On the other side, Ye Lekui had waited all morning for a call from Yan Xun, but it never came. She couldn’t hold back any longer, so she began searching for information based on the only name she knew.
The information online was vast and scattered, with most of it not linked to real names. However, real names do appear on official websites, especially those of schools or public WeChat accounts.
With a “let’s give it a try” attitude, Ye Lekui searched, and to her surprise, she actually found several articles about Yan Xun on the official WeChat of Capital University from a few years ago.
There were many articles, not just one—about him being an outstanding student representative, a model student, a first-place scholarship recipient, and even winning the championship in the Deep Sea Cup Artificial Intelligence Innovation Competition.
Unfortunately, Ye Lekui wasn’t from Capital University. She tried calling the administrative office at Capital University to inquire about Yan Xun’s information, but was refused on the grounds of student privacy.
“Sigh…”
In the end, Ye Lekui couldn’t give her uncle and aunt the surprise she had planned with seven or eight parts confidence. After all, she didn’t know if Yan Xun would contact her again or when he would return to the driving school.
But things were different for Ye Cunshan. Recently, he had been collaborating with Capital University on some projects and held a high status, with resources and connections. He could look into things much faster than she could.
So, Ye Lekui didn’t insist on doing everything on her own. She quickly sent the photo of Yan Xun and links to the articles to Ye Cunshan.
At that moment, Professor Ye was having lunch in the cafeteria, while still thinking about unfinished work from the morning.
Buzz, buzz.
His phone vibrated slightly. He picked it up and saw that his niece had sent over forty messages.
“This Xiao Kui…”
Ye Cunshan shook his head at the overly lively girl and opened the messages to see what strange things she had sent this time.
Because there were so many photos, they had pushed the messages up. When Ye Cunshan clicked in, all he saw were a few public WeChat article links and the last message his niece sent.
Lekui: “Uncle, look at the person in this photo. Doesn’t he look a bit like brother Chengyi?”
“…”
Buzz—
All the thoughts that had been lingering in his mind just seconds ago were instantly wiped clean, deleted completely. Or rather, at this moment, Professor Ye’s entire brain was filled with a surge of more intense, overwhelming emotion.
He was utterly stunned.
The young man in the photo didn’t resemble Ye Cunshan much—only his eyes bore a slight similarity. But on closer inspection, his features bore a striking resemblance to his son, Ye Chengyi.
His fingers trembled, but he still quickly opened the articles linked above.
“Yan Xun…”
That was his name.
Before Professor Ye had a chance to read closely, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind him.
“What a coincidence, Professor Ye! You’re eating in the cafeteria too.”
He Mingyuan walked over with a lunch tray. Before Ye Cunshan could respond, He Mingyuan noticed the content on his phone screen and the photo displayed.
“Huh? Isn’t that Yan Xun?”
Professor Ye had been quite annoyed at being interrupted at this moment, but He Mingyuan’s familiar tone made him pause. He looked up and asked:
“You know him?”
“Yeah, he’s my classmate.”
He Mingyuan sat down across from him with his tray and said, “He came to a lecture the other day. We chatted a bit afterward.”
A lecture…
Professor Ye suddenly remembered.
In fact, during that lecture, he had noticed a student sitting in the back row. The student had brought a laptop and, while most people were busy taking photos and recording videos, this student was listening attentively, occasionally jotting down notes.
However, the student had been wearing a hat and was sitting far away, so Professor Ye hadn’t gotten a clear look at his face. Later, when he saw He Mingyuan talking to that student, he asked about him.
To his surprise, He Mingyuan’s evaluation of the student had been that he was “calculating,” with a penchant for cozying up to company Presidents and a history of plagiarism.
As a result, Professor Ye had not paid further attention.
But now, he realized that this boy, Yan Xun, had actually attended his lecture back then!
Professor Ye couldn’t help but confirm again:
“The person talking to you at that time… was it him?”
“Mm.”
He Mingyuan observed the man’s expression and began to speculate why Professor Ye had suddenly become interested in Yan Xun.
“Why are you reading these public account articles? They’re from several years ago.”
“…”
Ye Cunshan didn’t respond immediately. When He Mingyuan had said those things back then, he only felt uncomfortable, but now he instantly felt that the words were full of malice and defamation.
So, at this moment, he didn’t mention anything about the search for relatives but found another excuse.
“One of my students sent me some recent information about the Deep Sea Cup, saying it was interesting. I thought I’d take a look while eating.”
“Oh, I see.”
He Mingyuan didn’t sense anything unusual. After all, in his eyes, Yan Xun had graduated after his undergraduate studies and had no connection to someone like Ye Cunshan, a national academy engineer.
Back in school, Yan Xun was particularly arrogant, always keeping to himself and rarely talking to classmates. He only participated in group projects when necessary, but in reality, he mostly did the work on his own. Many classmates wanted to ride on his coattails, hoping to get closer to him.
But Yan Xun was aloof and always busy. He wouldn’t eat with anyone, join in outings, or even play games. Eventually, people gave up trying to get close to him.
Later, Yan Xun won the Deep Sea Cup’s top prize, gaining widespread attention. By his third year, he had already received several offers from major companies. He even secured significant investments. At that time, He Mingyuan wanted to get closer to Yan Xun and hoped Yan Xun would take him along. He spent a lot of money on gifts, but Yan Xun ignored him completely, acting arrogantly.
From that point on, He Mingyuan resented him. Later, he heard that Yan Xun ran into trouble and fell into massive debt, and that news gave him great satisfaction.
But that was three years ago.
He Mingyuan didn’t think much of it. He assumed the topic would end there, but Professor Ye casually asked:
“Do you have Yan Xun’s contact information? I think his work was quite good. Although it’s a bit outdated now, it still shows some ingenuity.”
“Contact information? I don’t have it. He’s… always been somewhat of a loner.”
This wasn’t a lie.
The last time they met, He Mingyuan had scanned Yan Xun’s QR code, intending to check out his recent posts. But after waiting all night, he realized Yan Xun hadn’t approved the friend request, essentially playing him.
Thinking of this, He Mingyuan squeezed his chopsticks a little tighter, though outwardly he continued to smile and said:
“But Yan Xun probably hasn’t been involved in professional matters for a long time. I heard he got married right after graduating, three years ago.”
Professor Ye’s attention was indeed piqued by the word “married.” He was a bit shocked:
“Got married right after graduating?”
“Yes, I’m not too sure about the specifics, but he likely got married—apparently to a man.”
He Mingyuan didn’t actually know if Yan Xun had gotten married, as Yan Xun had removed most of his classmates from his contacts after graduation, including He Mingyuan.
Later, when He Mingyuan tried to find out what happened after Yan Xun fell into debt, he discovered that Yan Xun’s company and the one suing him had been acquired by a tech company called Xinghen, and the lawsuit and debts were all resolved.
As for Yan Xun himself, rumors said he married a man, but no one knew who it was or what he looked like. However, back in the day, everyone knew Yan Xun’s ex-girlfriend was the school beauty Jiang Jingshu. Now he was married to a man. He Mingyuan speculated that the man was probably a pot-bellied, balding old guy.
Otherwise, how else could Yan Xun have such good luck, turning his situation around from such a crisis?
“Mm.”
After hearing this, Professor Ye said no more.
He Mingyuan was about to change the subject when Professor Ye suddenly stood up.
“I’ve finished eating.”
“Professor Ye…”
He Mingyuan was stunned, but by then, Professor Ye had already walked away briskly.
Just as Ye Lekui had predicted, Ye Cunshan’s ability to gather information was indeed faster and more efficient. Less than ten minutes after leaving the cafeteria, he had located the counselor for Yan Xun’s class and quickly learned about this student’s family situation, school performance, and contact details from back then.
Yan Xun’s ancestral home was in Nancheng. His father was deceased, his mother was still alive, and he had an older brother with a disability. His academic performance was excellent, and his resume was impeccable.
However, the contact information seemed to have changed. Ye Cunshan tried calling the number listed in the registration form, but it was a dead number.
He let out a deep breath, trying to calm his mind.
It’s not certain yet…
It might not be him.
But in his heart, a small voice kept insisting that it was.
The counselor said the student had been outstanding and had started his own company after graduation. So, Ye Cunshan asked a friend to look into the company Yan Xun had founded.
Unfortunately, the small startup had gone bankrupt three years ago, and it had been acquired by a larger company.
In a hurry, Ye asked, “Which company acquired it?”
Since the company had bought Yan Xun’s, the higher-ups should know him and might even have his contact information.
His friend replied, “Xinghen Technology, the same company that approached you a few months ago to collaborate on setting up an expert workstation. You rejected them decisively at the time.”
Ye Cunshan: “…”
—
Two hours later, President Chu, who had skipped an entire morning of work, received a phone call from Gu Shanqing. After nonchalantly listening to his excited recounting, he responded with a soft “Hmm?”
“So, they’ve expressed interest in collaboration again, but the meeting has to be today?”
Chu Tingyun glanced at Yan Xun and nodded.
“Alright, I’ll go with you.”
“… What? You’re coming?”
Gu Shanqing was taken aback. He had been excitedly sharing the news with Chu Tingyun, not expecting him to join.
“Are you serious? That Professor Ye… Well, how to put it—he has that kind of scholarly arrogance, you know? I personally visited him several times, and he wouldn’t even let me in. I don’t know why he suddenly changed his mind today. Are you sure you can handle it?”
“…”
Right now, President Chu couldn’t stand anyone questioning his competence. His face darkened immediately.
“Are you doubting me?”
“No, no, no, that’s not what I meant. Who would dare doubt you, President Chu?”
Gu Shanqing quickly backtracked, soothing his boss.
“It’s just that you usually act as the behind-the-scenes financier, a hands-off boss, right?”
That was indeed true. Chu Tingyun rarely involved himself in Xinghen’s specific projects. He was responsible for steering the company’s overall direction, leaving the management of technical partnerships to Gu Shanqing.
Chu Tingyun asked him, “Can’t I still be your behind-the-scenes financier if I go?”
Gu Shanqing: “… You can.”
That settled it.
Beep-beep-beep—
The call ended there.
Chu Tingyun put his phone aside and told Yan Xun that they wouldn’t be going to the office that afternoon but instead would visit Capital University.
“My school?”
Yan Xun was surprised.
“What are you going there for?”
Chu Tingyun sipped his goji berry tea and said, “A few months ago, Gu Shanqing suggested inviting a prominent professor as a special consultant for Xinghen or establishing a collaboration through a workstation. Unfortunately, none of the professors we approached were interested, including the one you admire, Professor Ye.”
Yan Xun understood and asked, “So, you still want to try talking to him?”
“Negotiations are about persistence. If it doesn’t work the first time, you try again. Luckily, he’s been at Capital University recently, not the Academy of Engineering. Otherwise, we’d have to figure out how to meet him. And this time, he’s the one requesting the meeting, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
Putting down his tea, Chu Tingyun looked at Yan Xun.
“So, how about coming with me?”
Last time Yan Xun attended a lecture, he had said he arrived too late to get a good seat, so he had to sit in the back row and barely saw the professor’s face.
So, Chu Tingyun wasn’t really going to negotiate; he just wanted to take his husband to meet the scholar he admired.
After working hard for so long, President Chu thought it was time to relax a little, maybe even have a mini date on campus.
“Me?”
Yan Xun was a bit taken aback.
“Won’t I get in the way of your business?”
“Of course not, quite the opposite.”
Chu Tingyun winked at him.
“Professors like that, who are deeply into their research, are often quite reserved and have a certain aloofness. They don’t care much for businessmen like me, who are all about money. They tend to prefer someone clean and innocent, like a diligent student.”
“A diligent student?”
Yan Xun: “… Chu Tingyun, I graduated three years ago.”
“You’ve just lost your memory, haven’t you?”
Chu Tingyun leaned in to give him a quick kiss.
“For the sake of our family’s business, baby, just this once, act a little more cute.”
Yan Xun: “…”
