Chapter 17

Cheng Yan had a subtle feeling lately that she seemed to have become Chen Shuhua’s emotional pillar.

Perhaps it was because she had been there for her several times when the other girl was feeling upset. Over time, she could faintly sense Chen Shuhua’s current dependence on her.

This wasn’t good.

Cheng Yan thought: pouring all your emotions into another person was equivalent to completely losing your own control over your emotions.

Although Chen Shuhua hadn’t reached that point yet, she absolutely didn’t want her to become like that in the future.

Moreover, she seemed truly unable to genuinely fall for Chen Shuhua.

The faint, favorable feelings from before had gradually faded. The main reason Cheng Yan had never made this clear was Chen Shuhua’s truly poor state of mind recently.

Even without that layer of attraction, after knowing her for so long, during her difficult time, she was still willing to offer her some emotional value, if it could make her feel better.

But letting her wallow in it might very likely lead to her getting hurt.

Cheng Yan furrowed her brows in thought and decided to pick a good time to clarify things.

—

Summer days brought frequent rain. It had just rained yesterday, but the sweltering heat in the air was starting to return today.

By the time Cheng Yan walked from her dorm all the way to the laboratory, she was already sweating lightly.

The lab’s air conditioning was always strong. The moment she entered, cool air washed over her, and her slightly furrowed brows unconsciously relaxed.

“Even though the professor is scary, every summer, I still prefer staying in the lab. The summers in Mingjiang are way too hot. The ground is like a baking pan; going outside is pure torture!” Some seniors were chatting.

“I’m from the Northeast. God, after spending a few years in Mingjiang, I still can’t accept this summer heat that’s hot enough to cook a person.”

“Ah, Junior Yanyan is here! You’re staying on campus for the summer break this year, right?” Someone saw Cheng Yan closing her umbrella and coming in, and asked.

Cheng Yan nodded: “Yes. I’ll be counting on you seniors for help then.”

Mingjiang University had summer innovation and practice activities. Cheng Yan planned to participate to prepare in advance for the innovation and entrepreneurship competition next semester.

Besides that, the professor had also mentioned earlier that if she didn’t go home, she could continue staying in the lab to help over the summer and would be paid a monthly salary.

Cheng Yan had long since decided to stay on campus for the summer and continue learning with the professor’s experimental team.

A senior in her final year said, “My darling, it’s precisely because you came that I’ve had it so much easier. Listen, let me treat you to a nice meal someday.”

She had started working with the professor in her junior year. To be selected into the professor’s experimental team for learning, she was naturally one of the top students in her major.

But there were too many geniuses here, and too many hardworking geniuses. After a year in the lab, she had learned a lot, but she was also nearly worked to the bone.

And she had thought she was already impressive enough. She never expected an even more formidable junior to arrive this year.

What was worse was that this junior was even more hardworking than her.

She felt surrounded by a bunch of super-achievers.

“Oh right, my study abroad application has been approved. I can still hang out with everyone for a few more days. When the time comes, everyone has to come except Junior Yanyan. We’re getting drunk together, no holding back!”

The others chimed in: “We’re going, we’re going! We’ll eat you into bankruptcy, all of us going!”

“Hah, I might not outdo you in competition, but in eating and drinking, I refuse to believe I’m worse than you guys!”

They chatted and laughed. When they saw the professor arrive, one by one, they resumed their serious expressions.

Those who needed to put on masks did so; those who needed gloves, put them on. They adjusted their clothes and followed the professor inside.

Time in the lab always passed busily and quickly.

By the time they came out, the sun had already set.

As they were leaving, the professor stopped the departing Cheng Yan. “Don’t come for the next few days. Finals are coming up; study well.”

The final exams at Mingjiang University were extremely difficult. Even someone outstanding like Cheng Yan needed to be fully focused and review diligently.

Actually, balancing lab work and studying wasn’t a big problem for Cheng Yan. With her ability, ranking first in her major for finals wasn’t difficult.

But that was compared to others.

Compared against herself, the results of dividing her attention versus concentrating solely on studying would definitely differ.

For Cheng Yan, who pursued perfection in her area of expertise, her goal was to break through her own limits, not to settle for the status quo or even regress.

So she smiled: “Thank you, Professor.”

The professor waved a hand, looking a bit tired but still wearing a smile. “Alright, don’t think I don’t know you all secretly discuss behind my back how I squeeze you dry every day.”

The smile on Cheng Yan’s face grew even wider.

Her eyes curved as she said, “Well, not every day.”

The professor pretended to be angry: “Get out of here, shoo, shoo, leave quickly!”

After parting with the professor, Cheng Yan hummed a song, her steps light as she headed back to her dorm.

Weaving through the crowd, when she reached the bottom of the dormitory building, several couples nearby were embracing, reluctantly parting. She walked straight ahead, looking at nothing else.

“Junior!”

A familiar voice called out to her.

The lightness on her face froze slightly. Cheng Yan turned her head and saw Chen Shuhua, who had been hidden behind a couple.

Hurrying over, Cheng Yan asked Chen Shuhua, who shouldn’t be here at this hour, “Senior, is something urgent?”

Chen Shuhua bit her lip and shook her head. “No.”

Cheng Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, a bit surprised.

Chen Shuhua herself belatedly realized she had been too impulsive.

Recently, whenever her emotions fluctuated greatly, she always thought of Cheng Yan, who had stayed by her side and provided emotional support.

That was why, upon learning that good news, she had unconsciously driven from the company back to school, arriving at the bottom of Cheng Yan’s dormitory building.

Just standing under the tree, looking up, finding the balcony belonging to Cheng Yan’s dorm room, her heart felt very peaceful.

She had originally planned to stand for a while and then leave.

But when she saw Cheng Yan ambling back from outside, appearing before her eyes, it dawned on Chen Shuhua.

Why hadn’t she left yet?

It was nothing more than hoping and expecting to see that person.

When she did see her, it was as if grand fireworks bloomed before her eyes, and she couldn’t help but call her name.

“I just… unconsciously ended up here.” Chen Shuhua, seeing Cheng Yan staring at her like that, explained a bit flustered, “Really, I was planning to leave soon. Am I disturbing you?”

Cheng Yan looked at her and slowly smiled. “I see. No disturbance. I just got back from the lab; I don’t have anything going on.”

Chen Shuhua’s flustered heart settled a little. Noticing what she said, she couldn’t help asking with concern, “Then have you had dinner?”

Cheng Yan countered, “Did you eat?”

Chen Shuhua instinctively wanted to say she had eaten.

But she had come straight from the company to the school and had been standing here, unconsciously waiting, without having eaten.

Seeing the answer on her face, Cheng Yan sighed inwardly and said with a smile, “I haven’t either. Together?”

Chen Shuhua was pleasantly surprised. “Sure!”

The two went to the cafeteria.

Cheng Yan wasn’t very hungry. She ordered a bowl of congee and sat to the side waiting.

By now, her spirits returning, Chen Shuhua belatedly realized she was hungry and went to a window where she often ate before. She ordered a bowl of noodles, carrying the steaming bowl over to sit opposite Cheng Yan.

Cheng Yan held a spoon, occasionally scooping some into her mouth and swallowing slowly.

Once Chen Shuhua had eaten most of her food, she asked, “Have you still been very busy lately?”

Chen Shuhua shook her head, then nodded. “Busy, but manageable.”

Cheng Yan made an “mm” sound. “Finals are coming up. You need to remember to study, too.”

She wasn’t in the same college as Chen Shuhua; she was in the Art College. She wasn’t familiar with her curriculum. But presumably, as members of Mingjiang University, their finals couldn’t be hard mode while the Art College’s was easy mode.

Chen Shuhua’s face showed some melancholy and anxiety. “It’s so hard. Life is so hard.”

Hearing such words from a rich second generation who normally didn’t concern herself with worldly matters felt quite surreal.

Cheng Yan smiled. “Work hard.”

Chen Shuhua pointed at the dark circles under her eyes. “I am working hard.”

Then she added, “Actually, things have been getting a little better lately.”

Cheng Yan adopted a listening posture.

This was the action she’d performed most often these days.

Chen Shuhua would often tell her about work matters. Cheng Yan had once delicately mentioned whether it was appropriate for her to listen. At the time, Chen Shuhua gave a bitter smile and said that anyone curious could easily find out about these things now anyway; telling her didn’t matter.

A smile gathered in Chen Shuhua’s eyes. “Recently, with all sorts of issues piling up, the company’s cash flow has also been a bit tight. But fortunately, the company is about to cooperate with Dawn. If this collaboration succeeds, it will bring a huge improvement to the company’s current problems.”

Her parents would also be able to catch their breath and have time to turn things around.

Cheng Yan was slightly surprised, then happy for her. “That’s great news.”

Chen Shuhua nodded. “Yes, the two companies will announce it officially tomorrow.”

Dawn?

As Cheng Yan listened to Chen Shuhua, she searched her memory for this somewhat familiar name.

Then she suddenly recalled: it seemed to be one of the subsidiaries under the Jun Group’s commercial empire.

When she had searched and browsed information about the Jun Group initially, she had roughly scanned its commercial territory. Her single thought at the time was: it was undeniably sprawling and powerful.

“I actually didn’t expect this collaboration to succeed either.” Chen Shuhua rambled on, “After all, Dawn is very strong. After they put out the call for collaboration, as far as I know, a ton of people wanted to jump on board, to get on this money-making ship. Naturally, Xinghua was no exception. But there were many competitors. Xinghua hasn’t been as good as others in recent years, plus with Xinghua’s current negative public perception, we were all quite pessimistic.”

Especially since a few days ago, it seemed Dawn had chosen someone else.

But unexpectedly, the tables turned, and this big pie fell right onto Xinghua’s plate.

Listening to Chen Shuhua, Cheng Yan’s gaze unconsciously landed on her face.

These past days, she seemed to have matured a lot.

Things she used to strongly reject, she could now talk about so freely.

“But in the end, they chose Xinghua, didn’t they? That shows Xinghua has its merits too.”

The news reports from a few days ago about Xinghua Food causing deaths and injuries had, after investigation, proven to be baseless. Hospital examination reports showed those people had eaten something else that caused their food poisoning, unrelated to Xinghua.

However, clarifying news never spread as widely as exposés. Coupled with competitors’ media attacks and the fact that large portions of the public still didn’t know the truth, Xinghua’s reputation was still in a downward spiral for now.

Cheng Yan said, “You should believe in yourselves.”

The good news injected a shot of adrenaline into Chen Shuhua’s heart. Although the outcome was unknown, things seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

Comforted by Cheng Yan, her eyes reddened slightly. She held back stubbornly and said, gently, “Yes, believe in ourselves.”

Cheng Yan’s face lit up with a smile upon hearing this.

But during their subsequent chat, she was somewhat distracted.

Dawn. Dawn.

From Chen Shuhua’s words, she deduced that someone in the Chen family had some past connection with Jun Jianqing. But she had thought, based on Jun Jianqing’s behavior, she would stand by and do nothing.

After all, her interest in her was so palpable.

Cheng Yan had even worried about this. Looking at it now, merchants chased profit, but they weren’t completely without morals or bottom lines, right?

It seemed she could relax a little.