"Strange, are you that free these past two days? You come to find me every day, this isn't like you."
Yan Yan was still at the company when she saw Chen Pingjiang walk into the office holding a bouquet of flowers.
Cao Jie, in the same office, pursed her lips:
"Showing affection once in a while is enough; coming every day, you must be really bored."
Chen Pingjiang rolled his eyes:
"Comrade Xiao Cao, no one will take you for a mute if you don't speak. I know you're openly jealous; this is a sickness that needs curing, and the best way is to find a partner."
Cao Jie's chest hurt a little from anger; every time Chen Pingjiang used this topic to attack her, yet she couldn't refute it.
Yan Yan pursed her lips and chuckled from the side, seemingly enjoying Cao Jie's discomfiture.
Her tongue wasn't as quick as Cao Jie's, but Cao Jie instantly turned into a combat scrub when facing Chen Pingjiang.
"What are you talking about, can't I come to see you? I was on a business trip out of town a while ago, and I'll be leaving again in a few days, so I can only spend time with you during this period."
After putting down the flowers, Chen Pingjiang casually picked up a financial report and started reading it.
"Not bad, you already have a million registered users."
Chen Pingjiang smiled and nodded.
"What? It's been almost three months, and it took so much effort to promote for only a million users; it can't even compare to Orange Phone's hourly volume."
"The brand positioning and content promotion should ideally be more precise. The slogan can also be updated: Xiaohongshu—Your Life Guide, would that be better? Try to focus the content breakthroughs on trendy living, beauty and fashion, travel guides, and gourmet fitness."
Yan Yan tilted her head and thought, her smooth, porcelain-like neck glowing in the sunset with swan-like elegance.
"I'll note it down and revise it during tomorrow's meeting."
Cao Jie on the other end suddenly began to sigh:
"Comparing people to others makes one angry. We've been toiling for so long and can't beat your casual remark. You deserve to make money."
Chen Pingjiang winked at her:
"Comrade Xiao Cao, have a broader perspective; don't talk about money all day. The important thing is the entrepreneurial process, and you all have grown in that process."
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"
Cao Jie shook her head like a rattle-drum:
"I won't listen, I won't listen. In your words, this is PUAing me. Yan Yan, you shouldn't listen either. He'll probably say money buys happiness next."
"That's not it. Money can certainly buy happiness; it's just that your small amount of money can't buy true happiness."
After half an hour of teasing Cao Jie in the office, Chen Pingjiang finally held Yan Yan's hand and left work.
As soon as the two left, the office area erupted in gasps.
"Now I'm really a bit envious of our boss. Her luck is too good. Mr. Chen actually came to pick her up from work for three consecutive days."
"The handsomer, richer, and more capable a man is, the more affectionate he is. The ugly ones are scumbags instead."
"I'd be willing to shorten my life by 10 years to find a guy who's only one-tenth of Mr. Chen."
"Hehe, do you think I'd do? Although I don't have Mr. Chen's external qualities, I can fawn over you."
"..."
Chen Pingjiang's excessive attentiveness these past few days had a reason, which was a bit of guilt.
Being a scumbag still carried a psychological burden; he always felt a bit sorry for Yan Yan.
Don't think Chen Pingjiang was pretending to be innocent.
Although they were all a bit scummy, being a scumbag who acts entitled and arrogant is a beast.
Normal people would feel guilty.
Especially after doing business worth hundreds of millions with Ge Mengshi, this guilt was even stronger.
This also meant that if Ge Mengshi became pregnant, it would be Chen Pingjiang's first child, which in some ways was unfair to Yan Yan.
......
When they arrived at the Yan family home, Li Yuhua's eyes lit up the moment she opened the door and saw Chen Pingjiang.
Her prospective son-in-law's visit gave her a lot of face.
"Old Yan, stop toiling in the study, come out quickly, Pingjiang is here."
Not long after her words fell, Yan Liming walked out of the study, smiling, folding his glasses as he went.
"Oh, becoming a leader, your whole demeanor has changed. Now we should call you Secretary."
Just last month, Yan Liming was promoted again, a triple jump in just two or three years, like a rocket.
More interestingly, the organization originally planned to transfer Yan Liming to an economically developed district.
Secretaries in those districts are usually high-ranking and concurrently serve as standing committee members.
But Yan Liming vehemently refused to move, preferring not to be high-ranking rather than leaving Wujiang District.
Finally, the organization synthesized opinions from all sides and agreed to Yan Liming's request.
Was Yan Liming foolish? Clearly not.
He had just finished setting up the framework, and the harvest season was approaching. Wouldn't leaving now be like letting others pluck the fruits of his labor?
Moreover, while it seemed like one less step, as long as Chen Pingjiang was there, Wujiang District's economy would develop very quickly.
Wouldn't it be great to directly take a position in the city then?
"Stop teasing me; whether I'm a secretary or not, it's all about serving the people, serving your Renrenwang."
Yan Liming said this, but in reality, his crow's feet appeared from smiling.
In some ways, this was true.
Although the development of Wujiang District wasn't solely the result of Renrenwang's efforts, no one could deny that Renrenwang's presence significantly boosted Wujiang District's economic indicators in various aspects.
Last year, Renrenwang alone paid over 1.5 billion RMB in taxes and directly or indirectly created over 30,000 jobs.
Real estate companies rushed to Wujiang District like mad to acquire land and build properties.
Land prices here were cheap, and clients were wealthy.
The number of millionaires from last year's IPO wave was uncountable.
Especially with Renrenwang's stock price continuously rising, more and more employees received stock options.
As high-income middle-class individuals themselves, their spending power was astounding.
Real estate companies came, commercial real estate came, and other supporting facilities like hospitals and primary schools were also in planning.
These are the benefits a large enterprise can bring.
The benefits extend far beyond this.
Renrenwang is, after all, an internet company, but Orange Phone is different; it's a legitimate manufacturing industry, which will drive economic growth and employment even more dramatically.
In this regard, a brief look at Alibaba's importance to Xiaoshan can reveal the full picture.
Li Yuhua served the dishes to the table and said with a smile:
"What has your mother been busy with recently? I've been busy with newspaper work these past few days and haven't gone to see her."
Chen Pingjiang raised his wine glass and clinked it with Yan Liming's, saying:
"She's busy reclaiming land. She said it was a waste of so much land, so she's directing Old Chen to diligently plant bitter melons and eggplants in the backyard. Mainly, she's too bored, saying if she doesn't keep busy, she'll rust."
"Ah, that's pretty good, at least home-grown produce has fewer pesticides."
As long as Empress Dowager Xu wasn't bored, Chen Pingjiang let her be.
Chen Pingjiang believed he wouldn't be bored after retirement; he'd browse the internet, play cards, and travel the world, living a colorful life.
Empress Dowager Xu, however, might not be so lucky.
Square dancing hadn't taken off yet, she couldn't figure out smartphones even after being taught, and she didn't recognize many characters, so she indeed had reason to be bored.
Perhaps when Douyin comes out, it will be more senior-friendly.
After downing a glass of Maotai, Chen Pingjiang smacked his lips.
Yan Yan, beside him, dutifully refilled Chen Pingjiang's glass, automatically ignoring Yan Liming across from them, making Old Yan extremely jealous.
This little padded jacket is completely worn out!
Early the next morning, Chen Pingjiang picked up Yan Yan and rushed to the airport.
As a distinguished McLaren P1 owner and a billionaire, the McLaren team invited Chen Pingjiang to watch the F1 Grand Prix Shanghai leg.
If he were alone, Chen Pingjiang wouldn't bother coming, but it was mainly to accompany Yan Yan.
"If I'm not mistaken, this is our first trip alone together."
Chen Pingjiang smiled and held Yan Yan's hand.
"Mhm!"
Yan Yan looked at the F1 cars on the track, feeling a sense of novelty.
This year's Shanghai F1 Grand Prix was held from the 16th to the 18th.
The 16th was the practice session, the 17th was the sprint race qualifying, and the 18th was the main race.
As one of the three major events on par with the World Cup and the Olympics, F1 is a rich man's game.
From the parking lot, they took a shuttle bus, and Chen Pingjiang and Yan Yan were directly taken to McLaren's pit garage, then ascended to the second floor paddock club.
Normally, a ticket here starts at 50,000, and ordinary people can't even get one.
A significant portion of those who could enter were famous figures invited by major car manufacturers.
"Wow, who is this girl? So beautiful, and she looks so comfortable."
"Haven't seen her before, she looks like a celebrity."
"The man next to her must be her boyfriend, so mysterious, even wearing a mask."
Yan Yan's appearance immediately attracted everyone's attention.
There was nothing to be done, her beauty was truly extraordinary.
The surrounding minor influencers and celebrities appeared somewhat ordinary in comparison.
Wang Cong was chatting with his companions, holding a cocktail, when he caught sight of Yan Yan from the corner of his eye and almost couldn't stand straight.
"Damn, this chick is hot."
"But too bad she has a boyfriend."
"Haha, what's there to be afraid of? As long as you play your cards right, no wall is unbreachable."
"..."
Seeing the envious or greedy glances around her, Yan Yan felt a little uncomfortable and leaned into Chen Pingjiang's arms.
Wang Cong's gaze pierced through the crowd, fixed on Chen Pingjiang and Yan Yan.
"That person's back looks a bit familiar, could it be someone I know?"
As he was wondering who it might be, Wang Cong saw that person also turn back and give him a meaningful glance.
"Brother Chen!?"
As if possessed, Wang Cong blurted out.
That look couldn't be mistaken.
The people around were a bit confused by his exclamation:
"Brother Cong, which Brother Chen?"
Wang Cong completely ignored them and walked straight towards Chen Pingjiang.
"Brother Chen, I didn't expect to run into you here. So you like racing too?"
Facing Chen Pingjiang, Wang Cong was incredibly enthusiastic, completely different from how he treated others.
Chen Pingjiang nodded:
"Just call me by my name. Come to think of it, you're a few months older than me."
"That's a different matter!"
Wang Cong waved his hands repeatedly:
"Is this sister-in-law?"
"Yes."
Chen Pingjiang pointed to Wang Cong and said to Yan Yan:
"You must have heard of his famous name online, right?"
Yan Yan smiled faintly:
"Hello."
"Hello, sister-in-law, hello, sister-in-law. I've never seen a woman as beautiful as you in my life. Brother Chen is truly blessed."
"Let's catch up later, I'll go look around over there first."
The onlookers couldn't help but become more curious about Chen Pingjiang's true identity.
There are probably not many people in this world who can make Wang Cong, a top-tier second-generation rich kid, respectfully call someone "Brother Chen."
Richer than Wang Cong's family?
It's hard to find someone who fits that description.
Could it be an official...?
"Mr. Wang, who was that?"
someone who had met Wang Cong once curiously asked.
Instead, Wang Cong disdainfully glanced at the person and cursed directly:
"What's it to you?"
After returning to his group of friends, Wang Cong rolled up his sleeves and said arrogantly:
"Do you know who that was?"
"No idea, Brother Cong, who was that? Even you were so polite."
"Which celebrity?"
"Bullshit! Which celebrity can make me call them 'Brother'? That's Chen Pingjiang!"
"Huh? You don't mean Chen Pingjiang from Renrenwang and Orange Phone, do you?"
"Who else do you think it could be?"
Wang Cong snorted:
"My brother."
"Brother Cong is awesome!"
A junior beside him gave a thumbs-up:
"Only people from my father's generation can deal with Chen Pingjiang. I guess among the younger generation, Brother Wang is the only one."
Wang Cong's voice wasn't quiet, and everyone around heard it, quickly looking towards Chen Pingjiang's back.
"Although I've seen him countless times in photos, I truly wouldn't recognize him in person."
"Of course! Online, he's always in suits and ties. Where would you ever see Chen Pingjiang dressed so casually?"
"No wonder, only such a beautiful girl can be worthy of our Mr. Chen."
"While Chen Pingjiang is taking photos with others, should we also try to get one?"
"..."
Chen Pingjiang first found Ron Dennis, the chairman of McLaren, greeted him, and took a photo.
Then he was invited by the McLaren Asia-Pacific President and the event organizers to continue taking photos.
Ron Dennis was very excited and happy to be able to invite a top billionaire like Chen Pingjiang to watch F1.
This was like a walking advertisement; its publicity value was extraordinary.
"Mr. Chen, can we take a photo together?"
"Mr. Chen, what's your girlfriend's name? She's so beautiful."
"Mr. Chen, Mr. Chen, look at the camera."
After his identity was revealed, Chen Pingjiang was immediately surrounded.
Some reporters on site were very excited, rarely catching Chen Pingjiang at such events, and were frantically taking photos from different angles.
Even more excited than the reporters were some other celebrities and famous figures.
Celebrities like Lin Zhiying from Taiwan all came forward to take pictures.
They wouldn't rush to ordinary rich people like this, but Chen Pingjiang wasn't an ordinary rich person.
Celebrities coming to watch F1 wasn't news.
Later Shanghai Grand Prix events saw all kinds of entertainment and sports stars, with important figures clustering together.
In contrast, influencers had to honestly stand aside and act as passersby at such events.
Not long after, news of Chen Pingjiang attending the F1 Shanghai leg with his girlfriend instantly topped Weibo's trending searches.
Don't find it strange.
Lei Bus could easily generate 5-6 trending topics.
In comparison, Chen Pingjiang was quite low-key.
More critically, this was the first time Chen Pingjiang brought his girlfriend to a public event.
Although there had always been rumors that Chen Pingjiang had a girlfriend, few had ever seen her true face, and people at Renrenwang company didn't dare to spread the word, so Yan Yan's mystery had always remained very mysterious.
These days, any celebrity falling in love can become the day's headline, let alone Chen Pingjiang.
The magnitude of the buzz was astonishing.
"Alright, alright, I'm shipping this couple, a perfect match of talent and beauty."
"Showing an auntie smile."
"Brothers, ten minutes, I want all the information on this girl."
"The happiness of the rich is truly happiness; the rich really can do whatever they want."
"Tsk, it's not new. I'm from Dongjiang Sports Institute myself; they were together in college. The girl was the campus belle of my alma mater."
"..."
Chen Guangming, who had just learned to use a smartphone recently, was engrossed in reading the news on his phone when he saw two pop-up windows at the top of the screen.
"Chen Pingjiang's girlfriend's true face revealed!"
"Chen Pingjiang attends F1 Grand Prix with girlfriend!"
The two pop-ups appeared almost seamlessly.
Out of curiosity, Chen Guangming clicked on Weibo to check.
"Hey, Old Xu, come quickly, come quickly."
Chen Guangming called out to Xu Fangjuan, who was chatting with the nanny.
"What's wrong, so frantic?"
"Look at the photo."
Chen Guangming pointed to his phone:
"It's this afternoon's news, your son took Yan Yan to watch the car race. Are you relieved now?"
Hearing this, Xu Fangjuan snatched the phone and looked at it again and again.
It was a long while before she nodded in satisfaction:
"This little rascal, I was afraid he'd be fickle. Now I'm much more relieved."
"I told you, don't overthink things."
Xu Fangjuan rolled her eyes:
"How can I not overthink? You're a man, I'm a woman, we feel differently. The rascal came back several times with different perfume scents, and Yan Yan doesn't wear perfume. I'm really afraid this boy is messing around outside, letting down a good girl.
How would I explain it to Old Li then? Besides, I've asked him several times when he plans to get married. After all, both families have such a good relationship, and these two young ones have already graduated, but he always says no rush, wait a bit longer."
"They all say men turn bad when they get rich, and there's truth to that. Do you think I'm the only one overthinking? Li Yuhua just didn't say it to my face out of politeness. The two young ones have been sleeping together for a long time, but when asked, they say there's no rush to get married. I'm afraid both of their relationship having problems and of being scolded by others."
To some extent, a mother's intuition is sharper than a wife's, especially when living together.
A mother knows clearly whether her son is fooling around outside.
Xu Fangjuan had truly worried enough before, fearing that Chen Pingjiang and Yan Yan's relationship would encounter problems.
But now, Chen Pingjiang attending a public event with Yan Yan was tantamount to a public announcement to the outside world.
This not only reassured Xu Fangjuan but also the Yan family.
Yan Yan, with her gentle and intelligent nature, was unexpectedly passionate that evening, surprising Chen Pingjiang.
This was very different from her usual gentle demeanor.
Yan Yan wasn't ignorant; she simply kept things hidden in her heart and didn't speak.
She might not know exactly what Chen Pingjiang did outside, but she probably had an idea of what might be happening.
This was a woman's sixth sense.
Especially Chen Pingjiang's unusually attentive behavior these past few days.
However, Chen Pingjiang's actions today undoubtedly put Yan Yan's heart at ease, indicating that her position in his heart had not changed.
That was enough...
This was inseparable from Yan Yan's personality; being inherently aloof, she rarely cared about others' opinions, seldom competed or argued, and disliked prying or attempting to control.
This didn't mean she didn't love Chen Pingjiang, it was simply her nature.
It was precisely because of this that Chen Pingjiang felt Yan Yan was more suitable for marriage than Zhang Xinyue.
Yan Yan's unusual behavior that evening also left Chen Pingjiang somewhat pensive.
He reached out and embraced the beautiful person in his arms, feeling their heartbeats.
(End of Chapter)