Chapter 76 An Exclusive Encounter on Jinjiang Literature City
Su Ruyi appears throughout the original text in flashbacks, and at some important junctures, she is described in detail.
The Asian Games is a relatively clear time point. In the original text, Su Ruyi was captivated by the power and influence of the Zhang family at this time and was reluctant to leave. She also took a fancy to the outstanding and handsome male lead, Zhang Qingfeng.
Zhang Qingfeng already has a childhood sweetheart, and only treats Su Ruyi as a younger sister, without any romantic feelings for her.
Su Ruyi was unwilling to let go. She had her eye on Zhang Qingfeng, and she also saw him as the future heir of the Zhang family, so she insisted on interfering.
Because of Su Ruyi's kindness to Grandpa Zhang, Zhang Qingfeng took her to see the Asian Games and participate in various activities as she requested, and subtly implied that the two were in a romantic relationship.
This led to the first misunderstanding between the male and female protagonists, foreshadowing the female protagonist's later heartbreak and departure to a distant place.
Su Ruyi couldn't help but shudder at the thought of this scenario, finding it hard to believe she was that kind of person.
Even as myself in this world, I would never be the kind of person to steal someone else's love.
The Su Ruyi in this world, under the guidance of Ms. Su Ying, has very upright values and is not the kind of person who is vain and blinded by the prosperity of the city.
Although Su Ruyi grew up in the countryside, her horizons were not narrow because of Ms. Su Ying.
Su Ying had been to the capital and met high-ranking officials before, and after Su Ruyi was born, she often took her along.
Although most of the events occurred during her childhood, Su Ruyi had some understanding of the outside world thanks to Ms. Su Ying's teachings and guidance.
Therefore, even if she goes to a big city, she will be mentally prepared and will not be overwhelmed by the huge gap.
Although Su Ruyi's life wasn't wealthy, it wasn't bad either. She wasn't the kind of girl who loved vanity. The Su Ruyi in both worlds was pretty much the same, and she didn't match the original character at all.
This made Su Ruyi extremely doubtful of the original text, and she no longer judged the world and the people in the book based on the plot of the book.
Anyway, they had no connection, and if Su Ruyi hadn't seen the competition on TV, she would have almost forgotten about it.
Not bound by the plot's constraints, Su Ruyi has no need to give the original male and female protagonists a second glance.
However, the situation of the male and female protagonists in the original story is not as Li Jing thought. Without Su Ruyi as an obstacle, her relationship with Zhang Qingfeng could develop smoothly.
Although Li Yiyi has memories of her past life, doing business is never easy. Even if she has better access to information than others, it doesn't mean she can succeed at anything.
Especially given Zhang Qingfeng's status, he wouldn't stoop to small businesses; he'd only be interested in big deals. The intricacies involved are far more complex. Just because someone knows something is profitable doesn't guarantee they'll get involved.
Zhang Qingfeng also had to consider Old Master Zhang, who was a very cautious person. Coupled with his previous experiences, Old Master Zhang placed great constraints on the Zhang family.
If you don't use your family's resources and funds, as long as you don't break the law, Old Master Zhang won't stop you. But if you want to rely on him, that won't work.
He even stated openly that he would not support it.
Upon hearing this, not only did those who wanted to support the company out of respect for the Zhang family back down, but even those who were originally planning to invest withdrew.
After all, given Old Master Zhang's status, the fact that he didn't get involved shows that this matter is unreliable.
Therefore, Zhang Qingfeng did not have much freedom. Furthermore, due to the repeated rivalry and attacks from his brothers, the failure to properly handle the land acquisition, and the targeting of others when trading with Da Xiong, he had a very difficult time during this period.
Zhang Qingfeng tried his best to hide it, but it was still easy for his emotions to show.
The relationship between Zhang Qingfeng and Li Jing (also known as Li Yiyi) remained lukewarm, and did not progress further as Li Yiyi had hoped.
Although Li Yiyi was a little anxious, in the original story, they were still struggling with each other and had not yet truly established a relationship.
Li Yiyi knew that Zhang Qingfeng liked reserved girls, so she only dared to hint at it indirectly and did not dare to confess directly to establish a relationship.
"I can forgive the others, but I never expected to be stabbed in the back by my own brother!" Zhang Qingfeng was furious.
The cousins had been vying for power, each wanting to become the future head of the Zhang family.
Zhang Qingfeng never expected that he would suffer a loss at the hands of his own younger brother, Zhang Qingyuan.
Zhang Qingyuan told Old Master Zhang about Zhang Qingfeng's unscrupulous methods in acquiring land, which enraged Old Master Zhang.
He believed that Zhang Qingfeng not only disobeyed his orders but was also incredibly stupid.
If you've done something, you should do it cleanly. Getting caught and retaliated against, leaving you in a mess, is utterly foolish.
Everyone knows that getting on Big Bear's good side can make a fortune, but Zhang Qingfeng ended up losing a lot of money and even losing a life. This made Old Master Zhang doubt Zhang Qingfeng's abilities.
Li Yiyi never expected Zhang Qingyuan to be this kind of person. She had clearly set Zhang Qingyuan as Zhang Qingfeng's most powerful helper, just like in reality.
Where exactly did things go wrong?
How could Zhang Qingyuan, such a great help, turn against us?
"Brother Qingfeng, is there some misunderstanding?" Li Yiyi couldn't help but ask.
Zhang Qingfeng frowned: "Why are you still speaking up for him!"
“I’m not speaking up for him, but I just feel that he has always respected you as his older brother, so how could he do such a thing? Could there be some hidden story behind it?”
Zhang Qingfeng was even more dissatisfied upon hearing this, "I heard it with my own ears."
Li Yiyi pursed her lips, still believing that such an important plot point would definitely not go wrong.
Although many things are different from the original text now, that's because of the butterfly effect; the basic character settings will not change.
However, seeing how angry Zhang Qingfeng was, she didn't say anything more, but she still didn't approve of it.
Seeing her expression, Zhang Qingfeng frowned even more and said in a deep voice, "Stay away from him from now on."
Li Yiyi's heart pounded wildly, and she lowered her head shyly.
She suddenly understood why Zhang Qingfeng didn't believe her; he was jealous.
Compared to the real person, Zhang Qingfeng in the original story is even more prone to jealousy than he is in real life. Because he cares too much, he is very domineering towards her.
Li Yiyi relishes this domineering attitude, which shows that the other party cares about her very much.
Zhang Qingfeng couldn't understand why Li Yiyi had that expression, but since she had taken it to heart, he didn't think about it too much.
Zhang Qingfeng was anxious to salvage his image in the eyes of Old Master Zhang. Old Master Zhang already harbored resentment towards him because of past events, and this incident, once exposed, further confirmed his character flaws and would greatly affect his future position in the Zhang family business.
He has now had a lot of power taken away from him and given to the younger interns.
However, seeing Li Yiyi reminded Zhang Qingfeng that his grandfather had mentioned Su Ruyi again a couple of days ago.
Grandpa Zhang clearly valued this girl highly; he even sent flowers when her store opened.
This was something Old Master Zhang found out himself; it wasn't Su Ruyi who suggested it. Su Ruyi never visited the Zhang family after arriving in the provincial capital, nor did she even call them.
It's just that Grandpa Zhang has always been paying close attention, which is why he knows about it.
Grandpa Zhang had never paid so much attention to anyone before; none of his own sons and grandsons had ever received such care.
Su Ruyi didn't come to visit him even after arriving in the provincial capital, and Old Master Zhang was only disappointed, not angry.
He even praised Su Ruyi to others, saying that she inherited her mother's boldness and initiative.
Su Ruyi was unaware that she was being thought of at this moment.
She went with Lu Ting to measure the apartment. The location was a new building that had been completed but was still in a bare-bones state.
Lu Ting opened his decoration company in this area and used the houses here as model rooms.
"You decide on the decoration, the materials should all be good. These are houses that my buddies and I bought, and we'll be living in them ourselves."
There are four apartments in total, all of which are different layouts, covering most of the apartment types in this community.
This development targets users with a certain level of financial strength. The high-rise buildings are equipped with elevators, and the location is very close to the city center. There are also schools nearby, so it can be considered a high-end community in this day and age.
Moreover, the houses are all quite large; even the smallest two-bedroom, two-living-room house is 80 square meters, which is already quite spacious for many people nowadays.
Nowadays, many company-provided apartments, even two-bedroom units, are only half the size of the units.
The largest is a 160-square-meter four-bedroom apartment, with all areas being actual usable floor area, making it very spacious.
"You didn't manage to buy one?" Su Ruyi asked curiously.
"I bought them." Lu Ting paused. "These are only four of them."
Su Ruyi wasn't surprised at all, but she was a little jealous.
She needs to step up her game and buy several houses at a time!
"Then I'll design these four sets first. Are there any requirements?"
Lu Ting shook his head: "You decide. Ideally, it should have a different feel and be livable."
Su Ruyi understood that Lu Ting's needs were quite practical.
While Su Ruyi was measuring the room, her mind was already working, thinking about how to decorate it.
Lu Ting was talking to her beside her, and he was too busy to pay attention to anything else.
Designing on paper is definitely not as tangible as the feeling of being on-site. She doesn't have computer-aided drafting yet, which increases the difficulty.
Even with Lu Ting's help, Su Ruyi's measurements were still very slow, taking a whole day.
Lu Ting stayed by his side the whole time, doing whatever he was asked, and wouldn't get angry even if he ignored him.
However, he gets phone calls from time to time, so he can't help wholeheartedly.
Su Ruyi told him to go back if he had something to do, as she was fine on her own.
Lu Ting disagreed, and said with a wronged expression, "You're leaving tomorrow."
"It's not like I'm not coming." After saying that, Su Ruyi felt incredibly cold in comparison.
“This is my job too.” Lu Ting didn’t seem to care. “Anyway, I’m working with you today.”
It has to be said that having someone help with the work is indeed more convenient.
When you're tired, someone will hand you a stool; when you're thirsty, someone will hand you water; when you're hungry, you'll go downstairs together to find something to eat.
Later, Lu Ting measured all the houses, and Su Ruyi was only responsible for recording the data.
The two were busy until 5 p.m., and had just finished dinner when Lu Ting's phone rang again. His expression gradually became serious after answering it.
"If you have something to do, go ahead and do it. It's quite close to the hotel from here."
Lu Ting couldn't delay any longer, so he paid the bill and left.
Su Ruyi wasn't in a hurry to return to the hotel. Instead, she went to a nearby department store. Now that she was in the clothing industry, she needed to stay up-to-date with the latest local fashion trends.
Now that the factory is up and running, Su Ruyi feels there are more possibilities to keep it going.
With dozens of employees, unlike ordinary small workshops, Su Ruyi now has responsibilities on her shoulders.
Business was booming during this period, and Su Ruyi started buying up goods without even trying them out, as if money was no object.
After strolling around for a while, Su Ruyi unexpectedly ran into Zhang Qingfeng and Li Yiyi.
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