Chapter 510: A Reminder

Zhu Suosuo's performance was indeed excellent, she worked hard. From afternoon until the lamps lit up, she finally dragged her exhausted body to the dining table and ate takeout from a fancy restaurant that Wang Yan had ordered to replenish her strength.

Watching Wang Yan eat heartily, she thought for a moment and said: "Nan Sun broke up with Zhang Anren."

"Mm."

Seeing Wang Yan showed no interest, Zhu Suosuo asked again: "Aren't you surprised? I know when Nan Sun went on that blind date with you, she even brought up Zhang Anren to turn you down."

Wang Yan shook his head: "No surprise. Jiang Nansun's family has gone through major upheaval; it's normal for their outlook to change. As for Zhang Anren, he's too eager to advance, and since he has no roots in Shanghai, he tries to do everything perfectly and maintain good relations with everyone. The result? He fails at everything and barely connects with anyone. This further crushes his already weak confidence.

He flatters those who can help him, which makes others look down on him. Though no one says it outright, disdain is inevitable. Plus, he previously reported the person competing with him for a teaching position, which brought him trouble at work. He thought he could calmly accept it and quickly resolve or erase its impact—but he couldn't. Over time, resentment built up; it's natural to harbor bitterness.

Jiang Nansun was raised in luxury, spoiled since childhood; her emotions are more sensitive, especially now that her family has suffered such a blow. So one is demoralized at work, the other is emotionally fragile amid family crisis. One wrong word triggers a full-blown explosion. Conflict is inevitable; dredging up old grievances is normal. Whether Zhang Anren or Jiang Nansun, they're both human—they've been together over two years, so of course they have countless flaws. Like Jiang Nansun's extravagance, or Zhang Anren's petty stinginess.

Even if unspoken, dissatisfaction can't vanish. Breaking up is the best solution—clean and final. I think the trigger was Jiang Nansun suddenly deciding to move out of Zhang Anren's place; they argued, escalating tensions. Ultimately, Zhang Anren's poor practical conditions simply can't satisfy Jiang Nansun's idealistic emotional needs. That's why even if they hadn't broken up but actually married, they wouldn't last—they'd divorce eventually."

Wang Yan wasn't lying—he never believed these two could work out.

Jiang Nansun might not care about money, but many of her emotional needs require material satisfaction first. She just thinks she can treat money as dirt now. Even if she marries Zhang Anren and gets family support, if the support becomes too generous, she'll still be unhappy. It's not like what Zhu Suosuo said—no dowry, no car or house, she just shows up to sleep with them and even pays herself. No matter how you look at it, she'd feel uneasy.

On the other hand, no one's life goes smoothly. Especially someone like Zhang Anren, with zero foundation, climbing solely by himself. So whenever his work turns sour, he brings that frustration home, dragging his bad mood with him—then there's nothing left but fighting. Two such people? Their life is a mess, impossible to sustain. Jiang Nansun isn't the type to settle; divorce becomes inevitable.

As for why Zhu Suosuo asked this, it's simply to test his attitude toward Jiang Nansun, to see if he has any feelings.

"I didn't expect you to analyze it so clearly. That night when a crowd showed up at Nan Sun's house demanding payment, Nan Sun said…" Zhu Suosuo told him what she knew about her best friend's thoughts and recent events: "I never believed in them. When they first got together, I strongly opposed it. Uncle Jiang felt the same—now that he knows Nan Sun and Zhang Anren broke up, though he said nothing, I still sensed he was happy."

Wang Yan shook his head with a smile and ignored her, lifting the bottle to his lips and continuing to eat and drink.

Zhu Suosuo pouted, about to say more, when her phone on the table rang. She glanced at the caller ID, then looked up at Wang Yan, who was watching her with a cheerful grin. She sighed deeply, waited a moment, then picked up the phone and pressed it to her ear.

"Hello? Secretary Fan, why are you calling so late? Didn't I already get fired? What now?"

"Hello, Suosuo." Ye Ye Jin Yan's voice came through the line.

Wang Yan heard it clearly—not only because his senses were sharp, but because he'd watched the drama and knew the caller was Ye Ye Jin Yan.

Moreover, Zhu Suosuo immediately looked up, guiltily meeting his gaze, suppressing a flicker of excitement as she spoke: "Ah, Boss Ye."

"Go to Jiang Nansun's house—her old place on Fuxing Road. Don't tell Jiang Nansun or her family yet."

"Yes, Boss Ye. What am I supposed to do there?"

"You'll know when you get there. That's all."

Listening to the dial tone, Zhu Suosuo put down the phone and said cautiously: "Yan Ge, Ye Ye Jin Yan told me to go to Nan Sun's old house. I think he wants to buy it."

"I heard from Uncle Jiang that his sister-in-law is friends with Ye Ye Jin Yan. With the family's current crisis, it's normal for Jiang Nansun's mother and sister to call and vent." Wang Yan nodded, smiling: "Go. If Ye Ye Jin Yan buys the house, I can get my money back sooner."

"Won't you make money too if you hold onto it?" Zhu Suosuo didn't understand—if he could profit, why not keep it and sell later for a higher price?

"Last month, my fund returned over twenty percent. After accounting for the house I bought for that Aunt Li, I've now advanced over fifty million to the Jiang family. If fully accounted, the return on fifty million would be over ten million. That ten million is already lost. Do you think I should tie up money in real estate? Even if I could get a loan, other interest costs are high—netting it all, I'd be losing money. One house is enough already; no need to buy more, not worth it."

Zhu Suosuo thought Wang Yan must be slightly mad. She didn't doubt his facts—but spending ten million to help the Jiang family resolve debt brought him zero benefit, and he'd only known Jiang Pengfei for a month. Yet for her, despite working hard and giving him real pleasure, she earned only tens of thousands a month. If he'd given her ten million instead, she could do whatever she wanted.

Of course she wouldn't say it aloud—she just silently pitied herself. She sighed deeply and stood up: "I'll go change."

Wang Yan ignored Zhu Suosuo, letting her hurry off, still exhausted, and after finishing his meal, he didn't stay home either. He tidied up and wandered out into the night.

Wandering aimlessly, he crossed the river by boat and, without realizing it, arrived near Da Bo Lang's place. Checking the time—it was past ten—he found a roadside snack stall offering grilled skewers, fried bites, seafood—all kinds. He ordered a pile of food, washed it down with cold draft beer, and ate his late-night meal. Then he called Da Bo Lang, inviting her downstairs to join him.

Da Bo Lang arrived quickly. She'd removed her makeup and wasn't dressed in her daytime flashy attire—just a simple white T-shirt, loose jeans, a pink cap on her head, and sport-brand sandals on her feet—fresh, clean.

She waved from afar, then sat across from Wang Yan: "Why are you here so late? That's not your style."

"I missed you." Wang Yan said without hesitation, handing her the menu: "Here, pick something."

Da Bo Lang shook her head: "I'll just have two skewers. Eating greasy food late at night makes you gain weight and break out—better not eat."

"Even if you break out, I've got a remedy—I can fix it. Didn't your menstrual pain improve a lot? It's because you eat irregularly and don't avoid forbidden foods. Otherwise, you'd be nearly healed."

"Can't help it—it's work. And your remedy? It works, but it's bitter. When I boil medicine at home, the whole place smells like it, and my clothes get stained—I can't stand it. If I can avoid it just by watching my diet, why make it so complicated?"

Wang Yan smiled and said: "Your outfit looks great now—you're like a different person."

"Right? Can't help it—work demands it. Normally I dress formally, old-fashioned, flashy. I don't like it, but if there's an advantage, you use it. I'm actually better than Zhu Suosuo—you know how she dresses… ugh…" Da Bo Lang shuddered, thinking Zhu Suosuo's clothes were too revealing. She added: "By the way, speaking of Zhu Suosuo—she got fired today. You know?"

"She was with me this afternoon."

"Then why are you here now?"

"She's going to check out Jiang's old house with Ye Ye Jin Yan. Ye Ye Jin Yan has some ties to the Jiang family, and the house on Fuxing Road is an old Western-style villa—now being sold urgently at a low price. He can help them and make money too."

"I know. Earlier, Jiang's sister-in-law called Ye Ye Jin Yan asking him to look after Zhu Suosuo. So it seems Zhu Suosuo won't be fired." Da Bo Lang didn't care, eating and sighing: "Next week Yang Ke will become Assistant Regional Commander manager, and a new sales manager will join. Wonder what kind of person he is."

"I think you're close to Yang Ke—you should warn him." In Da Bo Lang's puzzled gaze, Wang Yan said: "If Yang Ke becomes Assistant Regional Commander manager and directly oversees sales, that's promotion. But if his jurisdiction excludes sales—or if sales is merely added to his duties, diluting his power while giving him high pay—that means Ye Ye Jin Yan is setting him up."

It was simple logic—Da Bo Lang instantly grasped the key. Her mouth slightly open, she showed her shock: "Earlier, Yang Ke told us he was thinking of leaving and asked if we'd follow him. Are you saying Ye Ye Jin Yan wants to sideline Yang Ke and kick him out?"

"Isn't it obvious? Yang Ke's plan to quit leaked. He wants to take you loyalists with him—and you, with your skills and resources, are the sales lifeline of Jingyan Group. If he takes you all, Jingyan's sales department collapses. It'd take a long time to recover.

So the only move is to elevate Yang Ke, then keep you sales elites. Even if you leave, it buys time for transition—no surprise attacks. Remember, Jingyan Group is a listed company. If news spreads that Yang Ke emptied the sales department, such negative news could erase ten or twenty billion from its current seventy-billion valuation. Competitors could strike hard—might even sink the whole ship."

Yang Ke thinks he's important, thinks Ye Ye Jin Yan values him, gives him promotion, high salary, high benefits. But any leader would never forgive a subordinate with rebellious tendencies, who's already planning to leave and controls vital assets. That high salary? Yang Ke thinks he earned it—but to Ye Ye Jin Yan, it's a theft on his head. He'll never swallow this humiliation.

"Ye Ye Jin Yan's such a sly fox. No way—I have to tell Yang Ke. He's probably celebrating right now, thinking he's about to become Manager Yang." Da Bo Lang pulled out her phone, found Yang Ke's number, and dialed.

Wang Yan raised an eyebrow: "Just a common tactic—but very effective."

Da Bo Lang's call to Yang Ke was answered. She said directly: "Hey, Lao Yang, I'm with Wang Yan. Just told him about your promotion to Assistant Regional Commander manager. He says you're in danger…"

Yang Ke was smart—he immediately understood. He'd been played by Ye Ye Jin Yan.

"Here, he wants to talk to you."

Wang Yan took the phone from Da Bo Lang, swallowed his food, and said: "Hello."

Yang Ke's voice came through the receiver: "Mr. Wang, thank you so much. I was lost in joy and didn't realize they were using me like a monkey."

"No need to thank me. You know my connection with Ai Per. You've looked out for him these years—this was just a casual reminder. If it helps, that's great."

"Regardless, I owe you. When things calm down, I'll treat you and Ai Per to dinner. Ai Per said you like drinking—I've got an old bottle of liquor. I'll drink with you properly."

"No problem, no problem. You've got your hands full now."

Wang Yan hung up with a smile, returned the phone to Da Bo Lang, and asked: "Are you planning to stick with Yang Ke?"

"Of course. Otherwise I wouldn't have warned him. He brought me into this industry, and over the years he's helped and guided me—without him, I wouldn't have stayed clean. After all, if you're willing to lie down, money comes too easily. There are plenty like that in sales. Now that Yang Ke's leaving, we're bargaining chips—we can get a better price. I trust him. I'm willing to be his chip. Besides, people climb higher, water flows lower. Yang Ke isn't stupid—our future compensation will be better than now. Why not?"

"How do you know your future compensation will be higher than what Jingyan offers to keep you?"

Da Da Bo Lang shook his head and said, "Forget it. Even Yang Ke, who's so powerful, was made a fool of by Ye Ye Jin Yan. No matter how much more they offered, I wouldn't dare take it. I'd just stick with Yang Ke—it's easier on the mind."

Wang Yan nodded and dropped the subject, launching into random, aimless chatter.

He only reminded Yang Ke because he had nothing better to do—after all, saying a few casual words was easy, and it gave him something to laugh at. What else was he going to do?

After dinner, as expected, he went to Da Da Bo Lang's place—it was already past eleven. Of course, he didn't stir up trouble; he slept plain. He'd just finished physical labor with Zhu Suosuo in the afternoon—he wasn't that desperate yet…

Meanwhile, on the other side, just as in the original plot, Zhu Suosuo accompanied Ye Ye Jin Yan and Fan Jinggang to view the Jiang family's house, immediately agreed to buy it, and told Fan Jinggang to negotiate the price with the Jiangs the next day. Then Ye Ye Jin Yan informed her that the house had become available and ordered her to report to the company on Monday to resume work and begin her new assignment.

Confirming her suspicions, Zhu Suosuo happily called Xie Hongzu, then took him out for food and drinks until midnight, contacted the company's finance department, and paid in full that night for the Dongli house. At the sales office, Xie Hongzu still confessed his feelings to Zhu Suosuo, saying she was different and so on. Zhu Suosuo refused, but her tone wasn't firm—she let him escort her back to her newly rented apartment. This was her way of telling him: I live here now…

She returned home past midnight and saw lights on downstairs. Opening the door, she called out, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Soon, Jiang Nansun stepped out of the larger master bedroom, wearing only shorts and a tank top. Though it was a three-bedroom apartment, they'd always shared the master bedroom.

She said, "If you don't come back, how can I sleep?"

"Pfft." Zhu Suosuo pouted her bright red lips. "Wait a bit—I'll remove my makeup and wash up at top speed, then tell you some good news."

"So mysterious," Jiang Nansun muttered, then yawned and returned to the master bedroom.

Zhu Suosuo chuckled. Though she'd been worn out all afternoon and had wandered the night with Xie Hongzu selling the house, she still felt cheerful and energetic, humming a tune as she changed clothes, then removed her makeup, washed up, and did her skincare routine. Once finished, she turned off the living room lights, entered the bedroom, sighed contentedly, and collapsed onto the bed.

Jiang Nansun smiled. "So, what's the good news? Why are you back so late?"

"Let me tell you—it was totally bizarre. A couple days ago, when I went back to work, Ye Ye Jin Yan told me… and then he fired me. The afternoon was boring, so I drank some alcohol outside and wandered around to clear my head. Then, when I was about to head home, Ye Ye Jin Yan called me and told me to go to your family's old house."

"Is Ye Ye Jin Yan going to buy it? Today my mom told me she'd told Auntie everything that happened recently. Auntie asked if Ye Ye Jin Yan was interested in our house—what did he say?"

"Oh, let me finish first!" Zhu Suosuo clicked her tongue and waved her hand. "After we saw the house, right outside your old home, Ye Ye Jin Yan told me… then after I swiped my card at the sales office and came out, Xie Hongzu told me to be his girlfriend. He dropped me off downstairs—that's why I got back so late. Today was so full, so intense."

"So is Ye Ye Jin Yan buying our house or not?" Jiang Nansun clearly cared more about selling the family house quickly—even though it was no longer theirs, it still tied up Wang Yan's money.

"It's boring. Ye Ye Jin Yan said if the price is right, he'll buy it. He told me to pass along that Fan Jinggang will come to your house tomorrow to negotiate, and he said to include Wang Yan—strictly speaking, the house belongs to him now. Without him, no deal."

Jiang Nansun nodded, set an alarm on her phone to contact Wang Yan early, then asked, "How should we thank Ye Ye Jin Yan?"

"You're overthinking it. Though I don't know Ye Ye Jin Yan well, from what little I do know, he's already thought it through: first, he can repay your aunt a favor; second, your house is being sold in a hurry, so it'll be far below market price—he'll make money, at least a few million. Didn't you used to tell me rich people aren't fools? Why are you being stupid now? Merchants don't rise before dawn without profit. Do you really think he went to see the house late at night just to help you?"

Zhu Suosuo found Jiang Nansun's sudden drop in IQ amusing, but she understood—it really was a kind gesture. Even if the house was popular, it was worth tens of millions—it wouldn't sell quickly.

Remembering what Wang Yan had said earlier, she added, "If you really want to thank someone, your family should thank Wang Yan. Today I even checked—last month, Wang Yan's fund company's performance surged over twenty percent. The money he advanced for your family was at least fifty million. Fifty million times twenty percent equals ten million—that's real money Wang Yan lost, because for him, no profit means loss. Don't take offense, but I really don't get it—how could he be so good to your dad, and now help him like this?"

She still harbored resentment. Ever since Wang Yan had finished calculating the accounts that afternoon, she'd regretted not holding out—she hadn't gotten a better price. She felt that ten million was her loss…

Otherwise, she wouldn't be speaking up for Wang Yan to Jiang Nansun. Of course, she knew Jiang Nansun already suspected something—she just didn't know the exact number.

"I'm confused too—how could Wang Yan be so good to your dad, who's so irresponsible? Forget it. Anyway, we're already at this point. Once everything's settled, we'll invite Wang Yan to dinner and thank him." Jiang Nansun smiled bitterly, shook her head, and sighed. "Congratulations—you sold another house and made another hundred thousand."

"Hehe, of course—I'm awesome, right?"

"Of course you're awesome—you sold a house and won over a rich second-generation heir. Locks, he confessed to you—he's rich, so why did you refuse? What were you thinking?"

Zhu Suosuo shook her head. "When he confessed to me, it was just like when he bought the house and swiped his card in full—he waved his hand, wanted this, wanted that. Who knows how many times he waves it each day. But he's actually not a bad guy—not some arrogant, entitled young master. Still, he's definitely had many girlfriends before—he's rich, so women throw themselves at him. He's a playboy. I won't just say yes casually. What if he's just playing around? Then I'd be the one who lost big."

There was another reason she didn't say aloud. Today, she confirmed she had real weight with Ye Ye Jin Yan. Compared to that, the choice was obvious—Ye Ye Jin Yan was a billionaire. How could Xie Hongzu, a mere rich second-generation, compare? She'd keep him as backup—just in case she misjudged things, she'd have another path…

Jiang Nansun shook her head and smiled. "You always used to complain about wanting to marry rich and become a rich man's wife. Now that a rich man's actually chasing you, you're hesitating. I just don't get you."

"Oh, just leave it to me—I've got my own plan. It's already two-thirty. Go to sleep. I'm sleeping in tomorrow. Don't wake me up, or I'll get mad."

"Sleep then."

Soon, exhausted from the day, Zhu Suosuo fell into a deep sleep, even letting out soft snores—she was utterly worn out.

Jiang Nansun lay beside her, staring blankly at the ceiling, lost in chaotic thoughts.

She thought of many things—her family, her fortune, Zhang Anren—and in a flash, Wang Yongzheng's figure appeared before her.

They had contact information. This incident might have been how he heard about it—from Dai Qian—and Wang Yongzheng had sent a message to check on her. He'd also contacted Professor Dong at school to see if he could help. Through this, they'd started talking again, despite the time difference, sometimes chatting. She remembered Wang Yongzheng's lazy tone, his indifference, his flippant face.

And then there was Wang Yan—the savior of their family—who always wore a warm smile, spoke with humor and wit, made one feel like basking in spring breeze, radiating masculinity, confidence, and authority without arrogance. He gave off a sense of closeness, making one want to draw near…

Amid this swirling confusion of thoughts, sleep finally overcame her, and she drifted off without realizing it…