After examining Gu Chen’s handwriting, Lu Qingyue didn’t pay attention to anything else and simply said, “Mr. Gu, sorry to disturb your reading.”

Gu Chen sat there casually flipping through the book, nodded, and replied, “Okay.”

Lu Qingyue naturally ignored Gu Chen and led everyone back to the living room. They all sat down and resumed their discussion. He sighed in disappointment, spreading his hands, “I’ve looked at everyone’s handwriting, none of them match. Looks like this really will remain an unsolved mystery.”

The situation reached a standstill there. Du Ruiqing pretended innocence and asked, “Uh… so what should we do now?”

Yu Xingzhou noticed everyone lingering and suggested, “There’s no need to dwell on this. Maybe it wasn’t even one of the show’s guests. Let’s all go about our own business.” Secretly, he planned to watch the replay of the live broadcast later, but he didn’t want to bring it up now.

“True, true,” Lu Qingyue also realized, clasping his hands together, “Thank you everyone for your time, sorry for delaying the recording.”

“No problem, you young folks are just too polite.”

“If you find out who the author is later, remember to let us know.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, everyone dispersed to attend to their own tasks.

After all, Gu Chen’s brief reading notes had only flashed by briefly, requiring special processing for clear viewing. The barrage’s focus remained on this musical score:

【Doesn’t this turn into an unsolved mystery now?】

【A sweet romance variety show has turned into a suspenseful detective program?】

【Not a single handwriting matches, so eerie…】

【Could it really be that the piano in the flower room is haunted? Was this musical score not written by a human at all?】

【Hold on, hold on, repeat after me: romance variety show.】

Despite the barrage’s discussions, no answers could be derived, and the matter could only unfold slowly along with the development of the live broadcast.

After dinner, Gu Chen strolled leisurely along the artificial lake outside. From a distance, he saw Professors Kong Fusong and Yu Hong walking slowly side by side. The setting sun stretched their shadows long, and Gu Chen quickened his pace until he caught up with their shadows.

Professor Yu turned to look at him and casually said, “Little Gu, joining us for a walk too?”

Gu Chen smiled and replied, “Yes, professors.”

Initially mindful not to disturb their private time, he had intended to hasten his steps. However, Professor Yu brought up a topic, “Little Gu, do you know why we, at our age, still participate in this program?”

Gu Chen thought about the two professors—one a biology professor and the other an environmental studies professor, sharing two out of four fields of study. He objectively replied, “I believe both of you participate in this program out of love for your respective disciplines, aiming to promote these fields…”

Professor Yu sighed and said, “It seems, Little Gu, you also understand the practical challenges these disciplines face… But I don’t blame the students either; they need to secure jobs for survival before discussing the development of their fields.”

Although Professor Kong Fusong appeared uneasy, he was more direct in his intent, “I shouldn’t be presumptuous to bring this up, but with more than half of the spring recruitment season passed… Our students at the school, under Professor Yu’s and my guidance, are facing some difficulties in this regard… Mr. Gu, you’re from the business world…”

Gu Chen pondered silently. The issue was that he wasn’t…

Professor Yu lightened the atmosphere with a smile, “If there are no relevant positions available in your company, Mr. Gu, it’s alright. We’re just mentioning it casually. Actually, we’ve already discussed this with General Manager Qiao…”

Gu Chen replied, “It’s alright, I’ll keep an eye out.” Mr. Li, I haven’t been Mr. Li for many years, now I’m waiting for you to solve the structural employment issue.

….

As night fell, Lu Qingyue eagerly pulled Yu Xingzhou over, staring expectantly at Gu Chen, waiting for him to call Li Tingqin.

Yu Xingzhou: “Qingyue, why are you still pushing Mr. Gu into a relationship?”

【Haha, are you trying to ship them right in front of their faces?】

However, before Gu Chen could proceed with calling Li Tingqin, he received a call from him first.

Lu Qingyue exclaimed excitedly, “See, it’s working! General Manager Li is calling Mr. Gu on his own accord!”

【You’re more proactive about someone else’s love life than they are, right?】

【Indeed, love is sweeter when you’re watching others go through it.】

From the other end of the phone came, “Good evening, Mr. Gu.”

Gu Chen raised an eyebrow and replied, “Good ‘morning’, General Manager Li.”

Despite their limited interactions over phone calls, Li Tingqin demonstrated a strong sense of responsibility towards their nominal partnership. However, Gu Chen couldn’t shake the feeling that this responsibility stemmed merely from Li Tingqin’s upbringing and education. Such men, if you weren’t perceptive enough, could easily hide their detachment beneath their manners.

From the outset, when he had Li Tingqin address him as “Mr. Gu,” the tone Li Tingqin used now still showed a degree of indulgence towards a junior. Asking what he liked and arranging a drone performance was just a token gesture thrown to a pet.

The drone performance in the sky had been ongoing for quite some time. It was a grand-scale, high-standard show involving over 5,000 drones, visible clearly even from the villa area halfway up the mountain.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Lu Qingyue asked tentatively, “So, Mr. Gu, what do you actually like? Which one up there is your favorite color and pattern?”

Gu Chen glanced at him and replied straightforwardly, “None.”

Meanwhile, Li Tingqin added, “Sorry, I thought you wouldn’t be fond of these. That’s why I only arranged a segment for the two kids at the end of the performance.”

Lu Qingyue mentally exclaimed, “Damn,” unable to discern where he had missed the mark. How did he manage to lose track of their conversation’s pace again?

Gu Chen tilted his head back, observing the dazzling patterns shifting in the sky. He wasn’t particularly impressed by these lavish displays of wealth, but Li Tingqin’s response did catch him off guard. “Ah, indeed,” he acknowledged quietly.

【I told you these two CEOs aren’t really familiar with each other. It’s a bit embarrassing to put on such a flashy show in front of everyone.】

【Haha, indeed. If they really went through with it, it would ruin their image. Turns out they were just testing each other.】

Li Tingqin continued, “However, your hobbies are too cost-effective. I’ve asked some tea collectors to reluctantly part with a few tea leaves, which I consider a small gift to make amends.”

【??? Mr. Gu’s hobby is called cost-effective?】

【There’s a kind of cost-effectiveness that Li CEO thinks you have.】【A small gift? Is this what you call a small gift? Compared to the sky filled with drones, it does seem a bit insignificant.】

Hearing this, Gu Chen became slightly interested and replied, “Thank you, General Manager Li.” It seemed Li Tingqin was indeed a cut above ordinary CEOs.

Li Tingqin continued, “But I don’t think drinking tea and reading should be considered hobbies; they’re just daily habits.” Pausing for a moment, Li Tingqin smiled faintly, “Actually, I haven’t quite figured out what your real hobby is.”

Gu Chen responded, “Is that so? I’m not quite sure either.” It wasn’t until today that Gu Chen felt he was stepping forward in this testing game.

“Well, thanks for the tea leaves,” Gu Chen’s voice finally held a hint of amusement, sounding clear and relaxed in the serene night.

His counterpart didn’t seem rushed either, simply saying, “You’re welcome.”

The two young men hurried to a spot with a good view to watch the drone performance, and the camera followed them to capture their sweet interactions.

【Why does this feel a bit off? It was supposed to be Li CEO arranging the drone show for Mr. Gu, but in the end, it’s Lu and Yu’s support colors and patterns lighting up the sky?】

【It started as Mr. Gu and Li CEO’s love, but ended up as Lu and Yu’s love exploding into fireworks in the sky? Hahaha】

With a large population in City S, many more people witnessed the massive drone performance than those watching the reality show. Moreover, not all fans of Lu Qingyue and Yu Xingzhou would necessarily watch a romance reality show; shipper fans were just a fraction of their following.

Therefore, when names and bright support colors and patterns lit up the sky, both shipper fans, solo fans, mom fans, and casual viewers were left bewildered.

#Lu Qingyue Yu Xingzhou Drone Performance# immediately trended.

【Ahhh who among the shipper fans is so rich to arrange a drone performance like this?】

【Although drone performances aren’t rare now, this is from one of the top teams in the country, hard to come by and this large-scale. It costs millions for just a few minutes. Who has such connections?】

【Oh my god, are shipper fans now taking their ships literally to the skies? Mind blown.】

【…】

Yet they found themselves unable to explain this convoluted story.

Should we tell everyone what really happened?

— There’s this Mr. Gu in the show, and his partner is also a CEO, in a relationship not well-known. Li CEO wanted to gift Mr. Gu the drone show, but Lu also liked it and jokingly wanted to join. But a day later, who knows what the two big shots were thinking, so Li CEO canceled. Mr. Gu heard about the cancellation and was quite happy. But in the end, Lu still got a drone show, exploding Lu and Yu’s love into the sky, oh no, into trending…

Will anyone really understand?

【I’m done, explaining this crap through typing feels so stupid.】

【So why is this funny? I actually don’t quite get it.】

【Honestly, it’s like: Mr. Gu got a raw deal, hahaha. Standing alone under Lu and Yu’s love show. Lu is really something, insisting on choosing Mr. Gu and making him their backdrop.】

Under the comment, numerous replies quickly piled up:

【You’re so innocent, I can’t help but feel sorry for you.】

【Watching the honest guy, hahaha】

【Logic emperor, come explain this.】

【Let’s analyze this: Initially, Mr. Gu and Li CEO weren’t familiar, Li CEO took the initiative to test the waters, but didn’t know what Mr. Gu liked, so he proposed the drone idea. However, after the test, it turned out Mr. Gu didn’t like it, so Li CEO casually gave it to Lu and Yu instead. In the end, Li CEO’s test achieved the desired result, especially Mr. Gu’s light laughter was really charming~】

【Lu and Yu, Mr. Gu and Li CEO are just tools for mutual testing.】

【So who’s the backdrop for whose romance? I think the patterns in the sky look more like backdrops, hahaha】

As the camera moved away, the call on Gu Chen’s side hadn’t ended yet. The man on the other end continued, “I saw your reading notes; they hold considerable value.”

Gu Chen raised an eyebrow. It was a commendable display of eloquence and refinement. If the man had directly praised with “well written” or “excellent,” it would have carried a condescending tone, akin to what’s colloquially known as “daddy’s flavor.” But the man didn’t. Instead, he evaluated from a standpoint of value, resembling a fair assessment typical of a businessman.

Yet, Gu Chen suddenly had a foreboding feeling… Didn’t he immediately put away the book? How could the annotations in his book be seen? Shouldn’t the CEO of a major corporation have more important matters to attend to than what a bystander writes in their reading materials?

Gu Chen paused for a moment and humbly replied, “Thank you, I was just writing casually to try and learn. Mr. Li is too kind.”

Li Tingqin, however, encouraged him with a hint of encouragement in his tone, “Xiao Gu, you don’t need to underestimate yourself. Although you are still young, it’s evident that you excel in both talent and learning ability. There’s a CFO position available in one of our subsidiaries…”

 

Gu Chen was about to hear what Mr. Li was going to say next, but he quickly interrupted, “That’s alright, thank you for thinking highly of me, Mr. Li.”

Well, looks like desperate times call for desperate measures!

Although it was a bit embarrassing to ask for money, he had to decisively stop Mr. Li’s terrifying idea. Gu Chen looked up at the sky, trying to clear his mind, “Um, Mr. Li, uh… about that… I’ve run out of my allowance for this month. Could you possibly transfer some more?”