“Someone from Liangzhou?”

Liangzhou is so big, and there are many people doing business in Yangcheng.

Thinking about who Jiang Zhida might be referring to, Chuxia wondered if it was the young man from the clothing store she frequently visited in Liangzhou.

The clothes he brought were always from Yangcheng, and since his store in Liangzhou had the most fashionable clothes, Chuxia and An’an usually bought their clothes there.

“Is he in the clothing business?” Chuxia asked Jiang Zhida.

“No, he’s in the same line of business as me, his name is Qi Xiangdong. Have you heard of him, cousin?”

Chuxia frowned.

She knew who Qi Xiangdong was—he was Qi Ming’s father, the male lead of the original book.

She had been puzzled about how Cen Huai’an would get involved with Qi Ming after the original protagonist’s death and how the later events in the book would unfold.

Now that Jiang Zhida knew Qi Xiangdong and their relationship seemed good, it was clear that Cen Huai’an’s future interactions with the Qi family would likely start from Jiang Zhida’s connections.

With connections in Liangzhou and the Qi family’s interest in ingratiating themselves, it was only natural for Cen Huai’an and Qi Ming’s relationship to gradually develop.

Chuxia sighed inwardly.

She thought that leaving Liangzhou and distancing herself from Guan Yan and Qi Ming would mean leaving behind the contents of the original book.

It seemed things were not so simple.

However, with the butterfly effect already in play, even if the Qi family came to the capital now, the current An’an was no longer the unloved An’an from the book.

He wouldn’t become the character described in the book.

“I know him,” Chuxia said to Jiang Zhida, her smile fading. “His family is our neighbor.”

Jiang Zhida looked at Chuxia and noticed the change in her attitude.

He appeared thoughtful.

“I’ve never heard Qi Xiangdong mention his family,” Jiang Zhida said.

Chuxia replied calmly, “Our families don’t have much contact.”

Since they were neighbors but had little interaction, it was clear that Chuxia’s view of the Qi family wasn’t favorable.

Jiang Zhida considered this and decided he needed to think more about the cooperation with Qi Xiangdong.

Compared to the relatively new Qi Xiangdong, Jiang Zhida obviously trusted Chuxia more.

Jiang Zhida shifted the topic away from Qi Xiangdong and talked about his business in Yangcheng to Cen Zhengnian, Cen Huai’an, and Chuxia.

Over the years, Jiang Zhida had been constantly traveling between Yangcheng and the capital for business, encountering many challenges and maturing a lot.

Jiang Zhida rarely shared the dangers he faced with his family, only consulting his elder brother about how he handled such situations.

He also sought Chuxia’s advice on significant business decisions.

When Chuxia learned that she and Cen Zhengnian had invested in Jiang Zhida’s business, she was surprised.

She initially refused, feeling that since they only contributed a portion of the funds and Jiang Zhida and Qian Ran did the hard work, it was unfair to them.

However, Jiang Zhida insisted that without their investment, his business would not have taken off, and he couldn’t give up that share.

After a lengthy discussion, they compromised—Chuxia would take the shares, but only 8%, not the 20% initially proposed.

When Jiang Zhida’s business was just starting, Chuxia’s dividends were minimal, and she didn’t take them, allowing Jiang Zhida to reinvest them in the business.

As the business grew and expanded into two stores in the capital, Chuxia began receiving annual dividends.

When Jiang Zhida was unsure whether to take a risk or play it safe, Chuxia provided crucial advice, helping him avoid some pitfalls based on her knowledge of future directions.

Jiang Zhida found that following Chuxia’s advice never went wrong and increasingly trusted her judgment.

Cen Zhengnian, who wasn’t well-versed in business, didn’t interfere in Chuxia and Jiang Zhida’s discussions.

He sat to the side, peeling apples, and after finishing, cut the apples into small pieces.

When Jiang Zhida reached for a piece of apple, Cen Zhengnian grabbed his wrist and handed him an unpeeled apple. “Eat this one.”

Jiang Zhida looked at the apple on the plate and asked, “Why can’t I eat that one?”

Cen Zhengnian placed the plate with the cut apples in front of Chuxia and Cen Huai’an. “Because these are for Chuxia and An’an.”

Cen Zhengnian continued peeling, and Jiang Zhida suddenly felt the apple he held wasn’t as appetizing.

Grandpa Jiang, observing, laughed heartily, “Dazi, isn’t the unpeeled apple good?”

Jiang Zhida took a big bite of the apple and replied, “It’s good! Especially sweet!”

“An’an!” As soon as Zhang Lu arrived at Grandpa Jiang’s house, she excitedly shouted his name.

Cen Huai’an, sitting on the sofa eating an apple, swallowed the bite he had and said, “Sister.”

Zhang Lu, with a radiant smile, rushed in, bringing with her a gust of wind.

Although she was full of energy, she still greeted each elder in the living room and then squeezed in between Jiang Zhida and Cen Huai’an.

“Uncle, move a little to the side. I have something to say to An’an.”

Jiang Zhida made room for her, curiously munching on an apple, “What do you want to say to An’an?”

Zhang Lu loudly said, “An’an won first place in the math competition and has become famous in our school’s advanced math class! An’an, our teacher even made copies of the test paper you wrote and showed them to us, praising your perfect work and scolding us for not being as good!”

As she spoke, Zhang Lu laughed heartily, and her clear laughter echoed throughout the living room.

“An’an, the people in our class used to be so proud, but now they finally realize there’s always someone better out there. You’re amazing, and every time I say you’re my brother, I feel especially proud!”

Although Zhang Lu had a good relationship with her classmates, she sometimes felt they were too arrogant.

Now that they had been humbled by Cen Huai’an, she was particularly pleased.

Neither Chuxia nor Cen Huai’an had spoken about his math competition results outside the family.

Cen Huai’an had won so many first prizes that Chuxia only praised him at home.

Talking too much about it outside might make others think she was bragging rather than being genuinely happy.

Cen Huai’an didn’t consider winning first place as a big deal.

He would often subconsciously forget the awards he’d won, believing that remembering them would make him proud and hinder his progress.

Jiang’s grandfather and Jiang Zhida were surprised by Zhang Lu’s words, not by Cen Huai’an’s achievement but by his ability to resist boasting about it.

Children love the praise and attention of others.

Even a single word of praise from a teacher would prompt them to share it with their parents, unable to keep it to themselves.

“An’an, why didn’t you tell Great-grandpa about your competition results?”

Cen Huai’an put down his apple and looked at Jiang’s grandfather seriously, “Great-grandpa, the city competition is just the first stage. There are many talented middle school students nationwide, and there are many first-place winners.”

So even though he won first place, there was no need to boast about it.

An’an only shared his results with Chuxia and Cen Zhengnian, and receiving praise from Chuxia made him happy.

Jiang Zhida looked at Cen Huai’an with admiration, then suddenly pinched his face.

Cen Huai’an’s expression remained unchanged, only showing a puzzled look: Uncle, what are you doing?

Jiang Zhida released him and avoided Jiang’s grandfather’s swat, laughing, “I just wanted to see if An’an really is only ten years old. When I was ten, I only cared about eating and playing outside. I wouldn’t have thought of all this.”

Jiang’s grandfather finally patted him on the back, “Do you think everyone is like you, being so unremarkable?”

Chuxia laughed from the side, while Cen Zhengnian placed the cut apples in front of her again, “Eat some apples.”

Chuxia turned to him, “Zhengnian, I think An’an is too hard on himself.”

Cen Zhengnian replied, “When I was ten, I was like An’an. At that time, I thought doing what I loved was more interesting than playing outside.”

Chuxia glanced at him, “But Mom told me you and your older brother did quite a few ‘mischievous’ things when you were young.”

Her words hinted that Cen Zhengnian wasn’t a well-behaved child; he only appeared obedient on the surface.

Behind the scenes, he had often given his older brother ideas for mischief.

Cen Zhengnian fed a piece of apple to Chuxia, showing no embarrassment at being reminded of his past mischief.

Smiling, he nodded, “Yes, that’s right.”

Cen Zhengnian admitted to the things Chuxia mentioned, but he felt those were just childhood events and didn’t affect the present.

Chuxia bit the apple from his hand, looked at his face for a moment, and found he still looked the same, his eyes questioning her about what was wrong.

Chuxia shook her head and looked away: she had long known about Cen Zhengnian’s resilience, which was unmatched by ordinary people.

Meanwhile, Zhang Lu was talking about their advanced math class classmates, “Liu Hongyu doesn’t brag about being first anymore.”

Holding an apple in her hand, she continued, “He only got second place in this math competition and didn’t do as well as me. He’s really been hit hard.”

Cen Huai’an asked Zhang Lu, “Sis, did you also win first place?”

Zhang Lu nodded and waved her hand dismissively, “I can’t compare to your results. I was just barely the last one among the first prize winners. What makes me happy is that I get to join you in the national competition! But you’re aiming for first place in the national competition, while I’m just going to see what it’s like.”

Jiang’s grandfather watched the two children talk about attending the national competition, his smile never fading.

---

After leaving Jiang’s grandfather’s house, Jiang Zhida went to find Qian Ran.

Both Jiang Zhida and Qian Ran had changed significantly.

Qian Ran, once shy and weak, had lost that shyness through numerous experiences. His expression was no longer as transparent as before.

“Xiao Ran.” Qian Ran handed Jiang Zhida a cigarette.

The two stood in the courtyard, surrounded by smoke, and neither spoke for a while.

After a while, Jiang Zhida extinguished his cigarette and said, “Consider the cooperation with Qi Xiangdong again.”

Qian Ran also put out his cigarette, frowning, “Why?”

“Qian Ran has deeper connections in Yangcheng. Building a factory there would be smoother. He just wants us to help him enter the Beijing market. Our cooperation would be mutually beneficial.”

Jiang Zhida said, “I met my cousin today, and she knows Qi Xiangdong.”

Qian Ran immediately understood, “Your cousin’s opinion is that Qi Xiangdong cannot be trusted?”

Jiang Zhida shook his head, “My cousin didn’t say that. But she’s neighbors with Qi Xiangdong, and she treats him as if he were a stranger. I even noticed a hint of displeasure in her tone when she mentioned him.”

Qian Ran respected Chuxia’s judgment, as many business decisions in the past had turned out well due to her input.

Without her, their business might have faced significant difficulties.

He nodded, “Then let’s drop it. We’ll think of another way to set up the factory.”

Jiang Zhida smiled with relief and patted Qian Ran on the shoulder, “I was worried you might disagree.”

Qian Ran also smiled, his expression turning back to the straightforwardness he had when he first started in business, “I might ignore others, but I wouldn’t ignore your and my cousin’s advice.”