I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

Seeing Zhou Man walk right in, Shen Kang remarked, "Oh, impressive, a universal room key, huh? Don't you know how to respect guest privacy?"

Zhou Man ignored him. As soon as she entered, she saw a strange girl... no, a strange boy sitting next to Shen Kang.

I mistook him at first glance simply because he had long hair.

Ma Liang stared blankly at the woman who had barged in. He could only see that she was very beautiful and had a great presence, clearly a wealthy young woman or a powerful businesswoman. But he didn't know who she was or why she had barged into Shen Kang's room so late at night.

After finishing his rant, Shen Kang continued, "President Zhou, let me introduce you. This is Ma Liang, the technical director of one of my companies, and also a student at Yangke University. Ma Liang, and this is Zhou Man, President Zhou."

As was Ma Liang's usual habit, he would instinctively toss his hair and strike a cool pose when he saw a beautiful woman. But perhaps because this woman was so imposing, he didn't toss his hair; he simply greeted her politely, "Hello, Mr. Zhou."

Zhou Man replied with a "hello".

Shen Kang then added, "Old Ma, I reckon Mr. Sun won't have time to take you for a foot massage today."

Ma Liang was indeed blinded by lust, and forgetting that there were outsiders present, he was startled and subconsciously asked, "Why?"

"Mr. Sun is still busy."

As he spoke, Shen Kang pointed towards the door—from their angle, they could see the two guardian deities, one on the left and one on the right, outside the door.

"Look, that's General Manager Sun. He's still working at this hour; he must have a lot going on at the hotel."

Ma Liang looked in the direction Shen Kang pointed, feeling somewhat disappointed and regretful.

He didn't hide anything; his thoughts were all written on his face.

Shen Kang felt sorry for him and patted him on the shoulder, thinking to himself, "Old Ma really has bad luck; he's got no 'good fortune' about him. Last time he didn't have the guts, but this time he did, only to inexplicably run into President Zhou on his inspection tour. Sigh..."

"There's nothing we can do about it, Lao Ma, you should go back and get some rest."

Ma Liang had no choice but to get up and leave the room.

The effect of lust driving one's brain is truly potent. Ma Liang wasn't exactly a gangster, but because of his lustful impulses and lingering resentment, as he was leaving, he suddenly asked Sun Hongjun, "Excuse me, are you General Manager Sun of this hotel?"

Sun Hongjun, who was standing guard at the entrance, smiled and nodded politely. "Yes, student. If you're talking about the general manager of this hotel, then that's me."

Ma Liang then asked, "Shen Kang said that there's a lot going on at the hotel right now, are you still busy?"

After thinking for a moment, Sun Hongjun continued, following Shen Kang's line of thought: "Yes."

Helpless, Ma Liang had no choice but to leave, walking step by step toward his own room, feeling very reluctant to go.

Sun Hongjun looked at his classmate's back with some doubt, but he quickly put it aside and continued to think about his own thoughts.

Ding Ling stood guard on the other side, also remaining silent, lost in thought.

in the room

Shen Kang sat down again on the single sofa.

Zhou Man sat down on the sofa where Ma Liang had just been sitting, her expression now calm.

Shen Kang didn't need to say anything more. After seeing what happened just now, she had already figured it out. It wasn't that Shen Kang wanted to wash his feet; he was really asking on behalf of Ma Liang.

Recalling Ma Liang's reluctant farewell earlier, Zhou Man couldn't help but ask, "Are all college students like this these days?"

Shen Kang said, "What do you mean by 'now'? I don't believe it. When you were in college, Mr. Zhou, were all your classmates celibate and detached from worldly desires?"

Zhou Man thought about it and agreed. "But back then, we weren't as..." She paused for a moment before using a single word to describe it: "blatant."

"To say it's blatant is an exaggeration. Actually, Ma Liang is the repressed type, and quite timid," Shen Kang said. "He's wanted to go for a long time, but he's never managed to go. He's a typical case of having the desire but not the courage. Today was just a coincidence. He probably saw that he could succeed, and his emotions were at their peak, but he failed, which is why he's acting like this."

Zhou Man seemed thoughtful, then asked kindly, "Then why doesn't he find a girlfriend?"

Seeing that the conversation was starting to go astray, Shen Kang didn't stop him. Instead, he took out a bag of sunflower seeds, placed it on the small table between the two of them, opened it, took out a handful, and started chatting with Zhou Man while eating the sunflower seeds.

"I also asked him why he doesn't find a girlfriend, and he always said he can't find a suitable one. Actually, it's just that the girls he likes don't like him back, and the girls who like him don't like him back."

"From the moment I hired him as CTO, Mr. Zhou, you knew he was truly capable. People like him have their pride and aren't willing to compromise. But it's not a big problem. Once my company takes off, his CTO salary will skyrocket, and then those who look down on him now will be able to. Until then, let him suffer for a while..."

Zhou Man doesn't usually eat sunflower seeds, but as Shen Kang chatted and started eating them, the atmosphere became lively, so she grabbed a handful and slowly began to eat them.

At the same time, he casually asked, "You said that those who like him don't like him back, and those he likes don't like him back. What about you?"

"I'm different," Shen Kang said. "I simply don't want to be in a relationship. I find it boring. Studying is much more interesting. I study intensely every day, completely immersed in the ocean of knowledge!"

Zhou Man gave a forced smile. "So you really didn't find a girlfriend at school?"

Shen Kang replied confidently, "No."

Zhou Man said earnestly, "This is a good option."

Shen Kang replied decisively, "I really don't have that."

Zhou Man didn't know what to say: Just now, she felt like a mother who had accidentally opened her son's bedroom door and saw him with catheters. In that situation, she just blurted out some things.

But now, she's like a mother sitting in the living room, her son already dressed and out, and there are some things she can't bring herself to say.

"……well."

Zhou Man could only sigh.

When the conversation with Shen Kang stalled, Zhou Man brought up another child, "How's Qiu Zhu doing at school? Is she dating anyone?"

Shen Kang remained calm and said, "No."

Zhou Man felt something was strange: "No one's pursuing her? That's impossible."

Shen Kang said, "There are definitely people pursuing her, but very few, extremely few."

Zhou Man didn't find it strange.

In fact, very beautiful girls don't have as many suitors, because when a girl is beautiful enough, many people don't dare to pursue her.

In particular, when this girl comes from a very wealthy family and is a top-tier "rich, beautiful, and successful" woman, even fewer people dare to pursue her.

Zhou Man understands this deeply.

On the contrary, the girls who are average-looking and from average families are the ones who have the most suitors.

"Then there are still some," Zhou Man asked. "Is it that none of them have caught her eye? Or are you being too protective of her, kicking out anyone who doesn't seem right?"

In Zhou Man's eyes, the two children had a very good relationship, and the younger brother, Shen Kang, also took good care of the older sister, He Qiuzhu.

Perhaps it's Shen Kang who's keeping a close watch on things, and he'll fire anyone he deems unsuitable?

Zhou Man believed that Shen Kang could truly do it.

Upon hearing this, Shen Kang thought to himself that he always emphasized that he and He Qiuzhu were siblings, but no one believed him. However, it seemed that President Zhou believed him.

It is indeed the great and wise President Zhou who is so insightful and insightful!

Then, without changing his expression, he said, "Maybe she hasn't found anyone she likes. Besides, why would I chase after the guys who are pursuing her? I already have so many things to do, why would I bother?"

Zhou Man pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Then it's probably because she hasn't found anyone she likes yet. The quality of the boys at your Yangke University is probably a bit low."

"...Mr. Zhou, I'm also a male student at Yangke University. Could you please consider my feelings?" Shen Kang said helplessly.

Zhou Man ignored him and prepared to get up to go find He Qiuzhu.

Just as he was about to get up, his nose suddenly twitched, and he looked at Shen Kang suspiciously.

Why do you smell so strongly of autumn bamboo?

"..."