Lin Ranran asked uncertainly, “Can I really go to Ji Corporation?”
“Of course. You didn’t get that internship at Shang Corporation through connections. Shang Xu may not handle relationships well, but he manages Shang Corporation competently and has many talented people working under him. I believe in your abilities. You’ve probably also heard about the project Ji Corporation and Su Corporation recently launched together. They urgently need more people.”
“I’ve heard of it. Several senior students and I discussed the project, and we all agreed that Young Master Ji has exceptional foresight. It has excellent prospects for development.”
When Lin Ranran spoke about something that interested her, she became more talkative, and an unusual brilliance shone in her eyes.
“The smart home ecosystem is definitely the best choice for young people in the future. Who wouldn’t want to come home from work to find intelligent appliances that had cleaned the house spotless and kept the air at a comfortable temperature? Who wouldn’t want an intelligent driving system to keep them safe and ease their fatigue during rush hour?”
She spoke faster and faster. “With one phone and one system, you can connect every device in your life. People are forgetful. Once you leave home, you’ll never have to worry about whether you locked the door, turned off the water, left the gas on, or fed the pets.”
Ji Yan’s appreciation for her grew. He knew he had guessed correctly: Lin Ranran was not a fragile, clinging flower.
“This market has an incredibly bright future. No company has yet connected all these household devices through a single system. Young Master Ji, I’m looking forward to it.”
“Wow! Lin Ranran, you were practically glowing!” He Chan and Su Xiang looked at her in amazement.
“Yes, I was captivated. You were so charming.”
“Have you ever given a speech onstage? Your words were concise, your key points were clear, and your expression was confident. You made people want to believe you.”
The more they talked, the more embarrassed Lin Ranran became. “Really?”
“Not this cautious, timid version of you. I mean the way you spoke so eloquently just now. Lin Ranran, go to Ji Corporation. Shang Corporation truly buried a talent like you.”
Ji Yan agreed. “You’re more outstanding than I imagined. Classmate Lin Ranran, I’ll have the human resources manager contact you soon.”
A surge of lofty ambition welled up in Lin Ranran’s chest. “All right. I’ll use my knowledge to contribute to the smart home ecosystem.”
Once the conversation turned to work, Lin Ranran stopped being sentimental, cautious, and self-abasing.
Su Xiang had also decided to join the project, so she and Lin Ranran had plenty to discuss. Ji Yan could only add a few remarks from time to time.
He thought about Lin Ranran’s family situation. If he wanted her to work without worries, he first had to deal with her gambling-addicted father.
In his memories, Lin’s father had repeatedly harassed Lin Ranran for money. In the end, “he” had stepped in to resolve the matter, which led Shang Xu to target him repeatedly.
The solution was simple. Lin Ranran’s biological father could neither be killed nor sent to prison, so they tricked him into boarding a ship to gamble on the high seas. They then convinced him that the vessel had suffered an accident, leaving him stranded on an island to await rescue.
With no signal and no way to communicate on the high seas, he was forced to break his gambling addiction.
By the time he finally returned home, the police had shut down the gambling den and arrested all the contacts who had incited him to gamble. Lin’s father could only return home dejected.
He later tried to enter other gambling dens, but whether he played high-stakes games or small-stakes mahjong, someone reported him as soon as he sat down at a table.
From then on, no one dared to play with him again.
He Chan had said she planned to take the police examination, so perhaps she could claim credit for this achievement.
Ever since Lin Ranran joined the company, Ji Yan had noticed that its projects were progressing smoothly. Whenever they encountered a difficulty, Lin Ranran would get involved, and a solution would appear soon afterward.
Ji Yan began probing this BUG, assigning more and more work to Lin Ranran.
Lin Ranran was tired, but she enjoyed the work. She felt she had found a talent scout, so she pushed herself every day to become a fine steed and make Ji Corporation shine.
Work kept her busy, and her achievements continued to pile up. Only when she took a break did she realize how long it had been since she had paid attention to Shang Xu.
He Chan had just passed her interview and joined the organization. She was confident and poised. “I heard that Fu Corporation and Jiang Corporation have both invested in Shang Corporation. They plan to develop an ecological housing project nationwide and create entirely new fourth-generation upgraded homes.”
Ji Yan tapped the tabletop. “Anyone with spare money can buy Shares in those three companies first. Once official Financing begins, their prices will surge.”
“You’re optimistic about it too?”
“Selling after the price rises doesn’t mean I’m optimistic about it in the long term. Real Estate may be thriving now, but that may not be true in a few years.”
“That’s right. I heard my father say that the banks are extremely anxious. Shang Corporation owes a great deal of money, but they don’t dare demand repayment. Shang Corporation is still borrowing more.”
“With Shang Xu’s personality, if Shang Corporation had enough cash flow, he would never let Fu Jia and Jiang Yi join him in dividing up this piece of meat. This project could very well drag down Fu Corporation and Jiang Corporation.”
“How do you know this project won’t succeed?”
Ji Yan shook his head coldly. “Shang Xu has taken too large a step. Ordinary people have limited money. They haven’t even finished paying off the mortgages on second- and third-generation commercial housing. How many will buy fourth-generation upgraded homes? People will need them in the future, but not now.”
“The Real Estate market was booming in previous years and had already claimed all the prime locations. Anyone building fourth-generation homes now can only go to more remote outskirts.”
“To sell the homes at a good price, he would also have to build hospitals, schools, and shopping malls, and even extend the subway lines. He doesn’t have enough money for all that construction. More importantly, look at the population: both Top-Tier Celebrity cities and Second-Tier Celebrity cities are nearing saturation. How many people would give up the convenience of living downtown for the outskirts, where the infrastructure is still incomplete?”
He Chan didn’t quite understand. “But the city center is crowded, and the buildings are getting older. A new house is certainly more comfortable.”
Su Xiang added, “That’s why Ji Yan said from the beginning that wage workers have limited money. Not everyone can afford to move into a better home.”
“If that’s the case, Shang Xu must have considered it too. Why seek financing anyway?”
“Because Shang Corporation already owes so much. Only by developing a new project can he stabilize the shareholders and stockholders.”
Ji Yan thought that things had diverged from the Plot provided by the System. In his memories, after giving Su Corporation to Lin Ranran, Shang Xu had enough capital to withdraw Shang Corporation from the fray and begin its Career Transformation. Now, however, it could only sink deeper.
After all, this was a story centered on the Female Protagonist. No matter how many misunderstandings and hardships she endured, Shang Xu’s career would plummet once she left.
Lin Ranran’s eyes lit up, and she wanted to make some money too. “President Ji, can you pay me this quarter’s bonus in advance?”
Seeing how money-minded she was now, without the slightest concern for Shang Xu, Ji Yan instantly found it somewhat amusing. “All right.”
Su Xiang clicked her tongue twice. “Fu Jia and Jiang Yi’s good days won’t last much longer. Chanchan, this is what they get for their evil deeds. Who told them to insult you back then?”
He Chan laughed heartily. “Ever since my father publicly said there had been an error in the Paternity Test, those two have never dared to appear before me. Perhaps that’s why they wanted to cling to Shang Xu. Too bad he isn’t a thigh but an Abyss.”
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