Who would still start a business seriously after being reborn?

Chapter 368 Is she the woman behind Cheng Yi?
"Get me two pendant cords, preferably good quality ones," Cheng Yi said politely with a smile.

Hearing that Cheng Yi wasn't buying jewelry, the shop manager felt a little disappointed, but out of professionalism, she still smiled and asked, "What price range are you looking for? Our most expensive pendant cord is 1500 yuan, and the clasp is made of 24k gold. We also have cheaper ones, ranging from 120 yuan to 1500 yuan."

"I'll take the 1500 ones, two of them." Cheng Yi smiled at the shop manager.

"Okay, please wait a moment." The shop manager immediately took two pendant cords from the counter and said, "Do you think this one meets your requirements?"

The two pendant cords were probably made of nylon, but they were very finely woven, and the cord ends were adorned with small but exquisitely carved gold clasps.

Just as Cheng Yi took out his wallet, two men walked into the store.

Upon seeing one of the men, the store manager's expression brightened, and he immediately went up to him with a fawning smile, saying, "Oh, Mr. Chen, you didn't even tell me you were coming."

The man asked casually, "Has my order arrived?"

"Mr. Chen, I'm so sorry, it will take another two days. The jade bracelet you ordered is too rare and needs to be custom-made in Myanmar." The shop manager said with a flattering smile, "I will contact you as soon as it arrives."

"Okay." The man nodded and said, "Bring me another jade pendant and take out the things you have stockpiled here. I want to give them to our VIPs."

"Okay, please wait a moment." The store manager first called over a staff member to serve Cheng Yi, and then immediately began carefully searching through the cabinet.

The man smiled at the middle-aged man next to him and said, "Mr. Sun, this store is the leading jewelry store in Zhonghai City. During the Republic of China era, Du Yuesheng even owned shares in this store. Since you're here today, I don't have much to give you, so I'll just give you a jade pendant."

The middle-aged man's face creased with wrinkles as he smiled and said, "Mr. Chen, you're too kind."

Just then, the man saw Cheng Yi.

Although it was just a side view, he was very familiar with Cheng Yi.

He tilted his body slightly in surprise, finally getting a clear look at Cheng Yi's face.

"Oh, Mr. Cheng?" the man immediately called out.

"What a coincidence, Mr. Chen." Cheng Yi smiled at the man and said, "Zhonghai is such a big place, it's amazing that we can meet here."

This man is none other than Chen Hui, the current chairman of China Ocean Network Communications Group.

Cheng Yi didn't recognize the middle-aged man next to Chen Hui, but anyone Chen Hui could curry favor with must be extraordinary.

Chen Hui laughed and said, "It's not really a coincidence. I'm basically at Henglong every day. I've been receiving a lot of VIPs lately. Hehe, I received Mr. Ma Huateng yesterday, and Mr. Ding Sanshi this morning."

"Oh, by the way, let me introduce you to President Sun. President Sun is my most important guest. Even Mr. Ma Huateng has to address him respectfully as 'Brother Sun' when he sees him." Chen Hui's tone was full of pride as he said, "This is President Sun Gaowen of the Government and Enterprise Business Department of Huaxia Telecom Group."

Although Sun Gaowen's face was full of arrogance, he still looked Cheng Yi up and down and asked politely with a smile, "And this gentleman is?"

"Mr. Sun, let me introduce you. This is the Deputy General Manager of Momo Group in Jingzhou City. Although he's called Deputy General Manager, he's practically the same as the General Manager," Chen Hui said with a smile. "Have you heard of Momo Internet Cafe?"

"I've heard of it," Sun Gaowen said with a smile. "A major client of China Netcom."

The Government and Enterprise Business Division of the telecommunications group wields considerable power, primarily responsible for business with government and enterprises. Companies like Tencent basically need to curry favor with this General Manager Sun.

After all, if Mr. Sun agrees, the internet fee will be reduced by 10%, which would save millions or even tens of millions of yuan every year.

These days, a 100M enterprise fiber optic cable costs over 200 million yuan.

However, there are relatively few users installing broadband now, so this 100M is completely different from the 100M of the future. The so-called 100M bandwidth in the future will at most be at the level of 5M in this era.

Cheng Yi extended his hand and said politely with a smile, "We are able to become a major customer of both China Netcom and China Telecom. We hope that Mr. Sun will continue to support us in the future."

Sun Gaowen was already very familiar with the internet cafe industry, as internet cafe broadband was also his main business. He was also well aware of the conflict between Cheng Yi and Chen Hui.

So he didn't reach out.

Since he had chosen Chen Hui, he couldn't have his cake and eat it too. Besides, Chen Hui was generous and knew how to advance and retreat, making him a very good partner.

Sun Gaowen chuckled and said, "How could I dare to offer such a promotion? I heard that even the Starcom Group suffered a great loss under your management."

Sensing the barbed undertone in Sun Gaowen's tone, Cheng Yi maintained his smile, but simply withdrew his hand.

It has to be said that the quality of these guys who joined the team without going through the entrance exam is really not high.

This can be considered a characteristic of the times.

Cheng Yi had heard of Sun Gaowen, and he had carefully studied the main leaders of China Netcom and China Telecom.

After graduating from vocational school, Sun Gaowen became a technician at a fertilizer plant. Later, the fertilizer plant underwent restructuring, and the then-director of the fertilizer plant became the deputy director of the Industry and Information Technology Commission of Yangcheng City, Guangdong Province. Sun Gaowen was transferred there, and he rose through the ranks, from a staff member of the Industry and Information Technology Commission to the president of the government and enterprise business department of the telecommunications group.

However, Sun Gaowen did not intend to completely offend Cheng Yi. His refusal to shake hands with Cheng Yi was merely to show Chen Hui his stance, whether it was for the jade pendant he was about to obtain or for Chen Hui's subsequent special services.

Sun Gaowen looked at Cheng Yi as if nothing had happened and smiled, "President Cheng, I heard that you are now the general manager of the Handong Province branch of Starcom Group. You are truly young and promising."

Sun Gaowen's tone carried a hint of schadenfreude. Cheng Yi's position as the general manager of the Handong branch of the Starcom Group was not easy. First of all, he had already offended the Starcom Group's powerful organization, and he would inevitably encounter some more hardships in the future.

Cheng Yi ignored Sun Gaowen's words, which were clearly meant to ease tensions, and didn't even glance at him, directly returning Sun Gaowen's rudeness.

To cover up Sun Gaowen's embarrassment, Chen Hui looked at the shop assistant who had helped Cheng Yi pack the pendant cord and said with a smile, "President Cheng, put the bill on my tab."

The store manager immediately stood up and said with a smile, "I didn't expect these two to be friends of General Manager Chen."

The store manager looked at Cheng Yi and Lin Qingyin with envy, his eyes practically brimming with admiration.

Chen Hui is now a super-rich man in Zhonghai City. It is said that he has more than 20 billion yuan in cash on his books.

Chen Hui has now monopolized the internet cafe market in Zhonghai City and other first-tier cities in the south. Zhonghai City alone brings Chen Hui more than 100 million yuan in revenue every month.

"No need, I can't accept something for nothing. I'll just pay for it myself; it's not much money." Cheng Yi declined Chen Hui's offer and smiled at the shop assistant, "How much?"

The shop assistant looked at the shop manager with a troubled expression. The shop manager's lips twitched slightly, and he smiled apologetically at Cheng Yi, "Sir, since Mr. Chen has paid the bill, please accept it. Mr. Chen hates it when people refuse his kindness."

Cheng Yi laughed and said, "What a coincidence! I hate it when other people pay for me. It's three thousand in total, right?"

Cheng Yi counted out three thousand yuan in cash, handed it to the store manager, and said, "Count it."

The store manager glanced tentatively at Chen Hui, who stood to the side. Seeing Chen Hui smile and remain silent, the store manager's heart pounded. She dared not accept the gift.

Chen Hui looked at Cheng Yi in surprise and asked, "President Cheng, you only spent 3000?"

"What? This store has a minimum charge?" Cheng Yi joked, placing three thousand yuan in cash on the table.

Chen Hui laughed and said, "Mr. Cheng, it's too stingy to only spend 3000 yuan when you bring such a beautiful girlfriend to Henglong. How about this, you let your girlfriend pick out something she likes, and I'll pay for it."

In Chen Hui's eyes, Cheng Yi was just an employee. Although he served as the deputy general manager of Momo Group, he only owned 0.2% of the shares.

This amount of shares only counts as a small fortune.

However, judging from this shareholding, Cheng Yi's annual salary must be around several million. With an annual salary of several million, spending only 3000 yuan on his girlfriend is really a bit stingy.

Looking at Chen Hui's arrogant attitude of "I'm rich, so I'm the boss," Cheng Yi was unhappy.

If Chen Hui hadn't been acting all high and mighty, he wouldn't have bothered with him. But since Chen Hui had spoken up, it wouldn't be his style to act ungratefully.

Cheng Yi looked at Chen Hui and said, "My girlfriend has high standards; nothing here suits her taste. How about I pick something out?"

Upon hearing Cheng Yi's words, the store manager, who had just taken out the store's prized possession, became unhappy.

The jade pendant she has here is a rare old mine glass type, and its market price is at least seven or eight hundred thousand.

Such a good thing is hard to find in Zhonghai City.

If they can't even appreciate something like this, then they're really just bragging. After all, anything better than this would only appear at an auction house, not in a shop like theirs.

The store manager couldn't help but say, "Sir, our jewelry store is a century-old brand in Zhonghai City. What you just said has had a great impact on our brand."

Cheng Yi laughed and said, "Sorry, I'm not saying your stuff is bad. Your jewelry is top-tier for ordinary people, but it's really not good enough for my girlfriend."

"???" Chen Hui, who was standing to the side, also felt offended.

Ordinary person? What do you mean? Are you the only one who's not ordinary?

The store manager grew angrier as she listened. Just as she was about to retort, she heard Cheng Yi whisper to Lin Qingyin, "Qingyin, come here, let me help you string the pendant. Your item is nice, but the pendant cord is terrible."

"Okay." When Lin Qingyin heard Cheng Yi call her 'Qingyin', she felt a sweet warmth in her heart and immediately took out the Buddha pendant she always wore without thinking.

The moment Lin Qingyin took out the Buddha pendant, the shopkeeper's eyes widened instantly.

Her gaze was fixed on the Buddha pendant in Lin Qingyin's hand, wondering if she was seeing things.

Having worked in the jewelry industry for over a decade, she can instantly discern the origin and value of any piece of jewelry, as long as it doesn't stray from the realm of jewelry.

"This...this is a Buddha pendant that was auctioned in Thailand in the 80s?" The shopkeeper was shocked.

Compared to this Buddha pendant, the so-called prized possession in her hand is really nothing special.

Chen Hui only collects jewelry as gifts, and he doesn't really know much about its quality. However, seeing the shop manager's reaction, he knew that the jade pendant in Lin Qingyin's hand must be quite valuable. If it were something worth one or two million, the shop manager wouldn't have reacted this way.

He sized up Lin Qingyin, beginning to speculate about her true identity.

Cheng Yi's series of major victories in the business arena have already demonstrated that he has powerful backers.

Combined with Lin Qingyin's temperament and demeanor, as well as the obviously valuable jade pendant in her hand, a thought suddenly popped into Chen Hui's mind: Could she be the woman behind Cheng Yi?

Chen Hui had secretly investigated Cheng Yi. Cheng Yi's family background was very ordinary, and the only confusing relationship was that he was suspected of knowing Cheng Mingjun, the director of the Investment Office of Handong Province.

But now Cheng Yi's development speed and power are beyond what Cheng Mingjun can bring.

Cheng Yi definitely has powerful backers!
Upon meeting Lin Qingyin, Chen Hui felt he had found the answer.

This girl clearly grew up in a sheltered environment. In this chaotic era, if a girl can still maintain her original aspirations at the age of eighteen, it means that her family has enough power to protect her.

A multitude of thoughts and possibilities flashed through Chen Hui's mind. These thoughts and possibilities combined to solidify his suspicion: this girl was likely the daughter of a high-ranking official.

Since the 80s, many men from humble backgrounds have become sons-in-law of important figures thanks to their eloquence and abilities.

Those who are lucky can rise to prominence right after graduating from university. Some of these successful "phoenix men" become front men like Cheng Yi, helping companies solve problems.

Another group of people have become embodiments of justice, enjoying standing on a moral high ground to demand things of others.

Or, should we investigate her?

A crazy idea flashed through Chen Hui's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

What if he discovers something he shouldn't have? Wouldn't he be handing himself a death sentence?
Perhaps Cheng Yi wanted him to be unable to resist investigating the girl's background.

Chen Hui glanced at Cheng Yi with lingering fear, thinking to himself: Cheng Yi is really too insidious. Luckily, I'm not stupid either.

Cheng Yi was unaware of Chen Hui's inner monologue at that moment. The changes in Cheng Yi's expression as he looked at Chen Hui went from confusion to shock to sinister and back to shock. These repeated changes in expression made Cheng Yi wonder if Chen Hui had been playing around with too many minor celebrities and had mastered their acting skills.

He simply asked Chen Hui if he could pick one out, why did this guy react so strongly?
Thinking of this, Cheng Yi couldn't help but ask again, "President Chen, since you like paying so much, can I pick one out?"

"Ah, you choose." Chen Hui finally came to his senses and said subconsciously.

"Mr. Chen is so generous." Cheng Yi smiled brightly and pointed to the artificial mountain made of folded jade in the store, saying, "I'll take this one. My office is missing a mountain to lean on."

The artificial mountain is taller than a person and is made entirely of exquisite jade, using at least two or three tons of high-quality jade.

"This, this 'Jade Encounters the Landscape' piece is priced at 2.4 million..." The shop manager glanced timidly at Chen Hui, this sucker.

"How much?" Chen Hui was also stunned. Hearing the price of this jade mountain, he suddenly felt like he had been ripped off.

He has been a sucker before, but he has never been a sucker for a man.

(End of this chapter)