“I wasn’t saving Gu Shi Yun, I was saving Cheng Ming Ze,” Xue Jiao said as she waved at an approaching taxi.

“Gu Xue Jiao! You ungrateful daughter!”

Xue Jiao’s feet paused momentarily. She turned her head: “You never cared about me before, so don’t expect me to still have any familial feelings for you.”

When Li Si Tong divorced, she gave up some benefits to gain custody of her.

While Gu Jing Xu easily agreed to give her up for just a small benefit.

Moreover, he had another true little princess in his heart. In the past, he allowed Wu Wan Jun to lead her astray, so she had no father-daughter affection for him anymore.

“Jing Xu! Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. Xue Jiao is still young; she just trusts her current father too much,” Wu Wan Jun patted Gu Jing Xu’s chest while adding fuel to the fire.

Sure enough, Gu Jing Xu flew into a rage: “Gu Xue Jiao! If you leave today, don’t ever call me father again! And don’t expect a penny from me!”

Xue Jiao’s footsteps didn’t stop.

“Ungrateful daughter! This ungrateful daughter!” Gu Jing Xu was still fuming while Wu Wan Jun and Gu Shi Yun consoled him while continuing to add fuel to the fire.

Not far away, a black Rolls-Royce Phantom closed its windows and slowly drove away.

“Boss, back to Beijing headquarters?”

“Yes, go back,” Lin Zhi Hua nodded.

After a moment, he rested his finger on his chin and asked: “Gu Jing Xu is working on that project in Nancheng, right?”

Chen Yan quickly recalled the information he had seen recently about the Gu and Cheng families, then nodded: “Yes, Gu Jing Xu’s company wants to take on the deal in Nancheng’s industrial zone.”

Lin Zhi Hua withdrew his finger from his chin, changed his posture, and said languidly: “The Nancheng project is not bad. Lin Corporation will take it.”

Chen Yan was stunned for a moment, then respectfully replied: “…Yes.”

The Nancheng project could also be handled by Lin Corporation’s C City branch. But it was like… someone with many master chefs at home going to an unknown small restaurant to order a mediocre bowl of noodles.

It was edible but unnecessary.

——

Gu Jing Xu was heartbroken yesterday by his “unfilial daughter” and was only comforted after a long time by his loving wife and precious daughter.

On his way to the company, he kept muttering about his unfilial daughter, saying Gu Xue Jiao was far less obedient and sensible than Shi Yun!

However, as soon as he arrived at the company, his secretary told him shocking news—

“What did you say?! Lin Corporation snatched the Nancheng project?!”

“Yes…” the secretary cowered.

“Impossible! How could Lin Corporation take on such an unrelated small project?!” Gu Jing Xu’s face was full of disbelief, doubting his ears for a moment!

“It’s true… Fusheng Enterprise from Nancheng called personally to say so…” the secretary trembled in fear.

Gu Jing Xu raised his hand, slightly shaking.

They had put so much effort into the Nancheng project, and today they were supposed to sign the contract, yet now all their efforts were in vain?!

“Lin Corporation… how could Lin Corporation suddenly come and fight for our business…”

Gu Jing Xu collapsed in his chair. If it were any other company, he could be angry and even find ways to retaliate, but this was Lin Corporation!

How could he retaliate?!

“Find out what’s going on with Lin Corporation!”

“Yes!”

After the secretary left, Gu Jing Xu slumped dejectedly in his office chair.

At noon, Wu Wan Jun called.

“Hello, Jing Xu, did you sign the project this morning? Let’s have lunch together to celebrate, alright? Shi Yun and I are waiting at Qikexuan—”

“Get lost—”

Gu Jing Xu angrily smashed his phone!

A casual move from Lin Corporation was a devastating blow to his company!

How could he have any mood to celebrate at this time?!

This is Wu Wan Jun!

——

Xue Jiao knew nothing about these matters. After Cheng Shuo and the others returned, they prepared a big table of dishes themselves to celebrate Xue Jiao and Cheng Ming Ze’s successful completion of the exam.

“By the way, Ming Ze, although Gu Shi Yun is fine, she was implicated because of you. You don’t need to feel too guilty toward her, but you should still thank her when appropriate,” Cheng Shuo instructed Cheng Ming Ze.

Cheng Ming Ze instinctively glanced at Xue Jiao, then slowly nodded.

Cheng Shuo nodded with satisfaction, then raised his glass—

“Celebrating Jiao Jiao and Ming Ze’s successful completion of the exam, and wishing you both good results!”

“Thank you, Dad.”

“Thank you, Uncle Cheng.”

After dinner, Xue Jiao returned to her room to continue reviewing.

She didn’t dare underestimate others, especially Chu Sheng. She could only create her legend through more effort, plus her cheating-like two years of experience.

The senior year curriculum would be completed in the second half of junior year, and the entire senior year was for exam preparation and review.

Xue Jiao had already reviewed the curriculum again. She took out a set of comprehensive science mock exam papers and began the test, timing herself.

Two hours later, Xue Jiao completed the science test and carefully checked her answers.

260—

Xue Jiao frowned deeply, losing a full forty points.

Her brows furrowed together as she looked at the wrong answers with a bitter expression, taking out her error book to carefully record them.

Indeed, she was still too inexperienced.

“Pfft—” a laugh sounded.

Xue Jiao was startled, and then turned around.

Cheng Ming Ze was leaning against the doorframe, looking at her with a smile, hands in his pockets, corners of his mouth raised, his refined face looking extremely gentle.

Xue Jiao was momentarily dazed, then quickly regained her composure.

Indeed, he is the male protagonist…

As she thought this, Cheng Ming Ze slowly walked in and picked up the test paper.

“Looking so worried, I thought it was terrible. This set of questions is quite difficult. Being able to score this much in junior year is already extremely impressive.”

Xue Jiao pouted, her brows still furrowed: “You don’t understand—”

I’ve already studied the senior year curriculum and even taken the college entrance exam, yet I only scored this many points…

Cheng Ming Ze raised an eyebrow: “What don’t I understand? You can break down doors, what are you afraid of?”

As he spoke, he rolled up the test paper and lightly tapped her head with it, his gesture extremely intimate: “Don’t worry anymore, quickly tackle the problems you don’t know!”

Xue Jiao was stunned, and Cheng Ming Ze’s hand also paused.

“I’ll go back to my room now.”

After saying that, he put down the paper and hurriedly left.

Xue Jiao shuddered and uttered three words: “Is he crazy?”

Cheng Ming Ze… being intimate with her?

Xue Jiao felt that either Cheng Ming Ze had gone mad or she had!

——

The car drove from Lin Corporation headquarters toward the Lin family mansion. Tan Qi respectfully opened the door.

Lin Zhi Hua continued to instruct: “Don’t agree to any of the Xie family’s demands. Let them wait for now. The cooperation with Yu Chuang must be discussed well. Help me arrange a meeting with Yu Jin Cheng tomorrow. I’ll see him personally in the evening. Also, arrange for several managers from the marketing department to report tomorrow, and urge the planning department’s report—it must be finished before the day after tomorrow.”

“Yes!”

“Check my recent schedule and squeeze out half a day within the next seven days. I… want to find Liu Xu.”

Chen Yan’s voice slightly hesitated: “…Yes.”

Lin Zhi Hua nodded and stepped out of the car.

The Lin family manor was built extremely luxuriously. Lin’s father had been in charge of the company for so long but accomplished almost nothing, merely enjoying the money.

This manor was inherited from the Lin family’s ancestors. Lin’s parents spent a huge sum on renovating and rebuilding it.

If Lin Zhi Hua hadn’t taken over Lin Corporation in time, the Lin family would have collapsed long ago.

Lin Zhi Hua had been in C City handling branch company affairs for almost a year. Although Beijing was now the headquarters, C City was still the main base, and they were slowly moving the focus to Beijing.

With him in C City, Lin’s parents also basically lived in C City, leaving this manor empty most of the time.

Recently, for some unknown reason, Lin’s parents had moved in.

After Lin Zhi Hua left, Tan Qi looked at Chen Yan and gossiped: “Compared to the Lin Director and his wife, our big Boss is extremely low-key and modest… this manor is truly… magnificent!”

Chen Yan looked at him coldly.

Tan Qi was admiring the manor with an envious face when he felt the cold gaze from beside him and shrunk his neck slightly.

“Have you… finished your official business?”

“No…” he felt guilty.

Chen Yan’s cold eyes stared at him.

Tan Qi smiled sheepishly with guilt: “Hehe…”

“Get in the car!”

“Yes, yes, yes.” He carefully climbed in.

——

Lin Zhi Hua walked to the front door, and Chen Auntie quickly came out to greet him.

“Master Zhi Hua, the Lin elders are all…”

Lin Zhi Hua’s footsteps paused briefly, then he nodded and continued inside.

“Hello, sir!”

People greeted him along the way. Lin Zhi Hua kept walking. As soon as he entered the hall, he saw it filled with people.

Almost all were elderly “seniors,” with few peers, all sitting quietly beside the family elders.

The atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. The commotion Lin Zhi Hua heard before entering had all been silenced as if cut off.

The subject of their “discussion” was Lin Zhi Hua himself.

“Zhi Hua is back!” The previously silent Lin couple smiled and stood up to welcome him.

Lin Zhi Hua nodded: “Mom, Dad.”

“Sit down, sit down! Sister Su, make Zhi Hua his favorite tea!” Lin’s mother’s mouth never stopped, continuously instructing this and that.

She appeared particularly enthusiastic, deliberately ignoring the others.

Lin’s father stood beside her, looking somewhat embarrassed, but ultimately said nothing.

The group sitting on the sofa with an air of questioning stared at them intently, yet none spoke.

Old Master Lin sat in the center, leaning on a cane, suddenly opening his eyes.

“Lin Zhi Hua, where are your manners?” Old Master Lin slammed his cane on the ground, the loud noise startling others.

Lin Zhi Hua took a sip of tea, then looked at his father: “You brought them in?”

Referring to Old Master Lin and the others.

“Lin Zhi Hua!” Old Master Lin flew into a rage.

Lin Zhi Hua sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

“You…”

Old Master Lin clutched his chest. Another elderly man quickly supported him, then looked at Lin Zhi Hua: “Zhi Hua, listen to your second granduncle. Lin Chang Ji is still your second uncle after all. He made a mistake—let him come and kowtow to apologize. There’s no need to keep him in prison for life.”

“Kowtow and apologize?” Lin Zhi Hua raised an eyebrow.

The elderly man quickly nodded: “Yes, yes, yes.”

“Then what about the mistakes the old master made? The attempted murder last time wasn’t just my second uncle’s doing.” Lin Zhi Hua put down his leg and suddenly looked at them sharply.

Old Master Lin immediately retreated a step guiltily, then raised his head with a righteous expression: “I didn’t know he wanted to kill you. I’m not that stupid. I thought…”

Lin Zhi Hua sneered: “You thought he just wanted to hurt me so he could reasonably interfere with the company?”

Old Master Lin widened his eyes: “Lin Zhi Hua! If you hadn’t preferred outsiders managing the company over family members, would I have acted this way?! Your cousin Zhi Tang returned from studying abroad, yet you wouldn’t even allow him into the company! You have no descendants—do you want the company to fall into outsiders’ hands in the future?!”

Lin’s mother exploded upon hearing this. She could accept some of Old Master Lin’s criticism, but not his claim that Lin Zhi Hua had no descendants!

“Father! Nonsense! Zhi Hua just doesn’t want to raise children. Otherwise, he could use a surrogate abroad—he could have as many children as he wants! The Lin family won’t fall into outsiders’ hands!”

“Sister-in-law, can Zhi Hua have children? Otherwise, why hasn’t he brought back a child after being questioned for so long?” An elegantly dressed woman suddenly spoke. This was Lin Zhi Hua’s second uncle’s wife, Zhang Jia Yu.

She was holding a one-year-old child—this was Lin Zhi Tang’s son.

Probably knowing Lin Zhi Hua’s situation, Lin Zhi Tang had a child while still studying abroad, making Old Master Lin completely favor their side.