"Hasn't he been back for three days? Why haven't we heard anything?"
"I don't know, his dad came to my house once and told me a bit about him, but there's been no news since then."
"Looks like he wants us to make the first move; fine, if we're asking for a favor, we should act like it. We'll make the first move then. Can you try to arrange a meeting with him tomorrow to chat first?"
"I'll try to arrange it and see if he's free. I heard his dad say today that he went to a class reunion."
"Class reunion? Wasn't it just a high school diploma? What's so great about a few high school students having a reunion?"
"I wouldn't know about that. Let's leave it at that for now, I'll ask again."
After hanging up the phone, Li Shiqi was speechless.
That attitude, it's really something.
Damn it, your company is already bankrupt, what airs are you putting on? If it weren't for someone up top pulling strings and me not wanting to lose face, I wouldn't even bother with you.
If you want to sell, be sincere, don't stand there putting on airs.
Not to mention that my relationship with Tan Lihua is merely that of a superior and subordinate, with no interest entanglements whatsoever, I can't control him at all.
With his son being able to casually meet high-ranking leaders in Beicang District of Yongcheng City, what makes you think you can put on airs with him?
I don't know if he's been in a comfortable position for too long, or if he's taking advantage of others' youth, but in the current situation, directly visiting and humbly asking for a favor is the right approach.
Maybe the other party will agree to your terms out of respect for his father.
And he still wants to meet and talk first?
Does he really think that the foundation he built from scratch, establishing himself in another place, just fell from the sky?
On the other side, the moment Chen Shuyi said, "I can't drink," cheers and jeers erupted in the private room, and even Zhang Xupeng joined in.
Although everyone in the group already knew that Tan Jincheng had a girlfriend, they didn't mind the teasing, especially since Chen Shuyi and Tan Jincheng had another special "relative" relationship.
They loved to tease them about it when they were in school.
In the private room, probably only Zhang Xupeng, besides Chen Shuyi herself, knew a thing or two about her feelings through their previous conversations.
Actually, in Zhang Xupeng's opinion, it was quite a pity for these two.
Although they didn't grow up together like he and Xiao Tan did, they could still be considered childhood sweethearts.
Moreover, their families had an even deeper relationship, knowing each other's roots.
But unfortunately, Xiao Tan now had a girlfriend.
If Xiao Tan had been more proactive, or if Chen Shuyi had expressed her feelings earlier, would their relationship have gone further?
Ah, actually, thinking back now, Chen Shuyi used to be especially caring towards Xiao Tan, often urging him to study.
Although she always used the excuse of being an "elder," that was probably just to hide her true feelings.
They say girls mature earlier than boys.
Perhaps from that time onwards, Chen Shuyi had developed some other emotional feelings for Xiao Tan?
It's just a pity that back then, Xiao Tan was still a clueless dork whose heart hadn't awakened to love.
As everyone cheered, the class monitor's face turned a little sour.
Tan Jincheng couldn't help but smile after seeing it.
As someone who had been reborn, he naturally knew why the class monitor was like this.
However, he didn't dwell on it too much.
Although in his previous life he heard that the class monitor and Chen Shuyi got together after a blind date, perhaps even from now or earlier, the class monitor already had other feelings for Chen Shuyi.
In fact, in his previous life, these two lived quite happily.
Even if he didn't have a girlfriend now, Tan Jincheng had no interest in stealing the class monitor's girlfriend.
If some things were already going well for others, there was no need to disrupt them.
"Looks like he's treating me as an imaginary enemy, how childish, hehe."
As he thought, Tan Jincheng secretly decided to play a trick on him.
He stood up, put his arm around Nie Haijie's neck.
Having been in leadership positions for a long time, the aura Tan Jincheng exuded at this moment was almost too much even for Zhang Xupeng to handle, let alone Nie Haijie, who was still a pure and naive university student.
The other classmates nearby, who hadn't noticed anything unusual, were still cheering, but Zhang Xupeng noticed something was off.
He knew that even in the business world, few people dared to force Xiao Tan to drink now.
At this moment, he was really afraid that Xiao Tan would get angry and the situation would become uncontrollable.
Just as he was about to step forward to stop it, he saw Tan Jincheng subtly gesture to him, which put his mind at ease.
"Don't worry, you know I have a girlfriend, the kind who's met the parents. I won't compete with you,"
Tan Jincheng whispered softly, holding the dazed Nie Haijie.
Then, he let him go as if nothing had happened and said to the teasing classmates,
"Don't drink and drive, don't drive and drink. Everyone must obey traffic laws, okay? And don't just blindly tease, she's my younger aunt."
When they were studying, Tan Jincheng did resist Chen Shuyi always wanting to be his younger aunt, but now he would only treat it as a little girl's prank and laugh it off.
The whole process happened quickly and ended quickly.
Except for Zhang Xupeng, who noticed something unusual, everyone else just assumed Tan Jincheng and the class monitor were up to some little mischief, and Nie Haijie only reacted after a while.
At this moment, he was blushing, looking embarrassed, and stammered,
"Um, I forgot you two drove here. Let's drink juice, juice is fine, let's toast."
Tan Jincheng smiled as he raised his glass and said mischievously,
"Thank you, class monitor, for organizing this gathering, allowing so many of us classmates to get together again. Also, you should work hard!"
Only Nie Haijie understood the latter half of the sentence, which made him even more embarrassed.
He quickly finished the drink in his glass and returned to his seat.
"What did you say to him?"
Zhang Xupeng asked, puzzled.
At this moment, Chen Shuyi also reacted, not understanding why a whispered word from Tan Jincheng to the class monitor made him abandon his previous idea of drinking.
"Nothing, it's a secret between me and the class monitor, I can't tell you,"
Tan Jincheng laughed heartily.
The dinner lasted from 6 PM until after 8 PM, followed by a second round of karaoke.
Nearly 30 people attended this gathering.
Compared to the reunion during the National Day in 2004, more people came this time.
After more than two years since graduation, everyone's changes were already visible to the naked eye.
Whether they were still studying or had entered society to make a living after graduation, their understanding of money was much clearer than it was over two years ago.
When Tan Jincheng and Zhang Xupeng each arrived in an Audi A6, the emotional changes among their classmates were clearly palpable.
Before coming, Zhang Xupeng had asked if they should drive to the party, wondering if classmates would see it as showing off.
Tan Jincheng's opinion was to drive if they wanted to; even if people thought it was showing off, what of it?
Their money was earned cleanly, so they weren't afraid of what people said.
Besides, if they're afraid to drive an Audi A6, what will they do when they become even richer in the future?
Have a car but not dare to drive it?
That's not how you stay low-key.
A group of young people roared freely in the KTV.
The second round lasted until past midnight.
Some girls were already unable to resist the sleepiness, and Chen Shuyi was among them.
For some others, their families had already called several times.
"Let's go, get in the car, I'll take you home,"
Tan Jincheng said, patting Chen Shuyi's shoulder.
Immediately after, he called three more classmates who were going in the same direction.
As for Zhang Xupeng, he was responsible for taking four classmates home.
The rest took taxis back themselves.
The class monitor hadn't drunk much since Tan Jincheng played a trick on him at the dinner table.
He stayed till the end, responsible for organizing classmates to take taxis home one by one.
Watching Chen Shuyi get into Tan Jincheng's car, Nie Haijie's eyes flickered.
"How did he guess what I was thinking?"
Along the way, because there were a few other classmates, Chen Shuyi didn't find an opportunity to talk simply with Tan Jincheng.
By the time the car stopped at the entrance of Chen Shuyi's residential complex, Chen Zhongping was already waiting for his daughter at the gate, leaving even less chance for conversation.
"Was that your cousin's nephew just now? That kid from the old Tan family? Why did he change cars again?"
Chen Zhongping asked suspiciously.
There were other classmates in the car, so Tan Jincheng didn't get out, merely waved at Chen Zhongping from inside the car.
In the dim light of night, Chen Zhongping couldn't see clearly.
"Yes, it's him. And Dad, please show some respect to people, stop calling him 'that kid',"
Chen Shuyi nodded.
"How is calling him 'that kid' disrespectful? I'm his elder after all, can't I even use that term?"
Chen Zhongping felt that his daughter's mood was a bit off tonight, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.
"He's a big boss now; the company he founded is valued at several billion, and he even hired two big celebrities to endorse the company's products. You keep calling him 'that kid' behind his back, and that's not disrespectful? Besides, what kind of elder are you?"
"His online store? Valued at several billion? And he hired big celebrities to endorse it?"
Chen Zhongping asked in surprise.
"That's old news, his business has grown huge a long time ago. Just look up 'Shanchi Technology' online and you'll know. Let's go home, it's too cold,"
Chen Shuyi pursed her lips and quickly walked into the residential complex.
The internet leaves traces.
No matter how low-key Tan Jincheng tries to be, things like high-ranking leaders inspecting his company or signing cooperation agreements with urban investment companies can all be found if one is determined to look.
Chen Shuyi was that observant person.
Ever since Tan Jincheng gave her a small electric scooter last time, she had been following the development of Shanchi Technology.
Other classmates might not know Tan Jincheng's wealth, but she did.
In a year and a half, he went from having nothing to being worth over a hundred million, with products selling well nationwide.
TV advertisements reached CCTV's prime channels, and the internet was flooded with advertisements for their company's products, greatly boosting their brand recognition and other aspects.
How did he do it in just a year and a half?
When did the boy who sat next to her, and was often teased by her, become so outstanding?
What exactly happened to him during his year and more at sea?
Also, his girlfriend is really beautiful.
She saw it in a photo she couldn't resist asking him for two days ago – a picture of the two of them together in Hongcun, both smiling brightly.
(End of Chapter)