Guide To Lying Flat And Getting Rich As A Kept Alpha - Chapter 69
69
Chen Yuanyuan was momentarily speechless.
Her family’s company had invested nearly all its liquid assets into developing DVDs. By the time Chen Yuanyuan found out, her father, Chen Feng, had already gathered a large number of technical experts, and the factory was in full operation. She was well aware that Cheng Youqing had already been planning to develop DVDs while pushing VCDs, and DVDs were supposed to be the next major business focus for the Cheng Corporation. Her father’s sudden intervention wasn’t impossible, but it was done without her prior knowledge. He had launched an all-out offensive against the Cheng Corporation in terms of supply chains, marketing, and sales channels, with an aggressive stance and massive investment that completely caught Chen Yuanyuan off guard.
Her family’s main business wasn’t small appliances, and they held no competitive edge in the industry. Moreover, her father’s health wasn’t great, making it unsuitable for him to exhaust himself over a new project. In Chen Yuanyuan’s view, even if he wanted to pursue a new venture, he should have done so cautiously and gradually, not with such a high-profile, all-encompassing attack that seemed meticulously planned, almost as if it were someone else’s doing.
She was deeply worried that the company’s massive investment wouldn’t yield positive returns, potentially leaving them with enormous debts. Even more, she was concerned about her father’s health. She had tried talking to him multiple times, but he always brushed her off, telling her to stay out of it, determined to push forward.
Chen Yuanyuan said, “Why are you doing this? Is it to get back at Cheng Youqing? You wouldn’t take revenge yourself, so you’re using our family as a weapon?”
Qin Xi shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Your family’s company is substantial, and all decisions are made by the chairman himself. Whether the project succeeds or fails is his responsibility. It’s a bit abrupt for you to come to me with this, Miss Chen. As for the other things you’re implying, they’re completely baseless. I have things to attend to, so I won’t continue this conversation.”
Su Xinghe stood nearby, waiting. Qin Xi walked over, and Su Xinghe linked arms with her. The two strikingly beautiful women made their way through the crowd to take their seats at the front, awaiting the start of the fashion show.
Chen Yuanyuan’s confrontation with Qin Xi was indeed driven by childish impulsiveness. In the world of business, where profit reigns supreme and everyone is engaged in constant strategizing, no one reveals the full truth to others.
She was simply frustrated. Without confronting Qin Xi like this, she wouldn’t have had any chance to speak with her directly.
There was definitely something to do with Qin Xi in this matter.
How disgusting. Why couldn’t she just mind her own business instead of meddling in others’ affairs?
No wonder Cheng Youqing would rather marry a kept alpha than be with you. You deserve it!
When did the reckless little puppy realize something was wrong? Of course, it was when her wife hung up the phone.
Although she immediately called back and made five calls before her wife finally picked up, she used every trick in the book to “coax” her over the phone.
She thought she had smoothed things over. Maybe she had been too excited, casually praising another woman. It was just a passing compliment, nothing more, but considering how long she’d been away, it was understandable that Cheng Youqing would be upset.
She made a ton of promises, and eventually, her wife softened, saying “good,” wishing her goodnight, and telling her to have fun.
So, the silly puppy slept through the night. The next day, though, something felt off, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
She hadn’t meant to stay in Shenzhen for so long. The city’s rapid development was astonishing, and everyone she met was brimming with ideas. She encountered so many talented individuals whose ideas and entrepreneurial paths aligned with the vague memories she had from her previous life, sparking countless new thoughts in her mind.
She met people every day. There was the founder of the country’s largest search engine, a female beta; an internet company that secured massive funding early on and was growing steadily in multiple directions without focusing on a single niche; various emerging forums; and someone working on an online literature platform where anyone with an account could publish their novels. Zhang Hanyu, despite a rough start, was bold and ambitious. His company was growing, and its chat software had taken the country by storm, with its chubby goose icon flashing in the corner of every computer in internet cafes.
She met so many visionary and decisive people. While rapidly analyzing knowledge in her mind and identifying opportunities to fill gaps, she also looked for investment prospects.
So far, she had invested in a promising forum that was clearly destined for success, a well-developed online literature platform, and a woman who wanted to start a food delivery service. She suggested the woman begin by creating a website where people could review restaurants.
She was also preparing to meet the deputy director of a large company. She had an idea for something called a blog, where people could post articles and share their thoughts. Later, this would evolve into Weibo, becoming a major platform for news, opinions, fan communities, and celebrities showcasing their influence.
Luo Hetu’s savings were quickly drained, but she was thrilled. Perhaps after being a kept alpha in Jiang City for so long, the sudden broadening of her horizons caught her off guard. Every day, she met different people, and young entrepreneurs with similar views often invited her to chat. They drank, talked, visited each other’s companies, discussed quirky ideas, shared the challenges they faced during their ventures, and recounted the pitfalls they’d encountered. Luo Hetu felt spiritually fulfilled. She woke up each day with anticipation, and every day was filled with joy.
Until Li Baitian called her.
“You’re not in Jiang City?”
“I’m in Shenzhen. Got some things to take care of.”
“Oh, no wonder.”
“Is something up with the company? How’s that director we talked about last time?”
“No issues. The filming’s wrapped up. Wen Xiaotong did a great job, and the author kept praising her. We’re already in talks with TV stations, so don’t worry about that. My brother has connections at the broadcasting bureau, so he can help. The director seems even more clueless than me. When she heard we were interested in her project, she wanted to confirm right away, saying she’d seen Wen Xiaotong’s performance on set and was convinced she was perfect for the role—both in image and acting. I had to insist on an audition per your instructions, and she reluctantly agreed.”
Luo Hetu: …
If the director was already sold, why bother with an audition? When had she ever doubted Wen Xiaotong’s performance? This silly apprentice of hers was so inflexible.
“When’s the audition scheduled?”
“The director said she’s short on funds and still raising money. Once she gets it, she’ll hold the audition.”
Luo Hetu: …
She started scratching her head, beginning to doubt her judgment about the project’s potential success.
She’d meet the director herself when she got back. If the director was truly talented, she could invest some money.
Though, it seemed like she was about to run out of money soon.
Then Li Baitian fell silent for a moment.
Luo Hetu: “What’s up? Got something else to say? Why are you playing coy with me?”
“I’m halfway into the business world now, attending all these fancy dinners, and I heard some shocking news.”
She took a deep breath. “Your wife… is Cheng Youqing?”
Luo Hetu: “Didn’t I tell you?”
Li Baitian: …
No, she hadn’t told any of her acquaintances about this.
Li Baitian: “Are you messing with me?”
“No, it’s just… not something I go around announcing.” Luo Hetu suddenly felt a bit embarrassed. “Since you know now, when I get back, we’ll have dinner together and introduce you to her.”
“You really don’t treat me like family,” Li Baitian said, mimicking her tone with exaggerated grievance. “I thought you were my mentor. I’ve been singing your praises to everyone at the company, but I’m the last to know about this. I’m heartbroken.”
Luo Hetu laughed. “I’ll treat you to something expensive. I’ll get my wife to treat you to something expensive, okay?”
Li Baitian grumbled a bit, then moved on to the next topic. “One more thing. My brother said the Cheng Corporation’s been having some issues lately. Did you know?”
Luo Hetu was stunned. “No, I didn’t.”
Cheng Youqing hadn’t mentioned a word.
“Is it a big problem?”
“My brother doesn’t know the details, but he said Chairman Cheng said it’s not a big deal. He had dinner with Chairman Cheng, and when he got home, he mentioned it to me. My brother helped out a bit. Apparently, it’s some commercial competition over DVDs with another company. It’s been quite intense.”
Luo Hetu pondered, recalling what Cheng Youqing had said about the Chen family.
Fortunately, outsiders didn’t know that DVDs weren’t actually the Cheng Corporation’s main investment focus, but securing this revenue stream was still essential. Since Li Baitian’s brother said it wasn’t a big issue, it probably wasn’t too serious.
Li Baitian was just venting randomly, mostly shocked that the impressive Omega female chairman she admired was actually the wife of her mentor, someone she casually drank and ate hotpot with.
As the conversation went on, she asked, “What are you doing in Shenzhen anyway?”
“Business. I’m here on a trip.”
“How long have you been there?”
Quite a while—almost a month.
Luo Hetu felt a growing unease. After hanging up, she called Xiao Zhang.
Xiao Zhang briefly explained the situation with the Chen family. The more Luo Hetu heard, the more restless she became. She immediately booked a return flight.
When Zhang Hanyu heard she was leaving, he threw a farewell dinner for her. At the dinner, Zhang Hanyu said, “Teacher Luo, has this trip to Shenzhen opened your eyes?”
Luo Hetu, having had a few drinks, nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
“I think Teacher Luo is someone with unique vision, boldness, and loyalty. I’m not trying to meddle in your personal life, but I’ve always felt you’re not someone meant to be confined to domestic chores. If you spend more time with like-minded people, you’ll see how vast the world is and how much further we have to go. Don’t give up your spark so easily. You call yourself an angel investor, but I heard that in Jiang City, those old-fashioned, prejudiced local tycoons didn’t take you seriously. But here in Shenzhen, in just one month, so many people have sought you out. More and more people are learning your name. Just today, someone called to ask if you were still in Shenzhen. The investment environment here is relatively fair and transparent. You’re so smart—even if you don’t want to start your own company, there are countless opportunities for you here. If you ever get tired of Jiang City, Shenzhen will always welcome you back.”
The other company founders and project leaders at the dinner echoed Zhang Hanyu’s words, raising their glasses to toast Luo Hetu.
Luo Hetu drank the toast. That night, she drank heavily and slept until nearly noon the next day. Her phone was filled with missed calls from the promising company founders, all offering to drive her to the airport and bringing her heaps of gifts. Zhang Hanyu, shedding his usual money-grubbing demeanor, knew she’d invested a lot in Shenzhen and worried she might be short on cash for the trip. He handed her a stack of 10,000 yuan in cash.
Luo Hetu thought about Zhang Hanyu’s words, scratched her head, and decided not to dwell on it for now. She hurriedly packed and headed home to see her wife.
At the airport, a fleet of private cars lined up—a rare sight even in Shenzhen, a city brimming with wealth and opportunity.
The company founders and project leaders took turns shaking Luo Hetu’s hand, smiling as they saw her off onto the plane.
When she landed in Jiang City, the car and driver sent by Cheng Youqing were waiting for her. Eager to see her wife, Luo Hetu asked the driver to take her straight to the company.
“Chairman Cheng said to take you home after picking you up. You don’t need to go to the company. She’s very busy and doesn’t have time right now.”
Luo Hetu froze, then tentatively asked, “Can I sneak over anyway?”
“Chairman Cheng specifically instructed otherwise,” the driver said stiffly. “Of course, I’m only responsible for taking you home. If you go somewhere else after that, I wouldn’t know.”
Luo Hetu sensed Cheng Youqing’s clear dissatisfaction.
At some point, their phone calls had become perfunctory. Luo Hetu would talk, and Cheng Youqing would respond with a couple of “mm-hmms” before saying she was busy and hanging up. Even the issues with the Cheng Corporation that Li Baitian mentioned—Cheng Youqing hadn’t said a word about them.
Luo Hetu frowned as the car drove her home.