He hesitated, unwilling to doubt the student he had personally mentored.
"Liu Chen, perhaps it was just a coincidence?"
Hearing this, Liu Chen could even imagine the furrowed brow of his supervisor, He Long, on the other end of the phone.
In fact, Liu Chen could have hired two bodyguards for round-the-clock protection, as Ren Yu suggested, or stayed within the university grounds after school started, as He Siyu proposed.
After all, the research and projects developed within the prestigious Shuimu University were not limited to the food science department; there were also auxiliary research projects related to weaponry.
But...
Since the opponent had revealed their true colors, why should he pretend not to see? After much deliberation, Liu Chen finally asked:
"Teacher, do you have Ge Jian's QQ number or mobile number?"
Less than ten minutes after giving the phone number and QQ provided by Supervisor He Long to Ren Yu, Liu Chen received a file from Ren Yu.
Among them were chat records between Ge Jian and a QQ netizen. The netizen stated that if Ge Jian could marry He Siyu within half a year, he would be given one million.
To prove the credibility of his offer, the other party had even transferred a deposit of one hundred thousand yuan using a bank card registered in a rural area in the northwest.
All of this had happened that very morning.
And Ge Jian's last chat with the other party was a mere ten minutes ago.
Ge Jian: Does it have to be within half a year?
Black Screen: If you get married within three months, I can give you two million.
Ge Jian: Alright.
Hesitating for a moment, Liu Chen still packaged and sent this information to Supervisor He Long.
"Teacher He, you can look at this information. It's best to prepare yourself mentally before you do."
After Liu Chen sent the file, only the occasional sound of a mouse clicking and increasingly heavy, angry breaths could be heard from the other end of the phone.
"You, you scoundrel!"
This time, it wasn't the scolding of Mrs. Zhen Yu, his wife. Supervisor He Long repeatedly cursed, and it was evident that he likely rarely used profanity in his life, cycling through only a few curses.
"Teacher, I know you are very angry, but the key is to catch the person behind this. What exactly do they want to do?"
"How do we catch them! We can't possibly let Siyu marry this scoundrel!"
Hearing the furious roar through the phone, Liu Chen had to hold the phone further away from his ear and said, "Marriage is naturally out of the question, but instead of letting an unknown opponent make their move, why not keep this Ge Jian within our sight?"
"Keep him within sight, what do you mean?"
Before He Long could finish his question, he was interrupted by Zhen Yu, who was sitting beside him.
"Let the child finish speaking, don't interrupt!"
Liu Chen thought for a moment and then said, "We want Ge Jian to believe that marriage is an easy matter for him. We want him to have conflict with the person paying him, preferably to meet offline."
Before He Long could question it, He Siyu, who had been silent all along, spoke up:
"What should I do then?"
"Sister Siyu, you don't need to do anything. Just act as you always have."
He Long didn't quite understand Liu Chen's words.
"Is this all?"
"Yes, this is all. But Sister Siyu, you must remember, never go to places where there are few people."
Hesitating for a moment, Liu Chen still voiced his concern.
"I worry that Ge Jian will be cornered and try to force the issue, like getting on the bus first and then buying the ticket."
He Long roared, "How dare he!"
Zhen Yu snorted coldly, "What is he afraid of not daring? He even dared to bring his parents to see the house!"
Hearing his wife's words, Liu Chen quickly said, "I will handle the rest when I return to the university. I've troubled you, Teacher."
"Trouble? Without you, Chenchen, this old man wouldn't have known what kind of person I would hand Siyu over to!"
"Alright, alright, it's my fault, my fault. It's so late, and your wife hasn't eaten yet. Chenchen, you go and do your work."
Hanging up the phone, Liu Chen looked up and saw Grandfather Chen and Chen Long, both with faces flushed red with anger.
"This is insane! To plot against someone else's daughter! The person behind this is truly despicable!"
Grandfather Chen was the first to reprimand, followed closely by Chen Long. They spoke one after another, scolding the mastermind and their ancestors for eight generations.
Seeing Liu Chen sitting in his chair with a seemingly calm expression, they looked confused.
Liu Chen smiled:
"I can't touch him for now. When they realize the plan on the teacher's side has also failed, it will be the person behind the scenes who will be angry."
Thinking of this, Grandfather Chen and Chen Long were stunned for a moment, then shook their heads and said, "The two of us combined are over a hundred years old, yet our composure isn't as good as yours, a young lad. Truly, the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead. The future is destined to be yours!"
Although he said he wasn't angry, late that night.
When Liu Chen woke up from his sleep, drenched in sweat and gasping for air, his eyes widened in the darkness, like a falcon hunting its prey.
Sharp and filled with murderous intent.
Recalling the mastermind's schemes from his previous life, Liu Chen couldn't help but ask himself in the dead of night:
"What exactly does the mastermind want to achieve?"
In his previous life, Grandfather Shen had not met him and likely died of poisoning. The Ren family either died or declined. Even Grandfather Chen, who was close to the Ren family, died prematurely.
A lightning bolt flashed through Liu Chen's mind. At this moment, after connecting the events of his two lives, he suddenly discovered a startling fact.
An invisible net had ensnared the Ren family, tightening, crushing, and even severing all their external support, leaving the Ren family with no possibility of recovery.
Now, it had even targeted him, the adopted granddaughter of the Ren family, with a preemptive strike.
Thinking of this, Liu Chen couldn't help but think of Ren Yu...
His own career hadn't even officially begun, yet it was almost blown to smithereens. What about Ren Yu?
Was the person behind the scenes just watching as Ren Yu's game company developed?
Or...
Had he, unknowingly, also avoided a pitfall for Ren Yu?
Wait!
Liu Chen suddenly remembered that if he hadn't saved Ren Mo on the stairs, his godmother, just like in his previous life, would have sold all her assets for justice. Would Ren Yu have just watched his godmother alone in C City?
No.
At this moment, Liu Chen suddenly recalled Shen Hong smiling and saying:
"Tencent wanted to buy the 'Farm' game directly back then, but our boss directly refused. The price they offered was truly tempting even to me."
So...
Had the scheme targeting Ren Yu also been indirectly foiled by him?
Then...
Did Ren Yu sense it?