Zhang Wanqing forced a smile and said, “Jiang Tian came back in a hurry, so the preparations aren’t very thorough…”
“Even if you gave him three years to prepare, he still couldn’t come up with anything!”
“A complete waste, it’d be a miracle if he doesn’t starve himself!”
The crowd immediately erupted in disdain, shaking their heads contemptuously.
Jiang Shouren completely ignored Jiang Tian, his ignorant and incapable nephew. He glanced at his phone and said coldly, “Alright, enough nonsense. The distinguished guests should be arriving soon; we should go greet them!”
At that moment, the faces of Jiang Zhixing and his wife stiffened. They looked uneasy, their expressions extremely sour.
If the previous segment was about comparing the achievements of the younger generation,
This segment was about comparing their generation’s network of connections. For them, this was an even greater challenge.
Although there were always guests like clouds every year, most of them came for Jiang Shouren and Jiang Yangming.
Jiang Zhixing was merely an insignificant low-ranking official, stationed in the middle of nowhere, with a very poor network.
Zhang Wanqing used to be the Chairwoman and President of the Medicine King Group, with many friends.
But everyone in the business world knew that she had lost power in the family struggle two years ago. Now, she was just the general manager of a small pharmaceutical factory. As they say, when a person falls from power, their friends are few. No one kept in touch anymore.
At the old man’s birthday banquet last year, Jiang Zhixing and his wife only had a handful of insignificant guests, nothing presentable. It was a huge embarrassment for the couple, and they endured nothing but cold, disdainful looks.
“This year, history will probably repeat itself, won’t it? We’ll have to endure that endless humiliation and resentment again…”
Thinking of this, Zhang Wanqing sighed deeply, her face full of regret and disappointment.
Sure enough, a loud, clear announcement came from the entrance at that moment.
“Jinling Ankang Pharmaceuticals, Chairman Zhao has arrived to offer congratulations!”
Jiang Yangming’s face lit up with joy: “My friend, here for me. I’ll go greet him!”
At the entrance, a BMW X5 slowly came to a stop. A portly middle-aged man stepped out, his face beaming as he said, “I’ve come to offer my congratulations to the old man!”
“Welcome, welcome!” Jiang Yangming’s face was full of delight.
Accompanied by Jiang Yangming, Chairman Zhao entered the inner hall to offer his congratulations to the old man. His face beaming with joy, he said, “Old sir, Divine Doctor Jiang, Deputy Department Head Jiang, I, Zhao Jinxin, am here to wish you a happy birthday. May you have abundant happiness and longevity, and live to a ripe old age!”
“Chairman Zhao, you must have had a tiring journey!”
Jiang Zhixing merely gave a slight nod. As an official at the Deputy Department level, why would he pay much attention to a small business owner worth only a few tens of millions?
After Zhao Jinxin’s arrival, many guests followed one after another, creating a small wave of excitement.
“General Manager Li from Ren’ai Medical Group!”
“Director Qian from the Yuhua District Health Bureau, Jinling!”
“General Manager Hu from Minghui Medical Devices Company!”
“Deputy Secretary-General of the Jinling Municipal Committee…”
These guests were either wealthy or influential.
The business owners were mainly from the healthcare industry, with assets generally around one billion or even several billion.
The officials were basically at the Deputy Division level or above, and the Deputy Secretary-General of the Jinling Municipal Committee was a Deputy Department level official wielding significant power.
Some came for Jiang Shouren and Jiang Yangming, some for the families of the two elder aunts, and even Jiang Banxia’s leader came – a Division-level Investment Department Head from the Provincial State Investment Group.
At this moment, it was all about showcasing connections and relationships. One group would perform, then another, each displaying their own social influence.
As for Jiang Zhixing and his wife, only Zhao Junlin came with his son Zhao Wuji. They were utterly insignificant, a perfect picture of “neglected at the door, few guests at the mansion.”
Seeing this, Jiang Banxia snorted coldly. Looking at Jiang Tian’s family, she said, “Their family shouldn’t have come at all. Look, not a single decent guest now. They’re just asking for humiliation!”
“Jiang Tian is too arrogant. He’s practically ruined his whole family! But then again, they don’t deserve sympathy. They brought it on themselves!”
Jiang Qingfeng’s face was full of disdain as he shook his head contemptuously.
Both inside and outside the old mansion, many people were watching Jiang Tian’s family’s embarrassment, sneering with sarcastic comments.
Jiang Chao even swaggered over to Jiang Tian and said contemptuously, “Jiang Tian, weren’t you just being so arrogant? How come you don’t have a single decent friend, and what kind of gift did you prepare for Grandpa?”
As soon as he spoke, many people who disliked Jiang Tian all turned their heads, waiting to see him make a fool of himself.
“I did prepare a gift… it’s just still on its way!”
Unexpectedly, Jiang Tian’s expression remained calm as he spoke softly.
“Keep bragging! What gift did you prepare? Hurry up and show us!” Jiang Chao said disdainfully.
“I’m going to extend Grandpa’s life by another fifty years, to let him live healthily to a ripe old age!”
Jiang Tian said calmly.
Upon hearing this, the entire venue fell silent, stunned. They looked at Jiang Tian as if he were an idiot.
Jiang Chao was speechless for a moment before sneering, “Keep bragging! Who do you think you are, a god? You’ve blown your boast to pieces!”
“That third boy is no good!”
“Yeah, he’s all talk!”
“Not only is he incapable, but his character is also terrible, with a bad temper, prone to violence. And he’s frivolous and reckless, with no idea of his place!”
“Exactly, he can’t compare to Jiang Qingfeng or Jiang Banxia at all, he’s even worse than Jiang Chao!”
Seeing this, everyone secretly shook their heads, their faces full of contempt.
The old man was seriously ill and beyond cure, showing signs of impending death, with less than four months to live. Even immortals would find it hard to save him. A critical illness notice had already been issued.
What ability did Jiang Tian have to extend the old man’s life? If that wasn’t bragging, what was?
Jiang Banxia’s red lips curled into a disdainful smirk. She said coldly, “Jiang Tian, look at your family. Not a single decent gift, and no guests of any standing. It’s utterly shameful. If I were you, I wouldn’t stay for the birthday feast; I’d just leave right now!”
Just as the crowd’s ridicule was reaching its peak,
The master of ceremonies suddenly let out an excited, trembling shout: “Congratulations from Cao Zhenjun, Chairman of Guangzhou Chaozan Technology, and General Manager Chen Gang!”
“Huh? Chaozan Technology from Guangzhou? Seems like an innovative internet company. Why would they come to offer congratulations?”
“Yeah, Guangzhou and Jinling are a thousand miles apart, with no connection whatsoever. No one from Guangzhou has ever come for the old man’s birthday before.”
Many people were stunned, unable to believe it.
“Maybe they’re my friends. I’ll go check!” Jiang Qingfeng straightened his attire and quickly walked out to greet them.
A chubby man, shaped like a little ball, waddled into the courtyard. His small eyes darted around everywhere, and then suddenly spotted something. Ignoring Jiang Qingfeng, who was approaching with a full smile, he scurried straight over to Jiang Tian: “Mr…. Mr. Jiang! Finally found you!”
“You are… Fatty Cao?”
Jiang Tian stared at him, thinking for a moment, before finally recalling his name.
This fat man was one of the many wealthy people from Guangzhou who went to pay homage to Jiang Tian back when he played golf at Tingchao Mountain Golf Course, led by Hongye, Tang Zhenye, and others.
This kid was in the high-tech industry, worth around one or two billion, with extensive connections in Guangzhou and very influential. Later, he even asked Hong Ye and the others to deliver quite a few array materials to Jiang Tian.
He held Jiang Tian in high regard and never let Jiang Tian call him “Chairman Cao,” insisting on being called “Fatty Cao” or “Little Cao,” saying it was his honor to do things for Master Jiang.
“It’s me!” Chairman Cao’s plump face was full of fawning flattery, his eyes squeezed shut from smiling so hard.
“Have a seat. How did you get here?” Jiang Tian was a bit surprised.
Actually, for his grandfather’s birthday, he had only informed the Jiangbei power. He hadn’t expected people from Guangzhou to find out too.
“Feng Ye said you needed some things, so I did some searching…”
Only then did Cao Zhenjun dare to sit down, smiling obsequiously, while Chen Gang beside him presented a gift box.
His mind was sharp as a razor. Now that Master Jiang dominated Lingnan, being able to curry favor with him was worth any amount of money!
Just then, Jiang Qingfeng caught up and said with a smile, “Boss Cao, why are you sitting over here? Please, come into the inner hall!”
Unexpectedly, Cao Zhenjun, who was so obsequious towards Jiang Tian, now exuded the dignified aura of a wealthy magnate.
He straightened his back, looking proudly down at Jiang Qingfeng, and said, “Who are you? I don’t know you. Don’t interrupt my conversation with Mr…. Mr. Jiang!”
“You… you’re not here for me?” Jiang Qingfeng looked embarrassed, staring at Jiang Tian in disbelief.
“Who do you think you are? Get lost!”
Fatty Cao poured tea for Jiang Tian, not even bothering to glance at Jiang Qingfeng, leaving him standing there, red-faced with embarrassment.
“Boss Cao came to see Jiang Tian?”
The people present exchanged bewildered glances, unable to believe it.
“Although Chaozan Technology’s assets are slightly less than the Medicine King Group, it’s still on a scale of one billion. Why is he so respectful to Jiang Tian?”
Hearing this news, Jiang Banxia and Jiang Chao were both dumbfounded, their hearts filled with confusion.
Only Jiang Qingfeng frowned, wondering if this Boss Cao had come to see Jiang Tian because of Zhang Wanqing’s connections in Yanjing?
Just as everyone was buzzing with discussion,
Suddenly, another piece of news swept through the venue like a hurricane, stunning a whole crowd of people—
“Linzhou, Chairman Long Wu of the Longwei Group, has arrived to offer congratulations!”
In an instant, the entire venue fell completely silent. Everyone was speechless, their faces a picture of shock.
Longwei Group?
Long Wu!
“That’s not right. Although the Longwei Group is very famous, our Jiang family has never had any business dealings with them!”
“Yeah, Longwei Group is far away in Linzhou, with no connection to our Jiang family at all. Why is he here?”
Everyone found it hard to believe.
“He must be here for me. I went to Linzhou back in the day to inspect the investment environment and even had a drink with Master Long Wu!”
Second Uncle Jiang Yangming’s face was full of delight. Straightening his clothes and plastering on a fawning smile, he rushed out quickly.
This was Long Wu of the Longwei Group, after all!
With assets on a scale of ten billion, renowned throughout Linzhou, equivalent to two Medicine King Groups, he was exceptionally powerful.
At that moment, Long Wu, accompanied by Zhou Zhenghao and Long Gaitian, had already alighted from a gray Bentley and entered the courtyard.
Jiang Yangming, his face full of flattery, greeted them, smiling, “Master Long Wu, I really didn’t expect you to come. You’ve honored me so much! Thank you! Thank you!”
“Master Jiang!”
Unexpectedly, Long Wu completely ignored him. Instead, he quickly walked up to Jiang Tian, bowed respectfully, and then handed over a small box with both hands, saying in a low voice, “I’ve brought the things.”
“What’s going on? He seems to know Jiang Tian, and he looks very respectful towards him!”
“And he brought a box. Is that a birthday gift for the old man?”
Everyone gasped collectively, unable to believe it. They whispered among themselves, buzzing with discussion.
