2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 212 Childhood Sweethearts No Match for a Sudden Descent from Heaven
"Didn't you come back three days ago? Why haven't we heard a thing?"

"I don't know. His father came to my house once and talked about his situation, but I haven't heard from him since."

"Looks like they want us to take the initiative; alright, if you're asking for a favor, you should act like one. Take the initiative, then. Could you arrange to meet him tomorrow and have a chat?"

"I'll try to arrange it and see if he has time. I heard from his dad today that he went to a class reunion."

"Class reunion? Isn't it just a high school diploma? What's the point of a reunion for a few high school students?"

"Then I don't know. Let's leave it at that for now. I'll ask again." After hanging up the phone, Li Shiqi was speechless for a moment.

That's quite a boast.

Damn it, your company is bankrupt, what are you putting on airs for? If it weren't for someone pulling strings and me not having to be polite, I wouldn't even bother with you. If you want to sell, be sincere, instead of putting on airs here.

Not to mention that you and Tan Lihua are just superiors and subordinates with no conflict of interest, and you have no way to control him, his son can easily meet high-ranking officials in Beicang District of Ningbo City. What makes you think you can put on airs with him?

I don't know if they've been in a comfortable position for too long, or if they're taking advantage of the other person's young age. In this situation, the right thing to do is to go and visit them directly, swallow your pride and beg them. Maybe they'll agree to your terms because of your father.

They actually thought they could meet up and talk first? Do they really think that the business they built from scratch in other places just fell from the sky?
On the other side, when Chen Shuyi said "You can't drink alcohol when you open your mouth," the room erupted in cheers, and even Zhang Xupeng joined in.

Although everyone in the group already knew that Tan Jincheng had a girlfriend, they didn't mind them teasing him, especially since Chen Shuyi and Tan Jincheng had another special "family" relationship, which everyone loved to tease them about when they were in school.

In the private room, besides Chen Shuyi herself, only Zhang Xupeng had some understanding of her thoughts based on their previous conversations.

In Zhang Xupeng's opinion, these two are quite a pity.

Although we didn't grow up together like I did with Xiao Tan, we could still be considered childhood sweethearts, especially since our families have a deeper relationship and know each other inside and out. But it's a pity that Xiao Tan now has a girlfriend.

If Xiao Tan had taken the initiative, or if Chen Shuyi had expressed her feelings earlier, would their relationship have gone beyond this?
Sigh, now that I think about it, Chen Shuyi used to care a lot about Xiao Tan and often urged him to study. Although she called him an "elder", it was probably just to cover up her true feelings.

It's said that girls mature earlier than boys. Perhaps from that time on, Chen Shuyi had some other feelings for Xiao Tan?
Unfortunately, at that time, Xiao Tan was still a clueless idiot who had never experienced love.

As everyone egged him on, the class monitor's expression darkened. Tan Jincheng smiled after seeing this; having been reborn, he naturally knew why the class monitor was acting this way.

However, he didn't dwell on it too much. Although he had heard in his previous life that the class monitor and Chen Shuyi got together after a blind date, perhaps even earlier, the class monitor had some other thoughts about Chen Shuyi.

In fact, the two of them lived quite happily in their previous lives. Not to mention that he now has a girlfriend, even if he didn't, Tan Jincheng had no interest in stealing the class monitor's girlfriend. He was doing quite well in some things, so there was no need to ruin them.

"Looks like he's treating me like an imaginary enemy. How childish, hehe." Thinking this, Tan Jincheng couldn't help but secretly decide to tease him.

He stood up, put his arm around Nie Haijie's neck, and the aura that Tan Jincheng exuded at this moment, which was so strong that even Zhang Xupeng couldn't handle it, let alone Nie Haijie, a college student who was still innocent and naive.

The classmates who didn't notice anything amiss continued to cheer, but Zhang Xupeng sensed something was wrong. He knew that even in the business world, few people dared to force Xiao Tan to drink.

At that moment, he was really afraid that Xiao Tan would get angry and the situation would get out of control. Just as he was about to step forward to stop her, he saw Tan Jincheng secretly make a hand gesture to him, and then he felt relieved.

"Don't worry, you know I have a girlfriend, the kind you've met the parents of. She won't try to steal her from you," Tan Jincheng whispered, putting his arm around the dazed Nie Haijie.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she let go of him and said to the classmates who were egging her on, "Don't drink and drive, don't drive after drinking. Everyone must obey traffic laws, you know? Also, don't make a fuss, this is my aunt."

When they were in school, Tan Jincheng did resist Chen Shuyi's constant desire to be his aunt, but now he just takes it as a little girl's prank and laughs it off.

The whole process happened quickly and ended quickly. Apart from Zhang Xupeng noticing something was amiss, the others assumed that Tan Jincheng and the class monitor were having some kind of little stunt. It took Nie Haijie quite a while to realize what was going on.

His face flushed red with embarrassment, and he stammered, "Um, I forgot you two drove here. Let's have some juice, it's the same thing. Let's have a toast."

Tan Jincheng raised his glass with a smile and said mischievously, "Thank you, class monitor, for organizing this gathering. It's such a pleasure to have so many of us classmates together again. And you have to keep up the good work!" Only Nie Haijie could understand the last part of his words, which made him even more embarrassed. He quickly finished his drink and returned to his seat.

"What did you say to him?" Zhang Xupeng asked, puzzled.

At this moment, Chen Shuyi also realized that she did not understand why Tan Jincheng had whispered something to the class monitor, which made him give up his previous idea of ​​drinking.

"It's nothing, it's a secret between me and the class monitor, I can't tell you," Tan Jincheng laughed.

The dinner party lasted from 6 p.m. until after 8 p.m., followed by a second karaoke session.

Nearly 30 people attended this gathering, more than the one held during the National Day holiday in 04. In just over two years since graduation, the changes in everyone are quite evident. Whether they were still studying or had entered the workforce after graduation, their understanding of money is much clearer than it was two years ago.

When Tan Jincheng and Zhang Xupeng each appeared in an Audi A6, the change in the students' emotions was obvious.

Before coming, Zhang Xupeng asked if we should drive to the party, wondering if our classmates would think we were showing off. Tan Jincheng's opinion was that we should drive if we wanted to, and even if people thought we were showing off, so what? We earned our money cleanly, and we weren't afraid of what others would say.

Besides, if you don't even dare to drive an Audi A6, what will you do when you become richer? You don't even dare to drive a car? This isn't the way to be low-key.

A group of young people were shouting wildly in the KTV. The second round lasted until after midnight. Some of the girls couldn't stay awake any longer and were starting to doze off, including Chen Shuyi.

There are still some; my family has already called several times.

"Let's go, get in the car, I'll take you back." Tan Jincheng patted Chen Shuyi on the shoulder and said.

Then, he called three more classmates who were going the same way. Zhang Xupeng was also responsible for taking four classmates home. The others took taxis home on their own. Ever since the class monitor was tricked by Tan Jincheng at the dinner table, he hadn't drunk much.

He stayed behind to organize the students to take taxis back one by one. Watching Chen Shuyi get into Tan Jincheng's car, Nie Haijie's eyes flickered.

How did he guess what I was thinking?

Along the way, because there were several other classmates, Chen Shuyi didn't find a chance to simply chat with Tan Jincheng. It wasn't until the car stopped at the entrance of Chen Shuyi's residential area, where Chen Zhongping was waiting for his daughter, that there was even less opportunity to chat.

"Was that your cousin's nephew just now? The kid from the Tan family? Why did he change cars again?" Chen Zhongping asked in confusion.

There were other classmates in the car, so Tan Jincheng didn't get out. He just waved to Chen Zhongping from inside the car. In the darkness, Chen Zhongping couldn't see him clearly.

"Yes, it's him. Also, Dad, please be more respectful to people. Stop referring to him as 'that kid' all the time," Chen Shuyi nodded.

"How is that kid disrespectful? I'm his elder, can't I use the word 'kid'?" Chen Zhongping felt that his daughter's mood was a bit off tonight, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

“He’s a big boss now. His company is worth billions, and he’s hired two big stars to endorse his products. You’re always talking about this kid and that kid behind his back. Isn’t that disrespectful? Besides, who are you to call him an elder?”

"His online store? Valued at billions? And he even hired big celebrities to endorse it?" Chen Zhongping asked in surprise.

"That's all ancient history. Their business has already grown very large. Just look up FlashTech online and you'll know. Hurry up and go home, it's too cold." Chen Shuyi pouted and walked quickly into the residential area.

The internet leaves traces. No matter how low Tan Jincheng keeps a low profile, things like visits by high-ranking leaders and signing cooperation agreements with urban investment companies can be found if someone is willing to investigate.

Chen Shuyi was the thoughtful person in question. Ever since Tan Jincheng gave her a small electric scooter, she had been keeping an eye on the development of Flash Technology. While other classmates might not know about Tan Jincheng's wealth, she did.

In just one and a half years, they went from having nothing to having over 100 million RMB in sales, with their products selling well nationwide, their TV commercials airing on CCTV's prime-time channel, and their company's product advertisements flooding the internet, resulting in a significant increase in brand awareness and other aspects.

How did he manage to do it in just a year and a half?
When did the boy who sat next to me and whom I often bullied become so outstanding?
What exactly happened to him during the year or so he spent at sea?
Also, his girlfriend is really beautiful. I saw it in a photo I asked him for a couple of days ago. It was a photo of the two of them in Hongcun. They were both smiling brightly in the photo.

(End of this chapter)