When Chu Hongyu returned home, she saw her mother, Xiao Min, standing by the living room window, anxiously looking downstairs. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Chu Hongyu return.
"Hongyu, why are you back so late? Have you eaten?" Xiao Min's beautiful face, which was a little sallow, had a gentle smile on it.
Chu Hongyu walked over, took her mother's arm, and said gently, "Mom, you've just been discharged from the hospital, why aren't you resting properly? It'll be a little late for the police station to take your statement, but I think it won't be long before Dad's job and reputation are restored!"
As she spoke, she recounted everything that had happened that day.
Mr. Chu, who was standing to the side, put down his newspaper, pushed up his glasses, and sighed deeply: "The only things that cannot be looked at directly are people's hearts and the sun. Your senior sister probably fell into the lust for power during the Great Chaos and lost her humanity."
Xiao Min coughed lightly, her eyes cold and distant: "The most terrifying thing in this world is not a bad person, but a bad person who is cultured."
As she spoke, she gently took her daughter's hand, then looked at Mr. Chu and said with relief, "Old Chu, our little girl under our wings has grown up. She can not only fly, but also protect her parents."
Old Chu smiled and poured his daughter a bowl of sweet water: "Our little girl is the best, but she's still young. We can shelter her from the wind and rain until we can't move anymore. It's not too late for her to fly then."
Chu Hongyu's nose tingled, and she almost burst into tears: "I'm sorry, Mom and Dad, it's all my fault."
The fact that her parents suffered so much this time was, frankly, her own fault.
If only I had listened to my mother and hadn't gotten together with Su Xueming...
Xiao Min could tell what her daughter was thinking just by looking at her. She gently patted her back and said, "Our little girl is smart from a young age. She learns from her mistakes and will have a smooth life from now on."
Seeing his daughter upset, Old Chu quickly changed the subject: "Darling, your mother said a car brought you back. Who was it?"
"Oh, it's Yuanyuan's sworn brother, the president of Ning's Group, who brought me back. You remember, right? I worked as his assistant for a while recently?" Chu Hongyu sniffed and explained simply.
Xiao Min paused for a moment, then remembered: "Right, you mentioned the very famous Ning Group in Hong Kong, which deals in real estate and trade... Did their boss send you back?"
"Well, I guess so," Chu Hongyu said vaguely. "However, he's not the biggest boss. Ning Yuan said he's also some kind of... senior... right, senior long-term worker, but he has shares."
“Then he’s not a worker anymore. The president… that’s a rather novel way of putting it. It should be similar to what our general manager says here. He’s at least a shareholder. I heard from Lao Zhang before that both Shanghai and Beijing should be cooperating with Ning’s.” Mr. Chu put away his newspaper.
Chu Hongyu hadn't expected her father to know so much. She nodded, "Dad knows a lot!"
Mr. Chu: "Hmm, recently, whenever the economic newspapers in Shanghai and Beijing mention foreign investment, you can see his name. Judging from the newspaper photos, he's a young and promising entrepreneur. Didn't you already resign from his job? Mr. Ning, why did he send you back?"
“He…” Chu Hongyu hesitated for a moment, but still said, “He wants me to continue being his assistant, and he offered me a very, very high salary, comparable to the salary of the Hong Kong government.”
"So tall?" Mr. Chu and Xiao Min exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.
They know the Hong Kong government's salaries; one year's salary is enough for them to live on for ten years.
Chu Hongyu looked at her parents very seriously: "However, I've made it very clear that I won't go. Making money can wait; I still want to focus on my studies!"
Mr. Chu smiled and said with satisfaction, "Good, that's ambitious!"
Xiao Min looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and did not express her opinion, but simply patted her daughter's hand gently.
...
For the next week, she went back and forth between the school, her home, and the police station.
As dusk settled and the city lights began to twinkle, Chu Hongyu returned to the university. Night had already enveloped Fudan University in tranquility. The twinkling lights of the teaching buildings cast her long, slender shadow.
"Hongyu, wait a minute!" A panting voice came from behind.
Chu Hongyu stopped and turned around. It was Peng Fendou, the famous "talented scholar" from the physics department next door.
He once pursued her intensely, but at that time she was so infatuated with Su Xueming that she didn't pay any attention to her other suitors.
"Senior, is there anything I can help you with?" Chu Hongyu asked politely, her tone cold and distant.
"Hongyu, you're back so late. Have you eaten? I bought you your favorite pan-fried buns and soy milk."
Peng Fendou's voice sounded particularly abrupt in the quiet night. He handed the things in his hand to Chu Hongyu, his face full of a fawning smile.
Chu Hongyu frowned slightly, subtly taking a step back to avoid Peng Fendou's hand: "Thank you, I'm not hungry. It's getting late, I'll go upstairs now."
Peng Fendou's smile froze for a moment, and he awkwardly withdrew his hand, but quickly regained his enthusiasm: "Well... I have a bottle of soda here, chilled, you can take it to quench your thirst on the way."
Chu Hongyu shook her head and refused again: "Thank you, but no need. Senior, please drink it yourself. I'll go back now."
"No, Hongyu, let's talk." Peng Fendou seemed oblivious to Chu Hongyu's aloofness and continued to block her way.
He said tenderly, "I know you've been feeling down lately. You can tell me anything; I'm happy to be your emotional support."
Chu Hongyu shook her head, suppressing her discomfort, and tried to walk around him: "It's too late, really... no need!"
After being rejected repeatedly, Peng Fendou was getting embarrassed: "Hongyu, why do you always avoid me? You're single, and I'm single! What's wrong with me?"
Chu Hongyu took a deep breath, suppressing her agitation, and said in a cold tone—
"Peng Fendou, thank you for your kindness, but I only want to study right now and I don't want to be in a relationship. That's how it was before, that's how it is now, and that won't change in the future."
Seeing Chu Hongyu's resolute attitude, Peng Fendou's smile gradually disappeared, and his tone became sarcastic.
"Oh, stop pretending to be high and mighty. You used to be quite the player, didn't you? What, can't handle it now? Stop acting like an innocent young girl."
Chu Hongyu's beautiful face turned cold, and her anger flared instantly: "Peng Fendou, watch your mouth!"
Peng Fendou was stunned for a moment, then his face turned ugly as he stared at Chu Hongyu—
"Chu Hongyu, what are you pretending to be so high and mighty for?! You used to be the school beauty, the boys who chased you could line up all the way to the Huangpu River!"
He paused, then said dismissively, "But do you still think you're the same high and mighty Chu Hongyu you used to be? I couldn't even dream of befriending you before, but now, humph, don't forget what your reputation is now!"
"What do you mean?" Chu Hongyu frowned, a bad feeling rising in her heart.
Peng Fendou sneered, "You know exactly what I mean! You say you don't want to be in a relationship, but you've already slept with that guy surnamed Su, the whole school knows. What kind of good person do you think you are, pretending to be so high and mighty!"
Chu Hongyu was struck dumb, her face turning deathly pale instantly.
Those unbearable past events, those rumors she had deliberately forgotten, those unbearable slanders, like venomous snakes, once again tightly coiled around her, almost suffocating her.
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Chu Hongyu shouted angrily, suppressing her humiliation and anger.
"I'm talking nonsense? You know perfectly well what you've done!" Peng Fendou's words became increasingly outrageous, and his voice grew louder and louder.
This attracted a crowd of students who were passing by.
"I used to think you were so high and mighty that I, Peng Fendou, would chase after you like a goddess. Now, humph, who knew you were just a used woman, yet you still put on airs!"
Peng Fendou's words pierced Chu Hongyu's heart like a sharp knife. She felt a chaotic scene before her eyes and her body stiffened as if she had fallen into an ice cave.
The surrounding chatter grew louder, and the malicious and mocking gazes made it almost impossible for her to breathe.
Just then, a tall, burly figure blocked Chu Hongyu's path and kicked Peng Fendou: "Shut up! If you can't speak like a human being, sew your mouth shut!"
Peng Fendou screamed in pain as he was kicked and rolled on the ground.
Chu Hongyu stared blankly at the tall figure in front of her: "Captain Ying?"
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