CHAPTER 97

Wan Baiyun felt uneasy with Shan Pan's polite attitude. She pursed her lips, gave a soft response, and then walked out of the hospital room. "Mom, Dad, Shan Pan wants you to go in."

Shan's father snorted coldly and pushed past Wan Baiyun, taking Shan's mother inside.

After a while, the two of them came out and faced Shen Liangxi. "Xixi, can you help Shan Pan with the transfer procedures as soon as possible?"

"Of course," Shen Liangxi nodded. "I'll take care of it right away."

"I'll go with you." Shan Cong held Shen Liangxi's hand. "Take your time, don't rush."

"I know, I know." Shen Liangxi sounded helpless and amused. "There's no need to worry."

.....

Wan Baiyun had been in the hospital room and hadn't heard the discussion outside. She frowned with concern and asked, "Transfer? She just stabilized. Where are they transferring her to?"

"Transferring her to our own hospital for a safer pregnancy." Shan's father coldly glared at her. "What's wrong? Can't I take my own daughter to our own hospital?"

Wan Baiyun lowered her head. "That's not what I meant. I want to go with Shan Pan."

"No need." Shan's father turned his head without paying her any attention. "Shan Pan doesn't want to see you either. You don't need to come along."

"What?" Wan Baiyun couldn't believe it. "Why doesn't she want to see me?"

Shan's father replied, "How would I know! Don't you know what you've done? Anyway, Shan Pan said that once the child is born, she'll divorce you."

"Divorce?" Wan Baiyun widened her eyes. "Why would she want a divorce? I don't agree."

"You don't agree?" Shan's father furrowed his brow. "But haven't you been constantly talking about divorce ever since you married Shan Pan? It's too late now. That's how it is. If we need your pheromones, just come to the hospital. The nurses can extract them. Anyway, Shan Pan doesn't want to see you."

"I'll go and ask her." Wan Baiyun said after listening, intending to enter the hospital room.

Shan Yuan immediately raised his hand to block Wan Baiyun's path, his face cold as he looked at her. "Shan Pan said she doesn't want to see you!"

Ye Lianyin quietly raised her hand. "Can I see Shan Pan?"

"Ye Lianyin can go." Shan's mother nodded. "Let Ye Lianyin in."

Ye Lianyin nodded and, as she walked past Shan's father, deliberately seemed to pause for a moment and glanced at Wan Baiyun before entering the hospital room with a somewhat mischievous expression.

Qin Zhaoci couldn't help but cover her mouth and quietly laugh. Ah, even her wife's retaliatory gestures are adorable.

"Are you okay?" After entering the hospital room, Ye Lianyin sat down beside Shan Pan. "Are you feeling any discomfort?"

"I'm fine." Shan Pan shook her head and looked at Ye Lianyin. "Ye Lianyin, thank you for all your hard work. You're so busy, yet you came here specifically for me."

"Come on," Ye Lianyin laughed and flicked Shan Pan's forehead. "What are you saying? What relationship do we have? No matter how busy I am, it can't compare to you."

After hearing Ye Lianyin's words, Shan Pan widened her eyes in surprise and earnestly scrutinized Ye Lianyin in front of her. She nodded, "Ye Lianyin, you've really changed a lot. You never used to say these kinds of things to me before."

"Is that so?" Ye Lianyin paused, looked up in thought, and said, "It seems like it's true. Maybe I've been influenced by Qin Zhaoci."

Shan Pan's eyes filled with envy again. "Indeed, a good partner will lead you towards a better path. You've become more expressive than before, more confident, and full of vitality."

"Unlike me..." Shan Pan bit her lip and sighed. "I want to separate from Wan Baiyun."

Thinking of Wan Baiyun's excited face outside the room, Ye Lianyin suddenly felt a pang of kindness and asked, "What did Wan Baiyun do? Did she hurt you?"

Shan Pan lowered her eyes in disappointment, pursing her lips as she recounted what she had heard Wan Baiyun say to Wan Shiying at home to Ye Lianyin.

After listening, Ye Lianyin pursed her lips. "This Wan Baiyun truly... some people never change."

Shan Pan didn't express any opinions and fell silent for a moment before saying, "I was really afraid for the baby when I was brought to the hospital today. To avoid such a situation from happening again, I think it's better if I stay away from her."   

"Well, that's good. Both of you should take some time to calm down." Ye Lianyin nodded. "After you transfer to another hospital, remember to let me know which ward you're in. I'll bring some fruits to visit you."

Upon hearing the mention of fruits, Shan Pan's complexion brightened up. "Then bring more. It's hard to find them in the market now. I heard that the stocks for next month and the month after that are all pre-ordered."

"Sure," Ye Lianyin smiled and nodded. "We have plenty of fruits at home."

"Ah, being the boss's wife is so comfortable. Fresh fruits every day. I'm so envious." Shan Pan pursed her lips, her eyes filled with envy.

"Alright, I'll leave now. Rest well, and call me if you need anything." Ye Lianyin gestured by tapping her wrist and left the room only after seeing Shan Pan nodding.

"Let's go home." Ye Lianyin didn't pay any attention to Wan Baiyun after leaving the ward. She held Qin Zhaoci's hand and bid farewell to Grandma Wan and Shan's parents.

As they left the hospital, Qin Zhaoci curiously asked, "What did Shan Pan say to you?"

Ye Lianyin glanced at her. "Why? Do you want to pass on the message to Wan Baiyun?"

"How could I? Am I that kind of person?" Qin Zhaoci averted her eyes in guilt.

Ye Lianyin grabbed Qin Zhaoci's ear with her hand. "Every time you lie, you make that expression."

Qin Zhaoci pouted and looked at her with a hint of grievance before lowering her head, choosing not to speak. 

Ye Lianyin couldn't help but curl her lips when she saw Qin Zhaoci's little expression. She reached out and pinched her face, gently tugging it, and said with a smile, "Well, don't ask then, or else I won't let you sleep on the bed."

"Then I won't ask." Qin Zhaoci, who had recently started eating meat [Having s*x], wasn't willing to give up her privileges for Wan Baiyun. She immediately raised her hand and swore, "I promise I won't ask."

"That's more like it." Ye Lianyin smiled and kissed her lips. "Now let's go home."

Qin Zhaoci was obedient and indeed didn't ask what Shan Pan had said to Ye Lianyin.

But in the following two months, Ye Lianyin would always hear from her mouth about what Wan Baiyun had been doing.

Like how she waited in the hospital courtyard all day, staring at Shan Pan's ward window, hoping she would glance outside.

Or how Wan Baiyun was being used as a tool to extract pheromones.

Or how Wan Baiyun actually liked Shan Pan a lot and took a three-month leave from the military, intending to wait until Shan Pan gave birth.

Ye Lianyin's ears were practically calloused from hearing all this, but when she looked at Qin Zhaoci's innocent face, she couldn't get too angry. She could only endure it silently.

She knew Wan Baiyun's intentions. She just wanted Ye Lianyin to say a few kind words in front of Shan Pan. But she refused. After treating Shan Pan the way she did before, she couldn't let Wan Baiyun off the hook so easily. Otherwise, she wouldn't have done justice to all the words she had said to persuade Shan Pan in the past.

Two months later, late one night, Shan Pan suddenly woke up in pain and cried out as she pressed the call button. It didn't take long before she was rushed into the delivery room by the doctors.

Qin Zhaoci and Ye Lianyin didn't know what had happened, but they only knew that Shan Pan gave birth to a daughter early in the morning that day. When they went to visit the next day, they saw Wan Baiyun, who had been guarding outside the ward, with a bruised and swollen face and deep bite marks on her hands.

.....

After this incident, everyone's lives returned to their original trajectory. Qin Zhaoci's Pastoral (Tianyuan) Tea Flavor business continued to thrive, with a constant stream of orders.

During this year, Pastoral (Tianyuan) Tea Flavor launched several new products and opened multiple branches to meet the increasing production capacity. Furthermore, Qin Zhaoci opened a food street specializing in snacks and desserts in the commercial street under the Qin family's umbrella.

In addition, she also established a chain of hot pot restaurants, barbecue restaurants, and private dining establishments.

The number of employees hired by Pastoral (Tianyuan) Tea Flavor continued to increase, and they opened several subsidiary companies. Within a year, Pastoral (Tianyuan) Tea Flavor became the most profitable company under the Qin Group.

Ye Lianyin and Lin Jiayi's joint venture, Ye-Yi Group, also flourished with the support of Qin Zhaoci. Coincidentally, after Qin Zhaoci used underhanded tactics against An Group, they no longer dared to be so arrogant and monopolistic. Ye-Yi Group rapidly developed into the most promising technology company.

.....

"Ah, Yinbao, you've been ignoring me for a long time. You've been neglecting me lately!" Qin Zhaoci slumped on Ye Lianyin's desk after the meeting, looking at her continuously typing on the holographic keyboard, dealing with work.

Ye Lianyin paused her typing, turned to Qin Zhaoci, smiled, and leaned over to give her a kiss as a comfort. "It'll be over soon, Ah Ci. Just wait for me a little longer, okay?"

Qin Zhaoci pouted, "You only call me Ah Ci when you're coaxing me. Usually, it's always Qin Zhaoci, Qin Zhaoci."

"Alright then, should I call you my wife?" Ye Lianyin turned her head and kissed Qin Zhaoci again. "Wait for me for ten minutes, okay?"

"Fine." Qin Zhaoci nodded and obediently sat there, waiting for Ye Lianyin to finish her tasks.

Speaking of the rapid development of Ye-Yi Group, it couldn't be separated from the gift Qin Zhongying and Rao Antong gave to Ye Lianyin on her birthday. When the company was just starting to develop, the biggest challenge was the lack of production chains and research facilities.

Qin Zhongying and Rao Antong somehow found out and directly acquired a small company that was being maliciously competed against and on the verge of bankruptcy by the An Group. They treated it as a gift and gave it to Ye Lianyin.

Later, Ye Lianyin indirectly asked Qin Zhaoci about it, and Qin Zhaoci expressed that she didn't know either. She believed Qin Zhongying and Rao Antong must have found out about it themselves and decided to give it as a gift.

After typing the last letter, Ye Lianyin straightened her back and stretched her stiff and sore neck.

Turning her head as if to speak to Qin Zhaoci, Ye Lianyin noticed that she was slumped on the desk, fast asleep.

Looking at her face, slightly distorted from being pressed against the table, Ye Lianyin curved her lips and reached out to poke her chubby cheek.

Qin Zhaoci suddenly woke up and saw Ye Lianyin smiling at her. She instantly understood that her wife had finished her work.

Immediately, she stood up, lifted Ye Lianyin around the waist, and rushed into the bedroom. "It's time to collect the rent."

After a while, rustling sounds could be heard coming from the bedroom.

The next day, Ye Lianyin was unusually late again. As she had breakfast, her eyes were filled with resentment as she looked at Qin Zhaoci.

Ye Lianyin had already entered her third year of studies, while Qin Zhaoci, who had been auditing courses during this year, had completed her program and now spent most of her time at the company.

Since Ye Lianyin was still in school, Lin Jiayi, who had already graduated, took care of most of the company's major affairs.

During this year, with Qin Zhaoci's efforts, the employment rate of Omega individuals in the Empire had significantly increased. Many companies that developed Pastoral (Tianyuan) Tea Flavor seemed to find the Omega employees they hired to be capable, and they gradually relaxed their stance, starting to hire more Omega individuals to work in their companies.

However, Qin Zhaoci understood that what she had done was still far from enough because the laws and regulations regarding Omegas in the Empire had not changed accordingly.

Just as she was facing a bottleneck [a situation where work is delayed], she suddenly received a mysterious invitation to meet at a luxurious venue owned by herself.

The reason for the invitation happened to be the issue that Qin Zhaoci was currently struggling with.

The other party claimed to have the ability to change the current situation, so Qin Zhaoci naturally wanted to go.

Following the message, Qin Zhaoci pushed open the door of the private room and found a familiar figure standing by the window.

Qin Zhaoci frowned, "Princess Yue Lisi?"

The woman slowly turned around, looked at Qin Zhaoci with a faint smile, and nodded, "I didn't expect Ms. Qin to remember me after only meeting once a year ago."

"Princess Yue Lisi, with your stunning appearance and temperament, it's natural to remember you at a glance. I wonder why the Princess anonymously invited me here, what is the purpose?" Qin Zhaoci furrowed her brows and gazed at Yue Lisi.

Yue Lisi pointed to a seat, gesturing for Qin Zhaoci to sit down.

After Qin Zhaoci nodded and took a seat, Yue Lisi also sat down. Instead of stating the purpose of this meeting, she asked, "May I ask Ms. Qin why you have been dedicated to promoting Omega participation in employment during this past year?"    

Qin Zhaoci furrowed her brows, blinked her eyes, and after a moment of silence, she said, "I hope that Omegas can enjoy the same rights as Alphas and Betas, instead of being confined to the household, being forced by society and the Empire to become mere reproductive machines. I want them to have their own careers, independent personalities, and the right to decide what happens to their bodies."

Yue Lisi was somewhat surprised by Qin Zhaoci's frankness, her eyes flickered slightly, and she continued to ask, "May I ask what kind of catalyst led you to have such thoughts?"

Qin Zhaoci looked at Yue Lisi without hesitation and said, "My wife. I don't want her to experience the unfair treatment that could happen to her and others. That's all."

"So, Princess Yue Lisi, what do you plan to do?" Qin Zhaoci shifted the conversation directly to the point.

Yue Lisi looked at Qin Zhaoci and said, "If you want to change the current situation for Omegas, then we do share the same goal. I came to you today with that purpose."

Qin Zhaoci asked, "What are you planning to do, Princess Yue Lisi?"

Yue Lisi looked into her eyes with determination and said, "I want to become the first Omega Queen in the history of the Empire."

Qin Zhaoci's eyes flickered with surprise. She didn't expect Yue Lisi, who had always had a low presence in the royal family, to have such ambitions.

Yue Lisi also noticed her surprise and smiled, her lips curving slightly. "You don't have to be too surprised. Having lived in the royal family for so long, this idea has been in the depths of my heart for a long time."

"I once placed my hopes on my siblings, wanting to see if anyone could see the situation of Omegas in the Empire and make efforts to change their current status."

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