Mixed in 1980

Chapter 443 Confession
As soon as his coughing stopped, Lu You started sneezing again.

After finishing one cigarette, he lit another, and it took him a while to fully relax. He had only mustered up the courage to agree to date Chen Yanyin yesterday, and today he did something even more extreme.

Take out your phone and search for the three characters "陈言谨".

I just glanced at it casually at the time and didn't take it seriously, since it had nothing to do with me. But now, looking at it again, I can clearly recognize its value.

As a fellow PhD, Lu You knew very well that the path from undergraduate to master's and then to doctoral studies was fraught with difficulties.

Chen Yanjin won over the girl at the age of 22!

Searching for Xinghuo Investment yields very little information, while searching for Xinghuo Real Estate provides much more detailed information, all of which was supplemented by Chen Fan's requests.

Hong Kong's largest real estate developer is collaborating with China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) on a joint development project, with CSCEC holding a 40% stake. CSCEC has also made significant investments in mainland China, extending far beyond just the Xinghuo 1-4 Towers.

It's about developing an entire area!

The office buildings, shopping malls, and hotel apartments surrounding the building were all constructed by Xinghuo Investment, occupying a significant portion of the CBD buildings in the four major first-tier cities.

Most of these buildings have been sold, but the ownership of Xinghuo 1-4 has been retained and is used only for rental purposes. Each of them has a market value of up to tens of billions of yuan.

The Chen family is a business empire!

It feels a bit surreal that he's dating someone else's daughter, like the South Korean Samsung chaebol's eldest daughter marrying her bodyguard.

Just as I was thinking about what to do next, my phone vibrated. I took it out and saw that it was a WeChat message from Chen Yanyin, which only had three words: Don't back down!
Lu You laughed!

If Chen Yanyin isn't going to back down, then I can't back down either. I'm just a rich heiress; I'm not a kept man, nor am I a man from a poor background. I don't need to feel inferior to anyone.

Taking a deep breath, Lu You stubbed out his cigarette, threw the rest into the trash can, turned around and went back to his dormitory to rest. He was going to accompany his girlfriend to Panjiayuan the next day.

That's where their love story began.

When Lu You returned the next day, he was still somewhat dazed. He had casually caught a thief and ended up with a girlfriend; it all seemed quite miraculous.

Before his girlfriend arrived, Lu You started strolling around. When he passed a stall selling Bodhi seed beads, he couldn't help but recall that Chen Yanyin was looking at Bodhi seed beads when she was robbed.

I took out my phone and searched for information on how to choose Bodhi seed beads. Following the standards written online, I picked the one with the best appearance.

When his girlfriend arrived, he immediately took it out: "I just picked it out. According to the standards online, it has a lot of white space and few speckles. Try it on."

Chen Yanyin took it, examined it, coiled it four times, and put it on. She slightly raised the corners of her mouth and said, "Not bad, the quality is indeed very good. How much did you buy it for?"

"Two thousand two."

"Never touch antiques again. The way you look here makes you look like a sucker."

Chen Yanyin sighed and rolled her eyes at her boyfriend: "The antique and collectible market is very rife with scams, especially targeting beginners. If I were to negotiate, I would only offer a maximum of a thousand."

Lu You touched his nose and remained silent, looking sullen.

Following behind Chen Yanyin, watching her pick out things, just like any other girl, she liked to pick and choose, especially liked to bargain, and was particularly ruthless in haggling.

He felt sorry for his boss after each cut.

I remember when I was little, I would go shopping with my older sister, and it would be the same scene: "Where did you learn all these bargaining skills from?"

"I learned it from my mom."

Chen Yanyin paid for the bracelet and put the newly bought sandalwood bracelet on Lu You's wrist: "Every year a few days before the Lunar New Year, she would take us to various markets and bargain everywhere."

"Going to the market? A fair?" Lu You asked in surprise.

Chen Yanyin nodded and said, "There was a shortage of supplies in the 1980s. There were many large markets in Beijing before the New Year, where you could buy a lot of things. That's when she developed the habit."

“When we were little, we would pester her to go to different markets every day as the Lunar New Year approached, and we would stay until New Year’s Eve.”

"Once you've seen enough, you'll naturally learn to bargain."

"No wonder," Lu You said with a smile.

Chen Yanyin rolled her eyes at her: "Bargaining is an essential skill in the antique and collectible trade. If you can't bargain, you'll definitely get ripped off, and people will laugh at you, saying you're paying tuition."

"You want to do this job in the future?" Lu You asked.

Chen Yanyin pouted and touched her nose: "I'm not good at anything. I'm just a good-for-nothing in my family. I just need to get by in this life."

Lu You was stunned: "A scoundrel? You're even pursuing a doctorate?"

"If I don't pursue a PhD, am I going back to inherit the family business? If I don't study, my family will force me to work. It's so much more comfortable to stay at school," Chen Yanyin said with a smirk.

"Isn't pursuing a PhD more tiring than working a regular job?" "The environment is much more relaxed. At work, you have to deal with all sorts of people, and everything you discuss involves interests. I don't like that kind of life."

Seeing a milk tea shop nearby, Chen Yanyin bought two cups and found a place to sit down: "My aunt and my mother both want to give me their businesses, but I won't do it."

Lu You was speechless; this girl was truly extraordinary.

“They themselves don’t want to do it, so why should I take it over? Besides, my eldest sister doesn’t want it, my second and third brothers don’t want it, so I definitely can’t take it.”

"What do they do that makes you brothers and sisters dislike them so much?" Lu You asked curiously.

"Don't talk nonsense about what you're complaining about."

Chen Yanyin touched her nose: "They're really impressive. They're the recipients of the second Grand Bauhinia Medal in Hong Kong. Do you know what that means?"

Seeing Lu You shake his head, he said, "Open your phone and search for something so you can get an idea."

Lu You was very curious, so he opened his phone and searched for the Grand Bauhinia Medal. When he saw the description, he was surprised. This was not something an ordinary person could obtain.

There's an entry on the encyclopedia; if you click on it, you'll find a list of past winners, many of whom are very famous people, such as Fok Ying-tung, Li Zhaoji, and Li Ka-shing.

"Look at the second edition, the one from 1998, my aunt Zeng Ali, and my mom Zhao Yuanyuan."

Upon hearing this, Lu You scrolled down the list and was even more surprised to find that the two of them had received the Grand Bauhinia Medal so early, earlier than many famous people.

What a huge contribution this is!

"You know about the 1997 and 1998 financial crisis, right? At that time, Soros repeatedly attacked Hong Kong. The two of them mortgaged their companies and took all their assets, totaling more than 20 billion US dollars, and invested it all in the financial war."

"They suffered heavy losses in Soros's first two attacks. It wasn't until the third time, when our government intervened and defeated Soros, that they were able to recover their losses."

"Back then, Hong Kong gave them the nickname 'Lai Garden Heroines.' They were very famous and respected in Hong Kong, and that's still the case now."

"Amazing!" Lu You exclaimed in amazement.

Being able to use all one's wealth to fight against international capital is not something an ordinary person can do: "Where's your second aunt? I've never heard you mention her."

"Second Aunt, you'll be terrified if I tell you this."

Chen Yanyin took a sip of her milk tea: "In our family, my second aunt is the real goddess. Your school should be able to apply for the Xu Jinqiu scholarship, right?"

Lu You nodded slightly: "The most difficult scholarship to apply for was one that many students in our class applied for during our freshman year, but only truly impoverished students could receive it."

"My second aunt, Xu Jinqiu!"

Seeing Lu You's stunned expression, Chen Yanyin said smugly, "You've seen Xinghuo Hope Primary School, right? There are also many junior high and high schools with Xinghuo teaching buildings."

Lu You slapped his forehead: "I remember now, there was a Xinghuo teaching building in my junior high school, and the name on the red ceramic tile was signed Xu Jinqiu."

"They were all donated by my second aunt."

Chen Yanyin took another sip of milk tea: "Since 1983, my second aunt has established the Xu Jinqiu Charity Foundation. To date, it has built more than 1.5 Xinghuo Hope Primary Schools, donated more than 1 Xinghuo teaching buildings, and sponsored more than 500 million impoverished students."

Lu You's mouth dropped open. "A true immortal!"
After a long pause, he asked, "With such a large donation, how come we've never seen any publicity? Logically, everyone should know about it."

Chen Yanyin pouted: "Why publicize what you want to do? Besides, the foundation's funds are all from our family; we never accept donations from outside."

"All of them are your own? How much would that be?"

"It's meaningless to calculate the cost. Purchasing power varies in different periods. In the 1980s, it would cost 50,000 to 100,000 yuan to build a rural primary school. Now it costs more than 1 million yuan, and larger ones cost 2 million to 3 million yuan."

“That makes sense!” Lu You nodded.

Chen Yanyin added, "Back in the 1980s, it was enough to subsidize primary school students with 5 yuan a month and middle school students with 10 yuan a month."

“Back then, there was no need to subsidize college students; they all received subsidies. Now, in addition to covering tuition, college students receive 800 yuan per month for living expenses.”

After hearing her words, Lu You was astonished. No wonder Chen Yanyin was so down-to-earth and understood the hardships of ordinary people.

It's all due to family education.

I've made a huge profit!
It has nothing to do with family background; it's because of this kindness.

However, he still had some doubts: "Your family started out with Xinghuo Real Estate. With the scale of Xinghuo Real Estate, it shouldn't be able to support such a large-scale charity project, right?"

"Who told you that my family made our fortune in real estate?" Chen Yanyin asked in surprise.

Lu You countered, "Online, isn't it?"

(End of this chapter)