From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

Su Qing was sitting right next to me and heard everything clearly. Her eyes widened instantly.

I hesitated for a moment before replying, "Yes, she's with me now."

Wang Yi sighed helplessly on the other end of the phone, looking very troubled, and said, "So you two know each other? This is really going to be difficult."

Su Qing immediately leaned close to the phone and asked urgently, "Did my mom call you?"

Wang Yi replied in a deep voice, "Yes, Su Qing, you've really given me a hard time. Your mother came to me with a very firm attitude, insisting that I terminate this cooperation and that you return home immediately."

"She even said that as long as I was willing to go back, she would pay all the breach of contract penalties for all the projects for me."

Upon hearing this, Su Qing completely lost her composure, saying with obvious annoyance, "Why is she so annoying! She's so nosy!"

"Hey you, what were you doing going along? This isn't a tourist trip, it's a deserted area! What were you doing, a young girl like you, getting involved? Now I'm caught in the middle."

Seeing this, I quickly stepped in to smooth things over: "Mr. Wang, please don't worry, I'll handle this. Please stay calm."

Wang Yi paused, then said in a deep voice, "The situation is very clear now. There are only two bottom lines: either Su Qing goes home immediately, or I terminate this cooperation and replace her. Whether the project can continue depends entirely on how you resolve this."

"I understand, I'll handle it."

As soon as I finished speaking, Su Qing took my phone, hung up, and then looked resentful and unwilling.

I took a drag of my cigarette, looking at her stubborn yet aggrieved expression, and said helplessly, "Why don't you go back?"

"If you leave now, you'll only have regrets. But if you insist on staying, and your mother forces Wang Yi to terminate the cooperation, my long-planned no-man's-land project will be ruined. I'm begging you, Miss Su."

She glared at me with utter contempt: "Why are you such a coward?"

I laughed in exasperation, and met her gaze calmly: "You can consider me a coward."

"Didn't you hear what Wang Yi said? Your mother is even willing to pay the full penalty for breach of contract, which clearly shows she's determined to take you back. Wang Yi is just a business partner; he can't afford to offend your family. There's no need for us to take such a risk."

Su Qing, however, was unusually stubborn and said, "Don't worry about it, I'll handle this myself."

After saying that, she raised her hand and pressed the power button to turn her phone back on.

As soon as the phone was turned on, a series of missed call notifications popped up.

It was obvious that her mother had been making phone calls non-stop while her phone was off.

Su Qing took a deep breath and, without the slightest hesitation, manually dialed her mother's number.

The call was connected almost instantly.

I had thought that after that dramatic scene of her angrily shutting down her phone, Su Qing would have learned something and calmly communicated with her mother.

But as soon as the call connected, she didn't give the other person a chance to speak at all and started yelling angrily.

"Why do you all have the right to tell me what to do? I'm in my mid-twenties, can't I have some opinions of my own?!"

"How many times have you ever cared about me since I was a child? When I was a child, I was hospitalized with acute appendicitis, and my nanny took me to the hospital and accompanied me during the surgery. You two only managed to visit me once! Now, what gives you the right to interfere in my life?"

"It's one thing for you to wield so much power and be so controlling in the company, but you even want to control your own daughters! Let me tell you the truth, even if something happens to me and I'm left in this no-man's-land, it's my own choice, I accept it willingly!"

The string of words was barbed and uncompromising, a completely reckless outburst.

The other end of the phone fell into dead silence instantly, so quiet that you couldn't even hear a breath.

I sat there completely dumbfounded.

I thought she restarted the computer to try and resolve the issue properly, but it turns out that her understanding of communication is just a one-sided barrage of attacks.

My heart skipped a beat, and I knew something was wrong.

With her head-on, extreme communication style, forget about easing the situation; it will definitely lead to a complete breakdown in negotiations.

If her mother is determined to pay the penalty for breach of contract and stop the project, my long-planned no-man's-land crossing will definitely fall through.

After a long silence, Su Qing's mother's helpless voice finally came from the other end of the phone.

"Su Qing, can you please stop being so willful? We've never interfered with you when you go out to play. But the no-man's-land is different; you have no idea how dangerous that place is!"

"I understand." Su Qing's tone remained firm. "This is the path I chose, and I will bear all the consequences myself. I understand that you are worried about my safety."

She paused slightly, then emphasized again, "But I am myself first, and your daughter second. I want to live for myself this once in my life, not live my whole life under your control and arrangements!"

No sooner had she finished speaking than a rough, furious male voice burst from the other end of the phone—it was Su Qing's father.

"Su Qing, how dare you! Is this how you speak to your elders? We've gone to so much trouble to ensure your safety, and in the end, it's our fault? What do you mean you don't need to consider our feelings?"

The moment Su's father finished speaking, Su Qing's hand holding the phone trembled slightly.

She instinctively opened her mouth, wanting to stubbornly retort.

Seeing that the conflict was about to escalate completely, I reacted quickly and immediately reached out and gently pressed down on her wrist.

He slowly shook his head at her, his eyes signaling her to stop talking.

I know Su Qing's temperament. She's the type who responds better to gentleness than force. The more she's suppressed, the stronger her reaction becomes.

If we let her continue to talk back and argue, there will be absolutely no turning back now.

I immediately lowered my voice and said to Su Qing in a calm tone, "Give me your phone."

Su Qing stared at me blankly for two seconds, her eyes filled with resentment and grievance. After hesitating for a moment, she finally slowly let go of my hand.

He looked as if he had thrown away a hot potato, instantly losing all his sharpness.

She looked at me for two seconds, then slowly handed me her phone.

I took the phone, took a deep breath, and spoke in a composed yet firm manner.

"Chairman Su, hello, I am Lin Ye."

After a brief two-second silence on the other end of the phone, Su's father's angry voice came through again, full of questioning and pressure.

"Lin Ye, do you know what you're doing? You're taking her to a dangerous, uninhabited area. If anything happens to her, can you bear the responsibility?"

I remained calm and replied clearly, "Chairman Su, I fully understand your and Aunt's concerns, but there are some facts I must be honest with you about."

"First of all, this trip to the no-man's-land was not something I encouraged by bringing Su Qing along; it was a decision she made after careful consideration."

"Secondly, this is not a spur-of-the-moment adventure, but a formal outdoor assessment project. Our team has professional wilderness guides and accompanying medical personnel. We planned the entire route half a month in advance, and prepared contingency plans for every station and every section of the road."

"third……"