Naturally, whether others were comfortable or not was never within her consideration.
After calmly announcing this news, she thanked everyone who had come again and then led her people off the stage, sitting at the main table.
Many people ate without tasting their food that night.
Especially those who had a good impression of Zhu Jin or had once shown her favor. Among them was a young man in his twenties, dressed elaborately for the occasion. He had been smiling all along, but his expression turned somber the moment he heard the news.
He sat at a table in the third row. Below them were classmates from the Chong Yan class. They were all intimidated by the spectacle. After their initial surprise, they began to discuss.
One person gave a thumbs-up and exclaimed, "Awesome!"
"I searched just now, and there doesn't seem to be any particularly reliable information online. But if we look at some of the leaked photos from before, this company is just too impressive."
The person next to him leaned over to look at his phone. The lines of introduction on the screen struck their hearts like heavy hammers.
The company's reach was too broad. They only operated their own unique brands, never acquiring or merging with other companies, yet they were involved in everything from small packaged snacks to high-speed rail and airplanes.
A recent piece of news stated: "[YL Group invests 2.3 billion in building a biological science laboratory, focusing on gene repair. Inherited diseases may be curable...]"
"2.3 billion, I couldn't earn that much in ten lifetimes."
"To casually come up with over 2 billion, how rich must this company be? How much are 18% of the shares worth? Billions, tens of billions? I used to think he was just too proud to accept reality, but I was shallow."
Although it was unpleasant to hear, their chosen major required consistently excellent performance in science subjects from childhood. Many schools did not meet this standard, requiring parents to hire tutors and find better teachers, all of which cost money. Therefore, 90% of the students in their class were from urban households and came from relatively affluent families.
At that time, two classmates from rural households, like Chong Yan, had applied for school scholarships. Chong Yan, however, stated he did not need one. Not only his classmates but even his teachers had advised him not to care about others' opinions, that the scholarship could ease his family's burden, and he shouldn't be so concerned about his so-called "reputation."
Only now, witnessing it firsthand, did they realize how naive they had been.
A usually jocular young man looked at the food in his bowl and sighed, "Poverty limits my imagination. I saw a blogger film this fish before; it seemed to cost over 3,000 yuan per jin. This must be at least three or four jin, holy cow..."
Some focused on the extravagance of the birthday banquet, while others were interested in the two protagonists.
"If that girl is so capable, what about student Ran? His family background must be quite good, right? Otherwise, they wouldn't be together."
"It must be a powerful union. Miss Zhou looks older than Ran Chong Yan; it's an older woman younger man relationship."
"But to spend so much money on his birthday and give away so many shares at once, this must be true love."
"I thought I was here to celebrate someone else's birthday, but I didn't expect to be force-fed dog food."
A cute and soft-spoken girl looked up from the table laden with delicacies and asked the boy speaking with some confusion, "Why eat dog food? There's so much delicious food here. Try this, the lobster, it's super tasty!"
As she spoke, she nudged the person next to her, "Class monitor, could you pour me a glass of water? Thanks!"
Shi Cai poured her a glass of orange juice while watching the person in front of her, "Drink up."
The girl, with lobster meat in her mouth, mumbled, "Thank you, Class Monitor!"
The others were speechless.
However, they didn't dwell on it. The food on the table was too exquisite and delicious, made with expensive ingredients they normally couldn't afford. After a brief chat, everyone began to eat.
After the meal, the manor had prepared other activities. Among the invited guests were popular celebrities, and someone organized them for performances, making the scene instantly lively.
Shi Cai was watching her favorite female singer perform when her gaze suddenly caught Li Jia getting up and leaving. She thought for a moment and also stood up.
The lights outside the manor were not very bright, and coupled with the cover provided by the performances and scenery, it created a half-hidden, beautiful atmosphere. She didn't follow for long before spotting Li Jia standing by a pomegranate tree.
She was looking towards a small flowing stream and an elegant bridge nearby. Shi Cai, curious, also looked over. On that classical and elegant small bridge, the host of the banquet today was standing, facing each other as if discussing something.
She slowed her steps and walked closer. The pomegranate tree was no more than five or six meters from the small bridge, and in the quiet environment, it was easy to clearly hear the conversation between the two people.
"...I don't feel like you're insulting me by doing this. In my heart, you will always be the most important person. I am very grateful for your trust and fortunate that you love me, but I don't want to gain anything without working for it. I want to stand by your side through my own efforts."
"You can strive; there's no conflict between the two," Zhu Jin said calmly. "Because you are you, I want to give you the best. Aren't you planning to find a place for an internship next year? That biological laboratory is a gift for you. I was worried they wouldn't accept you, so I transferred shares to you. The company is my final say; 18% of the shares won't change anything."
Chong Yan in this world was undoubtedly exceptionally well-behaved, always has been. Zhu Jin watched him from birth until he was 18. He was filial to his mother and grandparents, respected his elders, got along well with others, studied diligently, didn't smoke, drink, get tattoos, dye his hair, or fight. He had no bad habits. From a young age, knowing Zhu Jin was his future wife, he never treated her as just an older sister once he was old enough to understand.
As he grew older, when he heard gossip in the village, he would refute those who spoke ill and defend Zhu Jin. He also worked hard to mediate the relationship between Zhu Jin and his family's three elders.
Although it was unnecessary.
"I've already chosen an internship unit."
"Are you referring to the Yang Ming Biological Science Laboratory in City A? They previously sought cooperation, and now that laboratory has many commonalities with them, almost merging."
Zhu Jin spoke euphemistically, but he immediately understood.
She had acquired that laboratory.
This action was somewhat inconsistent with YL's usual modus operandi. Chong Yan didn't know whether to be angry that she was meddling in his life at every turn or happy that she was thinking of him at every turn.
"You don't need to do this," he lowered his head slightly. "I can handle my own affairs. I'm an adult now; you don't need to shield me at every step."
Zhu Jin fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Do you think I'm too controlling? That it annoys you?"
"I don't," Chong Yan retorted instinctively. "I've never felt that you control... You are excellent, everything about you is excellent. I am very grateful and touched. I just want to forge my own path, I want to climb up on my own and stand by your side with dignity."
Zhu Jin reached out to hug him, her voice deepening slightly. "You are very well-behaved. I will not interfere with any work at that laboratory; everything will be your responsibility. Is that okay?"
On the surface, she maintained her image of being understanding and gentle, but inwardly, she had experienced great emotional turmoil.
She wondered what she would do if he said something that displeased her.
He was already an adult, and her methods of "educating" him would certainly not be the same as before. Today was a memorable day, and she wouldn't mind putting all the "good things" into it.
If he insisted on breaking free from her control, she suspected she would be unable to resist locking him up.
Fortunately, he was well-behaved.
Chong Yan sighed inwardly. He had always known about Zhu Jin's possessiveness, ever since they were young. That layered, perfectly fitted love gave him boundless happiness, but occasionally, it also brought a sense of crisis.
The crisis Zhu Jin gave him was undoubtedly danger—the danger of being confined.
He didn't actually mind her confining him. It's just that if she did, he would have no opportunity to rise, to stand by her side as an equal with dignity.
He hoped to find a balance between the two.