The winter winds in Beijing were fierce, chafing at one’s cheeks.
No matter how many winters passed, Jiang Nanshu always despised the cold.
It had been four months since she was released from the mental hospital.
She spent her days acquiring small companies, expanding her influence.
Every day was spent rushing between negotiating partnerships and attending boozy social functions.
In the world of business, after several months of exploring, Jiang Nanshu gradually mastered it, later emerging as a dark horse among Beijing’s newly rising elites due to her decisive decision-making.
Many of Beijing’s elites knew Jiang Nanshu; Zhou Yanxu, while he was still alive, always took her, his unrelated "sister," to banquets.
In this circle, a sister without blood relation was no different from a kept lover.
As a young girl, she was frail, but as she grew up, that delicate face blossomed beautifully. Zhou Yanxu raised her to be refined and delicate; her moist apricot eyes were deer-like, and raising one’s voice seemed almost an affront to her.
Back then, many envied Zhou Yanxu for having such a beauty by his side, but alas, this man was blessed with neither wealth nor a long life, dying just as Jiang Nanshu was turning fifteen.
Such a beautiful girl, inheriting so much wealth, became a tantalizing target in the wolf-eat-tigress world of Beijing. Later, Zhou Yanbai came along; it was said he locked the young girl away to groom her. On her eighteenth birthday, she was given as a gift to Young Zhou of Port City by their bed, only for her to escape due to their brief oversight.
Later, when she reappeared in the public eye, her nature greatly altered—both crazed and wild—her allure heightened their desire to conquer. Beautiful she was, but getting too close could mean death by her hand. When she was locked up in the mental hospital, they had pitied her. Now free, was she to stand as their equal?
They could never respect a woman like Jiang Nanshu; what business did a woman have in business? Better she stay home, tend the children, and warm a man’s bed.
Thus, from the moment Jiang Nanshu reemerged into their sights, they shunned her, banding together in hopes of driving her away.
Not until they saw their projects slipping through their fingers, into her hands, did they realize they had grossly underestimated this "woman."
Their dismissive attitude slowly changed; companies that opposed Jiang Nanshu found themselves silently failing within months, facing financial crises and being loudly acquired by her, slapping the faces of Beijing’s haughty elites. Now, when Jiang Nanshu appeared, even if reluctantly, they had to respectfully address her as "Young Ms. Jiang."
With the new year, Jiang Nanshu’s career soared even further.
Her assets, now worth forty billion under her management, doubled. Beijing had a place for her voice, and under her leadership, Juneng Technology advanced to the next level.
President Dong initially was reluctant for Jiang Nanshu to parachute into Juneng Technology with the largest shareholding. Now, he almost wished he could give her some of his own, just hoping she would stay and not abandon the company!
Zhou Yanbai’s subordinates initially feared Jiang Nanshu would march straight into Port City to snatch the inheritance rights. They had set traps every step of the way to Port City, ready to abduct her if she dared step out of Beijing and kill her on the mountain to feed to the dogs.
But now, Jiang Nanshu showed no intention of leaving Beijing, and seemed to have forgotten the inheritance rights, focusing solely on her business.
A bearded security operative feared Jiang Nanshu’s growing momentum might block Zhou Yanbai’s financial path, so he sent a message to Zhou Yanbai, "Boss, it’s been half a year since Jiang Nanshu left the mental hospital. She’s really too smart. In just half a year, she’s grown a small company to this extent. If we let her continue growing for a few more years... She might not need the inheritance to be worth a hundred billion."
At that moment, Zhou Yanbai received the message while in his company’s top-floor office in Port City.
On a carved rosewood desk, several photos were spread out.
Zhou Yanbai’s pale but distinctively jointed hand gently picked up one of them.
It was a photo of Jiang Nanshu.
A photo taken when she was pressed against the wall in the mental hospital.
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