The instant Jiang Cheng stood up, everyone at the gala who'd been watching him gaped in shock.
As he slowly walked toward the podium, the guests stirred once more.
"Oh my god, did you hear that? My husband is actually a shareholder!!! No way, right??"
"If the ByteDance CEO says he's the new shareholder, then it has to be true!"
"Holy crap! I just checked Social Media Platform—his net worth is at least ten billion. Now add 'ByteDance shareholder' and we're talking several hundred billion!"
"He's only eighteen, right??? This is unbelievable!"
…As Jiang Cheng delivered his address, the crowd grew more and more excited.
Quite a few Internet Celebrities even started filming TikTok clips and posting to Social Media Platform.
After all, Jiang Cheng becoming a ByteDance shareholder at such a young age is viral gold.
Plus, he's already a Second-generation rich icon whose buzz rivals Wang Congcong's.
Any video tagged with his name is bound to rake in massive traffic.
Facing the forest of phones and cameras below,
Jiang Cheng stayed perfectly composed.
He knew a low profile suited a good man, but he'd already stepped onto this stage.
To rise as a business tycoon, public appearances were unavoidable.
Worst case, once Hope Primary School is built, he'll kick off the 'Sweeper' plan and scrub every photo from the web.
His speech was short; no motivational chicken soup—Zhang Yiming had already served that.
And ByteDance's next moves weren't for this occasion.
Seeing him start to say goodbye to Zhang Yiming and the others, Chen Xueer quickly rose and dutifully followed him out.
On the way to the car park, Chen Xueer beamed at him. "Chairman Jiang, tonight was an eye-opener; your market instincts and ideas leave me in awe."
Jiang Cheng glanced over; in that crimson gown Chen Xueer looked strikingly alluring—mainly thanks to her scandalous curves.
He forced his gaze away, trying to appear upright.
After all, that bit of corporate swagger had only nudged her favorability up two points.
Her favorability toward him now stood at 87.
Losing points over a fleeting eye-feast would be a terrible deal.
"Naturally, Manager Chen. Even if I'm never in the office, I'm out scouting markets—tracking which niches are fresh and untapped, which are already squeezed dry and darkened."
Him speak so seriously, Chen Xueer wondered if she'd misjudged him.
"Oh, one more thing—I'm rebuilding at least fifty Hope Primary Schools across the country."
The words stopped Chen Xueer mid-step; mouth half-open, she stared in astonishment.
"Fifty Hope Primary Schools?? You haven't been drinking, have you? Why build them??"
Confronted with her doubt, Jiang Cheng dropped his usual grin and turned stern.
He had one rule: as the boss, he owed explanations to no one.
Though normally casual with her, he kept work and private separate.
"You don't need to know. It's decided. I'll set up a charity fund and transfer the budget. I'm telling you so you can run the project—create a temporary unit in the company and handle it for the next few months."
Sensing the authority and steadiness radiating from him, Chen Xueer found this Jiang Cheng unfamiliar.
This mature, commanding air surprised her again; his unequivocal tone was nothing like before.
Yet he was her boss; though puzzled, she nodded yes at once.
After the briefing he asked, "Anything else? If not, I'll head off. You had a drink—should I call you a Designated Driver??"
Chen Xueer shook her head. "I didn't drink; I was eating while you talked. I'll drive. The board's still debating whether Overseas Chinese Company should acquire Kyoto Fengtai-Wang shares—the price is high, no decision yet."
"Kyoto??"