Chapter 19: Ye Xuemei's Plea for Help

The sudden ringing of the phone startled Manager Cui for a moment. He picked it up and glanced at the screen. When he saw that it was President Wang Minghan calling, he hurriedly answered.

Before Manager Cui could speak, an anxious voice came through the receiver.

“Manager Cui, is there a young man named Xiao Yu in front of you right now?” Wang Minghan’s tone was tense.

Hearing Wang Minghan’s voice, Manager Cui was taken aback. He glanced at Xiao Yu, who was already at the door, and replied woodenly, “There is a Xiao Yu here, but I’m not sure if he’s the one you mean, President.”

“That’s the one, without a doubt! Let me tell you, no matter what you have to do, you must keep him there! Whatever he asks, do your best to satisfy him!” Wang Minghan said urgently.

“President, why is that? Xiao Yu is just a useless son-in-law of the Ye family. Does our bank really need to go this far?” Manager Cui asked, confused.

“Cui Zhixian! Is your head full of mush? If his identity were really that simple, would I have received a call from the Long family, one of the Four Great Families of the capital? Do as I say! If there’s anything he’s unhappy about, you can forget about keeping your job as manager!” Wang Minghan’s agitation grew, and by the end, he was shouting.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Manager Cui hurried after Xiao Yu in a panic. Fortunately, Xiao Yu seemed to have anticipated this and was walking slowly. He had just stepped beyond the door when Manager Cui caught up to the three of them.

Putting away his phone and adopting a completely different attitude, Manager Cui now wore a broad smile. “Miss Ye, regarding your loan, I think we still have room for discussion. Why don’t we go back inside and talk over the details?”

Ye Shihan was stunned by the abrupt change in Cui Zhixian’s attitude, finding it hard to keep up with the shift.

Xiao Yu, on the other hand, simply smiled. “Since Manager Cui puts it that way, why don’t we sit down and discuss the details?”

Seeing that Xiao Yu wasn’t angry about what had just happened, Cui Zhixian breathed a secret sigh of relief. He wouldn’t dare ignore those warnings now, not with the president himself having intervened—he didn’t want to lose his job over this.

At Cui Zhixian’s respectful invitation, the three of them returned to the office. Only after they sat down did Ye Shihan recover herself, fixing Xiao Yu with a scrutinizing gaze.

Xiao Yu shrugged helplessly under her stare.

“Ahem, Miss Ye, about the loan—may I ask what your requirements are? How much do you need?” Cui Zhixian feigned a cough and turned to Ye Shihan.

“Manager Cui, are you really approving my loan?” Ye Shihan asked in disbelief.

“Of course!” Cui Zhixian replied, hastening to take his official seal from the safe and place it on the desk.

Ye Shihan was bewildered. She wasn’t naïve—she knew full well why the bank had refused her loan before. What baffled her was why, after one phone call from Xiao Yu and one call to Cui Zhixian, the manager’s attitude had reversed completely.

“Why are you standing there in a daze? Hand over the documents you prepared for Manager Cui to review,” Xiao Yu reminded her with a smile.

Snapping out of her stupor, Ye Shihan quickly retrieved the prepared documents from her bag and handed them to Cui Zhixian.

Normally, a loan would require thorough review and verification of all submitted information, a process that would take several days at least. Strangely, Cui Zhixian barely glanced at the documents before proceeding at remarkable speed to approve the loan. When Ye Shihan saw him stamping the contract with his seal, she finally felt at ease.

“Miss Ye, here’s the loan contract. Keep it safe. If you need any other banking services in the future, you can come directly to me,” Cui Zhixian said with a smile as he handed her the contract.

His gaze then drifted, somewhat awkwardly, to Xiao Yu. Unbidden, a chill ran through him. Why did this infamous live-in son-in-law of Fengcheng wield such influence? The president himself had intervened by phone, and Cui Zhixian had vaguely overheard mention of the Long family from the capital. The thought sent another shiver down his spine, and he was grateful he hadn’t offended Xiao Yu.

Ye Shihan took the contract, her face alight with excitement.

Now that Hanyu Real Estate was officially established and the bank loan was in hand, she could finally begin preparations for the cooperation project with Huayi Group. This was her chance to prove her abilities at last.

With Cui Zhixian seeing them out with utmost respect, Xiao Yu took Ye Shihan’s hand and left the bank.

“Are you really that happy?” Xiao Yu asked, shaking his head as he watched Ye Shihan’s beaming smile in the car.

“Of course. With this loan, I can finally realize my ambitions. This is a turning point in my life,” she replied, gazing intently at Xiao Yu, her look carrying a subtle meaning.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Xiao Yu felt a little uneasy under her gaze.

“Xiao Yu, I’m growing more and more curious about you. How much are you hiding from me?” Ye Shihan blinked, her eyes fixed on him.

Neither the project nor the loan would have been possible for her alone; even influential figures would have struggled to secure both so easily. Yet Xiao Yu had accomplished them both with just two phone calls. That wasn’t something an ordinary person could do.

“Ahem, well, why don’t we head home now? Once the project starts, you’ll be busy enough. Tai Sui, drive!” Xiao Yu quickly changed the subject.

Seeing Xiao Yu clam up, Ye Shihan had no intention of letting it go so easily. But just as she opened her mouth to pursue the matter, her phone rang at an inopportune moment.

Reluctantly, Ye Shihan fished out her phone. Seeing an unfamiliar number, she answered without hesitation.

The moment she picked up, a frantic cry came through the receiver, and her face suddenly changed.

“Sis! Help!”