Chapter 41 He held her in his arms and called out "Yu Yan"

"woke up?"

Xiang Jingheng frowned as he woke up from under the covers, feeling a splitting headache. He got up and rubbed his temples.

With a slight upward glance, I saw Gan Xiaoxing sitting cross-legged on the sofa, a long cigarette dangling from her lips. Her slender body was only covered by a milky white tank top and safety shorts, barely reaching her upper thighs.

Two slender, fair legs were dangling in front of me.

"Put your clothes on." Xiang Jingheng frowned again, turned away from her, and put on his pants himself.

Gan Xiaoxing exhaled a puff of smoke, sat on the sofa, and stared intently at Xiang Jingheng's strong and powerful back, broad shoulders, and lean waist, all of which exuded masculine charm.

As he pulled up his trousers, the edge of his black boxer shorts was hidden by his belt, and Gan Xiaoxing narrowed his eyes again.

"You bullied me last night."

Gan Xiaoxing smiled slightly, a cigarette dangling from her lips, "You have to take responsibility for me."

Xiang Jingheng turned his head and glanced at her casually, "Don't joke around. I know whether I can get an erection when I'm drunk."

He put on his shirt and buttoned it up one button at a time.

"Unless you come to me on your own initiative, I'm not responsible for that."

The two looked at each other.

In the instant their eyes met, they seemed to understand each other's thoughts, but the unspoken understanding remained unspoken.

In the past, Gan Xiaoxing was waiting for Xiang Jingheng to break the ice, but over the years, whether he got married or divorced, that seemingly thin layer of paper remained firmly between the two of them, without any sign of breaking.

She admitted that she was anxious.

"Heh." Gan Xiaoxing chuckled. "You were completely drunk last night, and I couldn't handle you, so I gave the waiter a tip to get you here."

She added, "You got up to throw up three times last night, and I cleaned up after you every time. How could you do this to me?"

"sorry."

Xiang Jingheng readily agreed and took out his phone to press a few buttons.

Gan Xiaoxing's phone rang twice. Confused, she picked it up and saw that Xiang Jingheng had transferred some money to her.

"What do you mean?"

She could barely smile anymore, and her face looked a little dark.

"This is compensation for your emotional distress. I tend to act recklessly when I'm drunk, and I hope I haven't offended you."

After speaking to Jingheng, he went to the restroom and closed the door.

Gan Xiaoxing sat on the sofa, her face growing increasingly grim. She took a deep drag on her cigarette and looked down at the rolled-up blankets on the bed.

Last night wasn't so innocent. Adult men and women were about to go too far, and just as she was about to throw herself at him without thinking twice, Xiang Jingheng's clear "Yu Yan" struck her like a thunderbolt.

She could mishear everything else, but she could never mistake the name "Yu Yan".

It felt like being doused with cold water.

Gan Xiaoxing is willing to pay anyone for her services, but she absolutely cannot stand Xiang Jingheng treating her like Yu Yan and sleeping with her.

On what grounds?

Gan Xiaoxing didn't really understand Xiang Jingheng either. They grew up together, and she thought she was the person who understood Xiang Jingheng the most in the world.

She had seen his good, his bad, his ambition, his complexities, and even his dark side.

But after just a few years, she could no longer understand him.

He learned to hide and control his emotions. Last night, she deliberately got him drunk, just to hear him tell the truth.

But after one night, he was able to remain completely silent; he would no longer speak freely to her.

Has he grown up?

Or is it because someone else has already taken up residence in his heart?

When Xiang Jingheng came out of the restroom, he was no longer the dejected man he was the night before, and he transformed back into the dignified and composed president of the Xiang Group.

"Get dressed, I need to talk to you about something serious."

Gan Xiaoxing chuckled. "What's wrong? Why are you so serious?"

Xiang Jingheng sat in a chair, his right ankle resting on his left knee, lit a cigarette, and raised an eyebrow at Gan Xiaoxing.

Gan Xiaoxing immediately stopped laughing and obediently put her clothes on.

She knew that when Xiang Jingheng gave her that expression, it meant he wanted to talk about work; he never joked around at work.

As if guessing what he was going to say, Gan Xiaoxing felt a little uneasy.

"We've known each other for years, so I'll be frank."

Xiang Jingheng tapped some ash from his cigarette into the ashtray with his long, slender fingers. "The data on the chip you developed is still far from what I want. Xiaoxing, let's be business. I won't be making any more investments in the next round."

“You can also start looking for other investors,” he said calmly.

Gan Xiaoxing panicked upon hearing this and quickly sat up straight. "Jingheng, please don't! We've just made some progress on the chip, and everyone in the lab is very enthusiastic. We're confident we can develop it and meet your requirements!"

Xiang Jingheng shook his head. "It's been five years."

“From the time you established your research lab abroad five years ago, to the time you returned to China four years ago and brought the Hyosung research lab to the mainland, I have always been very supportive of you. Developing the ‘Chinese chip’ and breaking through foreign technological barriers is your dream and also my career goal. That is the premise of our cooperation. I have invested 500 million yuan in the Hyosung research lab over the past five years, but what has been the result?”

He looked up at Gan Xiaoxing, but his gaze was devoid of warmth, filled only with the cold indifference and calculation of a businessman.

Gan Xiaoxing felt a chill in her heart, realizing that the man sitting in front of her was not her childhood sweetheart, but her sugar daddy.

—It is the lifeblood of Xiaoxing Research Lab.

"Time and time again, I have indeed been disappointed."

One sentence was like a death sentence.

Gan Xiaoxing's eyes reddened with anxiety. "Jing Heng... no, President Xiang, please wait a little longer, give us more time..."

"You know the current situation of Xiangshi Technology. I'm under a lot of pressure and can't afford to waste any more time."

Xiang Jingheng stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, stood up, and said, "That's it. I'm leaving now."

He picked up his suit jacket and had just reached the door when Gan Xiaoxing stood up and called out, "So, who are you going to invest in? Are you going to go find Yu Yan again and collaborate with her WD Research Lab?"

"This is none of your business."

He said something cold to Jing Heng, then opened the door and left without looking back.

Gan Xiaoxing was so angry that she threw the cushion at him, her whole body trembling.

It's Yu Yan again!

This former defeated opponent of hers has been going against her in every way since returning to the country. Gan Xiaoxing reasonably suspects that Yu Yan is doing it on purpose, just to get revenge on her!

no!

She absolutely cannot allow Xiang Jingheng and Yu Yan to establish a partnership, nor can she give them the chance to rekindle their past relationship.

Only one person can sit here, and Xiang Jingheng belongs to her alone; no one can take him away.

Yu Yan is even worse!

—

Yu Yan's team is still conducting experiments intensively, and everyone is highly focused.

A small error can lead to a huge difference.

Sometimes even a small mistake can render all the work done over a period of time futile.

But that's how scientific research is. A single success requires the groundwork and accumulation of countless failures beforehand. So many researchers follow one after another, all for that tiny bit of hope.

Yu Yan had an elective class to attend in the afternoon, so she handed over her tasks and left the lab.

As soon as I got back to the office, I saw a face that was neither unfamiliar nor particularly familiar, sitting in her seat drinking tea and chatting with Professor Huang, who worked in the same office.

"Professor Yu, you're here." Professor Huang greeted Yu Yan and introduced her, "This is Professor Zhao, who has retired from our college and was also my former teacher."

Yu Yan nodded lightly and addressed her directly as "Mrs. Gan".

Zhao Yueqing, Gan Tai, Gan Xiaoxing's mother.

Yu Yan used to work at the Xiang family and had a lot of dealings with this woman.

As Xiang Tai's mahjong friend, Zhao Yueqing often treated her like a servant, acting superior and condescending... Yu Yan didn't have a good impression of her, Gan Xiaoxing, or her.

"Excuse me, you're sitting in my seat." Yu Yan walked over to Gan Tai.

Holding her teacup, Gan Tai took the seat but showed no intention of getting up: "I'm here because of the kidnapping incident."

She quickly seized the moral high ground.

"Yu Yan, our Xiaoxing has been dragged down by you. Such a big thing happened, and you didn't even bring gifts to apologize. Is this the kind of upbringing the Yu family has?"