I was exposed for adding my female boss to my group of female friends.

"My master only likes the most outstanding girls."

After a long pause, Yang Changshuo raised his head and murmured, "I wonder how Lu Aiai is doing now after leaving Peking University."

"Cough cough!" Gu Yuqing coughed twice to vent her dissatisfaction. "You treat her like your daughter, don't you? Wake up, she's not your daughter, it's none of your business to worry about her marriage!"

Yang Changshuo looked a little embarrassed: "What I'm worried about is Chen Ya's lifelong happiness!"

"But Chen Ya isn't your son!"

"Chen Ya and I have a relationship that is both like a student and a friend, so of course I have to care about him!"

"You have more than just Chen Ya as your apprentice and friend, so why don't I see you gossiping about the others?"

……

The two sides were locked in a fierce battle of words, leaving the onlookers dumbfounded.

Especially Miao Aoxue, who was sitting to the side, had her eyes wide open like copper bells, her eyes filled with disbelief.

If there weren't so many people around, she would have slapped herself in the face to see if she was still conscious.

The timeline mentioned by Yang Changshuo coincides with the timeline of her studies at Peking University.

But he knew nothing about what Lu Ai'ai was talking about, or how he knew Chen Ya. It was as if it were happening in a parallel world.

It's understandable that Yang Changshuo knew Chen Ya, as he was a professor at Peking University at the time.

It's possible that he borrowed books every day and chatted with Chen Ya for a bit, which led to their acquaintance.

What puzzled Miao Aoxue was Lu Aiai, whom Yang Changshuo mentioned.

A specially appointed professor, known as a child prodigy, had an ambiguous relationship with Chen Ya, who at the time was just a librarian... In Miao Aoxue's mind, this was simply impossible.

How could he resist telling me?

Miao Aoxue couldn't help but recall that when she and Chen Ya took walks together in the evening, a topic they often talked about was how she had received a love letter from XXX in her class, or how XXX had brought her breakfast.

The implication is that "I'm very popular, and maybe one day someone will win me over."

However, after saying that, she would deliberately emphasize that she had not agreed to these people's requests, implying that Chen Ya should pursue her.

However, Chen Ya remained unmoved every time she said that, so every day when she returned to the dormitory, Miao Aoxue would complain to her roommates and laugh at the straight man's low emotional intelligence.

But how could such a clueless straight man with low emotional intelligence have an affair with that specially appointed professor Lu Aiai, and make Gu Yuqing so interested in him?

Moreover, putting yourself in Miao Aoxue's shoes, even if she were just familiar with the dormitory manager downstairs, let alone knowing Yang Changshuo, she would definitely want to show it off to others.

It was quite peculiar that Chen Ya, as a librarian at the time, knew two such important figures but never mentioned them to me.

If he had mentioned it to me back then... if he had mentioned it...

Miao Aoxue was momentarily stunned.

The reason she hadn't pursued a deeper relationship with Chen Ya before was because she always had this thought in her mind: "His status is too low, he's not good enough for me."

But now it seems that Chen Ya was definitely a promising talent, a late-blooming hero. Otherwise, why would so many girls be infatuated with him back then, and why would he become the campus's undisputed heartthrob? And why would he be able to write so many excellent articles?

If he had revealed at the time that he knew Yang Changshuo, would my opinion of him have changed at all?

Would things have turned out differently today?

Would I not just sit on the sidelines today, staring blankly at Gu Yuqing and Qin Yunchu, but instead... sit comfortably and happily between the two of them, enjoying the attention of others?

Thinking of this, Miao Aoxue became lost in thought. Li Jiayi, who was beside her, gently nudged Miao Aoxue's arm, pulling her back to reality from her reverie.

"What are you doing?" Miao Aoxue's voice couldn't help but become a little rough.

"Didn't Chen Ya pursue you before? It seems your standards are even higher than Gu Yuqing's."

Miao Aoxue turned around and found that the young master of the Xuanyuan Chamber of Commerce couldn't hide his smile, as if he was very proud of his statement.

Gu Yuqing was jealous of Chen Ya, while Miao Aoxue disregarded Chen Ya's pursuit. Doesn't this mean that Miao Aoxue's status was indirectly elevated to a higher level than Gu Yuqing's?

Doesn't elevating Miao Aoxue's status imply that Li Jiayi, the man chosen later, is the more suitable candidate?

Li Jiayi found a completely new way to flatter Miao Aoxue, and thought she would be just as pleased with herself.

But Miao Aoxue felt like a toad that had been poked with a stick, grimacing and in so much pain she was about to jump up and down.

When Miao Aoxue realized that she had missed out on Chen Ya, which was the biggest blunder in her life, she began to dislike Li Jiayi.

Now it's becoming increasingly unpleasant to look at.

How could I have been so blind as to miss out on such a huge opportunity and instead treat this tiny sesame seed like a treasure?

Miao Aoxue was filled with deep regret.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" Li Jiayi asked, his expression changing as he noticed his fiancée's strange look.

"It's nothing, I'm just not feeling well."

Miao Aoxue shook her head, turned her back, and pretended to be very interested as she continued to listen to Yang Changshuo and Gu Yuqing's verbal sparring.

Li Jiayi inexplicably felt that there was a sudden barrier between him and his fiancée, but he didn't know why.

Gu Yuqing and Yang Changshuo were a little tired from arguing, so they took a break.

Lu Qingxuan and Liu Ruying sat silently to one side for a long time. Lu Qingxuan felt her palms sweating and was quite nervous.

She had a question in her mind that she wanted to ask, but she didn't dare to ask it aloud. After thinking for a long time, she finally spoke, pretending to be casual and smiling:

"President Qin, Chen Ya has been your subordinate for a long time, hasn't he?"

Qin Yun Chu had a rather favorable impression of this stunningly beautiful girl, and replied very gently:

"It's not that early. Actually, I met Chen Ya quite late. I've known him for less than a year."

“Less than a year…” Lu Qingxuan repeated, then asked, “Less than a year, and you have such a deep impression of him? Judging from how much you care about him, I thought he must be one of your long-time subordinates.”

Upon hearing this, Qin Yunchu blushed slightly and waved her hand, saying, "No, no, I didn't really care, it's just... well, I just do care a little."

Gu Yuqing tilted her head and glanced at Qin Yunchu for a while, then couldn't help but want to laugh.

"Really..." Lu Qingxuan nodded blankly after hearing this. She was very accepting of this statement because she also cared about Chen Ya.

“Strictly speaking, he’s not exactly my subordinate,” Qin Yunchu said with a wry smile. “With his abilities, he wouldn’t be relying on a salary anymore. Going to work is just for experiencing life. Now that he’s back in Beijing, he’s taken a month’s leave. What ordinary worker would dare to do that?”

As Lu Qingxuan and Liu Ruying listened, they automatically assumed Qin Yunchu's words meant Chen Ya's identity as Jiang Lizhi's boss, and they couldn't help but nod in agreement.

I see, it's about experiencing life. No wonder Chen Ya always talked about working at Hongtu.

This must be the perverse pleasure of the rich: they just find a job and use it as a cover to cover up the fact that they don't actually need to work, or they're just looking for something to do.

“Yes, after all, he’s Jiang Lizhi’s boss. He can just lie around and relax without having to go to work,” Lu Qingxuan said.

Qin Yun Chu: "What, Jiang Li Zhi's boss?"

Gu Yuqing: "What, Jiang Lizhi's boss?"

"..."

The two people asked the question at the same time.

After asking the question, they both looked at each other and remained silent for a while.

Now it was Lu Qingxuan's turn to feel awkward.

"Oh? Yes, it's his company, Jiang Lizhi, don't you guys know it?"

Qin Yun Chu frowned: "What company does Jiang Li Zhi work for?"

Gu Yuqing, who had been calm at first, suddenly became ferocious after thinking for a while:

"Damn Chen Ya, he's hiding something from me!"

Chapter 290 Is there another Brother Ya in the world?

Gu Yuqing stared at Lu Qingxuan and asked, "What Jiang Lizhi Company?"

"Yes, what Jiang Lizhi Company?" Qin Yunchu asked as well.

"I've never heard of him. When did he start another company?" Yang Changshuo frowned as well.

Now it was Lu Qingxuan's turn to stammer.

"It's that company, Jiang Lizhi's company, the one that makes jewelry. Don't you... know it?"

Lu Qingxuan looked at everyone, and their eyes clearly said, "I have absolutely no idea."

Lu Qingxuan was bewildered.

She originally wanted to steer the conversation toward Chen Ya's career so she could find out more about him and also ask about his love life.

As it turns out, these people who know Chen Ya are unaware that Chen Ya is Jiang Lizhi's boss.

She was quite confident at first, but now Lu Qingxuan is starting to doubt herself. Is she making a mistake?

Was she talking about the same Chen Ya as they were talking about?

Aren't Gu Yuqing and Qin Yunchu very familiar with Chen Ya? How could they be completely unaware of this?

Furthermore, if they didn't know that Chen Ya was Jiang Lizhi's boss, then why were these big shots praising Chen Ya so highly?

"Which three characters are you referring to as Jiang Lizhi?" Gu Yuqing's gaze was cold and stern.

"Jiang is the 'Jiang' in 'great rivers,' Li is the 'Li' in 'leaving,' and Zhi is... Baizhi, which is just a grass radical with a 'zhi' below it..."

After Lu Qingxuan finished her stammering explanation, Gu Yuqing's eyes narrowed.

"Looks like it's another girl's name." Qin Yun Chu sighed, rubbing her forehead.

“Yes, indeed,” Gu Yuqing said. “I wonder if it’s to commemorate that girl again.”

"No, no, you've misunderstood!" Lu Qingxuan said, both amused and exasperated. She quickly explained, "This comes from the poem 'Li Sao,' specifically the line 'I wear Jiangli and Bizhi, and string autumn orchids as my adornment.' It's used to refer to decorative items."

After hearing this explanation, Gu Yuqing's expression finally softened a little, but she still pouted slightly:

"Who knows if he used this name because it was taken from a girl's name in 'Li Sao'?"

After saying that, she glanced at Lu Qingxuan again: "It's amazing that you remember this difficult and obscure poem so clearly."

"Because...because I feel that this allusion is quite appropriate..."

Lu Qingxuan answered politely, but her fingers were clenched tightly, revealing her nervousness.

The reason I remember it so clearly is that I specifically went home and looked up every word Chen Ya said that I couldn't understand online, which is why I can remember it so well.

"What does Jiang Lizhi's company do?" Qin Yunchu asked.

“It’s a jewelry company,” Lu Qingxuan replied. “It has a good reputation and is quite large. It recently sold a piece of jewelry for a sky-high price.”

"Jewelry? Why would he want to get into jewelry?" Yang Changshuo asked, puzzled. "Isn't that a waste?"

Yang Changshuo's characteristic view that not being good at any subject is a waste of time resurfaced. Cao Kunguan smiled to the side but remained silent.

He also felt it was quite a waste.

Gu Yuqing tossed her hair and said, "It's decided. Once I've finished things here and go back, Yunshan Group will move into the jewelry industry."

Qin Yunchu asked in surprise, "Why are you being so hasty? The jewelry industry has absolutely nothing to do with Yunshan Group's main business, does it?"

"Tsk tsk tsk..." Gu Yuqing shook her slender, delicate fingers, which were as white as scallions, and made a tsk tsk sound at Qin Yunchu.

“Yun Chu, you don’t know this. In my long struggle with Chen Ya, I learned one thing: as long as Chen Ya has set up an industry, you must follow up as soon as possible, and you will definitely make a profit.”

Qin Yun Chu blinked in surprise: "Is it really that effective?"

"It's that amazing."

Qin Yunchu lowered her head and smiled, "Then I'll go back and tell my dad to go into the jewelry business."

The two big shots were talking animatedly, and the others sitting to the side couldn't get a word in edgewise. However, Lu Qingxuan still mustered up her courage and timidly said:

"Uh... actually, Jiang Lizhi's company has been operating for several years. If we start making moves now, we might not be able to compete."

Gu Yuqing got even angrier when she heard that.

Chen Ya has actually learned to conceal his business plans; that's outrageous. Is he just too weak to play the game?

Lu Qingxuan asked in a low voice, "I thought you already knew about Jiang Lizhi's company. But if you didn't know Chen Ya was the boss of Jiang Lizhi's company, then why... do you value him so much? Does he have other companies?"

Lu Qingxuan finally asked the question that was on her mind, but she felt that she might have asked the wrong question.

She noticed that the way Gu, Qin, Yang, and Cao were looking at her had become strange.

That look in his eyes seemed to be both suppressing laughter and pity, like looking at a child.