Chapter 66 On the Razor's Edge

e to her underperformance but was still accepted by the School of Design and Arts at Shanghai University in this batch.Other children of company employees were admitted to second-tier, third-tier coll...The Great Metamorphosis Chapter 66 On the Precipice of Change

"I have an uncle who is in the magazine business. This car was bought with money from the magazine company as a means of transportation," said Su Cen, smiling. He didn't need to explain himself to Li Lan like he did to Tang Wu.

Li Lan scrutinized Su Cen carefully before saying, "I'm not just informed; I'm astonished! Your move is impressive. Showing up in a new car to meet your mother-in-law's family—frankly speaking, brother here didn't think you had the means, but this time you've truly surprised me."

Li Lan took a deep drag on his cigarette and nodded,撚著過濾嘴翻譯為“pinching the filter”可能不夠自然，這裡直接省略動作描述：“Li Lan took a deep drag on his cigarette and nodded. "Comfortable."

"What magazine does your uncle do I'd like to take a look; I have the habit of reading regularly."

“Fashion Culture,” a newly released magazine in the market, Li大哥你要看，的長期訂閱啊。”蘇燦笑了笑，不忘給自己的雜誌拉生意。“If you want to read it, brother, then you'll need a long-term subscription.”

"I definitely will support it. I'll go to the bookstore and see if I can buy one today." Li Lan smiled. "Today, I was just passing by here on my way to a lunch meeting with an executive from a software company who wants us to adopt their management system. We're still observing, but since there's plenty of time before the meeting, I thought I'd come and chat with you. How have things been going between you two recently Actually, I'm just using you as an excuse to inquire about Tang Wu’s situation. You know Tang Wu; she definitely wouldn't talk so much with me at school."

Su Cen felt that Li Lan indeed had the ability to say things that resonated with your psychology. Deep down, listening to him was comfortable, though he knew it was intentional; yet, it always sounded pleasant. This perfectly illustrated the saying that people like to hear nice words, even he could not escape this tendency.

On one hand, Su Cen thought that it wasn't appropriate for Tang Wu to sit with him, although as her father's deputy general manager, Li Lan would surely invite Tang Wu and she would accept the invitation. However, when others saw a suit-wearing business figure chatting in school, they might suspect it was another wealthy man’s kept woman. Just thinking about this made Su Cen feel slightly envious.

Li Lan on one hand expressed that he got along well with Su Cen because they had much in common; on the other hand, since Tang Wu stood between them and her father was very busy, Li Lan needed to report on Tang Wu's situation at school from a side perspective. Through Su Cen, he could get more information and be happy to facilitate the normal development of these two youngsters.

Actually, for Li Lan to reach his position as deputy general manager in the Tang family conglomerate was no easy feat; it required skillful maneuvering. He knew how to maintain a balance that made people like being around him; even someone who hadn't initially gained acceptance in Tang Wu’s household could become close with him, possibly graduating and breaking up like many student couples. Then Su Cen would just be an ordinary person to Li Lan.

Yet, he still took the initiative to get closer on their first meeting, even lowering himself somewhat, showing no signs of being a vice general manager overseeing thousands at a group corporation. This made one realize that this man was extraordinary.

However, Su Cen could feel Li Lan's sincerity in wanting to befriend him; securing such an individual would only benefit him without any drawbacks. Moreover, although Li Lan was quite calculating, he didn’t seem fake or pretentious, making people still find him quite approachable.

"It seems that your mother-in-law might visit her son-in-law soon. You'd better be prepared," finally, Li Lan dropped a hint to Su Cen regarding Mu Xuan, his tone rising slightly when mentioning Mu Xuan, clearly indicating the immense charm she held for this man of his age group.

Su Cen felt a bit awkward, "Should I be grateful or pray"

Lilán laughed cheerfully, "Talking to you is always interesting. Sometimes talking with you can make one forget about age limitations, but at other times, you still seem like an undergraduate with your worries and concerns. However, in my view, all of these are part of a necessary process, at least proving that it's a good start."

"I was originally an undergraduate," Su Cen smiled wryly to himself, while inwardly pondering over his worries being about the strength behind Qián's enterprise and how much should be revealed. An undergraduate starting a business is not a big problem in itself, but anyone would think if they were put in his shoes when he had accomplished so many things before entering university as a mere high school student; how could this kid single-handedly sustain an almost bankrupt factory with hundreds of workers, gather a commerce brand that was gradually becoming prominent in the southwest, even launch a direct investment magazine in Chengdu that白領們愛不釋手的消費指南，甚至連穆璿手下那些公務員的辦公桌上都會擺上兩本的東西，竟然都是出自於高中階段的蘇燦。

Anything unusual must have its cause.

In addition, Mu Xuan's professional and terrifying insight. With these things laid out before him, Su Cen felt as if he might be stripped bare at any moment.

Seeing the deep in thought Su Cen, Lilán was contemplating at this time; she had an advantage being closer to the source and thus established a non-trivial relationship with Su Cen first. Qian Zhenyu, nephew of Old Master Qian Huafan from the Mu family, lagged behind slightly.

Qian Zhenyu was a typical high official's playboy in his youth, relying on his family support to throw parties at his villa, and once served time for disturbing public order when he invited several third-tier celebrities and models home for a party that was excessively lavish. It was reported by a neighbor who turned out to be an American; the latter’s half-American daughter was learning piano during this period but couldn't concentrate with all the noise from next door. Despite multiple visits, nothing changed until finally, the police were called in, which at the time caused some influence and thus Qian Zhenyu met a tragic end.

Later, after being released three years early from prison, Qian Zhenyu initially behaved規矩地低調行事。經過這麼多年，他現在已經中年，並創立了Zheng Yu Group.

Although Li Lan shows him utmost respect in his presence, she privately disapproves of some of his methods. Back when Tang's father established the Tang Corporation, Li Lan was involved in their business dealings in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai, securing them with some quality clients through family connections. Due to having similar beginnings as the Tang Corporation, he often poached their client projects and resources, which led to Tang’s retreat from these markets after losing several major contracts. This resulted in a period of struggling business operations in Chengdu before his resurgence.

Nowadays, Qian Zhenyu's Zheng Yu Group stands equally among the top three in the Yangtze River Delta region, forming its own commercial fleet and leveraging all family resources to their fullest extent. To break through this bottleneck and open up more strategic markets, gaining support from the Mu Family’s elders is crucial.

The two Mu Family elders hold vast resources across Southwest China and even nationwide important provinces and cities, with dozens of mayors, party secretaries, department heads, and key functional staff being their proteges or affiliated subordinates. Although Mu Yanrong stepped down from her position as a vice-governor, she still holds significant sway over several hundred central state-owned enterprises and local branches.

This is something any person with foresight would recognize the significance of. If one could secure full support from these elders, becoming China's richest person might be ambitious, but reaching Forbes' top twenty positions would not be out of reach even for someone slightly less capable.

However, it seems now that Mu Family’s elders are showing more interest in Tang Wu. If Su Zhan were to receive their backing, he would undoubtedly benefit the most.

Yet Li Lan feels that this young man before her appears completely unaware of what lies behind all of these moves and has no idea how envious others might be of the prospects laid out before him. Xiaqiao, whose father holds considerable influence in this university, enrolling here was never an issue he needed to worry about from birth.Zhang Xiaqiao decided to experience the enrollment process...