Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire
Chapter 423 - Chapter 423 Chapter 412 They All Passed

Chapter 423: Chapter 412: They All Passed Chapter 423: Chapter 412: They All Passed Lu Jiaxin’s housewarming banquet was set for August 22nd. Zhang Sining had already sent out the invitations, and the chef and the menu had been selected as well, the latter of which was finalized by Nie Zhan.

Zhang Sining gave her a list of staff. Such a large villa definitely needed a butler, and servants would need to be hired as well. She reviewed resumes and took an interest in a housekeeper named Meng Hongjiao. The candidate was forty-one-years-old with twenty years of work experience.

Lu Jiaxin reviewed it and let Zhang Sining arrange a meeting. Not only did the housekeeper need extensive experience, she also had to be someone Jiaxin took a liking to.

At ten o’clock, she had arranged to play tennis with Shi Xinyu. Upon seeing Lu Jiaxin, the girl exclaimed, “Sister Xin, how did you get so tanned?”

The assistant following her felt a headache coming on, as this was precisely why their young mistress hardly had any friends. Although there was no ill intent, the blunt comments were unsettling.

Lu Jiaxin wasn’t bothered and laughed, “Just got a bit tanned being outside every day, no big deal, I’ll lighten up again in a few days. Come on, let’s start with a game.”

After one game, Shi Xinyu sat panting and said, “Sister Jiaxin, Tao Yong mentioned that you haven’t been learning tennis for a year and don’t play often, yet you play better than me.”

She had been practicing tennis since she was eight years old and, hearing what Tao Yong said, expected to thrash Lu Jiaxin today. It turned out they were evenly matched. Given their current form and it being only the first game, her chances of winning were almost nil.

Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “I haven’t been learning for long, but I practice when I have nothing to do at home, so I’ve improved quickly.”

Shi Xinyu looked at her and remarked, “Sister Jiaxin, your lifestyle doesn’t seem like that of an eighteen-year-old. Tao Yong also said Mr. Nie is a bit dull, and you dating him must be boring. But I think you two match quite well!”

Lu Jiaxin was speechless. Girl, it’s one thing to gossip about her and Nie Zhan in private, but to talk about it to the person involved!

Her personal assistant was breaking out in sweat and handed her the water he was holding, “Miss, have some water to rehydrate.”

Shi Xinyu took the water and sipped it gracefully.

Lu Jiaxin was thirsty too, grabbed some water, and drank from the container, tilting her head back. She didn’t drink directly from the bottle mouth, it always felt unclean to her.

Shi Xinyu thought her behavior was refreshingly bold and after drinking asked, “Sister Xin, who did you invite to your housewarming party?”

Lu Jiaxin didn’t list all the guests, only indicating that Zong Shimeng and Yu Meitong were both invited.

The mention of Yu Meitong reminded Shi Xinyu of the jewelry company, “Sister Meitong has always wanted to start her own jewelry brand and even asked us to invest. It’s surprising that after half a year of talking, she hasn’t succeeded, yet you quietly opened a jewelry company without a word.”

Lu Jiaxin credited the matter to Nie Zhan, explaining, “Ah Zhan told me the company needed diversification, relying solely on real estate is too one-dimensional. Starting a jewelry company was something Nie Zhan had planned long ago, it wasn’t because Sister Meitong wanted to partner with me that I had this idea.”

“So, acquiring the big hotel was also his plan from before?”

That was actually news to Lu Jiaxin, but she didn’t know whether the girl was asking casually or with an agenda, “That wasn’t part of the original plan, it came up when he was discussing hotel business with friends over dinner. He’s decisive and put the idea into action immediately.”

Shi Xinyu, lacking career ambition but inspired by Yu Meitong, also sought something to do, “Jiaxin, I want to open a coffee shop; do you think I can do it?”

Lu Jiaxin thought opening a coffee shop didn’t require much capital, and that hiring a responsible manager would suffice, especially since Shi Xinyu didn’t seem like someone who could manage a business, “It’s just a coffee shop; if you want to open one, just do it, no need to overthink it.”

Shi Xinyu pouted and said, “Tao Yong said I’m not cut out for business, if I open a coffee shop, it won’t last three months before closing.”

“So what if it closes, it’s no big deal,” said Lu Jiaxin. She wasn’t just an ordinary person who had to invest life savings into a store. For Shi Xinyu, even if the coffee shop closed soon, it would only mean the loss of a few months of pocket money.

Shi Xinyu stayed in Hong Kong because of Tao Yong, but she found her daily life of eating and drinking boring, “Sister Xin, do you have any good advice then?”

Lu Jiaxin could indeed offer counsel, “First, location for the coffee shop is crucial–it’s best surrounded by office buildings; second, hire a pastry chef with good skills to make your shop stand out; third, arrange it according to your own taste, without copying other shops.”

Shi Xinyu understood the first two points but was confused about the last one, “Arrange it according to my own taste? Shouldn’t I ask an interior designer?”

Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, “You are not opening this coffee shop to make money, but to keep yourself busy. So decorate it exactly how you like!”

Considering her personality, Lu Jiaxin added, “You should hire a designer too. Have them create a style you like based on your requests.”

“Okay.”

The two spent the morning playing tennis, the afternoon shopping, and then went for SPA treatments, arriving home after five. Thinking Second Sister-in-law Lu should be back by that time, she made a call.

Lu Jiaxin asked, “Second Sister-in-law, did Lu An and Zao Hua both get admitted to university?”

Second Sister-in-law Lu was cheerful as she responded, “They did, both of them got in. Big Sister-in-law originally wanted to throw a banquet, but Big Brother refused. He said that we didn’t have a banquet last year when you got into Hong Kong University and it doesn’t make sense to have one for Lu An as he is repeating the year.”

Though the two were expected to get into university based on their scores, hearing the news was still thrilling. Lu Jiaxin mentioned, “Didn’t Big Uncle celebrate in the village when I got into university?”

Second Sister-in-law Lu was all smiles, “Yes, sixteen tables were laid out at home. Now, everyone within ten miles knows the Lu Family has produced three university students.”

These three university students were Lu Ping, Lu An, and Lu Jiaxin. Of course, all three were raised in the Forty-nine City and hence had access to an education that Ding Family Village could not compete with.

Lu Jiaxin inquired, “Second Sister-in-law, is the support for impoverished students going smoothly?”

Second Sister-in-law Lu had a relationship with Big Aunt as close as mother and daughter and would call from time to time, “It’s going very smoothly. All the kids in our clan who had to drop out of school due to financial issues, except for two families who needed their daughters to work at home, have been convinced by Grandpa. But when people from the neighboring village heard about it, they came to ask Grandpa to support their children too.”

Lu Jiaxin intended to support outstanding students within the Lu Family Clan and not those from other families, so Big Uncle Lu turned them down.

If it had been before, Lu Jiaxin would likely have agreed to support those children too, not minding the extra cost. But having learned her lesson from the incident in Rong County, she knew good intentions didn’t always yield good outcomes. Thus, to support those children, a clear set of regulations was necessary.