78: Chapter 78 The Arrogant Queen Goes Bankrupt, Signs Humiliating Contract of Indenture with Tears in Her Eyes
"What I want is very simple."
Qin Yuan's fingers brushed across Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng's delicate chin, stopping at her ear.
"I want you to..."
"Watch with your own eyes how the Ye family turns into ruins, bit by bit, in your hands."
This sentence was like a bolt from the blue, ruthlessly shattering Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng's final line of defense.
"Qin Yuan! Don't you dare dream!"
Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng abruptly pushed Qin Yuan's hand away and took two steps back.
She tried hard to straighten her back, maintaining that precarious haughtiness.
"The Ye family has a century-old foundation. Even if we stumbled this time, it's not your place to point fingers!"
"As long as I am here, the Ye family will never fall!"
"Is that so?"
Qin Yuan smiled dismissively and glanced at the guests around them, who had already started whispering and darting their eyes.
"Then I wish you good luck, President Ye."
He did not linger, but turned around and strode out of the banquet hall with Tan Lang and the others.
Leaving Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng with nothing but an arrogant back view.
...
Facts proved that Qin Yuan's words were not alarmist.
Only three days.
A mere three days!
The Ye Group, that super-colossus which once cleaved through the waves of the capital's business world, had completely sunk under the violent crushing force of Qin Yuan's one trillion in capital.
Stocks were forcibly delisted, and the capital chain was completely severed.
Those families and enterprises that used to wag their tails and beg behind the Ye family now fell over each other to kick them while they were down.
Banks withdrew loans, and creditors blocked the doors.
The entire Ye family mansion was packed tight with debt collectors.
Even all the private accounts, luxury cars, and villas under Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng's name were seized and frozen by the court.
When a wall is about to collapse, everyone gives it a push.
This is the cruel law of the business world.
...
Late at night.
The Ye Group building, the top-floor CEO's office.
The water and electricity here had already been cut off, and only the faint neon lights from outside the window barely illuminated this hub of power where orders used to be issued.
Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng sat dejectedly in the leather executive chair.
Having not closed her eyes for days, her breathtakingly beautiful face was full of exhaustion, her eye sockets deeply sunken, and her hair disheveled.
The once high-and-mighty queen of the business world was, at this moment, like a puppet whose soul had been drained.
"Eldest Miss..."
The old butler pushed open the door and walked in with a staggering gait, holding a thick document in his hand.
"The creditors outside are making trouble again, and the court has issued an ultimatum."
"If we can't come up with 30 billion to fill the gap by tomorrow..."
The old butler's voice choked with sobs, and tears streamed down his face.
"You... you will face charges of commercial fraud and be sentenced to at least twenty years!"
Twenty years.
For a proud woman, this was even more cruel than killing her.
Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng closed her eyes and rubbed her brows in pain.
"I know. You go out first."
The old butler sighed and shuffled out.
The office fell back into dead silence.
Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng looked at the empty room and suddenly felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness and despair.
She had lost.
Lost completely, without even a glimmer of hope for a comeback.
Her IQ, which she was so proud of, and her foolproof business strategies were simply like a joke in front of Qin Yuan's bottomless financial power and unreasonable tactics.
"Bang!"
Just then, the office door was kicked open.
Heavy footsteps echoed in the empty room.
Qin Yuan.
He was wearing a custom-made casual suit, hands in his pockets, walking in slowly like a demon inspecting his territory.
Behind him, Tan Lang stood guard outside the door like an iron tower, closing the door behind him.
"President Ye, the view here is nice, but unfortunately, it won't belong to you in the future."
Qin Yuan walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the night scene below, his tone as relaxed as if he were talking about the weather.
Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng opened her eyes abruptly and stared at him intently.
"What are you here for? To see me make a fool of myself?!"
"See you make a fool of yourself?"
Qin Yuan turned around, a mocking smile curling the corners of his lips.
"I'm not that idle."
He walked to the executive desk, took out a document from the inside of his trench coat, and tossed it in front of Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng.
"Take a look."
Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng glanced at him warily and picked up the document.
By the faint light, she saw the title on the document clearly.
"Lifetime Personal Assistant Agreement."
After glancing at the contents for just a few moments, Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng's face turned pale and then green, her chest heaving violently.
How is this any kind of personal assistant agreement?!
This is clearly a complete and utter indenture!
The agreement explicitly stated that as long as she signed, she must unconditionally obey all of Qin Yuan's orders.
Whether at work, or... in life.
She would lose all her personal freedom and completely become Qin Yuan's private accessory, an obedient high-end pet!
"Qin Yuan! Don't even think about it!"
Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng slammed the agreement onto the table and glared at him.
"Even if I, Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng, have to go to jail, even if I die inside, I will never sign such a humiliating thing!"
"Is that so?"
Qin Yuan was not angry; he even pulled up a chair and sat down leisurely.
"You can certainly go to jail."
"Twenty years, it's not that long, but not that short."
"When you come out at fifty, you'll be old and withered, with nothing."
Qin Yuan looked at her, his eyes revealing a rationality and cruelty that chilled one to the bone.
"At that time, what do you think you can do? Sweep the streets?"
Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng's body trembled slightly.
"Of course, that's the best-case scenario."
Qin Yuan changed the subject.
"Guess what, if you go in, how will those creditors, who were forced into ruin by your Ye family, treat your younger cousins who haven't even reached adulthood?"
"Can your old father, who has been relying on medicine to keep his life hanging, survive the night?"
Boom!
This sentence was like a rusty iron saw, ruthlessly tearing at Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng's most fragile nerves.
Family!
This was her final weakness!
She could not care about her dignity, or even her own life, but she could not watch the entire Ye family be completely wiped out because of her!
"What... what exactly do you want?!"
Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng's voice began to tremble, and her eyes turned red uncontrollably.
"I already told you."
Qin Yuan pointed at the agreement on the table.
"Sign it."
"I will repay that 30 billion debt for you."
"I will cover your father's medical expenses."
"Although the Ye family is gone, at least they can still live."
Qin Yuan stood up, hands resting on the executive desk, leaning forward.
Those eyes, deep as an abyss, tightly suppressed Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng's gaze.
"Choose."
"Either keep your ridiculous dignity and take the whole Ye family to hell with you."
"Or sign the paper, be an obedient dog for me, and trade that for their survival?"
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
In the office, only the heavy breathing of the two could be heard.
Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng bit her lip hard, blood seeping out and staining her white teeth red.
Her heart was struggling wildly, a battle between heaven and man.
On one side was the pride she valued as her life.
On the other side were her blood-related loved ones.
Finally.
Her straight back bent, little by little.
The cruel reality, like an insurmountable mountain, completely crushed this once unattainable queen of the business world.
"I... will sign..."
These two words seemed to drain all the strength from her body.
Tears of humiliation and despair could no longer be controlled and burst from her eyes.
They streamed down her pale cheeks and dripped onto the cold solid wood desk.
With trembling hands, she picked up the fountain pen that Qin Yuan had handed to her.
The pen tip fell onto the paper, making a harsh scratching sound.
Crookedly, she signed the three characters "Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng".
The moment she finished signing, she seemed to lose all support, her whole body collapsing powerlessly.
"Clatter."
The pen fell to the floor.
Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng slid from the executive chair, her knees giving way, and she collapsed powerlessly at Qin Yuan's feet.
She closed her eyes, tears flowing silently.
Pride, dignity, ambition.
At this moment, all turned to nothing.
She had completely lost.
She had become this man's trophy.
Qin Yuan looked down at the woman slumped at his feet, a satisfied cold smile curling his lips.
He bent down, reached out, and pinched Cold-Blooded Empress Ye Qingcheng's delicate, tear-stained chin, forcing her to look up.
"Very good."
Qin Yuan's voice echoed in the dim office, carrying a chilling, evil charm and sense of control.
"Since you've signed, it's time to fulfill your duties as a 'private assistant'."
"Now, take off your coat."