Jin City University, Foreign Language College.
On the first day back to school after the National Day holiday, classmates from Business English Class A were arriving in the classroom one by one.
They talked to each other about the fun they had during the holiday, and the atmosphere was very lively. However, Tang Xiaowan’s absence made Chen Yu particularly worried.
What happened? Overslept?
Hey, I called her, but her phone is off. Could something have happened to Xiao Wan?
Pfft, take it back, take it back, impossible!
Chen Siyao, Song Jiaqi, and Li Ying shared the same concern.
Having gone through various grudges before, they had now become Tang Xiaowan’s little fans, all waiting for her to return so they could continue to draw her in, intending to expand their sisterhood group.
"Do you think, between Tang Xiaowan, Leng Lingxiao, and Li Zishen... what’s actually going on?" Chen Siyao gazed dreamily at a screenshot on the internet.
"A love triangle, what else?" Li Ying frowned, then glanced at Chen Nan and Chen Yu.
Right then, she wished she could rush over and kick Chen Yu away. She thought, ’That damned girl is getting too bold. She used to at least sit a seat away, but now, she’s blatantly sitting right next to Chen Nan.’
"Ah, I’m so envious of Tang Xiaowan. To have two huge conglomerates... revolving around her!" Song Jiaqi said, her eyes shining.
"Why don’t you mention that she’s also academically excellent and good-looking? And at the sports meet, oh my god, just look at Tang Xiaowan’s speed. I don’t even need to wait for the announcement to know that she definitely took first place in the 400 meters sprint," Chen Siyao sighed.
Song Jiaqi and Li Ying nodded in agreement.
Finally, it was time for class, and the instant the bell stopped ringing, the classroom fell silent.
The teacher walked in and noticed Tang Xiaowan’s usual spot empty. Frowning, she asked, "Where’s Tang Xiaowan? Why isn’t she here yet?"
Last time, Tang Xiaowan scored full marks in the oral test and left a very deep impression.
Such an impressive transfer student!
The class leader hesitated a moment before standing and saying, "Teacher, Tang Xiaowan asked for leave. She has a stomachache."
This wasn’t the first time it had happened.
It couldn’t be helped; last month she had done quite a few favors for others, and they couldn’t just turn a blind eye in an emergency. After all, the teacher wouldn’t be too strict.
The teacher nodded thoughtfully, "Hmm, okay, got it. Sit down."
"Xiao Wan, Xiao Wan, come quickly, come quickly. If you don’t, the truth will out!" Chen Yu silently chanted in her heart.
And just then, her phone lit up.
[Beautiful and lovely Little Yu’er, I have a huge piece of good news for you. I’ve already processed my self-study application. From now on, unless I have to attend major exams, I won’t need to go to school, so cheer for me, haha.]
After reading the message, Chen Yu was completely perplexed, even a bit in disbelief.
Tang Xiaowan was her only good friend and the only female student in the Foreign Language College who didn’t disdain the birthmark on her neck.
Everyone else treated her like the plague!
Ever since Tang Xiaowan transferred, everything for Chen Yu started going well: her classmates became friendlier, and she even found love.
But how could such a positive girl suddenly stop coming to school?
You are my best friend!
It’s okay if you want to skip class; I’ll keep covering for you. Why did you have to go home to self-study?
As she thought, tears welled up in Chen Yu’s eyes. She suddenly remembered the first day of the sports meet; Tang Xiaowan didn’t go in the afternoon, nor did she attend the closing ceremony.
Could it be she ran too hard in the morning to win first place and hurt her leg?
No, no, that couldn’t be it.
Xiao Wan, you mustn’t be sick!
Seeing this, Chen Nan asked softly, "Hey, what’s wrong? Is she sick?"
As soon as he spoke, Chen Yu shot him a glance that could kill. It conveyed so much: shock, doubt, and heartache.
She subconsciously touched the square scarf around her neck, and a sense of loss welled up within her.
"Hey, don’t get me wrong, I was just guessing."
"Stop talking and listen to the lecture."
Chen Nan smiled naively and nodded, "Oh, okay, you listen then."
Joking, did he still need to attend the lecture?
He had flipped through the contents of the book several times already, and attending the lecture was far less comfortable than sleeping.
During the short seven-day vacation, his precious time was packed full by his parents, participating in two competitions alone, not to mention the three-day research study.
Thus, the start of the term actually felt like a real holiday.
So, Chen Nan continued in his usual style and yawned before lying down.
But at this moment, Chen Yu was still in distress, not just because Tang Xiaowan was no longer coming, but also because of the birthmark hidden beneath the square scarf.
Before the holiday, it had already begun to fade; if you didn’t look carefully, you couldn’t see it at all, but since the day before yesterday, for some reason, seven or eight small black spots had suddenly appeared.
Oh God, please don’t let it be a relapse!
The more Chen Yu thought about it, the more scared she became. Where could she find the mindset to listen to the lecture? Her mind was filled with the past mockery and pointing fingers of the girls.
Meanwhile, at Yishen Group.
The atmosphere in the conference room was tense. Li Zishen sat in the main seat, discussing the future development direction of the company with the shareholders.
As an important member of the company, Li Wanshan had always had a strained relationship with Li Zishen, but this time, he uncharacteristically sat close to Li Zishen, with a smiling face.
Lai Jingshan was suspicious the whole time, fearing that Li Wanshan would play dirty halfway through, or perhaps had an ulterior motive.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I know there are concerns about the decision to expand our operations, but you are also aware that the market potential in the medical equipment field is huge and the risk compared to pharmaceuticals is relatively low. I believe that as long as we have a unified goal, there will be substantial rewards," Li Zishen spoke seriously as he looked around.
Li Wanshan raised his eyes to Li Zishen, with a hint of surprise in his gaze.
Is he planning to openly compete with Leng Lingxiao? Follow current novels on novel⸺fire.net
But he quickly regained his composure, cleared his throat, and agreed, "I support the chairman’s view, indeed, the medical equipment field... certainly does offer much higher returns than pharmaceuticals. We should integrate resources and properly explore the new market."
The other shareholders exchanged glances, surprised that Li Wanshan, who had always opposed Li Zishen behind the scenes, was supporting this decision.
They exchanged looks with each other, pondering the reason behind this.
Shortly after, a shareholder stood up and asked, "Chairman, could you please explain in detail how we will implement this plan?"
Li Zishen nodded and smiled, "Of course. First, we need to increase our R&D investment, bring in new teams, and develop product lines that match the purchasing power of mid to high-end customers.
Secondly, put more effort into sales channels, create our own market, including online, to ensure that our products can smoothly enter various hospitals and medical institutions.
Lastly, we need to strengthen the building of our new brand, enhance our reputation and popularity through various channels, thus attracting more consumers."
After hearing this succinct and clear explanation, the shareholders nodded in agreement.
After all, nobody wants to have a rift with money!
At ten in the morning, the meeting ended, and Li Zishen and Li Wanshan walked out of the conference room side by side.
Although they complimented each other on the surface and talked and laughed, they both knew that this battle for control had just begun; unity was crucial.
"Zishen, have you heard of the dark web?" Li Wanshan glanced at Bai Long and spoke in a hushed tone.
Just then, the elevator doors happened to open.
Li Zishen merely hummed faintly and walked straight in.
"I’m telling you, you need to be careful lately. Someone posted a short video up there, really vicious—they demanded two billion from someone!"
With that, Bai Long suddenly looked at Li Zishen.