Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire
Chapter 392 - Chapter 392 Chapter 381 Social Interaction

Chapter 392: Chapter 381: Social Interaction Chapter 392: Chapter 381: Social Interaction On Sunday, Nie Zhan picked up Lu Jiaxin as promised to play golf. This time it wasn’t just the two of them, but a group of people, as Nie Zhan had also invited three of his friends.

Among these three friends, one was married, and the other two also had girlfriends. Knowing that he was bringing Lu Jiaxin along, all three brought their wives and girlfriends as well.

Nie Zhan introduced the three men to Lu Jiaxin. One was named Hu Zhifeng, the heir of Nanfeng Group, which had businesses in real estate, shipping, and finance, and he was helping his father manage their business; another was Fu Ye, whose family also owned a bank and was involved in various industries like the Nie family. Instead of joining the family company, he had started a trading business, which was now valued at over three hundred million; the last one was Tao Yong, a member of the South Sea’s super-rich Huang family, who had opened an investment company in Hong Kong.

Lu Jiaxin greeted them one by one.

Hu Zhifeng, Fu Ye, and Tao Yong also introduced their wives/girlfriends. Knowing Nie Zhan’s character and that he and Lu Jiaxin were heading towards marriage, they were very friendly towards her.

The better halves of these three men were all daughters of wealthy families: Hu Zhifeng’s wife, Zong Shimeng, came from a family in the construction business; Fu Ye’s fiancee, Yu Meitong, was from a family that dealt with jewelry and cosmetics; Tao Yong’s girlfriend, Shi Xinyu, was also from the South Sea, with her family involved in the rubber and real estate business.

Zong Shimeng knew that Lu Jiaxin was from the mainland, but now that she held stakes in two companies, no one would look down on her.

Tao Yong, a golf enthusiast, laughed and said after everyone got acquainted, “Ah Zhan, it’s been a long time since we played together, let’s have a game.”

Nie Zhan naturally had no problem with it, and looking towards the other two men, they also agreed.

Hu Zhifeng smiled and asked, “What shall we set as the stakes for today’s game?”

The so-called stakes were actually a bet. They were just checking their luck and wouldn’t bet a lot. Of course, their idea of ‘not a lot’ was still a substantial amount for the average person.

Yu Meitong, uninterested in the men’s game, enthusiastically pulled Lu Jiaxin aside and said, “Miss Lu, Green Forest is selling so well, how did you come up with such a great idea?”

Shi Xinyu, not aware of the matter, asked in surprise, “Miss Lu, the recently popular Green Forest in Hong Kong is yours?”

Lu Jiaxin nodded and said, “Yes, Green Forest is my company.”

After saying this, she responded to Yu Meitong’s question, “I went traveling in Europe last year and saw lots of trendy clothes there. But after you buy a piece of clothing, their store did not necessarily have matching pants or shoes. After shopping around a lot, I had the idea that if we put these branded clothes all together in one store, it would definitely be well-received.”

Shi Xinyu said in amazement, “You had this idea and just went for it?”

Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, “I had this idea last year, but I didn’t have the money at the time. Fortunately, I made some money on the foreign exchange market last year, which allowed me to start this project.”

Shi Xinyu said enviously, “Miss Lu, Mr. Nie is really good to you. Foreign exchange can be so profitable, yet Tao Yong doesn’t let me do it, saying it’s too risky.”

Her words carried a tone of complaint towards the end.

Lu Jiaxin agreed that Tao Yong was right, “Trading in foreign exchange is indeed very risky, and if you don’t understand it, blindly following the trend can lead to losing all your investment. But you could give him the money to invest for you. I first bought some myself, and Nie Zhan also helped to buy some.”

The first two times she bought it herself, and it was only the third time that Nie Zhan helped her buy it. During the third time, the market dropped the most by thirty percent, and she made a fortune.

Shi Xinyu indeed gave money to Tao Yong to trade in foreign exchange, but the profits were not substantial, only a bit over thirty percent.

Thinking of the grand promotion that Lu Jiaxin did for Green Forest, Yu Meitong asked, “Jiaxin, I’m thinking about starting a jewelry company, are you interested?”

Lu Jiaxin was surprised; she did not expect Miss Yu to suggest a partnership as soon as they met. As she knew little about it, she dared not agree rashly and joked, “Your family is also in the jewelry business. If you start a jewelry business too, wouldn’t that seem like competing with your family?”

Yu Meitong explained that she studied jewelry design at the university and wanted to establish her own brand. She was unsure about going it alone and wanted to find a partner.

Seeing that she didn’t directly answer her question, Lu Jiaxin smiled and said the idea was good. As for partnering, she declined.

Zong Shimeng had been quietly listening to their conversation and promptly changed the subject when she noticed Lu Jiaxin avoiding Yu Meitong’s topic, “Miss Lu, Mr. Nie and my husband Zhifeng have mentioned several times that the braised beef you make is especially delicious. If I may be so bold, could you share the recipe for your braised beef?”

Lu Jiaxin was not foolish; she knew right away that Zong Shimeng was helping her out. With the wealth of the Hu family, they could have anything they wanted and buy any secret recipe, “Of course. I’ll write down the process and give it to you later, just follow it and you’ll be fine.”

Zong Shimeng thanked her.

Shi Xinyu asked in astonishment, “Miss Lu, you can actually make braised beef?”

Lu Jiaxin smiled and nodded, “Although I’m an only daughter, if a girl can’t cook or do needlework, she wouldn’t be looked upon favorably by the older generation. So my mom taught me how to make noodles when I was young, and I began learning to cook at the age of seven. So whether it’s making buns, steamed bread, dumplings, or cooking, I can do it.”

Shi Xinyu couldn’t understand, saying, “My mother always said that a girl’s hands are her second face and must be taken good care of, so she never let me do any housework since I was little.”

This view wasn’t wrong, but the prerequisite was having a wealthy family, hence such treatment would only be available to young ladies from rich families, not daughters from ordinary families who had to do all sorts of work.

Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “My mom believes in being skilled in many areas. Thanks to her teachings, I was able to survive by selling snacks when I fell on hard times later on.”

Shi Xinyu’s mouth formed an ‘O’ in surprise, “Fell on hard times, how did that happen to you?”

Lu Jiaxin vaguely mentioned it was an accident, then she lost her memory, “During that month and a half, I survived by selling buns, steamed bread, and other snacks, and only after the bruises went away and my memory returned did I go home.”

Zong Shimeng knew about Lu Jiaxin’s background, and she nodded, “Your mom is right. Basic life skills should be learned; you never know when they might come in handy.”

If Lu Jiaxin didn’t have these skills, she would have suffered even more.

Lu Jiaxin said cheerily, “Cooking can be taken as exercise, but if you don’t have the talent for it, there’s no need to force it. I think the most important thing for a girl is to have a skill. That way, even if you find yourself in a difficult situation, you can find work to support yourself. This is just my simple opinion, and I hope you won’t laugh at it.”

Yu Meitong felt her point was very well made, “A woman should still have her own career. That way, no one will dare to look down on you.”

And in front of them, Lu Jiaxin was the best example.