Chapter 7 After staying home for a few days, Shen Li felt...

After staying at home for a few days, Shen Li felt like he was about to mold. Jiang Huaichuan and Shen Wenyuan were doing something big recently, and he absolutely couldn't let them get distracted. So, he set his sights on Shen Ci, who had just started school.

[Chen Li: Aci, are you free today?]

Shen Ci replied to the message very quickly.

[Shen Ci: Kong, what's wrong?]

[Shen Ci: Patting Head JPG]

[Chen Li: I want to come visit you]

[Chen Li: Kitten Resting Its Head JPG]

[Shen Ci: Okay, let me know when you're almost there, and I'll meet you at the South Gate.]

Upon receiving a response, Shen Li quickly changed her clothes. Passing through the living room, she saw her mother arranging flowers. Shen Li greeted her and went out.

Mother: "Be careful on the road!"

"good!"

Meanwhile, at Jiang's Group, Marketing Department.

Liu Mingqiang sat down in his office, sipping the coffee his assistant had bought for him.

He's in a really bad mood today.

His usual pancake shop was closed today, but he really loved pancakes this morning, so he had to walk another two hundred meters to another pancake shop that was just so-so. Who knew he would run into such a weirdo.

Seeing that there was no one else in the shop, Liu Mingqiang walked straight up to the owner and said, "Boss, I'd like a pancake with sausage and pork tenderloin, no dietary restrictions."

"Okay!"

Perhaps it wasn't the boss who made them before; the boss's movements were very clumsy, and each pancake had a crack here and a big pit there. The more Liu Mingqiang looked at it, the more his brows furrowed, and he opened and closed his mouth, but for the sake of his stomach, he held back.

Five minutes later, Liu Mingqiang began to frequently check his watch.

As a high-ranking employee, Liu Mingqiang couldn't escape the daily grind of clocking in. With only three minutes left before he had to clock out, Liu Mingqiang couldn't help but pace back and forth a few times.

finally.

"Handsome, is your pancake ready...?"

Liu Mingqiang turned around and felt a strong gust of wind sweep past his side, followed by a banknote being thrown at him.

Liu Mingqiang instinctively grabbed the money.

"I'll take this pancake. Here's the money, you can buy another one."

The boy, wearing headphones, rode his bicycle, the wind ruffling his hem. His clear voice drifted from afar, and he waved his left hand behind him twice, deftly dodging a child walking out of the intersection as he spoke. His movements were fluid and graceful, exuding an indescribable youthful exuberance…

If Liu Mingqiang didn't have his own egg pancake hanging on the handlebars, he might even clap his hands.

this?

The pancake shop owner and Liu Mingqiang looked at each other in bewilderment.

Boss: "How about... I make you another one?"

Liu Mingqiang: ...

Liu Mingqiang turned and left without the slightest hesitation: "No need."

Liu Mingqiang sat in his office, getting angrier and angrier. He lifted the lid of his coffee and took a big gulp, hoping that Liu Mingqiang wouldn't catch that brat.

Group One of the Marketing Department is in charge of this New Harbor project. Group One leader Pan Liang came in carrying a stack of folders.

"Boss, these are the companies we recently selected that meet the bidding criteria. In addition to CE, Liu's, and Hai'an, which we have worked with before, these two companies also fully meet the conditions we set."

Upon hearing this, Liu Mingqiang's eyes flashed with interest. He opened the documents, skipped over the few familiar companies, and looked at the last two.

"Yuanman Construction and Tianyuan Construction? I've heard of Tianyuan Construction; they handled the port project in S City, which is related to our project. But what is Yuanman Construction?"

Speaking of this company, Pan Liang's face twisted, and he had a lot to say. "It's a newly opened small company. I checked its background and it's very clean. The boss is a rich second-generation. His family is in the biopharmaceutical business. I heard that he opened the company to pursue his girlfriend. He doesn't have much experience. The only advantage is that he has a lot of money and is willing to give up 30% of the profits."

"Thirty percent?" Liu Mingqiang was taken aback.

The original profit split was 60/40, and if we give up another 30%, the other party will only make a 10% profit from this project. Is this some kind of charity?

"Yes, the other party said that the boss is in the final stage of pursuing his girlfriend. The girl's family also knows that this company is a hobby run by a rich second-generation, so they require the company to achieve certain results before they are willing to get married. They urgently need a big project that can be recognized."

Liu Mingqiang: ...This isn't about having abundant funds, it's about being brainless.

Liu Mingqiang: "Okay, I understand."

Seeing that Liu Mingqiang had started looking at the documents, Pan Liang tactfully left the office.

As soon as Pan Liang left, Liu Mingqiang tossed aside his documents and pen, casually crossed his legs, and his morning gloom vanished.

The fish has taken the bait.

——

South Gate of University A

People coming and going at the school gate couldn't help but look at the boy in the corner.

Shen Ci had timed it perfectly and was waiting at the school gate early. He was fair-skinned, wearing a white shirt and black casual pants. Standing in the shade, a gentle breeze blew through the wisps of hair on his forehead. He was looking down at his phone, his expression gentle, with a slight smile on his lips.

Shen Li got out of the car and saw him immediately. He quickly walked to Shen Ci's side.

Seeing the thin layer of sweat on Shen Ci's forehead, Shen Li pursed her lips shyly and took out a tissue from her pocket. "Sorry, the road ahead was suddenly closed, so I had to take a detour."

Shen Ci gently rubbed Shen Li's head, handed him the warm milk tea, and said in a gentle voice, "It's okay, I haven't been here long either. Are you bored?"

Shen Li shook his head.

Just as he was about to speak, a female voice suddenly came from behind him: "Hello, Senior Brother Shen. I have some questions for the mentor group meeting this afternoon... Eh? And who is this?"

Shen Ci looked up at the girl; she was his new graduate student, assigned to his supervision this year. The girl was very smart and quick-witted, but a little too cautious, sometimes asking him questions about trivial matters.

Noticing that the girl's gaze was not malicious, and seeing her secretly glance at Shen Ci, Shen Li understood and greeted her with a smile: "Hello, I am Shen Ci's younger brother, Shen Li."

The girl quickly looked away and introduced herself: "Oh, hello Brother Shen Li, I am Liu Mingyue, and I am Senior Brother Shen's junior sister."

As Shen Ci turned to throw away the trash, Liu Mingyue winked at Shen Li and said, "Brother Shen Li, you're so handsome."

Hearing this, Shen Li smiled and teased, "Who's more handsome, me or Shen Ci?"

Sure enough, the girl's face flushed instantly, her eyes darted around, and she stammered, unable to utter a complete sentence. Seeing Shen Ci walking towards her, she quickly left with the words, "You guys are handsome in a different way," and ran away as fast as she could.

"Why did you leave?" Seeing the girl's flustered departure, Shen Ci was puzzled and looked confused.

"I don't know." Shen Li shook her head and walked with Shen Ci into the campus. Passing by a young couple, Shen Li casually asked, "Do you have someone you like?"

Shen Ci shook his head: "No."

Shen Li tilted her head: "Don't you want to talk?"

"Little ancestor, stop worrying so much." Shen Ci sighed helplessly, turning the head in front of him to face him. "Watch where you're going."

Seeing that he couldn't get any information, Shen Li snorted twice and gave up.

Although Shen Li graduated from A University, he had never really explored places like Lovers' Lake, Zhongbo Ancient Building, and Crescent Moon Mountain. For the first three years, before the Shen family recognized him, he not only attended classes to improve his GPA and earn scholarships, but also worked part-time to support himself. In his senior year, he rarely returned to school because of his internship, and when he did come back, it was only to submit his internship report and then leave in a hurry.

The two sat down on a small wooden bench by Lovers' Lake.

In the middle of the shimmering lake is a small island surrounded by greenery. For safety reasons, the school has not built a path across it; only staff members can reach it by small boat for repairs and maintenance.

Shen Ci leaned back in his chair, his eyes relaxed, and slowly said, "I've heard that it's very beautiful here at dusk. The sunset glow shines on the lake, like a romantic oil painting. At that time, many couples stroll hand in hand along the lake, and even kiss. There's a rumor that when the first rays of dawn appear on the lake, couples who are kissing will stay together forever."

“Last spring, some alumni came back and held their weddings on the lawn next door. Sometimes there are also music parties here in the evening. I think there have been some recently, but I don’t know when they started.”

As he spoke, Shen Ci took out his phone and scrolled through his records.

Shen Li took several photos of the lake.

[Chen Li: Images Images Images]

[Jiang Huaichuan: Where are you?]

[Chen Li: A University campus, beside Lovers' Lake]

Jiang Huaichuan: The scenery there is beautiful.

[Jiang Huaichuan: Is he with Shen Ci?]

[Chen Li: Nodding JPG]

[Jiang Huaichuan: Let's go shopping after this is all over.]

[Jiang Huaichuan: We need to go in the evening!]

Recalling the rumors Shen Ci had just mentioned, Shen Li felt that Jiang Huaichuan was incredibly naive.

Shen Ci placed his phone in front of Shen Li: "There's a concert here tonight, do you want to watch it?"

The dazzling posters caught her eye, and Shen Li's eyes widened slightly. A strange thrill surged from the bottom of her heart. In a daze, she seemed to see Jiang Huaichuan from many years ago, wearing a navy blue shirt and black casual pants, holding the microphone proudly and freely under the dazzling stage lights, and the exciting music resounded throughout the playground.

Shen Li nodded: "I want to see!"

Although he didn't know why Shen Li suddenly became so excited, Shen Ci immediately asked his classmate to get two front-row seats.

After resting for a while, the two continued walking in. Along Lovers' Lake, they could see the Zhongbo Ancient Building. Shen Li climbed up and looked down from the building. He could see Lovers' Lake and the northern campus. The summer breeze was blowing on his cheeks, and Shen Li squinted his eyes comfortably.

Shen Li pointed to the small hill rising in the distance and asked, "Is that Crescent Moon Mountain?"

Shen Ci: "Yes, next time when you're feeling better, we'll climb up there. The view from there will be much more expansive than from here, and we can see the entire A University."

Although Crescent Moon Mountain is called a "mountain" by everyone, its altitude is actually only a little over 100 meters.

"Oh, right." Shen Ci suddenly remembered something and added, "You can also see the Huazhou Building there."

Huazhou Building is the headquarters of the Jiang Group, which is known as the economic giant of City A.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore." Seeing the tips of Shen Li's ears turn slightly red, Shen Ci quickly changed the subject, "It's lunchtime, let's go eat, what do you want to eat?"

"Let's eat at the cafeteria," Shen Li said. "I think I saw Cafeteria No. 2 when I passed by just now, let's go there."

After lunch, Shen Ci took Shen Li to his dormitory. The doctoral dorms at University A are for two people, but Shen Ci's roommate got married last year and moved off-campus. The university has not arranged for any new students to move in since.

The dormitory curtains were drawn, leaving only the warm yellow light from the cabinet. Shen Li lay in the soft quilt, the delicate scent of gardenias filling his nostrils. He turned to face Shen Ci, who was sitting on the sofa.

"Aci, do you have a group meeting this afternoon?"

Liu Mingyue mentioned this morning, although she didn't say it completely, but the timing is correct.

Shen Ci looked somewhat uneasy. He said, "It was scheduled at the last minute, 1 p.m.

"Okay, you go ahead. I'll wander around by myself after I wake up."

Shen Ci disagreed, saying, "It's not a big deal."

“Aci,” Shen Li said, “I’m the same age as you, so don’t worry so much. I’m on campus. I have an appointment with an old professor this afternoon to catch up. And you can send me the location of the group meeting, and I’ll come find you after I’m done. If anything happens, I’ll definitely call you, okay?”

The old professor, named Shi Sheng, was the vice dean of the School of Finance, Shen Li's thesis advisor, and also his lecturer for his major courses in his sophomore year.

Professor Shi is a serious and stern man, but he has a soft heart. He helped Shen Li a lot during her four years of university. Shen Li is not a cold-blooded person, and they have kept in touch frequently over the years.

Hearing Shen Li say this, Shen Ci agreed. The School of Finance and the School of Medicine were not far apart, so it wouldn't be a big problem.

A note from the author:

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