Chapter 85 If you are truly happy, I will be happy for you.

On the huge desk, a tablet computer displays the Los Angeles time: 12:30 p.m.

Shangqiu Zhu had just finished an intercontinental video conference. There was a hint of fatigue in his eyes, but more than that, there was a quiet anticipation.

He dismissed his assistant and sat alone in the large leather chair.

On the screen, an electronic invitation from the organizers of the USC Financial Engineering program was particularly eye-catching, announcing that the closing report and outstanding project presentation would be held the day after tomorrow afternoon.

He picked up his personal phone, and it rang a few times before being answered. Yan Shuang's clear voice came through, "Hello?"

"It's me." Shangqiu Zhu lowered her voice. "Have you eaten?"

"Yes, I just finished eating," Yan Shuang replied, with the very faint sounds of mouse clicks and paper turning in the background.

Shangqiu Zhu could almost picture her sitting at her desk, her eyes fixed intently on the screen.

“If needed, you can send me the final version, and I’ll have the group’s financial analysis team take a look at it for you.” He paused, a faint smile in his voice. “Or, I can take a look at it for you.”

He wasn't questioning her abilities, but rather habitually wanted to cover for her and provide what he could.

However, a soft response came from the other end of the phone.

"No."

Yan Shuang's voice came through, devoid of its usual caution and restraint, and filled with certainty.

“I think,” she paused slightly, as if confirming her feeling, and then said clearly, word by word, “that everything is foolproof.”

"Absolutely foolproof"?

The word, spoken by her, shone with an unprecedented brilliance.

In his memory, Yan Shuang was intelligent and hardworking, but when faced with important moments, she always showed a cautious humility and even a little self-doubt.

So he wanted to provide her with support and dispel her anxieties from behind.

This was the first time he had ever seen Yan Shuang so direct, confident, and even a little sharp.

"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in his voice. "So confident?"

He could sense that the girl on the other end of the phone might blush slightly because of his laughter, but her tone remained firm, even carrying a rare hint of stubbornness.

"Yes. It has been verified many times. The logic, data, and model all stand up to scrutiny. I am confident."

"Okay." Shangqiu Zhu stopped laughing, but the joy and indulgence in her tone remained undiminished.

If she says it's foolproof, then it really is foolproof.

He trusts him completely.

"What about you? It's late in Hong Kong, aren't you still up?"

"Yes, I just finished." Shangqiu Zhu avoided the main point.

His gaze swept over the invitation on the screen, waiting for her to speak up and let him appear at her important moment.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, with only the soft sound of each other's breathing.

A faint trace of disappointment flashed across Shangqiu Zhu's eyes.

"Now that you're almost ready, don't overwork yourself. Just relax during the presentation. You'll be fine."

His affirmation was brief and powerful.

Yan Shuang seemed to chuckle softly on the other end of the phone, "Okay, then you should get some rest too, don't always stay up so late."

"Mm," he replied.

Goodnight, Shangqiu Bamboo.

As soon as Yan Shuang hung up the phone, she heard Emma, ​​who was at the next workstation, let out an exaggerated exclamation.

"Wow! Look at the news!" Emma shoved her phone screen in front of Yan Shuang, which was displaying the headline of the finance section. "That legendary financial incubator from Gaodun Group, it only runs once every four years. I heard that the selected teams can directly access top-tier resources and investors. It's like a carp leaping over the dragon gate!"

The Korean student next to him was also drawn in, peeking out from behind the computer with a longing yet somewhat dejected expression: "Yeah, it's practically the Oscars of the financial world. But what does it have to do with us? The bar for that kind of place is ridiculously high. I bet only Ivy League graduates and big shots with several major projects under their belts are qualified to try their luck there, right? People like us..."

He shrugged, leaving the rest of his sentence unsaid, but the meaning was clear: they probably wouldn't even be able to be spectators.

Emma pouted: "Thinking about it isn't a good idea... what if I get incredibly lucky?"

As Yan Shuang listened to their discussion, her gaze also turned to the financial news notifications that automatically popped up on her computer screen.

She held the mouse, clicked on the news article, and quietly browsed through it for a few moments, lingering on the stringent application requirements.

Emma is right. This is indeed an opportunity that can make someone rise to the top in one step, but at the same time it is also an insurmountable mountain.

For these newcomers who are still figuring things out at the bottom, it's more like a story that happened in a distant world.

She pursed her lips slightly, then quietly closed the webpage and picked up her phone.

Two days have passed, and her phone's call log is neatly filled with dozens of missed calls, each followed by the glaring words "Not Connected" after Lin Chengyu's name.

“Yan, Professor Roger wants to see you.” Mark walked over.

"Now? Is there a problem?" Yan Shuang couldn't help but frown.

Professor Roger was the project consultant sent by Cambridge. He was a notoriously strict British old man whose critiques were always considered nightmares.

Mark shrugged. "Don't worry, maybe it's a compliment."

He made an exaggerated gesture of encouragement, "Go for it, our group's rising star!"

Yan Shuang took a deep breath, pushed open the office door, and saw the white-haired professor frowning as he reviewed their project report.

"This risk prediction model," the professor asked, "was you in charge of it?"

“Yes, Professor.” Yan Shuang nodded. “I referenced data samples from the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis and the 2015 A-share circuit breaker and added a liquidity stress test to the third layer of nesting.”

Professor Roger took off his reading glasses and looked directly at Yan Shuang: "Where did you learn this modeling method? Wall Street?"

“No, Professor.” Yan Shuang unconsciously straightened her back. “Yes, it’s my boss… Mr. Shang Qiuzhu of the Shang Group. He often uses this kind of multi-dimensional stress test when handling cross-border mergers and acquisitions.”

The old professor's expression subtly changed.

He turned to another page of the report: "This data cleaning algorithm is also quite unique."

“I’ve improved the outlier handling method,” Yan Shuang couldn’t help but smile. “Because the traditional Z-score will be distorted in extreme market conditions.”

To everyone's surprise, a smile appeared on Professor Roger's serious face. He signed off on the report, saying, "You are the third student I've seen in the past five years who has been able to perfectly construct this model. In fact, I'm going to be working on a project in this direction next year."

Yan Shuang waited patiently for him to continue.

The professor continued, "I've carefully reviewed your academic resume, except for these three years at Shang's... career gap. Of course, Shang's is a very good company."

He said in a tactful tone, "But it's a real shame to put someone who can build this kind of model in administrative work."

Suddenly, a flock of white doves flew past the window, their flapping wings drowning out the sound of my heartbeat inside.

The professor forwarded his letter of recommendation to her, saying, "The Financial Molecules Laboratory at Cambridge is in dire need of researchers like you. Would you consider pursuing a PhD here?"

Yan Shuang could hardly believe her ears and stood frozen in place.

Professor Roger smiled and said, "Think about it carefully."

As Yan Shuang walked out of the conference room, her legs were trembling.

Mark immediately ran up: "My God, he actually smiled? Yan, you've created a miracle!"

He put his arm around her shoulder and shook her, "You have to treat me!"

Before Yan Shuang could react, Mark had already pulled out his phone: "Guys! Our lab is about to produce a Cambridge PhD!"

The group message exploded with a string of exclamation marks, and various emojis scrolled rapidly across the screen.

Mark also tagged Lin Chengyu, but the grayed-out profile picture remained silent.

Although Lin Chengyu was not a member of their project team, he appeared in the lab almost every day during this period.

Sometimes I bring a few cups of coffee at just the right temperature, and sometimes I bring afternoon tea.

Over time, everyone added him to the project group.

Mark asked her, "Um... is Cheng Yu still unreachable?"

Yan Shuang paused slightly, gave a soft "hmm," hesitated for a moment, and then dialed Lin's mother's number.

Twenty minutes later, Yan Shuang stood in front of the modern-style penthouse near USC and rang the doorbell for the third time.

She was clutching a piece of paper in her hand, which had just been given to her by her mother.

Luckily, I asked a question.

So that's where he lives. He lives so close by, no wonder he can come to the lab so often.

No light shone through the crack in the door, as if no one lived there.

Yan Shuang's hand hovered above the doorbell, hesitating whether to press it again.

No one responded.

Yan Shuang decided to wait another five minutes.

She leaned against the pillar in the porch, recalling once again the words he had spoken that night.

She thought about it over and over again, wondering if she had overlooked some important clue.

This feeling of uncertainty is unsettling, like having a question stuck in your throat.

Yan Shuang rubbed her temples in frustration.

The doorbell rang in the empty corridor, but no one answered.

Just as she turned around, the door behind her suddenly opened.

A strong smell of smoke and alcohol hit her face, and Yan Shuang subconsciously took half a step back.

Lin Chengyu stood at the door, shirtless, with messy hair and bloodshot eyes.

He had lost weight, but his abdominal muscles were more defined.

"What's wrong?" Lin Chengyu's voice was unusually hoarse.

Yan Shuang politely avoided looking at his body, lowered her head and said, "I couldn't contact you these past two days, so I asked for your aunt's address and came to see you."

Lin Chengyu's gaze pressed down heavily, scrutinizing her inch by inch.

Time stretched out in the silence, so long that Yan Shuang could hardly bear the silent pressure. Her eyelashes trembled as she tried to look up.

"Come in."

He left those words behind and turned to walk into the house.

Yan Shuang hesitated for a moment, then followed her inside.

The apartment was large, but it was incredibly messy.

The strong smell of smoke and alcohol fermented in the closed room. Yan Shuang frowned; this smell was completely out of place with Lin Chengyu.

Lin Chengyu casually grabbed a black T-shirt and put it on, his gaze lingering on her face.

He searched her eyes for any hint of panic, concern, or even disgust—anything that might prove she still had feelings for him.

But her eyes were as clear as a stagnant pool, showing nothing but polite doubt and concern.

He silently twitched the corner of his mouth and looked away.

Yan Shuang carefully avoided the empty wine bottles on the floor and sat down on the sofa.

With so many empty bottles lying there haphazardly, how much did he actually drink?

And why did you drink so much?

Reason told her there was no need to feel guilty.

Their relationship, who she associates with, and who she gets close to, she doesn't need to report to him.

But looking at the empty bottles and his tense profile in the dim light, a strange sense of guilt crept into my heart.

This was not the situation she had envisioned.

"Lin Chengyu," she finally spoke, "have you been angry these past two days... because of that video?"

Lin Chengyu sat down opposite her.

He didn't answer, but simply lifted his eyelids and stared straight at her.

Forced to continue by his silence, Yan Shuang spoke each word as if reading a verdict: "It's just as you think, President Shang and I are indeed together."

Her voice was softer than he had imagined, but when it reached his ears, it was still a heavy reality he couldn't bear.

Even if you've made preparations.

He gazed at her silently, the color slowly spreading across his eyes, his eye sockets growing increasingly red.

“It was my oversight and my behavior was inappropriate. I shouldn’t have been so intimate with Shangqiu Zhu in public; it was certainly unbecoming. I know the Lin family values ​​its reputation. It was a momentary lapse in judgment on my part; I forgot my place and may have affected the Lin family’s image.”

She offered a solution: "We will end our relationship, and I will personally visit my uncle and aunt to apologize after I return to China."

"I'm sorry." The last three words were spoken clearly and calmly.

Seeing her businesslike attitude, Lin Chengyu completely shattered all his illusions.

He thought he could maintain his dignity, but when she pronounced the verdict herself, all his pretense collapsed instantly.

“But if I remember correctly,” he said, his voice still holding on to the last thread of reason, “Shangqiu Zhu and your sister are already engaged.”

Upon hearing this, Yan Shuang lowered her eyelashes, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Her reaction was eerily calm, without a trace of hesitation or panic, as if she had anticipated his question.

Lin Chengyu suddenly chuckled softly.

Soon, it was as if the air in his chest had been suddenly sucked out, and his laughter came to an abrupt halt.

A terrifying undercurrent surged in his eyes.

"Shangqiu Zhu," he spat out the name through gritted teeth, "is he really that good? So good that you'd throw away your dignity and shame? Willingly become someone's shameful mistress!"

Yan Shuang's face turned pale instantly, and her slender body swayed slightly. "It's not what you think, we just..."

Just what?

Her words abruptly stopped there, as she futilely searched for a suitable definition amidst her chaotic thoughts.

Those eyes, which were always clear and bright, were now filled with a mixture of emotions.

Embarrassment, anxiety, and grievance, but deeper still, there is an unspeakable, heavy sense of helplessness.

Lin Chengyu stared intently at her, not missing any subtle changes in her face.

He saw her pale lips move and heard her weak opening words, and his heart tragically skipped a beat.

A faint, pitiful glimmer of light ignited in his eyes, which were almost overwhelmed by despair.

He almost held his breath, desperately, even pleadingly, hoping she would say something to refute him, hoping she would tell him that it was all a lie.

Or at least, she had her reasons.

He wanted to hear her say that Shangqiu Zhu had coerced her.

Yan Shuang's lips moved silently a few times, the explanations stuck in her throat, the heavy truths, the entanglements that could not be spoken to outsiders...

In the end, it all turned into a deathly silence.

She lowered her eyelashes dejectedly, her long, thick lashes concealing all the turbulent emotions in her eyes.

This tacit acceptance completely extinguished Lin Chengyu's last glimmer of hope.

A surge of devastating rage instantly rose to his head, burning his eyes until they turned bloodshot.

But when his gaze fell again on her bloodless face, and he saw her trembling shoulders and her tightly bitten lower lip, his raging anger was extinguished as if by a sudden downpour, leaving only suffocating heartache and despair.

What he found even harder to bear than anger was...

What else could he say?

And then say those harsh and hurtful things, stripping away her last shred of dignity with your own hands?

He can't do it.

Even though he was driven almost mad by this terrible truth, even though his heart was breaking, he could no longer... could no longer say a word that would embarrass her further.

The surging emotions pounded violently in his chest, unable to find an outlet, and ultimately all turned into a desolate sense of powerlessness.

Lin Chengyu looked at her quietly.

After a long time, he finally moved.

He walked back to her with heavy steps.

Then, he crouched down and tilted his head slightly to see her with her eyes lowered.

He shed all his aggression, leaving only humble earnestness.

"Sister..." This title he had called out countless times now carried an endless bitterness in his voice. "I can't accept it."

Yan Shuang raised her teary eyes and looked at the boy squatting in front of her.

“I hope you are well,” he said, looking into her eyes, each word spoken with great difficulty yet clearly, “If you are truly happy, I will be happy for you.”

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing violently, as if he were swallowing something extremely bitter.

"But I can't bear to watch you do things that make you feel wronged, I can't just stand by and watch you... like this."

The pain in his voice was almost overflowing. "You can understand, right? If you had a daughter right now, seeing her like this would break your heart, wouldn't it?"

He tried to persuade her with the most basic empathy, hoping to awaken her from her blindness and make her cherish herself.

He tried to get her to leave Shangqiu Zhu.

However, these words, full of concern and heartache, unexpectedly pierced the darkest corner of Yan Shuang's heart.

She instantly thought of Zhou Yaqin, the woman who had drugged her and sent her to the bamboo bed in Shangqiu.

Her mother.

I never felt even a shred of heartache.

Lin Chengyu was still looking up at her, expecting her response, but she looked as if she had heard the most terrible thing in the world, her face even more ashen than before.

Immediately afterwards, large tears rolled down her empty eyes without warning.

After that incident, it took her a very long time to pick up the pieces of her broken self, force herself to put on the armor of calm and self-control, pretend that nothing had happened, and pretend that the humiliation of that night was just a nightmare.

She thought she was strong enough, numb enough.

But Lin Chengyu's unintentional words pierced the depths of that never-healed wound.

The pent-up grievances, the unspeakable anger, the coldness of being betrayed by loved ones, the loathing for one's own situation...

All the emotions she had forcibly suppressed burst forth as if they had found a breach in a dam.

Tears wouldn't listen to her commands, rushing out of her eyes in a desperate rush.

No one knows how she got through it.

Nobody cared about her, not a single person.

She even told herself that she couldn't feel pain.

So it turns out that even a light touch can hurt so much.

Lin Chengyu almost instinctively reached out and pulled the trembling body into his arms.

After the initial panic subsided, an overwhelming wave of regret and remorse washed over me.

What did he just say?!

Every outrageous word he uttered in a fit of rage now bounced back like a boomerang, piercing his own heart.

She thought she was angry at her own depravity and heartbroken by her lack of self-love, but beneath that anger lay the pain of unfulfilled desire and the burning jealousy that consumed her reason.

Seeing her crying so hard she could barely breathe, Lin Chengyu felt an unprecedented hatred for himself.

Yan Shuang's sobs gradually subsided.

She immediately realized her lapse in composure, awkwardly wiping away the undried tears on her cheeks with the back of her hand, and stepped out of Lin Chengyu's embrace.

“I’m sorry,” she said, lowering her eyes. “I lost my composure. Thank you… thank you. I’ll go back now.”

Her tone was polite but distant.

However, just as she turned to leave, her wrist was suddenly gripped by a warm force.

Yan Shuang turned around in surprise, her eyes meeting Lin Chengyu's deep gaze.

The anger and panic from before were gone, replaced by a heavy determination.

His eyes were still red-rimmed, but his gaze was surprisingly bright, fixed intently on her.

“Sister,” he said, with a desperate urgency, “leave him.”

“I’m not asking you this as a member of the Lin family,” he added urgently, his gaze intense, as if trying to convey his feelings to her through his eyes.

"I'm just begging you, as myself, to leave Shangqiu Zhu, okay?"