During this unusually long summer vacation, Xu Youyou was also unusually busy.

With the help of Qin Yiren and Xu Wenyin’s assistant, she began to gradually take stock of all the assets under her and her mother’s name, as well as the ongoing projects in Xu Wenyin’s hands.

Xu Wenyin had been consciously informing Xu Youyou about the family’s financial situation since she noticed that Xu Youyou could understand. Basically, it was once a week, ensuring that the current Xu Youyou wouldn’t be completely clueless about where to start.

Of course, the help of Aunt Qin and the others was also indispensable.

Even though Xu Wenyin wasn’t around, whether it’s Qin Yiren, Qin Xiao, or even Qing Yixing and the others, they have all expressed their stance to Xu Youyou, “With us here, you don’t have to be afraid!”

There were also Liu Miaomiao, Qian Xin, and her other friends, who came to the villa every day, trying various methods to make the place lively. Liu Miaomiao was even considering not going abroad anymore and staying with Xu Youyou instead!

Even if her grades weren’t good enough for A University, weren’t there still many other universities next to it?

Of course, this idea was forcefully rejected by Xu Youyou!

Going abroad wasn’t about finding something better overseas. It’s just that Liu Miaomiao and Qian Xin needed an opportunity to develop themselves since they would eventually take over their family’s business.

Inside the country, their social status and background would give them inherent advantages even if they were to start their own business. But that wouldn’t serve the purpose of gaining practical experience.

Their parents understand that the business world is like a battlefield. If they didn’t want their children to become idle heirs, then going abroad to unfamiliar territory for personal growth was a great choice.

Xu Youyou wouldn’t let her friends give up on their well-planned paths because of her.

Liu Miaomiao also knows Xu Youyou’s stubbornness. After mentioning it once, she didn’t bring up the matter again. Over the years, she hadn’t just grown physically but also intellectually.

Liu Miaomiao understood that only by becoming strong herself could she provide the best support to her friends.

In February this year, after Liu Yanzhi came of age, his father tried various methods to avoid handing over the 2% shareholding from Grandfather Liu to Liu Yanzhi. However, under the joint pressure from Liu Miaomiao’s family, the Qin family, and the Qian family, he had no choice but to comply!

Because their parents were powerful enough, they could make it happen.

Then in the future, they will be the backbone for their friends!

After obtaining the shares, Liu Yanzhi focused on preparing for the college entrance examination. He planned to attend a university in the capital, specifically the finance department of B University, which is equally renowned as A University. It would be convenient for him to meet Xu Youyou then, as the two universities were not far apart.

However, Liu Yanzhi didn’t intend to spend his university years solely focused on academics; he believed that would be a waste of time.

He wanted to become stronger as quickly as possible!

In a few days, under Qin Xiao’s arrangement, Liu Yanzhi would be going for an internship with Zhao Tao.

Only through firsthand experience and practice can one better understand the operation and rules of a company; otherwise, simply studying books would be futile.

All the friends were striving for their future, and of course, Xu Youyou was no exception.

Over the years, Xu Youyou didn’t only have her mother but also kind elders and close friends, all of whom were precious to her.

Now that her mother had gone to rest in heaven, Xu Youyou must become stronger!

That way, when her mother returned, she could give her a surprise.

Xu Wenyin didn’t have too many assets under her name. Most of the money and various assets she earned over the years were actually in Xu Youyou’s name, which reduced a lot of procedural hassle.

The vast majority of those assets were primarily in real estate and land, with only a small portion used to buy stocks and funds.

Of course, ‘small portion’ was relative. Following Qin Xiao’s advice, Xu Wenyin simply became a copycat, and over ten years, her wealth multiplied several times.

After all, who else could get the CEO of the Qin Group to personally handle ones finances?

If there were losses, wouldn’t that be a blow to Qin Xiao’s reputation?

Xu Youyou didn’t intend to touch that portion of money for now; she wanted to use the money she had earned over the years to gain some experience first.

Over the years, Xu Youyou had actually gained some fame in the art world. Some media even refer to her as a ‘genius teenage artist’. Her works have won awards, and she has held solo exhibitions. Currently, the price of one of her works ranges from one hundred thousand to five hundred thousand.

It’s not particularly high, as the value of artwork depends not only on its intrinsic worth but also on factors such as the age and reputation of the artist.

Xu Youyou’s progress over the past decade has undoubtedly been supported by the backing of capital as well.

She wasn’t a pure artist who was disconnected from the world; she was quite open-minded about this situation.

——I’ll paint, you handle the packaging.

There’s nothing wrong with that at all.

However, after her third year of high school, Xu Youyou’s time spent on painting significantly decreased.

Now that she was finally done with the exam, she needed to pick up this skill again. After all, Xu Youyou promised her mother that she would become the most formidable painter in the country!

As for other assets, most of them were still arranged as before, except for the portion that Xu Youyou planned to use for investments.

Even though she lacked experience in this area, it’s not a problem since there’s Lu Chenjun!

That doesn’t mean asking him to handle her finances; it’s about investing in projects in the laboratory where Lu Chenjun was.

He hinted at the project he was currently researching to Xu Youyou, which involves energy and power. If successful, it could eliminate power shortages in the future!

A project that caught Lu Chenjun’s attention naturally had some level of expertise.

However, the laboratory currently faced a problem, which was insufficient funding.

Investors consider many factors when investing in a project. They wouldn’t continue investing if they saw that the project had been time-consuming with little to no results, unlike Xu Youyou’s trust in Lu Chenjun.

Wasn’t it better to invest the money in other areas instead?

But Xu Youyou was different. Firstly, she trusts Lu Chenjun’s judgment. Secondly, letting this money sit idle as liquid assets would be a waste. However, she wasn’t well-versed in stocks and funds, so she might as well give it a try.

Moreover, compared to the amount of money Lu Chenjun wanted to invest, her own money would only be a drop in the bucket.

He saw potential in the laboratory’s project. This time, he wasn’t just back to accompany Xu Youyou during her exams; he was also there to attract investors.

After sitting down with Qin Yiren and Qin Xiao for a two-hour discussion as a businessman, Lu Chenjun managed to secure one billion yuan in funding.

For a laboratory working on large projects, it’s not considered a large sum.

However, this was just the first step. Qin Xiao naturally needed to see the future development of the laboratory before deciding whether to invest further and how much to invest.

In such a busy life, time flew by quickly.

On the day before the official release of the college entrance examination results, Xu Youyou received a call from the admissions office of A University.

Her score was only two points behind the provincial top scorer, ranking in the top fifty in the province. Of course, top schools would want to recruit her early.

Although B University also called, Xu Youyou’s goal had always remained unchanged—— majoring in history at A University.

Xu Youyou enjoys reading and is fascinated by the rich cultural history of Hua Country. A University, with its top-three ranked super-sized library in the country, boasts many rare and out-of-print books.

For Xu Youyou, it’s like a mouse falling into a rice jar—— pure bliss!

She also wanted to visit the place where her parents fell in love, which could be considered a small obsession.

After finalizing her major, Xu Youyou immersed herself in her artwork again. It took her nearly two months to paint her largest oil painting to date, which she titled 《Mother》.

After experiencing so much, it was inevitable that Xu Youyou had grown a lot.

This was also reflected in her artwork.

Upon seeing this painting, Xu Youyou’s teacher couldn’t help but embrace her after examining it closely for a while.

She could feel the pure love and endless longing for her mother depicted in the painting.

It’s a child’s best work.

———pr

This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

On August 20, Xu Youyou arrived in the capital with Qin Yiren. Besides a few personal items and Niannian, she didn’t bring much else.

Since Xu Youyou decided to attend A University, Xu Wenyin had already bought a house for her in the neighborhood closest to the school.

Before their arrival, Qin Yiren’s assistant had already arranged for the house to be cleaned and stocked with essential supplies. They even hired a good housekeeper to ensure that Xu Youyou and the others could move in directly!

The capital was like the stronghold for Qin Yiren, a place she had lived in for decades and knew like the back of her hand.

However, even so, she still couldn’t tolerate the dry heat of the capital.

“Jiang City is still better.”

Even though they didn’t encounter any extreme temperatures on the way there, the occasional hint of scorching heat was still a bit overwhelming.

Qin Yiren and Xu Youyou both collapsed on the sofa at the same time, watching as Lu Chenjun helped them set aside their belongings and placed Niannian and its belongings in a room decorated exactly like the villa in Jiang City. The housekeeper then brought out freshly cut chilled fruits.

Xu Youyou had also hesitated whether to bring the cat along.

Niannian was already a fifteen-year-old cat. Even though indoor cats can live longer, Niannian doesn’t have many years left.

Moreover, the climate and environment in the capital are completely different from those in Jiang City. Would Niannian be able to adapt?

If left in Jiang City and entrusted to the care of Butler Qin, Niannian would surely receive excellent care as well.

However, on the day Xu Youyou was packing her luggage, Niannian, who had become increasingly lazy, for the first time voluntarily came to her room and settled down on top of the clothes inside her suitcase with its round body.

Even when Xu Youyou picked Niannian up, it would leisurely settle back down again.

One person and one cat looked at each other for a while. Xu Youyou looked at this cat companion who had grown up with her, and a helpless smile spread across her face.

“Are you really going to come with me? You might find it hard to adapt.”

In response to Xu Youyou, Niannian promptly settled back into the suitcase without hesitation, its solid weight making the clothes even more tightly packed.

And so, one of the guest rooms in the house was once again transformed into Niannian’s cat house. Fortunately, the house had four bedrooms, so it was fine even if Lu Chenjun and Qin Yiren occasionally stayed over.

“I suddenly remember the military training. Youyou, make sure you apply sunscreen properly!”

What’s the first challenge for freshmen? It’s not leaving home or adjusting to a new environment; it’s surviving a week of military training!

Xu Youyou and the others were no strangers to training; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they’ve been training since childhood. However, military training wasn’t something they could simply dismiss once they’ve been through it.

“Don’t worry, Aunt Qin!” Xu Youyou smiled as she held up a piece of watermelon to Qin Yiren’s mouth. “I’ll take care of myself.”

Two days from now, classes will officially start. Xu Youyou was quite looking forward to university life.

Moreover, A University stipulated that students must live on campus for the first semester. Xu Youyou, who had never truly lived on a school campus before, was even more curious about it.

Before, the school had them choose the number of roommates and the conditions of dormitories. Xu Youyou chose the most expensive two-person room, hoping to get along well with her roommate.

“Oh, Youyou, you’ve never lived on campus before. What if……”

With Xu Wenyin absent, Qin Yiren voluntarily took on the role of a mother figure. She had never been so concerned even when Lu Chenjun went to school.

Facing this well-intentioned chatter, Xu Youyou’s smile remained unchanged. Qin Yiren seemed to have forgotten that although she had never lived on campus, she had attended training camps every winter and summer vacation, which lasted for ten days to two weeks each time.

She and Liu Miaomiao still slept on bunk beds with hard mattresses, and they washed their own clothes and dishes. She really didn’t think the accommodation at school would be stricter than at the training camp.

“Mom, if you’re worried, you can just stay here.” After settling down Niannian and washing his hands, Lu Chenjun also joined the discussion. “Don’t worry about Dad.”

Since Lu Weizheng was so busy, and Qin Yiren was alone in the house in Jiang City, it was better to move to the capital. At least Father Qin, Mother Qin, and Qin Xiao were all there. Occasionally, they can also meet Xu Youyou and Lu Chenjun.

If Lu Weizheng were there right now, he would definitely pat Lu Chenjun on the shoulder and tell him how ‘filial’ he was!

However, according to Lu Weizheng, it shouldn’t take more than a few months, the earliest would be the beginning of next year, when he would be transferred to the capital. Then, they wouldn’t have to worry about living apart anymore.

After considering everything, they ended up back in the capital after all the twists and turns.

“Forget about him, why bother with that old man? Mom prefers the young and beautiful girl!”

“Hahaha, I like Aunt Qin too!”

Seeing the two of them laughing together on the sofa, Lu Chenjun’s mouth also curved upwards.

It’s great that Xiao Lu could recover so quickly.

———pr

Soon, it was time for the school to start.

This time, besides Qin Yiren and Lu Chenjun, Qin Xiao unexpectedly came to see Xu Youyou off to school.

In his own words, he said he came to be an errand guy to help with the moving.

It was unknown how the bodyguards behind them felt when they heard that, but Qin Yiren certainly laughed.

“Having the busy CEO Qin be our mover, we’re truly honored!”

Facing his sister’s teasing, Qin Xiao remained unfazed. “Then remember to thank me properly.”

In front of outsiders, Qin Xiao was the serious CEO Qin, but once people got to know him, they would find that he was not that stern. Occasionally, he would even tell jokes out of the blue.

Now in his forties, he still maintained a good physique and posture, with just a few more laugh lines around his eyes. He’s what people call a handsome middle-aged man on TV.

Originally, Liu Yanzhi also wanted to come, but Xu Youyou thought that having too many people would attract too much attention. It was better for him to spend more time with his grandfather.

But even with just the four of them, they would still attract attention.

And obviously, many people saw these four as a family. Perhaps parents sending their son or daughter to school?

No matter which one it was, they would surely be the most attractive at school!

The freshmen in this batch were exceptionally good-looking, weren’t they?

Under the guidance of the enthusiastic senior sister, Xu Youyou quickly found her dormitory after completing the registration. Her roommate seemed to have arrived earlier and was already there playing on her phone.

Seeing Xu Youyou approach, her roommate stood up and greeted her. “Hello, you must be Xu Youyou, right? I’m Wei Xinmiao. Nice to meet you. I look forward to the next four years together.”

Seems like her new roommate was quite tall!

Xu Youyou wasn’t short by any means; rounding up, she’s about 170 centimeters tall. But her new roommate was even taller, standing a good half a head taller. With the other party’s neat short hair, delicate features, and neutral attire, it’s easy to mistake her gender at first glance.

“Hello, nice to meet you too! Let’s help each other out in the future, hahaha.”

First impressions can be quite crucial when meeting new people, and Wei Xinmiao obviously made a good one on Xu Youyou.

The two-person room assigned by the school wasn’t particularly spacious. It consists of one room, one bathroom, and a small balcony. There were two beds, arranged as bunk beds with cabinets underneath.

Cleaning and other chores were naturally not something Qin Yiren and the others needed to do themselves; the bodyguard took on multiple roles. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the group started chatting. Qin Yiren also wanted to learn more about Xu Youyou’s new roommate.

She was worried that if the other wasn’t easy to get along with, it would be troublesome.

But Wei Xinmiao was outgoing and talkative. Being a native of the capital, she had a bit of the local flair in her speech. After a few friendly exchanges, she promised to look out for Xu Youyou in the future and vowed to show her around the city.

Xu Youyou couldn’t help but suppress a laugh. “Thanks a lot, Master Wei!”

Seeing that the new roommate was easy to get along with and everything was settled, Qin Yiren and the others didn’t stay long. After all, meeting up in the capital wasn’t difficult.

Lu Chenjun’s school was just a ten-minute drive from where Xu Youyou was staying. However, being a specially admitted student, he was usually quite busy, so they’d probably have to rely more on phone calls to stay in touch.

On the other hand, Qin Yiren’s attention was fully focused on Xu Youyou now, so she definitely wouldn’t be returning to Jiang City anytime soon. According to her, she planned to come every day during the military training period to bring warmth to Xu Youyou.

Otherwise, if Xu Youyou got too thin, got sunburned, or felt uncomfortable, what would they do?

As they parted ways in front of the car, Qin Yiren couldn’t help but give Xu Youyou another hug.

“Youyou, be sure to call if anything comes up.”

“Mmhmm, I’ll call every day!”

“Take care of yourself, and if you can’t handle the military training……”

As Qin Xiao listened to his younger sister’s words, his gaze rested on Xu Youyou.

The young girl was even stronger than he had imagined. He couldn’t help but think that she really took after her mother.

Xu Wenyin also carried a strong resilience within her. Despite appearing gentle and delicate, she was, in fact, stronger than most people.

But where did Xu Wenyin go?

Whether she left on her own or was taken away by someone, Qin Xiao didn’t believe that a living person could simply vanish into thin air. He was determined to find her.

Watching Lu Chenjun and the others leave, Xu Youyou turned her head and was about to enter the school. She had made plans to go to the school cafeteria with Wei Xinmiao.

However, just as she turned a corner and hadn’t yet entered the school gate, a voice called out to her.

“Youyou^[1]莜莜?”

Xu Youyou^[2]悠悠 turned around to see a man in a suit and leather shoes who didn’t look like a student.

“Who are you?” Upon closer inspection, she still didn’t recognize him.

“Similar! Really similar!”

The man frowned and took a couple of steps forward, blocking Xu Youyou’s path, staring at her with a somewhat uncomfortable gaze. “Are you also called Youyou?”

Xu Youyou: “……”

Who’s this guy? He just started talking to himself as soon as he approached, looking like he might have mistaken her for someone else.

Xu Youyou couldn’t be bothered to deal with him. “I don’t know you, please step aside.”

The man, however, seemed to not have heard her and continued to scrutinize Xu Youyou, as if trying to determine how much she resembled the person he knew.

The next second, observing Xu Youyou’s plain attire, the man spoke up.

“I am Lu Haoyu. If you become my girlfriend, I can give you five hundred thousand pocket money every month.”

Xu Youyou: “???” Was there something wrong with his head?

Leaving aside other matters, her family earns more than a million just from rent each month. Do they still need his fifty thousand?

When the conflict between Lu Weizheng and the Lu family occurred, Xu Youyou was still young. They wouldn’t discuss such matters with her, so she didn’t know Lu Haoyu.

But even if she knew him, Xu Youyou wouldn’t have agreed to such an impolite request.

She took two steps to the side and walked past the man, intending to quickly enter the school.

He looked like a decent person, but he turned out to be a lunatic!

Her mother always said to stay away from lunatics. What if she catches whatever they have?