spring bite mark

Chapter 44 Gossip about exes and current partners
The alumni reunion is held on a weekend.

Tsinghua University has always been a gathering place for top students, producing all kinds of elite talents. The list of outstanding alumni on the alumni honor roll is dazzling.

Xie Yuheng and Yan Changye are both ranked in the most prominent positions on the alumni honor roll.

As the head of the largest conglomerate in Hong Kong, Xie Yuheng's alumni association attracted countless business and political figures who graduated from the Department of Finance at Tsinghua University. As soon as the venue was set up, batches of big-name alumni appeared on Tsinghua's red carpet.

Jiang Manman and Yan Changye both wore masks discreetly and visited the campus hand in hand.

"You've changed so much. You haven't been back for a long time, have you?" Jiang Manman casually chatted with Yan Changye.

When she was a freshman, Yan Changye was graduating from his senior year and became one of the most outstanding graduates at the time. He obtained a direct PhD program and was busy studying with academicians. In addition, he had already taken over the Yan Group and was so busy that he was always on the go. Jiang Manman only saw him once or twice that year.

“I’ve made time to come here from time to time these past two years.” Yan Changye played with her fingers. “But every time I come, I’m accompanied by a large group of people from the Yan family. This is the first time I’ve revisited this place with my wife.”

Jiang Manman hummed in agreement, looked around, and noticed that many of the alumni present at this reunion were elites from various industries. She couldn't help but exclaim, "They're all so successful and frequently appear in magazine interviews. It's been a long time since Tsinghua University has gathered so many celebrities at once!"

"How could Xie Yuheng, the number one tycoon in Hong Kong, not have a strong influence?" Yan Changye paused for a moment, "Of course, half of it comes from the attraction of her husband."

As the most prestigious family in the capital, the Yan family owns a wide variety of businesses. Everyone wants to get in touch with Yan Changye and share in his wealth. Jiang Manman was well aware of this, so she said softly, "There must be a lot of people asking you to entertain them. I'm going to the Academy of Fine Arts to see my seniors later. After you're done here, we can go home together."

Yan Changye rubbed her head: "It's not convenient to bring bodyguards into Tsinghua University. Please keep your phone on and contact me anytime if you need anything."

Jiang Manman blinked her almond-shaped eyes: "What could possibly happen? Those who can enter this door are all the chosen ones, proud of their status, and wouldn't deliberately cause trouble. But you, your face is born to cause trouble, don't bring back any bad suitors outside."

Yan Changye raised the corner of his lips: "I'm here to scout out talent, not to find a lover, Madam, please don't be angry."

Jiang Manman gently pinched his waist, then parted ways with him at the fork in the road ahead, heading towards the alumni association venue near the Academy of Fine Arts.

The art academy was full of luminaries today, including a genius painter, a fashion design master, and even a concept artist from the animation industry. Jiang Manman joined their conversation, mostly as a listener, listening to everyone share their thoughts on their work…

After listening for about half an hour, someone finally steered the conversation towards Jiang Manman:

"Hey junior, which year are you in? Such an amazing aura is rare even in our art academy."

Jiang Manman said softly, "You flatter me, senior. I just graduated with my master's degree last year. It is the seniors' demeanor that is truly admirable."

"What are we compared to them? We've just been given an artistic makeover. We can't compare to those big shots today." The senior laughed, quite emotional. "Putting everything else aside, just Xie Yuheng from Hong Kong and Yan Changye from the Yan family, even disregarding their family backgrounds, their charisma and abilities alone are enough to make us mere shoes carriers."

Xie Yuheng and Yan Changye are clearly a popular topic that can be discussed endlessly, no matter the occasion.

Once the topic was steered in that direction, it was hard to steer it back. An elegant senior student spoke up: "Yan Changye is in the same year as me. To be honest, when I first saw him, I was immediately struck by his extraordinary appearance. It's just that our family backgrounds are so different, otherwise I would have shamelessly pestered him."

Another senior student laughed: "You're not the only one. Back then, Yan Changye was unapproachable in the Finance Department of Tsinghua University. I remember he even hired a few students from the Physical Education Department to help him fend off unwanted suitors all day long, and he explicitly stipulated that no girl could get within one meter of him."

“Really? I don’t remember. I was only a year ahead of him, and in my memory he was quite the playboy…” one of the seniors mused.

The senior student said, "He just looks like a playboy and a bit unruly, but during his years at Tsinghua University, he only hung out with boys and I never saw him get close to any girl. Then, during his junior year, I don't know how, rumors started circulating that he had a white moonlight (a girl he had a crush on).

Jiang Manman looked at the senior who was speaking and pretended to listen.

The senior continued, "Actually, none of us believed it at the time. He's the prince of Beijing's elite circles. Normally, he'd throw himself at anyone, let alone just want moonlight. How could he not get what he wanted?"

Jiang Manman hesitated: "Then, what happened next?"

"We're all very busy people, so we didn't really focus on gossiping about that young master," the senior student said with a mysterious smile. "But isn't that young master going to give a speech on stage in the conference room later? I heard that the Q&A slips prepared for him contain a lot of emotional questions!"

The senior next to me laughed and said, "Compared to gossip about the young master, I'd actually like to hear more about Xie Yuheng. To be able to dominate the business world of Hong Kong all by himself, his skills must be extraordinary. I really can't connect him with the cold and aloof man from back then."

The elegant senior student who spoke first exclaimed, "Xie Yuheng, the God of Wealth in Hong Kong's entertainment circle? What a coincidence, I met him back then. Yan Changye had just graduated when he transferred from Hong Kong to Beijing. It was said that his family arranged for him to experience the business environment on the mainland. Who knew that he would start a passionate romance as soon as he arrived!"

Jiang Manman suddenly felt like leaving.

The senior student sighed, "It was truly a grand affair! Back then, Xie Yuheng only had eyes for his girlfriend. I remember she was from our department? The two of them were inseparable, and he seemed to be the more insecure one, practically doting on her to the core. I heard that after his year-long term in Beijing ended, he took his girlfriend to Hong Kong to get married..."

Jiang Manman suddenly stood up and silently left the gathering place at the Academy of Fine Arts.

Behind him, the senior student was still sighing, "I wonder if Xie Yuheng brought his wife, our junior, today..."

Jiang Manman quickened her pace!

With her head down and not looking where she was going, she just wanted to get away from the gossip zone. She walked very fast and bumped straight into someone's arms at the fork in the road between the finance and art academy exchange areas.

And that person, as a reflex, hugged her.

"I'm sorry." She looked up somewhat awkwardly, only to meet a pair of deep, unfathomable eyes.

Jiang Manman: "..."

(End of this chapter)