“Sister Yue, what happened?” Hearing the noise, Tan Jiaxu and Chen Cheng rushed out of their rooms.
Xu Jing and Ling Xuan arrived right after.
Jiang Fuyue shook her head. “Nothing. Saw a couple of rats. Chased them but they got away.”
“Huh? There are rats in the hotel?!”
Jiang Fuyue replied, “Probably came in from somewhere else.”
“I’ll go report it to the front desk!”
“No need. They’re gone anyway.”
“Um… Sister Yue, you’re not scared?”
Jiang Fuyue curled her lips. “I think they should be more afraid of me.”
Tan Jiaxu: “…” So strong!
Seeing there was no real danger, Xu Jing quickly dispersed the group.
Jiang Fuyue returned to her room and took out her phone. “Niu Rui, it’s me. Look into something…”
—
That night, in the prestigious Shengshi Huacheng neighborhood of the capital, inside a private villa.
“What?! You failed?!” The woman’s voice suddenly pitched high.
“Apologies, Miss.”
“Are you kidding me?! A bunch of grown men can’t handle a girl from out of town? What does my dad even pay you people for?!”
There was a pause on the other end. “Miss, we thought the same at first. A girl with no background should be easy to handle. But Ah He came back badly injured—severe concussion, internal bleeding. He was already unconscious on the way back and is still in surgery.”
Liu Kaiyan frowned. “That serious?”
“Yes. We won’t know exactly what happened until Ah He wakes up. But the doctors say… he might not make it.”
Her eyes twitched, breath catching. “You mean… Ah He could die?”
“There’s less than a 50% chance he’ll wake up.”
Liu Kaiyan sucked in a sharp breath. “Just who is that girl?”
“I’ve already sent someone to look into her. But it’ll take at least two weeks to get any useful info. Still, personally… I don’t think Ah He’s injury was caused by her directly.”
“How do you figure?”
“Before we sent him to the hospital, I had Dr. Lin examine the wounds. It’s most likely a result of blunt force trauma—delivered with precise angle and power. That kind of technique… it’s the work of someone trained.”
“How would Ah He provoke someone like that?”
“We’re still investigating. It’s all speculation for now. So… should we send another warning to that girl?”
Liu Kaiyan went silent.
The bedroom light cast half her face in brightness, while the other half was cloaked in shadow.
After a moment, “…Withdraw for now. Don’t act rashly.”
Wang Hao: “Understood.”
“And don’t tell my father. If he finds out Liuliu was bullied, he’ll turn the whole city upside down.”
“Got it.”
Ending the call, Liu Kaiyan put down her phone and fell into deep thought.
Before long, Fang Ye pushed open the door.
“Who were you on the phone with? You were yelling.”
“Oh, Mrs. Liu invited me shopping tomorrow. Her bag finally arrived, and we got a little excited chatting. My voice got louder—did I disturb you?”
“No.” Fang Ye had little interest in women’s chatter, so he let it go.
Liu Kaiyan exhaled in relief.
“By the way, have you made arrangements for Liuliu to give a speech at the CMO opening ceremony tomorrow?”
Fang Ye froze.
She frowned. “You forgot?”
“…Things have been chaotic at work lately. The whole company’s in turmoil. Lou Mingshen is breathing down my neck. I haven’t had a minute to spare. I did mention it once to Director Qin over dinner—he promised, so I didn’t follow up.”
“That was two months ago—and over drinks! How can you be sure Director Qin meant it? If you don’t follow up, people think you’re not serious and might just brush it off. I already told Liuliu she’d be giving the speech. She even wrote it days ago and was practicing in the car on the way to the hotel today. If it falls through now… are you trying to break your daughter’s heart?”
“It won’t come to that, will it?”
Liu Kaiyan scoffed. “You underestimate how much kids care about pride nowadays. Especially our daughter—you know how competitive and proud she is. If someone steals her thunder, she’ll… you figure it out.”
Thinking of Liuliu’s headstrong temper, Fang Ye instinctively rubbed his temples. “What do you suggest?”
“Call that Director Qin now! Lock it down. Whatever it costs, it’s not an issue for us.”
“Fine, I’ll call.”
Five minutes later—
“…Alright, it’s settled. I’ll treat your whole family to dinner sometime.”
The other party declined politely, clearly nervous.
Liu Kaiyan: “So?”
Fang Ye put away his phone. “All set. Tell Liuliu to be prepared—and not embarrass us in front of everyone.”
She beamed and playfully chided him, “Look at you. When has our precious daughter ever embarrassed us? She’s still aiming for guaranteed admission to B University and Q University. Your proud days are just beginning.”
“Yeah…” Fang Ye sighed and smiled. “If only Liuliu had been born a boy, it’d be perfect…”
Her smile vanished. “What do you mean? Are you blaming me for not giving the Fang family a big fat son?”
“Hey, come on. It was just a casual comment—why are you getting so worked up?”
“Fang Ye, let me tell you something. In this life, I’m only having one daughter—Liuliu. If you want a son, go find another woman!”
Fang Ye’s face turned cold. “You’re being ridiculous!”
With that, he stormed out.
She stood there yelling after him, “Oh great, now that you’ve made it in life, you dare throw tantrums and turn your back on me?! Don’t forget—it was my father who helped you rise from nothing, built your career from scratch, and now you—”
Bang!
The door slammed shut.
With a scream, she swept all the cosmetics off her vanity. Bottles shattered everywhere.
Soon, the roar of an engine echoed from downstairs.
She ran to the window. “Fang Ye! Get back here! Where do you think you’re going?!”
—
8 PM, team leader meeting.
Xu Jing arrived and casually picked a seat.
Soon after, Fan Shiguang showed up. “Early today, Old Xu.”
Xu Jing slowly twisted open his cup and sipped his tea. “You’re not late either.”
“Still mad about this afternoon? You’re a grown man—why be so petty?”
“You try calling my student half-baked again?”
“Cough…” Fan cleared his throat. “I apologize. My bad, alright?”
“Now we’re getting somewhere.” Xu Jing sipped again. “I’ll forgive you—reluctantly.”
“Heh heh… By the way, didn’t Jiang Fuyue already compete in informatics and physics? She even won international gold medals. Guaranteed spots at B and Q University—why is she bothering with math too?”
Xu Jing glanced at him. “Ever heard of ‘the capable do more’? She’s got the brains, the skills, and the time—why shouldn’t she compete in math too?”
“But… she’s already secured admission to China’s top two universities. What more is there to gain?”
Xu Jing clicked his tongue and shook his head. “I told you before—you’re too shallow.”
Fan Shiguang: “?”
“You think students only compete to secure college offers? What if they genuinely enjoy it? What if they love the thrill of competition? Since we’re old friends, I’ll tell you the truth.”
Fan swallowed. “What truth?”
Xu Jing raised his chin. “Forget just B and Q University—all seven of the top universities in China sent her guaranteed admission offers. The admissions directors are practically ready to come to Linhuai and snatch her up in person. Guess what she chose?”
Fan Shiguang: “W-What?”
“She rejected all of them.” Xu Jing smacked his lips like it was no big deal.
Fan nearly fell off his chair. “Even Q and B University?!”
“Of course. Didn’t I say all?”
“Dear lord… is this girl out of her mind? Rejecting both B and Q?! Is she planning to study in space?!”
Xu Jing’s mouth twitched. “What do you know?”
Okay, truth be told, he had the same reaction at first. But he’d never admit it out loud. Giao!
“You know what this is called?” he asked.
Fan Shiguang stared blankly.
Xu Jing: “Pursuit. A life without the university examination isn’t complete! A top student who hasn’t taken first place isn’t truly a legend. This is the ultimate way to unlock ‘study machine mode.’ Got it?”
Fan Shiguang: “…” I believe you—but also, what the h*ll?!
