"Hm?"
Qin Zhengqing’s expression changed, becoming complex.
Showing up without any warning made it difficult to guess the other party’s intentions.
"Go invite him up."
"Okay."
After acknowledging, the female secretary stood up and left the conference room.
"The boss of Ignore-Risk Venture Capital is here. Let’s discuss this matter and reach a conclusion today."
As soon as he said this, everyone in the conference room was stunned.
They never expected the mysterious figure to make an appearance in such a way.
Li Wuyang and Zhou Jin exchanged a glance. Their original plan was to contact this person privately and win him over to their side, which would allow them to sideline Qin Zhengqing.
But now that he had shown up so suddenly, it was hard to say who he would side with.
"Dad, have you been in contact with the boss of this company?" Qin Youyou asked in a low voice.
"No. This person is very mysterious. I was planning to pay him a visit, but I didn’t expect him to come first."
"Could it be that Li Wuyang and Zhou Jin contacted him beforehand?"
"They wouldn’t," Qin Zhengqing said with certainty.
"Given their personalities, if he was already on their side, they wouldn’t have wasted their breath arguing earlier."
"That’s true."
The people in the conference room were all whispering among themselves.
Time ticked by, and soon, footsteps could be heard from the hallway.
CREAK—
The conference room door was pushed open, and the female secretary made an inviting gesture.
"President Lin, please come in."
All eyes turned to Lin Jiang at the doorway.
"Brother Jiang?!"
Seeing Lin Jiang, Qin Youyou couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.
Even the calm and composed Qin Yangyang showed a look of astonishment.
"Are you guys in a meeting?"
Lin Jiang had come today intending to meet Qin Zhengqing; he hadn’t expected the Qin Sisters to be in a meeting as well.
"Yeah, it’s the quarterly meeting."
The Qin Sisters stood up at the same time and went over to Lin Jiang. "What are you doing here?"
"I’m the founder of Ignore-Risk Venture Capital. I acquired 10% of Desheng’s shares and wanted to come talk to Uncle Qin about it," Lin Jiang said.
"What a coincidence running into you two."
"You’re the one who acquired it?!" Qin Youyou’s voice rose.
"Don’t make such a big deal out of it. There are a lot of people here."
Seeing that his own daughters knew Lin Jiang, and hearing him call him ’Uncle Qin’ just now, Qin Zhengqing’s face lit up with joy. ’This is a sure thing,’ he thought.
"President Lin."
Qin Zhengqing walked over and extended his hand.
Since it was a public occasion, Lin Jiang also extended his hand.
"President Qin."
"Come, let’s sit down for the meeting first. We can talk about other things later."
Lin Jiang smiled and nodded.
The secretary was very perceptive, placing another chair next to Qin Youyou. The meeting resumed.
But the atmosphere of the meeting had completely changed.
Especially Li Wuyang and Zhou Jin, who both had grim faces and said nothing.
"Why does he look so familiar?" Lin Jiang said, looking at Li Wuyang.
"He’s the guy we ran into when we went to pick up my sister for dinner."
"Oh, I remember now. That bootlicker... I mean, that handsome guy..."
"Watch your mouth," Li Wuyang said with a stern face.
"My apologies, my apologies. This is a public place with so many people. It would be inappropriate to call you a bootlicker," Lin Jiang said with a chuckle.
"I apologize. Don’t lower yourself to my level, hehe..."
Li Wuyang: "..."
’Is this a fucking apology?’
"Alright, the meeting will now officially resume. Let’s continue with the previous topic."
"President Qin," Lin Jiang said, "may I interrupt?"
"Go ahead."
"I don’t know much about these matters, and I’m not aware of the prior discussion. However, whatever your position is, I support it unconditionally. You can all continue the discussion for what comes next. You don’t need to ask for my opinion, and I won’t participate in the debate."
Qin Zhengqing breathed a sigh of relief. A weight had been lifted from his chest.
At the same time, he was a little puzzled. ’Just how good is his relationship with my daughters that he would offer such unconditional support?’
By doing this, Lin Jiang was also building goodwill.
’The mission is to help the Qin Family get through this crisis. I have no choice but to fully support Qin Zhengqing.’
’Since it has to be done, I might as well say it nicely.’
Some were happy, some were worried.
The expressions on Li Wuyang’s and Zhou Jin’s faces were uglier than if they’d eaten rat poison.
’Their two sides combined have 46% of the shares, and Qin Zhengqing still has veto power. The company is practically yours now. What’s the fucking point of this meeting?’
"In any case, this is a shareholders’ meeting. You should still say a few words when appropriate."
"Alright."
For the rest of the meeting, it was practically Qin Zhengqing’s one-man show.
When it was Lin Jiang’s turn to speak, he would just say, "I agree with President Qin’s proposal."
The Qin Sisters felt great. With their two sides joined, they dominated the meeting and had nothing to worry about.
The latter half of the meeting ended in less than thirty minutes.
Everyone left one by one, and Lin Jiang was led to Qin Zhengqing’s office.
"President Lin, what a coincidence! I never would have thought you knew my daughters. I’ve never heard them mention you before."
Qin Zhengqing extended his hand, shook Lin Jiang’s firmly, and patted him on the shoulder.
"Uncle Qin, there’s no one else here. You can just call me Xiaojiang. ’President Lin’ is too formal."
Qin Yangyang twitched her delicate nose. ’He sure knows what to say.’
However, Qin Yangyang was also wondering, why on earth would Lin Jiang suddenly acquire shares in the company?
’I never told him about our family’s situation. Could Youyou have let it slip?’
’Or did Lin Jiang figure it out with his keen insight and decide to help the Qin Family behind the scenes?’
An uncontrollable, inexplicable wave of emotion washed over her.
"We’re all family here. Let’s have a simple lunch together. We have to have a good drink."
Qin Zhengqing looked at Qin Yangyang and said:
"Yangyang, go book a table at Renhe Restaurant. I’m treating Xiaojiang to a meal today."
"Uncle Qin, you’re too kind."
"You’re not only their friend, but also a company shareholder. For both personal and professional reasons, it’s only right that I arrange this meal," Qin Zhengqing said with a smile.
"You’re already calling me Uncle Qin, so don’t be so polite with me."
"Alright, but..." Lin Jiang paused.
"Before we eat, can we sign a strategic partnership agreement? I need to take these documents back to my company."
"Yes, yes, of course. No problem."
’Business is business. Even though he has a good relationship with my daughters, these official matters still need to be handled properly.’
’He has to make a profit, after all.’
Afterward, Qin Zhengqing had his secretary print out the strategic partnership proposal. Although it was a formality, every step was handled clearly and properly.
The whole process took over half an hour to complete.
For the final signing and handshake, the Qin Sisters even took pictures.
[Mission Complete (Business Crisis): Reward: Flash Strike Staff x1, 20 EXP]
[Reward has been delivered via courier to the player’s doorstep]
’Tongzi, you’re so thoughtful.’
[You have gained favor with NPC Qin Yangyang. Affinity +10]
[Affinity: 110]
[Reward: 1,000,000 NPC-Specific Cultivation Fund, deposited to your account]
[Reward: 1,000,000 NPC-Specific Investment Fund, deposited to your account]
[You have gained favor with NPC Qin Youyou. Affinity +10]
[Affinity: 30]
[Reward: 1,000,000 NPC-Specific Cultivation Fund, deposited to your account]
’So both sisters gave me Affinity rewards at the same time.’
’Very nice!’
After finishing their official business, the group left the company one after another.
"Dad, I’ll ride in Brother Jiang’s car," Qin Youyou said without a second thought, hopping directly into Lin Jiang’s car.
Qin Yangyang, as composed as ever, got into Qin Zhengqing’s Maybach.
Qin Zhengqing took in the scene. ’Judging by their interactions, it seems he’s closer to my younger daughter. If possible, I could try to set them up.’
"When did you two meet?" Qin Zhengqing asked on the way.
"About two months ago. Youyou sprained her ankle while she was out for a run, and he happened to be there. He helped her back home, and they got to know each other over time."
"So that’s how it was."
Qin Yangyang didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just a simple question. At the same time, she took out her phone to chat with Jiang Rongmin, telling her what had just happened.
After more than half an hour, the car arrived at the restaurant. It was luxuriously decorated, and the ornaments and design inside were very classy. One look was enough to tell it was expensive.
When the four of them arrived at the private room, Lin Jiang discovered that Jiang Rongmin was also there. Dressed in a black skirt with a plaid shawl, she was the perfect picture of elegance.
"Aunt Jiang," Lin Jiang greeted with a smile.
"You two know each other too?" Qin Zhengqing asked, surprised.
Jiang Rongmin smiled and nodded. "I’ve eaten at his noodle shop before. I’ll tell you the details when we get home."
"Alright, let’s all sit down first."
Qin Yangyang was about to sit next to Lin Jiang, but things didn’t go as planned.
Her mother pulled her to her side, making her sit at the very edge of the table.
Lin Jiang was seated to her father’s right, with Youyou beside him.
Lin Jiang also noticed the subtle seating arrangement. It seemed Qin Zhengqing and Jiang Rongmin had deliberately arranged for him and Youyou to sit together.
Meeting Qin Yangyang’s resentful gaze, Lin Jiang gave a helpless shrug.
’I’m innocent, too.’
Next came the ordering. Lin Jiang casually picked two dishes, and Qin Yangyang handled the rest.
Since Qin Yangyang had work in the afternoon and needed to drive, she drank tea instead of alcohol.
Qin Youyou was so happy that she wanted to have a drink with them, but a look from Jiang Rongmin stopped her, so she also had to settle for tea.
But this didn’t affect the atmosphere at the table. The first half of the meal was mostly small talk, and the second half got down to business.
"Xiaojiang, I’ll call you that from now on," Qin Zhengqing said.
"Regarding the strategy we decided on at the meeting, do you have any thoughts? I’d like to hear a young person’s perspective."
"Well..."
’Such a serious question. It hit me right in my blind spot.’
"I support your approach. Stability should be the priority right now. If the funding chain breaks, everything is over. We should seek growth from a stable position."
Lin Jiang spouted some correct but meaningless platitudes.
"And for development? What are your thoughts on future development?"
"I think we can tap into the lower-tier markets."
Lin Jiang thought for a moment and said:
"The supply of mid-to-high-end properties is definitely limited. Right now, there are still 900 million farmers. Housing prices in second and third-tier cities will stabilize and lose their investment value, leaving no room for growth. However, residents’ incomes will steadily increase. Therefore, there’s still a lot of potential in the real estate markets of second and third-tier, or even third and fourth-tier cities. We can enter this field; there’s no need to keep competing for high-end properties."
"That’s a great idea! It seems we’re on the same page. Let’s have a toast."
"Uncle Qin, to you."
The meal proceeded in perfect harmony, and the atmosphere was excellent.
After about two hours, it began to wind down.
Besides company matters, they chatted about other things, and Lin Jiang even learned about the Qin Family’s history of how they built their fortune.
Qin Zhengqing was a university student in the 1980s, while Jiang Rongmin grew up in a wealthy family. She came from what was indisputably a prominent household.
Their story was a classic tale of a rich girl and a poor boy.
Now, Qin Zhengqing was a successful businessman, and Jiang Rongmin hadn’t settled for being a stay-at-home wife and mother. She had started her own clothing company called Shuge Industrial Co., Ltd.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t possess such a refined air.
"Mom, Dad, Lin Jiang has been drinking, so he can’t drive. I’ll take him home."
During the meal, Qin Yangyang had already made up her mind to use this as an opportunity to take Lin Jiang home.
So much for the perfect plan; reality seemed to have other intentions.
The plot, as it often does, refused to go her way.
"Don’t you have work to attend to? Just let Youyou take him," Jiang Rongmin said, seemingly at random.
Qin Yangyang: ???
’What are you two trying to do?’
’Are you trying to set those two up?’
’So I’m the outsider now?’

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