times, and he lost half of his eyebrows! And that other building too."

He pointed to a building a little further away, hidden behind a thicket of roses:
"The place is inhabited by a few bookworms who work in biopharmaceuticals. They spend all day staring at microscopes, looking at bottles and jars more than their wives!"

His companion added with a laugh, "Comrade reporter, in the military reclamation city, a person's worth isn't measured by how bulging their wallet is, but by what they have here."

He tapped his temple. "It depends on how much trouble you can solve for this city and the company. President Ye set the rule that the best resources and the quietest environment should be reserved for those who can truly drive technology forward. As for us? We're just getting a little benefit from it."

He said "reluctantly," but his tone was full of pride.

Mr. Ye? Wu Mei's heart skipped a beat. It was Ye Yuze again! The man she had intended to tear off the mask of hypocrisy from, yet his name was like a cornerstone, deeply embedded in the bloodline of this city.

Kevin seemed to have caught the subtle change in her expression; his smile faded, and his gaze became sharp and distant.

"President Ye?" he repeated softly, with an almost reverent nostalgia.

"That was almost thirty years ago. Back then, I was in Silicon Valley, a troublemaker and a hated 'hacker kid'."

"I've made a huge mess and am about to go to jail. It was General Manager Ye who called me from across the Pacific Ocean."

"He didn't ask me what trouble I'd caused, he just asked me: 'Kevin, do you intend to use your keyboard to break the rules, or to create something that will truly change the world?'"

Kevin paused, his gaze drifting, as if he had traveled through a time tunnel.

“He gave me a path, a path that no one dared to give me—to come to China, to this small city that couldn’t even be found on a map at the time, the Military Reclamation City.”

"He believed in me, believed in my skills that others considered 'unremarkable.' He gave me a place, a team, and told me: 'Go for it. If you make a mess of things, I'll take care of it.'"

“For decades,” Kevin’s voice deepened, then became powerful:
"We were all 'picked up' by President Ye from all over the world—chipmakers, materials scientists, software engineers, drug researchers…aren't we all considered 'freaks' by others?" "But to him, freaks are treasures. He understands technology, and even more so, he understands people. How did Warrior Group transform from a small, remote factory into what it is today, making its peers worldwide take notice?"

"It's all thanks to the seed that President Ye planted back then—treating people as human beings and valuing what's in their minds more than gold."

He pointed to the peaceful land beneath his feet:
"Do you think it all fell from the sky for people like us to have a roof over our heads, to be able to focus on research without distractions, not to bow down for a pittance, not to worry about funding, and to have prestigious achievements listed after our names?"

"He shouldered all the pressure and used the profits of the Warrior Group to build it up little by little. What did he gain from this? Did he want us to erect a longevity tablet for him?"

Kevin shook his head, his tone resolute: "What he wants is for the military reclamation city to truly stand up, for the things we develop to be used effectively in real combat, so that we are not held hostage by others!"

"Selfless?"

"Comrade reporter, that word is too grand and abstract, but I think it's fitting for Mr. Ye!"

He glanced at Wu Mei one last time, his gaze complex, a mixture of emotion, scrutiny, and a barely perceptible warning, as if to say:
Don't use your pen to desecrate this monument.

After saying that, he and his companions stopped and continued their morning run, leaving only the silent and shocked Ume standing there, her heart churning. The carefully constructed framework of criticism she had built before began to collapse silently like a sandcastle in the face of Kevin's simple narration.

The Ye family's courtyard, like the feeling Yu'e gives people, is warm and clean.

There were no ostentatious decorations; a few clusters of roses in full bloom leaned against the low white wall, emitting a faint, sweet fragrance.

Yu'e, dressed in an elegant beige knit sweater, personally poured Wumei a cup of tea. Her movements were slow and serene, her eyes carrying a gentle glow honed by the passage of time.

"Yuze... just went to the company."

Yu'e's voice was as clear and pleasant as the aroma of tea, "Reporter Wu, please ask whatever you want."

Her gaze was open and gentle, without the slightest hint of defensiveness, which made the anxious Wu Mei feel somewhat ashamed.

Wu Mei took a deep breath, trying to make her question sound professional and objective:
"Mrs. Ye, we all know that Mr. Ye is very successful in his career and has a huge social influence. But for such a person, there are bound to be some rumors surrounding him... well, his personal life. As his wife, how do you view and handle these things? Do you find them bothersome?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Wu Mei regretted it. The question was too direct and offensive, completely deviating from the point of entry she had planned before coming to discuss Ye Yuze's business decisions.

Was it Kevin's words that subtly shifted her preconceived stance?

Yu'e paused slightly in her hand holding the teacup, then gently placed it on the small table, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the rim of the cup.

She didn't answer immediately, her gaze drifting to the lush greenery outside the window, as if lost in distant memories.

"Troubled?" she repeated softly, a very faint and gentle curve forming at the corners of her lips, a smile that held a wealth of meaning.

"To say there's absolutely nothing would be a lie. I'm just an ordinary woman."

She paused, her voice soft and gentle like a stream, "But to say that I resent him, hate him, or can't get over these things, that's really not true."

"Because I know what he values ​​most in his heart, and I know him well... His kindness to others is ingrained in his bones, he doesn't ask for anything in return, and he often doesn't even realize how good it is."

Her gaze became distant and warm: "I still remember when we first went to college, our family wasn't well-off."

"When he found out, he came to my dorm the next day with a big bag of things, saying it was a welfare gift from his family that he couldn't use up."

"Inside were brand new military overcoats, thick cotton shoes, milk powder, malted milk powder... These things were so rare back then."

"I later found out that it was the first money he had earned, and he spent it all on these things. As for himself, he wore only a faded old cotton-padded coat all winter."

Yu'e's eyes were slightly red, but her voice was unusually calm:
"He will lend a helping hand to his friends, colleagues, and even people he has only met once, as long as he feels that they need help and it is within his ability."

"His 'goodness' is so natural, as natural as breathing. How could someone like him lack people who appreciate him? And how can you blame those who have been warmed by him for developing special feelings for him?"

Yu'e withdrew her gaze and looked back at Wu Mei, her eyes clear and calm:
"Many things happen, it's fate, but also a calamity. But fundamentally, the fault doesn't lie with him. He gave out light and warmth, but whose heart that light and warmth ignited was not something he could control, nor was it his intention."

"He never actively provoked anyone, nor did he ever use what he had to exchange for anything. His responsibility lay solely in his unwavering sincerity."

"So what right do I have to be jealous? To resent those who are also drawn to his light? Rather than getting trapped in those emotions, I should protect this home and give him a safe place to rest when he is tired."

These words were like a gentle breeze that dispelled the last bit of gloom in Wu Mei's heart. She suddenly understood another interpretation of "selflessness"—a powerful and inclusive understanding.

Just then, a slight noise came from the side gate of the courtyard, and a tall figure walked in carrying a small tray.

She was a woman with an exotic charm, her golden hair flowing like waves of wheat, her deep-set eyes set in a pair of deep blue eyes like lake water, her nose high and straight, and her skin so white it was almost translucent.

Time has left its mark on her face, but it has not diminished her sculpted beauty in the slightest; instead, it has added a touch of serene strength.

She wore simple beige linen trousers and a loose-fitting top in the same color family, exuding a calm and elegant demeanor.

"Sis, these cookies are freshly baked. I was thinking that reporter Wu might..."

Her Mandarin, tinged with a Ukrainian accent, rang out. Her gaze fell on Ume, and she smiled kindly. The smile was clean and bright, without a trace of gloom.

"Ah, Ivana, you've come at the perfect time."

Yu'e naturally invited her to sit down and introduced them:

"Reporter Ukrainian, this is Ivana, our good friend of many years, and one of the leading ladies you want to know about."

Yu'e's tone was familiar and friendly, without the slightest hint of misunderstanding.

Ivana! The name struck Wu Mei like a bolt of lightning. It was her! The Ukrainian woman whose relationship with Ye Yuze was shrouded in mystery!

That "juicy tidbit" that was subtly mentioned by Editor-in-Chief Xie on the phone, implying it could be a breakthrough point!
Wu Mei's heart suddenly started pounding, and her palms instantly became sweaty. Her professional instincts and the pressure of the mission instantly overwhelmed the emotions that Yu'e had just stirred within her.

Material! The most impactful material ever! This radiant woman before us may hold the key to unlocking Ye Yuze's true nature as a "hypocrite"!

She almost instinctively straightened her back, her fingers gripping the edge of the interview notebook tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

The editor-in-chief's urging words echoed sharply in my ears—"Find substantial topics and characters," "It's related to your future"...

salute!