Chapter 978: Zhang Sihé

The fat girl looked astonished: “Tian Tian, you don’t actually know that guy, do you?”

“I’m not sure—I just think he looks familiar, like I’ve seen him somewhere before.”

Tian Tian shook her head, then accidentally spotted her boyfriend, Zhang Sihé, chatting with a few young people nearby, and her heart stirred.

She walked over quickly and tapped Zhang Sihé on the shoulder: “Sihé!”

Zhang Sihé turned around: “What is it?”

Tian Tian pointed at the man: “Take a look at that guy.”

Zhang Sihé followed her gaze and froze: “That’s Zhou Anlei—what’s he doing here?”

“Zhou Anlei?” Tian Tian frowned at Zhang Sihé. “He’s from your village, no wonder he looks familiar.”

Zhang Sihé frowned: “This isn’t the kind of place he belongs in. I’ll go kick him out.”

He was the guy who drove back to Tanghezi last Spring Festival, trying to arrange a job for Zhou Andong—and wanted to step on Zhou Andong’s head.

“Wait!”

Tian Tian grabbed Zhang Sihé’s arm: “His name is Zhou Anlei—what’s his relationship to Zhou Andong?”

Last Spring Festival, he’d returned home in a BMW with his wife, a true triumphant homecoming.

Especially after seeing Zhou Andong, who’d always looked down on him, still just a lowly worker at the distillery, earning barely two hundred yuan a month.

His self-satisfaction swelled rapidly—he wanted Zhou Andong to work for him, to serve him, forever under his heel.

Not long after, he learned Zhou Andong had become manager of Jiangzhou Distillery. Though it rankled, he comforted himself.

So what if Zhou Andong was manager? That broken factory was about to collapse—how long could he possibly hold onto that title?

Soon after, Jiangzhou Yugong Wine became a nationwide bestseller, leaving him stunned for days, then he began slandering Jiangzhou Yugong Wine everywhere.

Then, not long after that, Jiang Xiaobai hit the market, rapidly capturing market share and even exporting to Britain, becoming a darling of British high society.

Furious, Zhang Sihé cursed Zhou Andong every time he thought of him—and as he cursed, Jiangzhou Distillery became Yugong Group, and Zhou Andong became its chairman.

Jealousy filled Zhang Sihé’s heart—when he thought of Zhou Andong, it wasn’t just cursing anymore; he began to curse him.

When Zhou Andong ran into trouble, Zhang Sihé danced with joy, shouting, “Heaven has finally opened its eyes!”

When Zhou Andong solved his problems, Zhang Sihé kept cursing and cursing him.

As he cursed, Yugong Group launched Xuri Sheng Iced Black Tea—and it sold out immediately upon release.

Meanwhile, Zhou Andong gave speeches, published articles, starred in ads—his fame grew ever larger.

Suddenly, he stopped cursing altogether—because by then, Zhou Andong had become a figure he could no longer reach, no longer touch, only look up to.

No matter how much he seethed with jealousy, no matter whether he admitted it or not, not just he—even his father-in-law, a well-known businessman in Dongguan—had to bow his head respectfully before Zhou Andong now.

“They’re cousins,” Zhang Sihé knew what Tian Tian was thinking. “Didn’t your uncle tell you Zhou Andong is coming to the forum?”

Tian Tian shook her head—her father had no qualification to attend this forum. She’d only overheard that the Shoe King of Xiangjiang would be attending, and she’d spent considerable favors and money to secure just one ticket.

The elders of these young men and women had all done the same—using connections and paying to get tickets.

Because everyone attending this forum were the real business titans of the three regions.

Even if you couldn’t find a partnership, just meeting them, getting your face known—worth any price.

So their elders couldn’t get the guest list—they had no idea who was even attending this forum.

“You all know Zhou Andong, right?” Tian Tian asked.

All the young men and women nodded. One young man smiled: “Chairman Zhou is our generation’s idol, our role model—how could we not know him?”

Hearing this, Zhang Sihé’s face darkened instantly—but he dared not speak up.

Though this young man’s family business wasn’t as big as his father-in-law’s.

He still had enough self-awareness to know he could even mingle in this circle only because of Tian Tian—and because of his father-in-law.

Without Tian Tian, without his father-in-law, who even knew who Zhang Sihé was? This young man probably wouldn’t even bother to look at him.

“So, did he come to the forum today?” Tian Tian asked again.

“Don’t know!”

“Didn’t see him!”

Because the banquet hall was huge and packed, they hadn’t noticed Zhou Andong enter.

“Didn’t your family mention anything?” Tian Tian asked once more.

“No!”

“No!”

Only the fat girl’s eyes flickered, glancing at Zhou Anlei, still hunched over, wolfing down food.

“Is that guy really Zhou Andong’s cousin?”

“Hmph!” Zhang Sihé snorted, unable to hold back: “No matter how rich Zhou Andong is, he can’t wash the mud off his pant cuffs.”

At his words, everyone turned to stare at him, their expressions strange.

Tian Tian frowned—over the past year, she’d noticed that whenever Zhou Andong was mentioned, Zhang Sihé’s intelligence plummeted, as if his head had filled with water.

But in front of so many people, she still gave him face: “Look around—see if Zhou Andong is here.”

“I’ll check over there,” one young man turned and walked off. Another youth hurried after him: “Wait—I’ll come with you.”

The young man slowed his pace, waiting for the youth to catch up. They exchanged glances, then found a quiet corner.

“Ha!”

The young man couldn’t help laughing: “Zhang Sihé is so damn funny—I almost burst out laughing just now.”

The youth laughed too: “Zhou Andong climbed to where he is through his own ability, step by step. Zhang Sihé? A gold-digger who lives off his wife—and he dares look down on Zhou Andong? Did Tian Tian wash the mud off his pant legs?”

The young man shook his head, set down his wineglass, and picked up a custard tart, taking a bite.

“Did you see Zhou Andong?”

“No,” the youth said. “This forum couldn’t possibly not invite Zhou Andong.”

The young man said: “He’d definitely be invited—but whether he shows up or not, that’s another story.”

The youth nodded: “I really want to meet Zhou Andong.”

“Me too,” the young man shoved the whole tart into his mouth. “But can we just walk up and meet Zhou Andong whenever we want?”

The youth sighed: “Let’s go back.”

Neither of them really looked—he and the youth turned around and went back.

The others merely made token efforts to search.

Mainly because Zhou Andong was sitting in a corner, surrounded by people—if you didn’t walk over and look closely, you’d never notice him.

“Didn’t find him!”

“Didn’t see him!”

“I’ll go kick Zhou Anlei out.” Zhang Sihé turned and walked over.