Chapter 449: Green with Envy

At nine in the evening, Jiang Qin and Feng Nanshu descended from upstairs, both sporting petite red lips and keeping a low profile, not uttering a word as they left the villa under the astonished gazes of others.

Don’t ask, just imagine it’s dry and hot weather.

Then the folks from room 208 followed in silence, pretending not to notice as they got into the car.

Of course, not everyone chose silence willingly; for example, Lu Feiyu, who was forcibly silenced by Dong Wenhao, was passive in his quietness.

Only Huihui and Haiwang Nai were still lost in their sugar jar moment, oblivious until the old veteran car started coughing like an asthmatic engine, prompting them to hurriedly chase after it.

With this, the work in Shanghai concluded, and everyone planned to head back the next afternoon; thus, on returning to the hotel, everyone retreated to their rooms to pack.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qin received a message from Song Yaqian.

Given the hot market scene in Shanghai during New Year’s, members from the university town group buying startup came down to join the buzz.

As top websites gradually penetrated the second and third-tier markets, these folks had sold their sites for varying profit margins but were still among the wealthier young individuals.

Invited by Song Yaqian, they had gathered at this hotel having bought coupons from LaShou website.

While visiting was one reason, they were also eager to meet Jiang Qin.

They had met at a group buying conference, with Jiang Qin like them, widely connected but still identified as a student entrepreneur then.

It wasn’t until November, when Pintuan announced its official launch in Shanghai, that its unstoppable momentum forced rivals like LaShou and Nuomi to retreat, revealing Jiang Qin’s real aim.

He had no intentions of selling Pintuan; his goal was to win in the end.

Frankly, it seemed quite the tall tale.

College students battling true business elites, using hard-earned money to fight fervent capital—it was like an ant trying to stop a chariot.

Yet, as time passed, they saw Pintuan’s unbeaten streak.

Thus, Jiang Qin became a legend in this circle; their desire to meet him could easily be understood.

“…”

Checking the time, Jiang Qin donned his coat and left his room, heading to the hotel lobby.

The place was packed: Song Yaqian, Zhang Wenchao, Guo Feng…As they gathered together, Jiang Qin emerged from the elevator.

From their perspective, his eyes held a mix of cold aloofness and casual indifference, especially the way he pocketed his hands and his expressionless face, finely balancing each aspect.

But actually, there was nothing.

Boss Jiang always had this doggone demeanor; any perceived coldness or aloofness was purely due to Pintuan’s current halo.

“President Jiang, long time no see,” Guo Feng greeted, offering a cigarette.

Jiang Qin waved it off: “I’m pretty honest and never really picked up smoking.”

Guo Feng: “?”

The others exchanged looks, thinking, Honest? An honest man wouldn’t keep proposing sales and then sneakily conquer Shanghai.

If he’s honest, then I’m a Teletubby, the red one!

“Those who don’t smoke are good men; I dislike men who smoke.”

Song Yaqian suddenly spoke up, then couldn’t help but glance at Jiang Qin.

She was dressed exquisitely today in a black tight sweater that accentuated her form, a miniskirt paired with the leg-enhancing tights Jiang Qin had previously mentioned, covered by a Korean style coat and black Martin boots.

It was clear she wore intricate makeup, her long lashes and even eyeliner enlarging her eyes, and a slightly extended enticing eyeliner hook at the corners, while good use of highlighter and shadow made her features even more dimensional.

before Jiang Qin’s arrival, Guo Feng and Zhang Wenchao had teased about Song Yaqian never dressing up so carefully before – this was clearly for President Jiang.

Song Yaqian didn’t argue, simply smiling sweetly.

Having experienced the competitive group buying battles in Shanghai herself, she was genuinely attracted to the resourceful Jiang Qin; but since LaShou and Pintuan were rival firms, she hadn’t had many chances to interact with him.

But now, with everyone in Shanghai to have fun, she got her chance and truly hoped to start something beautiful with Jiang Qin.

“Guo Feng, you should quit too, less smoking in public places.”

Hearing Zhang Wenchao’s suggestion, Guo Feng pursed his lips, setting his lighter back down and proposed, “How about we find a place to eat first? We can talk while we eat?”

Jiang Qin paused: “Haven’t you eaten yet? Let’s go quickly then. I won’t join, we can meet another time.”

Song Yaqian waved a hand: “I’m not very hungry. How about Guo Feng, you go eat? I’ll chat with Jiang Qin for a while.”

“Then… then I won’t eat either. Let’s chat for now. After all, meeting President Jiang isn’t easy.”

Soon, everyone started sharing their latest updates—some talked about investing in a small shop post their website sale, others discussed seeking new trends.

Having tasted entrepreneurship, they were let interested in regular 9-to-5 jobs, especially with some initial capital—it’d be crazy to work for someone else.

Naturally, their conversations often steered back to the development of group buying.

“Nuomi has already been in talks with Baidu; they’re probably the first to secure funding.”

“I heard Tencent is setting up their group buying mall based on QQ but is also in contact with Dianping, probably aiming to enter from two directions. This war is just beginning.”

Although Song Yaqian was just an intern at LaShou, she knew Luo Ping from the second and third-tier markets and was currently working alongside Yang Xueyu, so she was quite well-informed.

Guo Feng couldn’t resist asking, “What about LaShou?”

Song Yaqian looked towards Jiang Qin and tilted her head slightly, her eyes blinking gently: “President Jiang, you interested too?”

“?”

Jiang Qin was confused: “Song, did you sleep wrong?”

Song Yaqian paused then casually mentioned, “Not really, I always talk like this. But since you all want to know, I might as well spill it—LaShou is currently in talks with Alibaba.”

“Alibaba?” Zhang Wenchao was surprised.

“Yeah, Alibaba values the group buying sector, so LaShou will likely get the highest funding amount. Jiang Qin, you better be prepared.”

Jiang Qin pursed his lips: “Given LaShou’s pace, I always thought they’d be the fastest. But why would Nuomi secure funding first? Song, you’re just messing with me, right? Vice President Yang must have sent you to distract me.”

“I didn’t, don’t wrongly accuse me.”

Song Yaqian pouted slightly: “I’m not fully aware of the specifics, but it seems some terms aren’t being agreed upon smoothly.”

Jiang Qin wasn’t surprised by this revelation.

With the three big internet companies, BAT, entering the fray, choosing sides was inevitable. Among them, Alibaba, starting purely from e-commerce, had a greater need for group buying channels. It’s less about Alibaba wanting to invest in LaShou, more about wanting to acquire it.

So, while other companies might negotiate smoothly, LaShou and Alibaba’s talks could drag on without much immediate result.

“Dianping has been making moves lately, saying they’ll enter the Kyoto market…”

“I guess after the New Year, this industry will go crazy…”

“Actually, I’m more optimistic about Nuomi…”

“I heard WoWo and 24Coupon are planning a joint venture into the northern market.”

The group enthusiastically shared all the snippets of information they’d heard, while Jiang Qin listened intently, comparing it with the trends he knew from previous experiences, thinking Dianping’s odds of heading to Kyoto were high.

This was actually good news for Pintuan; with his business tactics, the more chaotic the market, the better the situation for him.

But as for the authenticity of other website news, it wasn’t very credible.

Jiang Qin took a sip of water and suddenly noticed Song Yaqian staring intently at him; when their eyes met, she couldn’t help but flash a flirty, playful smile, her gaze full of mischief.

“During the New Year’s street promotion, you asked me if I was cold.”

“Hmm?”

“Actually, the no-tights gadget is pretty thick and warm. You could pull at it to test.”

Song Yaqian spoke nonchalantly as if genuinely proving just how thick and warm it was.

Hearing this, Jiang Qin immediately understood—so, Miss Song was trying to flirt with him. Damn, Daniel Wu of Jizhou, indeed a man who attracts bees and butterflies!

So, that earlier mention of a crooked neck was also part of it?

What’s flirtatious about a crooked neck?

At that moment, a plump figure emerged in the hotel lobby and approached the front desk to ask for some paper cups before turning around and spotting Jiang Qin.

As she saw Jiang Qin, she also noticed a woman smiling at him, a smile that, although restrained, carried a somewhat flirtatious look.

“Jiang Qin, what are you doing here?”

Jiang Qin turned to see Gao Wenhui approaching and said, “Just ran into some old friends. You go ahead to sleep.”

“Don’t stay up too late; we have to catch a plane back to school tomorrow!”

Gao Wenhui’s expression shifted, and without waiting for a reply, she dashed into the elevator.

Seeing this, the chatting crowd paused, looking at Jiang Qin, bewildered.

What was that about? Telling Boss Jiang to go to bed early. Girlfriend? But she’s…pretty plump.

Were they together before he made his fortune? Now that he’s rich, why hasn’t he ditched his humble wife?

“Your girlfriend?”

Song Yaqian couldn’t help but look at Jiang Qin, her eyes filled with surprise.

Jiang Qin thought, what kind of look is that: “No, just a classmate who came over for the New Year.”

Hearing this, the crowd smirked, thinking, she came for the New Year, must be his girlfriend then. But it’s understandable if he’s too embarrassed to admit it.

After some idle chat, Jiang Qin glanced at the time and decided to finish his tea and head to bed.

Song Yaqian and the others were also hungry by now, having not eaten dinner yet, so they decided to leave first and grab some food.

“Hey, was that Jiang Qin’s girlfriend just now?”

“I don’t think so, why would he choose someone so plump?”

“But she was telling him to go to sleep though.”

“Jiang Qin even said, ‘You go ahead to sleep, I’ll follow.’ Man, if that’s not his girlfriend, I’ll eat my hat on live stream.”

“If it’s true, then it proves President Jiang really is above shallow tastes. I don’t have his money, and I switch girlfriends every three days, all of whom have great figures.”

“Qianqian, you can’t even compare to her, and you’re interested in President Jiang? Go for it!”

Although dubbed university student entrepreneurs, they were essentially still students and greatly interested in gossip.

Hearing the crowd’s chatter, Song Yaqian smirked slightly: “Even if the corner looks good for digging, one shouldn’t just dig recklessly.”

“Tsk tsk, so Qianqian, you still want to dig, right?”

“We’ll see, I don’t know him that well yet,” Song Yaqian said with a touch of coquettishness.

Had it been earlier, she wouldn’t have said this since some things shouldn’t be flagged prematurely.

Failing after declaring intent would be embarrassing, especially in a case of a woman pursuing a man, but seeing that girl earlier, she suddenly felt much more confident and thus spoke more freely, even a bit presumptuously.

Just then, a few young men trailing behind suddenly turned their heads, their eyes wide as they stared in one direction, their gaze sparkling.

In their view, a goddess in a white down jacket emerged from the elevator, her long beautiful legs moving swiftly across the lobby. Her stunningly pure face was hard to look away from, each step seemingly hitting right on their hearts.

“Damn, she’s beautiful.”

“Is that a celebrity? Did I just see a celebrity?”

Song Yaqian suddenly snapped back to reality and followed everyone’s gaze. She then saw the cool-looking “sister” dashing into the lounge area and sticking close to Jiang Qin.

Initially, everyone looked on with admiration and awe, but their expressions quickly froze, dumbfounded.

Jiang Qin had just finished his tea and was about to head back to sleep when he suddenly felt a round and pert bottom press against him. Looking up, he saw a stunning face and clear eyes, and his lips couldn’t help but curl into a smile.

“Why are you down here? It’s half past ten; shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“I was about to sleep, but Gao Wenhui said you were down here, so I came to check on you.”

Feng Nanshu spoke softly, her bright eyes covertly scanning the surroundings.

Apparently, Gao Wenhui had told her that Jiang Qin was downstairs mingling with another woman, and she better come down or he might just get snatched away.

So, she came right down, not even bothering to put on socks.

Jiang Qin, who wasn’t one to sit back, immediately realized that Gao Wenhui must have gone back and complained about him chatting with other girls down here. Damn, what a drama queen.

Also, what’s with my friend suddenly getting jealous?

But Jiang Qin didn’t call her out on it. He said, “Let’s go, back to sleep,” and took Feng Nanshu’s hand towards the elevator, only to realize that the group hadn’t left yet.

“Weren’t you guys going to eat?”

Guo Feng snapped back, “We planned to drive there; the car’s downstairs, waiting by the elevator. Is she…your sister-in-law?”

Hearing this, Feng Nanshu stretched out her hand and sneakily reached toward Jiang Qin’s pocket, only for Jiang Qin to quickly protect his wallet: “No need for a red packet!”

“Oh, right.”

Jiang Qin turned to Guo Feng and the others, “You guys go ahead to eat; we’re heading back.”

Seeing the tall and elegant Feng Nanshu being led by Jiang Qin into the elevator, those waiting by the elevator felt as if they’d been splashed in the face.

They had thought the plump woman was Jiang Qin’s long-suffering wife, but then this goddess appeared, the visual impact was simply too strong.

“She must be Jiang Qin’s girlfriend, right?”

“They’re holding hands; what else do you need to ask?”

“So the earlier one was really just a classmate…”

“I guess she’s the girlfriend’s best friend, which makes sense now.”

“Makes sense my foot! I feel like Jiang Qin is somewhat out of her league.”

“Must be her best friend who saw Song Yaqian and immediately went back to complain, prompting her to rush over.”

As everyone chuckled, they suddenly noticed Song Yaqian scoff and quickly held it in.

At that moment, Song Yaqian also felt quite embarrassed. She was so beautiful, why didn’t she come out sooner? It turned into a joke when she mentioned stealing someone else’s man.

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