Chen Ru could understand Mrs. Wang.
For a woman, if she didn’t plan ahead and only cried about her husband being a heartless cad when the time came, what good would that do?
Once he’s a cad, a few harsh words wouldn’t hurt him a bit.
Though Mrs. Wang said she hadn’t caught her husband cheating yet, having such suspicions meant there were already signs.
Chen Ru felt a bit of sympathy for Mrs. Wang.
But thinking of the balance in Mrs. Wang’s bank account… well, Mrs. Wang had things under control and didn’t need anyone’s pity!
Not only did Chen Ru accept the substantial business Mrs. Wang brought, but she also resolved to manage the funds well. For clients like Mrs. Wang, stability was key, so aggressive investment strategies wouldn’t do. Still, Chen Ru aimed to outperform fixed deposits, otherwise why bother with wealth management when a simple term deposit would suffice?
After seeing Mrs. Wang out, Chen Ru felt a heavy responsibility on her shoulders.
For clients like Mrs. Wang, she couldn’t afford to stop learning!
“Manager Chen landed another big deal?”
“Of course, they went straight to the VIP room.”
“What’s Chen’s background, anyway?”
Colleagues whispered among themselves, flashing friendly smiles as Chen Ru passed by.
Chen Ru had no background to speak of. Her husband Wen Dongrong’s modest influence meant nothing in the provincial capital.
But her colleagues didn’t believe that!
Chen Ru couldn’t be bothered to explain.
Did having a background even matter?
Those so-called “background” figures weren’t always so impressive at the start.
Take Wang Jun, Boss Qin, or even her old classmate Wu Chunqin, whose family was once worse off than Chen Ru’s, with no notable connections. Through years of hard work, hadn’t Wu Chunqin made a name for herself in the capital?
For now, colleagues might think she had a background, but one day, they’d be convinced of her professional ability.
While Chen Ru was gearing up, the dramatic Mrs. Wang left the bank, wiping away the tears in her eyes and reverting to a cheerful, wealthy lady.
Mrs. Wang wanted to meet Zou Weijun but lacked prior connections, so she needed Li Zhentao’s wife to make the introduction.
Calling Li Zhentao’s wife, Mrs. Wang said she wanted to thank Zou Weijun.
“You know, Wang Shuang’s grades have improved so much. As his mum, I can’t just pretend it’s nothing. I heard Xie Qian’s been tutoring your Mengjiao too, right? How does Xie Qian’s family raise such a brilliant kid?”
Li Zhentao’s wife, unguarded, discussed it seriously, suggesting genetics played a role.
“I haven’t dealt with Xie Qian’s dad, but his mum is remarkable. She was a full-time housewife, then stepped into work and became an industry rising star. Let me tell you, the Zou family is something else, true scholarly pedigree, all highly educated…”
Having known Zou Weijun for so long, Li Zhentao’s wife had gathered plenty about her family.
With her capabilities, she could’ve dug into the Xie family too, but Zou Weijun never mentioned her in-laws, so Li Zhentao’s wife tactfully avoided the topic.
All her hard-earned intel went straight to Mrs. Wang.
—*Sis, I owe you one!*
Mrs. Wang fully agreed with the “genetics” point.
Sigh, her husband was decent in every way except academics.
It was Old Wang’s genes holding Wang Shuang back from being smarter.
When Mrs. Wang mentioned meeting Zou Weijun, Li Zhentao’s wife, unaware of the looming threat, said Zou was too busy lately, even for her.
Busy with what?
Busy with the publishing house.
And a new magazine.
“Wen Ying’s book is selling so well. I heard she started some blog online, boosting sales even more…”
A bestselling author keeps a publishing house busy.
But this kind of busy is a sweet burden no publisher would complain about.
Fresh from the bank, Mrs. Wang nearly burst out laughing.
So, winning over Wen Ying was like winning over Xie Qian, she’d played her cards perfectly!
Mrs. Wang was thrilled.
She could boost Chen Ru’s business, but not Zou Weijun’s. The Wang family didn’t lack money, they lacked culture. Zou Weijun was in publishing, and even someone as sharp as Mrs. Wang couldn’t immediately think of how to curry favour.
After all, among her contacts, there was no second Wen Ying, or she’d happily deliver a slew of authors to Zou Weijun. Chen Ru needed deposits, Zou Weijun surely needed good authors!
Mrs. Wang’s dilemma lasted only a moment.
Retreating in the face of difficulty wasn’t her style.
If she couldn’t meet Zou Weijun, she’d go to her!
Li Zhentao’s wife could go shopping with Zou Weijun, but Mrs. Wang wondered if she could join Zou in her career.
Shopping could be replaced, but a career partner was harder to displace.
A high school graduate, Mrs. Wang was undaunted by Zou Weijun’s scholarly background. Leaving the bank without a plan, by the time she reached the literary publishing house, she’d hatched one.
Authors? She couldn’t deliver those.
But she had money!
With money, many problems could be solved.
With money *and* time, she could do even more.
Rich and idle, Mrs. Wang didn’t head straight to Zou Weijun. She had the driver turn towards the provincial key school, lingering nearby for half a day until the students were dismissed.
Seeing the family car at the school gate with his mum inside, Wang Shuang felt embarrassed.
“Mum, I’m grown up, why are you still picking me up?”
Eighteen years old!
He was an adult!
Having his mum pick him up from school, what if his classmates saw and mocked him as a mummy’s boy?
Oh, “mummy’s boy” was a term Wen Ying used, describing boys who couldn’t mentally wean off their mothers, forever their little babies no matter their age.
Wang Shuang glanced around like a thief, hoping to slip into the car before his friends noticed.
—He wasn’t a mummy’s boy, he just didn’t want to hurt his mum’s feelings!
But as he poked his head in, Mrs. Wang held him back, “You’re overthinking it. I’m not here for you. I need to see Wen Ying. Move, don’t block my view.”
Wang Shuang: “…!”
So he wasn’t his mum’s treasure, just a blade of grass nobody wanted!
“Why do you need Wen Ying?”
“Business!”
“What business…”
“You’re too chatty. Call Wen Ying for me, I really have something to discuss!”
Grumbling, Wang Shuang pulled out his phone.
Mrs. Wang added, “Just Wen Ying, don’t alert Xie Qian.”
Wen Ying and Xie Qian left school together every day, making it tough to avoid him.
Wang Shuang racked his brains for an excuse, finally luring Wen Ying to his mum alone.
“Auntie—”
Before Wen Ying could finish, Mrs. Wang pulled her into the car.
The car sped off smoothly, leaving Wang Shuang standing in the wind, bewildered.
—Mum, I haven’t gotten in yet!
