“Little Fish, long time no see.”
He Zhao stood opposite Zhou Chiyu, his full attention on the other. Recently, he had heard about the controversy surrounding Qing University’s Top 10 Singers contest, and since Zhou Chiyu was at the center of it, he had paid extra attention.
“Have you lost weight lately?”
The noisy voices around them seemed infinitely amplified. Zhou Chiyu blanked out for a moment, as if someone had grabbed a handful of silver needles and scattered them into his chest one by one.
Gu Lao noticed Zhou Chiyu’s abnormality and asked with concern, “Little Fish, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Zhou Chiyu hurriedly lowered his eyes, afraid that Gu Lao would see through him. “I was just thinking that I have lost a bit of weight recently.”
Mentioning his weight made Gu Lao feel even more sorry for Zhou Chiyu.
He always felt that their family’s Little Fish had been chubby and adorable as a child, lively and cute like a little fortune doll. Although doctors had always said that excessive obesity could affect a child’s health, Zhou Chiyu was now too thin.
“I’ll have the kitchen make more delicious food for you to nourish your body.”
At that moment, the vice chairman of the Entrepreneurs Club came over to greet Gu Lao. He brought Zhou Chiyu along and said to Vice Chairman Zhou, “Little Fish’s membership procedures are all done, right?”
President Zhou nodded. “Don’t worry, it’s all settled.”
As the sole heir of the Zhou Family, Zhou Chiyu’s entry into the Entrepreneurs Club as a representative of the corporation was beyond doubt.
Of course, there was another reason for Gu Lao’s urgency: Zhou Chiyu had just turned eighteen, and those with ill intentions in the corporation were growing more wary of him. He needed to help Zhou Chiyu establish his authority quickly. Even if Zhou Chiyu wasn’t yet capable of taking over the corporation and managing its operations, the nominal position still had to belong to him.
Seeing Zhou Chiyu’s puzzled expression, Gu Lao explained his intentions clearly. He hoped Zhou Chiyu could grow up quickly; only then could he firmly guard the legacy left by his father.
“Thank you, Grandpa.”
Childhood memories stabbed into his heart instantly. The older Zhou Chiyu grew, the more he understood how precious Gu Lao’s affection for him was.
He even felt that it was the most precious thing in the world.
“Why are you crying?”
Gu Lao’s deep voice softened, and his aged palm covered Zhou Chiyu’s slightly trembling shoulder. “You’re eighteen now. You can’t cry at the drop of a hat.”
“Mm-hmm.” Zhou Chiyu pursed his lips and hummed. “I’m just moved. I definitely have to repay you double in the future.”
Zhou Chiyu had said such words countless times from childhood to now.
But every time, Gu Lao believed in their sincerity without a doubt.
“Alright, Grandpa is waiting.”
Today’s banquet was particularly grand, attended only by renowned entrepreneurs from various fields across the country. Before retiring, Gu Lao intended to introduce the two children to his business partners. After comforting his little grandson, he took him around to exchange pleasantries.
That night, Zhou Chiyu met many seniors, including the chairmen of corporations that had long-standing good relations with ZN Group. Seeing how young Zhou Chiyu was, their seemingly friendly smiles hid subtle scrutiny.
With his social energy maxed out, Zhou Chiyu sat alone in the rest area, bored as he observed everyone.
He had been keeping an eye on the venue the whole time, but Gu Yuan and President Lin’s family still hadn’t returned.
He anxiously pondered Gu Lao’s intentions.
Could it be that Gu Lao wanted to arrange a marriage alliance with the Lin Family?
In an instant, Zhou Chiyu imagined a bunch of dramatic wealthy family tropes. Would the author next set up him and Gu Yuan, this pair of ill-fated lovers, to be separated?
“Young President Zhou.”
Zhou Chiyu looked up and saw that the person approaching him was ZN Group’s Vice President Chen.
“I heard you’re busy with the MIT 100K Entrepreneurship Competition lately?” Vice President Chen said with a smile. “Feel free to come to me anytime if you need help.”
Zhou Chiyu hadn’t expected the news to spread so quickly. “Thank you. Lately, I’ve been reviewing the professional journals and some of the corporation’s research results that Assistant Xia provided for me. If I run into any difficulties, I’ll consult you.”
Vice President Chen was surprised by Zhou Chiyu’s humility. He was just the vice president in charge of the pharmaceutical exports department, yet Zhou Chiyu was so polite and courteous to him.
“You’re too kind. It’s what I should do.” Vice President Chen was a PhD in biology and had worked in the drug research department early on, so he had some authority in his field. He suggested, “Young President Zhou, if your goal is just to get a good ranking in the entrepreneurship competition, your research team would be best with some targeted expertise. For example, some of our corporation’s projects have collaborated with the MIT McGovern Institute for Brain Research.”
“MIT McGovern Institute for Brain Research?”
Zhou Chiyu seemed to have an idea. “From the name, it sounds like their research direction is the brain and cognition? I’ll do some homework on it tonight.”
“Yes.” Vice President Chen handed him a business card. “Call me anytime if you need anything.”
Zhou Chiyu smiled. “Great.”
After Vice President Chen left, Zhou Chiyu finally spotted Gu Yuan. Gu Yuan was with Miss Lin, and the two looked like they were chatting amiably, with plenty of topics between them.
