Chapter 158 Good Brothers

After Yu Yan returned, she heard from Cheng Yun that Mei Nan's research lab had developed a chip. As soon as the news was released, Xiangshi Technology's stock also rose.

"Mei Nan's professional skills have always been excellent."

Yu Yan was not surprised by this and praised Mei Nan, saying, "She got to where she is today because of her own hard work, unlike Gan Xiaoxing."

Cheng Yun said, "Mei Nan is no simple woman either. After Gan Xiaoxing went in, Mei Nan took her place and became Xiang Jingheng's right-hand woman. Now Xiang Jingheng takes her everywhere he goes."

Yu Yan swallowed a mouthful of noodles, raised an eyebrow at her senior sister, and asked, "What are you trying to say?"

"Can't you see? This is a classic case of 'the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind'."

Cheng Yun, her belly protruding, tapped her finger on the table, "She can take Gan Xiaoxing away and also solve Xiang Jingheng's urgent problem. Whether it's a female or male rivalry, Mei Nan is a ruthless character. Don't underestimate her."

Yu Yan almost choked.

"Senior sister, have you been watching too many short videos lately? There's all this talk about female competition and male competition. Where did these terms come from?"

"Tsk." Cheng Yun said seriously, "I'm not joking with you."

"Okay, okay," Yu Yan reminded her, "You're pregnant, don't get angry."

She used tongs to put some vegetables on Cheng Yun's plate and said softly, "I have never underestimated Mei Nan, and I know that she likes Xiang Jingheng."

"Huh?" Cheng Yun's eyes widened in surprise: "You knew that?"

"Um."

Yu Yan nodded.

In fact, Mei Nan made this very clear in front of her and never tried to hide it.

In college, her grades were very close with Mei Nan's. She was good at her major courses, but Mei Nan had strong overall abilities and was popular in the class. Whenever there was a voting situation, Mei Nan was always far ahead.

But there was no jealousy between her and Mei Nan. Mei Nan would tell her directly what she wanted, and would also say to her after the results were announced, "You're number one again this time, but I won't keep losing to you."

Ambitious girls are always very attractive, as long as their abilities match their desires.

"Can you accept Mei Nan becoming Xiao Chu's stepmother in the future?" Cheng Yun felt that Yu Yan's reaction was too indifferent.

Yu Yan raised her eyes slightly and said calmly, "It's none of my business who Xiang Jingheng marries, nor is it up to me who Xiang Chu chooses to recognize as his mother. Their affairs have little to do with me."

"It's a good thing that you can take it easy."

When Cheng Yun heard Yu Yan say that, she breathed a sigh of relief and touched her stomach.

"I gradually came to understand the hardships of bringing a life into the world, and that's how I began to empathize with you. It's one thing for a man to leave; if there's no love left, we can just break up. But if the child I carried for ten months and risked my life to give birth to betray me one day and calls another woman 'Mom,' I just can't stand the thought of it. I might go crazy with anger!"

Yu Yan put down her chopsticks and gently shook her head.

"The most painful and difficult stage has passed. Sometimes what people are most reluctant to let go of is their own efforts and emotions. In the end, it's still about caring for yourself."

"Sunk costs, I understand."

Cheng Yun looked at Yu Yan, "But I heard that President Xiang pursued you all the way to Meisuli, and Xiang Chu regretted it. What about you? Have you really decided not to turn back?"

There's no turning back.

Yu Yan smiled gently, "Life goes on, and every step we take is so difficult, how can we go back? This time when I went to Mesopotamia, I met a doctor named Su, who gave me a four-word motto: 'Learn to let go.'"

Letting go is not an easy thing.

But when you truly let go, you'll feel the world suddenly opens up, and the world expands.

Some people have let go, while others are just about to take action.

"Brother, are you going to my mom's for dinner tonight?" Xiang Chu asked Shao Yun.

Shao Yun glanced at him and said, "Just say it, what do you want?"

"I want to go with them," Xiang Chu said, her eyes darting around.

Shao Yun refused outright: "No way."

Xiang Chu: "Why?"

"Think about it yourself, what did you do when you went to your aunt's house before?" Shao Yun said sternly.

Xiang Chu was speechless after hearing that sentence.

He really has never done anything good...

"I won't do it this time, and I will never do it again."

Xiang Chu held up three fingers and assured Shao Yun, "I swear!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Shao Yun frowned, and Xiang Chu immediately lowered his finger, pitifully clutching his brother's backpack strap.

Shao Yun stared at him quietly for a while, making Xiang Chu wish he could bury his head in the ground and become an upside-down scallion.

"Alright, stop playing the victim."

Shao Yun picked the person up, his voice cool and cold, "I need your aunt and uncle's permission to take you. Don't get your hopes up. If your aunt is even slightly unwilling, I won't make things difficult for her."

"clear!"

Xiang Chu nodded repeatedly, then suddenly remembered something and said to Shao Yun, "Brother, come with me to the convenience store after school."

"do what?"

"I want to buy something for my mom."

—

Shao Min has been busy again lately. Shao Muyan sent his assistant to pick up Shao Yun and take him directly to Yu Yan's place.

Yu Yan doesn't need to work overtime tonight; she can leave after class.

Shao Muyan had to go out to handle some business.

Shao Yun carried his schoolbag to wait for Yu Yan to finish class. He didn't go into the teachers' lounge. After his assistant left, he opened his schoolbag, took out two notebooks, put them on the ground, and sat down to read.

He now knows many characters and reads classics borrowed from Shao Muyan's bookshelf, not the kind of storybooks with pinyin.

I turned to the page I had last looked at and began to read it intently.

People passing by couldn't help but glance in their direction and whisper a few words, but Shao Yun remained focused, reading at a rapid pace.

He only snapped out of his daze when the bell rang.

Yu Yan never extends class time. When she walked out of the classroom, she found that a lot of people had already gathered in the corridor, all looking at Shao Yun.

The little guy sat cross-legged on the ground, holding a thick book of "War and Peace" that looked like a dictionary in his hand. His handsome face had a slightly furrowed brow, making for a rather peculiar scene.

"Wow, this child is really handsome."

Students gradually emerged from the classroom and quickly joined the crowd of onlookers.

Shao Yun had already nimbly gotten up from the ground, closed the book she was reading, put it in her schoolbag, and called out to Yu Yan, "Auntie."

Yu Yan patted the dust off his back. "It's so cold sitting on the ground, why don't you go to the lounge and wait for me?"

The voice was indescribably gentle and soft.

"It's okay, it's not cold."

Shao Yun also smiled.

That smile was enough to melt the hearts of a group of young women across from him, who couldn't help but exclaim, "So handsome! So cute!"

"Professor Yu, are these your children too? They're all so good-looking, you must have amazing genes!"

Yu Yan smiled and hummed in agreement. Shao Yun politely waved to greet everyone, calling them "brother" and "sister" repeatedly, which delighted everyone.

Soon, he had a lot of snacks in his hands.

Someone asked in a low voice, "Is it Professor Yu's child?"

Someone whispered, "No, didn't you hear them call her 'aunt'? She should be his nephew."

"Was that Professor Yu's child who came last time? The little boy who came with President Xiang looks a lot like President Xiang."

"I feel this one is more like Professor Yu, probably because of strong maternal genes."

Soon a group of students started talking about genetics.

Yu Yan and Shao Yun left the teaching building amidst this background noise. They went to the supermarket to replenish their supplies. When they were about to pay, Shao Yun handed a card to the cashier, saying, "Swipe this."

"What are you doing?"

Yu Yan immediately tried to take the card back, but Shao Yun stopped her and nodded firmly to the sales assistant: "It's okay, swipe it."

Then she said to Yu Yan, "My mom gave me this card. She knew you couldn't take it, so she specifically told me not to. Auntie, we don't need to be so calculating. Anyway, I can earn this money back in the future."