Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 566: Spring Comes Once Again

Pan Min had indeed discussed her thoughts of resigning with Su Qing, though not in the past few days, but rather over a month ago.Pan Min explained that after working as a teacher in this small county town for most of her life, she truly wanted a change of pace. Furthermore, since Su Qing was no longer in the country, it was time for her to finally live for herself.

Su Qing naturally supported this idea and happily suggested that Zhou Yuwen could help make the arrangements.

Pan Min, however, did not agree. In her words, Su Qing and Zhou Yuwen were not even married yet. Su Qing's study abroad arrangements had already been a huge imposition on him; if they bothered him with her matters as well, what would people think of their mother-daughter duo?

Hearing this, Su Qing could not help but find it amusing. She replied, "Mom, I know exactly where I stand with Zhou Yuwen. Please don't think there is any barrier or estrangement between us just because we aren't married. If you need anything, just talk to him directly. If he can help, he absolutely will."

That was easy to say, but Pan Min still found it difficult to actually bring it up.

As a result, Su Qing had to mediate from the sidelines. However, what she did not know was that during this entire process, Zhou Yuwen had already slept in her mother's bed for a night.

So when Su Qing brought this up, Zhou Yuwen actually felt quite awkward. Still, he agreed, stating that it was absolutely no problem, and asked if Pan Min had any ideas of her own.

Su Qing said her mother wanted to open a flower shop to pass the time.

But she figured a flower shop would not make much money.

"Zhou Yuwen, what do you think about opening an educational institution?"

"An educational institution can definitely make money," Zhou Yuwen replied. In fact, in the year 2015, almost any venture could turn a profit. It was a time when a hundred flowers bloom. In this era, teachers from the county towns were all flocking to the provincial capital. Just for supplementary classes on weekends alone, the tutoring fee was two hundred yuan per session.

Pan Min herself was a senior teacher. If she could organize her colleagues to start an educational institution, they might actually rake in a substantial amount of money.

Su Qing chatted with Zhou Yuwen for a while, growing more excited as the conversation progressed. She even began to fantasize, suggesting that by riding the wave of the internet, they could possibly offer online classes.

"With my mom's looks, she might even become an internet celebrity with tens of millions of fans! A teacher influencer!" Su Qing grew increasingly animated.

Zhou Yuwen pointed out, "There's nothing wrong with that idea, but are you sure Aunt Pan would actually like it?"

"My mom has been a teacher her whole life. If she doesn't work in education, what else could she do? Running an educational institution isn't just easy; it pays far more than before. She will definitely love it," Su Qing said with a smile.

Seeing her so convinced, Zhou Yuwen chose not to press the issue further.

As soon as Su Qing finished speaking with Zhou Yuwen, she impatiently called Pan Min.

Ever since Zhou Yuwen had spent the night at her house, he had not taken the initiative to contact her. So when Su Qing called to announce that Zhou Yuwen was going to open an educational institution for her, Pan Min was taken aback.

Curious, Pan Min asked why they wanted to open an educational institution.

Su Qing smiled and explained, "Educational institutions are very profitable, Mom. Let me tell you, I looked into this when I was in Jinling. For teachers with your level of experience, a single private tutoring session can bring in two to five hundred yuan. Zhou Yuwen will provide the investment, and you can recruit a group of highly qualified teachers like yourself to start a private educational institution. Trust me, not only will you make money, but it will also be incredibly easy!"

Su Qing spoke with boundless enthusiasm, but Pan Min's face remained devoid of a smile. She simply asked, "Is this Zhou Yuwen's idea?"

"Mom, don't worry about Zhou Yuwen. He definitely listens to me!"

Su Qing declared with a hint of pride. Hearing this, Pan Min understood immediately. It was not Zhou Yuwen's idea, but her daughter's. Still, watching her daughter eagerly talk about expanding and strengthening the business, Pan Min merely replied, "Let me think about it."

"I'll let you know once I've made up my mind."

"There's no need to think about it, Mom. You make four thousand yuan a month at most in this small county town. Listen to me—with Zhou Yuwen's investment, it's entirely possible for you to make forty thousand, four hundred thousand, or even four million in the future!"

"I will think about it."

Pan Min had been a teacher her entire life. To be honest, the last thing she wanted to be right now was a teacher. However, Su Qing seemed to have already spotted the business opportunity within the educational sector. She figured that with her mother's capabilities and Zhou Yuwen's background, they might even build a publicly traded company in the future. With these grand visions in mind, Su Qing could not help but feel a sense of urgency.

Pan Min's reaction, on the other hand, was rather tepid. She pointed out that even if she were to resign, the process would take at least a month.

After the New Year, the weather quickly began to warm up.

Though the February spring breeze could be as sharp as scissors, the weeping willows in front of the school swayed gracefully.

Even the wind carried a touch of the sun's gentle warmth.

Pan Min went about her days just as before, attending classes and leaving when they ended.

The only difference was that Su Qing had been constantly urging her to resign lately, which inevitably left Pan Min feeling a bit irritated.

In truth, Pan Min had no desire to run an educational institution. Her current mindset was that since Su Qing no longer needed her care, she should enjoy a bit more freedom. She just had not expected her daughter to be so zealous about the idea.

Another issue was that after the gala, Pan Min had made an impression on the leadership, which brought about a few troublesome matters. For instance, the Education Bureau genuinely wanted to second her over to help them out. However, Pan Min turned them down, expressing that she was perfectly content teaching where she was.

She herself had no ulterior motives, but some people could not help but turn green with envy. Her breathtaking, almost ruinously beautiful face had always been a magnet for jealousy. Combined with this recent spotlight, naturally, even more people began to resent her. Out of nowhere, malicious gossip about her started to spread. She had no desire to argue or defend herself against these rumors, but with all these various issues piling up, Pan Min was genuinely considering handing in her resignation.

One day, Su Qing called Pan Min again, asking if she had thought it over.

Pan Min remained silent for a moment before replying, "Let me think about it a little more."

After hanging up, Pan Min opened WeChat and scrolled to Zhou Yuwen's avatar. Since that fateful night, she and Zhou Yuwen had not spoken for a month. In fact, one could say they had never actually chatted since adding each other on WeChat.

But this time was different.

Pan Min finally could not resist the urge to ask Zhou Yuwen for his opinion.

"Su Qing wants me to go to Jinling to open an educational institution. I want to ask for your opinion."

Deep down, Pan Min was tempted, but she was definitely hesitating. The most crucial factor was that Zhou Yuwen was the supposed investor. If all of this was merely Su Qing's wishful thinking, then if she resigned now and went to Jinling, she would end up with absolutely nothing.

"I have no objections. The educational sector is indeed very profitable in Jinling, but I think it ultimately depends on what you want, Aunt Pan."

By this time, Zhou Yuwen had already returned to Jinling.

A new year brought a fresh atmosphere. The year 2015 marked another new beginning. By now, the several companies under Zhou Yuwen's command had developed into quite renowned enterprises in Jinling.

For instance, the Cultural Media Company and the Planning Company charged prices that were thirty to fifty percent higher than their peers, yet clients still flocked to them in an endless stream. The reason was simply that people trusted Zhou Yuwen. They felt that working with his side was reliable. Moreover, the people working under Zhou Yuwen were incredibly diligent—or, to put it another way, university students were ultimately simple and earnest.

Zhou Yuwen's Shared Bicycle Project had already expanded nationwide. It was no longer just a matter of raising hundreds of millions or billions in financing. Instead, he employed a model where every user had to pay a deposit of two hundred yuan, after which they could ride the shared bicycles for free. This method generated massive amounts of cash flow for Zhou Yuwen. By circulating this capital out as loans to external financial institutions, the annual returns generated ranged from fifty to eighty percent.

A year ago, Zhou Yuwen's assets could still be measured in the billions. But now, even Zhou Yuwen himself had no idea exactly how much money he had.

In any case, it had been a long time since he was lacking money.

After the New Year, Zhou Yuwen began sending labor abroad to construct his personal estate. In addition, he started establishing a foundation to educate children in impoverished mountainous regions. He personally visited these mountainous regions for poverty alleviation efforts, taking photos with the children and demonstrating his commitment to giving back to society. He promised that as long as these children focused on studying, he would cover all their living expenses and tuition fees, and even send them to study abroad.

Zhou Yuwen's bodyguard team had originally consisted of only five people. Later, he had a chat with them, mentioning that he was establishing a security company and encouraging them to recommend their former comrades in arms and friends. In just a short half-year, Zhou Yuwen's security company expanded to two hundred personnel.

After the New Year, Zhou Yuwen selected twenty exceptionally reliable individuals from these two hundred men. He gave each of them a settlement allowance of three million yuan, bought them houses in Jinling, and arranged for their children's schooling. In return, these twenty men were sent abroad to help oversee the construction of his estate. Naturally, these twenty would act as small-time leaders over there; as for the subordinate guards and general staff, Zhou Yuwen chose to hire locally. On this particular day, Zhou Yuwen was discussing the construction of the Headquarters Building with Jiang Xinyi.

Su Qing's design drafts had already been sent over.

However, Jiang Xinyi pointed out that while some of the designs looked beautiful, building them exactly as drawn would significantly increase the construction costs.

Zhou Yuwen told her not to worry about the construction costs. Since they were building a landmark, they inevitably had to spend money.

"It will cost an extra fifty million," Jiang Xinyi stated bluntly.

"Hmm?"

At that moment, Zhou Yuwen was replying to Pan Min's message. Pan Min had not quite understood what his previous text meant.

Zhou Yuwen clarified that it simply came down to whether Aunt Pan actually wanted to work in education.

"I feel that since you've worked in education your whole life, if you come to Jinling and continue doing the exact same thing, it might be a bit too dull."

Pan Min never expected Zhou Yuwen to say something like this. Suddenly, she felt a profound sense of being understood.

In front of outsiders, Pan Min had always maintained an unapproachable image. Yet, in truth, she felt lonely deep inside. For so many years, the only person she could share her true feelings with was her daughter.

She had initiated the chat with Zhou Yuwen merely to ask about the educational institution. She had not expected that the moment he spoke, he would hit the nail on the head regarding the very dilemma that had troubled her for so long.

Pan Min replied that aside from teaching, she did not know how to do anything else. She was already thirty-nine this year; in just one more year, she would be forty.

Reading this, Zhou Yuwen told her that age had nothing to do with it. As long as she had the desire, she could start anew at any time.

"I think you should find something you genuinely want to do, Aunt Pan. Like opening a flower shop, maybe?"

"..."

This suggestion truly left Pan Min at a loss for words. She asked, "Did Su Qing mention this to you?"

"Yeah, she said you had this idea in mind."

"I do, but it's not realistic."

"How is it not realistic?"

"I've never done it before. Honestly, it's just my own little bourgeois fantasy."

"If you've never done it, you can always try it out. If you open a flower shop, Aunt Pan, I'll definitely come by every day to buy a bouquet."

Reading Zhou Yuwen's words, Pan Min couldn't help but smile. Time quietly slipped away as the two continued chatting.

"Zhou Yuwen, are you even listening?"

Jiang Xinyi, wearing a suit with her hair cascading down her shoulders, couldn't help but call out to him when she saw him continuously staring at his phone and smiling.

"Huh?"

Zhou Yuwen looked up belatedly and asked, "What was that?"

Realizing that Zhou Yuwen truly hadn't been listening to a word she said, Jiang Xinyi felt a flash of resentment. She demanded, "Who are you chatting with so intently that you're completely ignoring our business discussion?"

Zhou Yuwen let out a soft "oh" and said it was nothing.

"Su Qing's mother is coming to Jinling and doesn't know what to do. I suggested she open a flower shop." Zhou Yuwen put away his phone and asked Jiang Xinyi where they had left off.

But by this point, Jiang Xinyi had lost all interest in talking business. She asked in astonishment, "You're even taking care of her mother's affairs?"

Zhou Yuwen asked, "Is that strange?"

It was strange.

Incredibly strange.

Jiang Xinyi felt that Zhou Yuwen was treating Su Qing far too well. Sending Su Qing to study abroad was one thing, but finding a job for her mother? Had Zhou Yuwen become the Su family's nanny?

She couldn't understand why Zhou Yuwen would give up on her for a girl like that.

Now, treating Su Qing as a rival felt like an absolute joke.

Wasn't Su Qing's current situation basically just being kept as a sugar baby by Zhou Yuwen?

Jiang Xinyi stared at Zhou Yuwen for a long while before finally shaking her head and saying it was nothing. She continued, "I was just saying that if we follow the design blueprints, it will add an extra fifty million to the construction costs."

"That is a bit high."

Hearing the fifty million figure, Zhou Yuwen couldn't help but comment. He thought for a moment before deciding, "But since this is my first building, a higher cost is acceptable. Let's go with this proposal."

"It's already five o'clock. Shall we call it a day?" Zhou Yuwen asked.

Out of nowhere, Jiang Xinyi remarked, "I feel like if this design proposal hadn't come from Su Qing, you probably wouldn't have agreed to the extra fifty million."

Zhou Yuwen looked at Jiang Xinyi, noticing a distinct hint of jealousy in her expression.

Zhou Yuwen shrugged. "That's how it should be."

As soon as Zhou Yuwen finished speaking, Jiang Xinyi turned on her heel and walked away without another word, seemingly furious.

Not long after Jiang Xinyi left, Tao Tian walked in wearing a deep blue OL uniform suit skirt. No matter what clothes she wore, her voluptuous figure always stood out prominently. Beneath the skirt, she wore black stockings and high heels.

She cast an odd glance at Jiang Xinyi's retreating back and asked curiously, "How did you manage to upset President Jiang this time?"

Zhou Yuwen replied, "I have no idea."

"She and I broke up ages ago. I can't believe she still gets jealous while we're talking about business."

"That just goes to show she still cares about you."