Chapter 25 – Astray Youth (25)
The old man across knew from his smile that the situation was impossible from all aspects.
After taking another sip of water, he looked at the person opposite, who was casually playing with a teacup, changed the subject, and asked, “What does Secretary Chen think about the future?”
Most of them, including himself, believed that the other party had tied himself to Guangsheng for life, but with the heir present, sooner or later, the other party would relinquish power.
Chen Luosong didn’t have much of an opinion.
“If Secretary Chen gets tired of Guangsheng in the future, it’s better to come to our side,” the old man said with a smile, “As long as you come, the house, the dividends, and even the useless son are all yours.”
He smiled as if joking, but his drooping eyelids hid a serious gaze.
Once this person truly left Guangsheng, he could already imagine how intense the competition would be among other companies to snatch him away. Instead of competing afterward, it was better to secure him in advance.
Chen Luosong put down his teacup and smiled sideways, “Then I will definitely consider it seriously.”
After finishing the warm water, and with time not being early, the conversation ended, and the old man watched as the person got up and left.
Shortly after the tea room door closed, the butler walked in, closed the door, and called out to the old man.
The teacups on the table were no longer needed. He approached, bent down to tidy up the tea set, and asked while tidying up, “How is the young master’s matter?”
Having worked here for decades, the butler was no longer just an ordinary butler but more like a friend’s presence. His speech was natural, and no one felt it was inappropriate.
The old man said, “Difficult.”
The butler guessed as much.
The old man sitting in his place couldn’t help but sigh, “I’m at this age, and that brat still gives me such a headache.”
Playing around without sense, and suddenly focusing all his attention on Secretary Chen, it’s hard to say whether he has good judgment or simply doesn’t know any better.
After tidying up the tea set on the table, the butler asked, “Is there a possibility that Secretary Chen will come to the company in the future?”
The old man sighed even longer, only able to say that he didn’t know.
The butler offered silent comfort.
…
The next morning, because there was still work to do after returning, Chen Luosong left with Zhou Kaiji.
After the college entrance examination, people at the company noticed a significant increase in the number of times the handsome younger brother, who was rarely seen before, came to the company.
According to the occasional visits to the secretary department to deliver documents, it was revealed that the handsome younger brother usually stayed on the sofa in the office, often reading documents or books.
After the shareholders’ meeting, they finally realized that the Little Brother Chen, who didn’t share the same last name, was actually the lost son of the former chairman and the future heir.
No wonder Secretary Chen often kept him close by.
Instead of indulging in playtime, he spent his time in the office reading complex documents and books. The heir’s sense of responsibility was terrifying.
In reality, Zhou Kaiji wasn’t as miserable or uncomfortable as others might have thought.
He quite liked being here. With Secretary Chen around, he felt like he could finally be of some help to Secretary Chen.
On the day the college entrance examination results were released, Zhou Kaiji was also at the company. Secretary Chen went for a meeting and handed him a proposal before the meeting, asking him to see if the proposal could be implemented.
While several messages kept coming from Li Hua and others, he was still reading the proposal.
Since his phone kept buzzing continuously, he picked it up to take a glance.
It turned out that the exam results were out. The checking had just opened not long ago, and many people were still checking. Li Hua and others tried multiple times in a row, but only one person managed to check it due to their fast hands and a supportive network. Amidst their nervousness checking the results, they even found time to ask about his situation.
Zhou Kaiji didn’t look at the results and didn’t plan to do so now.
With many people trying to log into the system at this time, attempting more logins would just be a waste of time. After replying to the messages, he put down his phone.
When Secretary Chen returned from the meeting, they went to have lunch together.
After lunch, Li Hua and others started bombarding him with messages again. After two hours, they finally managed to access the system and see their scores. In short, the scores exceeded their expectations. Good Brother who had never scored above the line in regular exams also passed the minimum requirement, now in a state akin to Fan Jin passing the imperial exam.
When he picked up his phone again in the office, besides a pile of messages, Zhou Kaiji also saw several missed calls. He initially wanted to go out to return the calls, but Secretary Chen told him it was okay to make the calls from here.
So, he stayed.
After finishing several phone calls while sitting on the sofa, Chen Luosong sat opposite with a water cup in hand and said, “Calls from the admissions office?”
Zhou Kaiji nodded. There were several calls, from various school admissions offices and one from the school itself.
Chen Luosong then realized and said, “So the results are out today.”
By now, fewer people were trying to access the system compared to the beginning, so Zhou Kaiji took a look at his score.
No score was displayed. He looked up and said, “It’s blocked.”
Chen Luosong guessed so.
Since he couldn’t view it for now, there was no need to try again. He then asked, “Is the previous proposal ready?”
Zhou Kaiji lowered his head, put down his phone, and casually activated the “Do Not Disturb” mode, saying, “This project won’t work out.”
Chen Luosong leaned back on the sofa, with a slight smile at the corner of his eyes, and asked, “Why?”
He replied, “The proposal I gave you was indeed rejected.”
From receiving the results to choosing a school, the normal tension and hesitation that people experience were not evident in Zhou Kaiji, or in Secretary Chen, who acted as his guardian.
Chen Luosong didn’t delve into these matters too much. As a prospective university student, Zhou Kaiji could choose his school and major on his own, just needing to inform him afterward, making the process hassle-free and effortless.
In the end, Zhou Kaiji chose to stay in A City, applied to A University, and selected a finance-related major. It was said that most of Li Hua’s classmates also stayed in A City, with a few going to other cities.
Throughout the entire summer vacation, from receiving acceptance letters to attending meetings, Zhou Kaiji spent most of his time shuttling between the company’s villa and other places, occasionally accompanying Secretary Chen to meet people.
During this summer, he mainly met with people who had closer relationships. Each meeting wasn’t too stiff, no matter the other party’s disposition. Secretary Chen always seemed relaxed throughout.
Before the school year started, he received a message from the school, stating that he would be speaking as a student representative at the opening ceremony. He needed to coordinate with the school authorities and arrive early for rehearsals.
Since this matter wasn’t too difficult and didn’t interfere with his current tasks, he agreed and, as usual, informed Secretary Chen about it.
Chen Luosong found out a few days before the start of the school year. When he heard about it, he thought for a moment and said, “Yuan Yan seems to have graduated from A University as well.”
If he remembered correctly, the other person mentioned it briefly during a meal together.
Leaning back on the sofa, he said, “I really want to come and see.”
Guangsheng donates to universities every year, including A University. He could have attended the opening ceremony if he wanted to, but in a few days, he was scheduled to travel abroad, and by the time he returned, the opening ceremony would have already passed.
Zhou Kaiji had already known about his upcoming trip abroad a few days prior, so he wasn’t disappointed, just mentioning that there wasn’t much to see.
Leaning forward again, Chen Luosong propped his chin up and smiled, “I don’t want to miss any stage of your journey.”
He looked quite charming when he smiled. It felt more relaxed in the villa compared to the office, his smile carrying a lazy vibe, his eyes half-open, making it unclear if he was just casually saying it or being serious.
Zhou Kaiji’s eyes widened slightly, and his back involuntarily tensed up.
…
A few days later, according to the previously arranged schedule, Chen Luosong went abroad, accompanied by his assistant and the general manager.
The day before the start of the school year, Zhou Kaiji went to the school’s rehearsal venue as scheduled, and the next day, the official opening ceremony took place.
Although technically it was already autumn according to the calendar, the temperature was still summery. The outdoor sunlight was too intense, so the opening ceremony was held in the auditorium.
The bright lights, bustling chatter, and excitement of the students who were still in the early days of the school year filled the auditorium. Invited socialites and media personnel gradually arrived.
As the formal proceedings began, the entire hall gradually quieted down. The host took the stage, followed by speeches from various individuals.
Before going on stage, people kept passing by, prompting Zhou Kaiji to check his phone once again.
No new messages. He had messaged Secretary Chen over an hour ago, knowing that by now, Secretary Chen should have finished work and glanced at his phone. However, there was still no reply.
He knew Secretary Chen might have had other last-minute arrangements, but he couldn’t help but keep checking for messages.
“Classmate, it’s almost your turn to go up.”
A reminder came from behind, and Zhou Kaiji acknowledged it, putting away his phone.
After the speeches from various parties concluded, it was time for the student representative to speak. By this point, the students in the auditorium had learned to mechanically applaud, becoming like applause machines devoid of emotions.
It wasn’t until they saw a student representative with a tall figure, long legs, and a striking appearance in a shirt take the stage that the applause suddenly became enthusiastic.
Li Yue sat among the students in the back row of the auditorium, watching as the familiar yet unfamiliar face took the stage to speak. His gaze calmly swept across the audience, facing the cameras below without any stage fright.
Li Yue hadn’t expected Zhou Kaiji to choose the same school as him, nor had he expected Zhou Kaiji to be the student representative.
When they were in the same class in the first year of high school, Zhou Kaiji hadn’t started working yet due to not being of legal age, but it seemed like he was already troubled by some issues, causing his focus to shift away from studying. As a result, his grades never surpassed his, but he consistently ranked second or third overall, occasionally scoring first in individual subjects.
During a time when Zhou Kaiji ranked first in a subject, the teacher asked him to share his study experience. At that moment, the other person stood on the platform, head down, and seemed a bit distracted, ultimately unable to articulate complete sentences.
He was completely different from the person on stage now.
Li Yue had often wondered before if the other person didn’t have those various issues, would he have surpassed him directly?
And reality turned out to be just that.
“Classmate, how long has the new student representative been on stage?”
A slight sound came from beside him, followed by a very soft voice. Li Yue’s wandering thoughts halted, and he reflexively answered that he had just gone up.
After answering, he turned his head and glanced at the person sitting quietly on the side.
Perhaps due to rushing here, his messy hair was a bit disheveled. He wore a white shirt with sleeves casually rolled up to the elbows, and a loosely hanging black tie in front. The silver-rimmed glasses on his nose carried a slight coolness.
He was a very attractive man, and there was something familiar about him, as if Li Yue had seen him somewhere before.
