Chapter 34

At midnight, Wuxing Street, the most bustling street outside the east gate of L University, had cooled down after a day of hustle and bustle. A Bentley, shrouded in darkness, discreetly drove into this down-to-earth alley.

Yan Qing stood by the roadside, wearing a cardigan over her nightgown, her wet hair draped over her shoulders. A little over ten minutes earlier, she had received a call from Shen Hanyang, who said there was something extremely important to discuss regarding a project collaboration with Huang Qian.

Despite her doubts and hesitation, she still didn't want to risk her teacher's project.

Upon meeting, Shen Hanyang said nothing, simply leaning against the hood of the car and leisurely watching him.

She immediately realized she had been tricked by him again.

"What exactly do you want?" Yan Qing frowned.

"It's nothing, I just suddenly wanted to see you."

"Didn't we meet in the conference room this afternoon?" Yan Qing blurted out without thinking, unaware that there was anything amiss in her words.

Shen Hanyang smiled: "I mean, I want to see you alone."

Shen Hanyang always managed to say shameless things with a calm demeanor, which infuriated Yan Qing the most.

"Have you chosen the wrong place?" Yan Qing frowned even more deeply. "This is a school, not a private garden for you, a young master, to hunt for women. Don't you think it's absurd to come here and say these things to me?"

Shen Hanyang had a perfectly valid reason: "You're coming to work at the company soon, so it's not inappropriate for me to come and meet my employees beforehand, is it?"

“Stop,” Yan Qing corrected him, “I haven’t agreed to go yet.”

Shen Hanyang showed no surprise, as if he had expected her reaction. He calmly took a cigarette from the pack, glanced at Yan Qing, and then put it back.

"You should know that I came here for you. If you are not willing to come to Huanyu, then there is no need for me to cooperate with Huang Qian."

Shen Hanyang's tone was calm, yet it didn't sound like he was joking. His blatant shamelessness infuriated Yan Qing, but she was powerless to stop him.

"Shen Hanyang," this was the second time she had addressed him by his full name, "how can you manage such a large corporation and not separate public and private matters?"

“You’ve got it all backwards. My approach is exactly what the law of the jungle dictates. To get what you want, you’ll stop at nothing and use any means necessary. Managing a company is the same principle.”

"Robbers," she concluded without mincing words.

“I didn’t come here to upset you,” Shen Hanyang said. “I came to see you and also to tell you about Qiao Yi. I’ve already contacted a doctor and arranged a consultation next week.”

Yan Qing was unmoved: "Don't worry about Qiao Yi's matter in the future, I will handle it."

"How are you going to handle this? As far as I know, your financial situation isn't great, is it? Are you going to continue working several part-time jobs and sell everything you own to pay for treatment?"

"Qiao Yi has been sick for a long time. I was able to handle it in the past, and I will be able to handle it in the future."

Shen Hanyang looked at her, the gentleness on his face gradually disappearing, and his voice filled with displeasure: "There was clearly an easier path, but you didn't choose it. You insisted on doing something self-torturing. Are you addicted?"

Yan Qing sneered: "If I wanted to take a shortcut, I would have many more options. Why would I have to choose you?"

Shen Hanyang's eyes darkened for a moment. After a pause, he said, "I know I have many competitors."

“And you are the worst one among them.” Yan Qing’s attitude was harsh and left no room for negotiation.

"Just because of Zhang Linjing?"

"And, Xiao Wu."

"Xiao Wu?" Shen Hanyang looked completely bewildered. "What happened to her this time?"

"She likes you and is determined to be with you. Don't tell me you didn't know."

“I really don’t know,” Shen Hanyang said frankly. “I’ve never paid any attention to her.”

Yan Qing found it amusing. If she hadn't witnessed Shen Hanyang's character and conduct firsthand, she might have been fooled by his seemingly sincere face.

"What are you pretending to be innocent for?" Yan Qing said bluntly. "As your benefactor, you provided Wu Yanying with material conditions far exceeding her actual needs, making her yearn for the life of the wealthy. You used the resources and power you held to seduce and mislead her, making a young girl who hasn't even matured yet worship and even become infatuated with you. Essentially, it's a superior oppressing an inferior..." She wanted to express "oppression," but somehow what came out was: "...seduction!"

"This is a huge injustice," Shen Hanyang protested. "I did invite her to my home and bought her a few cheap clothes, but that was because she was valuable to me. Huanyu Technology has been doing charity work for years, but charity also requires returns. We need a charity spokesperson who can step up at crucial moments to enhance the company's image and handle unexpected public relations crises. There are many intricacies involved, and it can't be explained in a few words. In short, Xiao Wu is that kind of person. So I put in a little more effort, just to cultivate her into someone almost one of our own."

Yan Qing was stunned. Wu Yanying, so deeply in love, had been used as a tool and a bargaining chip by Shen Hanyang, and he actually considered this extremely dishonest practice perfectly acceptable. Yan Qing felt his despicable and terrifying nature even more keenly.

"Mr. Shen, all you think about is business. Haven't you thought about how hurt Xiao Wu will be?"

“I never gave her even the slightest hint in this regard, so why should I care whether she's hurt or not? We were just mutually benefiting from each other.”

"But she doesn't think that way!" Yan Qing was annoyed. The thought of Wu Yanying and Secretary Gao treating her as a rival in love, causing her so much embarrassment, made it hard for her not to blame Shen Hanyang for her suffering. She was convinced that his indifference to Wu Yanying's feelings and his lack of response were what caused Wu Yanying to become sensitive and suspicious, and to hate the wrong person.

However, Shen Hanyang remained indifferent: "What she thinks is her business; I can't control what others think. As long as I have a clear conscience, that's enough. Alright, let's stop here. Why should we waste time discussing irrelevant people? Wouldn't it be better to talk about ourselves?"

"I have nothing to talk to you about," Yan Qing said coldly. "I'm going back." With that, she turned and left.

"stop!"

Shen Hanyang's voice was short and forceful, like two locks that snapped onto her ankles, causing her to freeze in place.

Ten seconds ago, her anger was still burning, but now she suddenly felt uneasy. Had she angered him? After all, he was someone who rarely tolerated such defiance, right? What methods would he use to deal with her if things didn't go his way? Would it affect Professor Huang's research project?

While she was still lost in thought, Shen Hanyang had already walked over. She held her breath, waiting for him to erupt.

Surprisingly, he wasn't angry; instead, his attitude softened: "Every time we meet, you storm off in a huff, which makes me feel like a bad person. Consider it my fault today. Don't rush off; your things are still in the car."

Yan Qing was taken aback: "What is that?"

"Cellphone, handbag, earrings."

Yan Qing suddenly realized that he had presented these three items as a gift at Binjiang Jiuli that day, but she had flatly refused to accept them. Unexpectedly, he had persistently delivered them to the school gate.

"I don't want to," Yan Qing reiterated her stance.

"Then I'll ask Teacher Huang to pass it on."

"You..." He's using this trick again. Yan Qing bit her lip and cursed him inwardly for being shameless.

Shen Hanyang took something from the back seat of the car and handed it to her: "You're coming to work at the company, so you need some new clothes. Also..." He took a breath, his tone softening, "Don't use the canvas bag he gave you anymore. The letters on it constantly remind me of that person's existence. You know exactly what I feel for you, yet you still use this thing to annoy me. Just do me this favor, okay?"

The next day, a rumor spread throughout the school: Yan Qing and Shen Hanyang, chairman of Huanyu Group, were having a sexual relationship. Someone claimed to have witnessed the two men the previous night outside the east gate of L University, "disheveled, entangled, and in an ambiguous manner."

Faced with the rumors, Yan Qing was speechless. She regretted even more that she shouldn't have believed Shen Hanyang's lies last night; if she hadn't gone to see him, this whole mess wouldn't have happened.

At noon, Wang Yongxing entered the lab carrying a takeout box. Upon seeing Yan Qing, he grinned and showed his two front teeth: "Goddess Yan, you have such great charm. You even easily won over a big shot like Shen Hanyang."

Yan Qing was upset and didn't want to talk to him at all.

Wang Yongxing opened his lunchbox: "This is the first time I've ordered military wives' dumplings today. They smell good. Anyone want to try some?" Seeing no one respond, he ate one himself. "Oh, they taste really good! Junior sister, have a taste?" He said, picking up a dumpling with his chopsticks and putting it into his junior sister's lunchbox, with a piece of chive stuck to the tip of his chopsticks. The junior sister quickly moved her braised chicken away, smiling sheepishly, "I don't have a big appetite, I can't eat that. Thank you, senior brother."

Having done his job of being polite, Wang Yongxing stopped being so formal and started eating on his own. He chewed with relish, his thick lips wriggling like fat worms, making annoying smacking sounds.

"Actually, I noticed it yesterday. That CEO Shen treats Yan Qing differently. He gave her a small cake on our first meeting, how thoughtful. That cake was a limited edition from Lianxi Restaurant, and none of us got to eat it, right, junior sister?"

The junior sister pretended not to hear, buried her head in her food, and didn't say a word.

Wang Yongxing continued, "On the other hand, this kind of thing is quite sensitive. If things aren't handled properly, others might seize on it and make a fuss, suspecting us of any improper dealings. The director's cheating scandal hasn't even died down yet. If our group gets another bombshell, we'll really become a gossip paradise." His mouth was very busy, stuffed full of dumplings, yet he still had to find time to comment, with food scraps covered in saliva occasionally splattering out.

"Have you said enough?" Yan Qing finally snapped. "What evidence do you have for all these things you've said?"

Wang Yongxing raised an eyebrow: "It wasn't me who said that! Besides, you two were caught meeting late at night, how do you explain that? Really... why are you taking it out on me? If you're so capable, go find the witnesses to confront you."

Yan Qing's face was as cold as ice: "Isn't the witness you?"

Wang Yongxing lost his grip on his chopsticks and they fell to the ground. He bent down to pick them up, his obese body struggling to squeeze into the gap between the table and chairs, muttering a denial: "What does this have to do with me? You're really angry."

Yan Qing had only suspected something and was trying to test him. His reaction convinced her that the rumor originated with Wang Yongxing himself. She was furious and demanded, "You only saw me meet him, but do you know the whole story?"

Wang Yongxing lowered his head to wipe his chopsticks with a tissue, but his words were aimed directly at Yan Qing: "If you don't do it openly, how am I supposed to know what you're up to? All I know is that Shen Hanyang didn't have any fair competition or election, and directly named you. What's the difference between this and going to a brothel and choosing a prostitute? It's too arbitrary, isn't it?"

Wang Yongxing's language was so vulgar that even his timid and trouble-averse junior sister couldn't stand it and spoke up for Yan Qing, saying, "Senior brother, you've gone too far."

“I’m not making this up,” Wang Yongxing said, his beady eyes peeking at Yan Qing through his narrow slits. “The way President Shen looked at you, don’t tell me you don’t understand. Ha, he really knows how to use his advantages.”

Yan Qing couldn't help but sneer: "May I ask which advantage I used? Intelligence? If your intelligence is insufficient, you should go back and condemn the person who gave you birth, instead of venting your resentment on me. All your anger, confusion, and despicable behavior of spreading rumors stem from your narrow-mindedness and limited capacity for thought."

Huang Yongxing, hands on hips and glaring, shouted, "Who are you talking about?!"

Gu Feimeng pushed the door open and immediately pinched her nose as she entered, fanning herself impatiently with her other hand to shoo away the air in disgust: "What the hell? I can smell the chives even through the door." She glanced at Wang Yongxing, "So it's you who's so talented!"

Wang Yongxing rolled his eyes at her: "I can eat whatever I want, it's none of your business."

Gu Feimeng laughed: "A confined space like this urea bag is already smelly enough, add some chive dumplings, and it's a double whammy!"

Wang Yongxing, feeling slighted, retorted, "Mind your own business. By the way, does Chen Jing still need you?"

Gu Feimeng wasn't angry at all, and even thoughtfully handed him a napkin: "Wipe your mouth, your teeth are covered in chive leaves."

Wang Yongxing's expression changed slightly, and he awkwardly closed his lips.

Gu Feimeng sat down on the table, crossed her arms, and glanced at him sideways: "I almost forgot to tell you, Chen Jing and I have broken up. Your chance to take over has finally come. You've been wanting a man for a long time, haven't you? Do you want me to give you his number?"

Wang Yongxing frowned, pointed at Gu Feimeng with a delicate, orchid-like finger, and said, "Gu Feimeng, what kind of manners do you have? You're so offensive!"

Gu Feimeng gave her a look that said, "What can you do to me? This is your quality! Haven't you heard the saying? You get what you deserve! Your mouth rattles on and on like a tractor, spreading rumors as easily as farting. We know you peed while sitting down, but does anyone else go around telling everyone like you do?"

Wang Yongxing's face turned red with anger, his lips twitching, but Gu Feimeng didn't give him a chance to retort at all:

"You thing is a miracle. Hermaphroditic, yet you perfectly avoid the advantages of both sexes. If you call yourself a man, you're spineless; if you call yourself a woman, your heart is smaller than your thing. You're unique in being able to take the best and discard the worst to the extreme."

After saying that, Gu Feimeng laughed heartily and put her arm around Yan Qing's shoulder: "Come on, Qingqing, let's go to the cafeteria!"