"Keep your voice down. Don’t let anyone overhear you."
Lin Jiang looked at the woman approaching them.
She was wearing a red dress, her hair was styled in waves, and she’d had a manicure.
It reminded Lin Jiang of a line from a movie.
’It’s someone else’s wedding, but she’s dressed up like a feather duster...’
The woman in red looked a little thinner than Jiang Rongmin, and her figure appeared to be better as well.
But at her age, clinging to thinness as the standard of beauty had a very obvious downside: it made a person look much older, and the wrinkles around their eyes became more pronounced.
The contrast between her and Jiang Rongmin made this abundantly clear.
’My future mother-in-law is genuinely youthful. Just from the back, she could pass for a woman in her thirties.’
"Is that woman in the same line of work as Aunt Jiang?"
Qin Youyou nodded and whispered,
"Her name is Liu Shuli. Like my mom, she’s in the women’s apparel business. Their target demographics are pretty much the same, so the competition between them is fierce. The one next to her is her son. I forget what his name is."
Lin Jiang nodded. ’It all makes sense now—why Jiang Rongmin had wanted Qin Yangyang to come.’
’She probably knew that woman, Liu Shuli, was going to be here and wanted Qin Yangyang to come and put on a show of strength.’
’Given her credentials and achievements, anyone would have to admit she’s exceptional.’
’Except Qin Yangyang didn’t do her that favor. She had no interest in this kind of social circus, so I got dragged here instead.’
"Brother Jiang, do you know why my sister didn’t want to come?"
"Don’t tell me it has something to do with those two?"
"It actually does," Qin Youyou said.
"Liu Shuli’s son met my sister once. Afterward, he called and asked her out a few times, but my sister ignored him. She didn’t want to come in the first place, so when she found out they would be here, she was even more against it."
’So that’s why...’
While they were talking, Liu Shuli and her son took their seats.
"President Liu, you so rarely bring your son out with you. We finally get to meet him today."
"He just got back from studying abroad and has been busy launching his own business. He’s only just recently found some free time."
With that, Liu Shuli began introducing her son to everyone at the table.
"Son, this is Uncle Liu, the founder of Dongchang Textile Factory."
"This is Aunt Wang, the general manager of Tianyi Media."
"This is Aunt Chen, the general manager of Santian Shoes."
"And this is your Aunt Jiang, the chairman of Shuge Group. This is her daughter, Qin Youyou."
Liu Shuli’s son, Li Mingzhao, nodded in greeting to each of them.
"I don’t think I’ve seen Youyou in over half a year. You’ve gotten so beautiful."
After speaking, Liu Shuli’s gaze fell on Lin Jiang.
"Youyou, and this must be your boyfriend."
Qin Youyou smiled and nodded, not shying away from their relationship.
Since Liu Shuli was also in the fashion industry, she took one look at Lin Jiang’s attire and immediately guessed it was Jiang Rongmin’s doing.
’Coupled with Lin Jiang’s good looks and build, her own son was instantly outshone.’
"Youyou, what does your boyfriend do for a living?" Liu Shuli asked. "You’ve brought him out to meet everyone. Does this mean we’ll be hearing wedding bells soon?"
"He started his own company, but it’s probably too soon to be talking about marriage," Qin Youyou said, a little shyly.
Jiang Rongmin frowned slightly. ’This silly girl is just too honest.’
’When you’re out in public, you have to create your own image. You should always talk yourself up. But no, she has to be all modest.’
"It’s good that he started his own business. That’s how he can be worthy of you."
With that, Liu Shuli looked at her son and said,
"You’re all around the same age. You should exchange business cards and connect more in the future. Who knows, maybe you’ll have business to do together."
Li Mingzhao stood up and took out his business card, but he didn’t give it to Lin Jiang first.
Instead, he first approached Liu Dongchang and the others, presenting his card with both hands in a very respectful manner.
When he got to Lin Jiang, however, he casually handed over the card, his attitude a complete reversal of how he’d treated the others.
Jiang Rongmin shot him a cool glance but said nothing.
"Sorry, I don’t have my business cards with me."
"No problem," Li Mingzhao said coolly, as if he had no intention of asking for Lin Jiang’s card anyway.
Lin Jiang didn’t get up. He took the card with one hand and set it face down on the table.
The atmosphere at the table instantly tensed. It was clear they were squaring off.
Jiang Rongmin nodded in satisfaction, a faint smile playing on her lips.
She deeply respected Lin Jiang’s capabilities, but what she admired even more was the untamable, rebellious streak in his nature.
’It didn’t matter who you were; he had the guts to flip the table on anyone.’

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