Chapter 19 My Best Friend's First Gathering After Getting Married in Beijing
Hujiang
The cluster of towering skyscrapers houses half of the nation's financial institutions, a veritable gathering place for elite professionals.
Compared to the understated capital, this place is much more fashionable.
After arriving at Shanghai Jianghu, Ji Tanyuan was like a dried-up fish returning to water, heading off to find her "friends and acquaintances."
In the office of the editor-in-chief of a magazine in a high-rise office building, Ji Tanyuan lay on a soft cloud sofa, drinking the latest trendy coffee and eating freshly baked macarons.
Zhang Zhang took off his glasses and looked at the leisurely Ji Tanyuan, "How does the lady of the high family feel?"
The entertainment and fashion industries are known for attracting wealthy patrons, and Zhang Zhang has encountered many families with political connections since entering the industry.
There are those who are just doing it for entertainment, and there are those who are doing it to make money, but I've never seen anyone with a background as strong as Zhong Yan's.
Or rather, given her status, she wouldn't have been able to see him, but now her best friend has.
Ji Tanyuan sighed, "It's so refreshing."
"The sour part is that every family has its own troubles, but the good part is that Zhong Yan is doing a great job."
Zhang Zhang nearly spat out his tea. "What did you say?!"
Ji Tanyuan glanced at her and said, "What's the big deal? Isn't married life just about this, both on and off the bed?"
Zhang Zhang stood up, walked over, and helped the person up. "You haven't really fallen for him, have you?"
"No, they just cancel each other out. Liking something in bed doesn't mean you like it off-bed."
Ji Tanyuan looked at the ceiling. "I'm quite afraid of their family."
Zhang Zhang exclaimed, a look of utter confusion on his face. "Afraid? What are you afraid of?"
She'd heard of people disliking their in-laws, but never of people being afraid of them.
Ji Tanyuan looked at her and said, "Well, I guess I'm serious."
Zhang Zhang nodded, "I understand. People are different. You're a rich second-generation with a powerful background, so you definitely can't drive a Ferrari around town. Besides, there's traffic congestion in Beijing, so you can't cause any trouble."
Ji Tanyuan glanced at the time. "I have to go. Those uncles can't wait any longer."
Zhang Zhang nodded, then couldn't help but ask, "Can you still play with me in the future?"
Ji Tanyuan paused in her hand holding the bag, staring at Zhang Zhang. Zhang Zhang had long pink hair and was the youngest and most unruly magazine editor-in-chief in the history of the fashion industry. She was lively and eccentric in her personal life, and had a strong and fiery personality. The two got along very well, and Ji Tanyuan enjoyed being with her. However, at this moment, Zhang Zhang was a little cautious, a feeling she hadn't shown in 10 years.
Ji Tanyuan smiled and asked, "Who said anything to you?"
Zhang Zhang was stunned for a moment, then waved his hand, "No way, a quick check will tell you the reputation of the young heartthrobs in this underworld. I'm just afraid it will affect you..."
Ji Tanyuan threw her bag aside, took out her phone, and pulled Zhang Zhang over, "Come here."
He turned on the camera and then followed Zhang Zhang's usual procedure, taking a few photos together. Afterwards, he squatted down and took some photos of macarons.
She looked down at the picture, then took the phone from Zhang Zhang's hand, skillfully entered the password, found her account, and confirmed it was the main account. Zhang Zhang grabbed her wrist, "What are you doing?"
Ji Tanyuan dodged the button, clicked "forward," and added the caption: "[First get-together with my best friend after she got married in Beijing.]"
Ji Tanyuan shoved the phone into her hand, "Next time anyone says that, slap them back, I'll take the hit for you."
"Wasn't she usually quite assertive? Why is she acting so cowardly this time, Ms. Zhang?"
Zhang Zhang pursed her lips, "I'm just afraid of causing you trouble."
"What trouble could you possibly cause me? It's just sleeping with a man," Ji Tanyuan said dismissively.
Someone spoke out of turn in front of Zhang Zhang, perhaps in a sarcastic or insinuating way, or perhaps by trying to put her down by influencing her friends.
"Zhang Zhang, you are more important than anyone else, you know that?"
Zhang Zhang's eyes were red. The two had lived together abroad for ten years. When she encountered difficulties and was so poor that she couldn't afford to eat, it was Ji Tanyuan who gave her a meal, thus beginning a ten-year friendship.
A psychologist once said that if a friendship survives seven years, it will face its next test: the partner. So she was always worried that Ji Tanyuan would drift apart after getting married. She didn't even dare to ask too many questions about her husband, afraid of not handling the boundaries properly.
Ji Tanyuan patted her back, "Silly girl, you actually believe what others say? Stop crying."
Zhang Zhang lowered her head, looking like a wild child, when the other parent came to her and told her to stay away from their child.
Ji Tanyuan's expression was gloomy. Some people were so despicable that they had to annoy her.
She felt she had been very competent, and had not used the Zhong family's privileges and background to cause trouble for her rivals as soon as she gained power. Even after all that, some people still dared to come to her.
What trouble could Zhang Zhang possibly cause? He's just trying to annoy her.
"Tell me, who is it? It's not targeting you, it's targeting me."
/
Ji Tanyuan's expression was not good when she arrived at the company, where her secretary was already waiting.
Tang Xin and Hao Jiajia had previously worked for Ji Tanyuan. Many people thought that Ji Tanyuan, the vice president, was just a rich young lady who was coasting along, and the two assistants seemed to have been hired just to keep her company. Their performance was mediocre, with neither outstanding achievements nor failures.
This was something Ji Qing specifically instructed her to do, saying it was to conceal her talents, because he was worried that if a girl's sharpness was too great, she would be targeted, especially since they were in the open.
The Ji family was founded by Ji Qing, but it is impossible for one person to build a huge business empire from scratch.
From the initial financing rounds, numerous shareholders of varying sizes joined, leading to equity dilution. Coupled with the financial crisis and corporate sieges, the Ji family's growth into one of the largest conglomerates in the south was also highly complex, involving multiple large capital entities.
Moreover, Ji Qing had three older brothers. After he became successful, his three brothers followed him to great heights. Over time, however, those relatives wanted to take over the Ji family business, especially since Ji Qing only had one daughter.
The chaotic shareholding structure, coupled with family misfortunes, left Ji's father unable to attend to everything, and his trusted confidants unable to compete with those who were plotting against him. As a result, the Ji family began to decline.
Zhong Yan once summarized it in one sentence: "Your father is too principled and too sentimental. However, in the dog-eat-dog world of fame and fortune, being too conscientious won't earn you much money. He's already lucky to have reached this point, so it's not surprising that he's going downhill."
“The company’s poor performance is due to a variety of factors. His success has already proven his ability, but under the laws of society, a company must also consider human nature if it wants to operate in the long term,” Zhong Yan said.
For example, forming alliances to exclude those who are different.
What is society? It is editorials, associations, groups, and reality.
Having money and power is the highest standard of success in the secular world.
Integrating an individual into a group is the first step; if it fails, many problems will arise, unless one starts at the top of the pyramid, like Zhong Yan, where others flatter and socialize him, rather than he socializing with others.
When the Ji family faced a crisis, only Ji Qing was distressed and wanted to save the company he had built from scratch. The rest of the family was only thinking about how to abscond with the money, while other companies planned to divide up this lucrative business.
In the end, Ji Qing made a desperate decision to choose the Zhong family in the north, while Ji Tanyuan formed a marriage alliance with the Zhong family. The Zhong family injected funds to replenish the capital chain and alleviate the crisis, but those people took it for granted that Ji Tanyuan was like water spilled on the ground.
"Mr. Ji, Mr. Zhong arrived an hour ago as well."
Tang Xin followed and whispered something in her ear, interrupting her thoughts.
Ji Tanyuan hummed in agreement, and the automatic door opened. The receptionist bowed slightly upon seeing her, "Young Master Ji."
Ji Tanyuan, who was walking forward, stopped when she heard this address and looked at her. "What did you call me?"
She used to be called President Ji, and her father was Chairman Ji. How come she was called "Little" after she went out for a while?
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