After a moment, Ye Hengtian finally spoke. "Miss Su, I'm a bit puzzled. If I understood correctly last time, you were President Pei's girlfriend. How is it that today you've become President Lin's wife? Does President Pei know about this?"
Su Banxia frowned slightly. She knew he was using this matter to target her.
After a brief pause, Su Banxia looked at him with a faint smile. "What does President Ye want?"
She was used to being straightforward and disliked playing games with him, so she cut straight to the point.
Ye Hengtian was somewhat surprised. He had expected her to spar with him for a while before getting to the core issue, but she went straight for it.
For a moment, Ye Hengtian laughed, squinting his eyes with a calculating look. "Miss Su's question makes me feel a bit ashamed!"
Su Banxia curled her lips into a smile, showing little emotion, her mouth lifting slightly. For a man as scheming as him, such bureaucratic talk was likely second nature.
Seeing Su Banxia's faint smile, Ye Hengtian spoke again. "There are some things I don't quite understand and would like to ask Miss Su. I wonder if you could help me out."
"President Ye is too polite. Feel free to ask whatever you want. If I know, I'll tell you everything truthfully."
"Heh heh!"
Ye Hengtian laughed. "Then may I ask, Miss Su, whose side are you on? President Lin's or President Pei's?"
This question made Su Banxia smile. She shook her head as she looked at Ye Hengtian. "Neither!"
Ye Hengtian raised an eyebrow.
His gaze fell on Guoguo again. The child's features resembled Pei Shaoze's but also carried hints of Lin Tongze.
This woman was more complicated than he had imagined.
"Does President Pei know that Miss Su has two such adorable children by her side?"
Ye Hengtian's question came abruptly.
Su Banxia instinctively furrowed her brows slightly.
Ye Hengtian kept a close eye on her movements, narrowing his dark eyes as if deep in thought.
Su Banxia was wary of Ye Hengtian. To her, he had already become a threat.
He was probing her relationship with Pei Shaoze and Lin Tongze. She guessed he had some inkling but wasn't sure, so he came to fish for information.
All Su Banxia wanted was for him not to reveal the existence of her two children to Pei Shaoze, nor to let Pei Shaoze know about her relationship with Lin Tongze—at least not yet.
She didn't care about anything else.
Turning to Ye Hengtian, Su Banxia spoke. "Is President Ye's recent cooperation with Dingsheng going smoothly?"
Pei Shaoze had already begun to sever ties with the Ye Group completely.
Ye Hengtian was also looking for a new partner. He wanted business profits, while Su Banxia just wanted him to stay out of trouble.
Ye Hengtian said lightly, "Miss Su is close to President Pei. You should know more than anyone about the situation between Dingsheng and the Ye Group."
Of course, Su Banxia knew very well.
"Has President Ye considered cooperating with the Lin Group?" Su Banxia took the initiative to ask, a faint smile on her face.
This was exactly Ye Hengtian's goal. He had been eyeing the Lin Group for a long time but had never made progress. Lin Tongze wouldn't easily cooperate with the Ye Group.
He knew that well. When Ren Yuan had approached him about it, he had already understood.
He had also sent Ren Yuan to the Lin Group, but it was useless.
He had started to give up on the idea of cooperating with the Lin Group, but unexpectedly, he ran into Su Banxia today, so he seized every chance to appear.
He had to admit, this woman was very clever.
Although Su Banxia brought up the question he wanted, Ye Hengtian didn't show any unusual emotion.
He kept his smile, the corners of his mouth lifting. "Miss Su speaks with such confidence. If the Lin Group were willing to consider the Ye Group, I would be more than happy. But after all, the Lin Group has been in France all this time. Trying to establish a foothold in China now is still a risky move. The Ye Group, on the other hand, has stood firm in Yanshi for many years. Comparatively, cooperating with the Lin Group isn't the best choice for the Ye Group."
Su Banxia cursed inwardly, *Old fox.*
His real intention was to cooperate with the Lin Group, yet here he was, making it sound as if the Lin Group was begging for the Ye Group's partnership.
If it weren't for the fact that she hadn't finished the task Lin Tongze had given her and that she had two children with her, she would never have negotiated with this man.
Suppressing her anger, Su Banxia smiled politely. "I've heard from President Pei lately that he doesn't seem inclined to continue cooperating with the Ye Group. Why not settle for the next best thing, President Ye? Although the Lin Group is entering China from abroad, it holds an unshakable position in France. Even as a branch, it carries considerable weight."
Ye Hengtian nodded, a smile on his face, his thoughts unreadable.
Su Banxia had said all she needed to say.
So she didn't need to elaborate further.
She knew his purpose in seeking her out, so she was simply protecting her own interests while also safeguarding those around her.
After a moment of silence, Ye Hengtian looked at her. "I wonder what Miss Su can do for me in this matter?"
Su Banxia frowned slightly. Honestly, she couldn't bring herself to like Ye Hengtian.
But it was true—he held leverage over her, and asking her to do something for him didn't seem like an unreasonable demand.
Su Banxia nodded, meeting his gaze. "What does President Ye want me to do?"
"Convince President Lin to cooperate with the Ye Group."
"I thought President Ye would negotiate with President Lin in the name of the Ye Group," Su Banxia said.
She could drop hints to Lin Tongze, but she couldn't directly bring it up.
Ye Hengtian stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes. "As Miss Su said, the Lin Group holds an unshakable commercial position in France. Given the current state of the Ye Group's development, President Lin might not even consider us."
Heh heh!
Su Banxia wanted to laugh. Who was it just now who said the Lin Group was new to Yanshi with no solid foundation and wasn't willing to cooperate?
Now he was worried the Lin Group wouldn't take them seriously.
Of course, Su Banxia wouldn't say that.
Frowning slightly, she looked at him. "President Ye, there are things I can discuss with Tongze and things I can't. If you're sincere about cooperating with the Lin Group, I believe Tongze will take it seriously."
Su Banxia's response was evasive—she neither agreed outright nor refused, and she deliberately used the intimate term "Tongze."
She intended to use her relationship with Lin Tongze to mislead Ye Hengtian.
Ye Hengtian smiled faintly. "It's getting late. Would Miss Su like to return to the hotel with me?"
Su Banxia shook her head, her gaze drifting to where Guoguo was. "No need. I still need to take the kids for a walk around here."
Ye Hengtian said nothing more, smiled, and left.
Su Banxia watched him go, furrowing her brows slightly before walking toward Guoguo.
She sighed inwardly. She needed to wrap up the matter at Dingsheng quickly. Otherwise, things would only get more difficult to handle in the future.