Chapter 91

Yang Group.

Yang Qing sat in his spacious office chair, a slender cigarette pinched between his fingers, as he listened to his assistant report the latest bid from Rong Corporation. He took a deep drag, and the smoke curled upward in a hazy veil.

His face was hidden behind the fog, lost in thought.

Rong Jin’s continued price hikes were within his expectations. After all, they had crossed paths in the business world for years and knew each other’s styles—she was capricious and acted on whims.

She could generously cede five full percentage points on a project, leaving the industry baffled. When financial reporters interviewed her, she just smiled and said the partner caught her eye, and she was happy to make the concession.

The result? The partnering company’s project performance skyrocketed overnight. Even after her concessions, they raked in overflowing profits.

Four years ago, Rong Corporation was thriving but had only been operational for two years, with many project lines still in their infancy.

Rong Jin’s net worth back then was less than a ten-thousandth of what it was now. The entire company, top to bottom, was scraping by. Yet she was boldly audacious, pouring massive funds into construction and development for optoelectronic chip research when it was still purely theoretical.

At that time, all the elite families were fixated on the real estate boom. Only she stayed unhurried, focusing solely on R&D. Though she bought a few plots of land, they were reserved for future production sites after Rong Optoelectronics’ chip development succeeded. The only real estate she built was a staff housing complex.

In the end, reality proved him right: real estate grew increasingly stagnant, while high-tech industries received strong backing from central leadership.

Yang Qing knew Rong Jin’s business style seemed casual and straightforward. Even Rong Corporation’s work discipline mirrored her personality—not lax, but not rigidly strict either.

But her vision was razor-sharp, her moves ruthless and swift, with pinpoint accuracy. The entire business world had to bow to that.

Yang Qing’s gaze fell on the stack of documents spread across his desk.

What kind of allure did this raw material supplier have to make Rong Jin keep outbidding him layer by layer?

And this time, unlike their usual back-and-forth inching up by points, she boldly jacked it up by a full twenty points, as if she didn’t want to waste time haggling with him.

Did she have such massive demand for daily chemical raw materials?

Su Qingqiu had told him Rong Jin’s cash flow was far more substantial than he’d imagined. Perhaps to her, this was pocket change.

Yang Qing adjusted his glasses. His assistant awaited his decision—should they keep bidding?

Why not gamble?

Yang Qing gritted his teeth and instructed, “Keep raising.”

…

At the other end of the city, in the CBD Center, Rong Corporation.

Xiao Qiangwei received the news of Yang Group’s counter-bid first—they were determined to go all the way.

She said worriedly, “Boss, are we really not pulling out? It’s not too late now. If that old dog Yang suddenly backs off, our current cash flow can’t cover that much.”

Xiao Qiangwei utterly despised Yang Qing’s outwardly refined and polite demeanor, which masked a cunning wolf. She secretly called him “old dog Yang.”

Rong Jin glanced indifferently at the bid sheet handed to her and said, “Follow him and keep raising.”

Xiao Qiangwei nearly jumped out of her skin. “Boss! What if old dog Yang doesn’t follow? We could go bankrupt!”

Rong Jin waved her hand dismissively, like a prodigal squandering the family fortune. “It’s fine. Keep up.”

Yang Qing was already at the gambling table.

Gamblers got hooked easily.

As Rong Jin predicted, Yang Qing followed for three more rounds, each bid nearly ten points higher than hers, abandoning his usual caution.

Xiao Qiangwei’s heart pounded as she matched the bids.

This was deadly.

Would she be jobless tomorrow?

Only when the price had slowly climbed to five times the original did Rong Jin leisurely say, “Alright, stop following.”

Xiao Qiangwei let out a huge sigh of relief, exhausted as if she’d run 800 meters.

Relieved yet curious, she couldn’t help asking, “Boss, how did you know he’d keep following?”

Rong Jin replied, “Because he wants to beat me too badly.”

Business was a battlefield, often a game of psychology.

She shook her head with a laugh. “Even his little daughter picked up his habits at home—trying to snatch my wine at the reception. Naturally, he wants my things even more.”

Moreover, Yang Qing had been duped by Su Qingqiu and probably still thought he had everything under control.

“But he has another project. Excluding locked funds, his remaining cash can only go this far. That’s enough.”

…

When Yang Qing heard Rong Jin had stopped bidding, he was thrilled for a fleeting moment—like a gambler at the table suddenly thinking he’d won big. His first instinct was disbelief.

“She really stopped?” he asked.

The assistant nodded.

Yang Qing lit another cigarette, suddenly realizing something was off.

Too smooth.

From Su Qingqiu tipping him off about Rong Jin’s ample funds, to their bidding war with prices soaring unchecked.

He’d been pushed down a predetermined path.

No turning back.

In the hazy smoke, he lifted his eyes, a sinister glint in them.

Had he fallen into their trap?

…

At noon, Rong Jin attended a luncheon.

By now, at her level, few banquets required her personal presence—most couldn’t even invite her.

With her still-lame leg, it certainly wasn’t her turn to go.

But this was different.

After her and Su Qingqiu’s collaborative project succeeded spectacularly, it caught the eye of Municipal Committee leadership. They’d long wanted to meet her.

The big leader was swamped, but squeezed out time today for lunch, intending to discuss future plans for cooperative projects under the Municipal Committee’s banner. If all went well, they wanted to promote Rong Optoelectronics as a municipal flagship.

Even with one leg crippled—or just one breath left—Rong Jin would crawl there.

In the elegant private dining room, Rong Jin arrived ten minutes early.

Just past noon, the big leader arrived on the dot, secretary in tow. She sized Rong Jin up twice before extending a hand for a shake.

The big leader, surnamed Zhou and named Shen, was a woman in her fifties, reportedly an advocate of remaining unmarried.

Years had etched wrinkles on her face, silver streaked her hair, and decades in power lent her an aura of dignified gravitas.

Zhou Shen’s voice was slightly husky as she said flatly, “Seeing is believing—you’re much younger than I imagined.”

The server brought exquisite dishes and quietly withdrew, softly closing the door. The room fell silent.

Zhou Shen: “You’ve done excellently with the new chip development project. It’s clear you have deep expertise in chip research. Your tech leads the domestic average by at least thirty years. Impressive.”

Rong Jin: “Technology is the primary productive force, and AI is the trend. Someone would enter the field eventually—I just scouted ahead.”

A faint smile crossed Zhou Shen’s lips.

They didn’t drink; their glasses held only water.

Zhou Shen raised her glass slightly.

She said, “To you.”

“I should be toasting you,” Rong Jin replied, clinking glasses with a crisp sound. Earnestly, she added, “Thank you for the government’s care and support.”

Zhou Shen chuckled softly at that.

They discussed technical sticking points in the project. Zhou Shen wasn’t a specialist but offered insightful direction on R&D strategy, sparking ideas for Rong Jin.

Both host and guest parted delighted.

As it wrapped up, Zhou Shen recalled something. “I remember you didn’t win the initial bid for this project.”

Rong Jin: “I handled the patented tech; Su Corporation managed operations.”

Zhou Shen: “Su Qingqiu?”

Rong Jin: “You know her?”

Zhou Shen nodded. “Not really—my sister has some history with her.”

At a family gathering long ago, she’d heard Zhou Zhen mention Su Qingqiu: an illegitimate daughter with a shady background, but bold, strategic, with great potential.

But that was Zhou Zhen’s family matter.

She hadn’t pried further.

She’d been out of town on business during the bidding and only skimmed the results upon return. The project was tough; she hadn’t expected success.

Yet someone delivered.

Intriguing.

Zhou Shen said mildly, “You’re both exceptional young talents. Seize opportunities—your futures are boundless.”

…

Rong Jin watched Zhou Shen depart in her car, then had the driver take her back to Rong Corporation.

The car pulled steadily into the underground garage. Rong Jin got out and wheeled herself toward the elevator.

The garage was open to the public. A young girl was arranging flowers in a small cart—fifteen or sixteen, by the look.

Rong Jin glanced twice, and the girl eagerly pitched, “Sister, want to buy a bouquet for someone? It’ll make them so happy.”

Rong Jin paused her wheelchair in front of the cart.

Twenty minutes later, she held a massive bouquet of blooming flowers as she took the elevator to the top floor.

The skybridge linking the Gemini Towers was glass-walled. From below, anyone peering up could see people crossing.

Rong Jin wheeled slowly across toward Su Corporation, bouquet in lap.

Downstairs, an employee gazed out the floor-to-ceiling windows, slacking off. Spotting their own boss heading to Su Corporation with flowers, she gawked, then called friends.

Soon, employees from both towers crowded the windows, eyes glued as Rong Jin inched along.

When she vanished from view, the two buildings erupted in chatter.