Film and TV: Starting from childhood, I will give up Zhong Yi

Chapter 331

In the university cafeteria.

The four people sat facing each other in pairs.

Jiang Nansun picked up her drink. Her bright yellow V-neck top made her skin look even whiter, and a bit of white lace peeked out from the neckline, adding a touch of unintentional femininity that made people want to see the whole thing.

"Congratulations on finding a job, Suo Suo."

Zhu Suosuo gently clinked glasses with her, her eyes crinkling into crescents as she smiled: "It's all thanks to Lin Yuan's help."

“Someone keeps nagging me, afraid I’ll forget about it.” Lin Yuan looked at Jiang Nansun. “Isn’t your aunt close to Ye Jinyan? Talk to her and ask her to take good care of Suosuo.”

Zhu Suosuo then realized that Lin Yuan had arranged to meet with Jiang Nansun so that Nansun's aunt could speak well of her.

He had already spoken to Ye Jinyan on his behalf, but he still wanted to use Aunt Nan Sun's relationship to add another layer of protection, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

From childhood to adulthood, no one had ever considered things so thoroughly for her. She looked at Lin Yuan, her eyes overflowing with gratitude.

Jiang Nansun retorted with a hint of jealousy, "I was the one who wanted to help you, what's with you looking at him with gratitude?"

"Oh, you're the best, you're the best!"

Zhu Suosuo immediately turned to Jiang Nansun, grabbed her hand and started to act coquettishly, which made Jiang Nansun laugh.

Zhang Anren then interjected curiously, "Nan Sun, does your aunt know Ye Jinyan?"

Jiang Nansun explained, "When Ye Jinyan founded Jingyan, my aunt was his right-hand woman. Later, another woman beat him to it—she beat him to the punch in terms of her job position—so my aunt chose to leave Jingyan. In a sense, Ye Jinyan owes her something."

"I see." Zhang Anren nodded in agreement, then suddenly noticed the Dean of Students eating alone not far away. He lowered his voice and said, "The Dean of Students is alone. I'll go over and say hello."

Jiang Nansun frowned: "Aren't you tired?"

Whenever the two ate together, Zhang Anren would always go up to the leader and chat for a few words whenever he saw him.

"We should still show proper manners; it won't take more than a few minutes," Zhang Anren reassured them, then said to Lin Yuan and Zhu Suosuo, "You two eat first."

After saying that, he left his seat.

Lin Yuan looked at Jiang Nansun, his tone slightly teasing: "I heard from your dad that you and he had another fight?"

Jiang Nansun glanced at Lin Yuan, kicked his shoe under the table, and said with an arrogant look, "That's not arguing, he's just obsessed with making money."

"Just say it, why did you kick me?" Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow and teased, "Is your butt itchy again?"

"You!" She turned to look at Zhang Anren not far away, her pretty face slightly flushed. "Don't talk nonsense."

Recalling the times he had patted her bottom before, her ears flushed red, adding to her charming appearance.

Zhu Suosuo watched with suspicion, feeling that there was some unspeakable secret between the two.

Lin Yuan watched Zhang Anren's retreating figure as he approached the leader and said slowly, "The way Zhang Anren fawns over the leader is somewhat similar to how your father fawns over rich people."

Jiang Nansun followed his gaze and was about to retort, "How can they be the same? He is..."

The words caught in her throat; she suddenly realized she couldn't find the right words to defend herself.

Lin Yuan then asked, "Do you think Zhang Anren will choose to sacrifice your rights in order to curry favor with his superiors in the future?"

Jiang Nansun scolded, "You're not allowed to speak ill of Zhang Anren behind his back."

Lin Yuan said nonchalantly, "Then I'll wait until he comes back before we talk about it."

"Then you should tell me now." Jiang Nansun thought for a moment and decided it would be better to let Lin Yuan tell him now.

Although she often refuted Lin Yuan, she had to admit that Lin Yuan's words made a lot of sense.

Now he can avoid the awkwardness of having Zhang Anren present, and also quietly verify his doubts.

Lin Yuan insisted, "No, I have to wait for him to come before we talk. I don't have the habit of badmouthing others behind their backs."

Zhu Suosuo shook Lin Yuan's arm and said coquettishly, "Lin Yuan, please tell us, we want to hear it."

Lin Yuan then spoke up: "If you two bought two exhibition tickets, but when he learned that an important leader didn't have a ticket, Zhang Anren generously and selflessly gave one away, leaving you two with only one ticket, would you go to see the exhibition or not?"

"For example, if he invites his boss to his home, will he ask you to accompany him? Will he make you do the social niceties you hate the most, and smile ingratiatingly at strangers?"

"If this continues, will you be asked to cook, do laundry, and sweep the floor in the future?"

Jiang Nansun retorted, "Zhang Anren won't make me cook."

"He really doesn't know how to do that now, and he treats you very well, just like your nanny, Aunt Jia. But it's not just you; he treats his boss the same way. Because besides flattering you, he can't offer you anything else, and it all comes at no cost. You can spend half a month's salary on a single hair appointment, and that's what really hurts him. Do you think he'd be willing to do that?"

“He’s definitely willing to spend it!” Jiang Nansun said firmly, but his tone was a little hesitant. “Besides, I can earn money myself.”

"That sounds nice, but when do you plan to start earning money? Tomorrow or the day after?"

"I'm preparing for my doctoral entrance exam, and I'll start working after I finish my studies."

Just then, Zhang Anren came back.

Lin Yuan continued, "So how will you manage your living expenses while you're preparing for your doctoral entrance exam?"

“I have Zhang Anren.”

“After paying off the mortgage, how can Teacher Zhang afford to support a money-devouring beast like you with her salary? I think you should be more practical and go back to your mother and beg her for some money.”

Zhu Suosuo immediately looked at Zhang Anren, half-jokingly and half-seriously saying, "Zhang Anren, you'd better treat Nansun well in the future, or I'll be the first to not forgive you."

Zhang Anren smiled gently and said sincerely, "I will definitely treat Nansun well, and we will work together."

For some reason, Jiang Nansun felt a strange sense of revulsion when she heard Zhang Anren mention the word "effort" again.

Lin Yuan said calmly, "It would be best if you could support yourselves. By the way, Nan Sun, your family doesn't have much savings to give you. Your father borrowed money from me last time."

"He wants to borrow money from you? How much?" Jiang Nansun's heart tightened.

"Not much, just 20 million."

Zhang Anren and Zhu Suosuo were both stunned. Twenty million wasn't enough? Was this even human?
Jiang Nansun pressed on urgently, "Did you lend it to him?"

“I’m not his son-in-law, so how can I just lend it to him like that? I made up an excuse to refuse.”

Jiang Nansun breathed a sigh of relief, her tone becoming lighter: "You absolutely mustn't lend it to him. If you do, you'll never get it back. It's okay if my family doesn't have money; having money doesn't necessarily guarantee happiness."

When you're young, you always think that love can conquer all. But if Jiang Nansun had experienced even a little bit of hardship in life during her growth, she wouldn't have thought that way.

Not to mention that Zhang Anren's love was originally purported to be ulterior motives, even if his love is genuine now, the two have huge differences in their spending habits, which will gradually wear down in the daily grind of life and trivial matters.

What Lin Yuan found even more amusing was that Jiang Nansun had always eaten and worn designer brands since she was a child, but she always felt that her family treated her badly and that her grandmother was stingy with her.

Zhu Suosuo grew up with her, yet she didn't turn to the dark side despite the huge contrast. Lin Yuan truly admired Zhu Suosuo's character.

Lin Yuan remained noncommittal, then looked at Zhu Suosuo and said, "After we finish eating, I'll take you to rent a place."

"Rent a house?" Zhu Suosuo was taken aback.

"Haven't you always wanted to leave your aunt's house and live on your own?"

Zhu Suosuo's eyebrows curved into a smile, her face beaming with joy.

Jiang Nansun watched from the side, feeling that her best friend was about to fall for him.

This person is excellent, and everything he says makes sense and is irrefutable. But he always contradicts himself when we meet, so he's definitely not a good person. I should stay away from him, but I just can't bring myself to dislike him.

As she was thinking, she suddenly gestured with her chin to the side and said to Lin Yuan, "Look at that girl."

Lin Yuan followed her gaze and looked over; it was Lillian.

Lin Yuan glanced at it, then looked away and asked calmly, "What's wrong?"

Jiang Nansun said softly, "She is the daughter of the professor I want to apply to. She has a very good personality. You shouldn't have said those things about her last time."

Lin Yuan lightly kicked her shoe with his foot, raised an eyebrow and asked, "She has a good personality? I don't? I just said she was self-righteous."

"You're the one who's so self-righteous!" an angry voice interrupted.

Lillian had somehow appeared beside the table, glaring fiercely at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan feigned ignorance, frowning as he sized her up: "Excuse me, do we know each other?"

"What are you pretending to be? Last time, you were the one who called me arrogant in front of Wang Yongzheng! Which department are you from?"

Lillian angrily questioned him, her cheeks flushing red as she faced Lin Yuan's scrutinizing gaze.

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Zhang Anren quickly picked up his plate and stood up, giving his seat to Lillian.

"Lillian, why don't you sit here and talk?"

Lillian sat down without ceremony, still glaring at Lin Yuan. Jiang Nansun explained to her, "He's not from our school."

Lin Yuan pretended to ponder for a moment, as if finally pulling this person out of his memory: "I say, Vivian, last time..."

"My name is Lillian!"

This person even mispronounced his own name; it was clearly intentional.

“You only heard the first half of what I said, ‘self-righteous,’ but why didn’t you mention the second half, ‘well-matched’?” Lin Yuan said slowly. “Also, why aren’t you hanging around Wang Yongzheng? What are you doing here? Could it be that Wang Yongzheng doesn’t like you and is trying to avoid you?”

Lin Yuan's words struck Lillian's sore spots.

"You!" Lillian stomped her foot angrily and looked at Lin Yuan with dissatisfaction.

Jiang Nansun and Zhu Suosuo secretly smiled.

Lin Yuan continued, "Don't be angry. If you really want to pursue Wang Yongzheng but don't know where to start, I can give you some advice."

Rather than being scumbed by Wang Yongzheng, Lin Yuan might as well reluctantly scum her once.

He loved seeing these haughty young ladies reveal a side of themselves that no one else knew.

Lillian looked at him with suspicion: "You really would be that kind?"

“Men know best what other men want, something women never will. If I don’t win her over, you can do whatever you want with me. But if I do…” Lin Yuan pointed at Jiang Nansun, “She’s going to apply for your father’s doctoral program, so just take good care of her.”

"Oh, so that's what it was about." Lillian said with a sudden realization, then raised her chin confidently, "Just tell me what you want."

Zhang Anren, sitting at a table across the aisle, quickly added, "Nan Sun wants to get involved in Professor Dong's boutique hotel project in Songjiang."

"Is that all? I'll just tell my dad." Lillian agreed nonchalantly, then added threateningly, "Let's add each other on WeChat. If you dare to lie to me, don't blame me later, hmph!"

From a single glimpse, one can see the whole picture. Professor Dong dotes on this daughter immensely; opportunities that others crave are merely a matter of a word for her.

To say that Professor Dong is a person who adheres to principles is probably not accurate.

Lin Yuan didn't dislike Professor Dong, but since the old man was so eager to help Wang Yongzheng, he decided to gather some dirt on the old man first, as it might come in handy someday.

“Nan Sun is my friend, I wouldn’t joke about her studies,” Lin Yuan said, adding Lillian on WeChat.

Lillian handed her phone directly to Lin Yuan: "Make a note."

Lin Yuan typed his name on the screen with his fingertips and returned it to her.

"Lin Yuan, I'm leaving! Remember what you said."

Lillian turned and left.

Zhang Anren sat back down and said politely, "President Lin, thank you for your trouble."

Jiang Nansun also said softly, "Thank you."

Lin Yuan said with a playful tone, "Don't rush to thank me. You trust me so much, aren't you afraid I'll mess things up? I'm not the matchmaker, I don't have that kind of ability."

Jiang Nansun frowned, looked at him reproachfully, and couldn't help but kick Lin Yuan again.

Lin Yuan followed her movements, his shoe tip gently brushing against her ankle before slowly moving upwards.

Jiang Nansun gripped the chopsticks tightly, her breath catching in her throat. She bit her lip and looked at Lin Yuan, subtly pulling her foot back to avoid being noticed by Zhang Anren.

Zhu Suosuo smiled and reassured him, "Nan Sun, don't worry, Lin Yuan will definitely not go back on his word."

“Suo Suo knows me best. I never break my promises.” Lin Yuan’s tone was full of confidence. “But if Professor Dong really develops a bad impression of you because of this, then you shouldn’t apply, right?”

……

After lunch, Lin Yuan left the cafeteria with Zhu Suosuo, while Zhang Anren and Jiang Nansun stayed at school, one to work and the other to attend classes.

Zhu Suosuo stayed at her uncle's house in a small, cramped room converted from a storage room.

She didn't have high requirements for where she lived, as long as it was better than her uncle's house.

Lin Yuan chose an apartment very close to Jingyan Group. It was fully furnished, had plenty of natural light, and was conveniently located.

Lin Yuan asked, "Do you like it?"

Zhu Suosuo's eyes sparkled, and her tone was full of surprise: "I never thought I could live in such a nice house."

Lin Yuan curled his lips into a smile: "What's this? There are plenty of better options, as long as you let me exercise my rights as a boyfriend."

The two whispered a few words in the bedroom, and then Lin Yuan paid the rent directly.

The clouds collect and the rain stops.

Now Zhu Suosuo would never believe that Lin Yuan had never been in a relationship, otherwise how could he be so skilled?

The two snuggled together when the phone rang.

Lin Yuan asked curiously, "Whose call was it?"

“Nan Sun’s.”

"Answer it, just in case something happens. Put it on speakerphone."

Zhu Suosuo had no choice but to obey Lin Yuan's orders.

Zhu Suosuo had no choice but to pick up the phone and answer it, trying to keep her voice steady: "Hello, Nansun."

Jiang Nansun spoke quickly: "Suo Suo, have you rented a place yet? I'll come over and we can go together."

Zhu Suosuo replied softly, "It's already rented."

"Then I'll send you a video, and you can show me what the house looks like."

Just as Zhu Suosuo was about to refuse, Lin Yuan took the opportunity to say in a deep voice, "Then hang up and call me via video."

Zhu Suosuo was a little puzzled. She picked up the clothes beside her and prepared to put them on: "Why are you in such a hurry to show them to Nansun now?"

"It's better to let her see your new home than for her to come over now."

……

After hanging up the phone, Zhu Suosuo hugged Lin Yuan tightly.

"You really have feelings for Nansun?"

Lin Yuan laughed and said, "Besides her spoiled princess temperament, Nan Sun is perfect in every other way. Isn't it normal for her to be liked?"

"But she has a boyfriend."

Lin Yuan explained calmly, "Their conversation won't last long. I won't do anything underhanded. Let's just wait and see."

"Oh." Zhu Suosuo didn't say anything more; she couldn't make the decision for Lin Yuan.

"I have good news for you. Yesterday, Baofeng Technology's stock was sold off. Count how many shares were sold."

Lin Yuan took out his phone and swiped to open the balance screen.

The long string of numbers made Zhu Suosuo gasp for breath, and the subtle emotions she had just felt vanished instantly.

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "But this is only for you to see, not for you to use."

Zhu Suosuo looked slightly dejected: "I know."

"It's temporarily unavailable for you."

Lin Yuan then asked about work: "When does Yang Ke want you to report for duty?"

He said he could go to report tomorrow.

Lin Yuan nodded: "The people in Jingyan are all shrewd and have ulterior motives. Once inside, don't reveal our relationship. Just say we're ordinary friends. If necessary, we'll have to put on an act."

Zhu Suosuo didn't understand: "Why?"

“I only own 5% of Jingyan’s shares now, but it might be 15% or 25% later. I don’t want to be just a shareholder without any say. If I didn’t want them to know about our relationship, I would buy you a house right now.”

Lin Yuan started making grand promises.

Zhu Suosuo's eyes lit up, unable to hide her surprise: "Really?"

"Don't even mention a house, I'll give you shares in Jingyan in the future."

Zhu Suosuo was overjoyed by this sudden promise and turned to kiss Lin Yuan before asking about the important matter: "So what do I need to do?"

"Just maintain your persona of wanting to make money, and don't let them find out that I'm behind you."

(End of this chapter)