Chapter 49: Great Understanding

Auntie’s fashion boutique had been in preparation for over six months, and the final store turned out to be much larger than she initially planned. She split the clientele into two groups and opened two shops. All the suppliers were carefully selected by her, and half of the clothing had its copyright fully purchased, all labeled under her store’s brand.

The closer Chen Jin got to Yang Qian, the more she learned about those luxury brands in the market. Although she rarely bought anything, she found it interesting, and Lin Xinran was curious too. So whenever Yang Qian came across certain stores, she would share her knowledge with them.

Not knowing something wasn’t an issue for Chen Jin; she was the type who would confidently walk into a store and ask the staff questions, even if someone rolled their eyes at her. She would simply move on to another store.

When Yang Qian arrived, she had a sour expression on her face. Upon seeing Chen Jin and Lin Xinran, she said, “I don’t know what’s gotten into Zhuo Ran; he suddenly doesn’t want to go abroad anymore and wants to continue with the previous engagement. I think he’s gone mad!”

Lin Xinran wasn’t surprised by the news, but she was taken aback by Yang Qian calling him “mad.” She then glanced at Chen Jin: “Look at you; what have you been teaching him?”

Chen Jin had this magical ability; the closer people got to her, the more they unconsciously picked up her catchphrases. For example, during her internship at the Cheng Group, she had managed to drive half the administrative department “mad” too.

Without holding back, Chen Jin speculated with the worst intentions, saying, “Maybe he finally realized that once he goes abroad and you find someone else, he won’t have any resources from his family, and without your family’s support, it’ll be hard for him to stand on the same level as his siblings in the future.”

She wasn’t clear about Zhuo Ran’s specific circumstances, but she pieced together a rough idea from what Yang Qian said.

Tsk, people often think about pursuing their heart’s desires when everything seems colorful and beautiful, but when reality hits, they reevaluate? All that love and idealism feels rather hollow.

Yang Qian looked at Chen Jin with admiration, saying, “You really are quite insightful.”

Another insightful person was Zhuo Jiyu.

Dealing with smart people means you don’t have to say too much; they can see through the surface to the essence.

Lin Xinran felt a bit of her fantasy shatter and said disappointedly, “I used to think Zhuo Ran was a breath of fresh air, a refined gentleman…”

“Ah, don’t say that! I can’t listen anymore.” Chen Jin couldn’t bear it because her previous impression of Zhuo Ran was quite similar, and now, hearing it out loud, she felt a bit ridiculous.

Seeing her look of embarrassment, Yang Qian and Lin Xinran found it amusing. Yang Qian’s mood instantly brightened as she raised her head proudly and said, “Let’s go, we’re going to support Auntie today.”

Chen Jin felt she had arrived early, but there were others who came even earlier, like Chen Ting and Liu Chengzhi.

It was rare for Chen Ting to care about the family business; she was bustling around helping Auntie. Liu Chengzhi was also busy, helping to move the flower baskets for the store’s opening.

The two stores were adjacent, and Auntie had invested quite a bit into these two storefronts.

“Why did you come so early, Third Sister?” Behind them, their cousin Chen Yongxin also came with Zhuang Yao.

Soon after, their eldest cousin Chen Yongcheng and his wife Meng Lin arrived, followed by the family of the third uncle and Chen Jia. Even their aunt had rushed over today, even though there was no official opening…

Lin Xinran exclaimed, “Chen Jin, you have a lot of relatives!”

Unlike her own family, where her parents had few siblings and all lived back in their hometown with poor relations, seeing so many relatives from Chen Jin’s family who seemed to have a good relationship was indeed surprising.

Yang Qian didn’t find it strange; her family had many more relatives than the Zhuo family, and the competition among relatives was severe. When there was something going on at home, they could present a united front, but when there was nothing, it was just a chaotic mess inside. They could talk for three days and three nights about their grievances.

Only Chen Jin brought friends over; everyone else was family, and Zhuang Yao and Liu Chengzhi were about to become family too.

They all came to present a congratulatory flower basket for the store opening and to bring some warmth to the shop. Once customers started to trickle in, most of them left.

The shop was equipped with a dedicated manager and staff, so they didn’t need to help out. In fact, they weren’t familiar with the clothes, and their help could even hinder things.

There were two stores: one aimed at young women and the other at middle-aged women, catering to both age groups. Due to their positioning, both stores were naturally in the business of catering to wealthy people.

Uncle’s business was thriving, and during gatherings with partners, Aunt would mention it to the wives of these individuals, and most would come to show their support. As for later, Aunt was very confident in her judgment; the quality and styles were good, and the prices were reasonable, so she wasn’t worried about word-of-mouth spreading.

Naturally, Chen Jin was going to take Yang Qian and Lin Xinran to the rejuvenated store from last year, with Chen Ting and Chen Jia following along.

She hadn’t seen her second uncle and second aunt today, so while Yang Qian and Lin Xinran were trying on clothes, Chen Jin asked Chen Jia about them.

“My dad’s former boss is in the hospital, and they went to visit him. They asked me to come as their representative,” Chen Jia said, looking around, then linking her arm with Chen Jin’s, she whispered, “I didn’t expect that tall girl is your friend. I’ve seen her many times at school with her boyfriend.”

Chen Jin patted her, “Don’t bring up her boyfriend in front of her, okay?”

“Oh,” Chen Jia muttered, “There’s nothing much to say anyway. I was just curious; I didn’t know you were so close to her.”

“She’s okay.” They could go shopping, eat together, and gossip, so they were indeed good friends.

Chen Jin witnessed Yang Qian’s rough purchasing style again. She only tried on one or two pieces she particularly liked; the rest, if they looked good, she just had them “wrapped up.” Except for Chen Jin and Lin Xinran, who were already used to it, everyone else was left dumbfounded: Aren’t you here to buy clothes, not to stock up?

Chen Jin calmly waved her hand to the others, “No need to be surprised; she always buys clothes like this.”

No nouveau riche would be this “brutal” in buying clothes.

After the three of them finished shopping, they said they wanted to go to Dongcheng District for coffee, and Chen Jin casually brought along Chen Jia, Zhuang Yao, and also Chen Yongfei and Chen Yongan.

She told Chen Yongxin, “Second brother, you go focus on work; Sister Zhuang Yao has a good relationship with us.”

Then she confirmed with Chen Ting again, “Are you really not going? I can call you; don’t say I didn’t call you later.”

Chen Ting nearly rolled her eyes at her; she had already said she wasn’t going, yet Chen Jin had to ask again.

But Liu Chengzhi pulled her hand and said, “Since we all have the day off, it’s a rare chance to get together; let’s go along.”

Then he coaxed her quietly, “If you don’t like coffee over there, we can just go around to other places.”

At first, when Chen Jin asked everyone if they wanted to join her, Chen Ting was the first to refuse, wanting to go on a date with Liu Chengzhi since it was rare for them to have time off this year.

Liu Chengzhi had no objections initially, but later, Chen Jia, Zhuang Yao, and Chen Yongan all said they would go. Chen Yongfei hadn’t planned to go, but when Chen Jin said she wanted to talk to him about something, he changed his mind and said he would go too.

The family already knew that Chen Yongfei wanted to partner with Chen Jin to open a travel agency. Chen Yongxin helped find a storefront and wanted to mix in a bit, but it didn’t work out. He said to let him know when they needed to expand and invest later.

Liu Chengzhi understood that the Chen family had some business acumen; even if they couldn’t make a lot of money, they could still make a little. He and Chen Ting both worked in a hospital and didn’t really understand the business side, but since there were capable people around them, it would be wise to build good relationships now so they could all profit later.

Keeping the money in the bank wouldn’t generate much wealth.

Chen Ting’s temperament wasn’t the best, but the Chen family was quite tolerant of her. As long as she didn’t make major mistakes, her siblings would support her.

So, he needed to pay more attention to Chen Ting and strengthen her relationships with others.

Since Liu Chengzhi had spoken, Chen Ting changed her mind, “Then let’s add ourselves; we’ll go too.”

Wow, now it’s “we’ll go too”?

Chen Jin rolled her eyes for her; she was doing it just now, but Chen Jin took it upon herself.

“You go sit in the third brother’s car; I can’t fit in here.” She took Zhuang Yao and Chen Jia, and Lin Xinran to Yang Qian’s car.

Chen Yongan looked around and raised his hand, “Then I’ll also go in Third Sister’s car.”

He didn’t particularly like Tingting’s boyfriend; he seemed like a smiling fox.

Chen Jin glanced at her older cousin and cousin-in-law, who were quiet, and they didn’t need to ask again. Her older brother was going back to his company, and her sister-in-law would follow. From what her sister-in-law indicated, she wanted to go back to show the people in the company that the boss had a lady boss.

The way she said it had some unspeakable implications.

Chen Jin looked at her older cousin’s calm expression and couldn’t tell. She hoped he wouldn’t get carried away after just having a good time; otherwise, her uncle would really be angered into losing more weight.

Regarding Aunt and Gu Minmin, Uncle had been worried for a while. Although he had to leave time for everyone to calm down first, he had also been asking people to find connections, trying to contact a famous gynecologist in the province to prepare for Aunt’s delivery later.

Uncle was beginning to compromise; he felt he couldn’t convince Aunt not to have this child.

In fact, if Aunt weren’t nearly fifty years old, and every little ailment could wear a person down, Uncle would certainly support her and Uncle to have the child if she were in her thirties. Overall, Uncle actually thought it would be good to have a male heir in the family, but it was really difficult; raising a daughter well wasn’t bad either.

Once they got into the car, everyone inside was family; Zhuang Yao could be considered that way too, as she was to become his second sister-in-law.

Chen Yongan couldn’t help but interrupt, feeling frustrated, “Does Sister Tingting really need that orange juice?”

Chen Jin almost laughed out loud; the mention of “orange juice” by Chen Yongan really struck her funny bone.

“Don’t meddle in other people’s romantic affairs. Have you asked your teacher for the grades?”

The car fell silent instantly.

I have to say, Liu Chengzhi (the person referred to as “orange juice”) is quite the performer. He naturally brought Chen Ting into their conversation, making it seem as if he were a member of the Chen family, and Chen Ting was just the one tagging along to a family gathering.

But this guy is good at talking; he can chat about any topic. As a doctor, his profession is viewed as noble and admirable by outsiders, so everyone gradually warmed up to him, thinking that Chen Ting’s taste was quite good.

Chen Jin and her third cousin inquired about any recent travel plans, suggesting a small trip outside the province.

She, along with Yang Qian and Lin Xinran, wanted to take advantage of the summer break to go out and have some fun. However, given the current security situation, the three of them were also worried about being targeted by ill-intentioned individuals. While getting robbed would be bad enough, the thought of being abducted and taken deep into the mountains was terrifying; their families would have no way to find them. They needed to find reliable people to travel with.

Who could be more reliable than their own family? Coincidentally, their third cousin was still planning trips.

Chen Yongfei hesitated. Chen Jin and the others wanted to go to Xi’an, but he wasn’t familiar with the area and had never been there. To be honest, he was also worried about something going wrong.

He didn’t want to mention the last time he took Chen Jin to Hangzhou. It was a big city, and as long as they didn’t wander around aimlessly or flaunt their wealth by wearing gold and silver jewelry in public, they were unlikely to encounter any issues. But what was the situation in Xi’an? He didn’t know.

Besides, his travel agency hadn’t been set up yet but had already gathered two groups, so he couldn’t leave.

Seeing his dilemma, Yang Qian tugged at Chen Jin’s arm, saying, “If your brother is busy, I’ll make the arrangements. Zhuo Jiyu is going to Xi’an on a business trip, and I can ask his assistant to help us out.”

Chen Jin was speechless. “So we gave you so many options, and you chose Xi’an just for that reason? Who are you trying to fool?”

Yang Qian was also at a loss for words. “Am I the kind of person who follows a man around like a lost puppy? I’ve been to all the places you mentioned; I just haven’t been to Xi’an!”

“……Oh, I misunderstood you.” She almost thought Yang Qian was a bit slow-witted.

Well, it was fine. As long as they had someone familiar to accompany them, she wouldn’t go by herself even if she died.

“Third sister, your neighbor’s teacher is here too.” Chen Jia returned from the counter with some snacks.

Through the partition that didn’t block their view or sound, Chen Jin looked up and saw Shen Baichuan.

And there was the guy who whistled at her the last time she was at Shen Baichuan’s house.

Their group all turned to look, and it was hard for Shen Baichuan not to notice them. Just as he was about to walk over to greet them, he saw Chen Jin smile at him, then turned back to chat with the person next to her.

Qin Yi followed his gaze and said, “Oh, cousin, your neighbor is here too. Aren’t you going to greet him?”

“No need.” Shen Baichuan walked inside directly. He had some impression of her sister who would visit their home. Thinking that this gathering was likely a small family get-together, he could imagine that if he went over to greet her, it would only make her feel awkward.

She had moved back to the small Western-style house recently, so there would be plenty of opportunities to greet him.

Qin Yi turned back curiously, stealing a few more glances, unable to figure out his cousin’s thoughts.

Chen Yongfei asked, “Was that the neighbor who drove you home last time?”

“Yeah.” Chen Jin smirked at him. “You want to ask if he’s the rich guy driving that million-dollar luxury car, right?”

She believed that, compared to Shen Baichuan himself, her third cousin was more interested in Shen Baichuan’s car.

But to be fair, who wouldn’t be interested in his car?

With so many cars, she suspected he might even have a dedicated parking lot.

Yang Qian leaned closer to her and whispered, “Is he the teacher you said just returned from studying abroad next door?”

Raising an eyebrow, she added meaningfully, “This guy is impressive too.”

Chen Jin looked at her, urging with her eyes: What are you hiding? Hurry up and say it!

“I heard that every time he goes back to his grandfather’s house, his car gets scratched. Every time it gets scratched, he loses his temper, and his grandfather ends up giving him a new car.”

That level of losing one’s temper was indeed a bit impressive.

Yang Qian laughed, “Maybe he really did get his car scratched, but the last time I went with Zhuo Jiyu to his grandfather’s house, I accidentally saw him scratch a line on his own car with a key.”

Chen Jin: “……”

For the first time, she felt that Teacher Shen wasn’t as icy as she thought.

Isn’t this a bit down-to-earth?

Could that beautiful blue car of his have come from that?

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