Xia Xiaolan wasn’t born into a powerful family as she had thought.

But when all the documents were laid out, Ye Xiaoqiong could see everything Xia Xiaolan had been through.

She was undoubtedly the most remarkable person Ye Xiaoqiong had ever encountered.

It wasn’t about Liu Fen or Liu Yong.

At Ye Xiaoqiong’s age, she couldn’t relate to Liu Fen and Liu Yong, but she particularly identified with Xia Xiaolan.

Even someone as capable as Xia Xiaolan hadn’t started that way.

Ye Xiaoqiong fell into deep thought as she looked at the so-called “dark history.”

She never imagined that at 18, Xia Xiaolan had attempted suicide.

She never imagined that at 18, Xia Xiaolan had been so vulnerable.

But in less than four years, Xia Xiaolan had undergone a complete transformation. From a rural girl in Yunan to a provincial top scholar, to a Huaqing student, to a Pengcheng real estate company owner – this rise against the odds stirred Ye Xiaoqiong’s emotions.

She suddenly understood why Xia Xiaolan had said those words after saving her on the train.

“Don’t hang your head… paths are made by people walking them… live better!”

Ye Xiaoqiong still remembered those words.

She could recite them word for word.

Xia Xiaolan hadn’t just been saying empty words to comfort her – she believed in them herself.

That’s why Xia Xiaolan’s life kept getting better, from Yunan to Beijing, then to Pengcheng, and even America.

She had been living according to Xia Xiaolan’s expectations, so why had she gone astray halfway through?

Ye Xiaoqiong’s smile turned cold as she looked at the documents:

“A woman willing to be an old man’s concubine has no right to compare herself to Xia Xiaolan!”

Second Young Master was on the wrong path!

This was Ye Xiaoqiong’s conclusion after reviewing all the materials.

Second Young Master had taken the wrong path. Even if he couldn’t cooperate with someone like Xia Xiaolan, he shouldn’t have gotten involved with Xia Ziyu. People like Xia Ziyu brought shame to women. The more women like Xia Ziyu there were, the lower the status of women as a whole would be. The establishment of New China had given women opportunities to work, making gender equality possible – Xia Ziyu’s behavior was turning back the clock of history!

By associating with Xia Ziyu, the Second Young Master would be dragged down to her level, and led astray by her.

Ye Xiaoqiong shuddered.

She didn’t know how things had turned out this way, but she remembered what Second Young Master Du Zhaoqi had been like at first.

Second Young Master wasn’t obsessed with beauty, was strict with his subordinates, and was a boss she admired.

Initially, she had just wanted to cling to Second Young Master, using him as a stepping stone to “make something of herself.”

Later, she genuinely wanted to follow him because the Second Young Master could see her efforts. She just needed to complete her work, without having to dress up flashily to seduce anyone. Second Young Master didn’t care about her looks or need her flattery – he valued her abilities.

The Second Young Master of that time was someone Ye Xiaoqiong admired.

Though younger than her, he was very capable, worthy of his academic excellence and business degree from a prestigious foreign university!

Everything had started fine, and she had been working to make something of herself through her efforts. When had everything changed?

“It was when Chairman Du said Second Young Master and Du Zhaowei would compete for that 5% stake in Cheng Rong Group.”

Ye Xiaoqiong gritted her teeth.

It was this 5% stake that had set Second Young Master and Du Zhaowei against each other.

Though Du Chengrong was the group chairman and her boss’s father, Ye Xiaoqiong despised him.

In her view, Du Chengrong was just as despicable as Yuan Han.

Yuan Han could abandon her unborn child, and though Du Chengrong had many children, he didn’t truly love any of them. If he loved Du Zhaowei, he wouldn’t have given him so many half-siblings to fight over the family fortune.

He didn’t love Second Young Master either.

Du Chengrong wasn’t nurturing his sons – he was using that 5% stake as bait, wearing them down!

Ye Xiaoqiong spent half a day alone in the office, found a metal trash can, burned all the investigation materials, then called He Shiyuan and handed her a check:

“I’m returning to Hong Kong for a few days. Just do your job, this is your recent expenses.”

He Shiyuan flicked the check with her finger and whistled:

“Boss, this is quite generous.”

Ye Xiaoqiong laughed lightly, “Since when do you complain about getting too much money? Take it. As long as you do your job well, I won’t shortchange you.”

After sending He Shiyuan away, Ye Xiaoqiong packed up to return to Hong Kong.

She already had a permit, making travel between Pengcheng and Hong Kong very convenient. She could be in Pengcheng in the morning and reach Central by noon. No one stopped her on her way to the company – everyone knew she was Du Zhaoqi’s special assistant.

Both mainland girls who had joined the company in the same batch were impressive.

One was Ye Xiaoqiong, who was merely pretty but had quickly attached herself to Second Young Master Du Zhaoqi, becoming his special assistant.

The other, Vivi, was even more impressive – she had danced at the company’s spring banquet, moving Chairman Du to make an exception and publicly host a feast to make her the Du family’s fifth concubine.

“So that’s Ye Xiaoqiong? Nothing special…”

“Shh, we’re dead if she hears us. You’re just a clerk – dare you provoke the special assistant?”

Ye Xiaoqiong heard the new employees’ gossip.

Of course, she wouldn’t stop to scold them.

“Second Young Master, may I come in?”

Du Zhaoqi looked up, “Why did you return to Hong Kong without notice? But since you’re here, close the door – we need to talk.”

Closing the door meant the conversation couldn’t be overheard by others.

This suited Ye Xiaoqiong’s purposes perfectly.

“How did it go? What did you find out about Xia Xiaolan’s mother?”

Du Zhaoqi clasped his hands, watching Ye Xiaoqiong.

Ye Xiaoqiong kept her head down, “Second Young Master, I did find some things, but I have doubts about your cooperation with Xia Ziyu. She’s not a good partner. This woman could betray Elder Young Master Du, and she could just as easily turn around and betray you.”

“So you’re suggesting I should just watch my big brother use underhanded tactics, let him succeed smugly, while I play the moral exemplar, waiting for him to win the competition, get the 5% group shares, further take over the Du family, and then kick me out of the company?”

Du Zhaoqi wore an ambiguous smile.

“Oh, or perhaps if I beg him pitifully, he might throw me a bone to gnaw on in some corner… Ye Xiaoqiong, are you now trying to tell me how to handle my affairs? Or do you think that since you’ve found a cheap prostitute to seduce your ex-husband, ensuring his complete disgrace and your great revenge is about to be fulfilled, you’ve become detached and want to reclaim your dignity and integrity?!”

Ye Xiaoqiong’s face turned pale.

Du Zhaoqi glanced at her, took out a scroll from his drawer, and tossed it onto the table:

“Did you think I only had you investigate others but wouldn’t investigate you? You remember this painting, don’t you?”

It was Qiu Ying’s painting.

Ye Xiaoqiong raised her head, “Second Young Master, didn’t you know all along? My background and identity – without your tacit permission, I couldn’t frequently travel to America, I couldn’t have found that prostitute, and I couldn’t have afforded to pay her.”

A special assistant’s salary was high!

But it wasn’t enough to pose as a rich young lady, even to fool those inexperienced mainland people.

Du Zhaoqi had simply never spoken about it directly, but he must have known about her grievances with Yuan Han and Zhou Yi, otherwise he wouldn’t have trusted her so much!

Now that Du Zhaoqi had finally spoken openly, Ye Xiaoqiong didn’t panic or feel ashamed.

Why should she feel ashamed? She wasn’t the one who had done wrong. Yuan Han and his family were living well – why should she have to live with her head hung low?