Chapter 31: Vicious Grandma Yu
On the first day of summer vacation, the sun was blazing brightly enough to melt the asphalt. Chu Yan took a leave of absence to accompany Gu Xu to that crucial meeting.
The meeting took place in an elegant tearoom in a private club. Professor Li appeared more relaxed than expected, yet his gaze shone with the wisdom and rigor of a scholar. Gu Chen, shrugging off any signs of fatigue, once again donned the mask of a gentle, unhurried elite. He had clearly done his homework, thoroughly familiar with Professor Li's team's research directions, technical challenges, and even the bottlenecks to future industrialization. The proposed collaboration fully respected the academic independence of Professor Li's team while precisely aligning it with the Gu Group's strengths in industrialization and financial support. The terms were generous and sincere, and even a seasoned veteran like Li Chongming was impressed.
Chu Yan sat quietly to the side, acting as a perfect foil. He held his teacup, his eyes occasionally glancing at the animated Gu Xu, then at Professor Li, who listened intently. The negotiation atmosphere was gradually gaining momentum. Both sides had essentially reached consensus on several core frameworks, leaving only a few details to be finalized.
Chu Yan put down the teacup at the right time and gave an apologetic smile: "Professor Li, Mr. Gu, sorry to leave you for a moment." He pointed outside and used the excuse of going to the bathroom, leaving the space completely to the two protagonists.
Only after exiting the teahouse, escaping the rather heavy commercial atmosphere, did Chu Yan feel his breathing ease. He leaned against the large French window at the end of the corridor, gazing out at the blurred city skyline, scorched by the scorching sun. The phone in his pocket vibrated, the words "Brother Yu" flashing on the screen.
Chu Yan answered the phone: "Brother Yu."
On the other end of the phone, Chu Yu's voice was like a Siberian cold wave, and the biting cold could be felt through the receiver: "Where are you?"
"I'm accompanying a friend to meet Professor Li." Chu Yan answered calmly.
"Friend?" Chu Yu sneered, with a knowing sarcasm, "Gu Xu?"
There was a brief silence, the air seemed to freeze. Chu Yu's voice deepened, carrying suppressed anger and a hint of subtle disappointment. "Chu Yan, I thought you were smart enough. Who is Gu Xu? He approached you and used you to hook up with Li Chongming. It was obvious that he wanted to solve the predicament of his Gu family."
Chu Yan was silent for a few seconds, then said calmly, "I know."
"You know?" Chu Yu's voice suddenly rose, "You know you still..."
"Brother Yu," Chu Yan interrupted him, his voice still steady, "I know who he is and what he wants to do. But whether to help him or not is my choice." He paused and added, "I'm almost done here. I'll come back to the company to talk to you in detail later."
After hanging up the phone, Chu Yan rubbed his brow. Chu Yu's reaction was as he'd expected, though her anger seemed even stronger than he'd anticipated. He took a deep breath, composed himself, and walked back to the tea room.
Inside, the atmosphere had become noticeably more relaxed. Gu Xu and Professor Li, both smiling with the optimism of reaching a preliminary consensus, were exchanging contact information and agreeing on a time for subsequent team meetings. Seeing Chu Yan return, Gu Xu gave him a grateful yet complex look.
Chu Yan smiled and said goodbye to Professor Li, his words perfectly balanced, expressing gratitude without overstepping his bounds. As they left the club, Gu Yu wanted to say something, but Chu Yan waved him off. "Don't say anything. I have things to do back at the company. Drive carefully." He hailed a taxi and headed straight for Cloud Intelligent Control.
Pushing open the heavy door of the president's office, Chu Yu was sitting behind a large desk with documents piled high in front of him. However, he obviously didn't read a single word of it. He just stared at the door expressionlessly, emitting a cold aura that kept strangers away, like an active volcano that could erupt at any time.
Chu Yan seemed unaffected by the almost freezing low pressure. He walked in with a normal expression and placed a project progress report on Chu Yu's desk. "Brother Yu, this is last week's project weekly report and next week's plan. Please take a look."
Chu Yu didn't read the report. His cold gaze was like a real ice cone, firmly nailed to Chu Yan's face.
Chu Yan remained calm and began to verbally report his recent work priorities, the problems he encountered, and his solutions in a clear and organized manner. His voice was steady and professional.
The only sounds in the office were Chu Yan's report and the low hum of the air conditioner. Chu Yu said nothing, just looked at him coldly.
After finishing the report, Chu Yan closed the folder and said, "Brother Yu, if there's nothing else, I'll go first..."
"Stop." Chu Yu finally spoke, his voice as cold as ice.
Chu Yan stopped, turned around, and calmly met Chu Yu's gaze.
"Chu Yan," Chu Yu stood up. "Do you know who Gu Xu is? He's an illegitimate child who climbed up from the quagmire of the Gu family. He approaches you and flatters you just to take advantage of your Chu family background and connections. He can use you to hook up with Li Chongming today, and he can use you for more things tomorrow! In his eyes, you're just a stepping stone, a useful ladder!"
Chu Yan listened quietly, his face showing no embarrassment or anger at being exposed. After Chu Yu finished speaking, he slowly said, "I know."
"You knew?" Chu Yu was almost laughing out of anger. "You knew that, but you still got involved with him? Are you crazy?"
"Neither." Chu Yan smiled, his eyes frank and almost innocent. "I just think... he's quite interesting. He's cunning, a good actor, and ambitious, but in some ways... he's surprisingly honest, even a little endearing." He paused, looked at Chu Yu's gloomy face, and added, "Besides, I don't mind being used by him."
Chu Yu was almost choked by this self-righteous "I don't mind." He didn't care about Chu Yan's sexual orientation at all. Whether in the Chu family's side branches or the main family, there were many young people who were open-minded. What he never expected was that his cousin, who was so talented and intelligent that he far surpassed his peers, was actually a complete love-brained person when it came to relationships. Looking at Chu Yan's face full of "I am happy", Chu Yu instantly empathized with the vicious mothers-in-law in those melodramatic TV dramas who were so angry at their stubborn and foolish sons that their hearts, livers, spleens, lungs and kidneys ached.
A feeling of powerlessness mixed with anger surged in his heart. He pointed at Chu Yan and finally managed only a few words: "Chu Yan, sooner or later you will fall flat on your face on this."
Chu Yan looked at his cousin, who looked so frustrated but helpless, and his smile widened. He took a step forward, his tone a bit coquettish but his eyes were extremely serious: "Don't you still have me, cousin? If I really fell, would you still just watch me and do nothing?"
Chu Yu: “…”
These words were like a needle, precisely puncturing the balloon of anger Chu Yu had forced himself to maintain. He sighed heavily, a sigh filled with helplessness, compromise, and a hint of resigned indulgence. He waved his hand irritably, tacitly agreeing not to pursue the matter further and also tacitly agreeing not to give Gu Xu any more "special treatment" in business matters.
"But," Chu Yu sat back in his chair, his face stern, and he displayed the authority of an older brother. "Remember this: you're still a high school student. Your primary priority is your studies. Even if you want to have a relationship," he said with difficulty, "please restrain yourself. At least wait until you go to college. Do you understand?"
"I heard." Chu Yan nodded obediently with a sweet smile, "I promise it won't affect my studies, and I promise I'll be careful before going to college." He deliberately emphasized the four words "be careful".
Chu Yu looked at his "humbly accepting" appearance and felt his temples begin to throb again. Never mind, out of sight, out of mind.
For the next two weeks, Chu Yan officially began his summer internship at Cloud Intelligent Control. He and Chu Yu, cousins, formed a strange pairing within the company, one with a cold aura and the other with a gentle smile.
Chu Yan soon discovered that his workaholic cousin's lifestyle was a perfect example of a "domineering CEO"—he had irregular meals, relied on black coffee to survive, and often stayed up late processing documents. Chu Yan saw this and his brow furrowed further and further.
Thus, the style of the Cloud Intelligent Control President's office began to change quietly.
"Brother Yu, it's time for lunch."
"Brother Yu, the takeaway has arrived. Put down the documents and eat first."
"Brother Yu, the coffee is confiscated. Replace it with a cup of warm water."
"Brother Yu, it's seven o'clock in the evening. It's time to get off work. I'll look at the documents tomorrow."
At first, Chu Yu was extremely impatient with this "discipline," his brow furrowed so sharply it could pinch a fly. But Chu Yan completely ignored his cold expression, remaining gentle yet insistent. He would place piping hot meals in front of Chu Yu, forcefully close his laptop, and even drag him to the staff cafeteria for lunch.
Chu Yu watched Chu Yan "supervise" him to eat on time every day, watched him replace his coffee with warm water, watched him worry about his schedule even though he was clearly busy himself. A long-lost warmth of being cared for quietly flowed through Chu Yu's heart, which had been frozen by work for so long. Although she still said she found him annoying, Chu Yu no longer forcefully rejected Chu Yan's concern.
Two weeks flew by amidst the busy work and Chu Yan's "health management." The cloud-based intelligent control project was progressing smoothly, and a report on the progress needed to be made back at City A headquarters. Chu Yu looked at his schedule, then at Chu Yan, who was helping him organize the report materials, and said, "Get ready and follow me back to City A headquarters tomorrow."
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