Chapter 34: Pan Jiuduan

  Chen Yuanshu didn't mind Chen Ergou's fishing-like behavior, and his phrase "fat water doesn't flow into other people's fields" made her laugh and cry at the same time. Chen Ergou left the teahouse first, saying he wanted to sit for a while longer, so she didn't accompany him out the door. She ordered another pot of Dahongpao tea. The teahouse was small and old-fashioned, with mediocre tea leaves, but Chen Yuanshu liked to come here often to spend an afternoon, squandering time. In the past, she was a member of the wealthy Chen family who didn't know the struggles of ordinary people, but now she was a business elite who could earn hundreds of dollars per minute. Habits are called habits because they are continuous states. Occasionally, Chen Yuanshu would think back to the blurry face of that young man from years ago. Time was like an eraser from childhood, rubbing and rubbing until it erased the people she thought were etched in her heart forever. She only remembered that he had a handsome face without sharp edges, not easily making women feel guarded, with a sunny smile, especially harmless to humans and animals. But one word, "gamble", made this young man who had passed through her family's rigorous tests thoroughly disfigured. Chen Yuanshu lightly sipped the Dahongpao tea, and for some reason thought of the young man nicknamed Ergou, as if he suddenly grew up from a foolish youth who needed constant guidance to become a capable husband. Chen Yuanshu looked down at her beautiful left hand without any unusual features, smiling and muttering to herself: "Don't let me down again, or I'll really lose all faith in men."

  After adjusting her emotions, Chen Yuanshu lifted her wrist to check the time. It was almost time to head to Nanjing Xiongmao Group to give a lecture. After paying the bill, she elegantly got into her Maserati Quattroporte. She liked the supercar's handling on the road because she didn't like Lamborghini's hard lines or Ferrari's aggressive appearance. In the end, Chen Yuanshu chose this Maserati Quattroporte.

  She took off her gold-rimmed glasses and put on a pair of sunglasses that cost more than the latest LV luggage, attracting strange glances from various people along the way. Chen Yuanshu didn't care about these gazes and headed straight to the Panda Group, where she was scheduled to give two lectures to mid-to-senior executives. The first 40-minute lecture would be on Marx's "Das Kapital", which had been revisited by economists worldwide during the financial crisis. The second 40-minute lecture would analyze the impact of telecom reform on the group's mobile communication business. In the Suzhou-Nanjing commercial circle, Chen Yuanshu was a sought-after business mentor among many companies due to her prestigious education background and remarkable achievements in the business world, earning her the nickname "Working Queen" of the Yangtze River Delta region. Her unique background made it natural for large enterprises to flock to her.

  Chen Yuanshu walked into the conference room with precision, wearing a pair of semi-rimless glasses that suited her temperament. Without any small talk, she dived straight into the topic, explaining "Das Kapital" and using examples from domestic and foreign companies to illustrate her points. Her explanations were clear and concise, making it easy for others to grasp the key points. She didn't care whether the men in the room, who were all at least middle management level, were paying attention to her or not.

  After 40 minutes, she announced a five-minute break. It was then that she noticed a listener sitting in the corner of the conference room, someone she had not expected to see. He was around 34-35 years old, an age when men are usually at their physical and mental peak. He had a well-proportioned build and broad shoulders that made women feel safe. This was a very charming man with slightly messy hair, clearly not the type to spend a lot of time on his appearance. However, this did not affect his cleanliness and freshness.

  Even when he didn't speak, the man's simple smile when Chen Yuanshu looked at him made the few young women in the room who had been sneaking glances at him tremble with excitement. Chen Yuanshu nodded lightly and didn't engage in a prolonged eye contact with him.

  The man's attire in this conference room was at most mediocre, not the kind of low-key, introverted private custom-made clothing. Several sharp-eyed group cadres found that this man who didn't seem like an internal staff member not only got along well with the company's vice president, but also had a somewhat fawning and flattering attitude towards him, which was even more bizarre given the vice president's usual arrogant behavior within the group due to his family background.

  There is a mystery.

  Chen Yuanshu seemed to be unfazed, and after the 5-minute break, she immediately began her second class. Her words were concise yet full of wit, and since they were far more relevant to the Xiongmao Group than "Das Kapital", most of the male students finally focused their attention on the lesson. Several young core members of the group didn't forget to enthusiastically ask questions, with about half of them doing so for the sake of the group, and the other half hoping to leave a good impression on Chen Yuanshu, the unattainable eldest miss of the Chen family. Chen Yuanshu answered each question one by one, and her unique charm was truly revealed during the interaction, captivating those golden bachelors in the group and making their ambitions rapidly inflate. Several of them, who had some connections at home, made up their minds to become the richest man in Nanjing, or at least the CEO of a group. Chen Yuanshu showed no interest in these children who were only worth a few million, and after finishing her lesson, she walked out of the conference room and stopped beside her Maserati outside the building. Within half a minute, a man with whom she had a close relationship quickly walked out.

  At 1.8 meters tall, due to long-term persistence in swimming and mountaineering, there is no sign of a big belly, with a dignified appearance, without any greasy or powdery smell, belonging to the typical face suitable for playing a decent role, dressed casually, also won't give people a sloppy impression.

  The vice president of the Panda Group escorted him to the door before turning around and leaving, not forgetting to gaze at Chen Yuanshu with ambiguous eyes, trying to find some gossip to talk about, unfortunately to no avail.

  "I heard you were going to further your studies at the headquarters in Tamsui River Valley, how come you're back from Brazil so soon? It's been less than a year, right?" Chen Yuanshu said with a light smile.

  "The struggle for power has failed, and naturally, he slunk away with his tail between his legs to lick his wounds and prepare for the next comeback." The man said lightly, making it sound like he had just lost a small, insignificant deal.

  "Poor kid, you're leaving so soon? Aren't you embarrassed? I thought you'd at least become a CEO or something, then I could brag to others that I have a friend who's a super boss at VCRD." Chen Yuanshu joked.

  "Who made the Rio Tinto case come so suddenly, it's not a competition on an economic level anymore. Those few competitors of mine just need to play their cards and I'll be exhausted from responding, wasting several months. I'm really too lazy to bother with them, so I came back to clear my mind. The motherland is still the best, even going to the toilet feels comfortable." The man narrowed his eyes and smiled, a warm and intoxicating smile that only men who have experienced many ups and downs can produce.

  "It doesn't seem like your usual style of not shedding a tear until you see the coffin." Chen Yuanshu said with a blink of her eyes.

  The man scratched his head and said, "Don't mention that. Every time we meet, you bring up these sad topics. Can't you just let me heal my wounds? Can I hitch a ride with you? My car is in for maintenance at home, so I took a taxi on purpose to come hear your lecture. Just for this, you should treat me to a good meal."

  "Then I'll invite those friends of yours, have a barbecue to get rid of you, anyway it's easy to support you, inviting you to eat mountain and sea delicacies is purely a waste." Chen Yuanshu said with a smile as she opened the car door.

  A flash of deep-seated gloom flickered across the man's eyes, but even Chen Yuanshu, with her astonishing powers of observation, couldn't detect it. He sat in the passenger seat and said softly, "I heard you've acknowledged a sworn brother; when you have the chance, bring him over for me to take a look?"

  "There's something good-looking." Chen Yuanshu said indifferently and started the Maserati.

  "This isn't about seeing if he really has three heads and six arms." The man leaned back in his chair, clasping his hands behind his head.

  "No."

  Chen Yuanshu smiled and said, "Moreover, your workaholic nature that makes both Old George and Aneli consider you as their successor is something I don't want my younger brother to be infected with. Who doesn't know that you're a born orator? No one who has been brainwashed by you has ended up well."

  "It seems you're really concerned about this kid." The man smiled, with a calculating tone, "Are you afraid I'll disrupt his life plan? Yuan Shu, is it necessary to protect him so much? I'm not a beast. If he's defeated by just a few words, he's too fragile. Is he the young master of some family? From our province or another?"

  "Just like you, I'm a rural person, a standard phoenix man." Chen Yuanshu smiled and added, "Of course, compared to Pan Jiuduan, there is still a big gap."

  The man raised an eyebrow and, after confirming that Chen Yuanshu was telling the truth, suddenly realized: "No wonder."

  Chen Yuanshu said helplessly: "Pan Yang, he is just my adoptive brother, not my boyfriend. Please restrain your completely unnecessary aggressive behavior. Moreover, even if he were my man, you would only have the right to bless us."

  The man made a hurt expression and said with a smile in his eyes: "Chen Yuanshu, there is no silver here, three hundred taels."

  "One more word and you're getting off." Chen Yuanshu said with a charming smile.

  The man immediately fell silent, as if he had learned a lesson from past experiences. (To find out what happens next, please log in and read the next chapter. More chapters are available, support the author, support the official version!)