After New Year’s Day, the company’s annual meeting came just a few days later, coinciding with Minghua and Chaoxing’s annual meetings.

Yu Lin and Jiang Mo wanted Yu Yan to attend Chaoxing’s event, after all, it was their own family’s company. Although Yu Yan no longer worked at the company, his family still kept some shares for him, allowing him to return whenever he wanted.

But in the end, Yu Yan chose Minghua, reasoning that it was a great opportunity to bond with colleagues.

Once this point was made, the Yu family didn’t try to persuade him further.

Minghua had many employees, so the company had specially booked a resort in the suburbs for team-building during the annual meeting.

On the day of the meeting, Yu Yan rarely got up early to pack his luggage.

Jiang Mo was next to him, repeatedly reminding him to stay safe, calling him several times over and over to make sure. Even Yu Lin and Yu Chen, who were sitting on the sofa, couldn’t stand it and found an excuse to return to their rooms.

However, Yu Yan seemed to really appreciate it, continuously reassuring Jiang Mo that he would be careful.

The feeling of being cared for made his heart feel warm.

Originally, the company had arranged for a bus to take everyone to the resort, but He Zhiyu had just bought a new car and insisted on driving everyone there.

This saved Yu Yan the time of going to the company, so he directly got into He Zhiyu’s car outside his house. He Zhiyu even bought gifts for his parents.

On the way to the resort, they picked up Song Yunjing and Jian Ran, while Cao Yuanye’s mother was undergoing critical treatment and couldn’t join them.

Yu Yan curiously looked around the interior of the car, “Wasn’t your card suspended again? How did you afford a car?”

“Heh, buddy, I’ve got connections everywhere, borrowed some money, and I’ll pay it back after the New Year with my lucky money.” He Zhiyu deliberately slowed the car down, afraid that Yu Chen might come after him again.

Borrowing millions to buy a car?

Yu Yan didn’t understand but respected the decision.

“Are you still getting lucky money at your age?” Song Yunjing asked curiously.

“Hmm? If you’re not married, you’re still considered a child, getting lucky money is pretty normal,” He Zhiyu hummed a few words and then realized he shouldn’t have said that. He quickly corrected himself, “It’s a family tradition; there are also many people who don’t get it.”

Yu Yan observed Jian Ran and Song Yunjing’s expressions and immediately jumped in to ease the situation, “That’s true, I’m in my twenties and still haven’t gotten lucky money.”

The two of them played along and quickly diverted the topic. Soon, they started discussing the company’s lucky draw for the annual meeting. Minghua was known for being generous, and even He Zhiyu was looking forward to it.

But Yu Yan was a little distracted.

Would his parents give him lucky money this year?

Though he was in his twenties, he knew he shouldn’t be looking forward to that little bit of lucky money, but he couldn’t help it. Even a small red envelope would be nice.

He Zhiyu was right; many families stop giving lucky money after their children become adults. No lucky money was normal.

If there was no lucky money, maybe a New Year gift would work.

Actually, it would be fine if there was nothing. Just not spending the New Year alone was already a blessing.

A sudden phone call rang out, breaking the silence in the car. He Zhiyu cursed softly after seeing the screen but didn’t answer.

“Who’s calling? Why aren’t you answering?” Song Yunjing asked, curious.

He Zhiyu’s tone wasn’t great, “I don’t even know who this idiot is, they’ve been calling me since yesterday. I’ve picked up a couple of times, but it’s just nonsense. They’ve switched to seven or eight different numbers. I’m done.”

“Is it a stalker?” Jian Ran asked, curious.

“Maybe.”

Yu Yan leaned over and glanced at the phone. The call was hung up, but it came through again within two seconds. “Have you called the police?”

“I’ve called. The police said it’s from an overseas IP, and they can’t find the person.” He Zhiyu cursed under his breath.

Yu Yan sighed, “You should be careful. Let me discuss with Mr. Li, and we’ll hire a few bodyguards for you.”

“Get some big, tough ones who can fight,” He Zhiyu immediately added. He could find bodyguards himself, but that would alarm his father, and he didn’t want his father to know. His father wasn’t doing well health-wise, and if he found out, he’d definitely disapprove of He Zhiyu staying in the entertainment industry.

“Maybe it’s just a girl who likes you,” Jian Ran said with curiosity.

He Zhiyu took a deep breath, slammed the steering wheel twice in frustration, and said, “The problem lies right here! That damn person isn’t a young girl, based on the voice, it’s a middle-aged or even elderly person! When I answered the call, I felt like I was being sexually harassed!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the cramped car fell into a brief silence. The air inside seemed to stop moving, and everyone looked at each other.

If the caller was an adult man, the seriousness of the situation would be far greater than if it were a young girl, after all, a young girl wouldn’t be so threatening.

After a long pause, Song Yunjing spoke up, “But ordinary young girls can’t get access to overseas IPs, right?”

Jian Ran nodded, “That’s true.”

“Do you have anyone you suspect?”

“No.”

“Keep an eye out for a while, and report to the police immediately if something happens,” Yu Yan thought for a moment, “How about you install a tracker on your phone?”

Song Yunjing’s eyes flickered, “Is the person after your money or something else?”

“I don’t know.” He Zhiyu’s tone softened, “I have a tracker on my phone, and I share my location with my cousin.”

Although He Zhiyu shared his location with He Xuan, Yu Yan still wasn’t at ease, so he contacted Xiao Man and asked him to find bodyguards as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, none of the subsidiaries under Minghua had a security company, otherwise, it would save a lot of money.

When he told Xiao Man the requirements for the bodyguards and mentioned that he could pay for them himself, Xiao Man disappeared for a moment and replied five or six minutes later, saying that the company would cover the cost.

Yu Yan was relieved, put his phone away, and turned around to find Jian Ran hanging up one call after another, her hands typing rapidly on the keyboard.

He immediately widened his eyes, “You have a stalker too?”

“No, it’s Lu Yan,” Jian Ran quickly explained.

He Zhiyu, who was driving, brushed off his worries and interjected, “I know! On the day of your wedding, I casually lent a billion to the cyber ATM.”

Cyber ATM, Yu Yan: “…”

“Hey, tell us, last time in the group you were playing dead, are you two really together?” He Zhiyu was bold, relying on his familiarity with Jian Ran to crack jokes.

As soon as the words left his mouth, both pairs of eyes focused on Jian Ran. Even He Zhiyu, who was driving, looked up from the rearview mirror to observe Jian Ran’s expression.

“No,” Jian Ran immediately denied.

“Then what exactly is your relationship with him? Why didn’t you deny it? There are even fanfics in the Lu Jian Bu Ping fanbase.” He Zhiyu, always looking for trouble, enjoyed the spectacle.

Yu Yan agreed, adding that this situation mainly depended on Jian Ran’s willingness. If Jian Ran didn’t want to, he could ask the company to release a statement and send a lawyer’s letter. Worst case, they would just give up on the heat.

Jian Ran quickly fired off a series of explanations, “He and I are high school classmates. Later, my family had some problems, so I dropped out and went back home. We didn’t have contact for many years. He helped me out because we were classmates.”

Yu Yan and Song Yunjing exchanged glances, both seeing surprise in each other’s eyes, and neither spoke for a moment.

Jian Ran, anxious, quickly clarified, “We’re both still completely innocent, we haven’t done anything inappropriate.”

But no one spoke. Jian Ran turned off his phone and muted it, sitting up straight and continuing, “Okay, I’m currently living at his house, but there’s a reason for that. When I was trending before, some of his extreme fans threatened me and even found my assistant. He was worried I might be in danger, so he asked me to stay at his place temporarily. I’m planning to move out in a few days.”

Yu Yan’s eyelids twitched, fearing that more details might spill out if he wasn’t careful.

“Jian… Jian Ran, you’re not stuttering anymore?”

“Yeah, you’re speaking so fast, you could be doing stand-up comedy,” Song Yunjing added.

He Zhiyu spoke with meaning, “That’s the effect of desensitization therapy.”

Although He Zhiyu didn’t meet Jian Ran very often, he could sense his progress.

When they first met, Jian Ran wouldn’t even speak; everything was handled by his assistant.

Later, as they met more frequently, He Zhiyu watched as Jian Ran started speaking two words at a time, then three, and eventually four words at once. It hadn’t been long before he had fully recovered his normal speaking ability.

“I think… I’m fine now,” Jian Ran said, stunned, realizing it only now.

“Hey, don’t pause. Say it all together.”

“I think I’m okay now,” Jian Ran repeated.

“Wow!” He Zhiyu exclaimed with joy. “Give me ‘eight hundred soldiers running to the north slope, artillery lined up running to the north.’”

“Eight hundred… bao soldiers…” Jian Ran shook his head. “No, I can’t.”

He Zhiyu changed to something simpler. “Then how about ‘black fertilizer vaporizes and turns gray, gray fertilizer vaporizes and turns black.’”

“Black fertilizer… huī…” Jian Ran hesitated.

Song Yunjing casually tapped He Zhiyu on the shoulder with an empty bottle and said to Jian Ran, “Don’t listen to him. You’re doing fine. Take your time.”

“Okay.”

“Alright, but this is a happy occasion. Drink some more to celebrate later,” He Zhiyu whistled.

“Sure, sure.”

Jian Ran seemed to just realize it and said a few more sentences, all flowing smoothly without any issues. He then answered a call from Lu Yan and explained.

It was a three-hour drive from the city to the resort, and the whole trip was spent with He Zhiyu, Song Yunjing, and Jian Ran taking turns driving. Jian Ran sat in the back seat without moving positions.

If a family went on a road trip, the driver would get very tired. It seemed like it was time to try getting a driver’s license.

Everyone chatted and laughed together, making the three-hour drive not so hard to bear.

The company’s annual meeting had a great atmosphere. There was no formality, no endless speeches or summaries about next year’s work. Everyone was really just there to eat, drink, and have fun.

He Zhiyu’s social skills amazed He Zhiyu again. He’d chat here for a bit, run over there for a moment, and seemed familiar with everyone. When asked how he knew them, his answer was always that he had met them once at the company’s entrance.

After talking for only a few minutes, He Zhiyu left, saying he was going to expand his network.

He Zhiyu looked around the entire hall but didn’t see Shen Yuchen. He couldn’t be bothered, so he sat on the sofa and played games with Song Yunjing and Jian Ran.

After just two minutes, He Zhiyu rushed back, looking flustered, his movements uncoordinated, almost bumping into someone.

“You’ve expanded your network already?” He Zhiyu tilted his head, asking curiously.

“No… no,” He Zhiyu shook his head.

Song Yunjing frowned. “Straighten your tongue and speak properly.”

“That pervert is here, at the venue!” He Zhiyu handed over his phone.

The screen showed a message from an unknown number, saying “Having fun?” with a photo of the resort. The person who took the photo seemed to be inside the resort.