Chapter 1: Strange Phenomena in the Underworld

  Qian Xiaohong defected to Qiu Xiaoqian's company, which left Lu Xiaoying and Lan Jingqiu in shock. They didn't know why Qian Xiaohong would leave at this critical moment, even when they saw hope and a future ahead. Just recently, their joint efforts had moved Lan Yutong deeply, and he had secretly planned to give 1% of the company's shares to Lan Jingqiu and Qian Xiaohong. But just then, Qian Xiaohong announced her resignation without giving any reason.

  As everyone repeatedly tried to persuade Qian Xiaohong to stay but failed, they watched with regret and incomprehension as she left.

  Qian Xiaohong moved out of the apartment she shared with Lu Xiaoying in order to cut ties with them, leaving without a word.

  After Lan Yuxing's help, the company fought for several months and finally delivered the goods to customers on time. The Lan Group finally regained its corporate reputation. According to the previous agreement with Huo Jiangyu, Lan Jingqiu came to Huo Jucai's home and handed a check of 5 million yuan to Huo Jiangyu.

  "Why are you giving me so much money?" He Jiangyu sat elegantly on the sofa in the living room, with a high-end cigar in his mouth, took the check handed over by Lan Jingqiu and looked at it, puzzled, looking at Lan Jingqiu.

  "For a company as large as the Huo Corporation," Lan Jing said after a moment of contemplation, "making hundreds of millions every year, this mere 5 million is nothing to Old Man Huo, but the Lan Group should keep its promises. As stated in the agreement, Old Man Huo borrowed 3 million from me and promised to share 2 million in profits with him afterwards. Now that my company is gradually improving and the repayment deadline is approaching, I've come to fulfill my promise."

  "General Manager Lan is indeed a man of his word," said Huo Jiangyu with a smile. "However, the Lan Group still urgently needs money now. Moreover, when I lent money to help the Lan Group in the past, it wasn't for this two million. I did it because of my son and your friendship. To be honest, many people nowadays value money and social status, so they're all trying to find opportunities to curry favor. Today, I have many 'friends', so it seems like they're very good to my naive son. But if one day I close my eyes, will my son still receive the respect of so many people? Or will they turn against him? However, you few are his friends from a young age, and I'm delighted to see that. Helping you is equivalent to helping him. I hope he'll always have friends like you, so you don't need to return this money either."

  "Mr. Huo is so generous that I admire him," Lan Jingqiu said hastily, "but we still have to pay the money back. As for our relationship with your son, even if you charge us more money, it can't change the friendship between us."

  He Jiangyu saw that Lan Jingqiu was determined to return the money, and no matter how many times he declined, it was of no use. So he had no choice but to accept it, and said that if Lan's Group needed his company, Huo Enterprise, in the future, Huo Enterprise would not decline.

  After repaying the money to Huo Jiangyu, Lan Yutong and Lan Jingqiu also cleared their bank loans. With the remaining money, apart from the company's normal turnover, Lan Yutong gave bonuses to employees who had been working hard all night.

  It was precisely because of this that the Langshi Group's reputation for timely delivery led to more and more customers turning to cooperate with it, and soon after, the Langshi Group's business flourished like all things nourished by spring rain, every day full of vitality.

  Watching the Lan's Group rise, people who had struggled and paid for it showed joy on their faces. But as soon as they thought of Qian Xiaohong's departure, there was a tinge of regret and pity in their joy. Lu Xiao Ying couldn't understand why Qian Xiaohong, who valued friendship so much, chose to leave without hesitation. She had called Qian Xiaohong several times, but Qian Xiaohong didn't answer, and now she didn't know where Qian Xiaohong was.

  "What a pity!" Lan Jingqiu and they sat in the office chatting, he couldn't help but sigh and say, "I don't know where Xiao Hong is now?"

  "I wonder if she got angry because I didn't tell her that Zhang Mingyu was a big scammer from the beginning?" said Lu Xiaoying.

  "No!" Dugu Jinzhong shook his head as if he had thought it over and said, "Qian Gongzhu is a cheerful person, how could she leave in anger because of such trivial matters? In my opinion, Qian Gongzhu's departure this time must have an unspoken reason. I think the matter is clear, only the timing is long or short."

  "Dugu brother said," Lan Jingqiu leaned back in his chair and said, "there will be a day when the truth comes to light, let's not speculate here, now that the company is gradually improving, but we can't be careless, after all, business is like war, things change rapidly, taking advantage of this good opportunity, we must work harder, so let's discuss our next step..."

  He leaned over on the office desk, picked up a cigarette and tossed one to Du Gu Jing, then lit one himself and took a deep drag before exhaling. He gazed at the thick smoke column shooting out of his mouth for a moment, saying, "I got news that the financially powerful Tianyuan Company wants to invest in opening a supermarket in Wubang City. This supermarket is said to be the largest among several cities in our region. An insider friend also said that this supermarket will expand nationwide. If we can get the supply rights for the supermarket, then our products will naturally sell all over the country."

  "Why does our company produce cosmetics?" Du Gu Zhong suddenly asked, this old devil from ancient times only knew about rouge and powder, the kind of women's daily necessities, and judging by his life experience, he thought that people who use cosmetics should not be many.

  "You don't know that," Lan Jingqiu said with a smile, "cosmetics are becoming more and more popular. Now people's living standards have improved, they no longer worry about making a living, on the contrary, loving beauty is currently and will be the most popular fashion trend in the future. Not only women use cosmetics, but men also use them, they spare no expense to make themselves more beautiful."

  "Uncle Lan is right," Lu Xiaoying interrupted, "we girls are born to love beauty. If we had to choose between spending 1,000 yuan on fitness or cosmetics, people might not hesitate to choose cosmetics, as long as they can make them more beautiful, they won't be stingy."

  "So it was!" Du Gu Jing nodded slightly.

  "Let's get back on track," Lan Jingqiu continued, "so I think we should go to Wubang City and try our best to secure this supply right. Xiao Ying, you come with me, okay?"

  "No problem!" Lu Xiaoying said.

  The battle for the mall can be said to be a war of time, it does not wait for businessmen to act slowly, so Lan Jingqiu and Lu Xiaoying went to Wubang City early the next morning.

  Setting foot again in the familiar land of Wubang City, Lu Xiao Ying felt a lot. Although Wubang City was not her place to stand out, it was after all her hometown. The city was not far from the rural area where she lived, but the sadness during her life at home made her feel that the sorrow was not so far away from her, and it was inevitable to evoke a sense of helplessness in her.

  However, for the company's sake, she didn't have time to savor her pain. After Lan Jingqiu booked a room in a hotel, they organized their documents and headed to Tianyu Company.

  They were received by the general manager's secretary of Tianyu Company, a very beautiful girl named Shan Juan. Shan Juan led them into a reception room and told them that the general manager was currently meeting with the chairman of another company.

  "Do you know which company it is?" Lan Jingqiu heard that a company had already rushed ahead of them, and suddenly felt an ominous premonition in her heart.

  "It seems to be Bai Hu Corporation's chairman Qiu Xiaoqian and his secretary." Shuang Juan poured a cup of boiling water for each of them, then smiled and said.

  "Qiu Xiaoqian?!" Lan Jingqiu's face changed greatly upon hearing this name, he exchanged a glance with Lu Xiaoying, then looked at Shan Juan and asked.

  "Yes," Shan Juan nodded, "I think it should be this name. Does Mr. Lan know that Chou Xiaoqian, the chairman of the board?"

  "Perhaps," Lan Jingqiu said, furrowing his brow as he took a sip of water from the cup in his hand, his eyes gazing heavily at the ground, the disposable plastic cup spinning between his palms.

  "How long has it been since you saw the general manager?" Lu Xiaoying asked softly, women are most careful, smiling is really sweet, especially beautiful women like Lu Xiaoying.

  Dan Juan reported with a smile, but she didn't say a word.

  "Sorry, nice to meet you," Lu Xiao Ying took out a silk scarf from her bag, which she had spent over a thousand yuan on two days ago. She didn't usually like spending money, but she had hesitated for several days before finally buying it. Today, when she saw Shan Juan, Shan Juan's eyes flickered and she spoke hesitantly, even when serving them tea, her mind was elsewhere.

  "I just bought it, and when I saw you, Miss Shan, looking as beautiful as a celestial being, I realized that this scarf is only suitable for wrapping around your neck. So, I still hope you'll accept it with a smile. Please don't think I'm being stingy because it's only over a thousand yuan. It's strange to say, but when I saw Miss Shan, whose beauty rivals Diao Chan, I couldn't help but feel that this scarf has found its rightful owner. And, to be honest, I really don't want to part with it. Will you get angry at me for saying this?"

  Lu Xiaoying took out the silk scarf, and Shan Juan's eyes lit up. She was like a dying person who had seen their most beloved thing and immediately jumped out of bed with great spirit. With one swift step forward, she grasped the scarf in her hand and said, "There's no need to be so polite, this scarf is really beautiful, I love it."

  And what she liked even more was what Lu Xiao Ying said earlier, "I'm telling the truth, Miss Shan won't get angry, will she?" The "truth" in this sentence refers to whether Miss Shan is beautiful or reluctant to give her the silk scarf? But Shan Juan seems to be leaning towards the former.

  "It's fine if you like it," Lu Xiao Ying said with a bitter smile. "I'm worried that someone as worldly as Miss Shan will laugh at me."

  "How could that be?" Dan Juan didn't look at Lu Xiao Ying either, and only took the scarf to gesture around her own neck, saying, "It's just too expensive, you and I have only met for the first time, so take it back." She said to let Lu Xiao Ying take it back, but she didn't hand the scarf over to Lu Xiao Ying.

  "Miss Shan is as beautiful as a fairy, and with this simple yet elegant outfit today, I think anyone who sees her would be captivated. To have someone as extraordinary as Miss Shan wear the scarf I gave her, I, Lu Xiao Ying, feel honored and surprised. It's my good fortune to be able to give Miss Shan a gift that she likes, so I sincerely hope she won't decline." Lu Xiao Ying quickly praised her after seeing through Shan Juan's thoughts.

  "Since Miss Lu is being so polite, I'll just have to obey," Shan Juan carefully folded the silk scarf and put it into her bag without feeling any embarrassment. She looked at Lu Xiaoying and smiled, "A gift deserves a return gift, Miss Lu gave me such a good present, I'll also give you something." After that, she left.

  Lu Xiao Ying heard that Shan Juan was going to give her a gift, and her heart slightly calmed down. She thought to herself, someone like Shan Juan who works as a secretary in a big company should be giving a pretty good gift, maybe even more expensive than the silk scarf she gave to Shan Juan.

  Just then, Dan Juan reopened the door and walked in again. She was holding a small ceramic basin with a cactus planted upright inside. After entering, she handed it to Lu Xiao Ying and said: "I'm giving this to you, I hope you like it."

  "How beautiful!" Lu Xiao Ying exaggeratedly exclaimed in surprise, while Shan Juan couldn't see any falseness and smiled, repeatedly saying "I like it, I like it", but in reality, Lu Xiao Ying almost got so angry she spat blood.

  "Although it's our first meeting," Lan Jingqiu said, standing up to speak, "I see that Lu Jie and Miss Shan are like old friends. If the Lan Corporation can cooperate with the Tianyu Company, who knows, you two might become the closest of sisters, don't you think, Miss Shan?"

  "Yes, I also hope that day will come," said Danjuan. "However, I'll try my best to help you all out. The general manager is my aunt's husband, so what I say should still have some effect."

  "That's great!" Lan Jingqiu said, he now thinks Lu Xiao Ying is very remarkable, after talking for a few sentences, she can see what Duan Juan is thinking in her heart. A scarf changed Duan Juan's attitude towards them, maybe it's like a red thread that connects the Lan Group and the Tianyu Company together.

  "Just wait a moment, I'll go and see if the general manager and the chairman of the White Fox company have finished talking. Once they're done, I'll come and notify you," said Dan Juan.

  Lan Jingqiu and Lu Xiaoying nodded. Shan Juan walked out, and all the way, only the sound of her high-heeled shoes clicking on the ground could be heard.

  The two continued to wait, and after about half an hour, Lu Xiaoying finally saw the door of the reception room open again. They thought it was Shan Juan coming to inform them that they were going to see the general manager, so they quickly stood up.

  However, the one who came in was not Dan Juan, but an acquaintance. As soon as this person entered, Lu Xiao Ying was shocked and her face suddenly changed. She trembled with fear, her eyes coldly staring at the newcomer.

  In this situation, no one would have thought of it, nor would they think about it.

  Everyone was shocked and speechless!