Fu Chengyu smiled, unable to hide his smugness this time.

He knew that these bookworms who only knew how to study were easy to manipulate and could be dealt with with money.

It was the same when Fu Jianzhi invited those self-important physics professors. They initially refused in every way, but after the Fu family offered them a large sum of money, they still came.

Ruan Chen is no different from them. Even though she carries the title of Miss Ruan the Second, she has not been involved in the affairs of the Ruan family for many years and is out of place in their circle filled with extravagance and debauchery.

She will gradually come under her own control.

Seeing that Ruan Chen stopped and asked questions out of interest, Fu Chengyu repeated the names of those physics professors several times.

Ruan Chen looked puzzled and sighed, "The Fu family is indeed very wealthy and powerful. Even a professor with such a high reputation in the industry can be used by the Fu family."

"So, Miss, would you be interested in meeting these professors with me? I happen to have a high-level meeting at the group tomorrow." Fu Chengyu deliberately emphasized the words "high-level meeting."

He reached out to Ruan Chen again, gesturing for her to put her arm around his. "Let's find a quiet place to have a good talk."

Ruan Chen declined, saying, "I just returned to China not long ago and I'm quite busy. If Mr. Fu doesn't mind, we can exchange contact information and make an appointment another time when we have time."

Her attitude was completely different from before.

Fu Chengyu, however, seemed to be born without any sense of propriety or knowing when to stop, and persisted relentlessly, "Second Miss, I'm not someone you can call upon to be available at any time. Those professors are also extremely busy. If we miss tomorrow, who knows when the next opportunity will come?"

His emotional intelligence wasn't too low either, and his reply was one that Ruan Chen couldn't refuse.

After thinking for a moment, Ruan Chen raised her hand and gently placed it on Fu Chengyu's arm, her posture gentle, just like she would treat a friend.

She said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Fu."

Although Ruan Chen remained the center of attention and focus during the second half of the party, people began to look at her differently than before.

Insidious rumors began to spread in the banquet hall, originating from Fu Chengyu's vulgar remark earlier: "The Ruan family's two daughters serve one husband."

Ruan Chen's appearance was indeed stunning, and she and Su Jin looked like a perfect match. However, when Ruan Yunhan reappeared, she paled in comparison to her sister. It's no wonder that when those playboys casually made a few remarks, many people would intentionally or unintentionally amplify the comments.

"Young Master Fu, are you out in the cold all by yourself?" A woman with exquisite makeup walked towards Fu Jianzhi, who was standing alone on the terrace, carrying two glasses of red wine.

She was tall and slender, and while her appearance wasn't particularly striking, she possessed an innate air of authority.

He is the heir that the Yu family has been grooming since childhood.

Because of Ruan Chen, the Fu family and the Yu family have had many collaborations over the years. Yu Xiaoya is one of the few friends that Ruan Chen has recognized over the years, and Fu Jianzhi trusts her very much.

He took the wine glass from Yu Xiaoya's hand. "You should have heard the rumors inside."

Seeing that no one was around, Yu Xiaoya casually sat down on the railing of the terrace, swinging her legs leisurely, showing no trace of the demeanor of the Yu family heir. "Did you hear that? I thought you didn't know. What, can the famously chaste and virtuous woman in the circle stand up to Yanxia?"

Yu Xiaoya's words were relatively tactful, but her expression practically screamed, "You dog that Ruan Chen picked up, aren't you going to stand up for your master?"

"Wait, no rush." ​​Fu Jianzhi swirled his wine glass and took a sip. "She seems to be having a lot of fun. If we interfere rashly and ruin her enjoyment, I'll probably be the one who suffers."

Yu Xiaoya nodded in agreement, then asked curiously with a gossipy expression, "I was saying, she hasn't been in the country for years, and now that she's finally back, why haven't I seen you and your good sister together...?"

Yu Xiaoya didn't say anything more, she just smiled and looked into Fu Jianzhi's deep eyes.

Fu Jianzhi turned his head away to avoid Yu Xiaoya's gaze, but he understood perfectly what Yu Xiaoya meant by the sentence she hadn't finished saying.

He stayed at Ruan Chen's house for a long time when he was young, and he and Ruan Chen were often seen together in public, which was no secret in the industry.

“She’s busy, she has her own career to pursue, so I won’t bother her,” Fu Jianzhi said vaguely. “You know Ruan Chen’s personality; she has her own plans.”

Yu Xiaoya scoffed dismissively, "If you ask me, you just don't have any experience in dating. Girls need to be pursued. If you keep being so indifferent to her like this, the distance between you will only grow further and further apart over time."

"And if I may say something I shouldn't, is there some misunderstanding between you and my Ruan Chen?"

Fu Jianzhi's heart skipped a beat.

Yu Xiaoya didn't intend to delve into it further, but continued to instill love wisdom in Fu Jianzhi, "While you are both still young, you should clarify any misunderstandings in time. Avoiding each other and testing each other will only deepen the misunderstandings. If you ask me, you should be bolder. Ruan Chen is just stubborn."

Fu Jianzhi seemed to have really taken it to heart. He sipped his red wine and pondered for a moment. After a while, he nodded seriously and said, "I understand, Sister Xiaoya."

-------------------------------------

After the party, the prominent families in Beijing all knew about Miss Ruan's return, and they began to secretly look forward to when the young CEO of the Fu family, who had been waiting for his white moonlight for many years, would announce the big news of cooperation with the Ruan Group, or the news of engagement.

But before any news of a collaboration between the Fu Group and the Ruan Group came out, gossip about Ruan's daughter spread like wildfire.

First came the rumor that the second young lady of the Ruan family was competing with her older sister for a man, and then came the rumor that the eldest young master of the Fu family was competing with his younger brother for a woman.

In short, the core issue revolves around Ruan Chen.

There's no solid evidence for the former. At most, Su Jin appeared at a party with Ruan Chen, introducing her to everyone as an older brother and bringing her back into the circle. That's normal. All those other rumors are just baseless.

However, the latter claim gained widespread attention overnight, with even high-resolution photos leaking out.

That was an internal meeting of the Fu Group a few days after the party. Many rival groups are watching these kinds of internal meetings closely.

It doesn't necessarily mean finding out what's going on inside the meeting; even just seeing who attended the Fu Group meeting could help deduce future developments.

The intimate photos of Ruan Chen and Fu Chengyu holding hands were leaked at this time.

It was a series of photos taken in quick succession, in which Fu Chengyu opened the car door for Ruan Chen, and Ruan Chen's fair hand obediently rested on Fu Chengyu's arm.

The next picture shows Fu Chengyu leaning his head to whisper something in Ruan Chen's ear, his posture so intimate that his lips were almost touching Ruan Chen's fair earlobe.

In the photo, Ruan Chen clearly does not resist this overly intimate contact; she is even smiling as she responds to Fu Chengyu's words.