Chapter 14 Dinner
The two days of the baseline test felt like a long, suffocating nightmare. Gu Ye sat in his seat, staring at the test paper in front of him. The questions were no longer completely unfamiliar, like a mystery. Some even looked familiar—the same types of questions that Chu Yan had forced him to work on, or variations of them that had appeared repeatedly in his error book.
He took a deep breath, clearing his mind of the chaotic thoughts, and forced himself to focus on the question. His pen moved across the paper, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes smooth, sometimes choppy. Fine beads of sweat formed on his forehead, which he impatiently wiped away with the back of his hand. Time seemed to stretch and compress. When the bell rang for the exam to be handed in, he put down his pen, his palms clammy and cold, his heart still pounding heavily in his chest.
The bell ringing at the end of the last class was like a horn of liberation, and a huge noise broke out in the teaching building, with cheers and wails intertwined.
Gu Ye followed the crowd out of the exam room, his steps a bit unsteady. The sun was glaring, and he squinted, subconsciously searching for a familiar figure among the throng of people in the corridor. Chu Yan was leaning against the railing outside their classroom, his schoolbag slung over one shoulder, his posture relaxed, as if he had just experienced a simple pop quiz. Seeing Gu Ye emerge, he spread his usual smile and walked over.
The surroundings were filled with a cacophony of voices, the sound of people discussing the exam questions rising and falling. Gu Ye watched Chu Yan approach, his throat tightening and his fingers unconsciously curling. What would he ask? "How did you do on the test?" "Were the questions difficult?" ... questions he least wanted to answer, and least could accurately answer.
Chu Yan stood in front of him, his eyes lingering on his slightly tired face for a moment, but he didn't ask anything. He didn't even mention the word "exam", but just said:
"The exams are over, so I'll give you a day off." The curve of his mouth deepened a little, with a hint of teasing, "Do whatever you want tonight. No need to study or train."
Gu Ye was stunned for a moment, his tense nerves relaxing for a moment at this unexpected "pardon", but then he was filled with a more complicated emotion. Not asking? Didn't he care?
Seeing Chu Yan turning around and seeming to leave, an inexplicable impulse drove Gu Ye. Before he could react, the words had already blurted out: "Hey!"
Chu Yan stopped and looked back at him, his eyebrows slightly raised, with a questioning look.
Gu Ye looked away, staring at a small patch of peeling paint on the wall next to him. His voice was a little dry, with a hint of awkward tentativeness: "...Aliang and the others are going to have skewers tonight... Do you want to... join us?" He regretted it the moment he said it. How could a "good student" like Chu Yan be willing to hang out with a group of "poor students" like them?
The air was quiet for a second, and Gu Ye could almost hear the sound of his own heartbeat.
Chu Yan looked at his slightly reddened ears and forced composure on his face. The smile in his eyes deepened, like ripples on a lake surface after a stone was dropped. He didn't immediately agree, nor did he refuse. He simply raised his hand and gently tapped Gu Ye's forehead with his knuckles—just like the night before the exam.
"Sure." His voice remained relaxed, as if agreeing to this was a perfectly normal thing. "But I still have a small matter to take care of." He took out his phone and shook it. "Send me the address. I'll come find you guys when I'm done."
Gu Ye suddenly raised his head and met Chu Yan's smiling eyes. Those eyes were clear and open, without a hint of reluctance or perfunctoriness. He opened his mouth, but ultimately only uttered a muffled "hmm." His heart felt like it had been gently bumped by something, a slight numbness, and an indescribable feeling.
Outside the gates of Shenghua College, the crowds of people leaving school gradually dispersed, and the hustle and bustle subsided. Chu Yan walked out of the school gate, not to the bus stop or subway entrance, but directly to the shade of an inconspicuous tree on the corner of the street.
A Maybach S680, its stern lines and all-black exterior, sat quietly parked. Its understated presence yet exuded an undeniable sense of presence, standing out from the surrounding students returning home from school and ordinary vehicles. Next to the car stood an elderly man, dressed in a meticulously tailored dark gray three-piece suit and meticulously combed hair. His back was straight, his face calm, his eyes sharp and reserved, his hands clad in snow-white gloves, his posture respectful.
Seeing Chu Yan approaching, the old man bowed slightly, his movements as standard as if measured with a ruler: "Young Master Yan." His voice was low and steady.
The gentle mask on Chu Yan's face faded, leaving only a calmness bordering on indifference. He nodded slightly, then without a word, opened the car door and slid into the back seat. The interior was extremely spacious and comfortable, the delicate aroma of premium leather and solid wood lingering, insulating him from the clamor of the outside world.
The old man also got in the passenger seat. The car started smoothly and merged into the traffic flow.
"Master Yan, here is the information you requested." The old man took out a not-too-thick file bag from his briefcase and handed it to the back seat with steady movements.
Chu Yan took it, unsealed it, and pulled out the paper inside. Clearly printed in black and white were the Gu Group's logo and excerpts from internal documents. The contents covered several recent key Gu Group projects, minor changes in the equity structure, and... an assessment report on Gu Ye's further consolidation of Gu Shi's position within the group after his departure from the family. The information was significant, and clearly required considerable resources to obtain.
Chu Yan flipped through the pages quickly, his eyes lingering on the key information. The only sound in the car was the gentle rustling of papers.
"Also," the old man's voice rang out again, breaking the silence, "Young Master Yu has received a response. He has carefully reviewed the plan and risk assessment report for the 'Cloud Intelligent Control' project you submitted earlier." The old man paused, his tone taking on a subtle solemnity. "Young Master Yu stated that the plan's foresight and feasibility exceeded his expectations. He agrees to begin preliminary preparations, and he will personally coordinate with the main family to provide maximum support for funding and resources."
Chu Yan's fingers paused as he flipped through the pages, a glint of anticipation flickering across his eyes. Chu Yu... the heir to the Chu family's main branch, a man of unparalleled ability and skill, never easily recognized. His promise was far more significant than this Gu family profile.
"Got it." Chu Yan's voice was calm. He stuffed the Gu family information back into the file bag and casually threw it on the leather seat next to him. "Tell Brother Yu that I will take care of the preliminary work."
"Yes," the old man replied, without further ado. Silence fell once again within the carriage, with only the dazzling nightscape of the city outside the window silently passing by.
The car slowly stopped at an intersection where it was convenient to get a taxi and inconspicuous.
"Yeah." Chu Yan pushed open the car door and stepped out. The low-key yet majestic Maybach quickly merged into the traffic flow and disappeared into the night, as if it had never appeared.
Chu Yan stood by the roadside, the night breeze ruffling his hair, bringing a hint of coolness. He pulled out his phone and clicked on the location Gu Ye had sent him—it was a barbecue restaurant deep in the old city's night market, with a down-to-earth name: "Lao Wangtou Barbecue."
He raised his hand to stop a taxi.
The sign for "Lao Wang Tou BBQ" had yellowed from cooking smoke, and several broken neon tubes barely flickered through the words "Lao Wang Tou." Large plastic sheds stood in front of the shop, their bases filled with simple folding tables and small stools. The air was thick with the aroma of charcoal barbecue, the sweet scent of cumin and chili powder, and the smell of cheap beer. The background noise was bustling with activity, the sounds of finger-guessing games, laughter, and the clinking of cups and plates.
In the far corner sat a table filled with seven or eight young men: Gu Ye and his gang. The table was piled high with skewers, empty beer bottles, and plates of greasy barbecue. The atmosphere was lively, and they had clearly been drinking quite a bit; their faces were flushed, and their voices were getting louder and louder.
"Brother Ye! How do you feel about this exam? Did you beat that guy named Chu?" A boy with dyed yellow hair slammed the table and shouted with a thick tongue.
Gu Ye took a sip of beer. The cool liquid suppressed the heat in his throat. He didn't respond to the question about the exam, but just said in a muffled voice, "...He said he would come over later."
"What?" A boy with a shaved head next to him almost spit out the skewers of meat in his mouth, his eyes widened, "Who? Chu Yan? He really wants to come here?" His tone was full of disbelief.
"That's impossible, Brother Ye? Are you kidding us?" Huang Mao also looked unconvinced. "Students like that would frown even when they smell the fumes, and they still want to eat skewers with us? Don't be ridiculous!"
"That's right, why would he sit with us idlers? How degrading!"
A burst of laughter and jeers erupted from the table. Only Ah Liang, sitting next to Gu Ye, remained silent. He silently nibbled on a skewer of grilled chicken wings and gave Gu Ye a complicated look. He knew what had happened when Chu Yan had come to his rescue. That "good student" was far from as innocent as he appeared.
Gu Ye was a little annoyed by his brothers' teasing. Just when he was about to tell them to shut up, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure at the entrance of the shed, walking towards him after parting the noisy crowd.
He was still wearing his Shenghua College uniform, a simple white T-shirt underneath. His figure was straight and upright, and amidst the smoke and bustle of the barbecue stall, he looked clean and fresh, like an outlier. The light wasn't bright, and it softened his overly delicate features, but the sense of alienation that made him feel out of place in the surroundings didn't diminish.
The noisy table instantly quieted down. The yellow-haired man, the crew cut man, and the others who had been making such a commotion just now all stared with their mouths open in disbelief at the "good student" who was approaching step by step.
Chu Yan seemed not to notice those astonished looks. With that impeccable and gentle smile on his face, his eyes fell directly on Gu Ye and he walked naturally to his side.
"Sorry, I'm a little late because I had to deal with something." His voice was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the noise around him.
Gu Ye looked at him, his Adam's apple rolling, and subconsciously moved the plastic stool he was sitting on, which looked a bit more solid, to the side, leaving most of the seat empty, and whispered, "Sit here."
Chu Yan readily sat on the half of the plastic stool Gu Ye had vacated. They sat so close together that their arms were practically touching. Gu Ye could clearly smell Chu Yan's clean scent, mixed with a faint, cold, leathery aroma that seemed to have just emerged from a luxury car. He shook his head, attributing the strange feeling to the alcohol.
"Yan...Brother Yan?" Huang Mao finally found his voice, a hint of tentativeness and inexplicable restraint. The crew cut and the others also reacted, their expressions becoming a little unnatural.
"Well, hello, everyone." Chu Yan smiled and nodded at them, his manner as natural as if they had known each other for years, without the slightest reluctance or awkwardness. He picked up an unused cup on the table and poured himself a glass of ice-cold beer. The foam rose, and he raised it and gestured to the crowd, "You're late, so I'll have a drink as a punishment." With that, he tilted his head back, his Adam's apple rolling, and finished the entire glass of beer in one gulp.
Straightforward and straightforward, without any shyness of a "good student".
This action instantly broke the subtle awkwardness and estrangement.
"Wow! Brother Yan is so straightforward!" The man with a buzz cut was the first to react. He slammed the table and shouted excitedly, "Come on, fill it up! Brother Ye, your brother is so straightforward!"
The atmosphere became lively again, but there was obviously more curiosity and implicit acceptance towards Chu Yan.
After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere at the table became even more heated. Perhaps feeling a bit drunk and emboldened, the yellow-haired man grabbed a deck of cards and shouted, "Just drinking is boring! Let's try something exciting! The King's Game! Wanna play?"
"Play! We must play!" Everyone responded one after another, their eyes filled with excitement as if they were watching a good show. They glanced at Chu Yan intentionally or unintentionally, wanting to see if this "good student" would be stage fright.
Chu Yan was slowly wiping the barbecue oil stains on his fingers with a paper towel. Hearing this, he raised his head and said in a relaxed tone, "Okay."
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