Chapter 143: Lin Jie’s Four-Young Master Gang
Looking at Jiang Bin, who was already deep in conversation with his father, Xia Yu felt utterly helpless, her little face expressing the kind of grievance that could make a statue weep. She clearly didn’t want to go! How on earth did Jiang Bin get that mixed up?
The displeasure on Xia Yu’s face was hard to miss, causing Jiang Kekai, who sat beside her, to gently pat her head and chuckle in a comforting tone, “It’s fine, Little Yu! It’s just a few days at your sister’s house, nothing to worry about! Plus, her place is huge!”
“Really?”
“You’ll see!”
She pinched Xia Yu’s cheek affectionately, a smile lighting up her face.
Meanwhile, Jiang Dong and Jiang Hanhang sat quietly on their chairs, watching the scene unfold. Strangely enough, seeing Jiang Kekai being so affectionate with Xia Yu stirred a bit of envy in them. It wasn’t that they wanted Jiang Kekai’s affection, but they envied the bond she shared with Xia Yu. When would they find such connections? But envy aside, that didn’t change how Jiang Dong felt about Xia Yu.
Jiang Bin and Zhang Yunzhi also noticed the interaction between their eldest daughter and Xia Yu. What was so strange about it? Their eldest daughter wouldn’t happen to have some hard-to-explain preference, would she?
Exactly! They only began to relax about their daughter spending time with Xia Yu after she turned into a girl, but that didn’t mean they supported any peculiar romantic inclinations.
Jiang Bin opened his mouth, ready to speak, when the sound system on stage cut him off.
“Today, we are holding a business forum. Firstly, to chat with everyone, secondly, to boost morale and facilitate communication and collaboration among entrepreneurs, and thirdly, to hear everyone’s thoughts on the current economic situation…”
Upon hearing these familiar phrases, Jiang Bin knew the gathering was starting. He had to set aside his earlier thoughts and pay attention to the stage.
The other entrepreneurs were doing pretty much the same, respectfully focusing their eyes on the podium, regardless of whether they could actually see the figures on it; they could definitely see the enormous screen.
Especially since Xia Yu sat in the front row, glancing left and right, not knowing what to do. Then she noticed the people behind her were all looking forward… suddenly, she felt self-conscious again. It was her first time in such a place, and she was so nervous!
Just then, Jiang Kekai pulled out a Bluetooth earpiece and personally helped Xia Yu put it on while chuckling, “Little silly, don’t worry about them. Just listen to some music and relax.”
Xia Yu glanced at Jiang Kekai, and sure enough, she was already fiddling with her phone on the table… and looking across to Jiang Dong and Jiang Hanhang, they were also absorbed in their phones.
Maybe it was a bit disrespectful, but after all, they were just kids, right? Were they supposed to go up and give speeches? Perhaps it was the contagion of Jiang Kekai’s relaxed demeanor that eased Xia Yu’s tension, allowing her to gradually calm down.
Things moved along quickly, and before long, it was time for Jiang Bin and the other successful entrepreneurs to share their insights, followed by a free mingling segment. This “free mingling” meant wandering around, making friends, and exchanging business cards to hopefully collaborate later.
Right at that moment, the hotel staff began serving food—after all, it was time to eat and drink well!
As the top entrepreneur in Demon City, Jiang Bin didn’t need to roam for partners; he comfortably stayed in his seat. Sure enough, within seconds, a well-dressed man in a royal blue suit approached him with a smile.
“Hello, I’m Li Tian, the General Manager of Peng City Tianhai Group. Can we become friends? I look forward to collaborating on business!” He finished with a smile and presented a business card to Jiang Bin. Accepting it would clearly convey his intent.
However, at that moment, Jiang Bin glanced at his wife, Zhang Yunzhi. After she gave a slight nod, he took the business card expressionlessly. Still, that small action made Li Tian genuinely happy; he gave a deep bow to Jiang Bin before walking away.
Once Li Tian had strolled off farther, Zhang Yunzhi leaned in to inform Jiang Bin, “Tianhai Group was registered eight years ago and is currently ranked one hundred eighty-nine in Peng City. They mainly focus on beverages and snacks. Li Tian is forty-five, upright, and has no negative information. Potential for investment and collaboration.”
“Mm.”
Jiang Bin briefly examined the business card before putting it away. Not long after, another man approached…
Without fail, each time a potential collaborator left, Zhang Yunzhi accurately recited their details. Xia Yu witnessed this in awe and thought it was impossible to have such a good memory.
Perhaps her fascination was too obvious; Zhang Yunzhi noticed her and smiled but said nothing. After all, this was a crucial time for filtering out the less favorable entrepreneurs. “Alright, Little Yu, those things don’t concern you. Let’s eat!”
Before anyone knew it, the servers had already placed the dishes on the table. Habitually, Jiang Kekai was about to feed Xia Yu again. Xia Yu, also habitually, didn’t refuse as she opened her mouth for the expertly peeled shrimp Jiang Kekai had prepared.
Jiang Dong and Jiang Hanhang had never seen Jiang Kekai show such care for an outsider, and like Jiang Bin and Zhang Yunzhi the first time they witnessed this scene, they were both stunned. Is this really the Jiang Kekai they knew?
Simultaneously, Jiang Hanhang felt a pang of envy. After all these years, her sister had never peeled shrimp for her, and now she was doing it for an outsider! It wasn’t just them who were shocked; the entrepreneurs and their children who had been watching the Jiang family were equally astounded.
Miss Jiang Kekai is personally peeling shrimp for someone! Who on earth is that girl?
Even though some had discreetly sent people to investigate, the information wouldn’t arrive that quickly, so they could only continue to wonder. Not far from the Jiang family, four young men started discussing Jiang Kekai and Xia Yu.
“Lin Jie, look at your crush being so nice to another girl! Are you feeling jealous?”
Lin Jie frowned at the scene of Jiang Kekai and Xia Yu, then replied nonchalantly, “Aren’t you guys curious about who that girl with Jiang Kekai is? I know.”
“Really? You should’ve said so earlier! Quickly, spill! Which family is she from? Why does Jiang Kekai care so much?”
Seeing his friends so eager, Lin Jie smirked, “I advise you not to get any ideas. She’s actually a guy; I checked.”
“A guy?”
Lin Jie’s three friends stared at the super cute Xia Yu, muttering in disbelief, “No way! How could that be?”
“Believe it or not, but I’m telling you, it’s fortunate I didn’t invest in her back then; otherwise, I would’ve lost out.”
Having seen Lin Jie so calm, his friends knew he wasn’t lying, but how could such an adorable girl be a guy? They were having a hard time accepting it.
Talk about wasting such a cute face!
“But why is a guy dressed like that? I wouldn’t have guessed if you hadn’t said anything.”
“True gem is spoken for! Lin Jie, wasn’t it you who got kicked by Jiang Kekai? Was it because of that girl?”
It seemed to trigger something in Huang Guojun, who taunted Lin Jie.
Both Guo Yonggang and Jiang Zhengyao suddenly recalled a certain incident and shot knowing smiles at Lin Jie.
“Hey, bro, you knew she was a guy? Why did you still go after her? And then got kicked by the young lady?”
“Cut it out! Back then, I didn’t know. I found out later,” Lin Jie groaned, remembering the humiliation of being kicked in the family jewels. He didn’t dare to retaliate, either; the Jiang family was just too powerful for his Lin family to handle.
“By the way, since you can’t manage Jiang Kekai, can’t you handle that guy?” Guo Yonggang suggested, recalling how those elite young masters like to stir trouble.
“You think I wouldn’t want to? But this person is practically glued to Jiang Kekai, making it impossible for me to get close.”
“Where does she go to school? We could send someone.”
“No clue, the latest I heard is she dropped out. Her parents are still figuring out what school to put her in.”
“No worries, she may run away from the initial meeting, but she can’t escape us forever! We’ll help you out, and you’ll be all good, bro!” Upon hearing this, Lin Jie finally smiled, “Thanks, guys!”
“No problem! When a brother’s in trouble, how could we not help?”
…
As they ate, Xia Yu was well-fed by Jiang Kekai and settled back in her chair to rest.
Suddenly, Xia Yu felt a strange sensation, causing her to unconsciously glance in a certain direction. A table there had four guys lounging with glasses of wine, and one of them was Lin Jie.
Seeing Lin Jie triggered Xia Yu’s memory of what Jiang Kekai had said: Had she really been kidnapped because of the Lin family?
Noticing Xia Yu’s fixation on a spot, Jiang Kekai curiously followed her gaze and found that Xia Yu was staring at Lin Jie’s table. This made her feel a bit irritated.
