Chapter 10

In the blink of an eye, time flew by at an astonishing speed.

Over the course of the next month, everyone was very busy.

Cheng Yan shuttled between classrooms and the laboratory. Her position in Professor Luo’s lab had gradually evolved from an errand runner to an off-the-books assistant.

At the start of the month, an extra sum of money had appeared in her bank account.

That was Professor Luo’s joking “hardship fee” transferred to her.

It truly was hardship.

No matter how smart she was, no matter how talented, she was still only at an undergraduate level. Among the top domestic biopharmaceutical doctoral and graduate students gathered by Professor Luo, she was truly too insignificant to mention.

Given her current situation, if not for Professor Luo’s appreciation, she probably wouldn’t have had the chance to study in the lab until her junior year.

So Cheng Yan compressed almost all her free time into the library, just barely able to keep pace with their progress.

The dark circles under her eyes were proof of her efforts during this period.

“Intense. Too intense.”

Jiang Luoying put down her buzzing phone, watching as Cheng Yan downed a mouthful of black coffee without blinking, and gave a thumbs-up in admiration.

How else could she always top every single specialized course exam?

Mingjiang University was a bit twisted. Not only were there final exams and midterms, but also random monthly exams.

You never knew which teacher would test you this month, or which class period would start with test papers already laid out on your desk for you to complete.

The main theme was randomness, the thrill of it.

But no matter when, reading a list of names from top to bottom, the one always occupying the top spot was invariably Cheng Yan.

You thought she could only score perfect marks?

No, a perfect score was merely the limit of the test paper itself!

Cheng Yan was curled up in her chair. She’d had a slight fever these past two days and had just taken a dose of fever reducer this morning to bring the fever down. After waking from her afternoon nap, she got out of bed in her pajamas. Besides feeling a bit sleepy, everything else was back to normal, so she simply hugged her laptop and continued reading some literature.

“I’ll read a bit more, then head out later.”

She looked down at her phone. It was almost the agreed-upon time.

As soon as she finished speaking, a message popped up on her phone.

Senior: 【I’m already downstairs.】

Cheng Yan replied okay and got up to change clothes.

They had arranged to go for a drink together.

Jiang Luoying stretched her neck out and reminded her, “It might rain tonight. Remember to bring an umbrella and a jacket.”

“Okay.”

Going downstairs, Chen Shuhua came forward to meet her.

Cheng Yan assessed her slightly. It was clearly visible that the other was very tired, with a feeling that all her energy had been drained.

Seeing her, Chen Shuhua suddenly felt some regret. “Should we not go?”

The drinking outing was her suggestion, but seeing the dark circles under Cheng Yan’s eyes, she felt she shouldn’t make Cheng Yan accompany her like this.

Cheng Yan glanced sideways at her. “I’m already down here.”

Dressed and ready to go, backing out now wasn’t an option.

“…” Chen Shuhua felt a bit guilty. “Then you should drink less later.”

Cheng Yan nodded. “Mm.”

She had just recovered from an illness and naturally wouldn’t mistreat her body.

The two drove to the bar, a place they’d been to twice before during previous group dinners. After parking and entering, they went to the cocktail bar, ordering their usual drinks with practiced ease. Cheng Yan leaned against the counter, watching as Chen Shuhua ticked off many items on the menu.

The two found a corner to sit down. Cheng Yan held her glass, her slender hand resting on it, beneath the kaleidoscopic lights, a scene of blurred intimacy.

Chen Shuhua’s eyes wavered. She downed a large gulp, the always gentle and restrained face now showing dejection.

Knowing she wanted to drown her sorrows, Cheng Yan didn’t stop her. Only after several glasses of alcohol had gone down and she’d calmed slightly did she ask, “What exactly is going on?”

The WeChat message had only asked if she could accompany her for a drink, without stating a reason.

It was even retracted a minute later.

But Cheng Yan had happened to see it, thought it over, and replied “okay,” leading to tonight.

Chen Shuhua stared at the swaying liquor, saying dully, “I just feel very troubled.”

Cheng Yan didn’t need to think to know it was definitely work-related.

It seemed like ever since Chen Shuhua entered the company, life had been full of frustrations.

She asked, “You’ve been in the company less than two months. Can you really be exposed to such important matters every day?”

Even if it was training for an heir, the company wouldn’t just throw crucial deals at a novice right from the start.

She was really a bit puzzled as to why Chen Shuhua was often so distressed.

A distress that felt like the crushing weight of a company’s survival was pressing down on her shoulders.

Chen Shuhua lowered her head and said, “It’s just… I’ve recently felt that something is off with my parents.”

Cheng Yan listened patiently. “And then?”

Chen Shuhua said, “There’s an uncle, a very good family friend, who seems to have approached my parents to discuss an investment deal. At the time, I heard my mom say this investment was quite risky, and she didn’t intend to agree, because if it failed, the company’s liquid funds wouldn’t be able to circulate for a very long time.”

Lacking working capital in the accounts wouldn’t cause problems in the short term.

But they feared the unexpected.

“But later, after they discussed it, they felt they could give it a try. One reason was that while the investment risk was indeed high, the accompanying benefits were also immense, making people flock to it. The other reason was that my parents probably knew my character, so they wanted to push the company to a higher level before letting go, and then hand these things over to me.”

After recounting these two segments, she lowered her head and downed two more glasses. Drinking too quickly, she even choked.

Wiping her mouth, Chen Shuhua’s voice was hoarse. “But recently, it seems like that uncle can’t be contacted anymore.”

Cheng Yan asked, “Did your parents tell you this?”

Chen Shuhua shook her head. “I overheard it accidentally. Actually, I didn’t think much of it at the time, but later, my parents’ reactions made me unable to not think much of it. They started avoiding doing certain things in front of me. Sometimes at home, a second before they were gloomy and overcast, and the next second, seeing me, they’d force a smile as if nothing was wrong.”

Cheng Yan said, “But that still doesn’t confirm your investment has failed.”

Although Chen Shuhua was worried about this too, her true inner conflict was not this.

She had another glass, smiling bitterly. “A project I was responsible for the day before yesterday had a minor problem. The loss wasn’t large, and it was resolved quickly. But my parents didn’t blame me at all, and even specifically came home to console me.”

Ah, Cheng Yan understood where the problem lay now.

The company was suspected of having a capital chain disruption. Her parents not only didn’t let her know, but put on a facade of peace in front of her. Under these circumstances, when she made a mistake at work, not only did she not receive a scolding, but she instead received comfort from her worried parents.

Guilt, self-blame, self-doubt, internal friction.

All sorts of negative emotions tormented her, no wonder she asked her out here tonight.

But the problem shouldn’t be attributed this way.

Cheng Yan said, “You always have to give yourself time to grow.”

Chen Shuhua said dejectedly, “This period of time is too long.”

She had drunk far too much tonight, already tipsy, so she followed her heart and spoke, “I truly hate it.”

“I truly hate all this. I hate those people with their fawning sycophantic faces, I hate the cold profit-driven transactions, I hate having no choice but to inherit the family business.”

“If only I weren’t an only daughter.” She spoke with some anguish.

Precisely because her parents only had her, the inner sense of responsibility forced her to give up what she liked.

Cheng Yan felt she had walked into a dead end and reminded her, “You can still hire professional managers in the future.”

It didn’t have to be solely her.

Chen Shuhua seemed to have listened, yet also seemed not to.

“Then wouldn’t my parents be very disappointed?”

Cheng Yan was speechless. Swirling her glass, she took a bland sip.

The bar was alive with music and dancing, the atmosphere fiery hot, but their corner was somewhat desolate.

Neither spoke anymore, leaning against each other while drinking.

One guzzling mouthfuls, the other sipping delicately.

As Cheng Yan was mentally gauging her intake, the sofa beside her suddenly dipped. A fair, slender arm draped over her shoulder.

She turned her head. The woman tossed her a flirtatious glance. “Sister, want to have a drink together? My treat.”

The light in the bar’s corner was dim, visibility low.

Cheng Yan found this person somewhat familiar. After looking carefully twice, she still didn’t recognize her. She then reached out and removed the unfamiliar arm from her shoulder, refusing, “Sorry, I already have company.”

“How disappointing,” the woman’s red lips curved into a regretful arc.

After being refused, she didn’t leave either, leaning lazily against the sofa, swirling her wine glass, presumptuously encroaching on the two’s space.

Chen Shuhua was drunk, but not yet completely wasted.

Cheng Yan waited for her to finish the drink in her glass, then stopped her, saying, “Senior, we can leave now.”

Chen Shuhua still had some consciousness left. Hearing this, she nodded obediently, “Right, right, let’s go.”

Cheng Yan propped her up. As she prepared to leave, she heard the woman on the sofa behind them taking a phone call.

“Haven’t gone back… yes, I’m here at Jinghua Road… My dear older cousin, you’re really coming to pick me up? I’m simply too overwhelmed by the favor…”

The Chen Shuhua leaning on her had gone limp from the alcohol. That sliver of unclear consciousness was quickly swallowed by the booze. Her steps staggered, lurching crookedly for two steps while leaning on Cheng Yan, nearly slipping down.

Cheng Yan’s eyebrow twitched. She simply adjusted the posture from supporting her shoulder to wrapping an arm around her waist, pulling her close and securing the position, leading her out.

She had called a substitute driver. They just needed to wait a few more minutes.