Ji Huanlan was busy—busy the moment she arrived at Xinggang Fengtou.
Meetings came one after another.
Some important clients she had to meet in person, just to put a face to the name.
“I’ll attend tonight’s financing round in person,” Ji Huanlan said.
Wang Huo thought for a moment. “Chairman Ji, this financing round… Huarong is determined to win it.”
He assumed the young miss wanted a piece of the pie.
But Huarong Group belonged to the young master’s family.
Ji Huanlan didn’t even look up. “Mm.”
Her goal had never been to be some wealthy housewife.
“They invited me, so I should go take a look. Who knows—maybe there’s another good project worth investing in?” After finishing her work, Ji Huanlan leaned back in her seat to rest.
The two of them hadn’t contacted each other all day.
Seven o’clock in the evening.
Ji Huanlan hadn’t changed clothes. She wore a black shirt, white high-waisted wide-leg trousers, and heels, with her soft chestnut-brown hair falling in gentle waves. Wherever she went, she was bound to draw every eye.
Inside the venue.
“Chairman Ji.”
Ji Huanlan nodded at the other party, seemingly oblivious to the deep disdain hidden in their eyes.
“You’re talking about a woman named Ji Huanlan?”
“Yes, she’s also Mrs. Shen now.”
“Is it this one?” The man whose Chinese wasn’t very fluent pulled out a photo to show them.
In the photo, Ji Huanlan looked slightly younger, but she was still easy to recognize.
“Yes, yes, that’s her!”
The man was surprised. “So she’s from Mingyun Cheng.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Then what you said isn’t right. When it comes to investing, she’s an expert. In our circles, Ms. Ji is a legend. She started investing at sixteen and hasn’t lost a single time to this day. Her eye for opportunities is razor-sharp,” the man said.
Everyone was stunned.
Someone questioned, “You can’t be mistaking her for someone else, can you? This Miss Ji never leaves the house. I heard she only stays home doing calligraphy, painting, raising flowers, and drinking tea.”
The man shook his head. “You’ve all seen the photo. I can say with certainty it’s her. I don’t know if you’ve heard about the time Shenglin invested in grain seeds overseas one year.”
“I’ve heard of that. Everyone thought Shenglin had gone mad back then.”
“And then they said Shenglin made billions that year, right?”
The man nodded vigorously. “That investment was a project Ms. Ji participated in. She pushed through the opposition to make that investment.”
Their conversation was overheard by a group of people not far away.
“Shen Xi, they’re talking about your wife, aren’t they?”
“Damn, Shenglin’s investment that year was actually a project run by the eldest Miss Ji?”
Shen Xi took a sip of red wine.
He really didn’t know his wife at all.
When the financing event began, everyone took their seats.
A public financing round was no small matter—it was most likely a government-released project.
Even companies with no intentions had sent people to join in the excitement.
“Buzz—”
Shen Xi was focused on listening to the presenter introduce the project when his phone vibrated.
He hadn’t planned to pay it any attention, but the name “Ji Huanlan” on the screen made him change his mind.
He opened the message.
Ji Huanlan: Turn around.
Shen Xi turned his head abruptly.
About three or four rows back, the radiant-eyed woman was smiling at him.
The corner of Shen Xi’s mouth curved up involuntarily.
He turned back around.
Shen Xi: Interested in this project?
Ji Huanlan: No.
Shen Xi: ?
Ji Huanlan: Just watching the show.
Shen Xi didn’t plan to reply again.
Just before the screen went dark, his pupils trembled slightly.
Because—
Ji Huanlan: By the way, I’ll pick you up and take you home.
This woman…
She really knew how to do it.
“Hot?” Shen Xi’s friend asked.
Because the man had tugged at his tie.
Shen Xi: “A little.”
Ji Huanlan could be called an expert when it came to investing. Her father had taught her hands-on how to invest, and she had been learning for twenty years.
At today’s financing round, quite a few companies had shown up—even people from abroad were there.
It might be a bit difficult for Huarong to secure this deal.
Especially since, recently, because of her own reasons, she had also heard that Huarong’s stock had been experiencing some turbulence.
But Shen Xi never mentioned a word about it.
When the financing stage began, everyone was scrambling to compete.
Logically speaking, anyone could invest, but the host had stated from the start that an exclusivity agreement would need to be signed.
In other words, once one company invested, no other company would be allowed to step in—only one would be permitted.
This meant that everyone with investment intentions was now an opponent.
“Wang Huo, how much investment capital can we mobilize right now?”
Wang Huo was silent for a few seconds. “At minimum 5 billion, at maximum 12 billion.”
Ji Huanlan glanced at Shen Xi’s back.
Remembering how he had helped her return to the Ji family, she curled the corner of her lips and waited to see how things would play out.
Soon, the various companies began competing, not even bothering to pretend they didn’t know each other.
It was quickly turning into something like an auction.
The host didn’t stop them—they naturally hoped the more funds raised, the better.
About fifteen minutes passed.
Among the three great families of Mingyun Cheng, besides the Shen Shi and Ji Shi, there was also the Tang Shi.
Although the Tang family had fallen on harder times in recent years, they still had some capability.
Ji Huanlan had long since spotted Tang Lan, who was seated among the Tang family members, together with Ji Yaoqing.
Back then, the marriage alliance between the Ji and Tang families had given the Shen family no small amount of trouble.
But now, after Mr. Ji had passed away, the Ji and Tang families had quietly cut off contact with each other. Instead, it was the Ji and Shen families that had developed business dealings.
With three families competing, there was a show worth watching.
At present, the Tang family had bid up to 8 billion.
Shen Xi showed no reaction.
For any company to recklessly invest 8 billion was to risk going bankrupt.
It seemed Tang Lan had already staked everything on this, hoping to turn things around through this project.
Ji Huanlan recalled the words she had overheard Tang Lan and Ji Yaoqing, mother and daughter, saying behind her back, and a flash of ruthlessness flickered through her eyes.
At that moment, Shen Xi spoke: “1.9 billion.”
The Tang family members froze, their expressions turning somewhat ugly.
They didn’t know whether Shen Xi genuinely wanted to snatch the deal or was deliberately driving up the price.
But this project really was necessary to invest in.
Yet since it was an exclusivity contract, the funds had to be fully committed, so the smaller investment companies had long since backed off to watch the show.
A few minutes later, someone from the Tang family spoke again: “10 billion.”
The room immediately erupted in murmurs.
This was tantamount to throwing down the gauntlet at Shen Shi.
People whispered among themselves.
From behind, Ji Huanlan could see someone discussing something with Shen Xi, but he never turned around, and she couldn’t see his expression.
Time ticked by, second by second.
“Buzz—”
Seeing that it was a message from Ji Huanlan, Shen Xi opened it.
Ji Huanlan: Bid.
Just a single word.
Shen Xi, who had just been hesitating over whether to fight for this project, at that moment suddenly no longer wanted to worry about any risks.
“15 billion.”
One sentence made the Tang family completely unable to sit still!
This clearly exceeded their expected price.
“Are there any other companies with ideas?” the host asked.
Over there, Tang Lan was in discussion with someone. After hearing whatever was said, she shook her head, seemingly ready to give up.
But just because the Tang family gave up didn’t mean foreign companies would.
Just as a foreign company was about to raise its bid at the last moment, a voice rang out across the venue—
“Regardless of what price Huarong Group sets, Xinggang Fengtou will sponsor 7 billion.”
For a moment, the hundreds of people in the venue turned to look at the woman who spoke, and it was like a brick wall blocking those overseas companies that were itching to snatch the project.
She was, in effect, providing a safety net for Huarong.
Ji Huanlan paid no mind to those gazes. She simply looked at Shen Xi, who had turned around, her features alluring: “The chairman of Huarong’s vision is one that Xinggang Fengtou deeply trusts.”