Gu Jinling fell silent.
After a moment, Gu Jinling gave the other party a thumbs-up.
“Huo Linyuan, I’m impressed.”
The handsome man’s face showed no expression, his indifferent gaze fixed on Gu Jiali, his demeanor sharp and cold.
“Gu Jiali, if you dare let a fourth person know, I’ll make sure you’re finished.”
Gu Jiali lowered his head, glancing nervously at a certain part of himself.
“Then I definitely won’t tell anyone else.”
Huo Linyuan’s eyes shot daggers, and Gu Jiali quickly raised both hands to swear.
“I won’t even tell my own people. From now on, I won’t tell anyone!”
“If my mouth can’t keep a secret, you can finish me off!”
After issuing the threat, Huo Linyuan withdrew his gaze, his eyes landing on Gu Jinling, whose shock hadn’t yet faded.
“Why did you come to S University?”
Getting down to business, Gu Jinling finally put on a serious expression.
“The old man has been pressuring me at home, holding meetings big and small every day. My head is about to explode.”
“Just then, Principal Zheng of S University contacted my assistant, saying he wanted me to give a series of lectures for the students in the College of Literature and Media. I thought it would be a good chance to relax and also come see you and Jiali, so I flew here overnight.”
“I hadn’t even had time to surprise you two before I ran into you.”
Gu Jiali, who was mentioned, was practically exploding, feeling anything but moved.
“What do you mean ‘come see me’? You just want to drag me back to share the workload with you, right, Uncle?”
“So deceitful! So sinister! So cunning!”
“I’m not going back, Brother!”
Gu Jiali stood next to Huo Linyuan, his entire body screaming refusal.
“I’d rather be Assistant Huo than go back and inherit the family business!”
Gu Jinling made a threatening gesture by drawing a line across his own neck, then turned to ask Huo Linyuan.
“And you? How does a business magnate as busy as Mr. Huo have time to waste at a university?”
“Is Sister-in-law in class? Then why are you still here?”
Before Huo Linyuan could answer, Gu Jiali, standing nearby as an assistant, protested.
“Uncle, I call Mr. Huo ‘Brother,’ and you call him ‘Brother’ too. Doesn’t that mess up our seniority?”
Gu Jinling stared him down.
“Then what should I call him? Should I call him ‘Big Nephew’? Wouldn’t your grandfather skin me alive?”
Huo Linyuan fell silent for a moment, interrupting their exchange.
“Forget it. Let’s each address each other as we please.”
This suggestion was met with unanimous agreement. A moment later, several figures in formal attire appeared at the end of the staircase. The middle-aged man leading them was somewhat plump, wiping sweat after just a few steps, his voice filled with anxiety.
“Mr. Huo, I apologize for keeping you waiting! After speaking with Assistant Gu, I thought you wouldn’t arrive for a while, so I was busy preparing to receive you in the conference room…”
“Director Gu, long time no see, long time no see!”
The middle-aged man warmly exchanged greetings with them, and the group headed toward the conference room together.
Watching the renowned S University president bowing and scraping before Huo Linyuan, Gu Jinling was dumbfounded. He leaned over and whispered to Gu Jiali.
“What’s going on here?”
Gu Jiali scoffed, clutching the file folder.
“A huge golden mountain just happened to fall right into their backyard. Who wouldn’t rush to catch it?”
“This is a living, breathing God of Wealth—just a little money slipping through his fingers would be enough for others to live in luxury for generations.”
As they turned a corner, Gu Jiali lowered his voice,
“Ever since Little Sister-in-law started studying here, President Huo has been pouring money into this place every year—new teaching buildings, libraries, sports facilities, even all the school’s equipment has been replaced with brand-new stuff.”
“Little Sister-in-law studies painting. President Huo was worried she’d get too hot, but also afraid the air wouldn’t circulate properly. So he had central air conditioning installed throughout the entire school, even the ventilation system is top-of-the-line internationally.”
“And that’s not all. Little Sister-in-law’s family situation is a bit complicated, and she used to live quite frugally. President Huo went so far as to sponsor outstanding students across all 28 colleges and 73 majors at S University, setting up generous scholarships just so he could legitimately get money into Little Sister-in-law’s hands…”
Gu Jinling stared in shock at the tall, straight-backed figure ahead, murmuring to himself,
“I thought he was a confirmed bachelor for life, but it turns out he’s actually a pure love warrior.”
“Then… doesn’t that girl feel anything at all?”
Gu Jinling looked dazed as he asked Gu Jiali.
Gu Jiali was exasperated, his chest heaving with anger,
“Sister-in-law knows nothing about any of this! When her boyfriend took her to meet Brother Huo, she didn’t even know who Huo Linyuan was!”
“He’s done so much for her behind the scenes, but she has no idea it’s him. She even stands there smiling with another man, waiting for his blessing.”
“It’s too tragic! What kind of top-tier tragic romance is this!”
The more Gu Jiali spoke, the angrier he became. His hand gripping the documents turned white with force, his voice gritted with frustration,
“I’ve had enough. That scumbag Huo Jinchen doesn’t care about Sister-in-law at all—flirting around and partying outside.”
“If Huo Linyuan doesn’t make a move soon, I’ll just knock Sister-in-law out and stuff her into his bed myself!”
Gu Jinling excitedly gave him a big thumbs-up,
“Now that’s bold! Robbing the nephew to help the uncle—truly worthy of us Gu family!”
The man walking ahead, who was being discussed, seemed to sense something. He glanced back sideways, his high-bridged nose and thin lips giving him a handsome, noble air.
The Gu uncle-nephew duo, still fuming with righteous indignation, met his gaze and even gave him an encouraging look.
Huo Linyuan: “?”
Gu Jiali patted his own chest, his eyebrows dancing as he mouthed the words,
“Leave it to me!”
Huo Linyuan: “…”
When Jiang Youwan arrived at the art studio, the teacher hadn’t arrived yet.
The atmosphere in the studio was chaotic, with some students even cramming at the last minute, hastily sketching and painting on their boards.
Their senior year courses weren’t many, and specialized classes were even fewer. But the teacher they had chosen during course selection was notoriously strict. Rumor had it that every year, some of her senior students failed the final exams.
People in the class called her the “female demon” behind her back, but no one dared to slack off on the assignments she gave.
Jiang Youwan was pulled aside by several classmates to give feedback on their work. Her specialized course grades were excellent, and her sketching and quick-drawing skills were top-notch.
“The lighting and shadow here aren’t right—the transition isn’t natural enough…”
“Yes, the perspective is a bit off…”
She took the pen handed to her by a classmate, leaned over the drawing board, and with a few swift strokes, the seated student’s eyes lit up:
“As expected of you, Wanwan!”
The round-faced girl’s eyes sparkled, but when her gaze swept to the doorway, she froze. She quickly tugged at Jiang Youwan’s sleeve and lowered her voice,
“Wanwan, these people have come over several times before you arrived…”
“The one leading them is a close friend of Mu Jia’en from the College of Music, a junior. I heard that half an hour ago, your boyfriend yelled at Mu Jia’en and told her to get lost. They’re definitely blaming you for it…”
“Her boyfriend is the student council president, and he’s very influential. Maybe you should hide—”
“Are you Jiang Youwan?”
The sound of hurried footsteps drew closer, and a girl in high heels kicked aside a drawing board on the floor.
“We’ve been looking for you for a long time.”