They toured the personal offices of these prized risk assessors, then moved on to the conference hall. As they walked, Pei Youwen explained everything in meticulous detail, answering all of Chen Yuan’s questions.

Gradually, Chen Yuan, who had previously known little about investment firms, felt he was learning a great deal. A rough idea of how the company operated began to form in his mind.

In truth, Pei Youwen had felt uneasy ever since he’d started interacting with Chen Yuan.

As he walked just to Chen Yuan’s left, he would occasionally glance up to study the young master’s profile.

In his experience, the scions of wealthy families he’d encountered were one of two types. The first were the pampered and spoiled sort, riddled with bad habits, who wore their emotions on their sleeves and would fly into a rage at the slightest provocation. The second were the schemers—insidious and cunning, with a dozen ulterior motives hidden in every sentence.

But Chen Yuan, as Jiang Zhengfeng’s son, was just like the interns Pei Youwen usually hired. His eyes were incredibly clear, and he was polite and well-mannered. He didn’t seem like a rich young master at all.

Right now, Chen Yuan was too busy looking around like a wide-eyed child.

Pei Youwen watched him, thinking, ‘Could it be that Chen Yuan isn’t President Jiang’s biological son, but adopted? Perhaps he found him somewhere?’ When this possibility surfaced, his heart skipped a beat. It felt as if he’d been struck by a boulder, and his mind went blank.

If so, all his fantasies would be utterly shattered.

But Pei Youwen shook his head and studied Chen Yuan intently for another moment.

He suddenly decided the thought was ridiculous. Based on looks alone, he and President Jiang were definitely biological father and son! They had the same eyes, the same brows, and even the same expression when they frowned.

‘There’s no mistaking it.’

Pei Youwen forcefully suppressed his various doubts, not daring to speculate any further on his boss’s private family matters.

“So, what kind of part-time work will I be handling at the company? Do you have any ideas, President Pei?” Chen Yuan asked eagerly.

“I… I don’t have any ideas!”

Pei Youwen jumped, answering in a fluster.

How could he dare have any say in what position Chen Yuan held at the company?

To put it nicely, he was the head of one of Jiang Zhengfeng’s private enterprises. To put it bluntly, he was just a small-time lackey who couldn’t even get a foot in the door of the main corporation. Jiang Zhengfeng’s orders were imperial decrees that he had to obey without question. Never mind Chen Yuan—even if the main company sent some random low-level flunky to inspect, he’d have to treat them with the utmost respect, even serving them tea with both hands.

If he ran into a particularly twisted one who demanded he wear a maid outfit and give them a leg massage, he could only swallow his anger and obey.

“Then what am I here for? Don’t tell me I’m just a mascot…” Chen Yuan’s heart sank.

This was Chen Yuan’s greatest fear: that on the surface, Jiang Zhengfeng had agreed to his internship request, but was actually just placating him, letting him come to “experience life” and mess around. Then, while the entire company was busy, he’d be left twiddling his thumbs, given some random desk to read the newspaper and collect a paycheck. The thought of being so out of place was utterly depressing.

How could he possibly have the nerve to happily tell his girlfriend, “I found a part-time job”?

“Not at all. President Jiang has already made arrangements.”

“Alright…”

Hearing Pei Youwen’s answer, Chen Yuan silently pressed his lips into a thin line.

‘So that’s how it is.’

In an instant, the good mood that had kept him too excited to sleep last night completely vanished.

When Pei Youwen continued to explain other company matters, Chen Yuan suddenly looked disinterested.

…

The morning was quite productive. After the tour, Chen Yuan went to Pei Youwen’s office, sat in the general manager’s chair, and listened as Pei Youwen explained numerous investment case studies in a way that was both deep and easy to understand.

These included investments that had become popular in recent years, like Hello e-bikes, Fittr fitness meal replacements, and intercity express flower delivery, as well as more lifestyle-oriented things like fashion brands. On the tech side, there was new autonomous driving technology. On a larger scale, there were projects for recycling and leasing used mobile phones.

These projects brought in substantial revenue each year.

While there weren’t a huge number of such successful cases, they were enough to be considered monumental achievements.

Chen Yuan listened with rapt attention, nodding from time to time with his chin propped on his hand as he sat in the comfortable executive chair.

Pei Youwen stood to the side, his mouth dry from talking so much. He had prepared an extremely long PowerPoint presentation on his laptop, a testament to how seriously he was taking his teaching role. To his surprise, Chen Yuan listened to the entire thing and even asked many questions along the way.

This brought Pei Youwen a great sense of relief. When he finally finished presenting all the material, he suddenly felt a rush of satisfaction.

For years, he had worked diligently; Bauhinia Company was his life’s work. Sharing these accomplishments with Chen Yuan and looking back on them himself, a sense of pride welled up inside him.

Nearly every man dreams of achieving something great.

And the feeling of striving to build a career in the process allows one to feel a sense of self-worth.

“I think this material is really useful. Could you copy it for me? That way, if there’s anything I don’t understand, I can review it tonight.”

“No problem. Did you bring your laptop?” Pei Youwen asked.

“No. Can’t you just send it to me?”

“I can’t do that. This material contains a lot of trade secrets. It’s best if you bring your own computer; we’ll encrypt it to prevent information theft. Then I can copy it for you… Or, you can just come to the office to look at it whenever you want.”

“Is it that sensitive?” Chen Yuan thought for a moment. “Alright, that works. I’ll bring my laptop over next time.”

Chen Yuan thought Pei Youwen was being very thorough, but the laptop he had with him at the moment wouldn’t work.

Back when he was at school, Quan Yafeng had borrowed his laptop to play games. The one he had now was a thin and light model of some unknown brand with poor heat dissipation. It was fine for daily use, but the moment he started gaming, it would start WHIRRING like it was about to explode. One day, Quan Yafeng had begged Chen Yuan to swap laptops for a few days.

Chen Yuan had grown a bit tired of gaming and had already deleted all the games on his laptop, so he readily agreed.

‘As long as it doesn’t interfere with my daily use, it’s fine.’

Later, after he moved out of the dorm, he kept meaning to swap them back, but he forgot every time he visited.

This was a perfect opportunity. Since he was in Lanjing, he could make a trip to the dorm to get his own laptop back. If trade secrets were involved, he certainly couldn’t use just any old computer.

Besides, the PowerPoint presentation he just saw contained the personal resumes of many company employees.

…

The very full day was drawing to a close.

In the afternoon, Chen Yuan woke from a nap, rubbing his drowsy eyes as he gave a huge stretch.

He’d slept wonderfully, and the lingering grogginess from waking up early was completely gone.

After quickly tidying himself up, Chen Yuan threw on some clothes and headed out. It was already past four, but the sun was still high and blazing.

He didn’t have to wait long at the stop on the corner before the Didi driver who was there to pick him up arrived.

“Sir, Lanjing University, West Gate.”

“You got it. Buckle up.”

「Five minutes later.」 As rows of camphor trees came into view, the outline of the university’s west gate, nestled in their shade, became visible.

Chen Yuan got out of the car and walked onto campus.

Perhaps because it was winter, the young man in the guard booth appeared to be diligently on duty, but his eyes were closed. One hand propped up his cheek, and his chest rose and fell gently. A closer look revealed he was sleeping soundly, bundled up in a thick army greatcoat.

Chen Yuan, who had been about to greet him, lowered his hand.

This way, he didn’t have to sign in. He strode into the school as if he owned the place.

The usually bustling campus was eerily deserted in the winter. Even the stray cats that used to lounge on the steps all day were nowhere to be seen, and there wasn’t a single student in sight.

Occasionally, a few formally dressed administrators would walk along the tree-lined avenue, pointing at various facilities and presumably discussing something related to campus development.

Chen Yuan deliberately avoided the administrators, taking a hidden path behind a classroom building toward his dorm. He passed through a long, ivy-covered corridor—the kind almost every school has. From the distant athletic fields came the POUND, POUND of a bouncing basketball, while nearby, a dilapidated water pipe for rinsing mops dripped endlessly.

Someone, with questionable kindness, had placed a pot of withered flowers directly under the drip.

Chen Yuan reached the entrance of the men’s dormitory. Away from the usual hustle and bustle, taking in the campus scenery more directly, he felt grateful he had chosen to attend Lanjing University. It truly was a great school. In the flowerbed by the entrance, someone had stuck a pink magical girl sticker on the statue of the founding elder, Stone Elder. It made the sculpture, which gazed kindly over the entire school, seem a bit warmer.

The men’s dorm was eerily quiet.

The sun was setting, and while many dorm rooms were locked, others were left wide open, casting flickering shadows across the hallway floor.

In the silent atmosphere, Chen Yuan’s footsteps slowed.

When he reached his door, he took the key out of his pocket.

With a RUSTLE and a CREAK, he pushed the door open.

Chen Yuan kept his head down. After opening the door, he first put the loose key back in his pocket, afraid he might lose it. He didn’t even look up. But then—a peculiar fragrance wafted over him, striking him in the face.

This wasn’t the familiar smell of his dorm room. Chen Yuan was baffled. ‘Did I go to the wrong room?’ he wondered.

‘But if it’s the wrong room, how did my key open the door…?’

As his thoughts raced, his gaze fell upon a simple clothes rack to the side. In that instant, he froze.

The spot where he used to keep his suitcase had been swept clean of dust. In its place stood a rolling clothes rack displaying all sorts of dresses, uniforms, and stockings.

A truly dazzling array!

They were all women’s clothes!

To find such a sight in a men’s dorm was utterly horrifying. Chen Yuan stood stunned for a long moment before coming to his senses. He whipped his head around to check the room number on the door, rubbing his eyes to confirm he hadn’t made a mistake.

He began to question his own sanity.

That intoxicating fragrance was coming from these clothes.

Chen Yuan forced himself to look away, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing. Then, on the desk, he saw countless little bottles and jars, along with small cases for colored contact lenses.

But the most terrifying sight of all came when he looked up.

He discovered a delicate, well-formed foot extending from behind a half-drawn bed curtain… It was clad in sheer black stockings, the toenails painted a glossy pink, and it was dangling directly above his head.

Chen Yuan felt as if his brain had been eaten by a zombie. He was completely incapable of rational thought.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep