I changed the world.

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However, she also knew that this was a social banquet, and as the eldest daughter of the Qianluo Group, it was perfectly normal for her to participate in such activities. She needed to get familiar with it as soon as possible.

"With so many people around, let's just call him by his name." An Huiling turned her head and looked Wei Chengguang up and down: "Ximing, did you come here by yourself?"

“No, my parents are here too, they’re over there…” Wei Chengguang said, gesturing to the side.

Then, he looked around and asked, "Did my senior brother come today?"

“He’s here, but my senior brother thinks it’s too noisy here, so he’s chatting with someone on the terrace…” An Huiling said.

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Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind the History Books: Chapter 1021 Jin Wang

While An Huiling was chatting with Wei Chengguang, Zhang Jing was sitting in a rattan chair on the huge terrace outside the hall, leisurely sipping a cup of tea.

Zhang Jing appeared here mainly out of curiosity. In his previous life, he was just an ordinary office worker who had never had any contact with the so-called high society.

In this world, the social stratification is even more pronounced than in his previous life. The royal families and nobles who had either disappeared or been relegated to the background in most countries in his previous life are still the mainstream system in this world. Therefore, he has heard that this world also has events like social festivals. In his previous life, such things didn't seem to exist in his country, but were said to still exist in Europe.

Therefore, out of curiosity, he really wanted to see what high society social banquets in this world were like. Anyway, the test in the wish book was over, so he might as well relax a bit.

Of course, he wouldn't go to crowded places to join in the fun, and he wasn't interested in the kind of pretentious slapping, face-slapping, and jealousy-filled scenes in novels. So, he simply sat in a relatively quiet spot with a teacup in hand, watching the lively atmosphere in the hall, which was quite an interesting experience.

"Brother Hongjian? Oh my gosh... You're here too!!!" A familiar voice rang out from not far away. Zhang Jing turned his head and saw a burly, fat man dressed in bulky clothes walking towards him with a delighted smile.

"It's Brother Fuyuan! What a coincidence! Come... sit here." Zhang Jing smiled, stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and then pulled out the seat next to him.

The visitor was none other than Jin Wang, a prominent jade merchant who had accompanied Zhang Jing to the Nanzhao Zhaozhong Gongpan. In fact, Zhang Jing was quite familiar with him.

"Brother Hongjian, I never expected to see you two here! Haha, it's been a while since we sat down and chatted, hasn't it?"

"It's been a while since I've seen you, brother. You've become even more prosperous. It seems your business must be thriving!" Zhang Jing was quite familiar with the man in front of him, after all, they had been through thick and thin together, so he jokingly teased him.

“Sigh… I’m just a natural fat guy, I gain weight even from drinking water. Lately I’ve been walking long distances after meals, but instead of losing weight, I’ve gained three pounds…” Jin Wang shook his head and reached out to call a passing maid over, asking her to bring him a cup of green tea.

"Speaking of which, brother, you're also here to attend Master Li's abdication ceremony?"

"Yes, I know some people on Yunxiao Mountain. I got an invitation and thought I'd come and see for myself, to broaden my horizons," Zhang Jing said with a smile.

“That is indeed rare, very rare… This Master Li of Yunxiao Mountain is now extremely influential. It is said that even His Majesty the current emperor treats him with great courtesy…” Jin Wang slapped his thigh. He did not continue to ask Zhang Jing who he knew or how he entered the Duke of Wu’s banquet. After all, snakes have their own paths and rats have their own ways. These are other people’s privacy. Asking too many questions in a social setting would only annoy people. He was well aware of this. Just by looking at how this young man was able to get in here, he knew that he must have his own connections.

At this moment, a maid brought over a teacup, squatted down, and brewed tea for Jinwang. The bright green tea leaves rolled in the snow-white teacup with the water, which looked quite pleasing to the eye.

The two stopped talking and watched the maid prepare tea. After she finished and bowed to leave, Jin Wang looked around and lowered his voice, saying, "I heard from my friends in the capital that this Master Li is really something, he has real skills..." As he spoke, he mysteriously gave a thumbs up and pointed to the sky.

Looking at his mysterious appearance, Zhang Jing couldn't help but chuckle: "Could it be that you know that Master Li, brother?"

"How could that be... Hey!" Jin Wang waved his hand, picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Even nobles would find it difficult to meet a master like Master Li. How could someone with a small business like mine have such good fortune..."

"Don't laugh at me, brother, I'm just here to make my mark, haha..." Jin Wang laughed, "Our jade business is different from other businesses. Don't be fooled by the items sold in those shops that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars; those are just extras..."

"Others do business with ordinary people, but here, ordinary people's businesses don't make money... The sale of small jade pieces in those shops is just enough to break even and maintain the labor force. To really make money, we have to rely on those big-spending, wealthy customers."

"So, brother, I really have a hard time during this social season. Look, I finally managed to get these invitations. I'm hoping to meet some important people today..." Zhang Jing was willing to associate with Jin Wang because although he was very shrewd, he was not hypocritical, had a straightforward temper, and could take a joke, so chatting with him was quite relaxing and interesting.

"So, brother, you're here to expand your client base this time..." Zhang Jing chuckled. But thinking about it, it made sense. He was practically an insider, having participated in public auctions before, so he knew how much capital was tied up in those things. Fine jadeite jewelry, meticulously crafted, could easily cost six or seven figures, which was really beyond the reach of ordinary people.

"Speaking of which, everyone's been saying the economic environment isn't good lately, and I see the stock market is falling sharply. Will that affect your business, brother?" Zhang Jing asked casually.

“Hey…who says otherwise…” Jin Wang’s face fell upon hearing this, and he slapped his knee hard: “It’s true that man proposes, God disposes. To be honest, my business was really good at the beginning of the year. The price of jadeite has been rising all the way. I had my craftsman make a batch of bracelets and cabochons from the jade that we auctioned before. The color and clarity were really good. I showed them to a few old customers, and quite a few of them were sold right away.”

"To be honest, I was greedy. I thought that if I held onto something this good, it might go up in price again, so I wasn't in a hurry to sell it..." Jin Wang sighed. "But guess what... the stock market just collapsed like that. Now the market is in a state of utter despair. These days, nobody's even asking about luxury goods... but gold is going up in price every single day."

"If I had known this would happen, I would have rushed to sell a batch of goods and cash out a sum of money to hold onto..."

“Yes, who would have thought something like this would happen…” Zhang Jing naturally wouldn’t admit that he already knew about it, so he nodded in agreement and then smiled, “I’ll introduce some clients to you, brother, later…”

P.S.: I need to ask for leave again tomorrow, mainly to attend a special training session on studying and implementing the spirit of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. It will take a whole day…

Volume Two: The Hidden Truth Behind the Book: Chapter 232 (Chapter 1000) Youthful Years (Early on..., How Can One Be Nine Years Old)

"Then I'll have to thank you for my good fortune, brother!" Jin Wang immediately beamed, though he didn't really take Zhang Jing's words to heart. After all, in his opinion, his little brother was indeed lucky and quite skilled, but when it came to social connections, he was far inferior to him... Of course, it was already very kind of him to have this attitude.

"Let's not talk about that. Speaking of which, I see quite a few socialites and ladies here today. With your looks and demeanor, why don't you go up and give it a try?" Jin Wang's large, chubby face held a hint of ambiguity as he smiled. "Back in the day, if I had your looks and charm, I'd be changing girlfriends every day..."

"Brother, you jest..." Zhang Jing immediately chuckled, "These things should be left to nature, let nature take its course..."

"Haha, little brother, you're not that old, but your mentality is just like mine..." Jin Wang reached out and patted Zhang Jing, teasingly saying, "Youth must be seized early, how can one remain young forever... Want me to recommend someone for you?"

This isn't to say Jin Wang is promiscuous; it's just the prevailing atmosphere at these kinds of social gatherings, especially since young men and women getting to know each other is a major part of these events. Let alone young men and women, countless gossip and romantic entanglements each year begin at a social gathering. Even in movies and TV shows from this world, similar scenarios are countless…

Zhang Jing had no choice but to cup his hands in a gesture of surrender. Jin Wang smiled and, seeing that his younger brother really didn't have any such intention, stopped urging him on. Instead, he gestured towards the inside of the banquet hall through the huge, transparent floor-to-ceiling window: "Look, brother, that's today's protagonist, the heir of the Duke of Wu, Marquis Lin Yi."

Zhang Jing followed his gaze and turned his head. From their angle, they could see a corner of the banquet hall. At this moment, a middle-aged man with a square face and large ears was surrounded by people like a star being the moon. This man was wearing a bright red brocade robe, which was embroidered with fish, dragons and sea patterns, and looked extremely gorgeous.

"This man must be over forty years old, right?" Zhang Jing asked, looking at the heir of the Duke of Wu in the distance.

"Hmm...more or less. It's said that Duke Wu has been recuperating from illness in recent years, and this young master has been attending public events on his behalf." Jin Wang nodded.

Zhang Jing noticed that the person chatting with the heir of the Duke of Wu was a richly dressed young woman with eyes as black as lacquer and skin as white as jade. She was chatting and laughing with the heir of the Duke of Wu.

"The one he's chatting with is the second daughter of the Marquis of Jingbei, a true noblewoman..." Jin Wang also turned his gaze to the girl opposite him.

Zhang Jing naturally recognized her; in fact, they had met just a few days ago, and he had even taught her swordsmanship. However, Zhu Yingwei's attire at this moment was completely different from what she wore in the cave, which he found quite interesting.

As the old saying goes, everyone has several different faces, especially women. Look at Zhu Yingwei's dignified and elegant appearance at this moment; she doesn't resemble the respectful junior sister she was in the cave at all.

Jin Wang noticed that Zhang Jing was staring at Zhu Yingwei, so he said, "That Marquis of Jingbei was once a personal general of Emperor Huanzong. It is said that he has been close to His Majesty for generations. In this generation, he holds the position of Deputy Chief of Staff and the rank of General. His influence in the court and among the people is no less than that of several dukes. He is a first-rate figure among the nobles of the South..."

Jin Wang clicked his tongue a few times, and seeing that Zhang Jing was still paying attention to the other woman, he spoke up again: "Women from such families are not easy to get close to. If you want to get to know them, it won't be easy. Let me give you a piece of advice: women like these are very troublesome..."

"Oh?" Zhang Jing looked at Jin Wang with great interest.

"Being surrounded by admirers, if you get too close, you'll easily attract unwanted attention..." Jin Wang lowered his voice and said, "Besides, women from such families aren't easy to marry. Not only will you not get the benefit, but you'll also easily get into trouble..."

After a brief thought, Zhang Jing understood Jin Wang's meaning. From the perspective of this world, most women from noble families would eventually marry a husband of equal social standing. So-called political marriages were also an important obligation for most noble sons to their families.

In Jin Wang's eyes, Zhang Jing could be considered wealthy, but that was due to luck in gambling on jade; his background was merely average. Such a person was undoubtedly a promising young talent, and if he wanted to marry a woman from a noble family, even a lower-ranking one, it wouldn't be impossible. Especially since some seemingly respectable noble families were actually struggling financially due to mismanagement, their children were quite willing to marry into wealthy and powerful families.

He knew that this young man was indeed very wealthy, so his previous words were not just a joke. He genuinely felt that with Zhang Jing's family background and his demeanor, if he could marry into a good family, such as a noble one, he would be able to make a good living in high society and not be seen as a nouveau riche without any real background.

However, for top-tier noble families like the Marquis of Jingbei, it's not something that can be achieved simply by having some wealth; it's a completely different concept. Jin Wang subtly reminded his younger brother of this, also worried that he might cause unnecessary trouble...

Knowing that Jin Wang meant well, Zhang Jing didn't say much, but simply praised, "Brother, you are truly knowledgeable..."

This wasn't just him being polite; in his opinion, Jin Wang was truly knowledgeable. Putting aside everything else, the relationships and backgrounds among the nobles were not something just anyone could know so well.

“A businessman, brother, is a businessman… This is just a skill for making a living… It’s nothing to mention…” Jin Wang waved his chubby hand, picked up his teacup, and took another sip.

At this moment, a young girl dressed in a light blue gauze dress with her hair styled in double buns gracefully walked towards Zhang Jing. The girl was beautiful. When she reached Zhang Jing, she spoke in a low but rather bold voice, "Hello, may I ask if I can exchange a Qianluo with you?"

Zhang Jing was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, "Oh, okay, add me."

As he spoke, he took out his phone. The girl took out her phone and swiped it on Zhang Jing's phone screen, bowed her head and thanked him, then turned and left.

"Haha, brother, you've got a beauty's eye on you..." Jin Wang joked from the side, then he urged, "You're so young, sitting here chatting with a fat guy like me, how boring is that? You should have a good chat with the girl..."

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind the History Books: Chapter 1023 The Warm-hearted Chairman Yu

"Brother is joking..." Zhang Jing had no intention of getting involved with women at this time, so he picked up his teacup and took another sip.

Actually, even without Jin Wang's reminder, he knew that many women in the venue were paying attention to him to varying degrees, which was one of the reasons he had come to sit on the terrace. The reason the young woman had only come up to exchange numbers was probably because she saw Zhang Jing chatting with Jin Wang and, out of politeness, didn't want to interrupt, but also wanted to get to know him, so she boldly came up to exchange Qianluo's number.

Zhang Jing felt it inconvenient to refuse, so out of politeness he exchanged numbers with her, which was also a form of social etiquette.

They continued their casual conversation with Jin Wang, during which a maid came to change their tea again.

The two gradually steered the conversation toward economics when Jin Wang suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, brother, do you know who's getting the most attention right now?"

"Isn't that the heir of the Duke of Wu?" Zhang Jing asked casually.

"Of course not..."

“That is…” Zhang Jing looked at Jin Wang’s mysterious expression and smiled, “Brother, don’t keep me in suspense.”

Do you know about Qianluo Group?

“Of course I know, it’s a big corporation…” Zhang Jing nodded.

"Everyone's been saying today that Mr. An from Qianluo Group is going to invest in Southern Bank." Jin Wang shook his head and sighed, "That's a real big business. Compared to them, we're just small-scale operations."

“Brother, don’t underestimate yourself. Maybe one day you’ll be in a good mood and invest in a bank…” Zhang Jing said with a smile.

“Hey… that can’t compare… at most we just buy some stocks on the market, but Mr. An’s investment is in the tens of billions. Look at today, the market opened and rebounded by fifty points, especially financial stocks, which collectively rallied…” Jin Wang said, with some hope on his face: “Maybe the stock market will stabilize after this.”

"I heard on the financial news today that some people have already jumped in to buy at the bottom, saying they're planning to ride the coattails of the big players..." Jin Wang patted his belly and laughed, "There must be a lot of people around that Mr. An right now. I'm thinking of going over there later to see if I can strike up a conversation..."

As he spoke, he subconsciously turned his head and searched the venue through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows not far away. After a moment, he reached out and patted Zhang Jing beside him: "Look, over there... right there... that place where a bunch of people are standing together, see? Wow... that's Shan Weng taking the initiative to go over and say hello, that's quite a show of status..."

...8...mountain...spirit...nine...(...zero...chess...nine...warm...ba

group

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On one side of the hall, Wei Hanwen raised his glass and respectfully clinked it against that of a slender middle-aged man with a mustache: "It's a pleasure to meet Councilor Yu. I've long heard that Councilor Yu is a man of strong principles and a man who is always ready to help others..."

"Mr. Wei, you're too kind. It's all thanks to everyone's kind words..." The middle-aged man also had a faint, reserved smile as he picked up his wine glass and took a sip.

"Hahaha, Lao Yu, we're all family, all family... Let me tell you, this friend of mine loves making friends. Next time you're free, I'll organize a get-together, and we can all have a good drink." A portly, square-faced middle-aged man standing to the side, Yu Zhiyuan, the chairman of **Trade Group, patted his chest and said with a ruddy face.

"Brother Boxian, let me tell you, Old Yu is actually from my own clan, even though we're beyond the fifth degree of kinship, he's still family... Hahahaha... Don't be shy with him, just say whatever you want, ah... Hahahaha..."