2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 207 The Anxiety Before the Spring Festival
"Today is the Little New Year, is everyone busy? How about we get together sometime?"

"Yeah, the last gathering was during the National Day holiday in 04. A year and a half has passed in the blink of an eye. Classmates, do you want to come out and have some fun?"

"Yeah, it's been two and a half years since we graduated. The last National Day gathering was a bit rushed, and many people didn't go home. How about we have a big reunion this year during the Spring Festival?"

"Where's the class monitor? Why don't you come out and organize things? You have a lot of prestige."

Today happens to be the Little New Year in the South. While Tan Jincheng was having lunch with Gu Qingqing's family, his high school classmates, whether they were on holiday or working, were all bored and wanted to organize a class reunion.

Two and a half years after graduation, those who went to university have settled down, while those who went straight into the workforce are no longer the poor people they were right after graduation; they all have some money in their pockets now. So, this gathering was much more popular than the last one.

"Hey, I've noticed that Tan Jincheng, who used to be known as 'Little White Gu,' has never spoken in the group chat. Didn't he say he was back from the sea? Why is he still playing hide-and-seek?"

At this point, someone in the group mentioned Tan Jincheng. Tan Jincheng had good grades in class, was handsome, and was lively. He was not exactly a nobody, so everyone was quite concerned about his current situation after graduation.

"Yes, he even got into Anhui University back then. Anhui University is about to become a 211 university. If only he hadn't missed it back then, what a pity."

"Ask Zhang Xupeng. At the last gathering, we were talking about doing business together. Everyone knows that, but only Zhang Xupeng probably knows where we're going to do business."

"Not necessarily, he has an aunt in the gang, right? @Chen Shuyi, do you know what Tan Jincheng is busy with these days?"

Seeing the lively chatter in the group, Zhang Xupeng, who was idly playing on his phone, naturally saw it and replied, "He's busy meeting his father-in-law right now."

Chen Shuyi, who was tagged, didn't know how to reply. She had been following Tan Jincheng and knew that his business was quite successful. She also knew that he was a low-key person, otherwise no one in the group would have known about his achievements.

Upon seeing Zhang Xupeng's reply, the one who hadn't responded was startled and couldn't help but quickly reply: "Tan Jincheng is dating? He's even meeting the parents? Aren't you guys still not back? @Zhang Xupeng"

"He hasn't come back yet, but he's on his way. He also met with his future father-in-law," Zhang Xupeng replied.

"Where is his girlfriend from? Why is she meeting her father-in-law on her way back?"

"Holy crap, this kid's dating so early?"

"Wow, Lao Zhang, have you made any deals yet? By the way, where do you guys do business? Why aren't you chatting in the group? Are you that busy with business?"

"Have Boss Zhang and Boss Tan struck it rich? Now that you're rich, bring your brothers along!"

Around 20 years old, it's the restless period of youth. They get more excited than anyone else when it comes to dating. Actually, quite a few people in the group are dating, but everyone loves to hear gossip and wants to know about Tan Jincheng's girlfriend.

Chen Shuyi, in particular, couldn't help but send a private message to Tan Jincheng on QQ: "I heard from Zhang Xupeng that you're in a relationship?"

After waiting for a while without receiving a reply, he remembered what Zhang Xupeng had said. He was having dinner with his girlfriend's family at the moment, so he couldn't help but ask Zhang Xupeng again, "What does Tan Jincheng's girlfriend look like? Have you met her?"

"Yes, I've met him. We used to eat together often. His girlfriend is a student at Ningbo University. She's from Yiwu. She came to attend Xiao Tan's company's annual meeting, and Xiao Tan gave her a ride home so he could meet her parents."

Zhang Xupeng clearly knew what the other party wanted to know, so he threw out all the answers to the questions at once.

When Chen Shuyi learned the answer, she was speechless for a long time before jokingly saying, "I didn't expect him to find a college student. I thought he had something going on with Liu Yifei."

"Huh? How did you know about this? Did Xiao Tan tell you that their company hired Liu Yifei as their spokesperson?"

"No, but I knew that they had asked Brother Chun to be their spokesperson before. Fengchi and Shanchi have such similar names, so I looked them up and found out they are also products of their company. By the way, both of these cars sell very well in Yicheng. I often see people riding them on the street."

"Really? I didn't know that, but their company's products are always in short supply. They've set up several warehouses, but they're often empty. I didn't expect you to care about him so much. No wonder you're his aunt!"

"Is there anything wrong with caring about classmates? By the way, are you free to attend the gatherings organized in the group chat?"

"Why haven't I seen you showing any concern for me? As for the gathering, I'm fine with it, but I don't know about Xiao Tan. He's probably quite busy, and even if he weren't, I don't know if he would attend. He's had a tough six months."

"Hard work? What do you mean?" "Of course it's hard work. You only think that he has a big business and can afford Liu Yifei to be his spokesperson, but you haven't seen the hard work behind the scenes. For a period of time, he slept in the office for more than half a month and often had to work on plans all night. Not to mention business trips, it's hard for me to see him now. I often can't find him."

"Haha, I don't understand these things. Tell me how he met his girlfriend."

"At first, Xiao Tan and I opened a Taobao store. I don't know if you know it, it's called Jinshang Yidu. You can search for it. At first, his girlfriend was a part-time model for that Taobao store. Later, Xiao Tan asked his girlfriend to help with some translation work, and that's how the two of them got to know each other. As for how they started dating, I don't know."

Chen Shuyi knew Jinshang Clothing Store very well. It was the first Taobao store she knew about. At the time, she thought Tan Jincheng only ran a Taobao store. By the way, she remembered asking him where he found the models for the clothes. Although she couldn't see their faces, they seemed to be quite pretty from their figures.

"So it was her. I didn't expect her to be a college student. She's got the advantage of being close to the water, isn't she?" Chen Shuyi exclaimed.

"I guess so. His girlfriend is quite smart; she learns a lot of things very quickly. Now Xiao Tan has handed over the management of the Taobao store to her, and I still have to ask her questions when I don't understand something."

"That's good, it will help his career. Have you separated your careers now?"

"We've basically separated. Xiao Tan doesn't have the energy to manage the company we started together anymore. He's too busy with his own business. To be honest, I'm quite grateful to him. Without his guidance, I wouldn't have had the opportunity or the ability to manage a company."
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Tan Jincheng had no idea that people in the group were talking about him. In fact, he rarely had time to chat on QQ anymore. When he was separated from Gu Qingqing, he mostly talked about missing her over the phone. This was partly due to his mindset and partly due to time constraints.

On the other hand, although he had already changed two phones, Tan Jincheng was still not used to 2G networks. From his first smartphone to 2023 before his rebirth, Tan Jincheng had used smartphones for more than 10 years, and his operating habits and way of thinking were really hard to change in a short time.

Since you're not used to it, then use it less. Gu Qingqing had talked to him about this more than once. She noticed that he was very clumsy at operating his phone, but for some reason, he could talk about phone trends very knowledgeably and accurately.

Gu Qingqing saw this as a magical ability, but she didn't know it was related to Tan Jincheng's rich memories. Men rarely dislike electronic products. In his previous life, Tan Jincheng, who had some money, was also a player who bought a new phone every year. When the Android system first came out, he also enjoyed flashing ROMs.

Around 1 p.m., Tan Jincheng's first meal with Gu Qingqing's family ended. It takes about six hours to drive from Yiwu to Yicheng, and it was already evening when he got home, so Tan Jincheng didn't dare to stay any longer and had to leave in a hurry.

"Uncle and Aunt, I apologize for my rudeness today. I'll come to visit you again when I have time. Thank you for your hospitality." At the restaurant entrance, Tan Jincheng bowed slightly to Gu Hongshun and Li Jinzhen.

"It's alright, the sooner you leave, the sooner you'll get home. Just be careful on the road," Li Jinzhen said understandingly.

"With your wealth, why don't you hire a private driver?" Gu Hongshun asked with some doubt. He had already learned some specific details about Flash Technology at the dinner table, which was quite shocking.

To achieve such success at the age of 20, with a variety of marketing strategies and excellent timing—entering the electric vehicle industry during its rapid development period, and cultivating good relationships with the local government to leverage their influence for the company's rapid growth.

Most importantly, he managed to avoid losses and maintain firm control of the company's equity throughout the process. That's the mark of a business genius.

"Then I'll be going now. Happy New Year in advance to Uncle and Auntie," Tan Jincheng said to Gu Qingqing.

"Okay, let's go. They're still waiting for you. Don't take too long," Gu Qingqing said softly.

Tan Jincheng really wanted to give her a hug, but after glancing at Lao Gu, he decided against it. He waved and headed towards his car, casually informing Zhang Xupeng and the others that they could set off.

After Tan Jincheng walked away, Li Jinzhen looked at Gu Hongshun beside her and asked jokingly, "Old Gu, what do you think of this kid?"

She had seen Old Gu giving Tan Jincheng a sour look at the beginning.

Gu Hongshun said with a straight face, "He's alright. His appearance is pretty much the same as mine back then, and his abilities are about the same too. Qingqing has a good eye, but I still don't like him. My daughter is only a few years old."

"Haha, just keep arguing. He's way more handsome than you were back then. As for his abilities, how dare you even mention them? He started from scratch, while you're just a nouveau riche from land expropriation."

Then, Li Jinzhen looked at Gu Qingqing beside her and sighed, "A daughter is no longer under her father's control once she grows up."

At this moment, Gu Qingqing's eyes were still following the direction Tan Jincheng had left in, which made Gu Hongshun even angrier.

"Stop looking, let's go home."

(End of this chapter)