Chapter 22 Chu Yu
A few months slipped by silently. The workload became increasingly heavy, and the air in Shenghua College was filled with a tense feeling of preparing for the final exams.
An unspoken understanding seemed to have formed between Gu Ye and Chu Yan. They both chose to remain silent about that night, Chu Yan's disappearance every weekend, and even about some strange feelings that were quietly growing in Gu Ye's heart.
Gu Ye poured all his energy into studying and training. The pain of chewing books like chewing wax was now replaced by a tenacity to overcome difficulties.
He repeatedly worked through the exercises Chu Yan assigned, the key points he highlighted, and the difficult points he explained, asking questions until he finally understood. His hard work paid off, and in the following monthly exams, Gu Ye's position on the grade leaderboard steadily climbed, from the initial 75th percentile to now firmly in the top 40th percentile.
Every time the results were announced, the deliberately suppressed pride on his face and the sparkling eyes when he looked at Chu Yan were clearly visible.
In addition to academics, the evening "extra training" also upgraded. Chu Yan no longer limited himself to physical training, but began to systematically teach Gu Ye some orthodox fighting techniques and practical self-defense techniques.
In the empty training ground, the two figures intertwined, and Gu Ye was learning very seriously. Every successful block and every neat punch made him feel the sense of security brought by the increase in strength.
The days passed in this routine. Gu Ye forced himself to focus on the books and training before him, using the safe terms of "roommate," "classmate," and "landlord" to frame his increasingly complex feelings for Chu Yan. He carefully maintained boundaries, imitating Chu Yan's tendency to turn a blind eye to certain things.
Chu Yan observed Gu Ye's changes without any expression of praise or criticism. He simply continued to play his role, providing just the right amount of help and encouragement. As for Gu Ye's clumsy attempts to cover up and try to draw a line between them, he saw them without reacting, as if everything was expected.
On this weekend afternoon, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the hotel suite's heavy curtains, casting a narrow strip of light on the carpet. The air was filled with the ambiguous scent of post-erotic passion.
Gu Xu leaned against the head of the bed with his upper body naked, a half-burned cigar between his fingertips. Amidst the smoke, his satisfied gaze followed Chu Yan, who was adjusting his shirt in front of the dressing mirror.
Chu Yan's movements were unhurried, his bony fingers deftly fastening the buttons, meticulously working from his lower abdomen to his Adam's apple. The mirror reflected his tall, straight back and graceful profile, a paradoxical charm of post-event laziness and abstinence.
"Next Wednesday, there's a business forum in the west of the city focusing on artificial intelligence and future manufacturing. It's a very high-profile event, and the attendees are all top industry figures." Gu Xu's voice was hoarse with hindsight. "Are you interested in going? I'd like to introduce you to a few key figures."
Chu Yan fastened the last button of his shirt and picked up his suit jacket, which was draped over the back of a chair. He paused for a moment, then turned to look at Gu Xu. His expression was a bit nonchalant: "Wednesday? What a coincidence! I'm supposed to be going with Brother Yu that day." The Brother Yu he was referring to was, of course, Chu Yu, the heir to the Chu family's main branch.
Gu Xu's eyes flashed, but his expression remained unchanged, even showing a hint of understanding: "Chu Yu? That's perfect. I'll find you at the forum when the time comes."
"Okay." Chu Yan nodded. He picked up the watch on the bedside table and put it on. He walked to the bed, leaned over and pressed a light kiss on Gu's lips, with a hint of comfort. "Let's go."
Gu Xu took advantage of the situation to grab his wrist, rubbed his wrist bone ambiguously with his fingertips, and looked at him with a hook in his eyes.
Chu Yan gently pulled away, a teasing smile curling up at the corner of his lips. "Brother, indulgence is harmful to your health." He left the suite without further lingering. The door gently closed, isolating the warmth and laziness in the room.
Across town, atop a strikingly modern skyscraper, the logo of the "Cloud Intelligent Control" project company gleamed brightly behind a glass curtain wall.
Chu Yan swiped his card to enter the core office area and walked straight to the CEO's office at the back, which had a wide view. Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows was the bustling city skyline.
When I opened the door, the air pressure inside was frighteningly low.
Chu Yu sat behind a large black desk, wearing a perfectly tailored dark gray couture suit, no tie, and his shirt casually unbuttoned, revealing the distinct lines of his collarbone. His features were strikingly handsome, their contours deep and sculpted, but at this moment, a layer of frost blanketed his face, and he exuded an oppressive aura that kept strangers away.
Different from Chu Yan's aloofness under his gentleness, Chu Yu was undisguisedly indifferent. He was truly noble by nature, with the arrogance of someone who had been at the top of the pyramid for a long time.
A middle-aged, well-dressed vice president stood at his desk, a document in hand. His voice trembled slightly as he reported on the progress of the project. Chu Yu listened, his slender fingers unconsciously tapping the smooth surface, each tapping like a blow to the vice president's heart.
“…Regarding the risk assessment of technology implementation, we believe…”
"What do you think?" Chu Yu interrupted coldly. His voice was not loud, but it stung like an ice spike. "Where is the data support? Have you done a comparative analysis of the parameters of the latest iterations of competitors' solutions? What about the results of extreme stress tests in user scenarios? Just relying on the words 'we think'?" With every question he asked, the vice president's face turned paler.
The atmosphere in the office dropped to freezing point.
At this moment, Chu Yan pushed the door open and walked in. He seemed not to feel the suffocating low pressure, and put on a gentle and decent smile on his face, and nodded slightly in Chu Yu's direction: "Brother Yu."
Chu Yu's gaze shifted from the vice president to Chu Yan. Seeing him, the icy cold on his face seemed to melt slightly, and the corners of his tightly pursed lips relaxed a bit. Although he still didn't smile, his imposing aura had clearly subsided. He gave a barely perceptible nod as a response.
"Brother Yu, I happen to have some supplementary materials here. They include an in-depth explanation of the technical barriers and the targeted strategies of several potential lead investors." Chu Yan walked naturally to the desk and smoothly took the plan from the vice president, which had been criticized to no avail. He cleverly helped the vice president out of his predicament. "Mr. Wang, could you please bring me the test report submitted by the technical department last week?"
The vice president looked at Chu Yan with gratitude as if he had been pardoned, and quickly responded and went out.
Chu Yan didn't wait for Chu Yu to speak before flipping through the plan. He pointed at the key points and began explaining them in a steady and clear voice. His thinking was crystal clear, his logic rigorous, and his grasp of both technical details and business strategies was spot-on.
Not only did he fill in the gaps that Chu Yu had raised, he also proposed several highly forward-looking and practical optimization plans, which instantly elevated the originally somewhat simplistic plan to a higher level.
Chu Yu leaned back in his wide chair, listening to Chu Yan's clear explanation. His fingers stopped tapping on the table, and the coldness in his eyes gradually gave way to concentration and a subtle admiration. He would occasionally interrupt with a key question or two, and Chu Yan would always quickly give a strong and data-backed answer.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating Chu Yan's profile as he focused on his explanation, outlining his delicate jawline and straight nose. He spoke eloquently, confidently and calmly, his gentle demeanor now transformed into a restrained edge and powerful persuasiveness.
Chu Yu's gaze fell on Chu Yan's face, and a hint of appreciation for beautiful things flashed across the depths of his cold eyes.
When Chu Yan closed the plan, a brief silence fell in the office. Chu Yu was silent for a few seconds before finally speaking. Though his voice remained cold, the low pressure had completely dissipated. "Yes, the supplementary part and your proposal are feasible. Ask Mr. Wang to refine it in this direction and send the final version to my email before noon tomorrow."
This is passed.
Chu Yan showed a sincere smile on his face: "Okay, Brother Yu, do you want to have dinner together tonight?"
Chu Yu nodded.
Looking at Chu Yu's cold yet aggressively handsome face, at the sharpness and control still lingering in his eyes, Chu Yan whistled inwardly, his eyes flickering across Chu Yu's chiseled features imperceptibly, with a touch of pure interest in "beauty." [Brother Yu is a bit cold, but he's certainly very engaging.]
[…] The system is already halfway through repairs, but it'd rather remain a bot. Chu Yan is truly audacious, playing this way on his first raid mission. [Be careful, or you'll lose your top spot on the leaderboard if you fail the mission.]
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