Meng Zihan affectionately took Meng Xueyun's arm and gently shook it in a coquettish manner.

"Auntie..." she drawled, "I need your help with something, is that alright?"

Meng Xueyun was thinking about how to better treat her younger brother's only bloodline in this world when she heard her speak. She immediately asked, "What is it? Tell me."

"Could you find a nice restaurant and book a private room for me? I'd like to treat someone to dinner."

"A treat?" Meng Xueyun asked, somewhat surprised. "Who are you inviting?"

"Yes, I'd like to invite Gu Yifei."

"Gu Yifei?" Meng Xueyun's voice rose a few decibels, filled with joy. "Have you gotten in touch with him again?"

Meng Zihan lowered her eyelids, a blush rising on her face, and nodded shyly.

"Um."

“He…he came to find me as soon as he got back from the competition.”

She raised her eyes slightly to observe Meng Xueyun's reaction, and continued, "He heard about what happened to me and felt very sorry for me. He offered to help me find a good job again."

"Perfect timing, I was just thinking of taking this opportunity to properly thank him."

"And... talk to him again, see if there's still any possibility between us..."

"Oh my! This is fantastic news!"

Meng Xueyun grabbed Meng Zihan's arm, extremely excited.

"Gu Yifei is a true young talent, with a bright future ahead of him!"

She counted on her fingers, "Good family background, good grades, and ambitious personality—she's so much more reliable than Liu Mingxuan!"

"You two grew up together, you know each other inside and out, and your relationship is something that ordinary people can't compare to."

She has every right to speak on this matter.

She and Ye Zhenghua were childhood sweethearts; even if their heads were knocked off, they could still stick together and continue their relationship.

Now they're acting like nothing happened, aren't they?

She was certain that Meng Zihan would never find a better partner than Gu Yifei in the future!

"Xiaohan, you'd better seize this opportunity! Once you two start dating, the best days are yet to come!"

At this point, Meng Xueyun sighed deeply again and began to complain.

"It's all your fault for having such a useless uncle!"

"He helped you secure a spot as a sponsored student back then, and now you're a student at Jiangcheng University, aren't you?"

"If you had gotten into Jiang University, you would definitely be with Gu Yifei by now."

"How could I possibly be so unlucky as to run into a scumbag like Liu Mingxuan and suffer so much injustice!"

Meng Zihan listened obediently, nodding repeatedly in agreement: "Auntie, I understand."

She believed that as long as she could keep Gu Yifei firmly in her grasp, she could get the Gu family to pay for her to repeat her senior year of high school. With her abilities as an engineer in her previous life, getting into university would be a piece of cake.

Even without studying, her experience and skills from her two lifetimes are enough for her to regain her glorious life.

As for Ye Linchen...

She wants to take back everything that Ye Linchen stole from her, with interest.

These thoughts flashed through her mind, and Meng Zihan's face regained its obedient smile. She put her arm around Meng Xueyun's shoulder and began to discuss affectionately, "Then Auntie, once I find a restaurant, could you help me make a reservation and order some of his favorite dishes?"

"Alright, I won't go with you this time. You two have a good talk and make sure you reach a conclusion."

Meng Xueyun smiled broadly and said, "As long as you're doing well, I'm at ease."

The two then discussed where to book a table, what to eat, and how to entertain Gu Yifei.

While the Meng aunt and niece were planning for the future, Ye Linchen was focused on preparing lessons in her rented room, with no time to think about anything else.

Gu Jingran also woke up from his nap, leaned back on the sofa, made two long-distance calls, and dealt with the most urgent matters at hand.

Before I knew it, the sky outside the window had darkened.

In the evening, Gu Jingran drove straight to the most popular hot pot restaurant in the city center for dinner.

"I've really missed it after being in the port city for so many days."

"Are there hot pot restaurants in Gangcheng too?" Ye Linchen asked.

"Yes, it's there, but it doesn't taste authentic, it's not spicy enough."

As Gu Jingran spoke, he skillfully ordered a table full of dishes.

Once the red oil in the pot was boiling, he naturally placed the blanched tripe and tender beef slices into Ye Linchen's bowl.

"Eat more, you're too thin."

"You can eat it. If I get hungry, I can come over anytime and eat it. You'll have to come back next time to eat it."

"It's alright, this meal will last for a while."

After the two finished their meal chatting and laughing, Gu Jingran dropped Ye Linchen off outside Zhao Yutong's dormitory area.

He pointed to a spot on the side of the road that wouldn't obstruct traffic and was easily visible, and said to Ye Linchen, "I have to catch my flight and can't pick you up. I'll have the driver wait for you here at nine o'clock sharp. Remember the license plate number."

"Call me anytime if you need anything."

"I understand, you can go ahead and do your thing," Ye Linchen obediently agreed.

"Remember what you promised me: from now on, if we encounter any problems, you can't hide them from me anymore. We'll figure out a solution together."

Ye Linchen raised his right hand and solemnly promised, "Okay, I'll tell you as soon as possible, okay?"

Gu Jingran smiled and gave her a high five: "Okay. I'll be going now."

He looked around and, finding no one paying attention to them, reached out and gave Ye Linchen a tight hug before quickly leaving.

As Ye Linchen watched his tall figure disappear into the night, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

His embrace seemed to linger, carrying with it the faint scent of soap and the warmth of his body, making her feel safe and sweet.

From now on, she will no longer be alone.

No matter what difficulties she encounters, Gu Jingran will stay by her side and face them together.

It feels so good to be cared for and cherished!

As soon as Ye Linchen stepped out of the building after his evening classes, the familiar black sedan was already quietly waiting at the agreed-upon location.

The driver, a middle-aged man in his forties, immediately came forward to greet her when he saw her come out.

"Miss Ye, I am Mr. Gu's driver. My surname is Wang. I'll take you home."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, it's my job."

Driver Wang opened the back door and respectfully invited Ye Linchen to get in.

With a private car to pick him up, Ye Linchen returned to school earlier than usual.

Upon entering the dormitory, Ye Linchen discovered that, apart from Zhou Xiaoyan, her other three roommates were already there.

Wang Lina sat at the table, talking animatedly about something.

Ye Linchen asked curiously, "Lina, why didn't you go to rehearsal?"

Before Wang Lina could answer, Lin Xuemei excitedly waved to Ye Linchen.

"Xiao Chen, you're back! Come here quickly! Lina has found out the latest developments in the flyer incident, and it's really exciting!"

Wang Lina smiled and nodded at her: "Yes, Xiao Chen, I'm talking to them about this right now!"