I Revealed My True Identity After Confessing My Love - Chapter 50

“Mr. Ye, do you still want to hear my explanation?” Du Xiran asked somewhat uncertainly. “Are you hungry?”

Ye Yiyun smiled faintly. “Go ahead. What’s this business about bribery?”

“It’s like this: Ye Nanning did indeed give me a bag, but I also gave her one of equivalent value. I can provide proof of purchase. This was simply an exchange of gifts between friends. I just didn’t expect it to be misinterpreted as bribery,” Du Xiran explained.

“Friends?” Ye Yiyun looked at her. “The two of you are friends?”

“Yes, I am friends with my subordinates,” Du Xiran replied neutrally.

Ye Yiyun nodded slowly. “Continue.”

Du Xiran explained further, “Regarding her driving me to work, it’s because she is my neighbor. Since she hitches a ride with me, she helps out by driving.”

“Neighbors? You’re neighbors too?” Ye Yiyun asked, surprised.

“Yes.”

“Isn’t she…” Ye Yiyun paused. Catching her confused expression, he changed his wording: “Isn’t she an intern? How did she end up living as your neighbor?”

“Her previous rental was being sold by the landlord, so she moved into my building. It’s close to the company and convenient for carpooling,” Du Xiran said.

Ye Yiyun signaled for her to keep going.

“As for the lunch boxes, it’s because she enjoys cooking. I usually go to her place for dinner. She recently started making lunches and made one for me as well. However, I pay her for the living expenses every month. I have the transfer records from last month right here if you’d like to see them.” Du Xiran intentionally left out the part about the tutoring to avoid complicating things and causing unnecessary misunderstandings.

She opened the transfer records from the previous month and held them out to Ye Yiyun.

Ye Yiyun barely glanced at them before asking, “She really likes to cook?”

“Yes, her cooking is delicious,” Du Xiran said.

Ye Yiyun’s expression was tense. “You two seem to have a very good relationship.”

“Yes, I won’t deny that. As a leader, I admire her ability. As a friend, I like her character. As a neighbor, I love her food,” Du Xiran said candidly. “Our relationship is indeed good, but I would never use public office for private gain, nor have I ever shown her favoritism. She has followed several projects, and I know her capabilities. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the other employees in our group about her daily performance.”

Ye Yiyun nodded. “Then go and call the members of your group in one by one.”

Du Xiran: “……?”

Wait, I was just being polite. Why are you being so literal?

With so many official matters to attend to, do you really have time for this?!

However, there was no guessing the boss’s mind. She went out and called the employees in order. Ye Yiyun asked each of them about Ye Nanning’s work performance, and he received unanimous praise.

Once everyone had left, Du Xiran said, “Mr. Ye, I believe you are not the type to be blinded by slander and lose a great talent. You are the person I admire most in this industry.”

Hearing this, Ye Yiyun stared at her for a moment. Suddenly, his eyes shifted. “Oh, I remember now. You’re that… intern who cried?”

Du Xiran smiled. “You still remember?”

Ye Yiyun nodded, reminiscing. “I followed up on your progress back then. I wasn’t sure if my decision was right at the time. Fortunately, you proved your worth and showed that my judgment was correct.”

Du Xiran gave a sincere smile. “I’m grateful for your kindness in recognizing my talent back then. It might sound like flattery, but you truly are my goal and role model in this industry.”

“It’s my honor.” Ye Yiyun finally cracked a smile. “Go and swap Ye Nanning in.”

“Okay.” Seeing him smile, Du Xiran knew the situation was likely resolved. She found Ye Nanning and reassured her, “Just explain everything clearly. There’s no need to mention the tutoring, and I didn’t mention your family background. Just tell the truth about the rest. Mr. Ye won’t make things difficult for you.”

Ye Nanning nodded, took a deep breath, and walked into the office. She and Ye Yiyun stared at each other.

After a long silence, Ye Nanning said dryly, “I did not bribe Manager Du.”

“You… couldn’t even afford 200 yuan for takeout?” Ye Yiyun said. “Was it because I cut off your allowance last month? Didn’t you say yourself it wouldn’t be a problem? If you’re short on cash, I’ll transfer some money to your card later.”

“It’s enough,” Ye Nanning said, lowering her head in shame. “That was just due to specific circumstances; it’s a bit complicated to explain.”

Ye Yiyun asked again, “Does really no one in the company know your true identity?”

Ye Nanning nodded.

Ye Yiyun: “Why don’t you want them to know? If they did, none of this would have happened today.”

Ye Nanning: “It’s complicated to explain.”

Ye Yiyun: “And Du Xiran? How did you become her neighbor?”

Ye Nanning: “……It’s complicated to explain.”

Ye Yiyun: “……”

The two were silent. After a moment, Ye Yiyun asked, “Are you getting used to the environment here? I asked around, and they say your professional skills are good. Do you want a transfer to a higher department to learn more?”

Ye Nanning shook her head vigorously. “This place is great, I still have a lot to learn. Besides, if I transfer now, everyone will think I really did bribe Manager Du or worse, they’ll think I bribed you.”

Ye Yiyun snorted. “I’d actually prefer if you’d try to bribe me for once.”

Ye Nanning looked at him, bewildered. Ye Yiyun continued, “So, driving and cooking for others is your way of ‘bribing’?”

Ye Nanning: “No…”

“When did you even learn to co…” Ye Yiyun cut himself off mid-sentence. They weren’t quite used to such warm conversations yet. He sighed inwardly. “Fine, there’s nothing else for you here. Go call that other intern in.”

“Hu Hanqiao?” Ye Nanning asked.

“No… the male intern sitting in the middle.”

The staff outside, who had been closely watching the office, were shocked to see Yan Zhenghao called in. Even Ye Nanning was confused: “Why did Mr. Ye call him in?”

Du Xiran, sitting in Ye Nanning’s seat, watched Yan Zhenghao through the glass for a while. As if realizing something, she turned to look at a nervous Hu Hanqiao across from her. Her lips curled into a slight smile. “Mr. Ye… is truly a sharp-eyed old fox.”

Hearing this, Ye Nanning looked back and seemed to guess the underlying reasons.

Ten minutes later, Yan Zhenghao emerged and told Hu Hanqiao to go in for questioning.

Hu Hanqiao was fully prepared. She couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Why did Mr. Ye want to see you? What did he ask?”

Yan Zhenghao said vaguely, “Just go in quickly, don’t keep Mr. Ye waiting.”

Hu Hanqiao had no choice but to enter the office, greeting him politely. “Hello, Mr. Ye.”

Ye Yiyun was seated, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s, as if he could see through any lie. However, she wasn’t afraid because she firmly believed she was in the right. She had already gone this far, there was no backing down.

“You have a lot of courage. Why did you choose to report this in such a public setting? Did you discuss this with your supervisors beforehand?” Ye Yiyun asked.

This seemed to embolden her. She said honestly, “No. My VP and Manager Du have a good relationship. I was afraid they would protect each other, so I chose to tell you directly to avoid any complications.”

“I see. And do you think I should believe your word or theirs? Both of them told me there was no bribery.”

“They are lying. I have provided evidence.”

“The evidence is one sided. They provided counter evidence that is very persuasive. This matter is merely a misunderstanding,” Ye Yiyun said.

“Impossible. Mr. Ye, please check more carefully. They must have prepared their response in advance to be so bold,” Hu Hanqiao said anxiously.

“You seem very invested in this.”

“It’s a matter of fairness.”

Ye Yiyun let out a cold laugh. “Are you truly doing this for fairness?”

Hu Hanqiao froze, her voice weakening. “Yes.”

“Your ‘evidence’ consists of secretly taken photos and even digging through trash for courier slips. You’ve clearly been obsessed with this.”

“I… I only did those things to find proof,” Hu Hanqiao said.

“But you only found the slip for the gift Ye Nanning gave Du Xiran. You didn’t see the bag Du Xiran gave Ye Nanning in return, which actually cost a thousand yuan more.”

“That… but where did Ye Nanning get the money? She has no money at all! The source of funds for that bag is very suspicious!” Hu Hanqiao suddenly raised her voice.

“Where do you think her money comes from?” Ye Yiyun asked calmly.

Hu Hanqiao thought for a moment and said, “Either credit cards, online loans, or it was given to her by guys.”

“Guys?”

“She’s very beautiful. Naturally, many guys would compete to give her money and gifts.”

Ye Yiyun was silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered. “Hu Hanqiao, I really underestimated how narrow your perspective is.”

Hu Hanqiao looked at him blankly.

“Is it true that in your mind, a beautiful woman who is slightly less wealthy can only rely on men’s charity? That she must live off her looks?” Ye Yiyun’s question was sharp and direct.

Hu Hanqiao was pinned by his piercing gaze, her body stiff. “But, her money’s origin is unknown…”

“I’ll tell you where her money comes from. It comes from the red envelopes and pocket money she’s received since she was a child, from her stock and fund investments, and from her investments in restaurants and milk tea shops…”

Hu Hanqiao’s eyes widened. “How do you know? Did she just tell you? Could she be lying to you?”

“If you were a bit smarter, you might wonder why she and I share the same surname.”

Hu Hanqiao felt like she’d been struck by lightning. She nearly collapsed, grabbing a nearby chair to steady herself. “She is your… daughter?”

Ye Yiyun looked at her. “I hope you can keep this secret after you leave. Otherwise, your new colleagues will find out you’re a jealous woman.”

“Le-leave?” Hu Hanqiao felt a chill in her heart, her face turning pale.

“Then, give me one reason why I should keep you,” Ye Yiyun said sternly.

Sweating profusely, Hu Hanqiao slowly lowered her head. “I have none.”

“You were already on the elimination list. If you hadn’t made such a scene, maybe you could have stayed.” Ye Yiyun paused. “You like that boy, Yan Zhenghao, don’t you?”

Hu Hanqiao looked up in surprise.

“During the meeting, you were constantly glancing at him, while he was looking at Ye Nanning.” Ye Yiyun shook his head and sighed.

The feelings of young people are hard to hide; the old fox had spotted them long ago.

Hu Hanqiao bit her lip. “This has nothing to do with him. Don’t let it affect him.”

Ye Yiyun looked at her with pity. “You seem selfish and yet deeply devoted, but in reality, you are just foolish.”

Hu Hanqiao suddenly straightened her back. Since things had come to this, she could only accept the consequences. She looked at him stubbornly. “Zhenghao is just temporarily blinded. He’ll soon realize I’m the one who loves him most. Besides, a wealthy Ye Nanning is even less likely to ever be interested in him.”

“Silly child, don’t spend so much energy on men,” Ye Yiyun said. “Do you want to know what I asked him just now?”

Logically, Hu Hanqiao wanted to say no, but her feelings won out. “What?”

“I asked him: if one person between Ye Nanning and Hu Hanqiao had to be eliminated, who would he choose?”

Ye Yiyun continued, “Guess who he chose?”

Hu Hanqiao guessed the answer instantly. She realized belatedly that she had always known even if Ye Nanning’s reputation was ruined by bribery, Yan Zhenghao still wouldn’t love her.

Hu Hanqiao ran out of the office in tears, attracting everyone’s attention.

“Lisa, reorganize the meeting,” Ye Yiyun dialed the HR internal line.

Once everyone was seated in the meeting room again, Ye Yiyun said, “The investigation is complete. The bribery allegation was a misunderstanding. The gifts were exchanged between both parties, there was no bribery. So, I ask the impulsive but courageous Ms. Hu to apologize to the two parties involved, and we’ll let this matter go.”

This was a way to save some of Hu Hanqiao’s dignity. She sat there, her eyes red from crying, and said hoarsely, “Manager Du, Ye Nanning, I’m sorry.”

Du Xiran nodded. “Don’t be so reckless in the future.”

Ye Nanning also nodded.

Lisa asked, “Mr. Ye, regarding the intern elimination…”

“Since there’s no precedent for changing the rules, let’s not break them this year. Let’s follow the standard practice,” Ye Yiyun said.

The elimination list only had Hu Hanqiao’s name. According to the rules, she had to leave.

But everyone present knew that this was mostly due to Hu Hanqiao’s mistake. She had crossed Mr. Ye’s line; he valued fair competition and detested internal schemes and mutual suspicion.

After completing her resignation procedures, Hu Hanqiao stood at the stairwell and looked around. She found that not a single person had come to see her off. Even her usual gossip friends were avoiding her.

Work resumed as normal in the office building, yet things felt different. The news had spread, and nearly every employee on the floor had gone through a roller coaster of emotions from suspicion and anger to the final twist. Many were whispering about it.

Hu Jiaxu also secretly messaged Ye Nanning: [That’s great! I knew you’d never do something like that, sob sob sob!]

Ye Nanning: [Sob sob sob sob sob sob… I was scared to death too.]

Hu Jiaxu: [A clear conscience fears no knock at the door at midnight. What were you afraid of?]

Ye Nanning: [Sob sob sob]

She was afraid of a lot. Every time Ye Yiyun and Du Xiran were alone, she feared her secret identity would be exposed, that Ye Yiyun would transfer her away, or worse, that Ye Yiyun would cause trouble for Du Xiran.

As it was nearly time to get off work, Xu Huan shouted, “Congrats to Xiao Ye for getting the bonus! Since we aren’t working overtime tonight, are you going to treat us?”

“Sure.” Ye Nanning nodded. She finally had an excuse to treat them. Usually, everyone looked after her because they thought she was a broke intern, often buying her afternoon tea without taking her money.

After work, the group called Du Xiran over. As they entered the elevator, they found Ye Yiyun and his secretary entering as well.

The elevator went silent for a moment, followed by a chorus of “Hello, Mr. Ye.”

Ye Nanning tried to blend in and didn’t speak.

To her surprise, she was spotted. Ye Yiyun looked directly at her. “Why aren’t you saying hello?”

Everyone started winking at Ye Nanning. She even felt Du Xiran, standing behind her, pinch her waist as a reminder.

?(? ?.?w?.? ?)?

“Mr… Mr. Ye,” Ye Nanning stammered.

Ye Yiyun nodded and casually asked the others, “Are you all heading home?”

“No, Ye Nanning is treating us to dinner,” Xu Huan said. “Thanks to the award Mr. Ye gave her; it was well-deserved.”

Ye Nanning felt shy being praised like that, while the others laughed.

As they stepped out of the elevator, Du Xiran noticed Ye Yiyun following them. She asked curiously, “Mr. Ye, we’re going for a team dinner. Your car isn’t usually parked this way…”

Ye Yiyun stopped awkwardly and watched them leave, his eyes fixed on the lunch bag Du Xiran was carrying.

Old Wang took on the role of the driver. Du Xiran was pulled into the back row by Xu Huan to sit between her and Ye Nanning, as they wanted to hear the details from the afternoon.

As Xu Huan closed the car door, she looked out the window. “Huh? Mr. Ye is still standing at the entrance. What is he looking at?”

The others in the car looked over as well.

Du Xiran remembered that Mr. Ye had been asking her about the lunch boxes. Thinking it was interesting, she turned to tell Ye Nanning.

However, Ye Nanning was looking out the window and didn’t notice Du Xiran turning toward her.

Du Xiran’s lips accidentally brushed against Ye Nanning’s cheek. Both of them froze, their eyes wide with shock.

Du Xiran: “……”

Ye Nanning: !!!

Xu Huan: “Holy crap, you guys are intense.”