This was the first time Zhang Yang had driven Mi Xue to work; previously, Mi Xue had been reluctant to let him drive her, though she had accepted rides from him twice before.
Quite a few employees were gathered near the supermarket entrance, and many looked quite surprised to see Mi Xue step out of the BMW.
Recently, many young men at the supermarket had been asking about Mi Xue. A beautiful girl draws attention anywhere, let alone someone like Mi Xue, who possessed the beauty of a campus belle.
Seeing her emerge from such a fine car now brought forth admiration and envy in the eyes of many young men.
“You’re really willing to let such a beautiful girlfriend go out to work?”
The car door was suddenly knocked. Zhang Yang turned his head and smiled outward.
“What, are you in such a hurry to get your car back?”
Standing outside was Su Zhantao. They had arranged that day to drive to Shanghai for the auto show. Auto shows back then were not as common as they are now; they only appeared regularly in a few major cities.
Changjing also had auto shows, but they were infrequent and the quality was generally quite poor.
Only in metropolises like Shanghai or Beijing were the auto shows truly good. This time, Shanghai was hosting a major global auto show, featuring many world-class luxury vehicles; virtually every major name would be present there.
“It’s not just a hurry, it’s a real rush. You don’t know, I’ve never lent this treasure to anyone else—only you!”
Su Zhantao circled the car before returning to say this.
“Then why are you still going to the auto show? Shouldn’t you just stay home and cherish your darling?”
Zhang Yang smiled as he got out of the car. This guy had come looking for him early that morning, driving a large Audi, saying he would take Zhang Yang to the assembly point so they could drive to Shanghai together later.
“That’s different. Hehe, a good treasure—who wouldn't want more of it!”
Su Zhantao gave a suggestive smile. Anyone who didn't know them might think they were talking about women.
But this fellow truly loved cars. He used to lack the funds and could only drive the BMW given to him by Su Shaohua, but now he was a millionaire and wanted to buy another car.
For a young master from such a wealthy family, having just one car was unthinkable. In his previous life, Zhang Yang himself had bought many fine automobiles.
“Alright, they are all gathering near Sister Ling’s place. Let’s head over,” Su Zhantao murmured. The ‘they’ he referred to included more than just Zhang Yang and Su Zhantao among the car enthusiasts planning to attend the Shanghai show. Many people in Changjing were interested, the circle wasn't that large, and coupled with that, everyone knew each other.
Whenever a major auto show was held in another city, they would go together, usually bringing one or two cars each. They were essentially friends united by their passion for automobiles, getting to know each other through their vehicles.
Su Zhantao had never attended an auto show in previous years; this was his first time, also invited by Yang Ling, whom he had known for many years.
Yang Ling was that female boss from the auto dealership.
Zhang Yang waved toward Mi Xue in the distance before getting back into the car and leaving with Su Zhantao.
His gesture drew the attention of many at the supermarket again, especially some of the younger girls, who now looked at Mi Xue with palpable jealousy.
The distance between Zhang Yang and the supermarket staff gathering point wasn't so great that people couldn't make out his appearance. Zhang Yang wasn't a pretty boy, but he was certainly handsome and tall.
He was the quintessential 'tall, rich, and handsome' figure of that era, and such men were favored by girls then, just as they are now—the kind of white horse prince they all dreamed of finding.
The auto dealership wasn't close. By the time Zhang Yang and Su Zhantao arrived, three other people were already there.
Zhang Yang didn't know anyone there except Yang Ling, but he noticed that most of them were generally older than him; the eldest looked to be around thirty, and the youngest was at least twenty-five or twenty-six.
Both he and Su Zhantao were considered quite young among them.
“Young Master Su, Young Master Zhang!”
Yang Ling stood up and walked over with a smile. Today, Yang Ling was dressed in an entirely white ensemble, completely different from the last time Zhang Yang saw her; she appeared exceptionally pure today.
“Sister Ling, sorry for being late!”
Su Zhantao chuckled sheepishly. Zhang Yang was surprised to see that Young Master Su appeared somewhat constrained in front of Yang Ling.
This realization further surprised Zhang Yang. Usually, a man is constrained around a woman only if that woman holds a special significance to him; one acts with such restraint because they value her highly.
For a girl to be so important to a young man, what that implies hardly needs stating.
“It’s alright, you aren't the latest. Young Master Chang hasn't arrived yet either,” Yang Ling smiled sweetly, giving the impression of a lotus emerging from clear water. This girl was indeed very attractive, though not enough to capture Zhang Yang’s full attention.
What made Zhang Yang a bit helpless was that Yang Ling was several years older than Su Zhantao. Could Young Master Su be contemplating a May-December romance?
After a moment’s thought, Zhang Yang shook his head and smiled wryly. It was Su Zhantao’s business; personal feelings were the hardest thing to advise on. If Young Master Su liked this kind of woman, there was nothing Zhang Yang could do.
However, he needed to keep a closer eye on this woman from now on. He had an instinct that Yang Ling was not a simple person. Su Zhantao was one of the few friends Zhang Yang genuinely respected; he certainly didn't want to see his friend suffer any loss down the line.
“Come, let me introduce you all!”
Yang Ling led the two inside with a smile. “Young Master Su, Young Master Zhang, this is Young Master Wang Chen. Young Master Wang currently serves as the Chairman's Assistant at Kaida Group and is also one of the shareholders!”
Yang Ling introduced the young man, about twenty-five or twenty-six, first.
Kaida Group was a well-known local real estate company in Changjing. Real estate wasn't as lucrative then as it would become, but it was still a very good business, with Kaida Group’s assets exceeding one billion.
“Hello, don’t let Sister Ling praise me too much; I’m just an employee. Young Master Su, right? I’ve heard your name long ago!”
Wang Chen proactively stepped forward to shake Su Zhantao’s hand, then offered Zhang Yang a polite greeting. He didn't use a phrase like ‘I’ve long admired your name’ toward Zhang Yang, but his demeanor was very courteous.
Both Zhang Yang and Su Zhantao took a good impression of this man.
“This is Mr. Huang Hai, General Manager of Chunhui Education Group!”
Yang Ling introduced the oldest one, a man around thirty. Chunhui Education Group was famous not just in Changjing, but throughout Jiangdong Province.
It was a renowned private education enterprise, boasting not only a university but also secondary schools, primary schools, and a chain of Chunhui Kindergartens scattered across Changjing and surrounding cities.
It was rumored that this education group’s total assets were worth several hundred million.
To hold the General Manager position in such a company was certainly remarkable.
Huang Hai merely smiled at Zhang Yang and Su Zhantao; he didn’t even extend a hand.
This man was clearly proud; that was Zhang Yang’s first impression. But he had the grounds for his arrogance; Huang Hai’s contributions were instrumental in Chunhui Education Group reaching its current stature. He wasn't the founder, but he was the one who brought it glory.
Furthermore, Huang Hai was also a shareholder, holding a 21% stake in the group.
Zhang Yang and Su Zhantao appeared too young. The older Su Zhantao had only recently graduated, while Zhang Yang was still a student. It was impossible for such youngsters to elicit immediate warmth from him.
He wasn't Wang Chen; only Wang Chen and Yang Ling knew Su Zhantao's true identity; the others were unaware.
“And this is Li Ya…”
As Yang Ling introduced the last person, this man named Li Ya stood up before she finished speaking, smiling as he said, “I’m just an unemployed vagrant. Pleasure to meet you all!”
Li Ya’s attitude was also very good. He looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, wore glasses, and appeared quite refined.
“If you’re unemployed, then the rest of us are just freeloaders. Young Master Su, Young Master Zhang, you might not know, but Li Ya is a financial genius. Many securities firms have tried to hire him at high salaries, but he prefers to stay home and play. He started with five hundred thousand and now possesses tens of millions in personal assets,” Yang Ling said with a laugh. Her tone indicated high regard for him.
It made sense; starting with half a million and earning tens of millions was truly difficult, especially since he lacked Zhang Yang’s foresight. This was based purely on his own efforts.
Hearing Yang Ling’s introduction, Su Zhantao felt a slight pang of bitterness and couldn't help but say, “Earning tens of millions from five hundred thousand isn't that big a deal. Our Zhang Yang started with three million and made sixty million in less than a month!”
He was referring to the previous futures speculation incident.
Making sixty million from three million in such a short time was indeed more impressive, but Zhang Yang knew the real reason for his success and felt it couldn't compare to others' achievements.
Yang Ling also looked quite surprised, glancing at Zhang Yang twice before slowly saying, “I didn’t expect Young Master Zhang to have such brilliant accomplishments. This humble woman truly failed to recognize your greatness. This is Young Master Zhang Yang, currently…”
At this point, Yang Ling stopped, glancing at Su Zhantao.
Zhang Yang was Su Zhantao’s friend, and Yang Ling only knew that Su Zhantao had specifically bought a car to give to Zhang Yang. She had helped process the license plates for that car and Zhang Yang’s driver's license.
But she truly didn't know what Zhang Yang actually did for a living.
“Zhang Yang is still a student, a junior at Changjing University!”
Su Zhantao looked up and smiled proudly. He appeared even more arrogant and self-satisfied than Zhang Yang at this moment. Zhang Yang could only offer a wry smile; he hadn't expected Su Zhantao to suddenly bring him up. The guy was jealous, and Zhang Yang had been caught in the crossfire.
“I’m just a student. I hope everyone will look out for me in the future,” Zhang Yang admitted, having no choice but to step forward. These people had no prior connection to him, but he still needed to maintain basic humility.
Huang Hai and the others were now all looking at Zhang Yang, every one of them showing strong surprise.
Tens of millions in assets wasn't much; one could say every person present had that much. Wang Chen was the Chairman’s Assistant, but the Chairman was his own father; their enterprise was a family affair. And since his father only had him as a son, he'd get whatever he wanted; tens of millions would certainly be easy to acquire, not to mention his own shares were worth tens of millions.
The money was there, but like Zhang Yang, earning it through their own capabilities, using very little capital, and in such a short time—that was beyond their ability.
Even the financial prodigy, Li Ya, admitted he couldn't have achieved that.
This is why the group looked so shocked, especially given Zhang Yang’s status—he was still a student, which made it even harder for everyone to accept.
Second update. Thank you to friends for your support; we have broken a thousand votes. Also, thank you for your concern; Little Feather’s toothache isn't so bad now. I’m going back to writing and updating. Nine updates scheduled for today.
Finally, regarding monthly tickets: failing to hit a hundred in a single day is Little Feather’s responsibility. Can we strive harder tomorrow and see if we can create another moment of glory?
The next chapter update is estimated around 2 AM. Friends who can’t wait can go to sleep and read it tomorrow morning!
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