Chapter 56 Vigilance
"What others think is none of my business."
Lian Yi shoved the cup back into his hand, as if trying to comfort herself, "Anyway, in their eyes, this time it's just that I was lucky to be recognized and noticed by such a person."
"Right?"
Ms. Song's status in the education field can be described as that of a towering figure and a pillar of stability.
Lian Yi could imagine how those who had many grievances against her in this matter must be gritting their teeth and harboring deep resentment at this moment.
Undeniably, even those who desperately want their retirement plans undisturbed or delayed...
But just thinking about their reactions is quite amusing.
Jiang Yu watched her deep in thought, and simply smiled without saying a word.
He didn't like to refute what Lian Yi said, even though in his view, it wasn't just a matter of good luck.
In this situation, it's unlikely that anyone else would have chosen to handle and resolve the matter in such a way with the same pure mindset and intentions as Lian Yi.
Lian Yi didn't necessarily need Jiang Yu's approval, so she frowned and sighed.
Lately, many things have made her feel that the situation is on the verge of getting out of control, but from a general perspective, the retirement plan is clearly on the right track.
The Lian Decheng couple were never stingy with money, but they had long been disappointed and treated it as raising a money-devouring beast. As long as they weren't separated, everything was negotiable.
Aside from these friends who have little real power at home and at most have one or two companies under their name but are just coasting along.
Among the younger generation, those who are capable look down on her. Apart from exchanging pleasantries and pleasantries when they meet in formal settings, they have almost no contact with her in private. All they do is despise her.
Even the group that was laughing and shouting at the moment was not as good as her; they felt nothing but fear, envy, jealousy, and hatred towards her.
This is good, really good.
Lian Yi roughly analyzed her current situation. Even though Ms. Song Huaiyu agreed with and praised her actions, it did not affect other people's deep-rooted impression of her.
"I need to talk to my older sister and Xu Qingyao about something. Why don't you go and catch up with them first?" Lian Yi breathed a sigh of relief, finally feeling a little better.
Jiang Yu paused for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."
When they walked over again, everyone looked at them with smiles.
Their excitement was almost palpable; the temperature in this area was noticeably higher than the surrounding area.
Everyone was genuinely happy for Lianyi and truly felt that she had handled the matter beautifully and skillfully.
Most of them were spoiled rich kids whose families didn't have high hopes for them.
Spoiled and pampered, receiving occasional tips and treats from parents and other elders, plus regular dividends and living expenses, it would be a lie to say they weren't living a life of luxury.
But people are just like that, they often lament.
When you see your capable brothers and sisters being praised and admired, do you really not care or even look down on them on the surface, but do you really have no thoughts at all?
If you simply don't have the ability, you might as well just be a spoiled rich kid.
Ironically, even with his status as a spoiled rich kid, he was still ridiculed and mocked by some people.
The circle centered around Lian Yi is quite strange. Although they are considered spoiled brats, they look down on the things that other second-generation rich kids pursue.
Those yacht models and their friends go on yacht parties to play board games and go sea fishing. They don't bring anyone else along except their partners.
When Lian Yi was present, he didn't even smoke. Only when he couldn't hold back any longer would he put his arm around her shoulder and find a place to smoke a couple of cigarettes.
Apart from Xiao Haiyang, who treats racing like his wife, the others are just there for the spectacle. When it comes to actually racing themselves, they all act like they're indifferent to fame and fortune and have seen through the illusions of the world.
They can't interfere with what Lian Yi does. Whether they have the ability to interfere is one thing, and whether she allows it is another.
But as friends, everyone cared about the outcome of this matter and paid close attention to the whole process. Naturally, they were also furious about those words. If it weren't for the elder brother Pei Tu'an keeping them in check, things would have turned upside down long ago.
Seeing Lian Yi's way of solving the problem, Shuang felt very satisfied. Why should Lian Yi be wronged and speculated about, while those people can be let off just because they have more people and are still in school?
Even though such thoughts arose emotionally, Lian Yi was still rationally worried.
What she decided to do had clearly touched upon the unspoken rules of a group, something that even they could see and understand.
Sometimes, it's okay to suffer some grievances or losses, but if you consider the bigger picture and maintain a dignified outcome, the other party will make up for it elsewhere. In short, a more mature approach is to choose a solution that benefits everyone.
They watched, their hearts filled with conflict. They didn't want Lian Yi to change, yet they knew clearly that 'compromising' was her best option.
However, Song Huaiyu's words were not merely from Lian Yi's perspective or from her point of view.
It also means that she saw it.
Therefore, people should carefully consider what they want to do and what they think, regardless of what they want to do or what they are thinking.
How can this not be considered a moment of triumph for everyone?
Just when everyone was hoping that Lian Yi wouldn't open the window to let the sunlight in, she smashed down a patched-up, barely presentable wall, letting the sunlight in, illuminating the chaotic dust and revealing everyone in perfect detail.
Finally, they clapped their hands in a carefree manner, and the people inside the house could only hold their noses and smile obsequiously, agreeing with the person's words and saying, "Well done!"
They were happy and proud.
I don't know why, and I don't know for whom.
As Lian Yi approached, they tacitly raised their glasses, the drinks, wine, and water swirling within.
Everyone acted as if it were commonplace, laughing and joking without any seriousness.
"Salute to our hero Lian Xiaoyi!"
"..."
Lian Yi's gaze fell on their smiling, excited, and unrestrained faces. She twitched her lips slightly, wondering what was wrong with these people's thought processes. They always had something inexplicably that could get them excited.
But seeing this group of people acting so unreliably, she felt quite happy and relaxed.
Where can you find such a group of like-minded friends?
Lian Yi turned around and saw that Jiang Yu's cup had been refilled at some point and he was standing behind her with it.
She took the cup, arrogantly raised her chin at her friends, her expression utterly devoid of humility, "Calling me a hero is too much, but—"
"I have never failed to live up to the title of 'Little Tyrant of Jiangbei'!"
Lian Yi smiled, her eyes crinkling. Rather than getting bogged down in meaningless internal strife, she decided to let her brain wander for a moment with her friends and be a happy fool together.
She stood on the low coffee table, tilted her head back with a bold gesture, and drank the water in her glass clean, making it seem as if the glass contained strong liquor.
Everyone cooperated and drank the water in their cups together, and the lively atmosphere almost overturned the cabin.
Lian Yi smiled happily, let out a soft breath, and tossed her long hair, which had fallen across her chest, behind her head.
She waved to everyone, already showing enough respect by being willing to drink this cup with them. As she waved, she leaned back slightly, turned her face to Jiang Yu, and said, "Then you can play with them for a while."
"Okay, shall I go and call your sister and the others out?" Jiang Yu took the cup and said softly, looking down at her.
“Okay, I’ll go wait for them at the card table.” Lian Yi nodded, turned and left with her hands behind her back.
The general direction is unlikely to change because of this probabilistic and accidental event, but it is enough to raise her alarm.
Entrusting a 200 million yuan project entirely to Xu Qingyao and Lian Suning was not hasty enough.
During this period, Xu Qingyao has become more and more mature and composed, and has even changed from her previous sensitivity and timidity. Her words and actions show that she has grown rapidly.
The eldest sister, although she seems no different from usual, comes from a wealthy family and her perspective is always a bit higher than others.
The anticipated disagreement between the two did not occur. Lian Yi had already sensed this, and if she hadn't been distracted by Song Qiqi's matter, she wouldn't have hesitated to confirm the situation before hastily deciding whether to kick her eldest sister out.
After all, it's about whether retirement will involve three long years of performing together or less than six months to pack up and leave.
Lian Yi felt no burden whatsoever regarding this idea.
She sat at the card table, casually stacking and tossing a few chips around.
Lian Suning and Xu Qingyao walked over with smiles on their faces, but for some reason, the lively and noisy atmosphere behind them suddenly turned a bit cold.
"Yiyi, what's wrong?" Lian Suning walked over and sat down next to her.
Xu Qingyao stood there as if she were aware of something, her misty eyes fixed on Lian Yi.
"Regarding the glass greenhouse, I don't think I've asked you about the progress yet. Don't worry, I just want to know the current progress."
Lian Yi focused her gaze, flicked a chip in front of her with her finger, and smiled with satisfaction as it collided with another chip.
"Hmm... just a quick report?"
Her tone was languid, and her expression showed little seriousness.
He looked exactly like a spoiled brat who had been playing around until he suddenly remembered he had a business, not much more serious than a hands-off boss.
Lian Suning blinked, glanced at her nonchalant attitude, and then turned her head to look at Xu Qingyao.
The two nodded to each other knowingly.
This is certainly not the right time to give a report, especially since they were just enjoying a happy time with Lian Yi and her friends.
However, both Xu Qingyao and Lian Suning had already made ample preparations for this.
It's no exaggeration to say that during this period, the two of them assigned tasks to each other and worked tirelessly day and night on the project, each broken piece of their heart filled with all sorts of matters, big and small.
If Lian Yi hadn't pulled them over, the two of them would still be busy right now.
Even Su Ning and Xu Qingyao didn't think Lian Yi was unaware of how busy they were.
So when they received the notification, they discussed it privately and unanimously agreed that this might be the time for Lian Yi to prepare for the 'assessment'.
After all, with sufficient funds and prompt payment, apart from the need to complete various procedures and the construction time being unavoidable, the progress of the entire project should not be delayed in the slightest.
It is both reasonable and logical for Lian Yi to choose this time to 'test' them.
"Yes, Miss Lianyi."
Xu Qingyao's voice was soft and gentle. The expression on her delicate face changed instantly when she walked to the opposite side of Lian Yi. Her eyes were steady and her lips curved into a perfectly measured smile.
"Our team, which is currently built around the project, has been sent to you for review and approval. I won't go into details here."
Although her voice was soft, it was still clearly discernible amidst the occasional words coming from the other end.
"It's worth emphasizing that, thanks to Sister Ning's connections, our design team is being assembled in an orderly manner, and the current members include..."
Lian Yi paused slightly in her hand as she fiddled with the chips, then looked up in surprise, "The design team?"
Xu Qingyao and her older sister have been secretly doing something behind her back lately.
Isn't it just a simple, wasteful, and money-burning thing like throwing money at land, building a fancy glass building, stuffing it with a bunch of frivolous things, and then daring to charge 999 for admission?
Xu Qingyao was interrupted by her words, but her expression remained unchanged; she smiled and nodded.
“Yes, Ms. Lian Yi. Based on what you told me before, after thinking about it, I realized that simply having customers choose flowers and then combining them with mass-produced crystal and glass crafts to create decorative items is novel, but not unique enough. At least it cannot leave customers with a unique impression and concept that belongs only to them.”
"So I communicated with Sister Ning and had many meetings with the team. Finally, we decided that after each customer buys a ticket to enter, they can still choose a flower that they like."
"But after that, we will provide custom design services. Whether the customer wants it to be made into jewelry or ornaments, they just need to tell us their ideas, and we will have a dedicated designer to design it and then send the final draft to the factory for production."
"Considering the cost, we have currently selected three factories that have passed the qualification assessment and are in talks with them about cooperation."
"But the cost of raw materials is unavoidable. Fortunately, we have Sister Ning. She has already negotiated with five suppliers and reached cooperation agreements. We also have the opportunity to renegotiate the price later."
"..."
Lian Yi's eyes gradually became serious, her amber pupils lowered as she looked at the chips that were flipping back and forth between her fingers.
“Doing this will make it impossible to recoup the costs,” she said, pointing out the problem.
"Yes."
Xu Qingyao smiled calmly and confidently. She exchanged a glance with Lian Suning, who nodded gently with an affirmative smile.
"According to our vision, this is just the first step in establishing the brand image. The glass greenhouse will exist as a 'studio' and a 'pilgrimage site'."
She took a light breath to keep her composure as she spoke next.
"Customized, unique, exquisite, niche – these are the concepts we hope to establish in the minds of our customers."
"This aligns with your idea of not doing any advertising. By leveraging this, we can better create a sense of mystery and uniqueness for our clients. Of course, only when the design is outstanding enough to convince them and gain their approval can all the previous ideas be realized."
Upon hearing this, Lian Yi didn't know whether to find it amusing or to marvel at how quickly Xu Qingyao had grown up.
"So, you're planning to create a luxury brand?" She looked at Xu Qingyao and asked only this one question.
"Yes, Miss Lianyi." Xu Qingyao nodded, wanting to continue her report.
"Although I don't want to dampen your enthusiasm at this time, I have to say..."
Lian Yi's gaze was indifferent, seemingly carrying a smile, but not as obvious as usual.
"You can burn through these two hundred million as you please. Do whatever you want with them. As long as I see the glass greenhouse built according to my ideas, that's fine. As for what happens after you've burned through all the money and can't continue what you wanted to do."
Lian Yi paused, her voice slightly soft.
"I think this may be a pity, but it's not your fault."
She saw Xu Qingyao and Lian Suning's ambitions and the kind of empire they were planning. But unfortunately, 200 million yuan was a lot of money, enough for her to do many things and generate an even more exaggerated rate of return than 100%.
However, within the scope of their planned territory, it would be difficult to even start a fire.
As for subsequent funding, Lian Yi would certainly not allow them to seek financing with their ideas and stories, and the Lian family would never continue to pour money into this project whose prospects were still just castles in the air.
They were destined to only feel regret for the project that could not continue due to the interruption of funding.
Thank goodness I didn't ask for too much back then, otherwise they might have accidentally made it happen.
The only possible variable is the eldest sister, Lian Suning.
Lian Yi's gaze fell to the side, and Xu Qingyao mentioned more than once that Lian Suning had played a role.
Out of the corner of her eye, she met that gentle and kind face.
"Yi Yi, why don't you listen to Qing Yao continue?" Lian Suning noticed Lian Yi's gaze, smiled gently, and said softly, "We are very confident in doing this, and we will do our best to do it well."
"Even now, Qingyao and I are actually doing our best for ourselves."
There were some things that Xu Qingyao felt she couldn't say because of her status, but Lian Suning dared to openly explain them to Lian Yi.
“We have considered the funding gap for the project, and it is indeed a big challenge. We have some preliminary ideas... Of course, we are just making decisions based on your requirements.”
She spoke earnestly and softly.
Lian Yi's eyelashes trembled slightly, and then she pursed her lips impatiently.
Oh well, it was originally meant for my older sister and Xu Qingyao to play with, and also to solidify her reputation as someone who can't do anything right.
"Alright, alright, you don't need to tell me about those things. You can decide for yourselves." She glanced lazily at Lian Suning. "Hmm... just do it according to your plan. I think it's pretty good."
It's rare to see that my eldest sister isn't the one who always seems to wear a mask; thinking back, I made her cry quite a bit back then.
Lian Yi twitched the corner of her mouth slightly, thinking, "Consider it compensation."
As long as she's happy.
Impatiently interrupting Lian Suning before she could finish speaking, Lian Yi looked up and saw Xu Qingyao's familiar aggrieved expression, her eyes misty as if she were about to cry.
“…What’s wrong with you now?” She let go of his hand speechlessly, letting the chips fall.
Hearing the crisp sound of the chips falling onto the table, Xu Qingyao lowered her eyes, her delicate eyebrows furrowed in a mournful manner, and shook her head insincerely, "It's alright, Miss Lianyi, if you don't want to hear it, I'll report to you next time I have the chance."
The thought of my 10,000-word report plan coming to an abrupt end made me realize that it was now incomplete.
Xu Qingyao's gaze toward Lian Yi grew increasingly mournful.
Well, Miss Lianyi always seemed so confident, it's normal that she wasn't interested in her report.
Ultimately, it was because she didn't do a good enough job; she failed to present the most amazing part from the very beginning.
Xu Qingyao shifted her gaze to the side and met Lian Suning's comforting look, which made her feel a little better and rekindled her fighting spirit.
Next time, and the time after that, she'll definitely do even better!
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