Luo Jinzhi had realized something was amiss in the conversation between Jiang Chuan and Huo Sining a long time ago, but she had been deceiving herself and had never suspected Jiang Chuan’s ulterior motives.
It wasn’t until Jiang Chuan produced his business card and straightforwardly stated his purpose that Luo Jinzhi had an epiphany, feeling a pain in her heart. She felt so ashamed that she lowered her head and didn’t dare to look at Huo Sining again.
Huo Sining clearly saw the panic and sadness on Luo Jinzhi’s face. She pinched the business card in her hand and looked at Jiang Chuan with a faint smile:
"So, you’re not Luo Jinzhi’s boyfriend, but a star scout sent by Yinghua Brokerage Company?"
Jiang Chuan glanced at Luo Jinzhi subconsciously, his eyes flashing with disdain as he calmly said:
"This seems to be a misunderstanding. I never did anything beyond what friends would do to Classmate Luo, just ordinary friendship. If my actions caused any misunderstandings or troubles for Classmate Luo, then I apologize to her."
Luo Jinzhi’s face flushed red instantly, and she suddenly raised her head to look at Jiang Chuan as if she wanted to defend herself, only to become stunned upon seeing the irony in his eyes and stopped speaking abruptly.
Regret, frustration, shame, and sorrow mixed in Luo Jinzhi’s eyes, which quickly turned misty, but she didn’t offer any explanations and silently lowered her head again.
A surge of indignation rose in Huo Sining’s heart. She chuckled coldly at Jiang Chuan, "Senior Jiang, there is something you might not understand."
"The conditions you mentioned have no allure for me, Huo Sining."
"You made a wrong calculation from the start. You should not have used my friend. Jin Zhi is my good sister. Taking advantage of her feelings to approach me may not mean much to you, but it’s an unforgivable mistake that I cannot overlook!"
"Such unscrupulous, principle-less, and bottomless behavior makes me doubt, even if I had chosen you and cooperated with your company, whether you would hesitate to use and betray me the day our interests clash, or even trample on me when I am down?"
With that, Huo Sining looked at Jiang Chuan with the same disdain:
"You don’t need to deny it in a hurry. I’m not someone you can deceive at will. I can see that you look down on Jin Zhi, but let me tell you clearly today, you have no right to look down on Jin Zhi, because it won’t be long before Jin Zhi becomes someone you can’t afford to reach! Don’t believe me? Just watch closely!"
After saying these words, Huo Sining threw the business card onto the table and unhesitatingly walked out, pulling Luo Jinzhi with her.
Luo Jinzhi didn’t struggle and let Huo Sining pull her out of the private room.
It took Jiang Chuan a few seconds to realize what had happened, and by the time he came to his senses, Huo Sining had already left with Luo Jinzhi.
Jiang Chuan’s expression became extremely gloomy, his eyes filled with dark clouds of resentment and unwillingness.
"How come you have time to come here today?" Qin Shaoyou gave Tian Yuan a sidelong glance while skillfully placing the sample into the sterile room.
Tian Yuan laughed, "Didn’t I receive a call from Hu Si, that kid? He said he wanted to treat us to a meal, so I came over, and I wanted to see how the progress of the experiment is going on your side."
Qin Shaoyou paused, "Hu Si, that stingy guy, is treating someone? Has the sun risen from the west?"
Tian Yuan nodded, "Exactly, which is why I gave him the face and came running into the city. He asked me to bring you along since he said you didn’t answer his calls. So, here I am to get you to go with us."
Qin Shaoyou laughed, "Alright, I just need to finish this last box of samples and I’ll be done. Just wait a bit longer."
Just as Qin Shaoyou finished his work, Hu Yongyuan’s call came through, "Where are you guys now?"
Tian Yuan immediately said, "We’ve already come out and we’ll be there soon. Wait for us at the school gate."
Having hurriedly made their way outside, they indeed saw Hu Yongyuan waiting at the school gate. Beside Hu Yongyuan was Yan Xuesong, a botany professor from the College of Biology.
"Professor Yan." Although they were not from the same system, they were from the same college, so Qin Shaoyou was fairly familiar with Yan Xuesong.
When Yan Xuesong saw Qin Shaoyou, he also smiled, "Xiao Qin, I heard that your project ran into some issues. How’s it going now?"
Qin Shaoyou’s face was tinged with a bitter smile, "It’s been a roller coaster, but it’s also nearing the end. I guess we’ll need about another month," he said.
Having lived for many years, Yan Xuesong was no longer the naive young man he once was. He had a deeper understanding of scientific research and no longer had the stubbornness of his youth. Instead, he was imbued with a detached attitude of "to have it is fortunate, to lose it is fate," and with a smile, he said:
"Research requires patience; you can’t be hasty. You should also persuade Professor Gan to take it easy. We don’t want a repeat of the last incident. If she collapses, her research achievements would just end up benefiting others!"
Qin Shaoyou responded with a smile.
"Let’s not talk about that anymore. Today, Xiao Hu is rare in offering to treat us to a meal, so we should go for a big feast. We have to make this kid bleed a little!"
As soon as Professor Yan uttered these words, Qin Shaoyou and Tian Yuan couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed Hu Si’s reputation for being tight-fisted wasn’t only known to the two of them; even Professor Yan felt it deeply.
Hearing Professor Yan’s words, Hu Yongyuan’s face turned awkward.
Tian Yuan glanced at Hu Yongyuan with a smile, "Hu Si, where are we going to eat?"
Hu Yongyuan hesitated for a while, originally planning to suggest a nearby small restaurant. But seeing the almost mocking expressions of the three, he impulsively blurted out, "Let’s go to Guose Tianxiang then."
"Guose Tianxiang? Hu Si, are you sure?" Hearing Hu Yongyuan suggesting Guose Tianxiang, Qin Shaoyou couldn’t hide his surprise and his eyes widened.
The other two also looked at Hu Yongyuan in astonishment, seemingly unable to believe it.
When Hu Yongyuan said he was treating them to a meal, they all thought it would just be a small diner, never expecting Hu Yongyuan to be so generous that day.
After saying this, Hu Yongyuan immediately regretted it. A meal at Guose Tianxiang would cost him a month’s salary, and just the thought of it made him wince in pain.
But since the words were out, especially with Professor Yan present, it would be awkward to take them back. In the end, he gritted his teeth and hardened his resolve, nodding vigorously.
There were no objections to going to Guose Tianxiang. After Qin Shaoyou triple-checked that Hu Yongyuan wasn’t joking, they all rushed to Guose Tianxiang as it was lunchtime.
The four had just settled into the Lantingxuan private room when Zhao Guotian arrived after hearing the news. Seeing Professor Yan, he immediately came over with a beaming face, "Old Yan, hehe, you’ve come at the right time. I was just about to go looking for you."