Like a matchmaker, Wan Ya vigorously promoted Chen Zhe to Tang Jie and his daughter, praising him for being able to manage such a large company as Linglong Club and Silin Group at such a young age.
Tang Jie nodded, then asked, "I heard that you and Hu Ling had a good relationship. People outside are saying that you were a couple, which is why she entrusted Linglong Club to you. Although she is dead now, I still want to know if this is true?"
The atmosphere on the field immediately became subtle after Tang Jie said this.
Wan Ya coughed; "Old Tang, why are you asking this? Of course it's fake..."
"Aya, don't say anything, let him talk to himself."
Tang Jie's tone wasn't oppressive; rather, it sounded like a very stable elder having a patient chat with you.
Wan Ya looked at Chen Zhe and gave him an apologetic smile.
Chen Zhe nodded slightly; "Uncle, Sister Hu and I do indeed have a very close relationship..."
Upon hearing this opening, the father and daughter, along with Wan Ya, all gave each other strange looks.
"You really have a relationship with her..."
Tang Jie seemed a little nervous.
“Uncle, Sister Hu is my teacher. She brought me into the industry and taught me various business skills. I respect her very much.”
Hearing this answer, Tang Jie and the others breathed a sigh of relief, but he became puzzled again.
He asked, "Why haven't I heard her mention this before? In the capital, it takes a lot of fuss to take on a disciple. Hu Ling is a person of status, so why haven't we heard a word about it?"
Chen Zhe said, "Uncle, Sister Hu had considered this before she passed away, but in the end she decided against it. She said that she was no longer considered a person from the capital, so she wanted to keep a low profile."
Tang Jie nodded.
"That makes sense; that does sound like something Hu Ling would say."
Wan Ya chimed in, "That's right, it's obviously a misunderstanding."
After explaining this, the atmosphere finally became a little more relaxed. Since Tang Jie knew Hu Ling, he naturally brought up the topic of Hu Ling as they talked.
Tang Jie put down his chopsticks and began to recall.
"Back then, Hu Ling was a genius at our school. She was 10 years younger than me, but only two years younger. She entered the school at the age of 13, making her the youngest college student in the country that year. The moment she arrived at the school, all kinds of media reported on her. She had excellent grades and was also very beautiful. She really left a deep impression on everyone!"
Wan Ya nodded as well.
"Yeah, I remember too. She was the top liberal arts student that year. Back then, all you boys looked at her like you were infatuated, hahaha."
These words made Tang Jie blush.
"She was a minor at the time, how could we have such thoughts..."
Wan Ya laughed and said, "I remember she visited your house when she graduated, and you invited her, right?"
Tang Jie coughed; "It was all academic exchange. Many students came together, including many senior and junior students..."
"So that's how your older brother fell for her back then?"
Gossiping is a woman's nature, and even Wan Ya, who holds a high position, is no exception.
Chen Zhe's ears twitched; he was also a little curious.
Tang Jie coughed again; "Aya, let's not talk about this, let's eat, let's eat."
Wan Ya seemed genuinely curious, and she didn't let Tang Jie avoid the question. "Old Tang, what's there to hide? Everyone knew your older brother liked Hu Ling back then, it caused quite a stir. I haven't asked you about it all these years, but we just happened to run into each other today, so please satisfy my curiosity and tell them about your past."
Tang Xuening also said.
"Dad, I want to hear it too, please tell me."
"Well... okay, but promise me you won't tell anyone."
"Alright, alright, I got it, just tell me already."
Wan Ya urged them on.
"Aya, you're still so impatient. Can't you give me some time to process this? So many years have passed; I need to recall things."
"Then you'd better get started, I really want to hear it."
Tang Jie sighed slightly; "Then I'll talk about it. The two people involved are no longer here, so no one should care anymore."
"Here's what happened. Back then, I was in charge of publicity for the Ministry of Culture. We needed a lot of fresh talent to write articles for us. Hu Ling was the top scorer in the liberal arts exam, so naturally, she was the first person I thought of. That's why I sent her an invitation. Of course, I didn't just invite her; I also invited many other classmates..."
At this point, Wan Ya suddenly interrupted.
"Then why didn't you invite me?"
Tang Jie suddenly laughed; "With your skill level? If I had invited you back then, would you have dared to come?"
Wan Ya paused for a moment, then burst out laughing; "Okay, I know my place."
"That's good. Many of them came at the time, and their writing skills were all very high. But the most eye-catching one was Hu Ling. She was the youngest, but her talent was the highest. She could write articles that we had racked our brains over, and she could write them off easily without repeating herself. When we sent them to the leaders, they would approve them after just one reading and were very positive about them."
Tang Xuening, who was standing next to her, asked, "Is she really that amazing?"
"Yes, we all thought highly of her at the time. My leader also told me that I must recruit her to our department. In fact, not only our department, but several writers' associations with very high thresholds also extended invitations to her, hoping that she would join us, but she refused them all."
"Huh? Why did you refuse?" Wan Ya asked.
Wan Ya didn't understand this at all. She had worked her way up from the bottom and knew very well that someone so young could gain the approval of so many department leaders, and her future development would definitely be very good.
"I don't know about that. It might be due to her family situation. Do you remember? Something happened to the Hu family back then. Many people in their family died."
Wan Ya nodded.
"I remember hearing that many adult men in the Hu family died, and at the time it was said to be some kind of curse..."
"The curses and stuff are all nonsense. Although I don't know the specifics, I do know that they all died of illness."
"What disease can kill so many people at once? An infectious disease?"
"It shouldn't be an infectious disease, right? Infectious diseases can't only be passed on to men and not women, can they?"
"Okay, let's not talk about that now. I want to hear about her and your older brother. Tell me about that first!"
“My brother had just returned from abroad. When he came in and saw us, his eyes were fixed on Hu Ling. He didn’t say anything at the time, but later when they left, he asked me about Hu Ling. When he learned that she was still a minor, he sighed.”
"So, according to you, your brother knew Hu Ling was underage, so he should have given up. But why did I hear that he bought a whole street of flowers to confess his feelings to Hu Ling?"
"Huh? There are such romantic things? How come I didn't know?"
Tang Xuening asked curiously.
"Yes, yes, this matter was even in the news at the time, but it was suppressed later."
Wan Ya said with a smile.
Tang Jie nodded; "That's true. My brother liked her a lot back then, but considering her age, he said he wanted to wait until she came of age."
Tang Xuening thought for a moment and then interrupted, "Isn't that right? My eldest brother is already 23 this year. You must be talking about something that happened 19 years ago. Wasn't my uncle already married back then?"
Tang Jie was a little embarrassed after hearing this; "He did get married. He got married before he went abroad, but he and your aunt didn't get along well. When he came back, he said he wanted a divorce."
Tang Xuening covered her mouth in surprise; "How could this be? Even if he doesn't get along with Auntie, they already have my brother, how could he still like Hu Ling?"
Tang Xuening's question made Tang Jie quite embarrassed.
"At that time, their marriage was arranged by their parents and a matchmaker. After your uncle went abroad, he may have been exposed to foreign ideas and felt that this kind of relationship was wrong."
"But Dad, you and Mom also had an arranged marriage, didn't you?"
“It’s different. Your mother and I knew each other when we were in school. When we found out it was each other, we accepted it.”
"Didn't your uncle and aunt know each other before they got married?"
"I don't know him. Your aunt's family is very strict. They don't allow couples to meet before marriage."
"Oh, I see..."
Wan Ya asked, "Did they get divorced back then?"
“They got divorced, all the formalities were completed, but they didn’t announce it to the public. So when my brother confessed his feelings to Hu Ling, he was indeed single. However, after Hu Ling married Guan Yingjie, they remarried.”
"Didn't Hu Ling take a liking to your brother?"
Wan Ya asked.
"Well... I don't know. They met privately a few times back then, but only the people involved know the specifics."
"What you're saying is completely useless; you don't understand anything!"
Wan Ya was speechless.
"How can I be sure? I'm not one of them. But I think Hu Ling doesn't dislike my brother. He even drove her on a trip to the suburbs. They seemed to be getting along quite well."
"That means you like them!!"
Wan Ya affirmed.
"That's why Hu Ling was so angry when she married Guan Yingjie that she stabbed him! It's all because of your brother!"
"You can't say things like that! Guan Yingjie is awake now. If he hears you say something like that, he'll probably fight you to the death. You know, that kid's crazy."
Wan Ya laughed heartily; "Okay, I won't make things up, but I know this is definitely how it is!! A returned student divorced for love, and a young girl, unable to marry the man she loved, stabbed the groom in the back at their wedding. How should I put it? Although it's a bit melodramatic, these two are truly in love!"
Tang Jie smiled and shook his head; "You said it, not me."
That's the situation!!!
Wan Ya insisted on her own opinion.
They chatted for a while before remembering why they had come today.
"Alright, you two young people chat for a bit, Old Tang and I will head out first!"
The two left.
Only Chen Zhe and Tang Xuening remained on the field.
Tang Xuening didn't hesitate; instead, she took the initiative to start a conversation.
"Actually, my brother has mentioned you before. You saved my brother's life, right?"
...
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