What Liu Chen said, He Siyu blinked her eyelashes and said nothing. By the evening, after they had dinner together, she returned to her own home. Her mother asked, and although her daughter spoke slowly, she managed to recount what she and Liu Chen had done that day and what Liu Chen had said.
She spoke so slowly that by the time she finished, it was late into the night. However, Zhen Yu didn't mind at all; she usually guided her daughter like this to encourage her to speak more.
As long as her daughter was willing to talk, she was happy to listen, even if it meant staying up all night.
Zhen Yu was not familiar with school matters, so her primary focus was on her daughter having a playmate for the first time.
Yes, a playmate. Because Zhen Yu dared not hope her daughter would have normal friends, but He Long did.
Listening to He Siyu's words, his first reaction was—
Liu Chen had deliberately said those things for He Siyu to hear, but… her daughter's autism was not a secret at school; it would be known with a little inquiry. If she had intended for Siyu to relay a message, that would have been unrealistic…
In short, no matter how much He Long thought about it, he couldn't figure out what this child Liu Chen truly meant. However, he did remember that Liu Chen's factory was probably not the simple, small workshop he had imagined.
This child was planning to build a small industrial park!
-
Just as He Long was taken aback, the two young couples, Mi Zhuzhu and Lai Jielun, Ren Mo and Sang Ling, were also experiencing a shock.
In the evening, Mi Zhuzhu lay on her bed. Her roommates were all on the phone with their boyfriends. The call that Mi Zhuzhu had been waiting for finally rang.
Each person sat on their bed, pulled their curtains tight, and spoke in hushed tones.
“Zhuzhu, I…”
Lai Jielun hesitated for a moment. Ultimately, he didn't sugarcoat his current thoughts but stated them directly and honestly:
“Zhuzhu, I might never be able to earn that money in this lifetime.”
Lai Jielun didn't mention the amount of money, but Mi Zhuzhu understood immediately. He was referring to the hundred million that Chenchen had borrowed from Ren Yu.
Mi Zhuzhu burst into laughter on her bed. After she calmed down a bit, she asked Lai Jielun on the phone:
“Did you delay calling me this late just because of this?”
“Mm…”
“Are you an idiot? Isn't it a fact that my Chenchen is the top scorer in the college entrance examination and is better than us? If you ask me, we should be even happier that Chenchen is so capable. Think about it, if someone this capable is our friend, how many detours can we avoid?
Think about it, aren't your and my current jobs both guided by Chenchen?”
Although Mi Zhuzhu usually appeared carefree, her mind was actually clearer than anyone's. Everything she had now was thanks to whom.
Hearing Zhuzhu's words, Lai Jielun suddenly smiled as he lay on his bed:
“Zhuzhu, you are truly the embodiment of great wisdom disguised as foolishness.”
Mi Zhuzhu was displeased by this remark:
“Who are you calling foolish?”
-
Sang Ling and Ren Mo were also on the phone. Ren Mo was currently collaborating with several bloggers and had become more adept at navigating social interactions.
He was calling late at night primarily to comfort Sang Ling.
“The money my brother borrowed, don't overthink it. My brother has always been clear about public and private matters. Even if I wanted to…”
Before he could finish, Sang Ling interrupted him.
“Ren Mo.”
“Hmm?”
“When we started dating, what did I say?”
Ren Mo was caught off guard by the sudden question and couldn't quite recall.
Sang Ling, however, stated directly:
“I said that I admire your brother, but my dating you is not because of your brother. It's purely because after we spent time together, I found you to be very good, which is why I agreed. So, for something like today, if you are so eager to explain, you are looking down on me.”
Hearing this, Ren Mo panicked.
“No! I really didn't!”
The young couple exchanged heartfelt words and finally reached a consensus.
“Let's not be jealous of others, nor let envy disrupt our own pace. The current rhythm is perfect for us.”
-
Due to system tasks, for the following period, Liu Chen would arrange to meet He Siyu at the library every day to review books and study materials. After studying, they would have dinner together.
The dinners themselves were quite amusing. Liu Chen had a considerable reputation at Shuimu University, being a Weibo sensation. Furthermore, people were beginning to realize that this campus beauty and top student's entrepreneurial endeavors were gaining significant momentum, although not quite on the same level as Senior Ren Yu from the computer science department.
However, that senior, according to whispers from their mentors, was already worth over a hundred million, a figure incomparable even nationwide.
Now, every day Liu Chen brought a young girl with a youthful appearance to dinner. Initially, classmates from Liu Chen's major would get their meals and sit next to Liu Chen, smiling and asking:
“Little sister, what grade are you in? We are classmates of your Sister Liu Chen.”
Whether intentionally or out of shyness, He Siyu would just lower her head slightly, revealing a somewhat embarrassed smile.
Thus, no one knew how it started, but everyone began saying that Liu Chen had brought her high school sister to Shuimu University to visit.
These rumors persisted for several days until a graduate student, an elder sister, finally clarified things.
The elder sister was eating at the table next to Liu Chen's. Liu Chen had asked He Siyu to wait at their table while she went to get their meals. Meanwhile, several of Liu Chen's classmates were showering He Siyu with potato chips, milk tea, and chocolate that they had bought.
“Don’t worry, little sister, eat up. We have plenty more snacks. By the way, little sister, aren't your family worried about you visiting Beijing? Aren't you being urged to return to school by your school?”
These were the words spoken by what appeared to be first-year students to He Siyu. The second-year graduate student, Qi Xun, who was drinking soup, spat it out from her mouth.
She looked at the students at the adjacent table in disbelief:
“You, what did you call her?”
Liu Chen's classmates looked confused, “Little sister? Is there a problem?”
Qi Xun looked incredulous. She glanced at He Siyu, who was sitting quietly, and then at the unfamiliar-looking junior students speaking. Finally, she said:
“This is Senior He Siyu, who is currently pursuing her doctoral studies. She is the daughter of Professor He Long, a doctoral supervisor at our school. You must have mistaken her for someone else when you called her little sister, right?”
As soon as Qi Xun finished speaking, Liu Chen returned with two meal trays. She also happened to hear the last sentence. Normally, when she returned with meal trays, those classmates sitting next to He Siyu would scatter like startled birds.
Today, however, they were all frozen in their seats, staring blankly at the 'little sister' who had been enjoying their chocolates for days.
At this moment, Liu Chen placed the meal trays on the table.
“Sister Siyu… you are a doctoral student at our school?”