Jin Yuanyuan's Top-Tier Life

What's most endearing about Zhao Zhuoran is his unwavering thirst for knowledge about the unknown. Watching him enthusiastically discussing ancient architecture with Jin Yuanbao, Jin Yuanyuan couldn't help but marvel. He truly is a top student, drawing on the strengths of many. Once Wangxi Pavilion is completed and opens, who knows how many people will be captivated by his knowledge of ancient architecture… his fanbase will probably be as large as that of the top celebrity Tang Dachao!

Jin Yuanyuan was lost in thought when she drank another large pot of hot tea. The two of them hadn't finished talking yet.

"Uncle Jin, thank you so much for agreeing to participate in our project. I believe that Wangxi Pavilion will be a work that you will be proud of." Zhao Zhuoran was really good at talking. Jin Yuanyuan saw deep appreciation in Jin Yuanbao's eyes. He doesn't like people so easily.

Based on her understanding of Jin Yuanbao, he was a refined and scholarly man, and she knew he could certainly speak eloquently about ancient building restoration. However, for her, this fatherly role was limited to simply saying, "Yuanyuan, time to eat! Yuanyuan, come eat!"

Just then, Jin Yuanbao saw that his chat with Zhao Zhuoran had come to an end, and his eyes began to search for her everywhere, finally fixing on her empty iced Americano. His face fell, and he quickly walked over and asked, "Yuanyuan, you can't drink iced Americano with green tea, it's bad for your stomach."

"Oh." Jin Yuanyuan was stuffing a small cookie into her mouth. "I drank the iced Americano on the way, and I haven't thrown the cup away yet."

"Are you hungry? Let Daddy take you to eat. There are a few good restaurants around here." Jin Yuanbao's expression softened.

"Ms. Jin, let's go have lunch together." The host and director, who had just finished packing up, came over. "We really wanted to chat with you more; you were very interesting."

Jin Yuanbao glanced at Jin Yuanyuan, who had no desire to eat with them and quickly waved her hand in refusal. "It's alright, it's alright, you guys eat, Zhao Zhuoran and I are leaving."

"Sister Yuanyuan, I want to chat with Uncle Jin some more..." Zhao Zhuoran surprisingly didn't go along with Jin Yuanyuan's wishes. "You have no idea, chatting with Uncle Jin is so much fun."

"...Then I'll go." Jin Yuanyuan grinned. "It's okay, you guys chat some more, I have to hurry back, Cao Xiaoyu is waiting for me in a meeting."

"Yuanyuan, let's invite Xiaoyu over for a meal next time. It's been a long time since I've eaten with him." Jin Yuanbao didn't stop her. "Zhao Zhuoran, you and Yuanyuan go first. We'll make another appointment separately. There are still many details to consider for your project."

"Okay. Thank you, Uncle." Zhao Zhuoran said sweetly, "Yuanyuan and I are going to eat, something hot."

Jin Yuanbao nodded in satisfaction, then turned and left with the film crew. Jin Yuanyuan looked up at Zhao Zhuoran and asked, "What do you have to talk about?"

"We were just talking about sabotage by our competitors, it was quite interesting." Zhao Zhuoran sat down and took a sip of hot tea. "Uncle Jin said he's encountered quite a few instances of sabotage from his peers. For example, a newly finished mural on a beam might suddenly be vandalized with paint. The blackened area at our event last time was nothing compared to what those savvy people did—it was both low-level and barbaric. It's just like in the restaurant business; typical business warfare involves lowering prices and employee salaries..."

Jin Yuanyuan looked at him and suddenly blurted out, "So, you're saying that our factory keeps having sudden power outages because someone is sabotaging it?"

"Has this happened before?" Zhao Zhuoran was taken aback. "I mean, how often does this happen?"

"I don't think it's ever happened before, but it's been happening more frequently lately. I was wondering if it's because of the freezing rain; I have a few electric heaters in the workshop, but their wattage shouldn't be high enough to cause a power outage, right?"

"So, you suspect someone else is trying to sabotage things? Don't you only have one competitor, Jin Jia?"

"Jin Jia is our biggest competitor. They've been shut down recently, isn't it because of Hu Liqiu's situation? I've noticed their workers are planning to go home early for the New Year." Jin Yuanyuan called Cao Xiaoyu. "I'll be back in a bit. Is there anything I should buy for you?"

"I don't think so. Wait a minute, I'm with the director of the development zone. We'll talk later." Cao Xiaoyu quickly hung up the phone.

It seems he went to report a problem. After all, power outages are infrequent these days, which is very damaging to the machines and can cause knots in the socks, making them look unsightly.

"Is your power switch outside?" Zhao Zhuoran went to pay the bill. "Let's go, I'll take you home first. I'll buy some pointed white lotus roots on the way; many of our customers really like them."

"Lotus root and pork ribs?"

"Looks like you're still hungry, let's go." Zhao Zhuoran pulled her back onto his truck. "Sister Yuanyuan, doing business is very different from your previous job in public relations. You've only been involved in the high-end fashion industry before, and you've never seen the real production process. Actually, although they're all called the 'jianghu' (江湖, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry), the ways of doing things are different from one another."

Jin Yuanyuan nodded, indicating that she agreed with this statement.

A few days later, the cause of the frequent power outages was finally found. It turned out to be sabotage by competitors. The reason was quite simple: Jin Yaya had received a lot of orders recently, and several companies, envious, secretly cut off the power to disrupt Jin Yaya's production schedule.

After watching the surveillance footage, Jin Yuanyuan planned to call the police. However, Zhu Hongying absolutely disagreed. She knew two of the three people who pulled the power switch; they were even card players together.

"Let's just leave it at that, we're neighbors." Zhu Hongying's expression was rather complicated. Although she was frowning, she still said to the head of security at the economic development zone, "Let's leave it at that for now. I'll talk to them about it later."

"Why didn't you call the police?" Jin Yuanyuan asked, puzzled. "They're disrupting production. What if a sudden power outage ruins several sock-knitting machines? How much would that cost? Who would bear that loss?"

"Can you bear to watch them get arrested?" Zhu Hongying asked her. "Look at this uncle, you ate at his house for many days when you were little. I was too busy to cook for you back then, so you went to his house every day because his food was so good that you didn't want to come back. Now, do you want me to call the police? Arrest him? I can't do that."

"But he's breaking the law!" Jin Yuanyuan hesitated a little.

"What about Granny Ruan? When you were little, she was the one who took care of you whenever you had a headache or fever. How can you bear to see her being taken away?" Zhu Hongying clenched her fists. "Their children have also opened a small sock factory, and they'll always be envious of us. I can understand all of this. Let the security chief talk to them first."

"Will talking do any good?" Jin Yuanyuan had already dialed the number. "I'm calling the police!"

"Jin Yuanyuan, you have no conscience!" Zhu Hongying actually yelled at her, "They watched you grow up since you were little, and this is how you treat them? How will you ever be able to stand here again?"