Chapter 450: Over a Hundred Million? Is That Enough?

Chapter 450: Over a Hundred Million? Is That Enough?

Huancai Fashion had been founded a little over four years ago and currently ran two factories.

Factory No. 1 was in the industrial zone. Li Ruobing had bought an old factory outright and converted it, so it was fairly small.

Factory No. 2 had been completed the year before last in Heyuan County, not far from Donghai’s main urban area.

The bidding conference for Factory No. 2?

Shengye Chemical?

It wasn’t the man Li Ruobing remembered. It was the name. She recalled Shengye Chemical among the first batch of raw-material suppliers for Factory No. 2.

The name had appeared in quite a few of the documents she’d signed.

Then it had vanished. The partnership had been terminated.

“Boss Li, two years and you’re as radiant as ever,” Chen Jinye said, still going even after he’d let go of her hand. It was pure habit. After so many years in business, he knew exactly what to say to whom.

“You’re too kind.” Li Ruobing put on a professional smile.

“Old Chen, you know Bingbing?” Wu Dahai came over, his expression very strange.

He had been startled too. Chen Jinye had sprung out of his seat and crossed the room in two strides, bending at the waist without even realizing it. Wu Dahai had never seen his old friend act like that.

In their old circle of friends, Chen Jinye was the richest, and the proudest.

They had all come from poor families, and he was the only one who had really made it. A bit of swagger was only to be expected.

The only person he never put on airs with was Wu Dahai, who had helped him too much back in the day.

These days, everyone else addressed him as “President Chen” and flattered him to his face, then gossiped behind his back that he’d gotten a little money and forgotten who he was.

Wu Dahai saw it more clearly. There was nothing really wrong with Chen Jinye as a man. Most of the people talking behind his back were just jealous of his success.

When old friends got together for a meal, if Chen Jinye offered to pay, they said he was flaunting his money. If he didn’t, they said he was rich and still stingy. There was no winning.

Still, Chen Jinye did have his little faults. He was rather proud. In a small county like this, after all, you could count the people worth tens of millions on your fingers.

“B-Bing… Bing?” Chen Jinye turned his head, actually stammering.

He knew perfectly well that the owner of Huancai Fashion was named Li Ruobing.

And hadn’t Wu Dahai just called her Bingbing?

Chen Jinye looked at Wu Dahai, then straight at Wu Chen on the sofa. Holy shit, he thought.

He understood.

“Ah… hahaha, Boss Li and I met once a couple of years back…” He turned back to Li Ruobing. “Boss Li, you and Xiaochen are…?”

His hands made a vague gesture.

“He’s my boyfriend,” Li Ruobing said with a smile.

“Ah… ah…” Chen Jinye drew out each syllable, still struggling to take it in.

Wu Chen, whom he’d watched grow up, had only just graduated from college. How on earth had he… landed a fabulously wealthy girlfriend with such a staggering background?!

“Come on, come on, don’t just stand there. Sit down and talk…” Wu Dahai called everyone back to their seats.

Li Ruobing sat down beside Wu Chen and tilted her head to whisper, “Your mom wouldn’t let me help.”

“You’re far too precious. How would my mom dare?” Wu Chen teased quietly.

“Is needling me all the time really that much fun?” She gave him a look.

The two of them went back to whispering.

On the other side, Wu Dahai and Chen Jinye sat down and started whispering too.

Chen Jinye was completely thrown. He couldn’t believe it and asked Wu Dahai whether it was really true. Wu Dahai nodded. Chen Jinye asked how the two had gotten together. That, Wu Dahai didn’t know, and he could only shake his head.

“Boss Li, this is my daughter. You’ve met her, haven’t you? Last time she came home, she said she’d met her Brother Xiaochen’s girlfriend, said she was prettier than a movie star. I didn’t believe her. Never dreamed it was you, Boss Li! Silly girl, talking nonsense. Movie stars live off their youth and looks. How could they compare with you, Boss Li? Hahaha…”

Chen Jinye went out of his way to talk to her, introducing his daughter and flattering Li Ruobing in the same breath.

“So Boss Chen is Chen Xue’s father,” Li Ruobing said, as though it had just clicked, and glanced at Chen Xue.

Father and daughter really did look alike.

She had once looked into Wu Chen’s entire family and knew the Wus’ social circle. She had even seen a photo of Wu Jiao’s best friend, Chen Xue, and knew Chen Xue’s father ran a chemical factory.

Now it all lined up.

“Oh my, I really never expected this.” Chen Jinye kept marveling, a little giddy. “Never thought I’d see you here, Boss Li. It’s been almost two years… Xiaochen, you lucky kid! What an eye! I always said this boy would make something of himself someday, and look…”

Wu Chen smiled.

It sounded odd, coming from Chen Jinye.

Dating a very rich girlfriend meant he’d made something of himself?

It made being a kept man sound like quite an accomplishment.

Still, Wu Chen didn’t think Chen Jinye had meant anything by it. He was just overexcited, still riding the rush, and his mouth was running ahead of his brain.

He was trying to compliment Wu Chen and botching it. There was no malice in it.

And why was he so excited?

Naturally, because he and Wu Dahai were as close as brothers. Now that the Wu family had latched onto someone as powerful as Li Ruobing, wouldn’t some of that luck rub off on him?

Even without hoping for much, gaining such a formidable connection, however indirectly, was cause for celebration.

Chen Jinye didn’t really know what Li Ruobing’s family was like. The scraps of rumor he’d heard were wildly impressive. But he did know she had a younger brother named Li Ruotai, a very big name in Donghai, known to everyone as “Young Master Li of Donghai.”

“Old Wu, you’ve really been blessed!” In his excitement, Chen Jinye even slapped Wu Dahai on the thigh.

“Boss Li, business going well lately? I watched your company’s launch event last week…” He turned back to her.

“Not bad. First-week sales for the new product are in, and they beat expectations… How’s business for you, Boss Chen?”

“Me? Ah, small potatoes. Things have been so-so the last couple of years…”

And off they went.

In the Wu home, the two people doing most of the talking turned out to be Li Ruobing and Chen Jinye, the two “outsiders.”

Chen Jinye had rather taken over the room.

Wu Chen thought it was… actually not bad.

Meeting a partner’s parents for the first time usually came with all sorts of awkwardness. Li Ruobing was strong enough not to show any nerves.

But after chatting with Wu Dahai for ten-odd minutes, she had run out of things to say.

That was why she’d gone to the kitchen.

She couldn’t just sit there in silence.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t find topics. The real problem was that, as Wu Chen knew perfectly well, his family and Li Ruobing came from two entirely different worlds.

They had very, very little in common to talk about.

Chen Jinye, though, could talk with her. They were both in business, and Li Ruobing, who rarely socialized in private, became quite talkative when it came to business.

Their conversation kept the atmosphere warm and easy.

Before long.

Wu Jiao and Chen Xue retreated to Wu Jiao’s bedroom. The talk in the living room bored them, and they had nothing to add.

Wu Chen lay sprawled on the sofa watching the television with the volume turned down. He barely said a word. He couldn’t be bothered.

Wu Dahai said little as well. He listened very closely and watched the two of them. He had truly never seen Chen Jinye like this.

His old friend knew perfectly well that she was his son’s girlfriend, yet it was still “Boss Li” this and “Boss Li” that, and the most respectful form of “you” every single time.

Wu Dahai could no longer imagine how rich Li Ruobing must be to make his old friend behave this way.

Last time his daughter came home, she had said his son’s girlfriend was worth over a hundred million.

Over a hundred million?

Was that enough?

Chen Jinye himself was worth tens of millions. In this little county, the local bosses richer than him could be counted on one hand.

And among that group, Chen Jinye included, everyone basically dealt with one another as equals.

Last year, when Chen Jinye’s eldest daughter got married and held the wedding banquet back home, every one of those local bosses had come, along with some of his businessman friends from the city.

Chen Jinye had introduced them. Those bosses worth over a hundred million were courteous with him, and he with them.

They were all richer than he was, but they didn’t look down on him, and he had certainly never been as deferential as he was today. A little flattery every couple of sentences, a big helping every three, and that respectful “you” every time.

Chen Jinye was in his forties.

Li Ruobing was only in her twenties.

Didn’t addressing her that way feel awkward?

It felt awkward to Wu Dahai. Yet neither Chen Jinye nor Li Ruobing seemed to think so.

“Dinner’s ready! Come carry the dishes. Wash your hands and let’s eat…” Zhang Xiujuan came out of the kitchen with a plate in her hands.

“Time to eat.”

“Let’s eat.”

One by one, everyone got up from the sofas.

“You all go ahead. I’ll head home…” Chen Jinye made to leave. He knew the social niceties well.

This was the first time Wu Chen had brought a girlfriend home. Whatever Chen Jinye might have wanted, he ought to leave before that first family dinner and not intrude.

“Sit down. Where are you going? Eat here.” Wu Dahai clapped him on the shoulder.

“No, no, they’re cooking at my place too. It’ll be ready any minute,” Chen Jinye said.

“Come on, you’re already here.” Wu Dahai urged him again, giving him a meaningful look.

“Ah… all right, then. Sorry to impose, hahaha…” Chen Jinye hesitated.

Wu Dahai took out his cigarettes, gestured toward the balcony, and headed that way.

Chen Jinye followed.

They stepped out onto the balcony. Wu Dahai slid the glass door shut behind them and opened the window.

“What’s up, Old Wu? We’re about to eat and you’re lighting up? Your habit’s getting worse again,” Chen Jinye said. He could tell something was off.

“Want to ask you something.” Wu Dahai handed him a cigarette.