Chapter 88 Final
The morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting a narrow, warm strip of light across the floor. Chu Yan's biological clock woke him up on time, and his first reaction was to reach out and touch the forehead of the person next to him.
The tentacles felt cool, the scorching heat of yesterday completely gone. Chu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. The medicine produced by the system was indeed effective.
【Thanks.】 He said to the system in his mind.
[No big deal~] The system said in a light tone, but with a hint of imperceptible guilt.
Chu Yan keenly noticed this unusual situation and raised his eyebrows slightly: [This medicine is not cheap, right? Where did you get so many points? I remember you complaining about being broke after completing your last mission.]
[Uh… well…] The system suddenly froze, the data flow becoming tangled for a moment. After a long pause, he mumbled, "It was temporarily loaned to me by a friend from another system. Yes, it's just for emergency use."
A knowing smile flashed across Chu Yan's eyes. He didn't believe any system would be so helpful. This stupid system had probably done something else. However, he really didn't have time to interrogate it in detail right now. He would slowly "torture" it when he had time.
Movement beside him brought him back to his senses. Gu Xu's eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes. The wakefulness after the fever subsided brought a sense of exhaustion, but it also cleared his foggy mind. Memories of last night gradually returned, including the foolish things he'd said and the childish things he'd done while fever-stricken.
Gu Xu's ears felt slightly hot, and he awkwardly rubbed his still swollen forehead, hardly daring to look at Chu Yan's smiling eyes. He lifted the quilt and whispered, "I...I'll go wash up." His voice was still hoarse from his illness, but he had regained his usual calm tone. Only his hurried back betrayed his current discomfort.
Chu Yan watched his back, his eyes filled with growing interest. It was rare to see the decisive and ruthless Mr. Gu looking so embarrassed, which was quite amusing.
The two months before the winter vacation passed quietly in busyness.
City A, Ruichuang Technology.
Gu Yu had devoted himself almost entirely to the company. His previous illness seemed like a brief pause, and after that, he returned to the fight with even greater energy.
His decisive contraction strategy had shown results. The obstruction from Gu Qian seemed fierce, with all kinds of business tactics emerging one after another, but in reality, it was like a fist hitting cotton, and did not cause any substantial damage to Ruizao.
Gu Xu's strategy of focusing on core business left the Gu family struggling to find a critical advantage. The turning point came a month later when the unmanned application technology project, a collaboration with Professor Li Zhenhua, yielded groundbreaking initial results. The release of this achievement made Ruichuang Technology a highly anticipated industry dark horse. Standing in his office, Gu Xu surveyed the bustling campus below and the relentless online coverage. After months of tense expression, a smile of genuine relief finally broke through his lips. This was the first solid foundation he had truly built on his own since leaving the Gu family.
S City, Gu Group.
Gu Ye's progress was equally eye-catching. Under Gu Hongyuan's increasingly strained control and the constant internal strife, the Gu Group had long since lost its former glory and was on a downward spiral.
Available personnel dwindled, while loopholes multiplied. Gu Ye observed calmly, like a dormant wolf, precisely seizing every opportunity. Capitalizing on Gu Hongyuan's eagerness to stabilize the situation, and his own gradually emerging abilities, he not only gradually took over core operations but also seized the opportunity to ally with some disgruntled veterans. He swiftly and decisively eliminated several Gu family collateral branches and illegitimate children who had been a constant obstacle to him, occupying high positions despite their mediocre abilities.
His methods were so clean and efficient that it was almost impossible to find fault. Now, within the Gu family, no one dared to underestimate him. When discussing the future successor, Gu Ye's name had become the strongest contender. He was gradually sidelining Gu Hongyuan and consolidating power.
City A, Chu Group.
Chu Yu had officially taken over the reins from his father, becoming the new generation leader of the Chu family. The success of the cloud-based intelligent control project, his first major independent project, laid a solid foundation for his smooth transition.
Now that the project is completely on track, Chu Yu has handed over full responsibility to Chu Yan, and he himself needs to devote more energy to the overall operation of the larger Chu Group.
As the semester neared its end, even Chu Yan had to temporarily step away from business management and focus on his student duties. Paleontology involved a vast array of technical terms to memorize and understand, complex geological time periods, and diverse fossil morphological characteristics. Even his brilliance forced him to embark on the agonizing "final review week" of navigating this new field.
The university library was filled with a uniquely quiet and tense atmosphere of exam preparation. Chu Yan habitually sat in his fixed seat by the window, a thick stack of documents and notes spread out before him. His fingertips unconsciously twirled the pen, his brow furrowed in concentration.
At this moment, someone gently pulled out a chair from the empty seat next to him and sat down. Chu Yan looked up and saw it was Lu Chen.
Ever since he stumbled upon Chu Yan's almost unwavering habit of occupying this seat, Lu Chen had gradually developed a habit of reading there. The two of them became "library deskmates," though they were mostly just nodding acquaintances, rarely speaking due to the library's strict silence policy.
Chu Yan's phone was propped up beside him, the screen lit. Inside was Gu Ye, who was far away in S City. The two of them were on a video call, each buried in their studies. Occasionally, when they looked up to stretch their aching necks, they could see the other struggling through the screen. They would exchange wry smiles or mouth a silent "Keep fighting!", as if they were back in high school, fighting side by side.
However, Gu Ye on the other end of the video was not so calm. Every time he looked up, besides seeing Chu Yan, he would always catch a glimpse of a senior named Lu Chen who was concentrating on reading beside Chu Yan.
Although he couldn't hear them talking and could tell they weren't communicating much, the mere presence of that guy made Gu Ye feel jealous. Especially when he saw Lu Chen occasionally and naturally handing Chu Yan a notepad, or when Chu Yan helped Lu Chen pick up a dropped pen... Gu Ye was practically envious.
"Tsk!" Gu Ye scratched his hair in annoyance for the Nth time. Facing Chu Yan's puzzled look in the video, he could only mouth angrily: "Nothing!"
He wished he could fly to City A right away, sit next to Chu Yan openly, and stake his claim. Unfortunately, he was thousands of miles away, and with final exams still to come, he could only fret. Frustrated, he couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Gu Yan, that piece of shit, doesn't even keep a close eye on me even in City A!"
Finally, the agonizing finals week came to an end.
After handing in his final exam, Chu Yan breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if he had fought a tough battle. As agreed, he and his roommates went out for a hot pot dinner, celebrating the start of winter vacation and also saying goodbye.
At the dinner table, Sun Miao and Zhao Jian were already drunk, while Li Sizhe looked at Chu Yan several times, wanting to say something but holding back. Chu Yan was so amused by his look that he took the initiative to speak: "Sizhe, just say what you want to say. Isn't it uncomfortable to hold it in?"
Li Sizhe put down his chopsticks, pushed his glasses, looked at Chu Yan, and said in a low voice: "Chu Yan, we are roommates and friends. If you really encounter any difficulties, such as being coerced, or have something unspeakable, you must speak up! Although we may not be able to help much, we will never sit idly by!"
Chu Yan: “???”
He was stunned for several seconds before he realized that Li Sizhe had obviously completely misunderstood the occasional calls or messages he received from Chu Yu, Gu Xu and even Gu Ye, as well as his occasional need to leave school to handle "personal matters".
It seems that his idea that he was "forced by a mysterious force to hide his identity and study an unpopular major" not only did not disappear, but was instead "supported" by various details during the few months he stayed there, making him more and more convinced.
Chu Yan's mouth twitched. Looking at Li Sizhe's determined eyes that said "I understand, I understand everything, you don't need to explain", he was powerless to complain. He could only pat Li Sizhe's shoulder with a helpless smile: "...Okay, thank you Sizhe, if that day comes, I will definitely tell you."
The next morning, Chu Yan checked in with his simple suitcase. The plane took off, breaking through the clouds and heading towards S City. Meanwhile, in S City, Gu Ye had just walked into the examination room for his final exam, a hint of anticipation on his face.
Winter vacation has finally begun.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
