Chapter 12 How come he said the same thing as Ruan Yao?

The Huo family's old residence.

The restaurant was brightly lit and had a harmonious atmosphere.

Ye Mei and Huo Wenbo were quietly eating their meal. The dishes on the long table were exquisite, but they were barely touched.

The door was pushed open, and Huo Jing walked in, looking travel-worn.

"Sister-in-law, brother."

"Jingjing is here." Ye Mei smiled when she saw her and greeted her, "Please sit down, I've asked the kitchen to heat up some food for you."

Huo Jing nodded, sat down at the dining table, and glanced around the dining room. "Is Dad resting?"

"Yes, I went back to my room after eating," Huo Wenbo said, looking at her. "Today was a family dinner, why are you back so late?"

Huo Jing poured herself a glass of water, her tone sounding somewhat tired. "There was no other way; it was an emergency meeting held at the last minute to avoid a business risk of nearly nine figures."

Ye Mei paused, her chopsticks still in her hand, and immediately put down her bowl and chopsticks. "Nine figures? What's going on?"

Huo Wenbo's expression also turned serious, and he put down his chopsticks.

"There's a problem with the supplier for the 'Seascape Paradise Linked Project' on Lexing Island," Huo Jing explained simply. "The financial model of our partner, 'Future Vision,' is flawed; it's likely a shell company designed to defraud investors. Fortunately, we discovered this before the project officially started."

She let out a breath. "If it weren't for an unexpected reminder, Happy Island would have been dragged into a huge hole this time."

Ye Mei patted her chest, still shaken. "That's good, that's good. Who reminded you? Was it someone senior in the company? You should thank them properly."

Huo Wenbo also revealed a searching look.

Huo Jing's expression became somewhat subtle. She leaned back in her chair and, contrary to her usual behavior, did not answer directly, instead keeping him in suspense.

"The person who reminded me was a recent graduate who had just come for an interview today."

Ye Mei and Huo Wenbo looked at each other in bewilderment.

"A recent graduate?" Ye Mei found it unbelievable.

“Hmm,” Huo Jing’s lips curled into a rare smile, “a girl named Ruan Yao.”

Contrary to her coldness towards Ruan Yao during the interview, she praised him generously in front of her family.

"I interviewed her for an hour and a half. Her business acumen and market insight were unlike those of a recent graduate. The closed-loop theories she proposed about IP operation were so comprehensive that even I hadn't thought of them."

Huo Jing briefly explained Ruan Yao's plan for today.

"It was precisely because of this amazing interview that I took her seemingly casual 'reminder' at the end so seriously."

Ye Mei nodded repeatedly as she listened, instantly developing a great fondness for this girl she had never met before.

“A recent graduate with such a mind is truly a talent, so you must hire this kid.”

Huo Wenbo nodded, a look of appreciation on his face.

“I have already sent her the offer letter,” Huo Jing said. “I have a feeling that this girl will be my lucky star, and also the lucky star of Happy Star Island.”

Ye Mei smiled and joked with Huo Wenbo, "I've never seen your sister praise someone like this before. It seems she's really struck gold this time."

“Oh, right,” Huo Jing said, as if she had just remembered something, “she said she was the daughter of the Ruan family.”

She frowned slightly, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "It's strange, but I feel like I've seen her somewhere before."

She looked at Huo Wenbo and Ye Mei, "Brother, sister-in-law, do you remember the Ruan family?"

"The Ruan family?" Ye Mei thought hard for a moment. "I don't remember them."

Huo Wenbo also spoke up: "The Ruan family's business is too small; it shouldn't be at the point where it can intersect with ours."

Although Huo Jing was puzzled, she didn't dwell on the topic.

She looked around but didn't see that familiar figure.

"Where is Yanzhi?"

Mentioning her son, Ye Mei sighed, her smile fading slightly. "Your older brother and I were just talking about how Yan Shang has been spending all his time at the company since last month, not even coming home. We heard he's been causing quite a stir at the group. And today at the family dinner, he said he had something to do."

She put down her chopsticks, her voice full of heartache, "The last time I saw this child, he was noticeably thinner and less talkative. I wonder what he's been up to."

Huo Wenbo took a sip of tea and said calmly, "His recent moves have been too big. It's good for young people to be ambitious, but too much of a good thing can be bad."

The words sounded like disapproval, but Huo Jing and Ye Mei could tell that she was worried about her son.

Ye Mei rolled her eyes at her husband and teased, "You're so high and mighty. I think all of you Huo family members, from the old man to Yanzhi, are decisive and efficient. You, on the other hand, are always holding those books. If you didn't know better, you'd think you were some old university professor. You don't look like a businessman at all."

Huo Jing chimed in, "That's right. My brother has always loved studying those literary things and has absolutely no interest in making money. Dad even suspected that they might have been switched at birth. Later, when they found out they weren't, he started worrying about what would happen to the Huo family business if it were handed over to my brother."

"Fortunately, my sister-in-law later gave birth to Yanzhi, who perfectly inherited Dad's iron fist. Otherwise, with this huge family business all on my shoulders, I would really be fighting a lone battle."

The atmosphere in the restaurant became cheerful and relaxed because of these few jokes.

Just then, Huo Jing's personal cell phone, which was on the table, vibrated.

She glanced at the caller ID; it was Huo Yanzhi.

Huo Jing gave her brother and sister-in-law a wink before answering the phone.

"Hello."

There was silence on the other end of the phone, only the deep, cold voice of a man could be heard.

"Little Aunt."

"Is something the matter?" Huo Jing asked.

Huo Yanzhi's voice was devoid of emotion; he cut to the chase, "Immediately terminate the cooperation between Lexing Island and 'Future Vision'."

Huo Jing paused, her hand holding the water glass still.

She looked at Huo Wenbo and Ye Mei opposite her, her face showing undisguised surprise.

“Their financial model is flawed; they are a shell company. Your cooperation carries enormous risks.”

Huo Yanzhi's words were concise and to the point.

Huo Jing held the phone, first in shock, then bursting into laughter.

She glanced at Huo Wenbo and Ye Mei, who also looked surprised, and said, "Interesting. You're the second person to say that to me today."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone.

"Who else?"

"One of my lucky stars was interviewed today," Huo Jing said in a good mood, keeping everyone in suspense. "Don't worry, I've already had the project team hold a meeting to reassess the situation. We won't fall into this trap."

She picked up her water glass, took a sip, and continued, "Speaking of which, that girl is a recent graduate, the daughter of the Ruan family, named Ruan Yao. Have you heard of her?"

A long silence fell on the other end of the phone.

It was so quiet that the only sound was a very faint breathing sound amplified by the electric current, which briefly became disordered before being forcibly suppressed.

A few seconds later, Huo Yanzhi's voice rang out again, each word sounding as if it were being painstakingly ground between his teeth.

"Ruan Yao, she went to Lexing Island for an interview?"

"I've decided to hire her for the designer position." Huo Jing keenly sensed the familiarity in Huo Yanzhi's words.

She countered, "What, you know her?"

"I don't know him."

The answer was too quick, sounding like a denial made in a rush to distance oneself.

"Now that you know, I'll hang up now. I have other things to do."

The call was abruptly ended.

Ye Mei asked with concern, "What's wrong? What did Yanzhi say?"

"It's nothing," Huo Jing put down her phone and turned to her brother and sister-in-law, who were looking at her with curiosity.

"I'm just amazed that I heard the exact same thing twice in one day. It seems I'm destined to escape this calamity."