Chapter 469: Young Master Cao Learns Silence

The team from 24Coupon in Jiangcheng was poached, which spread across the circle the next day. It became the first major news of the year in the group-buying market.

From an ethical standpoint, everyone despised the website’s style, issuing strong condemnations, although privately, they were all pondering two things. The first was how to ensure team loyalty and cohesion. The second was their own desire to poach.

Damn it! Poaching a team and getting a market, who can handle that?

It’s like asking a lady in black silk to go out and have fun, and she brings along her white silk best friend!

Even the hotel money is on them.

Jiang Qin was astounded when he heard this news, thinking how some things really can’t stop being mentioned. He had just discussed it last night, and by today, it had come true.

However, he wasn’t surprised by this event, as history tends to repeat itself.

At this stage in the group-buying sector, simply burning cash in the market was meaningless. Bolstering strengths while attacking the competition was the smarter move.

The so-called talent war was just a distinctive sign of this phase, serving one’s own goals while tripping up others—that’s real business.

When it’s fine for you and fine for me, true gains are when your fellow merchants collapse.

Besides poaching teams, subsequent illegal reporting by opponents posing as consumers might also occur. No need for special surprise there.

Jiang Qin was packing his luggage and boarded the plane back to Linchuan, pondering over the company’s stock reform and employee equity plan.

On February 18th, after the Lantern Festival, the second marker of the 24 solar terms, Rain Water arrived. Although the temperature hadn’t risen noticeably, people could feel a hint of spring.

Most Linchuan students began returning to school, their suitcase wheels rumbling across the campus.

A truck was parked at the entrance of the school supermarket, restocking, and merchants in the front square were offering inventory clearance discounts.

Jiang Qin walked by and saw Jiang Zhihua standing at the doorway, gesturing at the shop next door—it seemed he had just taken it over and was planning to expand.

Helplessly, a school affiliate and Jiang Qin’s business partner, boss Jiang had grown rich in recent years, nearly considering offering cups named after Jiang Qin in his milk tea shop.

These milk tea cups, released in his first year, numbered a thousand, with more than five hundred still remaining.

Joking aside, aside from his adorable household, who would buy it seriously?

Right then, as boss Jiang finished discussing the renovation, he turned and saw Jiang Qin about to greet him, but noticing he was alone, his face changed, and then he pretended not to see and fumbled back into the shop.

“?”

Jiang Qin looked back and thought to himself, goddamn, without Feng Nanshu, you wouldn’t dare to call out to me, fuck.

What kind of people are these? Who taught them to be such snobs?

Jiang Qin returned to his dorm and upon entering saw a skinny dark-skinned guy hanging clothes. He paused, said he entered the wrong room, and stepped back out.

At that moment, the guy slowly turned his head, revealing a familiar face.

“Holy shit, Chao?”

“Brother Jiang, it’s me.”

Zhou Chao had cut his hair short and was wearing a scarf, looking much fresher and remarkably slimmer.

Jiang Qin opened his mouth: “How did you get so skinny? You that desperate for a girlfriend?”

“It’s the second semester of our junior year. If not now, when?”

“I still think you looked better a bit plumper, at least you were cuter.”

Just then, Cao Guangyu finished using the toilet and saw Jiang Qin, gasping as if he had an instinctual reaction, unsure of which foot to step forward with.

It’s been a month since they last met. What new thing did this jerk buy to annoy me with?

Young Master Cao subconsciously wiped his face, planning to play mute today. Whatever he says, I just won’t respond!

Jiang Qin glanced at him, knew Old Cao was afraid of being teased, and flashed an understanding smile, starting to tidy his bed.

Not that I won’t tease you, but I really didn’t buy anything impressive over the winter break. I’ll let Young Master Cao off this time.

“Brother Cao, a junior just replied to me, asking if I have a girlfriend. How should I respond?”

Zhou Chao ran over with his phone, clearly excited.

Jiang Qin turned to him: “Which junior?”

“Met a girl on the road back just now; I courageously asked for her QQ number and succeeded.”

Young Master Cao thought for a moment: “Play it cool. Don’t be overly enthusiastic or you’ll seem too desperate. First impressions are important.”

Chao typed two chilling words: “No.”

After a while, Chao got anxious: “She hasn’t replied.”

Cao Guangyu frowned slightly, thinking of a possibility: “Maybe those two words were too cool, leaving her unsure how to start. You could soften it up a bit, basically telling her subtly that she has a chance.”

Chao nodded earnestly: “Junior, I don’t have a girlfriend.”

Long after, there was no reply, and the silence made Chao feel like a cat scratching at his heart, so he decided to soften it further.

“I really don’t have a girlfriend.”

“……”

“I don’t have a girlfriend, junior.”

“……”

“Actually, I’ve never been in a relationship.”

“……”

“Junior, I really have never been in a relationship. I swear to the sky, please believe me.”

Jiang Qin had just made his bed and glanced over: “Impressive, one initiative has become a lifetime of introversion.”

Chao was baffled: “Brother Jiang, what do I do now?”

“I don’t know, I’ve never been in a relationship. How can I give you any crap advice? Maybe just be friends?”

“But Brother Cao has been in relationships, right? Why doesn’t his approach work?”

Jiang Qin laughed, glanced at Young Master Cao: “Between him and Ding Xue, isn’t it Ding who acts more like a man? Most times, she’s the proactive one. So maybe you should ask Ren Ziqiang for advice, he’s legitimately pursued someone before.”

Young Master Cao felt challenged, opened his mouth to retort, but suddenly hesitated thinking he nearly got teased again.

Can’t take the bait, absolutely can’t because no matter what you respond, even if it’s unrelated, he’ll still tease you with the next sentence!

Just like before the vacation, when he asked Jiang Qin why read a book you don’t understand, he said, although he couldn’t understand, he owns a villa, showing off hardcore!

“Brother Cao, I’ve been here half an hour, why haven’t you said a word to me?”

“Brother Cao’s been teased into silence.”

“Damn it, I only came to school for these bits of fun, and if you don’t even give me that, what the hell am I doing at this damn school!”

Cao Guangyu was startled, thinking what the hell are you ranting about? I came to university to study, not to entertain you!

Just then, Jiang Qin’s phone buzzed, Zhang Boqing was calling to ask if he was back at school and to come to the dean’s office, something needed discussion.

“I’m stepping out for a bit. Clean up here, and when Old Ren returns, let’s all go out for a meal outside school.”

Jiang Qin put on his jacket and headed straight to the dean’s office, where Zhang Boqing was reading the newspaper, instantly smiling and waving him to sit when he saw Jiang Qin.

His smile made Jiang somewhat uncomfortable because he also smiled like that when swindling others, but he was thinking too much—Zhang Boqing called him over for matters related to group financing.

“Really got 1.8 billion?”

“Really.”

“Good, good, good.”

Zhang Boqing repeated ‘good’ six times, then chatted about how the year was going and asked about the villa’s progress, only letting him go after they finished the last of the tea.

When Jiang Qin returned to the dorm, Ren Ziqiang had also arrived. Having gained a girlfriend over the new year, Old Ren had put on some ‘happy fat,’ which might explain his improved appetite.

Young Master Cao still didn’t speak to him, but there was a hint of smugness, a feeling of ‘I’m not talking to you, let’s see how you tease me now’.

Jiang Qin hadn’t realized this guy had such an inner drama going on, calling everyone to go out for a meal.

“No class tomorrow morning; after eating, we could head to the internet café for an all-nighter,” Old Ren suggested.

“You have a girlfriend and still have time for all-nighters at the internet café?”

“It’s because it’s been a long time since I had one that I miss the feeling.”

Cao Guangyu turned back: “Who said there’s no class tomorrow? Has the semester’s schedule come out yet?”

Ren Ziqiang nodded: “Yeah, it came out last night.”

“Impossible.”

Old Cao turned, grabbed the mouse, and opened the school’s official website to check the schedule, but the next second, he was suddenly captivated by an announcement posted three minutes ago.

His breathing quickened, his heart pounded, and he felt a tingling sensation from the front to the back of his scalp.

【Congratulations to our student Jiang Qin on his university start-up project Group-Buy, securing 1.8 billion in the first round of financing!】

“Old Jiang, you dog, I’m going to compete with you now!!”

“？”

Jiang Qin had just popped a pistachio into his mouth and, seeing Young Master Cao look as if he had been splashed in the face, was puzzled, thinking it surely can’t be that serious, fuck. What’s wrong with eating a pistachio?

Young Master Cao was deeply aggrieved. He remembered before starting university, his dad earnestly advised him not to easily admit he’s a second-generation rich kid at school, to be approachable and form good relationships with his classmates and roommates.

He felt then that he certainly wouldn’t deliberately show off, at most just inadvertently let slip his wealth, low-key and unassuming.

But since living with Jiang Qin, he realized he hasn’t felt at all like a rich second-generation.

This year he took Ding Xue home, and his dad, happy, rewarded him with ten thousand yuan. He thought about treating everyone to dinner to show off a bit tonight, but now, he realized this ten thousand yuan can’t flaunt wealth at all.

But I truly am a rich second-gen…