Chapter 9

"Dan Dan!" After seeing Wang Danshui get angry, Jia Hongjian glared at her and then called out this surprising nickname. Wang Danshui, who was still fuming, reluctantly made eye contact with Jia Hongjian for a few seconds before finally pouting and falling silent.

It turned out that Jia Hongjian and Wang Danshui had been close since childhood, especially after the incident in a dead-end alley one night, which made their relationship even closer. From then on, Wang Danshui started calling him "Xiao Jian," which actually meant "Xiao Jian" (a derogatory term). He, in turn, called her "Dan Dan" or "Xiao Dan," using the middle character of each other's names to tease each other.

The reason Jia Hongjian called out to Wang Danshui was because of his machismo. He felt that as long as he was alive, it was not up to a woman to protect him or stand up for him.

However, just as Jia Hongjian was considering how to deal with Zhang Lei, he suddenly heard a familiar voice. "Hey, isn't that Hongjian? It is Hongjian, right? Really! What's going on here?"

Jia Hongjian turned his head and saw a slightly overweight middle-aged man with black-rimmed glasses. This was none other than Qin Zhongguo, the general manager of Yanzhong Industrial, who was Jia Hongjian's father Jia Gang's old partner in the company.

"Uncle Qin, hello," Jia Hongjian stood up and greeted Qin Zhongguo, then explained, "Nothing much, we were just chatting with some classmates."

"Is that so?" Qin Zhongguo looked thoughtfully at the few people present and then at Jia Hongjian, as if trying to guess whether there had been an argument.

"Uncle, why are you here?" Seeing Qin Zhongguo thinking, Jia Hongjian asked directly, not wanting to interrupt his plan to embarrass Zhang Lei.

"Well, the shareholders' meeting is coming up soon, so I came out with your father and a few others to inspect the venue. We got tired of walking, so we came to this teahouse to rest." As he said this, Qin Zhongguo suddenly turned and called out, "Old Jia! Come on, your son Hongjian is here!"

Jia Hongjian followed the direction Qin Zhongguo was facing and saw three people coming out of the restroom at the back of the teahouse, one of whom was indeed his father, Jia Gang!

"Wang Danshui, Jia's father still works in a listed company, right?" At this moment, the delicate Li Yiwen secretly asked Wang Danshui.

"Of course, Jia's company is one of the original eight stocks, the first batch of listed companies! And Jia's father is even the vice president!" Wang Danshui suddenly raised her voice, glancing at Zhang Lei as if she was speaking specifically to him!

After the listing of the original eight stocks in the Shanghai Stock Market, there was a stock craze, and even a movie was made about it, called "Stock Craze"!

After that, the previously unappetizing listing qualification became a highly sought-after prize, and Zhang Lei's family's factory naturally did not qualify for listing.

Hearing Wang Danshui's words, Zhang Lei felt a bit uneasy. He had thought Jia Hongjian had no background, no looks, and no knowledge, relying only on their childhood friendship to get close to Wang Danshui. He didn't expect that Jia Hongjian's family had some substance after all?

Wang Danshui spoke so loudly that Qin Zhongguo couldn't help but hear. He instantly understood the situation and knew he had to help Jia Hongjian!

Although Jia Hongjian and his friends were still young, only fifteen or sixteen, and it seemed inappropriate for them to be dating so early in this conservative era, this was Shanghai! In this era, people started working and getting married early, and it was normal to start dating in junior high school. Qin Zhongguo's younger brother, for example, was actively pursued by girls during the Cultural Revolution when no one was studying. In comparison, Jia Hongjian's progress was already quite slow!

While thinking about how to help Jia Hongjian save face, Qin Zhongguo suddenly remembered something and exclaimed with genuine surprise, "Right, Xiao Hongjian, your father told me that the analysis about Shen Taifu was yours?"

"That's right, how about that, isn't my son special? Ha ha!" Just as Jia Hongjian was thinking about how to respond, his father had already walked over and said with a laugh.

"Hongjian, you really are something!" Qin Zhongguo was pleasantly surprised and said with a laugh, "Do you know, we just got the news that an hour ago, Shen Taifu was taken away by the police in Beijing?"

"Really? Oh, that's... hehe, I just guessed right, I guess." Jia Hongjian said with a shy smile.

"What do you mean 'guessed right'? I heard from your father that it was all because of your foresight and good mind!" Qin Zhongguo said excitedly. How could he not be excited? The plan to learn from Shen Taifu was his idea, and if Shen Taifu hadn't been taken away so quickly and if Jia Hongjian hadn't opposed it, he would have been in trouble too!

"Uncle Jia, what are you talking about? What's wrong with Xiao Jian?" At this moment, Wang Danshui, who was confused, suddenly asked.

Jia Gang immediately looked pleased, as if he was even happier than if he himself had been in the spotlight. "It was last night..." He happily described the conversation he had with Jia Hongjian last night.

After he finished, the expressions of the two people beside him changed. Li Yiwen instantly looked at Jia Hongjian with new respect, while Zhang Lei's face turned dark!

Zhang Lei usually relied on his looks and family background, and he had nothing to offer on his own. Now, compared to Jia Hongjian, he seemed like a mere decoration!

Seeing Zhang Lei's change in expression, Jia Hongjian, of course, noticed. He had initially thought that his father and Uncle Qin's arrival would hinder his plan to embarrass Zhang Lei, but now it seemed to provide another way to do so. He immediately asked, "Hey, Dad, Uncle Qin, do you have any new plans for the new business?"

"Not yet..." Jia Gang sighed. The company's executives were still celebrating their escape from a crisis and couldn't come up with a new plan so quickly. But he suddenly realized something. Could his son have a new plan? "What do you mean?"

"Cough, cough." Jia Hongjian cleared his throat calmly, then glanced at Zhang Lei, whose face had turned dark, and said with a smile, "I saw the news this morning. It said that this afternoon, Ma Junren led Wang Junxia and others to win gold medals in the 10,000 meters, 5,000 meters, and 3,000 meters at the World Championships in Stuttgart. During the interview, Wang Junxia mentioned that Ma Junren gave them a special soup after each training session, which helped them recover their energy..."

He paused, as if leaving a cliffhanger. The middle-aged men beside him still didn't understand! Jia Gang directly asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, why don't we contact Ma Junren and see if we can buy his recipe? If we turn it into a drink, it could become the next 'Eastern Magic Water'..." Jia Hongjian's face shone with wisdom as he spoke slowly, as if he were a strategic advisor for a multinational corporation.

The "Eastern Magic Water" that Jia Gang and the others knew was Jianlibao! This orange carbonated drink was originally not sold to the public, and no one knew about it. But when the Chinese women's volleyball team won the world championship in 1984, a Japanese journalist saw the athletes drinking this drink.

A report titled "The Secret to Success: The Orange Eastern Magic Water?" was published, and Jianlibao quickly gained international recognition. When this news returned to China, Jianlibao became a super popular and mysterious drink, earning the title of China's first beverage brand!

"Right, right! Oh, why didn't I think of that?" Qin Zhongguo slapped his thigh in regret. He had heard this news on the radio on his way here, but he hadn't connected it to their company's business.

"Our company still has a salt water production line, which can be used to produce bottled drinks with minimal modifications! Oh, Jia, your son is a genius! If this works out, we should definitely give Hongjian a reward of at least 100,000 to 200,000!" Qin Zhongguo was truly in awe!

This had nothing to do with age; it was purely a matter of intellect. He realized that while he was good at running the company, he wasn't as sensitive to sudden business opportunities. Jia Hongjian, on the other hand, had a mind that seemed tailor-made for business. How could he not be impressed when the same information led to such different ideas?

Qin Zhongguo didn't want to stay any longer; he wanted to return to the company and hold a high-level meeting, then immediately contact Ma Junren and his team in Stuttgart! Time is money!

Seeing Qin Zhongguo leave, Jia Gang didn't linger. He turned and looked excitedly at his son, then gave him a hearty pat on the shoulder, "You little rascal! Ha ha ha!" Then he walked out of the teahouse, laughing loudly.

This was his son, Jia Gang's son, who was a genius and a star, carrying his blood and raised by him! Seeing his son shine, he felt even happier than if he himself had been in the spotlight!

After his father and uncle left, Jia Hongjian wore a faint smile, as if nothing had happened. He took a sip of tea, then calmly observed the expressions of the young people around him.

Wang Danshui, at this moment, was covering her mouth, which was almost dislocated from surprise, her beautiful eyes wide with shock, confusion, and joy. She knew Jia Hongjian best and considered him like family, so she naturally knew what he was like before. Now, seeing him shine so brilliantly, how could she not be shocked, confused, and overjoyed?

Beside her, Li Yiwen also had wide eyes, filled with shock and admiration. She had just met Jia Hongjian today and might have thought he was always such a genius...

Zhang Lei, standing to the side, had a pale face, a few drops of cold sweat on his forehead, and wide eyes, as if he still couldn't believe what he had seen and didn't know how to react...

"Dan Dan," Jia Hongjian took a sip of tea and frowned, recalling, "I seem to remember someone saying I could never afford a Santana. Was that true?"

Seeing Jia Hongjian deliberately taunting Zhang Lei, Wang Danshui immediately frowned and recalled, "Hmm... I think so. Right, Jian Jian, how much does a Santana cost? Is it very expensive? Is it more luxurious than BMWs and Mercedes?"

Jia Hongjian shrugged and said, "A Santana? It's about 50,000 to 60,000 RMB, not that expensive. It's just a regular car, far inferior to BMWs and Mercedes. Usually, only uncultured nouveau riche drive such cars. Look at me, I just came up with an idea and made enough money to buy two Santanas. What's so great about a car that I can earn in just two minutes?"

As Jia Hongjian said this, Zhang Lei's face turned green! He relied on his looks and his parents' positions, but now this ordinary-looking young man was clearly using his wisdom to create opportunities for his parents. How could he compare? And he had tried to use the Santana to show off, only to be embarrassed instead!

He gritted his teeth, turned his head, and gave Jia Hongjian a thumbs up, then walked out without looking back.

Seeing Zhang Lei leave, Wang Danshui burst into laughter, not caring if Zhang Lei could hear. "Stupid, when I was about to deal with him and asked you a question, you could have just agreed. Instead, you played along with me... Now you're still laughing so loudly, aren't you afraid of getting your parents into trouble?" Jia Hongjian looked at Wang Danshui with concern.

"No worries! I used you as a shield because he was pretending to be a gentleman. Now that he's the one who started the conflict, why should I give him any