Chapter 52 seems to be dissatisfied with this answer...

"A gift for me?" Tang Ran asked in surprise.

Song Zhixu nodded: "Thank you, Ranran, for taking care of the flowers for me."

Taking care of the flowers was just an excuse; she had been preparing the gift for a long time but hadn't had the chance to give it before.

"Then I won't be polite." Tang Ran generously reached out and took it.

Tang Ran was prepared to accept assets worth billions, so naturally she wouldn't hesitate to refuse a small gift.

Tang Ran paused when she saw the logo on the box.

The box looked very familiar to her.

Song Zhixu's gaze also fell on the box. "Don't you like this brand?"

"No, I just wanted to guess what it is?" Tang Ran snapped out of her reverie and asked with a smile, "Is it a brooch?"

She thought that perhaps the boxes were the same, but the contents inside were different.

"Just open it and you'll know," Song Zhixu said with a smile.

Tang Ran pressed her thumb on the button at the top of the velvet box, a sense of nervousness rising within her.

With a flick of the fingertip, the lid of the box splits open from the middle, revealing a platinum snow leopard brooch filled with diamonds.

A chubby little leopard was holding a black pearl that was bigger than its own body.

The adorable and cute little leopard is completely different in style from the brand's elegant leopard series.

Tang Ran was momentarily dazed.

In her previous life, she also received this brooch.

But a year later, after she saved Song Zhixu.

This brooch was the thank-you gift Song Zhixu gave her.

Tang Ran found its appearance very interesting, so she was impressed by it and liked it quite a bit.

Unfortunately, she only wore this brooch once in her previous life before losing it.

She even sent a picture to the sales associate of the same brand, wanting to buy another one of the same design, but the sales associate told her that the company had never produced that style before, and that the brooch she lost was probably custom-made.

At that time, Tang Ran only felt regret, but didn't take it too seriously. Most of the things Song Zhixu used were custom-made, so it wasn't surprising that the gifts he gave weren't the regular kind.

But now this brooch has reappeared, a year earlier than expected.

Receiving the brooch again brought Tang Ran a sense of joy, like something lost and found again.

"This brooch has a very unique design!"

Tang Ran picked up the brooch, examined it, and held it up to her chest. She then looked happily at Song Zhixu, "Is this a new design this year?"

“It’s custom-made.” Song Zhixu stood up and walked towards her. “Would you like to wear it?”

Tang Ran stood up and handed her the brooch. "Custom-made? Doesn't that take quite a long time?"

She had a feeling that the brooch existed long before they met again.

"Yes, it's been a while."

Song Zhixu's answer was vague, without specifying a time.

Tang Ran wanted to know more, "Why did you decide to customize this style? It doesn't really look like your style."

Song Zhixu fastened the brooch, looked down at Tang Ran, and smiled gently in her eyes, "Trying to trick me into telling you something?"

Tang Ran: ...

Was she making it that obvious?

The idea was rejected the moment it came to mind. She asked so casually, it didn't sound like a platitude at all.

It must be that Song Zhixu is too perceptive.

"Can't I be curious?" Tang Ran squinted, leaned closer to her, looked her up and down, and deliberately dragged out her words, "Or is there something I can't ask?"

"No."

Song Zhixu reached out and tapped her forehead with her finger, then smiled and pushed her away. "I participated in an environmental protection event before, which was initiated by this brand. The cost of the customized products will be used for the protection of snow leopards."

She found a clip of a baby leopard in the brand's video interesting, so she asked the designer to make this brooch.

"It's very meaningful."

Tang Ran touched the brooch, looked at her with a smile, and asked the question she most wanted to know, "So why did you decide to give it to me?"

Receiving it once might be a coincidence, but whether in the previous life or this life, Song Zhixu gave her this brooch.

This gave Tang Ran the illusion that Song Zhixu had specially customized this brooch for her.

She couldn't ask Song Zhixu about her past life, but she could ask her about this life.

Song Zhixu smiled faintly: "I think it suits you very well."

"I see." Tang Ran's eyebrows drooped, her tone carrying a hint of disappointment.

Song Zhixu turned her head, raised an eyebrow, and looked at her. "It seems you're not entirely satisfied with this answer?"

Tang Ran took a moment to process it before realizing the teasing in her words.

Song Zhixu lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "When I first wanted to order it, I felt it would suit you perfectly."

*

Saturday arrived in the blink of an eye, and the bruises on Tang Ran's wrists finally disappeared.

After getting up, Tang Ran went next door and finally finished reviewing the last finance course materials.

The time interval was too long, and Tang Ran had already become confused about some concepts.

Song Zhixu patiently went through the whole process with her, explaining it in a simple way.

After confirming there were no further questions, Song Zhixu asked, "Have you reviewed Tang's financial reports for the past few years?"

"Mm." Tang Ran nodded.

"What were you found?"

As Song Zhixu spoke, he opened his email and found the financial report sent by the Tang family.

Tang Ran is studying finance so hard, probably because she wants to understand the financial situation of the Tang family.

She happens to have a report on hand right now, so I can talk to her about it directly.

Hearing this, Tang Ran's heart tightened. "Is there a problem?"

If the Tang family has financial problems, will that affect their lending activities?

"It's not a big problem."

Seeing her worry, Song Zhixu explained gently, "The Song family is already processing the loan approval, so you don't need to worry."

Tang Ran breathed a sigh of relief. "Then what's wrong?"

Song Zhixu pulled up the detailed profit and loss statements for the past three years and laid them out side by side, then asked Tang Ran, "Compare them and see if you can see anything?"

After carefully comparing and reading through the text, Tang Ran discovered the problem that Song Zhixu had mentioned.

"The cost is not quite right here."

Song Zhixu nodded.

She copied and pasted the data from the past three years into a new file and created a visual table.

The intuitive patterns make the contrast more obvious.

The slope of the Downs cost curve is much greater than that of the revenue curve.

Looking at the data separately, Tang's financial statements show that its annual operating revenue is increasing, but its profit growth is not as high as its revenue growth, and the difference is very small. It is not noticeable without careful calculation.

Song Zhixu then pulled out three more tables, showing the annual growth rates of various costs.

The curves for each cost item are different, and they vary from month to month, with highs and lows and no clear pattern.

However, the total cost continues to rise, but the average increase per month is not high, at around 0.2% per month.

This time, Tang Ran couldn't see anything wrong with it.

"Here's the problem."

Song Zhixu pulled out a formula, which Tang Ran didn't quite understand; the three curves on the computer basically overlapped.

"Tang's cost increases are too regular. On average, they rise every three or four months and then come down. The overall growth rate fluctuates around 0.2% per month."

"The financial reports for the past five years have all been like this; it's too predictable."

For food processing companies like Tang's, production costs are inevitably affected by fluctuations in the raw material market, making it impossible to achieve such stable cost control.

"There's a problem with Tang's purchasing department." Song Zhixu didn't keep anyone in suspense and pointed out the problem directly.

“I can’t be sure if the finance department and other departments are involved, but the procurement department is definitely involved,” Song Zhixu analyzed.

Not only various departments, but even higher-level management were involved.

Tang Ran was surprised.

She knew the purchasing department had problems because of Rebirth, General Manager Yu knew it was out of wariness towards General Manager Zhong, but Song Zhixu saw the problem just by looking at a few financial statements.

Song Zhixu closed the spreadsheet and explained with a faint smile, "Any accountant with a little experience could tell."

Tang Ran understood.

Whether Song Zhixu was being modest or not, she didn't know, but she herself was definitely a complete novice.

Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang; it was the apartment manager bringing up the lunch that Song Zhixu had ordered.

Song Zhixu opened the door to get the food, and Tang Ran naturally went to the kitchen to get plates, bowls, and chopsticks.

The simple four dishes and one soup were all things Tang Ran liked.

After the two set out the food, Song Zhixu brought up the previous topic again, "You know there's a problem with the purchasing department?"

When they were in the study, Tang Ran was not surprised by what she said.

Tang Ran had begun to get used to Song Zhixu's keen observation skills.

She handed the chopsticks to Song Zhixu, sat down, and said, "General Manager Zhong from the purchasing department has a problem."

She briefly explained her findings and plans.

Song Zhixu scooped a spoonful of shrimp into Tang Ran's bowl and said, "Let me know if you need anything."

"I will." Tang Ran nodded, not standing on ceremony with her.

She can handle it herself for now, and will talk to Song Zhixu if needed.

Tang Ran picked up her chopsticks and gave Song Zhixu a piece of salt-baked chicken from the table.

Song Zhixu's eyebrows curved into a smile.

Tang Ran took a bite of the shrimp; it was springy and delicious.

Seeing how easily she ate, Song Zhixu picked up her bowl but didn't voice her guess, afraid of upsetting her.

After lunch, Song Zhixu asked Tang Ran if she had any plans for the afternoon.

Tang Ran said no.

Song Zhixu then asked her if she wanted to go shopping or see a movie together.

"I feel like I'll melt if I go outside." Tang Ran glanced at the blazing sun outside the window and didn't really want to go out.

"How about we go to my place to watch a movie?" Tang Ran suggested.

“Okay.” Song Zhixu had no objection.

They tossed the dishes into the dishwasher and moved from 1901 to 1902.

The 120-inch screen is paired with professional audio equipment; Tang Ran originally designed it as a small home theater when she renovated the house.

Tang Ran took some fruit from the refrigerator and, quite appropriately, popped a bag of popcorn in the microwave.

The movie they chose was a highly-rated suspense film that had just been taken off the screens, one that neither she nor Song Zhixu had seen.

There is a scene in the movie where the murderer sets fire to the house and kills the female lead.

When the fire first started, Tang Ran instinctively avoided looking at it and reached for the washed raspberries on the coffee table.

The fruit bowl was placed to Song Zhixu's side. Noticing her movement, Song Zhixu bent down and took it for her.

Boom! Bang! !!

The room engulfed in flames on the screen suddenly exploded.

The home theater's effects are so realistic that the immersive explosion sounds seem to resonate right next to your ears.

Tang Ran trembled violently, her body involuntarily stiffening.

Thick blackout curtains were drawn inside, so Song Zhixu couldn't see very clearly.

She called softly, "Ranran."

Song Zhixu put down the raspberries and called out to her.

Tang Ran acted as if she hadn't heard him and didn't react.

"Dye".

Song Zhixu called out again and reached out to press down on her shoulder.

A slight tremor came from my palm.

It was Tang Ran's body that was trembling.

Song Zhixu didn't have time to think too much and sat down next to her.

The touch on her shoulder snapped Tang Ran back to her senses, and she turned around.

The first thing that caught my eye was Song Zhixu's face, which was very close to mine.

Tang Ran blinked and asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

She didn't want to explain her lapse in composure, so she could only pretend nothing had happened.

“You were trembling just now.” Song Zhixu secretly observed her expression.

"Uh, the sudden explosion in that room startled me."

Tang Ran took a bite of popcorn, her expression returning to normal. She smiled at Song Zhixu and said, "I was so engrossed in watching."

"Um."

Song Zhixu didn't press further and handed her the raspberries in her hand.

Tang Ran grabbed two pills and asked casually, "Tell me, which of these people is the murderer?"

“Brother.” Song Zhixu glanced at the screen.

Tang Ran thought for a moment, then popped two raspberries into her mouth. "I feel like it's the younger brother."

“My brother is lying,” Song Zhixu asserted.

"Huh? How can you be so sure?"

Tang Ran suspected that she had been spoiled by the show; the movie was well-made and had generated a lot of discussion.

"I guessed."

Song Zhixu smiled and handed over the glass bowl in his hand.

Tang Ran grabbed a small handful, raised her eyebrows, and said, "How about we make a bet?"

"What are we betting on?" Song Zhixu asked.

Tang Ran rolled her eyes and looked at her with a smile, "Let's bet on one condition."

What she and Song Zhixu can do is not even in the same league.

If we were to bet on one condition, losing would be a small loss for her, while winning would be a huge win.

Thinking about this, Tang Ran felt that she was quite clever.

I just don't know if Song Zhixu will agree.

Tang Ran took a raspberry from her hand, held it to Song Zhixu's lips, and said with a smile, "I bet my brother is the murderer, does sister dare to bet?"

Song Zhixu glanced at the raspberries in her hand. "Okay, the older brother is the murderer, and the younger brother is helping his older brother get away with it."

After saying that, he took a bite of the raspberry from Tang Ran's hand.

A soft touch came from her fingertips, and Tang Ran quickly withdrew her hand.

The outcome of the bet was just like Tang Ran's current attempt to control her racing heartbeat.

A complete defeat.

The murderer was the older brother; the younger brother only helped hide the evidence.

Tang Ran's attempt to steal a chicken backfired, leaving him owing Song Zhixu a favor.

After a two-and-a-half-hour movie, the blazing sun outside the window began to subside.

Tang Ran opened the curtains and took the empty glass bowl to the kitchen.

When Song Zhixu walked in with her phone, Tang Ran was washing her hands.

Tang Ran set a uniform ringtone for everyone in her phone book, and incoming calls used the generic ringtone that wasn't marked.

"It's probably an advertising call."

Tang Ran casually said something, grabbed a tissue to wipe her hands, and took the phone.

Song Zhixu remained silent.

Even if Tang Ran hadn't saved the number in her contacts, she would recognize it.

It belongs to Song Wuqi.

Song Zhixu recalled the first time she saw Song Wuqi call Tang Ran. Tang Ran had saved the caller ID as "girlfriend," and the caller ID even showed a photo of the two of them together.

Tang Ran didn't answer; she simply muted the phone.

She turned to Song Zhixu and asked, "What time are you leaving?"

She heard Song Zhixu's phone call in the morning; he had an appointment with someone that evening.

"We made an appointment for seven o'clock."

The two left the restaurant together. As they walked, Tang Ran said, "I'm going out later too. I'll go home tonight and come back on Monday."

"Okay." Song Zhixu smiled and replied.

Tang Ran saw the game controller on the table, picked it up, and asked Song Zhixu, "Want to play a game?"

I have an hour before I leave, and I'm just killing time anyway, so I'll play some games to pass the time.

Song Zhixu glanced at the tennis game she had brought up and nodded.

Tang Ran took the exercise mat and laid it out.

Song Wuqi called again.

Tang Ran continued to ignore it, planning to reply with a message she had just seen the next day.

She could now guess the pattern of Song Wuqi's phone calls; they always came after he had eaten at Jingting.

"She probably wants to talk to you about trying on rings," Song Zhixu reminded her. "Dad asked her about it yesterday."

When getting engaged, you need to prepare the five pieces of jewelry. Your family can arrange everything else, but you still need to try on the engagement ring yourself.

As soon as she finished speaking, Song Wuqi sent a message saying that he was going to Rongcheng on a business trip the day after tomorrow and asked if she had time to go look at rings together tomorrow.

"Luckily I didn't answer it."

She has no intention of getting engaged to Song Wuqi, so why bother trying on a knitted ring?

Tang Ran attached an electronic racket to the handle, then turned around and casually asked, "By the way, should we go try on the rings?"

The people who got engaged have changed, but time hasn't.

After saying that, she realized that it wasn't appropriate for the two of them to try on rings given their current status, so she changed her mind and said, "I'll give you the size, you can just pick one."

Song Zhixu walked over to her and watched her try out the racket.

“I’ve already chosen a designer. When are you available? We’ll tell her our ideas.”

"Does the engagement ring also need to be customized?" Tang Ran asked in surprise.

Engagement rings are usually just a formality and are bought ready-made, while wedding rings are custom-made.

Song Zhixu smiled gently, "It only happens once in a lifetime, so we should cherish it."

Once in a lifetime.

Tang Ran's heart skipped a beat because of those words.

She handed the adjusted racket to Song Zhixu, feigning composure, and asked, "Is there enough time?"

“We can expedite this.” Song Zhixu took the paddle.

"Um."

Okay, money can solve this kind of small problem.

Tang Ran adjusted the other racket and used the remote control to switch to the rally mode.

"How about we have a competition?" Song Zhixu suggested.

"Okay," Tang Ran agreed without hesitation, "but there's one condition."

She used to play tennis when she was little, so beating Song Ji-hee shouldn't be a problem.

She has to win back the condition she just lost.

"Can."

Thirty minutes later.

Tang Ran threw down her racket and sat down on the ground, panting heavily.

Those 30 minutes were more tiring than playing a real game.

The match was a five-game series. The first four games ended in a 2-2 tie. In the final game, the score was very close, with each player scoring one point at a time.

In the end, Song Ji-seok narrowly won by one point.

Tang Ran was a little saddened after losing two conditions in one afternoon.

She looked up and secretly glanced at Song Zhixu's arm.

He's thin, but his muscles are well-defined.

Tang Ran: ...

She underestimated her opponent.

At five o'clock, Song Zhixu returned to the apartment next door.

Before leaving, Tang Ran subtly reminded Song Zhixu.

“I once heard from an archaeology friend that Rongcheng Ancient Town was a very prosperous hub city more than a thousand years ago, but it gradually declined after the river changed course.”

The Song family, in collaboration with the local government, undertook a non-profit renovation project for the ancient town in order to revitalize vacant land plots near the town.

If the renovation unearths the ruins of an ancient city thousands of years old, the project will be halted.

In their previous life, the Song family lost tens of millions due to a project in Rongcheng.

She wanted to get revenge on Song Wuqi. If she kept it a secret, the Song family would suffer heavy losses once the ancient city was unearthed, and Song Wuqi would definitely be held accountable by the board of directors.

But now she can no longer be as uninhibited as she was during the acquisition.

The last acquisition was a mess that Song Zhixu cleaned up for Song Wuqi. If Rongcheng has another problem, Song Zhixu will definitely be implicated.

Fearing that Song Zhixu might not take it seriously, Tang Ran made a special effort to emphasize it.

“My friend is an archaeology student. She recently discussed this issue with a professor from Peking University. Based on the old riverbed, they deduced that the ancient city ruins should be located north of the north gate tower of the ancient town.”

Seeing her confidence, Song Zhixu agreed earnestly, "I will arrange for someone to conduct further research."

She had seen Song Wuqi's plan; the second and third phases of development were both located in the northern part of the ancient town.

If problems arise in both of these periods, the return on investment for that period will be significantly reduced.

If the ancient city ruins cover a large area, the tens of millions of yuan invested by the Song family in the renovation of the ancient city will become sunk costs and will be difficult to recover.

East of the city.

Sun Jiaojiao angrily smashed things in the room.

"Useless! All of you are useless!"

For a week now, the picture of her kissing someone on the yacht has been trending on social media, and she has tried many methods to remove it.

The "good girl" image she had cultivated for years collapsed overnight, with headlines like "playing around," "promiscuous," and "immoral" flooding the internet.

When the incident happened, Sun Jiaojiao immediately thought of her aunt, but her aunt had gone on some secret mission and she couldn't get in touch with her.

The door was pushed open, and Sun Jiaojiao grabbed a bottle of perfume and threw it at the door.

The person at the door dodged aside and walked in with their hands in their pockets, looking nonchalant.

"Such a grand spirit."

Sun Xiao casually grabbed a chair and straddled it.

"Why are you here?" he said, his tone annoyed.

Sun Jiaojiao didn't want to see her.

If she hadn't helped Sun Xiao come up with the idea, she wouldn't have ended up being schemed against and trending on social media.

She and Sun Xiao had never gotten along since childhood. If it weren't for her plan to scheme against Tang Ran that day, she wouldn't have bothered talking to a pervert like Sun Xiao.

Sun Xiao kicked a perfume bottle on the ground. "What's the point of getting angry here?"

"You make it sound so easy! I'll release those photos of you in bed, and let's see if you'll still be able to talk so carelessly!" Sun Jiaojiao shouted excitedly.

Sun Xiao has a peculiar hobby: he likes to take photos in bed.

“I don’t care,” Sun Xiao shrugged.

Sun Jiaojiao grabbed another bottle of perfume and threw it at him, but Sun Xiao dodged it by sidestepping.

"hiss!"

Her movements were too vigorous, which aggravated her lower back injury.

Sun Xiao's face turned cold, and he shouted at her, "What's the point of you throwing things here? If you're so capable, go and get revenge on them!"

"I can't get through to my aunt on the phone, what else can I do!"

“Who said we needed to find my aunt? We can do that ourselves!” Sun Xiao grinned mischievously.