Chapter 66: I Refuse (3)

"Wait!" The little girl certainly wouldn’t let Ye Lang leave so easily. She’d finally found an opportunity to speak face-to-face with him, something she’d pursued with considerable effort. The gates of the Ye family were notoriously difficult to pass, and she’d been turned away time and again. In the end, she set her sights on Zhen Xiaoyan.

Everyone knew that Zhen Xiaoyan lived in the same courtyard as Ye Lang at that time and was the only person who could easily approach him. Others, like Ye Lanyu and the Seventh Princess, were in the same league as Ye Lang himself, making them just as hard to reach.

As for the relationship between Zhen Xiaoyan and the little girl, they were childhood friends—family acquaintances, really. They’d often played together when they were young, but as the little girl grew more unusual, their interactions had dwindled over the years.

Their families’ connection was purely business; the Zhen family’s restaurant even had shares owned by the little girl’s family. Unlike the Zhens, however, the little girl’s family were not nobility, but thoroughbred merchants.

Because of her family background, the little girl had entered the world of business from an early age, and by the time she was ten, she’d taken over the family enterprise.

It was a business teetering on the brink of collapse—grand in appearance, but patching holes everywhere, barely holding together. Without a turning point, it would not last. Her parents had died from overwork when she was ten, and her grandparents had passed even earlier. With no siblings, she was left utterly alone.

Had things been different, the family business would never have fallen into the hands of a child like her.

Yet, after she took over, the family business seemed to find new life—though whether it was genuine recovery or just a brief resurgence was unclear.

Now, she desperately needed a breakthrough—something that could transform her fortunes. Ye Lang was her chance.

She wanted to do business with Ye Lang.

So, she begged Zhen Xiaoyan to help her arrange a meeting or negotiate on her behalf. But Zhen Xiaoyan, upon learning her intentions, refused outright, telling her to find another way, that this would never work.

The little girl was convinced there was nothing wrong with her proposal—it would benefit both sides, and no one would refuse, certainly not without even hearing her out.

"Little sister, what do you need?" Ye Lang bent down, gently touching the little girl’s forehead, his voice soft.

The little girl looked at him in surprise. She’d expected Ye Lang to be difficult, but he was nothing like she’d imagined.

"Um, Young Master Thirteen, I want to discuss a business deal with you today," she said.

"Business?" Ye Lang replied, a little surprised.

"Yes, I want to make a deal with you. You won’t need to invest a thing, you’ll get half the profits, and all you have to do is provide a formula..." The little girl nodded, laying out terms that would tempt anyone. She was confident Ye Lang would agree.

But—

"I refuse!" Ye Lang said, without hesitation.

"I knew you would... Wait! You refuse?!" The little girl had expected him to accept, but he’d turned her down flat.

"That’s right, little sister, I refuse. You’re still an innocent, dreamy child—go home and play house. Business is not for you." Ye Lang patted her head and prepared to walk past her.

"I’m not a child anymore. I’ve been managing the family for three years. I’d love to play house, but I can’t!" the little girl said, a touch of sadness in her voice. Ye Lang’s gentle manner seemed to bring out her true feelings.

"You’ve managed the family for three years? How old are you?" Ye Lang asked, surprised.

"Thirteen..."

"You took over at ten? What about your parents?"

The little girl fell silent.

"Ye Lang, she’s all alone now. Be careful, you’ll make her sad," Zhen Xiaoyan whispered in Ye Lang’s ear.

"Poor child..."

"I don’t need your pity! Just take my proposal seriously, that’s all I ask!" the little girl said bravely.

"You think I’m not serious? Then let me say it again, I refuse your deal."

"Why? It’s only good for you—no risk, profit to share, why not agree? Are you planning to do this business yourself?" The little girl pressed him.

"No, I won’t do this business, nor will I partner with you," Ye Lang replied, shaking his head.

"Why? Is your formula not suited for mass production?"

"You’re talking about the slimming pill formula, aren’t you? That’s not hard—it would definitely make money." The little girl hadn’t said it outright, but Ye Lang could guess; despite his usual muddle-headedness, he could be sharp when it mattered.

"Then why won’t you do it?" the little girl asked, baffled.

"Because it would definitely make money—that’s exactly why I won’t do it!" Ye Lang replied, smiling.

The little girl was lost. What did that even mean?

"Don’t understand? I told you, he’s a spendthrift. If you ask him to squander money, he’ll agree immediately. But if you ask him to make money, he won’t do it, not for anything!" Zhen Xiaoyan said. She’d already explained this to the little girl, but the girl hadn’t believed her.

The little girl figured even a spendthrift wouldn’t refuse to make money—after all, that would let him squander more.

Now she believed it: Ye Lang couldn’t be judged by ordinary standards. He rejected a profitable deal, simply because he wanted to squander, not earn.

After a long silence, the little girl tried, "How about this: you give me the money, all the profits are mine, so you can squander as much as you like."

Zhen Xiaoyan quickly pulled the little girl aside, covering her mouth and whispering in panic, "Ye Lang, he may be a spendthrift, but that doesn’t mean he’ll let others take advantage of him. Even if he’s willing, the Ye family won’t allow it, especially his sister and his fiancée. If you try that, you’ll end up in deep trouble!"

The little girl fell silent. Not just because her mouth was covered—she was reflecting on her impulsive suggestion, feeling a bit afraid.

Yes, taking small advantages from Ye Lang might be harmless, but if it went too far, the consequences would be dire. Someone had tried it before, and lost everything, now suffering bitterly.

Ye Lang had his own standards—he would never agree if it crossed the line.

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