Reborn Rich: Prices Dropped, My Savings Didn't

Randall Jennings nodded, then introduced the man to Cecilia Sterling and Timothy Rowe. "This is Reginald Jennings, the head of our company’s AI department."

After the introduction, he looked at Cecilia and asked, "So, regarding your project, will your senior here be the one presenting it?"

"Yes, Mr. Jennings." Cecilia smiled sheepishly. "To be honest, Mr. Jennings, I don’t know much about the technical side of things."

Randall Jennings laughed as well. "That’s alright. I’m completely clueless about it myself."

He then turned to Reginald Jennings and instructed, "Reginald, you and this young man find a separate table. You can eat and talk over there."

Reginald Jennings knew his brother preferred to eat in peace, so he nodded in understanding. He then stood up and gestured to Timothy Rowe. "Come with me."

Timothy Rowe was visibly nervous. He glanced at Cecilia, who gave him a reassuring look, which helped calm him down considerably.

After the two left for another table, the waiter began serving the food. Randall Jennings quickly beckoned to Cecilia. "Come, sit down. Have lunch with me."

Cecilia gladly took a seat, her face full of gratitude. "Thank you, Mr. Jennings, for giving us this opportunity."

"Don’t mention it. We all have to eat, after all. Whether this deal works out or not is another matter, but there’s no harm in meeting." As Randall Jennings spoke, he looked at Cecilia and remarked with a sigh, "Before my grandfather founded the Jennings Group, he also closed his first business deal over a lunch meeting."

"Still, thank you. I actually tried calling you twice before, but I couldn’t get through to you personally."

Cecilia didn’t need to elaborate. Randall Jennings could guess the details—the young woman had probably been brushed off by his assistant before she could get to the point.

He asked Cecilia half-jokingly, "So, is it a little too late, now that we’re finally meeting?"

Cecilia quickly shook her head and smiled. "Not at all, Mr. Jennings. The timing is perfect."

She then recounted the events that had transpired at the Goodman Group earlier that day, telling the story to Mr. Jennings.

After listening, Randall Jennings had a look of understanding. "So, you’re saying your project was originally supposed to go through testing and contract signing with the Goodman Group today?"

Cecilia nodded.

Randall Jennings smiled. "I’m surprised. For someone so young, you have quite a bit of integrity. You were willing to walk away from a giant like the Goodman Group."

"Mr. Jennings, did I do the wrong thing? Was I being too impulsive?" Cecilia asked. She hoped to learn from Randall Jennings’ experience in business and how to handle people.

But Randall Jennings just smiled faintly. He placed a piece of sweet and sour pork rib on Cecilia’s plate before saying, "There’s no absolute right or wrong in situations like this. No matter what you choose, you have to give something up. It’s all about what trade-offs you’re willing to make, not about being right or wrong."

If you chose the Goodman Group, you would have had to compromise some of your principles.

If you chose your principles, you had to give up the Goodman Group.

Randall Jennings’ simple words brought Cecilia a moment of clarity, untangling the knot of anxiety in her heart.

"How has your mother been recently?" Randall Jennings changed the subject, inquiring about her family.

Cecilia quickly replied, "She’s doing well, thank you for asking, Mr. Jennings. My mom started learning jazz dance recently."

"Jazz dance?"

Cecilia nodded. "Mr. Jennings, do you know how to dance?"

Randall Jennings shook his head. "No, but I’m reasonably coordinated."

Just then, the waiter brought over two servings of "God Jumps Over the Wall." Randall Jennings’ smile widened as he looked at Cecilia. "Try the ’God Jumps Over the Wall’ here. I don’t think it’s as good as your mother’s, though."

Cecilia smiled faintly and instinctively glanced toward the other table. Seeing this, Randall Jennings said, "Don’t worry. As long as your project is as compelling and impressive as you say, we’ll invite you for testing."

"Mr. Jennings," Cecilia began, hesitating for a moment before asking curiously, "that gentleman from before... is he a relative of yours?"

"You could tell?"

"Mhm. He looks a lot like you, and there’s a family resemblance."

Randall Jennings explained casually, "He’s my younger brother. He came back from studying abroad two years ago. The company only got into artificial intelligence because he pushed for us to develop in that area."

Cecilia was a little surprised that Mr. Jennings had such a young brother. Then she heard Randall Jennings continue with his family talk. "There are three of us brothers in my family; I have an older brother, too. I remember you’re also one of three siblings, aren’t you?"

Cecilia nodded lightly. "I’m surprised you remember."

"It’s not that complicated. Why wouldn’t I remember?" Randall Jennings smiled and picked up his phone. "Add me on WhatsApp. If you run into any trouble in Lorcain in the future and need help, you can contact me directly."

Cecilia was overwhelmed by the gesture. "I... how could I possibly trouble you like that, Mr. Jennings?"

"Don’t be so formal with me. Your mother saved my life. How could a simple gift or a ’thank you’ ever be enough?"

"Starting a business isn’t easy. I can see that you and your partner are both quite young. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you run into any trouble in the future."

Cecilia’s heart leaped with joy. Not wanting to seem overly modest or coy, she quickly took out her phone. "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Jennings. To be honest, I felt really bad about using my mother’s name to get in touch with you today."

"You’re too young to be putting so much psychological pressure on yourself. Being able to help you is also a way of repaying your mother. Besides, if this project really succeeds, it will benefit both of us."

"Don’t just talk. Eat up."

The atmosphere at the table gradually relaxed. Cecilia was no longer as reserved as she had been at the beginning, because Mr. Jennings spoke to her like a steady and respectable elder, chatting about everyday trifles, which made her feel very comfortable.

Meanwhile, one of the patrons coming and going in the restaurant spotted Randall Jennings from a distance. Seeing him chatting and laughing so cheerfully with a beautiful young woman, the person couldn’t help but look surprised.

’I’d heard old Mr. Jennings was trying to set Randall up on some blind dates, but isn’t this one a little too young?’

’She looked like she was only twenty.’

However, the person didn’t dare to interrupt. They just found the situation interesting, watched from afar for a moment, and then left.

About an hour later, Timothy Rowe and Reginald Jennings finished discussing the details and returned to the table.

Seeing them return, Randall Jennings looked at Reginald, his expression calm as he asked, "How did it go?"

Reginald Jennings nodded, his eyes filled with unconcealed admiration and excitement. "It’s a great project. If the code can be fully integrated with ours, it could definitely be considered cutting-edge technology in the domestic AI field right now."

Timothy Rowe smiled sheepishly off to the side, while Cecilia couldn’t hide her delight. Then they heard Randall Jennings give the order: "Then let’s not delay. If we can run the test this afternoon, let’s do it as soon as possible, since everyone’s here."

Those words left both Cecilia and Timothy stunned.

’Such dedication to efficiency—this is the kind of attitude a major corporation should have!’