GV – Chapter 61

Guo Siwan was sent abroad before the school year started, packed off like a parcel—stuffed onto a plane, and that was the end of it.

This outcome exceeded Shen Wei and Ye Yuhuan’s expectations.

To be more precise, they hadn’t expected such a favorable outcome from the start. At most, they thought Guo Siwan would become an indirect cause of Guo Yu’s miscarriage, and even that would require other backup plans to come into play.

For instance, they might have just had a huge fight, with Guo Siwan harassing Guo Yu relentlessly, causing Guo Yu to fall ill from worry. If Guo Yu’s baby was truly so fragile that she could use it in her schemes against others, then a single, careless little accident would have been enough to turn her plans to smoke.

As it turned out, simply letting Guo Siwan know that it was normal for Guo Yu to have a man on the side was enough to make her act impulsively and violently.

Perhaps the plot still had a certain inertia. In the original novel, Guo Siwan and Guo Yu’s falling out was also because of this man’s appearance. This time, Shen Wei had simply found the man earlier.

It proved that people who are meant to fall in love will fall in love, sooner or later.

The two of them were like a lightning strike, and the fire ignited the bomb that was Guo Siwan, completely blowing up the delicate balance they had managed to maintain. Shangguan Chong was forced to clean up the mess.

However, regarding Guo Yu keeping a man on the side, Shangguan Chong knew about as little as Guo Siwan did. She had hidden it extremely well, keeping everyone around her under tight control, their lips sealed, not a single word getting out—in Guo Yu’s domain, she had absolute authority.

If not for the benefit of hindsight, Shen Wei might not have been able to find this loose screw, Qin Meiying. And no one could have imagined that this dodder vine, clinging so tightly to the Shangguan family, would have the audacity to secretly plant a sizable green pasture on Shangguan Chong’s head.

However, if that was the case, then they needed to speed up preparations for certain things.

A cornered rabbit will bite, and a cornered dog will leap over a wall. What’s more, their opponents were not gentle rabbits or loyal dogs.

But venomous snakes, scorpions, and wolf cubs.

Shen Wei and Guo Yu maintained a relationship of false cordiality. They both pledged their allegiance to each other, but tacitly avoided offering anything of substance.

Shen Wei used her own foolishness and recklessness as a disguise, while Guo Yu emphasized her precarious situation, claiming that the items were currently in a place she couldn’t easily retrieve them from.

The two met privately several times, exchanged many gifts, and traded baskets of flattering compliments, coming just short of swearing an oath of sisterhood on the spot. But the moment they walked out the door, both would immediately put on a cold face. Shen Wei secretly sighed that this woman really had a few tricks up her sleeve, while Guo Yu also privately intensified her investigation into Shen Wei.

However, with Guo Siwan suffering abroad still occupying her attention, this situation seemed like it could be maintained for some time.

As for Shangguan Chong, he once again embarked on the old path of seeking doctors and medicine alone. This time, however, he went to India and Cambodia, likely having completely given up on scientific medicine and intending to use magic to salvage his desperate hope for an heir.

No one knew what madness he would unleash when he completely despaired, but that wasn’t something Shen Wei and the others needed to worry about. This sword of Damocles hung over the heads of the Guo mother and daughter. After many days of planning, they had finally earned the right to watch from the sidelines.

The second semester of their second year of high school was halfway through. Qinglin’s campus was peaceful. Ye Yuhuan continued to lead academically. Song Zhiqing, after showing off her singing voice at the New Year’s gala, successfully gained a large number of fans, making entering the Cosmic Beauty Garden club room feel like walking into a signing event. It gave her an early taste of being a popular singer. Shangguan Xianxian, meanwhile, took over the “Care for Lin Qi” matters and developed an extraordinary passion for related charity work.

In May, this group of high school students who weren’t minding their proper business received good news: Sheng Jing’s research had a major breakthrough. With the full support of Ye Yuhuan and Shen Wei, the trio had developed the core technology for new energy earlier than in the previous life and earlier than in the plot.

Of course, such big news couldn’t be kept secret, but the government, being the first to learn of it, naturally had the power to hide it from the vast majority of people.

Before the midterm exams of the second semester of their second year, Ye Yuhuan, Shen Wei, and Sheng Jing’s core employees were all invited by relevant government personnel to attend a top-secret meeting.

The official reason given was an academic exchange trip to Country M, but in reality, they never left A-City.

Shangguan Chong caught wind of something and rushed back from the middle of his treatment with the foreign master. But the people he wanted weren’t there, and Shangguan Xianxian, who was, wasn’t deeply involved in Sheng Jing’s internal operations. After a few fruitless conversations with her, Shangguan Chong could only wait for news from Shen Wei.

This half-month was not easy. They wished one day could be stretched into two, spending every moment in tense discussions with a group of people whose combined ages were several times their own, signing all sorts of documents. Except for Shen Wei and Ye Yuhuan, the others belatedly realized that what they were doing was perhaps more sensational than they had imagined. The people who usually only appeared on the news were now cordially discussing Sheng Jing’s future development with them, making them feel as if they were in a dream, as if they had stepped into a new world.

Even the longest topics have an end. After signing the final document, the group finally dragged their drained brains and weary feet back to Sheng Jing.

Sitting in the large conference room, everyone looked at each other, no one wanting to be the first to speak. They had simply talked too much during this period, and their lips had spontaneously gone on strike.

Ye Yuhuan finally chose to communicate using her phone’s screen projection.

A few large words suddenly appeared on the large, silver-white screen.

“Success belongs to us.”

At first, the conference room was silent.

Then, an astonishing cheer erupted. Even Shen Wei was no exception—no, or rather, she was the most excited. After all, her life had truly changed from this moment on. She had her own foundation to stand on and no longer had to live by watching Shangguan Chong’s face.

The boss’s celebration was very simple. Shen Wei shouted in a hoarse voice, “Everyone gets next week off!”

This sentence was like adding a drop of water to a hot oil pan. The cheers grew even louder. Many people even started coughing from shouting so hard, but they continued to roar after coughing. A perfectly good tech company was given the impression of a zoo opening.

They had left too hastily, and their return was also abrupt, so there was no champagne prepared in the company. A few people had a flash of inspiration, took a few bottles of Sprite from the snack fridge, shook them vigorously, and began to create a celebratory atmosphere, simulating champagne.

Wang Chengmei even produced some party poppers from somewhere and set them off everywhere. For a moment, the conference room was as lively as a bar at one in the morning.

Surrounded by this group of people, who were either future stars from major research institutes or had extraordinary backgrounds, she had always felt timid. A while ago, she had even worked hard to pass the CET-4 and CET-6 exams. Thanks to what Shen Wei and Ye Yuhuan said about her having a bit of talent, she had somehow managed to survive in such a tense and high-end environment. And she had done well. The business plan she proposed was successfully adopted by the government authorities, and the scene of Sheng Jing printing money in the future seemed to be just around the corner.

Wang Chengmei was a bit dazed. If she remembered correctly, she had a small stake in Sheng Jing. So, did this mean she was about to become a rich woman?

The envy she felt for her two young, wealthy bosses was still firmly etched in her mind. And now she was one of them?

Damn, this feels amazing!

Zhao Xiwei wiped the Sprite from her face. The emotions that had been surging since the moment she saw the experimental results completely overflowed in the jubilant atmosphere, and her eyes couldn’t help but fill with tears. She turned to Tang Ke and Li Xiang, “Do you think we’ll win a Nobel Prize?”

The two science and engineering guys took off their glasses to wipe them, accidentally breaking the temple of one pair. The excited flush on their faces hadn’t faded. Tang Ke nodded vigorously, “There’s a high probability.”

Li Xiang, on the other hand, proposed a new vision: “If we win the Nobel Prize, will we have to be in textbooks in the future?”

“Oh my, then we’ll have to take a few more good-looking photos, to let the future generations of children know that doing science doesn’t necessarily make you ugly,” Zhao Xiwei replied, cupping her face and smiling foolishly.

The other two also giggled foolishly. The colorful streamers floating in the air stuck to their faces, making them look utterly ridiculous. But if they had left their mark on the history of human civilization, no matter how ridiculous they looked, it could be packaged as greatness, right?

The three of them were not yet thirty, the age for wild fantasies. Relying on these wild fantasies, they gave up their doctoral studies and left school to research new energy on their own. The three most eye-catching stars of A University were henceforth drowned in the scornful gazes of others.

Yes, they were indulging in wild fantasies.

But they had reached for the moon and caught it.

The conference room finally quieted down after a long celebration. Ye Yuhuan propped her head on her hand, watching this group of people grinning like kindergarteners who had received a hundred little red flowers. She couldn’t help but lower her head and smile too, though she wasn’t as excited as they were. There was something else she wanted to do right now.

After staying at Sheng Jing for a while longer, Ye Yuhuan left early. The moment she stepped out the main door, she took out her long-unseen phone and dialed the number she had been longing for.

No one answered.

Assuming Song Zhiqing was just busy, Ye Yuhuan didn’t mind, though she was a little disappointed. After all, she really missed her.

After thinking for a moment, she called her aunt to tell her she was back, then hailed a cab home and had a good sleep.

When she woke up, she felt much more refreshed. Her half-dead brain cells were revitalized, and the feeling of longing grew more intense, clawing at her heart and making its presence known. Remembering the unanswered call, Ye Yuhuan dialed the number again.

No one answered.

She realized something was wrong. In all this time, it was impossible for Song Zhiqing not to have looked at her phone even once. She had already hinted that her whereabouts during this period would be a mystery, so Song Zhiqing wouldn’t be angry about that.

Ye Yuhuan’s expression tightened. She called the Song family home.

During the ten-odd seconds she waited for the call to be answered, Ye Yuhuan was in a daze, as if her soul had been pulled out and hung powerlessly on a slender tree branch.

Hopefully, Song Zhiqing just had something to do and forgot to check her phone.

Hopefully.

Those brief ten-odd seconds felt like several autumns and winters had passed.

Finally, the call connected.

“Hello?”

It was Gao Yiren’s voice.

But shouldn’t she be in C-City filming? She had just left a month ago, and this movie was being filmed in seclusion in the mountains.

The faint, ominous premonition in Ye Yuhuan’s heart grew stronger.

“Is Song Zhiqing there?” she asked.

Gao Yiren was silent for a moment before answering with difficulty, “Qingqing, she… she and Miss Shangguan were kidnapped.”

Ye Yuhuan’s hand suddenly went limp, and her phone fell straight to the floor.

She looked up at the reflection in the chandelier on the ceiling. Gao Yiren’s voice was still coming from the phone.

But she couldn’t hear it clearly, because she hadn’t turned on the speakerphone.

More importantly, she didn’t want to listen.

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