A Beijing socialite stole my boyfriend; she went crazy after I got married.

He forced down the turmoil in his heart, revealing only a faint smile of gratitude. "Isn't this too much trouble for you? For my sake..."

"It's no trouble at all."

Xie Qingyang shook his head, looking at the handsome face so close to his, and his mood improved. "We're friends, and you were originally the most suitable person for this project. Being replaced for no reason is unreasonable both professionally and personally."

"Thank you so much!"

Wei Jing thanked him sincerely, having already made up his mind.

Whether this attempt succeeds or fails, he must hold onto Xie Qingyang's lead firmly.

This is not just about a competition spot, but also about his future upward mobility and access to resources.

You may have some money in your own family, but in front of a real tycoon, it's nothing.

After the two parted, Xie Qingyang took out his phone and contacted his assistant.

A capable and composed male voice came from the other end of the phone: "Young Miss."

"Assistant Zhang," Xie Qingyang instructed casually, "I need you to handle something for me. One of my classmates, Wei Jing from the mathematics department, was originally selected for the school team for the National Undergraduate Mathematical Modeling Contest, but he was just notified at the last minute that he was replaced by a classmate who is inferior to him in every aspect. Contact the organizing committee and find out the specific reasons, and see if there is any way to correct this mistake."

She paused slightly, "Wei Jing's abilities are outstanding, and he is a favorite to win the championship. This arrangement is unfair to both the school and him personally."

Assistant Zhang readily agreed.

Xie Qingyang felt that this matter would be successful soon.

Assistant Zhang was assigned to her by her father a few years ago to assist her with some academic and social affairs. She is very capable and always handles things properly.

Xie Qingyang used it very skillfully and had once used both kindness and severity to his advantage, believing that he had already made the other party his confidant.

"Also, Miss," Assistant Zhang's voice continued, "two of the tech startups you asked me to keep an eye on have officially launched their Series B funding rounds, with valuations nearly double what they were when we first contacted them. What do you think? Should we continue pursuing them, or stick to the original plan and shift our financial focus to that overseas new energy fund?"

Although Xie Qingyang has not yet graduated, he has already begun to engage in some investment practices using the trust fund under his name.

Assistant Zhang was one of her main executors.

"The valuation has doubled?" She pondered for a moment. "Is it because the business data has really seen explosive growth, or is it just a story of capital-driven growth? Send me the detailed due diligence report."

After the call ended, Xie Qingyang intended to invite a few friends out, but on the way, he received another call from Zhang's assistant.

The latter's voice remained respectful, but his tone carried a hint of caution and unease.

"Miss, I've looked into the competition you mentioned. Although the organizing committee is nominally affiliated, the actual execution and judging teams are relatively independent and highly academic. Directly interfering with the list... is probably not appropriate and could easily give others a handle against us."

Xie Qingyang frowned slightly, not expecting Assistant Zhang to say that.

She raised her voice slightly: "I'm not asking you to directly pressure them to change the list, I'm asking you to first understand the situation and coordinate. Wei Jing's capabilities are obvious to all; being replaced so inexplicably is problematic in itself. On behalf of the Xie family, shouldn't you at least express your concern and questions?"

"Miss," Assistant Zhang's voice was even lower, "the list for these kinds of academic competitions is usually determined through multiple layers of review, making it difficult to find major errors in the process. Moreover, I just did a quick check, and in the final review of this list, a very influential specially invited academic advisor gave key opinions... This advisor's surname is Kong."

"hole?"

Xie Qingyang's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately thought of the aggressive Professor Kong from that morning.

"Yes," Assistant Zhang said in a low voice, "it's Mr. Kong Weiming, a senior researcher at the National Center for Mathematical Research, an authority in applied mathematics and modeling."

Xie Qingyang understood immediately.

This researcher, Kong, is definitely related to Professor Kong Weiyong, whom Wei Jing offended during the day.

Wei Jing didn't tell her about his entanglement with Professor Kong in detail. Xie Qingyang asked around and immediately realized that the focus wasn't on Jiang Chu.

Jiang Chu was a dance student, so it was unlikely that Professor Kong would care too much about her.

However, Professor Kong was concerned about his image and liked to put on airs. He was unhappy when he found that Wei Jing did not fawn over him like the students majoring in literature and history.

So they decided to target Wei Jing.

Xie Qingyang disliked Professor Kong from the bottom of her heart, but upon closer reflection, she also found Jiang Chu annoying.

If she had obediently gone out to talk with Wei Jing, none of this would have happened.

She caused trouble at the banquet yesterday and then pretended to break up with him, which led Wei Jing to come over and put on these same act.

...Isn't it just that she enjoys being all lovey-dovey with Wei Jing in front of everyone?

"Professor Kong Weiming has an excellent reputation on the organizing committee and a fair academic stance. His suggestions usually carry significant weight. If the suggestion to change the personnel did indeed come from him, or if he explicitly expressed his support, then the list is almost certainly going to be changed."

Assistant Zhang said in a low voice.

"If we force a conversation, the Kong family might think that our Xie family intends to interfere with academic independence. It would be a loss to antagonize the Kong family for the sake of one student—"

"The Kong family?" Xie Qingyang interrupted him. "They're just somewhat renowned in academic circles; they should be the ones seeking opportunities to collaborate with the Xie family. If we give them a pretext to contact the Xie family, do you think they'd refuse?"

In her view, the Xie family was a behemoth occupying the top of capital and power, and that taking the initiative to "intervene" was already giving them a huge favor.

The other party should have readily agreed and even been extremely grateful.

Assistant Zhang on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment. "Miss, you're right. The Xie family is certainly a force to be reckoned with. However... the Kong family's situation is somewhat special. They have cultivated deep roots in academia for generations, with students and former associates all over the place, especially in certain key powerful departments and policy consulting institutions, where their influence is deeply entrenched. They do not rely on commercial capital operations and have their own substantial foundations and industries supporting academic research."

He paused, "More importantly, the Kong family has always considered themselves to be of the purest lineage, and they especially value academic independence and a clean reputation. For them, being 'friendly' with a certain business family is not necessary; on the contrary, it might be seen as... being tainted by money, or damaging their academic integrity."

Xie Qingyang's face darkened. "You mean they won't give the Xie family any face?"

Assistant Zhang sighed softly, "In the past, some conglomerates have tried to establish connections with the Kong family by funding major projects, but they have all declined, on the grounds that they 'do not want academic pursuits to be tainted.'"

Xie Qingyang understood that if he intervened in the Kong family's situation, it would only backfire and exacerbate the conflict.

The other party is neither short of money nor afraid of power; they have their own solid foundation and code of conduct that transcend mere commercial interests.

Xie Qingyang held his phone, feeling somewhat angry.

She was so used to the flattery and concessions of most people and forces that she subconsciously underestimated the weight of certain self-contained circles with their own unique rules and resources.

"...How ungrateful!"

She hung up the phone coldly.

-

At the same time.

In an office at the group's headquarters, Assistant Zhang calmly took off his Bluetooth headset.

He pushed up his black-rimmed glasses, picked up the internal telephone on the table, and dialed a number.

The call was answered quickly.

"Assistant Wang."

Assistant Zhang's tone immediately became respectful, "The matter with Miss has been handled properly."

A steady male voice came from the other end of the phone, "Good. The chairman doesn't like that guy surnamed Wei very much. Right now, no one in the Xie family can use their family's influence to help him. You did a good job."