"Jin Xia, even if that car wasn't sent by some old man to pick you up, it certainly wasn't anything respectable. Don't take things too far, especially a small-town bumpkin like you."
Liu Yan deliberately emphasized the word "bumpkin."
They said nephews took after their maternal uncles.
Looking at Liu Yan's face, which bore some resemblance to Lin Yi, Jin Xia couldn't help sinking into thought.
Could her uncle, the bank president, be Lin Yi?
"From now on, when you see our Yanyan, you'd better know your place and stay out of her way. Otherwise-"
A familiar female voice rang out.
Jin Xia turned to look. Wasn't that Liu Rui?
How had she gotten involved in Liu Yan's affairs?
"Cousin, perfect timing! Look! Someone like her actually made it onto our Haida University campus goddess rankings!"
Liu Yan waved to Liu Rui, then flashed an intensely mocking smile.
Cousin?
Only now did Jin Xia understand their relationship.
So Liu Rui was Liu Yan's younger cousin!
Now she finally understood Liu Yan's inexplicable hostility toward her, and she had a lead on the truth behind these incidents.
Jin Xia curled her lips contemptuously and glanced sideways at Liu Rui. "Otherwise what?"
"Otherwise, you'll face the consequences!"
Liu Rui hesitated for a long while before squeezing those words through her teeth.
They carried no threat whatsoever. To Jin Xia, they even sounded rather funny.
As Jin Xia left, she cast a sidelong glance at the two cousins. "No flower blooms forever."
Her words left Liu Rui and Liu Yan completely bewildered.
Only when Jin Xia's retreating figure had grown distant did Liu Yan seem to realize something. "Jin Xia, what do you mean by that? What do you mean, no flower blooms forever? Who are you cursing?"
Of course Jin Xia heard Liu Yan. She merely gave a mocking smile and strode straight into the classroom without even looking back.
Lin Yi, was it?
Although she had been reborn, her fundamental nature could never change.
She would repay every slight!
University classes were not easy for Jin Xia.
In her previous life, she hadn't taken her university coursework seriously at all, but that was no longer an option.
Living a second life, she knew very well how important academic qualifications were to her.
With the public notices on the official account and campus website, along with the criminal detention of the two students who had mocked Jin Xia and spread rumors about her on campus, practically everyone knew her name.
Now, the discussions about Jin Xia behind her back had shifted from sexual rumors to-
"Jin Xia? Do you think she might be a daughter of the Jin family in Hong Kong City?"
"No way. If she's a wealthy heiress from Hong Kong City, why doesn't she have the accent?"
"She's most likely an illegitimate daughter! We'd better avoid provoking her from now on! She gets driven around in a top-of-the-line luxury van from Hong Kong City, and she lives over by the old Western-style houses. I heard each of those houses costs over ten million now. Whether she's a legitimate heiress or an illegitimate daughter, she's not someone we can afford to cross lightly!"
And with that, the storm of campus rumors passed.
Not only had Liu Yan's online harassment failed to destroy Jin Xia's reputation, but she had actually become more popular at school.
On Monday afternoon, as soon as her classes ended, Jin Xia arranged for An He to pick her up.
She had heard that Song Ming and the others had nearly finished recruiting employees, and had also taken care of all the company's computers, furnishings, and other arrangements.
Jin Xia's phone rang. She glanced at it and saw that Song Ming was calling. That was strange. Before getting into the car, she had already told him clearly that she would arrive at the company shortly.
Why was Song Ming calling at this particular moment?
"President Jin..."
Hearing the slight tremor in Song Ming's voice on the other end, Jin Xia knitted her delicate brows. "What is it?"
"P-President Jin, I just sold off all the cryptocurrency you instructed us to buy. I... our company account now has a total balance of 568 million."
568 million?
Jin Xia tightened her grip on her phone.
At that instant, adrenaline surged through her body.
In two lifetimes, she had never experienced a thrill like the one she felt at that moment.
Not even when she had learned she was going to be engaged to Lu Mingchuan!
So this was what making money felt like.
Once someone broke free of their own limitations, they would soar to greater heights.
Jin Xia hesitated for a second, then paused. "Mm, understood. I'll be at the company shortly."
To Song Ming, Jin Xia's composure seemed far too unusual.
Any ordinary person who became rich overnight, turning fifty million into more than five hundred million, would be excited, wouldn't they?
Unless the wealth Jin Xia controlled far exceeded that five hundred million.
He didn't dare imagine what that would mean...
A net worth of ten billion?
The car slowly pulled up outside the building.
Through the car window, Jin Xia looked into the building. Her company was on the eleventh floor of Building 11.
568 million was merely her starting point, not her destination.
When Jin Xia arrived at the company, she was greeted by rows of neat, orderly workstations. Every employee wore a matching uniform, and they bustled back and forth, none paying any attention to Jin Xia as she entered.
Seeing her come in, Song Ming hurriedly stood to greet her. "Everyone, please pause your work for a moment. This is our President-"
Before he could finish, Jin Xia gave him a look.
Song Ming nodded in understanding. "Please carry on with your work, everyone."
Jin Xia and Song Ming entered the office one after the other. She went straight to the seat behind the desk and sat down. "What are they busy with right now?"
"As you instructed earlier, President Jin, we've brought together industry experts to work on software development. I understand you want an app similar to Slowhand, but I have to report honestly that, after several days of research, we've found that developing an app like this would cost at least a hundred million, if not more. And..."
Song Ming had been watching Jin Xia's expression the whole time.
Seeing that she said nothing, he continued, "That hundred million would most likely go down the drain. After all, Slowhand is currently the most popular short-video app in the country, and its users are extremely loyal. Creating something in the same category now would really be a little too risky."
Risky?
It seemed Song Ming and the others couldn't imagine how wildly popular Sound Rhythm Jump would be ten years later.
"Leave that problem to me."
Jin Xia nodded, gently running her hand over the rosewood desk before her.
This desk was quite good. As the end of the year approached, international trade trends were also driving rosewood prices higher.
Everything she purchased now was intended to preserve her assets and serve as an investment. She had to ensure that every sum she spent delivered more than its worth and excellent value for money.
"Then, is there anything else I can help you with?"
Song Ming stood humbly to one side.
Although the young woman before him was only about the same age as his younger sister, Song Li, her decisiveness, vision, investment analysis, and other abilities all utterly eclipsed those of her peers.
"Contact Jianjun Bank for me. I plan to put two hundred million into wealth management first."
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