Professor Wen and Hu Ying were still curious about Du Zhaohui’s visit.

The project Du Zhaohui mentioned was worth over a hundred million RMB!

What had Xia Xiaolan done in China to make someone travel so far to discuss such a major project with her?

However, Professor Wen and Hu Ying didn’t pry, respecting Xia Xiaolan’s privacy.

Du Zhaohui reluctantly returned to his hotel at 9 PM.

He had dismissed many of his entourage, and this time in America, he traveled without fanfare, bringing only Ah Hua. Du Zhaohui left Ah Hua at the hotel – Ithaca wasn’t a big city and had no luxury hotels.

There were many inns, but they were far below Young Master Du’s usual standards.

Du Zhaohui insisted on going to the Wen residence alone, making Ah Hua worry about the young master’s safety.

By evening, Du Zhaohui returned safely, and Ah Hua saw him in high spirits.

Had Ah Hua imagined the temperamental young master who threw ashtrays during meetings with Shenzhen officials? Surely the young master had always been this cultured and reasonable, right?

“Young Master, are you going there again tomorrow?”

Du Zhaohui exuded confidence: “Yes, I’m going to tour Cornell tomorrow.”

Du Zhaohui felt somewhat regretful.

If he had spare money, he wouldn’t mind donating to Cornell University and setting up a scholarship.

Xia Xiaolan was too cautious. She didn’t lack money but remained low-key in America. Hu Ying said she cycled to school – was such frugality necessary?

That miser Xia Xiaolan didn’t seem likely to splurge on luxury cars, but buying an ordinary new car in America would only cost a few thousand dollars.

Had Xia Xiaolan spent that million-plus dollars in just one month in America?

Fortunately, Du Zhaohui kept these thoughts to himself. If Ah Hua knew, he’d surely mock: Miss Xia has her boyfriend, why is Young Master worrying about such things?

Too much concern surely meant he was too idle.

Du Zhaohui headed to the Wen residence early, saying he wanted to tour Cornell’s campus.

Anyone could visit Cornell, so Xia Xiaolan wouldn’t stop him, but she emphasized:

“I’ll be busy all day, so explore on your own. I can’t be your guide!”

Her cooperation with Du Zhaohui was about helping him make money, not playing tour guide.

Du Zhaohui needed her help, and following the food chain upward, Xia Xiaolan wasn’t afraid of him… she feared Professor McCarthy and worried about her hair thinning.

Xia Xiaolan thought all night about starting a firm in China.

She couldn’t return now but could start preparations there.

The firm could initially use Mao Kangshan’s name, leveraging the famous professor’s reputation to attract talented newcomers. This would disappoint senior apprentice Zhou Maotong, as Mao would likely become her firm’s consultant instead of continuing his nominal position at Guangdong Construction – being favored made one fearless, and Xia Xiaolan was confident Mao Kangshan would support her idea.

Old Mao was strict in class but indulged her otherwise.

Xia Xiaolan met with Richard and the others at Cornell’s famous library – the first university library in America to allow undergraduates to borrow books. With its vast collection, Xia Xiaolan and her group members could spend all day there.

They didn’t emerge until after one o’clock.

The 3,000-acre campus was enough for Du Zhaohui to explore all day, but he wasn’t truly inspired by the academic atmosphere – it was just an excuse.

Seeing Xia Xiaolan finally emerge, Du Zhaohui’s stomach growled from waiting:

“Don’t you eat lunch?”

“Haven’t you eaten? These are my classmates – Richard, Daisy, and Lyle. This is my friend from China, you can call him Du.”

Though unschooled, Du Zhaohui came from Hong Kong where English was widely used, so he understood basic daily conversation.

“Hello, I’m Xiaolan’s friend. Let me treat everyone to lunch!”

Young Master Du’s eagerness to spend money and immediate warmth made Richard and the others uncomfortable.

Daisy even secretly asked Xia Xiaolan if Du Zhaohui was her Chinese boyfriend.

Xia Xiaolan shook her head, “My boyfriend has a special status, he can’t easily travel abroad.”

If Zhou Cheng could leave the country, he would have come long ago – Xia Xiaolan was confident of this.

Du Zhaohui’s plan to spend big didn’t materialize. Xia Xiaolan had class at 2 PM, otherwise, she and the others wouldn’t have left the library. They ended up having a simple lunch at Du Zhaohui’s insistence.

A burger meal for only 3 dollars!

What could that amount buy?

Xia Xiaolan was living poorly at the American school.

The instant coffee tasted awful, and Young Master Du disliked it.

Yet Xia Xiaolan ate with relish.

Two pieces of bread with a beef patty and lettuce, squeezed with ketchup and sauce – how could that compare to a bowl of wonton noodles in rich broth?

“This tastes terrible…”

Du Zhaohui complained while stuffing the burger into his mouth.

Damn, he found this Western fast food delicious. Perhaps as Xia Xiaolan said, he had the potential to become a “price-sensitive consumer”?

Meanwhile, Project Li had tasked Xiang Li with investigating Xia Xiaolan’s background.

She was action-oriented, visiting Xu Jing the very next day.

Xu Jing and Ma Hai rented a garage. Though not necessarily cheaper than school dormitories, they hadn’t secured dorm rooms and had to live in the garage!

Xiang Li had never lived in a garage but had visited twice before to “give money” to Xu Jing.

They didn’t call it repayment but “giving money” – outsiders might think Xiang Li was supporting her ex-boyfriend.

This time too, Xiang Li came to “give money.”

She brought Xu Jing 50 dollars – used carefully, this could cover two to three weeks of living expenses.

Ma Hai snorted but didn’t comment further on Xiang Li’s actions.

After giving the money, Xiang Li didn’t leave but pulled out a silk scarf from her bag, “Xu Jing, you know Xia Xiaolan from the party, right? We found this scarf while cleaning. Someone said they saw Xia Xiaolan wearing something similar. It’s quite expensive – if it’s hers, I should return it.”

Xia Xiaolan’s scarf was lost?

Xu Jing and Ma Hai, being typical guys, hadn’t noticed such details of Xia Xiaolan’s attire, and with so many people at the party, they couldn’t remember if she had worn a scarf.

But since Xiang Li asked, Xu Jing naturally wanted to help.

“Ma Hai, didn’t she give you her contact information? Give the number to Xiang Li so she can ask.”

Ma Hai hesitated.

Why was Xiang Li so interested in Xia Xiaolan? This woman who drove around with her new lover in Xu’s car wasn’t exactly trustworthy.

The thought flashed briefly, and Ma Hai didn’t dwell on it.

If Li Yong had come asking about Xia Xiaolan, it would have been suspicious, but since Xiang Li was also a woman, Ma Hai’s guard wasn’t up!