Chapter 97 It seems like you're the one who's Xiang Chu's biological mother.

Mei Nan's surprised expression suggested that she thought Shao Yun was her child.

Yu Yan said, "This is my sister's child."

Without Yu Yan's prompting, Shao Yun automatically looked up and greeted Mei Nan, "Hello, Auntie."

Mei Nan snapped out of her daze and said, "Hello."

She sat down opposite Yu Yan, realized she had overreacted, and quickly adjusted her facial expression. "I didn't know you had an older sister."

"Sister Shao Min." Seeing that she was indeed curious, Yu Yan added an explanation, "She is my Uncle Shao's cousin."

This seemed like a distant connection, but Mei Nan was stunned for a long time, staring at Shao Yun without looking away.

"Mei Nan." Yu Yan called out to her, feeling that Mei Nan's reaction was strange.

Mei Nan's eyes flickered. "Oh. He really does look like Professor Shao. The kid is really handsome."

Yu Yan turned to look at Shao Yun and smiled gently.

"Let's order."

"good."

While waiting for the food, Mei Nan took out a prepared file folder and handed it to Yu Yan, saying, "Everything is here. You can do whatever you want with it."

Yu Yan opened it and took a look. Mei Nan was meticulous in her work, and the manuscripts and materials were all sorted out properly. After all, they were her hard work, so she couldn't help but cherish them.

She looked up at Mei Nan and asked, "How did you agree to this?"

Mei Nan forced a dry smile, revealing a helpless expression. "Did I have a choice? If I hadn't agreed to her conditions, I wouldn't have been able to get into Xiaoxing's research lab in the first place."

"With your qualifications and academic level, even if you don't go to Xiaoxing's lab, you can go somewhere else."

Yu Yan still didn't quite understand, "Although Xiaoxing Research Lab is backed by Xiangshi Technology, it's still just a small private lab. You can take these papers anywhere else."

“We’re not the same. Yu Yan, I’m not like you.”

Mei Nan shook her head slightly. "You were born into a family of researchers, so it was the most natural thing for you to embark on a research career. You didn't need to put in much effort. But for a girl like me from a humble background, it took so much hardship to get to where I am today. Papers and research are just ways for me to survive. Gan Xiaoxing is willing to give me money and opportunities, so I'm willing to give all of that."

After saying that, she gave a self-deprecating laugh, "Don't you look down on my behavior?"

Yu Yan shook her head. "It's not really a choice. It's just a personal one."

"But if you did it willingly, why are you handing these things over to me today?"

Yu Yan said calmly, "You know Gan Xiaoxing's personality. I'm not afraid of offending her, since we've already broken off relations. But if you offend her, I'm afraid your future won't be easy."

"It's okay, as long as you don't offend her, life won't be easy."

Mei Nan looked at Yu Yan's slender, fair, and beautiful fingers, then glanced down at her own rough hands and rubbed them together secretly. "Actually, I want to use these as a bargaining chip to ask you to do me a favor."

Yu Yan raised her eyes, knowing that what she was about to say was the real purpose of her trip.

When she was in school, Mei Nan was a person with a strong sense of purpose.

She wanted to be the class's student union secretary so that she could take care of all her classmates during the school's military training, pour hot water for the girls, buy popsicles for the boys, greet everyone with a smile, and win everyone's favor by serving them hand and foot.

To get a scholarship, in addition to meeting academic standards and participating in various club activities, you also need to pass a physical fitness test. Mei Nan, who is not in good physical condition, started training for various physical fitness test items on her own six months in advance and went to the playground to run without fail, rain or shine.

Even though she would get rhinitis and lose her voice after each run, she never missed a day. Her perseverance is truly admirable.

Yu Yan admires Mei Nan. People who know what they want and are willing to put in all their effort to achieve their goals are bound to succeed.

However, Mei Nan is also a very goal-oriented person.

Her social interactions are a mixture of sincerity and self-interest; she only associates with people who can bring her benefits, and naturally, she will abandon some of her principles for the sake of those benefits.

Such a person also inspires vigilance and caution; one can easily fall into the trap she sets.

—

One dish at a time, all the dishes were served.

Mei Nan pushed the dishes towards them and said with a gentle smile, "No rush, let's eat and talk."

This meal was unsettling.

Yu Yan ladled a bowl of porridge for Shao Yun, and Mei Nan asked, "How old is the little guy? Is he going to start elementary school soon?"

“I’m six years old,” Shao Yun replied. “I just started first grade.”

"Six years old, that's the same age as Xiang Chu."

Mei Nan looked at Shao Yun with a smile in her eyes, and asked casually, "Where do you go to school?"

Shao Yun: "The affiliated primary school."

"The affiliated primary school."

Mei Nan opened her eyes and looked at Yu Yan. "Was it arranged for temporary enrollment?"

"Hmm." Yu Yan was putting food on Shao Yun's plate when her hand holding the chopsticks suddenly paused. She looked up at Mei Nan and asked, "Is this what you're talking about?"

Mei Nan knew Yu Yan was smart, so since she had guessed it, she went along with it.

"President Xiang and Xiang Chu have moved from Xiang Mansion to Zhongshuyuan Community, which is closer to the affiliated primary school than the original international primary school."

Mei Nan said, "The students admitted to the affiliated primary school are all the children of teachers. Since you teach at Shangzhou University, if someone wants to get into the affiliated primary school, they'll have to go through your connections."

Yu Yan and Shao Yun both looked up at Mei Nan, and were so speechless that they could hardly eat.

I was even more confused.

Xiang Chu wanted to attend the affiliated primary school.

Yu Yan then understood Mei Nan's purpose, but found it absurd. "Xiang Jingheng sent you to talk to me?"

Mei Nan's face showed a hint of unease, but she quickly regained her composure and smiled, "Yu Yan, don't mind me. I'm still working for President Xiang, almost like his assistant. It's an employee's duty to share the boss's burdens. President Xiang... wanted to talk to you about this personally, but he was afraid you wouldn't agree or would ignore him. Men, after all, care about their pride."

Yu Yan sneered and put down her chopsticks. Xiang Jingheng knew exactly how to annoy her.

She picked up her water glass, took a sip, and didn't say anything.

Mei Nan observed Yu Yan's expression, then put down her chopsticks, paused, and said, "Yu Yan, don't blame me for being blunt. It doesn't matter how adults argue or bicker, the child is innocent. You can ignore other things, but education really needs to start from a young age. It's so important for a child's growth, and we can't delay their schooling, can we?"

Yu Yan put down her water glass, stared intently at Mei Nan, and raised an eyebrow.

"It sounds like you're Xiang Chu's biological mother."

Mei Nan's expression changed, and she quickly smiled apologetically, "What you're saying... Xiang Chu is of course your and President Xiang's child, I'm just an outsider. I've said too much, please don't be angry."

She picked up the kettle and poured Yu Yan a glass of water, adopting the usual social etiquette used at drinking parties.

"I know my words don't carry much weight, but I'm just taking advantage of our old classmate relationship to shamelessly come and ask you for face. I'm just doing this to help out my boss, since I'm paid by him."

Mei Nan took the initiative to pick up her water glass and toast Yu Yan, using a feigned retreat as a tactic to advance, "If all else fails, I'll have to go back and report to President Xiang, and have him come in person."

Yu Yan narrowed her eyes, finally realizing that her old classmate had now become Gan Xiaoxing No. 2.

He was another of Xiang Jingheng's henchmen.