Chapter Seventy-Nine: A Welcome Dinner for Section Chief Chen

Lin Yu walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, took a deep breath, pressed the answer button, and waited silently for the other party to speak. After two seconds of silence, a familiar voice came from the other end of the phone.

"So-so!"

The voice instantly pulled Lin Yu back to his university days, as if they had never met again during their long separation, and Lin Yu was unaware of the changes Chen Guang had undergone over the years.

"What is it?" she asked in a cool, businesslike tone.

"You blocked me." Chen Guang paused, then smiled helplessly, "So I had no choice but to call you."

"I thought you understood what I meant." Lin Yu's finger rested on the French window, pointing vaguely at the setting sun through the glass.

"I thought we were at least still friends." Chen Guang sighed on the other end of the phone, his warm breath seeming to brush against her ear.

She frowned and subconsciously moved her phone a little further away. "If there's nothing else, I'll hang up."

"Wait a minute," he suddenly said, "I'm coming to Shanghai next week." He paused, then added meaningfully, "On a long business trip."

“Baidu Maps is very convenient now, so I shouldn’t need to show you the way, right?” Lin Yu remembered that there were a few classmates from his year who were also in Shanghai. He was always good at socializing and could get along well anywhere.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I'm here for?" Chen Guang coaxed, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

Lin Yu remained unmoved, gazing at the darkening sky outside the window, and coldly said, "It's none of my business."

“Your company has invested in a new energy project in Linjiang, and it just went through the public announcement process two months ago.”

Chen Guang's voice suddenly became serious. Lin Yu vaguely sensed something was wrong, but listened quietly as he continued, "My unit sent me here to do on-site liaison."

Why would a local project need to have an on-site presence in Shanghai?

Lin Yu was aware of this project. As the group's flagship project this year, it had already held several progress meetings after the Lunar New Year.

The company has invested a lot of human and material resources in this project, and its success or failure is directly related to the strategic transformation of the entire company and the life and death of the entire design institute, including Lin Yu.

"If the information is accurate, this should be your group's first fully integrated industry chain project. The project is in the early stages, and the leadership will definitely send people to follow up on each stage of the project."

Chen Guangzheng straightened his expression and continued, "After all, projects of this scale involve too many aspects, so we must strictly control the progress and prepare contingency plans. Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to explain to the municipal government."

Chen Guang spoke in a serious, bureaucratic tone, as if the purpose of this phone call was simply a purely work-related exchange.

Lin Yu understood immediately. The government had also invested a lot of resources, so naturally they would keep a close eye on this key project that could drive the city's economy.

The project is currently in the early preparation stage, and both the government and the enterprise need to assign dedicated personnel to follow up throughout the process.

She then followed his bureaucratic tone and continued, "Since Section Chief Chen is personally supervising, we will certainly cooperate fully. We will definitely coordinate well in advancing key project milestones and controlling risks."

Her voice carried a businesslike detachment. "But for specific coordination, I'm afraid we'll have to talk to our dean and the group's leaders. After all, key issues aren't something a small team leader like me can decide."

"If I contact your dean, will I be able to add you back on WeChat?" Chen Guang chuckled softly. "I think we'll have a lot of work to coordinate at that time."

She said in a cold tone, "Work communication can be done using a corporate email address, and all communication needs to be documented."

"Yes, Team Leader Lin makes a good point."

Chen Guang had anticipated her reaction. Years of experience within the system had mellowed his youthful impetuosity, making him more worldly and sophisticated. His calm and collected demeanor at this moment, ironically, made Lin Yu inexplicably anxious.

"I'll hang up now, I'm busy!"

"Wait a minute..." Chen Guang cleared his throat and finally got to the point. "I'd like to ask you to help me find an apartment, somewhere close to your company."

He gave a figure, which was the housing subsidy standard given by his work unit, and was similar to the price of a one-bedroom apartment in the community where Lin Yu currently lives.

But Lin Yu immediately rejected the plan in her mind; she still hoped that Chen Guang would stay as far away from her as possible.

But refusing again would make her seem undignified. After all, Chen Guang didn't owe her anything, and the two of them had never truly been in love from beginning to end.

Lin Yu only wanted to gracefully downplay their relationship, but the moment she heard his voice, an inexplicable anger would rise in her chest.

"Let's talk about it when you get there," she said, trying to maintain a calm tone. "If I have time, I can show you the apartment, but ultimately you'll have to make the decision yourself."

Chen Guang, having achieved his wish, pressed his luck. "My flight is on the 20th. How about I meet up with Cheng Yuan and his girlfriend on Saturday?"

Cheng Yuan is Chen Guang's roommate. When they were on good terms, they often dined and sang together. But since their falling out, their friends' friends have naturally drifted apart.

Although he knew the other person was also in Shanghai, he didn't contact him again due to the awkward relationship. However, since Chen Guang had taken the initiative to invite him, Lin Yu felt that having a meal together wouldn't hurt.

So many years have passed, and now that we've opened up to each other, it's not difficult to be ordinary friends. "Okay," she said, her tone more relaxed. "I'll treat you, consider it a welcome-back dinner for Section Chief Chen."

"Banban!" Chen Guang paused. "I still want to hear you call me Chen Guang, like before."

In the short time it took to make a phone call, the conversation had already shifted to areas unrelated to himself when he returned.

Lin Yu was secretly amazed by Jiang Chuan's breadth of knowledge. Whether it was legal provisions or history and culture, he could talk about them fluently and effortlessly.

He listens quietly most of the time, but when he does speak, he always gets to the heart of the matter.

It seems he has read every book in the world, and his occasional insights are always unique and insightful.

When Jiang Chuan saw Lin Yu return, he gently pulled her hand, which was holding her phone, into his warm palm. "You were gone for so long?"

As if it were just a casual question, his fingertips were subtly stroking the ring on her middle finger, like a silent warning.

Lin Yu realized that he was probably being paranoid because of his guilty conscience. He adjusted his breathing and smiled. "The local government is coming to be stationed here, so we might need to help them find temporary accommodation."

Jiang Chuan nodded, looking at her calmly. "Do you need any help?"

Lin Yu thought about it and realized it wasn't a big deal, so he shook his head. "No need, we'll just look around our neighborhood. It's just a short-term rental anyway, we'll be going back at the end of the year."

As the event ended, Mr. Zhang made a point of shaking hands with Lin Yu to say goodbye, frankly saying that he was very happy today and had made a new friend who understands technology. Lin Yu smiled and agreed, not taking it seriously, thinking it was just an ordinary social gathering.

The car stopped at the entrance of Lin Yu's residential complex. She unbuckled her seatbelt but didn't get out immediately. "Thank you... for today."

Although she didn't notice it at first, even the most oblivious person could see later that Jiang Chuan had deliberately taken her to expand her network.

"Your attitude doesn't seem like gratitude."

Jiang Chuan also felt a surge of anger; he admitted that he did indeed have selfish motives.

In this society where personal connections matter, having more connections means having more options. Moreover, given their current relationship, this is at most a reasonable integration of resources.

Lin Yu's attitude remained indifferent throughout, seemingly ungrateful. Not only did she answer a call from her ex-lover in front of him, but she also lied to him without batting an eye.

“I just…” Lin Yu carefully chose his words. “My patent has entered the preliminary examination stage. It would be a bit sensitive to contact other companies after the public notice period.”

“I suggest you withdraw your application.” Jiang Chuan’s tone was not joking.

"What?" Lin Yu was taken aback.

"Things that are truly valuable should be kept in your own hands." Jiang Chuan's tone wasn't like a suggestion, but rather a reminder of the principles of life.

"Leaving aside company data, your core algorithm is the key." He paused. "Never let anyone lead you by the nose, not even your boss."

At that time, Lin Yu hadn't fully grasped the deeper meaning of his words, only feeling that he was being too radical. But later she realized that Jiang Chuan had seen through the essence of this game from the very beginning.

Even if Lin Yu was stupid, he could tell that Jiang Chuan was angry, but he mistakenly thought that Jiang Chuan was just angry at his own ungratefulness.

She softened her tone, leaned closer, and gently kissed his cheek. "Don't be angry, okay? I was being rude..."

Her tone was slightly ingratiating as she gently shook Jiang Chuan's arm. "I'll do whatever you say. I'll talk to President Zhang later and try to get myself a good price, okay? My capitalist brother?"

Jiang Chuan finally couldn't keep a cold face and chuckled softly, looking at her with a helpless expression.

This little argument came suddenly and went quickly, but he had a bad feeling about it, like the fleeting undercurrent on the sea before a storm.