Chapter 102
Wu Zuxing, Joe's college classmate and a typical example of someone from a poor family achieving great success, has been all over the news lately. From being virtually unknown to becoming a household name, Wu Zuxing certainly has something to be proud of. However, after Iris took a few more glances at him, she judged his arrogance to be like a peacock displaying its plumage—not exactly endearing.
Jennie looked at her daughter's furrowed brow and inwardly marveled at Iris's unparalleled intuition. She waved the invitation in her hand, confirming, "So you're not going to this black truffle tasting party either?"
"No, it's not like our family can't afford this stuff." Iris was unusually awkward. Zhuang Zhuoyuan rarely heard her speak with such veiled barbs. Considering it wasn't a special period, he couldn't help but ask, "How did this newly rich guy who helped you make money recently offend you?"
As for provoking him, that person wouldn't dare. In fact, Iris and he had never actually met. Her growing fondness for him stemmed from those lavish and pretentious parties. They lacked any substance, were pure nouveau riche style, and attending them made one feel inferior; they were clearly designed to attract those seeking quick profits. Such behavior made it hard to believe that this Tier 1 energy company could have long-term development. Therefore, the reasons behind the stock's surge are truly intriguing.
"Anyway, I don't think he's a good person. Mommy, are you going to agree to meet him?"
Jennie didn't answer directly, but joked, "I am kind of craving black truffles."
Iris wasn't fooled. Instead, her eyes lit up, and she enthusiastically suggested, "Let's go to Yunnan!" The mushrooms in Yunnan's farmers' markets are just as delicious as those in Western restaurants. With some glutinous rice balls and a rented courtyard, they could easily stay there for a month or two.
"You're going away for a month?" This time, it was Zhuang Zhuoyuan who was uneasy. His family had been living together so happily for so long, and suddenly he was left alone in Hong Kong, facing such a large, empty house. He really would be driven crazy with loneliness. Besides, Sister Pauline and Uncle Chao had both gone to the mainland to manage bars, so he wouldn't even have a place to mooch a meal.
Actually, there are still plenty of places to visit, like Mom's house, Cafe Tiger, and Guangzai's place. Those two have so many friends; even if they visited one a day, they wouldn't finish in three months. But when Zhuang Zhuoyuan spoke up, with that pitiful expression, Iris realized her suggestion was a bit much. However, she always had sweet words to appease him: "Of course we won't leave you out, BB. Let's go a week early, then you can take a day off and come see me every weekend. I'll take you sightseeing in Yunnan, just the two of us. After that, Mommy and I will stay a while longer and then bring back gifts and local specialties to visit you. So, our separation won't be too long."
"If I didn't add that last sentence, the comforting effect would be even better." His wife was impulsive, and now that it seemed inevitable, Zhuang Zhuoyuan simply started thinking about a plan to move to the neighborhood and live the life of a bachelor for a month.
Jennie couldn't bear to watch their clueless antics. She coolly suggested, "How about giving our housekeeper another day off? And Iris, I'll ask the principal to give Dr. Pun a year-end leave too."
"Oh! I still have to go to school!" The two then realized the impossibility of a month-long vacation. Hong Kong's university system isn't entirely like that of other countries; you can't just take a gap year whenever you want unless she wants to extend her studies. Iris's world collapsed instantly. Dating and marriage are indeed two different things.
Her thoughts were racing, and her eyes deliberately revealed a hint of resentment. Zhuang Zhuoyuan knew he had to be careful to coax her. But for a moment, he really wanted to laugh, and the more he tried to hold it in, the more he couldn't, which gave him a somewhat gloating air: "It's okay, we can go during the long holiday."
Summer and winter vacations, peak tourist seasons... It would have been better if he hadn't said it. Iris gave him a light punch, revealing her plans in advance: "I'm definitely going back to London for the long holidays, with Tangyuan! It won't be of any use for you to ask for leave then, you'll be alone in an empty house for two months!"
Alright, now that the root of the problem is clear, her verdict obviously places all the blame on him. Zhuang Zhuoyuan felt wronged, but he could only surrender.
Wu Zuxing ultimately sent a senior executive from ULO to attend his banquet. Several other large groups with close ties to the Zhou family, who were also invited, adopted similar strategies. Da Yusheng claimed to be unwell and sent Yu Xueli as his representative; the Shen family sent the inexperienced Shen Huai, wanting him to "broaden his horizons." Only the Malaysian Giant Oak Group sent its chairman, Shu Qida, in person, purely to keep an eye on Jacob and Larine's two children.
The Shu family has a long history of investing in natural gas in Malaysia, and Wu Zuxing's company, which focuses on new energy, was quite interested in collaborating with their group. With a smiling face and obsequious flattery, Shu Qida immediately saw through Wu Zuxing's intentions, effortlessly deflecting the offer. Even Larine sensed the rejection in her father's words. Wu Zuxing, being tactful, stopped short of a direct confrontation, politely stating that he would have his assistant send a proposal to the other party before taking his leave and moving on to his next target. Only Jacob remained oblivious to this small-scale confrontation, still harboring rosy expectations of the lucrative future Wu Zuxing had described. When his father wasn't looking, he couldn't help but pull his sister aside to share, "Larine, I think we can definitely make a fortune working with this Joe!"
Larine's thoughts were constantly drifting towards Yu Xueli. She was both saddened that he had brought Su Wenqiang along and desperately hoped he would pay her some attention. As a result, she couldn't concentrate on her conversation with her brother. She casually mentioned, "Iris doesn't seem to like him very much. I asked her if she wanted to attend tonight, and she was very reluctant and refused outright."
Jacob was currently having a falling out with Iris. He would jump up and down almost every time she was mentioned: "You still hate her? She used to make money off him. That woman is so ungrateful. She didn't even let us know when she bought stocks."
"Achoo, achoo—" Iris sneezed twice during her video call with Pandora. Dr. Pun, who was evaluating the investigation report, stopped and waited for Iris to straighten her appearance and look back at the camera before continuing to point out areas for improvement. She had rarely pulled all-nighters like this since starting university; after all, it wasn't finals, and most assignments could be conveniently given a "slow" approach. But perhaps Iris was too unaware of her student status, and finally, fate dealt her a blow. Her academic sky, having collapsed once, was no longer stable, collapsing again and again. Papers and reports for several courses were being submitted early or late for various reasons, all crammed into a week. Pandora was pushing her the hardest.
Pandora still had some humanity left. Before logging off after discussing academic matters, she asked Iris, "Do you want to put on a coat and rewrite it? If you catch a cold and your head is foggy, you might not be able to write anything."
Iris was deeply moved, so moved she wanted to jump into the computer and strangle her. She now understood perfectly how people in the company felt when complaining about clients and agencies, and she knew that all she could do now was smile at the clients. The fact that Pandora had set the deadline for 8 a.m. the next day was already a mercy. After a few seconds of blankness, she channeled her inner drama queen, coughing a few times as if spitting out blood, then clutching her chest and adopting a theatrical tone towards Pandora on the screen: "Your Majesty, your concubine..."
With a "snap," the screen went black, and Pandora closed the computer.
Okay, I've manually blocked you.
Iris slumped back in her chair with a groan. Next door, Zhuang Zhuoyuan rushed over with his son, their expressions mirroring each other. Good, her son's round eyes were now even wider open. Zhuang Sheng's hour and a half spent trying to get him to sleep, like her homework, had clearly come to nothing. The couple exchanged sympathetic glances, knowing they couldn't switch jobs, so they could only sigh in unison and return to their respective rooms.
Grandpa Zhan was eager to experience the hardships of raising a child. When his grandson was born, his life progressed at a similar pace to his peers, or even ahead of them. But decades later, while others' great-grandchildren were already in elementary school, he was still yearning for four generations to live together. And given Zhan Hantao's current unhurried attitude, Zhuang Zhuoyuan would probably have his second child by now, and he still wouldn't have seen his grandson get married.
In a house with only two grown men, what's the point of doing anything? Zhan Zongqi had to find some fun for his retirement. What was the hottest trend these days? Naturally, it was the stock market frenzy that everyone was talking about. He followed the crowd and happily waded into the excitement of the primary energy sector.
Ding Huihui, Su Wenqiang, Cousin, Nick, Grandma Long, Lamy... countless people made a fortune, big or small, riding this wave. Iris, of course, didn't gossip and spoil the fun, but whenever someone talked to her about this stock, she would always add the eight-character mantra: "When things reach their peak, they will decline; take your profits when you can."
Among them were rational individuals, obedient listeners, opportunists, and greedy individuals. At that time, Iris could roughly predict their subsequent developments based on their reactions to the eight characters. As a friend, she hoped that everyone's losses would be as small as possible, but since she had already made money from this stock, and more than all of them combined, it was not reasonable for her to offer further advice. She could only touch upon the topic briefly and then change the subject.
She sighed, realizing how difficult it was to navigate such situations; she hadn't expected someone to be so utterly devoid of humanity. On the tenth day after Jacob lost contact with her, she clearly saw his triumphant figure on the midday news. Sitting next to him was none other than the charlatan, Wu Zuxing. In front of the reporters' cameras, Wu Zuxing spoke eloquently about his and Jacob's collaborative plans, confidently asserting the success of their natural gas investment in Malaysia. Iris frowned, pulled out her phone, and saw that, sure enough, Tier 1 Energy's stock had surged again.
She hurriedly called Larine, but the first thing Larine said was still Yu Xueli: "Iris, I've explained things to Ali."
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