“……”
In any case, Wang Xu quickly turned off his phone screen and sat down nonchalantly.
None of the other four people in the room noticed that he had silently broken down three seconds ago.
The five quickly took their seats.
Since tonight, the main discussion with Professor Ye was with Gu Shanqing and Wang Xu, they sat one on each side of Ye Cunshan. Chu Tingyun sat next to Gu Shanqing, while Assistant Yan Xun sat next to Chu Tingyun.
Thus, Professor Ye noticed that the Assistant Yan Xun he had been thinking about was seated farthest from him.
Ye Cunshan: “……”
He originally wanted to find an excuse to move over, but then thought it would be too obvious and awkward. After much hesitation, he gave up.
At this time, Yan Xun didn’t pay attention to the seating arrangement. He was quickly changing his WeChat Moments background. After all, he had just told a small lie to Professor Ye and couldn’t be caught out immediately.
Then he went to check Chu Tingyun’s phone. When he opened it, he found that the personal interface was different from the ID called “Xueshan” that he had added.
“This is the work WeChat.”
Chu Tingyun whispered this in his ear and didn’t take his phone back, as if he completely trusted Yan Xun to see it.
Work WeChat? So the ID “Xueshan” that Yan Xun added was Chu Tingyun’s personal WeChat.
Yan Xun was taken aback but quickly understood.
So when Ye Cunshan quietly scrolled through Yan Xun’s Moments, it was already too late. He saw only a picture of a kitten rolling around as the background and nothing else since Moments were visible for three days.
As for the WeChat of the two senior executives from Xinghen, there was no content related to Yan Xun.
The old man was a bit disappointed but quickly perked up. After all, he had already gotten the contact information, and once tonight was over, he could arrange a separate meeting with Yan Xun to chat.
Knock knock.
The door of the private room sounded twice, and a waiter came in to take the order. The emotionally intelligent Gu Shanqing naturally handed the task over to Professor Ye. The latter did not refuse, and after asking about everyone’s food preferences, quickly ordered a table of dishes.
After hearing the names of the dishes, both Yan Xun and Chu Tingyun looked a bit surprised and strange.
— Because 90% of the dishes were Yan Xun’s favorites.
Chu Tingyun raised an eyebrow, tilted his head, and whispered to Yan Xun, “It seems that your tastes are very similar to Professor Ye’s.”
“Indeed, it’s quite a coincidence.”
Yan Xun nodded, also feeling that it was a coincidence.
Gu Shanqing didn’t care about the dishes. He wasn’t there to eat; in the meantime, while waiting for the food, he quickly took out the prepared materials and started discussing the collaboration.
He briefly introduced Xinghen Technology, then shifted the focus to the construction of the R&D department and the company’s future development direction.
“Xinghen will go public next month. At that time, we will increase the investment in the R&D department by ten times the original amount and plan to establish a dedicated academician expert workstation and hire more capable R&D personnel.”
“In the next ten years, our company’s key R&D direction will mainly be intelligent driving. We have already reached cooperation with several car manufacturers and hold more than 1,300 related patents. The basic technology is now nearly complete.”
Ye Cunshan was an expert in computer vision technology and AI algorithms. Three years ago, he and his team collaborated with the traffic management department of Z City to develop an intelligent traffic monitoring system. The pilot results were quite good, and it has now been extended to several cities. Although this seems unrelated to intelligent driving, the core technologies are actually interconnected. Additionally, Ye Cunshan’s mentor was one of the recipients of the highest award in artificial intelligence and a leading figure in the field of intelligent driving. Unfortunately, this person currently only collaborates with the military, and Gu Shanqing, let alone inviting him, might not even have the means to meet him.
Thus, whether for technical capabilities or networking resources, Gu Shanqing was very eager to win over Professor Ye. He briefly introduced the current state of the company, major projects, and future prospects as an introduction, then cued Wang Xu.
“As for the specifics… Wang Xu, please explain to Professor Ye.”
“Okay, Mr. Gu.”
Wang Xu adjusted his glasses, straightened his posture, and took over the conversation.
Whether due to Mr. Gu’s repeated emphasis or to make up for not adding Professor Ye on WeChat earlier, Wang Xu wanted to make a good impression.
At this moment, Ye Cunshan no longer looked at Yan Xun but focused his attention on Wang Xu.
Although the initial purpose of the meeting was not really to discuss cooperation with Xinghen, since Ye Cunshan had arranged the meeting and the other party was so attentive and sincere, he naturally would not just treat the meeting casually.
So even though he was very interested in Yan Xun, Ye Cunshan did not ignore Gu Shanqing and Wang Xu’s conversation. Instead, he listened attentively, occasionally asking questions and pointing out issues.
He was serious and aloof, speaking little but with precision.
Yan Xun was very interested and listened carefully. Chu Tingyun, on the other hand, maintained a calm and attentive demeanor but was secretly playing with his little husband’s clothes under the table.
However, the next moment, Chu Tingyun, who had been distracted, was called out by Professor Ye.
“Mr. Chu, what are your thoughts?”
Chu Tingyun, who had not really listened: “……”
After all, he had only brought his little husband to meet a notable person and was merely serving as a backdrop for Gu Shanqing to make Professor Ye feel valued. He hadn’t prepared anything.
So he smiled and replied, “I think what you said was very insightful and accurate.”
Yan Xun, aware of what Chu Tingyun had been doing, smoothly took over the conversation.
“I agree. However, I have a small question about the BEV+Transform technology architecture you mentioned.”
Inserting a question in front of the leader like this was not very polite, but Professor Chu certainly didn’t mind. He didn’t expect that when Professor Ye heard Yan Xun speak, he would become so enthusiastic.
Gu Shanqing and Wang Xu, who had participated in the discussion, were a bit stunned.
Although Professor Ye had been willing to discuss before, his expression was serious and his content precise but sparse, making him seem very reserved.
Now, however, his tone was warm and smiling, answering every question, and he seemed eager to explain every detail to Yan Xun.
Gu Shanqing looked at Yan Xun, dressed like a student, and then at Professor Ye, who was now much more approachable than usual. He felt a surge of respect for Chu Tingyun.
Wow, this tactic really works.
No wonder he’s the big boss.
Gu Shanqing secretly gave a thumbs-up to President Chu, out of Professor Ye’s sight.
—You really are impressive!
President Chu glanced at him and gave a modest nod, as if he had anticipated this all along.
Even though his words were meant to impress Gu Shanqing, the fact that they were proving to be surprisingly effective meant that President Chu was indeed wise and perceptive.
At this point, Professor Ye was quite engaged. He even specifically requested to swap seats with Wang Xu so he could sit next to Yan Xun and continue the discussion.
Wang Xu, who had been planning to make up for the earlier WeChat incident: “……Ah?”
“Oh, okay, no problem.”
With Professor Ye now seated on Yan Xun’s side, Gu Shanqing had to sit on the other side of Professor Ye.
Thus, Wang Xu, who had been closest, was now seated farthest from Professor Ye.
“……”
He instinctively adjusted his remaining sparse hair and took a deep breath to calm himself.
It’s okay, just a change of seat.
It’s fine, as long as the cooperation succeeds.
It’s okay, Mr. Gu hasn’t said anything……
On the other side, Yan Xun didn’t expect Professor Ye to change seats. He had only intended to help Chu Tingyun out, but it seemed that Professor Ye had become quite enthusiastic.
Seeing that Gu Shanqing and Chu Tingyun had no intention of interrupting, he continued the conversation.
Fortunately, after attending the lecture earlier, Yan Xun had read many of Professor Ye’s papers and was well-prepared. Although he didn’t understand everything Professor Ye said, he was not completely lost.
In any case, the atmosphere in the private room was very harmonious.
Gu Shanqing was especially pleased and was already privately planning how to bring Yan Xun into the company. Such a valuable asset should be utilized if it’s from his own team.
After about half an hour of discussion, the waiter started serving the dishes. Gu Shanqing, having had a very successful conversation, decided to pause the discussion.
“Cooperation is important, but so is eating. I’m really sorry for making Professor Ye wait for us all evening. Let’s eat.”
Even if they were in a hurry, they couldn’t skip the meal. Gu Shanqing thought it best to build a good relationship with Professor Ye over this meal and strive to bring him to the company for further discussions next time.
“Okay, let’s eat.”
Professor Ye’s enthusiasm cooled slightly as he composed himself and continued,
“I just wonder if the dishes I ordered are to your… tastes.”
He awkwardly added a “your” in the sentence.
But no one noticed or said anything about the food. Gu Shanqing was, as expected, very supportive, and his comments could have been used in a food program. Yan Xun also smoothly responded,
“They are all very good, and it’s a coincidence that I usually like these too.”
This was not flattery but the truth. Perhaps because the conversation had brought them closer, Yan Xun smiled slightly as he said this.
With such close proximity, the two shallow dimples on his face were very clear to Professor Ye.
Previously, the photos Professor Ye had received from Lekui were of Yan Xun not smiling. This young man seemed not to smile much and had always maintained a polite and quiet demeanor in person.
At this moment, Professor Ye noticed that when Yan Xun smiled, he had dimples, and their size and depth were almost identical to his wife’s.
There are indeed many people who look similar, but such nearly identical details could only be explained by genetic inheritance.
Although he had not done a DNA paternity test or asked for more personal family information, Professor Ye was already 70-80% sure at this moment.
He clenched his fist tightly to keep his fingers from trembling too obviously.
Because now was not a good time or place. At least he needed to wait until after tonight, and when he could arrange a private meeting with Yan Xun next time, he would bring his wife along to discuss privately.
This would show even greater respect and sincerity.
Perhaps because Professor Ye had been staring at Yan Xun for too long, Chu Tingyun quickly noticed something unusual.
If it weren’t for the professor’s happy marriage, excellent reputation, and his age being appropriate to be Yan Xun’s father, he might have suspected something else.
“What’s wrong?”
Yan Xun instinctively touched his face, thinking he might have gotten something on it while eating.
“Oh, nothing.”
Professor Ye lowered his eyes and softly said, “It’s just that my wife also has dimples when she smiles. You two… look a bit alike.”
“Oh, I see.”
Dimples are a rare facial feature but not unique, so Yan Xun didn’t find it strange.
Gu Shanqing and Wang Xu suddenly understood and realized that Professor Ye’s fondness for Yan Xun was due to a personal connection.
Chu Tingyun, at this moment, was sharply sensing something.
But he thought about it carefully and felt it was too coincidental. Perhaps his recent discussion about finding biological parents had made him sensitive.
At this time, Gu Shanqing smoothly brought up several topics to keep the conversation lively. Professor Ye also responded from time to time, preventing any awkward silence.
The clock in the private room showed 10:45, and Professor Ye’s phone rang twice.
“Sorry, I need to reply to a message from my wife.”
Fengjun: “Cunshan, it’s raining outside. The weather forecast says there will be thunderstorms tonight. Haven’t you finished? Can you come back earlier?”
Cunshan: “Probably a little while longer. You should go to bed first.”
After briefly replying, Professor Ye put away his phone. Then, his actions paused as he suddenly thought of something and asked, “Mr. Gu, you’re so young and accomplished. Are you married?”
“Ah… hahaha, not yet. I’m focusing on my career.”
Gu Shanqing, 36 years old and single, was extremely career-focused and a workaholic.
Ye Cunshan nodded and did not press further. He then turned to Chu Tingyun.
“Mr. Chu, you must be married by now.”
“Yes, I am.”
Chu Tingyun, who was called upon, responded readily. He intertwined his fingers with his little husband’s under the table.
“In a couple of months, it will be three years.”
Wang Xu was quietly observing, knowing that Professor Ye would likely ask about Yan Xun next.
Indeed—
“Assistant Yan, being so young, you should still be unmarried, right?”
Professor Ye asked with a subtle technique, as counter-questions and negations tend to prompt more information.
Sure enough, Yan Xun shook his head and said, “I’m married too. I got married right after graduating from college.”
Professor Ye did not ask about the last person in the room and continued, “You got married right after graduation, so your relationship must have been very good.”
President Chu couldn’t help but smile at this and even jumped in to add, “Yes, indeed. It was great back then and is even better now. They even have a cat son, and their little family is very happy.”
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room turned to look at him.
It seemed that Professor Ye was asking about Yan Xun’s marital status, but President Chu suddenly jumped in with a flurry of praise.
This was quite strange!
Gu Shanqing wished he could give him a hundred eye rolls. Is this really the time to show off your affection?!!
Yan Xun immediately grasped Chu Tingyun’s fidgeting hand, stopping him from moving.
“Hmm, that’s right.”
The assistant Yan Xun could only smooth things over.
“Our President Chu cares a lot about his employees. As his personal assistant, he knows more about my situation.”
“Oh…”
Professor Ye didn’t think much of it; on the contrary, he found Chu Tingyun to be a good boss. Although he was a bit… too handsome, his wife must be very impressive as well.
But Professor Ye was not interested in Chu Tingyun’s “wife,” he only cared about his own son. Although he wasn’t 100% sure yet, he was about 70-80% certain.
However, Ye Cunshan carefully observed Yan Xun’s collar. Yan Xun was wearing a white shirt inside, which was quite fitted, and there was no sign of a red string or jade pendant.
Not finding the small Guanyin figure, Ye Cunshan was a bit disappointed, but he thought that since the child had been abducted at a young age, valuable things must have been taken away, and losing them was normal. As long as the person was safe, it was fine.
So he quickly adjusted his mindset.
The rain outside gradually grew heavier.
Even in the well-insulated private room, they could hear the sound of the pouring rain.
As they ate and chatted, mainly Gu Shanqing was controlling the conversation. Ye Cunshan spoke little but responded to questions and occasionally asked Yan Xun a few questions.
He asked about his school, his major, and his family.
It was typical for an elder to ask such questions; they weren’t considered private, so Yan Xun answered.
Until Ye Cunshan suddenly asked about his surname…
“The surname Yan is quite rare. Does your father also have the surname Yan?”
Actually, this question seemed a bit odd and unnecessary. Most people take their father’s surname.
But Ye Cunshan had seen Yan Xun’s family information form when he enrolled in school; his parents had the surnames Lin and Shen, and his older brother also had the surname Lin; only Yan Xun had the surname Yan. So he asked deliberately.
“No, my father’s surname is Lin.”
Yan Xun shook his head and explained, “I was adopted, so I didn’t change my surname.”
He had never seen the term “adopted” as a bad label because Yan Xun always thought it meant that even if he didn’t have a blood relationship with his adoptive parents, they still loved him.
So when others asked, Yan Xun had always been very open about it.
But now, perhaps the reality was a bit different from what he thought…
Yan Xun didn’t continue to think about it.
Ye Cunshan stared at him, his lips visibly trembling.
“Adopted…”
Boom!
A thunderbolt crashed outside, seemingly striking directly into Professor Ye’s mind. The intense excitement and joy made his blood seem to explode.
“Yan Yan…”
He couldn’t help but reach for Yan Xun’s arm.
But the next second, the lights in the private room suddenly went out.
There was a commotion outside, and soon a waiter came in holding candles to apologize, saying that a nearby power line had been struck by lightning, causing the power outage.
The restaurant’s attitude was very good, saying they would waive the bill.
“Alright.”
Gu Shanqing was not too harsh; he glanced out the window at the pouring rain and decided it was not suitable to continue the discussion, so he told Professor Ye they would arrange another time.
“…”
However, the other party didn’t respond for a long time.
“Professor Ye… Professor Ye?”
“Oh, I’m fine.”
Ye Cunshan came back to his senses, letting go of Yan Xun’s arm. Yan Xun, though puzzled, thought it was just that Professor Ye was startled by the power outage.
The candlelight was not bright enough, and no one could see the expression on Ye Cunshan’s face.
Chu Tingyun first called his driver, then asked Professor Ye, “Since it’s raining so heavily, shall we have you driven home?”
“No need… no need, I’ll call a cab myself.”
Ye Cunshan did have a car, but it was currently in for maintenance, so he hadn’t driven it. Most importantly, he was afraid that if he stayed with Yan Xun any longer, he wouldn’t be able to hide his emotions. With the thunderstorm and power outage, and with Yan Xun’s bosses around, he didn’t want to recognize the child in such a chaotic environment.
Moreover, what if Yan Xun wasn’t Chengyi…
Ye Cunshan didn’t dare to think about that possibility; he would rather keep the hope alive a little longer.
The group walked out of the restaurant together and waited for their cars at the door. They bought a few umbrellas from the restaurant for temporary use.
Although Gu Shanqing and Chu Tingyun had drivers and cars, neither of them could leave Professor Ye alone in the rain.
However, it was difficult to hail a cab in such weather.
Gu Shanqing suggested that his driver and car take Professor Ye home, while he and Wang Xu would squeeze into Chu Tingyun’s car.
“Okay.”
Chu Tingyun had no objections.
Before Professor Ye could respond, a white car drove up from the distance. Gu Shanqing initially thought it was Professor Ye’s cab arriving so quickly, but instead, the professor shook his head and said,
“It’s my wife coming to pick me up.”
“Oh~”
Gu Shanqing sighed.
“You and your wife have a really good relationship.”
Professor Ye smiled but didn’t speak.
Then he bid farewell to everyone, but when it was time to say goodbye to Yan Xun, Ye Cunshan’s throat tightened, and he couldn’t speak, so he ultimately just nodded and turned to leave.
Gu Shanqing was surprised: “Hmm, didn’t Professor Ye seem to like Yan Xun a lot at the dinner table?”
Why did he not say goodbye to him?
Yan Xun watched as the man’s figure disappeared into the heavy rain, deep in thought.
Was it just his imagination?
He felt that Professor Ye’s eyes seemed a bit red when he looked at him.
“Let’s go, the driver has arrived.”
At that moment, Chu Tingyun’s voice pulled Yan Xun from his thoughts.
“Oh, okay.”
Meanwhile, Mrs. Ye, Xie Fengjun, did not immediately start the car but first handed Ye Cunshan a towel.
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to cooperate with this company? Why come in the rain today?”
Ye Cunshan was silent for a moment, without explaining, just closing his eyes and saying, “… I’ll explain when we get back.”
He needed to think about how to tell his wife about this matter when they returned and then plan how to invite Yan Xun out for a private discussion.
“Okay.”
Xie Fengjun looked at him with surprise, sensing her husband was acting strangely, but she didn’t ask further and prepared to drive home.
Just then, she saw Yan Xun preparing to get into the car with an umbrella.
The windshield wipers were moving continuously, and through the glass, the young man’s face kept becoming blurry and clear.
“…”
Xie Fengjun’s body involuntarily leaned forward, her eyes wide, her pupils dilated.
At that moment, her breathing seemed to stop.
“Fengjun…?”
Probably because the car wasn’t starting for a long time, Ye Cunshan turned to look at his wife. At that glance, he saw Xie Fengjun suddenly fling open the car door and, disregarding the pouring rain, run towards Yan Xun.
Ye Cunshan never expected things to develop like this.
“Fengjun…!”
He shouted and quickly got out of the car to chase after her.
At this time, Chu Tingyun had already gotten into the car, and Yan Xun was preparing to fold his umbrella and get in. Suddenly, he noticed someone running towards him.
Yan Xun instinctively tried to dodge, but when he saw the person’s face, for some reason, his body froze.
Bang.
The slight collision sound was drowned out by the rain.
Yan Xun staggered back a step, his umbrella still in hand. The woman who had suddenly run out was drenched in rain, shivering, but tightly embraced him, then reached out to touch his face.
Yan Xun couldn’t tell whether the water on her face was tears or rain, but he heard the woman holding him, trembling and crying, shouting,
“Yan Yan… Is it really Yan Yan?”
“I’m your mother…”
Ahh mother and son reunion was so touching. That was amazing to recognize your son at first glance 😢