After Tianxia Net’s success,
Meng Suihuan selected several suitable projects and reached win-win agreements with them. The money she earned from this success brought her a 7% increase in life force. Indeed, as time went on, the exchange rate kept rising. Now, earning tens of millions brought the same value as earning hundreds of millions did back then! Luckily, she still had Lu Linshen as a secret weapon, who could provide life force through another avenue.

After finishing these tasks, Meng Suihuan shifted her focus to a commercial office building project. Two-thirds of the work had already been completed, and it was about to be finished. She still trusted Zhao Chen, and the results proved her judgment was correct. Whether in terms of the details or the overall feeling, he had everything under control. She didn’t need to worry at all. This allowed her to stop following the project so closely and instead devote more time to other investments.

After careful consideration, she turned her attention back to real estate. She had already taken a big enough share of Ning City’s market, and it was time to expand to other cities. To develop real estate in other cities, investigation and research were essential. As Meng Suihuan was thinking about who to bring along, the phone on her desk rang. It was a call from Jiang Chengxuan.

“Boss,” he said, “I’ve taken care of everything on my end.”

Meng Suihuan raised an eyebrow, thinking, This is a perfect coincidence. She had just figured out who her first choice would be.

“Perfect!” she replied. “Finish the handover at the headquarters and come to Ning City to help me expand!”

There was a brief silence on the other end before Jiang Chengxuan responded firmly, “Okay.”

At the headquarters, Meng Suihuan had been training the right people for this very moment. She knew Jiang Chengxuan wouldn’t stay in Shuangyang forever. Once his affairs there were sorted, he would follow her lead and embark on a new journey.

One week later, Jiang Chengxuan completed his work handover and arrived in Ning City. As he stepped out of the train station, his former colleagues were lined up outside, as cheerful and excited as they had been before.

“Xiao Jiang”
“Welcome to Ning City!”

At first, the city had felt unfamiliar to him, but seeing his old friends instantly made the feeling disappear. His gaze swept across the group. Compared to a year ago, everyone had changed in both appearance and temperament. When his eyes landed on the girl in the center, memories of the past flooded his mind—joyful moments of success and the sadness and regrets when he left.

At that moment, the girl in front of him opened her arms and greeted him with a light, happy tone. “Welcome back to the team.”

Jiang Chengxuan smiled at her, his emotions written all over his face, and he stepped forward. Gently, he took her fingertips in his hand. Just like before, he shouted at her, “Boss!”
“I’m back!”

The group couldn’t help but laugh. Even Old Zhou couldn’t resist and immediately draped his arm over Jiang Chengxuan’s neck.

“Xiao Jiang, do you know? When you weren’t here, I couldn’t eat or sleep properly every day! You’re finally here!”

“Hahahaha! Lao Zhou, have some shame! You’ve gained eight pounds! You still have the nerve to say that?!”

“……”

And so, the group returned to the company amid playful banter.
Meng Suihuan had already made arrangements and chose the nearest five-star hotel to host a welcoming dinner for Jiang Chengxuan. Suddenly, someone shouted, “Boss, are we using the private account or the company account for this meal?”

At this, everyone turned their gaze to Meng Suihuan, waiting for her answer. Her amused smile appeared as she was successfully entertained by their childish joke. Just like before, she waved her hand dramatically at the crowd, exclaiming with great flair, “Private account!”
“Eat as much as you want and report it all!”

Since it was a company dinner, she naturally invited Lu Linshen from her other investments to join as well. The location was large, making it perfect for the occasion. When the gathering began, Meng Suihuan personally introduced Jiang Chengxuan to everyone.

Noticing this, Qin Yu nudged Lu Linshen with his elbow. “Hey, Lao Lu, I heard from Old Zhou and the others that this Jiang Chengxuan, Xiao Jiang, is one of the company’s veterans. He grew up with the company.”

“What’s more, I heard that Meng Jie really values him!”

Realizing Lu Linshen didn’t seem to catch his hint, Qin Yu quickly leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “You’d better keep an eye on this one. Otherwise, Meng Jie’s golden thigh might be taken by someone else.”

Lu Linshen shot him a disdainful glance and said to Xie Zhixin next to him, “Lao Xie, change seats.”

Qin Yu was left speechless. I’m just trying to give some friendly advice, don’t blame me later! But it was clear that Lu Linshen wasn’t interested in engaging. Just as Qin Yu was about to complain to Xie Zhixin, Xu Xuanyi quickly stuffed a large serving of food into his mouth.

“Eat more,” Xu Xuanyi said.
“Less talk.”

Qin Yu chewed bitterly. Plastic friendships… But at least the food was good.

After Lu Linshen switched seats with Xie Zhixin, his view of the entire room opened up. His gaze casually swept across the room, stopping for a moment in one spot before quickly moving away. Meng Suihuan, sensing something, glanced in his direction before speaking to Jiang Chengxuan.

“Come with me,” she said. “I have a few important people I need to introduce you to.”

She then walked over to Lu Linshen’s table with Jiang Chengxuan following. Qin Yu, still feeling down, looked up and saw them heading his way. He couldn’t help but mutter, “Hey, they’re coming over.”

Lu Linshen looked up at the perfect moment, meeting Meng Suihuan’s smiling eyes just as they reached his table. Meng Suihuan pointed to Lu Linshen, smiling as she addressed Jiang Chengxuan, “This is Lu Linshen, the person I mentioned before. The success of Tianxia Net, that was all thanks to his team.”

“You two might have the opportunity to collaborate in the future.”

Jiang Chengxuan nodded and extended his hand to Lu Linshen. “Hello, I’m Jiang Chengxuan. Please take care of me in the future.”

Lu Linshen paused for two seconds, then stood up. He lightly shook Jiang Chengxuan’s hand, his gaze unwavering as he greeted him, “Lu Linshen.”

For a moment, their eyes met, and there seemed to be an unspoken emotion in the air. Qin Yu, watching from afar, couldn’t help but cheer mentally, Come on, fight, fight! But the next second, he saw Lu Linshen calmly sit back down, as if he hadn’t been affected by the exchange at all.

Qin Yu was confused. Did I guess wrong? Could it be that Lu Linshen and Meng Jie really only have a pure, professional relationship?

While Qin Yu was lost in thought, Jiang Chengxuan finished greeting everyone and it was Qin Yu’s turn. He quickly adjusted himself, offering polite pleasantries. But as the conversation continued, it quickly became more engaging. If it weren’t for Meng Suihuan stepping in to stop them, he felt like they could’ve talked all night.

When they were about to leave, he heard Jiang Chengxuan say to their table, “You’re quite interesting.”

Just as Qin Yu was about to respond, he noticed Jiang Chengxuan’s gaze shift to Lu Linshen.

Qin Yu: …?

After the welcoming dinner, Meng Suihuan immediately focused on her work.
She gathered relevant information and decided to expand into several cities: Qingcheng, Xuancheng, Yicheng, Yuncheng, and Rucheng. These cities had underdeveloped real estate markets, offering ample room for growth. More importantly, they were also key cities under national and governmental focus, making them even more favorable for her plans.

Once the plan was set, Meng Suihuan took Jiang Chengxuan to conduct on-site inspections. They first visited Xuancheng, which had just started developing. Although real estate was scarce, land resources were abundant. Meng Suihuan contacted the relevant departments, purchasing a series of land parcels and obtaining the necessary paperwork. At that time, land was still available for unrestricted purchase as the government had not yet issued policies limiting purchases. Seizing the opportunity, she decided to buy as much land as possible, knowing that future land appreciation would come with restrictions, and buying land would no longer be possible.

The progress in Xuancheng went smoothly, but in Qingcheng, she faced some setbacks. Someone had gotten there before her and bought up the land she had intended to acquire. Initially, she considered giving up, but just as she was leaving, someone stopped her. A man’s voice rang out near her ear.

“Well, well. What a coincidence! To meet Boss Meng here!”
“But it’s a pity. I think you’ve arrived a bit late. I’ve already bought the land here.”

The man’s expression was smug, as if intentionally trying to show off. Meng Suihuan looked at him, confused, staring for a few moments before realizing she had no recollection of him. Finally, she asked tentatively, “Who are you?”

She quickly noticed the man’s expression freeze for a moment, followed by a look of anger. “Seems like Boss Meng is really a person of many forgetful moments! It hasn’t been long since the conference, and you’ve already forgotten me!”

A conference? His mention of it made Meng Suihuan think for a moment, mentally going over the key information, but she still couldn’t recall him.

The man, visibly frustrated, continued, “At the conference, I kindly helped Miss Meng, but instead, you mocked me…”

Before he could finish, Meng Suihuan drawled out an “Oh,” then said calmly, “So it’s you.”

“No wonder I felt the tone sounded familiar; I didn’t expect it to be someone I know.”

The man, furious, thought to himself, Who the hell do you think you are to call me a familiar person? He remembered the humiliation he felt and had deliberately purchased the land in Qingcheng to use it as an opportunity to embarrass her. Now, she was trying to play the friendly card with him.

With arrogance, he replied, “Boss Meng, you’re joking. Someone like me, with my status, how could I be worthy to be friends with you?”

Before he could finish his sentence, Meng Suihuan interrupted him, “Hm, I didn’t expect you to be so self-aware.”

“Self-aware?” the man looked at her, confused.

Meng Suihuan slowly added, “At least you know you’re not worthy of being my friend.”

The man was immediately furious, his eyes practically sparking with anger. He glared at her, his voice filled with fury. “Meng Suihuan, how dare you humiliate me!”

“As for the land in Qingcheng, don’t even think about it. No matter what conditions you offer, I won’t back down!”

Meng Suihuan said nothing, merely raising an eyebrow. How did I not notice how bizarre and overly confident this man is? She couldn’t help but smile, amused.

“Confidence is good,” she said, “but overconfidence might not be such a great thing.”

She had never shown any interest in the land he owned, yet he had imposed his thoughts on her. “As for the land in your hands, keep it. You’ll use it when you’re old, so it’s not a waste.” She then walked away casually.

On the way, Jiang Chengxuan gave her a thumbs-up. “It’s only been a year, and your wit has gotten sharper, boss.”

“But are you really giving up on the land in Qingcheng?” He asked. Qingcheng had even more development potential, and the national policies and benefits were particularly favorable. They had discussed this project as a priority before, but now it seemed such a missed opportunity.

Meng Suihuan shook her head with a smile. “What I just said was just some sarcasm, pretending to give up.”

“How could you take it seriously?”

Jiang Chengxuan: …