Chapter 343 They gave me a stepping stone to climb higher
"You investigated me?" Chen Xiwen glared at Meng Anran with his eyes wide open. Suddenly, he sneered sarcastically, "You say we're old classmates, but you're probably thinking about how to get revenge on me."
Meng Anran looked at her quietly without saying anything, as if she was surprised why she had such an idea.
Chen Xiwen continued, "You're of noble status now, how can you still care about the friendship between classmates? I just didn't expect that the chairman of Ruiming Group would be so narrow-minded. After all these years, he still refuses to forgive me!"
Meng Anran's eyes flickered slightly, and she pulled the corners of her lips speechlessly, too lazy to pretend to be friendly with Chen Xiwen anymore, "Heh... Do you think too highly of yourself?"
Chen Xiwen frowned, "What do you mean?"
Meng Anran lowered her eyes, picked up the teacup and took a sip elegantly. "You think I will retaliate against you, but it's simply because you know you've done something wrong and feel guilty."
She gently put down the teacup, and the porcelain made a dull sound when it touched the wooden tabletop. When she looked up at Chen Xiwen, her eyes were as calm as a deep pool.
"In your eyes, we, the so-called 'rich second generation,' are born with everything, so we should naturally be tolerant and forgiven. But at the same time, you fear our power, because a simple word from us is enough to turn your life upside down."
"We do have more resources than the average person," Meng Anran said, her fingertips lightly tracing the rim of her glass. "But correspondingly, we also bear greater responsibilities and pressures. A single wrong decision could cost thousands of employees their jobs, and a careless word or action could cause stock price fluctuations."
Chen Xiwen's expression changed, and his fingers unconsciously tightened the napkin.
"So, I won't bear any grudge against you at all." Meng Anran smiled faintly, calm and indifferent, "It's not because I'm generous, but because I need to use my energy on more important things."
And you don't deserve to waste my feelings.
Chen Xiwen's defense was broken.
She was jealous of Meng Anran for being born into a powerful and noble family. All the people around her were children of wealthy families, and she was able to meet such an outstanding person as Qin Mu since she was a child.
She was clearly the adopted daughter of the Lu family, but after returning to the bankrupt Meng family, she turned from a high-ranking phoenix into a down-and-out pheasant overnight.
However, within just five years, he was able to enter the upper class again and even helped the Meng family to become successful.
She hated Meng Anran for being too outstanding.
What I hate even more is that Meng Anran can always remain calm and composed.
"What are you proud of?" Her voice suddenly rose with a strange tremolo, like a string out of tune:
"All your resources come from the Lu family. If it weren't for Qin Mu, you wouldn't have been able to found Ruiming! Back then, you acted so noble that you didn't want the Lu family's charity, but now you're still relying on men to make your fortune? Aren't you ashamed of yourself for being both a hypocrite and a hypocrite?!"
When she got excited, she slammed the table and knocked over the dishes and plates.
The crisp sound of green-glazed white porcelain falling to the ground exploded in the box, and the broken porcelain pieces splashed onto the leather shoes of squad leader Fang Yu. She subconsciously shrank back.
The box suddenly fell silent, and the atmosphere was as cold as the frost outside the window.
The cultural and arts committee member sitting by the window suddenly covered his mouth and coughed, pretending to be choked by tea, trying to break the cold atmosphere.
"Didn't the Lu Group go bankrupt? The current chairman of the Hengyi Group is Lu Heng, but the president seems to be surnamed Duan?" The math class representative sitting in the corner suddenly interrupted.
Du Congnan, who works in the news industry, knows more about this and said, "Lu Heng officially announced it when Hengyi Group was established. The current president, Duan Jingyao, is his younger brother."
"Doesn't Lu Heng have a younger brother? He's Anran's second brother, the one with albinism..." The math class representative's voice stopped abruptly when Meng Anran glanced over, and the tea in the cup spilled out of the cup due to shaking hands.
Unlike Chen Xiwen's excitement and his classmates' embarrassment, Meng Anran still sipped Longjing tea leisurely with a smile on her face.
"You're right." She said softly, "Qin Mu taught me business, and Lu Heng helped me make connections. Without them, there would be no Meng Anran today."
Whether it was five years ago or now, she never denied that her life trajectory could climb all the way up, and Lu Heng and Qin Mu made great contributions.
As for the efforts she had made, she didn't need to argue or prove herself. Whether Chen Xiwen approved of her or not, it would not have any impact on her life.
Just knowing that you are doing the right thing is enough.
"But there's one thing I think you need to make clear." She suddenly changed the subject, a sharp glint in her eyes. "They provided me with a stepping stone to a higher place, not a cage to keep a canary in."
It is not shameful to rely on the help of others to achieve success. In this cold society, who doesn’t want to meet a noble person to give them a hand?
It’s just that Chen Xiwen focused his attention on gender, as if getting help from the opposite sex meant being lowly and clinging.
Meng Anran was too lazy to even argue about such a short-sighted and vulgar view.
The view you see will be completely different depending on the height you stand at.
Chen Xiwen gritted her teeth, feeling like she was punching cotton, which made her feel very uncomfortable. It was as if the armor she was trying so hard to pierce was just a dream of an ordinary life.
Just then, the waiter came in with a food cart on which were neatly arranged exquisite gift boxes.
"Boss An, the souvenirs are ready. Boss Qin asked me to deliver them. There are 36 in total. Is the number correct?"
"Well, let's distribute them." Meng Anran glanced at everyone present and smiled kindly, "Everyone has come so far to show their support, so we have to take something back as a souvenir. I've prepared some small gifts, I hope you like them."
"I'm so sorry. It's already a big trouble for you to come to this party. We come here to take a free hot spring bath, and you even give us gifts." Fang Yu looked at the exquisite gift box at hand, and felt more and more that it was a wrong decision to follow Chen Xiwen's wishes and choose to have a party here.
The original intention of organizing a class reunion was to strengthen relationships, but now she was afraid that Meng Anran would think that she was trying to take advantage of her by inviting her to the reunion.
"What's there to be embarrassed about?" Although Meng Anran was born into a wealthy family, she never liked to put on airs when interacting with others. She said casually, "How many years have we not seen each other? I hope you enjoy yourself when you come to visit me. You're actually being polite by giving me a small gift."
Fang Yu heaved a sigh of relief and said jokingly, "Then... thank you, Mr. An."
The other students were also very happy. No matter what was in the gift box, who wouldn’t like to receive a gift?
Only Chen Xiwen felt uncomfortable when he saw everyone smiling happily because of Meng Anran's arrangement.
She picked up the gift box, carefully admiring the peony pattern on it, and suddenly smiled and praised, "It seems Anran has always remembered the words 'If you become rich and powerful, don't forget me.' I was too petty. This gift box is so beautifully packaged, I'm curious what's inside."
She didn't open it in front of him, but put the gift box back on the table.
But he was careless and didn't place the gift box firmly, so it fell along the edge of the table and hit the ground with a dull thud.
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