“They… they haven’t made a decision yet, but Jiaojiao, you don’t need to worry too much about it.”
Hua Yutang couldn’t bring himself to lie to Ruan Jiaojiao, but he also didn’t want to make her sad.
“I’ll talk to them again. Don’t be upset. I’ll be staying in China for a while, and I promise I’ll help you resolve this.”
“Brother Yutang, you’re so kind…”
Ruan Jiaojiao was instantly comforted by Hua Yutang’s words. Initially, she hadn’t wanted to waste time dating him. If he were to return to Country M soon and ask her out, she couldn’t keep making excuses to refuse him.
Reflecting on this, Ruan Jiaojiao felt a wave of sadness.
Why was she forced to endure all these grievances? If Lin Zhiyu weren’t so selfish, she wouldn’t have to suffer through this series of painful events and be forced into awkward situations with people she didn’t even like. She was the only daughter of one of the world’s wealthiest families. Why did she still have to endure such misery?
It was the fault of those around her, and perhaps her fault for wanting such a pure life.
If she could let go of her need for purity, if she could accept the messiness of life and public opinion, maybe she could live carefree.
But she couldn’t…
She couldn’t tolerate the dirtiness surrounding her. All she wanted was a beautiful and clean world.
Was that so difficult?
Why couldn’t Lin Zhiyu forgive her family? Why couldn’t he think more positively?
Ruan Jiaojiao had already prepared herself to forgive Lin Zhiyu. If Lin Zhiyu would only take the initiative to reconcile with the Ruan family, all the unresolved issues could be cleared up, and everything would improve. After all, Lin Zhiyu would be happier once he let go of his hatred. Why was he so narrow-minded and selfish?
Ruan Jiaojiao truly couldn’t understand.
“Brother Yutang, I’m not feeling well. I think I’ll rest for a bit. I’ll hang up now.”
Ruan Jiaojiao lowered her eyes and spoke softly.
“Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao, what’s wrong? Are you upset about something again? Don’t be sad. Just tell me what’s troubling you, and I’ll help you solve it,” Hua Yutang said urgently.
“I’m just feeling unwell, it’s no big deal. And Brother Yutang, you should get some rest. You don’t need to worry about me.” Ruan Jiaojiao’s patience was wearing thin, but she still managed to say something considerate.
Hua Yutang was incredibly touched and wanted to say more, but before he could, the call was cut off.
He didn’t feel frustrated or disappointed. Instead, he just pitied Ruan Jiaojiao even more.
The Jiaojiao he loved was so kind and undeserving of the injustices she faced.
Why should such a wonderful girl have to deal with so much psychological pressure and suffer under so many nasty public accusations?
Hua Yutang resolved to explain things clearly to Xie Youzhou and Lin Zhiyu, to help them realize their unfair biases against such an innocent person.
But for the time being, Hua Yutang couldn’t even get a chance to meet with Xie Youzhou and Lin Zhiyu.
…
Before long, October arrived, and the weather turned cooler.
The situation for the Ruan family continued to worsen. The previous loss of over $10 billion had severely damaged the Ruan Group’s cash flow. Although they sold off a few properties to cover the shortfall, it left them weakened.
Their reputation crumbled, and the steady stream of revelations about various large and small issues within the group only accelerated their decline.
Now, competitors who once were slightly weaker felt bold enough to take a bite out of them.
More concerning was that the Ruan Group’s previously unstoppable methods no longer worked. Nowadays, any shady deal they attempted was exposed within days. The Ruan Group had practically become a laughingstock across the country! They were the subject of constant ridicule.
Meanwhile, their competitors seemed blessed with divine intervention, gaining access to valuable information ahead of time. As a result, the Ruan Group hadn’t secured a single favorable project in months. Instead, they were stuck with a series of problematic ventures!
Even though these continuous setbacks hadn’t caused the Ruan Group to collapse completely, it was clear that the company would never be the same. Like many small ants killing an elephant, the company’s stock price had hit the limit seven or eight times in just over two months, with the rest of the time looking equally bleak. This made the capital chain even tighter. Even though there were occasional rebounds thanks to the Ruan family’s efforts, they couldn’t reverse the overall downward trend.
Once among the top two richest families in the world, the Ruan family had now fallen out of the top fifteen, with their vast fortune shrinking by more than half and signs pointing toward further decline.
The atmosphere in the Ruan household was oppressive. The once graceful and leisurely family members now appeared more downtrodden with each passing day. The only one seemingly unaffected was Ruan Jiaojiao, who lived a comfortable life thanks to the “fish pond” of men surrounding her. Everyone else had long lost their smiles.
“Boss, you didn’t secure the project again?!”
Mr. Ruan sat in a wheelchair, visibly aged and drained of vitality. His sunken cheeks and ashen complexion showed his decline.
On the computer screen, Ruan Yanshun appeared even more worn, having aged over ten years in the past few months. At forty-nine, he used to look like a man in his thirties, but now he seemed older than his actual age.
“The Bell Group snatched it from us,” Ruan Yanshun said, his eyes dark and filled with gloom. He hadn’t returned to the family home in more than six months, working tirelessly at the company every day, but it was impossible to stop the Ruan Group’s continuing decline.
“Dad, I’ve posted an announcement on the dark web, offering over $100 million if the hacker FL stops targeting the Ruan Group.”
The Ruan family was now acutely aware that they were being deliberately sabotaged. Without this hacker FL, their opponents wouldn’t have gained so much power so suddenly, and the Ruan family wouldn’t have been hit with daily issues—some large, some small—that had completely eroded public trust.
If this continued, it wouldn’t take long—within three months, the Ruan Group could be bankrupt.
Though they wished for nothing more than to see this hacker dead, or worse—to gouge out their eyes, cut out their tongue, and throw them into an underground casino as a freak show—they had to bow their heads for now.
“Hah! Hah hah…” Mr. Ruan was so furious he could only breathe heavily, but he had to admit they had no other choice.
Thinking about how far the once mighty Ruan family had fallen—reduced to showing weakness to their enemies—nearly drove Mr. Ruan to his grave.
Sensing the worsening situation, the butler quickly poured two pills from the medicine box and fed them to Mr. Ruan.
After swallowing the pills and taking several deep breaths, Mr. Ruan finally calmed down.
“Add… add one more thing…”
“Dad, what did you say?” asked Ruan Yanshun.
“I said, you need to add one more thing… if the hacker FL is willing to back off, every member of the Ruan family will go to Hua Xia personally to…” Mr. Ruan gritted his teeth, “Apologize to Lin Zhiyu!”
“Dad—” Ruan Yanshun protested immediately, “The Ruan family shouldn’t have to lower ourselves to that extent.”
“What do you know?” Mr. Ruan waved the butler away, then glared at his son through the screen.
His cloudy eyes were filled with hatred as he spoke venomously, “That hacker is standing up for Lin Zhiyu. Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
“Endure now for a greater good later. Do you understand the meaning of ‘sleep on brushwood and taste gall’?”
“…Alright, I’ll do it. I’ll add that to the offer,” Ruan Yanshun agreed, his face darkening.
“And… cough!” Mr. Ruan coughed before continuing, “Didn’t you say a few days ago you were hiring some of the world’s top hackers to trace FL’s address? Have they cracked it yet?”
“Not yet. These hackers are among the best in the world, but all they’ve managed to locate is a rough region. It’s strange. You can’t imagine the level of skill this FL person has!” Ruan Yanshun said, feeling resentment build up.
“So we need to be patient and wait for the right moment! Once we find FL’s address, we can take them down all at once. When they try to withdraw money, they’ll slip up, and we’ll catch them. As for Lin Zhiyu… once the time is right, we’ll send him to have his limbs chopped off and ship him off to Southeast Asia as a vase.”
“Yes, we need to endure for now. But soon enough…”
Suddenly, a ringtone interrupted Yanshun’s words. He answered the call, his expression darkening at first, but then transforming into one of excitement.
“Alright, alright! You’re something. Uncle Ruan won’t thank you formally—after all, we’re family. I’ll come over right away to discuss the cooperation in detail!”
Hanging up, Ruan Yanshun turned to his father with excitement. “Dad, Hortez has secured a major project in State S, and they want to partner with us! This could give us the cash flow we need!”
While securing the partnership with Hortez wouldn’t restore the Ruan Group’s losses from the past two or three years, it would at least help recover some of their resources and curb the family’s downward trend.
“This Hortez… is a good one,” Mr. Ruan noted, his expression softening. After a few coughs, he added, “Jiaojiao seems to have a sincere relationship with him. In the future, we can count on him.”
“Yes, he’s much better than Wright and Marceau. Though only twenty-six, Hortez has already taken charge of most of his family’s business and is the true decision-maker. Marceau and Wright are still under the influence of the older generation in their families,” Ruan Yanshun replied. He recalled his failed attempts to negotiate with the chairman of the Wright Group, who had imposed an array of unfavorable conditions on them. “The Ruan family would never allow Jiaojiao to get involved with Little Wright.”
“Jiaojiao is a fortunate girl. Since she chose Hortez, she must have made a wise decision,” Mr. Ruan said, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes.
Suddenly, he frowned and added, “I wonder where Lao Wu is. He’s probably off drinking again. As the eldest brother, you should help him get back on track. It’s been months since the last incident, and if he doesn’t start making moves again, he’ll be ruined!”
“I understand, Dad. I’ll look out for the fifth brother after I finish the group’s affairs,” Ruan Yanshun replied, concern lining his face. “But I don’t know how much time we have. I need to get back to work.”
As he hung up, Ruan Yanshun thought, The sooner we can dismantle this operation, the better.
Meanwhile, the Ruan Group faced mounting challenges. Although Hua Xia hadn’t issued any formal sanctions, the evidence was clear: they were effectively barred from the Chinese market. Lin Zhiyu, fully aware of the support he had from the government, dedicated himself to research, engaging in a mutually beneficial and passionate pursuit.
After months of hard work, Lin Zhiyu finally made a breakthrough in his new project. His unique blend of innate talent and relentless effort—combined with Professor Bai Chunling’s decades of expertise—yielded promising results.
“The experimental findings on the mice are astounding,” Professor Bai exclaimed, his face radiating joy. “This confirms that our concept is sound. Zhiyu, your idea is truly brilliant!”
“But the side effects are still worse than those of opioids. We need to refine this,” Lin Zhiyu responded, pleased yet cautious as he placed the lethargic mouse into another experimental chamber.
The new drug positioned itself as a hybrid between opioids and non-opioid medications. Its detoxification and anti-addiction properties surpassed those of non-opioid drugs, but it closely resembled opioids in effectiveness. The risk of developing a new addiction was significantly lower than with opioids, though side effects remained a concern.
“If we can minimize the side effects, we could potentially replace both opioids and non-opioid drugs altogether,” Lin Zhiyu pondered aloud. “Professor Bai, what do you think about exploring traditional Chinese medicine ingredients? We might find the compounds we need.”
“I’m open to that. I know an esteemed old Chinese medicine practitioner who might have valuable insights. We should reach out to him,” Professor Bai suggested, eagerly anticipating the opportunity.
They soon scheduled a meeting with the practitioner and, on the day of their visit, Lin Zhiyu, having organized his classes ahead of time, drove to the designated location alongside Professor Bai.
The practitioner lived tucked away in a quaint alley. They arrived around eight in the morning and didn’t leave until five in the afternoon, after a productive discussion that filled their trunk with a wealth of medicinal materials.
“Professor Bai, are you headed back to the hospital or home?” Lin Zhiyu asked as he started the car.
“I’m going home. My eldest son and daughter-in-law are returning from Australia today with my grandson. They should be landing soon,” Professor Bai replied, his face lighting up with joy. It had been a fulfilling day of discussions, and he felt invigorated by their collaboration.
“How old is your grandson?” Lin Zhiyu inquired, intrigued.
“My grandson is fifteen. My son married young, so even though I’m only sixty, my grandson is the same age as some of my friends’ youngest children,” Professor Bai shared with a laugh. “He’s currently studying at No. 8 Middle School, in his second year of high school. They’re on holiday now, which is why they traveled.”
As they chatted, Professor Bai’s phone rang. With a smile, he answered, “You’re back? Great! I’ll head home right away, my sweet grandson. Just wait for me for ten minutes!”
After hanging up, he turned to Lin Zhiyu, “They’re already home! How strange—it’s not even late, but they forgot their keys and are stuck downstairs.”
“People can be forgetful sometimes,” Lin Zhiyu replied, chuckling as he accelerated the car.
Fifteen minutes later, they reached the community where Professor Bai lived, parking outside Building No. 6.
“Grandpa! Grandpa’s back!” A tall figure dashed toward them—it was Professor Bai’s grandson, Bai Shujing. At just fifteen, he had already grown to 1.8 meters, taking after his mother’s tall stature.
“Did Professor Lin give you a ride?” Bai Shujing asked, gazing at Lin Zhiyu with wide eyes.
“Not just a ride. Didn’t you say you wanted to meet Professor Lin?” Professor Bai nudged her grandson affectionately.
Bai Shujing froze for a moment, his face turning crimson as he recognized Lin Zhiyu. He stood speechless, caught off guard.
Lin Zhiyu, unaffected by the silence, smiled warmly. “Alright, Professor Bai, I’ll head back now. Let’s start extracting those medicinal materials tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. You take care on your way back,” Professor Bai said, ushering his grandson to speak.
Bai Shujing hesitated, while his parents, Jiang Yu and her husband, approached, quickly catching on to the situation.
Jiang Yu felt both amused and empathetic. Her son had been in a daze for days, grappling with his emerging sexual orientation, which had come to light during their recent trip to Australia. After a heartfelt discussion, he seemed to have accepted himself, yet now he stood nervously in front of someone he admired deeply.
Her heart warmed at the sight of her son slowly coming into his own, and she realized that, perhaps, this encounter with Lin Zhiyu was just the encouragement he needed.
But this is normal. People don’t know how many times their hearts will be moved and how many people they will fall in love with in their lifetime, not to mention that Lin Zhiyu is so outstanding.
Jiang Yu didn’t say anything, just chatted with Professor Bai.
Even after Lin Zhiyu drove away, Bai Shujing’s ears were beet red, and there was only one thing in his mind – Professor Lin Zhiyu was his ideal type.
Before he figured out his sexual orientation, he thought he just admired and admired such scholars.
Now that he was face to face with Lin Zhiyu, he found that even seeing his smile made his heart beat a little unbearably.
Bai Shujing was a little annoyed. He must have behaved too badly just now!
Moreover, Lin Zhiyu was extremely handsome, had a great temperament, and was extremely talented with a gentle disposition… He was a born leader, so many people should like him, right?
How should he make himself stand out?
He must study hard, and get admitted to Huada or Peking University!
Lin Zhiyu didn’t know that there was a little kid who liked him and was determined to pass the TP2 exam. If he knew about it, Lin Zhiyu would probably…encourage him?
How ridiculous, how could Lin Zhiyu encourage him? Lin Zhiyu would probably run away at a rate of eight hundred meters per second.
If others expressed their feelings towards him and Lin Zhiyu was not interested in them, he would stay away from them.
Otherwise, it is easy to cause misunderstandings.
Because of this, many people chose not to confess to Lin Zhiyu.
Xie Youzhou had always thought this way, what if his brother alienated him?
But when he went to the Institute of Biochemistry to pick up his brother home that day, he saw a very unpleasant kid waiting for Professor Bai and his gege…
Xie Youzhou: F**k!
Have you even grown all your hair?!!
Xie Youzhou immediately became possessive and hugged his gege with one arm. His head was slightly tilted next to Lin Zhiyu’s ear, the corners of his lips were slightly hooked, and his eyes were slightly affectionate. It looked like they were rubbing against each other …
The two of them were very close. The height difference of a few centimeters made them look perfect for each other.
The atmosphere made it difficult for others to intrude.
Bai Shujing was a child after all. His eyes suddenly widened, his expression was a little choked, and he seemed to be greatly shocked.
“Ha…”
Xie Youzhou glanced at Bai Shujing provocatively, then looked away disdainfully.
Heh, he could destroy this little love rival brat in a matter of minutes.
Bai Shujing was shocked. Xie Youzhou was over 1.9 meters tall, extremely handsome, and was super close to Lin Zhiyu he had no chance of winning!
The self-esteem of a fifteen-year-old boy was super fragile, and he suddenly lost his courage.
What he didn’t know was that Xie Youzhou, who he regarded as handsome and carefree, had been pushed away by his brother for being too close to him. What he said in Lin Zhiyu’s ears was…
“Gege, I have diarrhea. I’ve had it all afternoon, and now I feel dizzy.”
