As a student, even in university, Xu Youyou’s top priority remained to study.

After all, the competition at A University was quite fierce. Xu Youyou didn’t necessarily have to strive for scholarships, but if she ended up at the bottom of the class, it would be difficult to explain to her mother, who was watching over her from above!

With Qin Yiren and Qin Xiao reassuring Xu Youyou not to worry about the situation with Lu Haoyu, and that they would handle it, she went to school as usual the next day.

Facing her concerned classmates, Xu Youyou also earnestly explained that the outcome of the situation hadn’t yet been determined.

She feared that it might not lead to a criminal conviction, at most just a few days of detention or a fine.

Qin Xiao’s lawyer also said that the key aspect of the case of assaulting a police officer depended largely on Lu Haoyu’s intentions at that time, such as whether he intentionally hit the police officer, and so on.

It was highly likely that Lu Haoyu wouldn’t be convicted of obstructing official duties.

The law is just, and it was impossible for Lu Haoyu to receive a longer sentence just because Xu Youyou disliked him. Qin Xiao and Lu Weizheng wouldn’t resort to any ‘privileges’, as they don’t have any.

Otherwise, the country would have descended into chaos long ago.

But for someone as arrogant as Lu Haoyu, even a few days of detention would be a major humiliation. He’s probably in the detention center right now cursing up a storm.

“That scum! He should be locked up for ten or twenty years!” Li Xiaodie’s face was red and she waved her hand as she vented her complaints.

This girl easily blushes when she gets excited, but people who don’t know her might think she’s shy.

“It’s good to see you’re okay, Youyou.” Another classmate nodded. “I used to think Lu Group was doing quite well these past two years. Who would’ve thought the boss is such a person.”

In the history department at A University, some students aspire to become teachers, while others aim to join large companies and make a name for themselves.

And in the capital, the thing most abundant was large companies.

This classmate used to think Lu Group was pretty good, and if there’s a chance in the future, they might give it a try.

Unexpectedly, Lu Haoyu’s recent actions directly dispelled her thoughts. With an unreliable boss, who knows what surprises the company might have in store in the future?

Hearing that, Xu Youyou couldn’t help but think, When it’s time for your internship in senior year, whether Lu Group exists or not is still a question.

Legally, there might indeed be limitations on what can be done to Lu Haoyu, but when it comes to business matters, there were no considerations for sentimentality.

If someone’s skills were inferior to others, they would fail. Failure leads to losses, and if the losses are significant, it could lead to bankruptcy.

To prevent the Lu family from becoming powerful and potentially harming them in the future, Qin Xiao decided to strike first and strengthen their position.

Of course, the elders didn’t tell Xu Youyou about this matter, she figured it out on her own.

“Exactly.” Wei Xinmiao chimed in, venting her frustration. “In this day and age, who does he think he is, some domineering CEO from a novel, trying to find a substitute? Is he even worthy?”

As soon as those words were spoken, the few people surrounding Xu Youyou simultaneously showed expressions of disdain.

To be honest, Lu Haoyu’s appearance is not a problem. He had handsome features coupled with an elite aura, which theoretically gives a good first impression. Unfortunately, his brain seriously doesn’t match his face.

No matter how handsome his features were, they’re useless when paired with Lu Haoyu’s warped values.

“By the way, who is that ‘Youyou’ he mentioned? Could it be Yao Yunyou?”

It’s not surprising that Li Xiaodie’s first reaction was to think of Yao Yunyou. When she first saw Xu Youyou, she also felt that their eyes had an indescribable resemblance, although she thought Xu Youyou’s eyes were much prettier.

In the past two years, thanks to Lu Haoyu’s support, Yao Yunyou has also appeared as a female lead or second female lead in several TV dramas, making her a second-tier actress. However, her popularity among viewers was average at best, with more haters than devoted fans.

Apart from Yao Yunyou’s own reasons, the tax evasion scandal involving Yao Fanyu back then also stirred public outrage.

They certainly didn’t believe that Yao Yunyou hadn’t enjoyed the money obtained through fraud, so in their eyes, she was guilty by association.

“Yao Yunyou? The TV dramas she’s been in these past two years aren’t that great.” A girl interjected. “My favorite role of hers is still the sweet character she played in 《Finding the Girl》. She was really adorable there!”

“Yeah, I really liked Tiantian too. I was only a few years old at that time, but I cried while watching that movie.”

As soon as they started talking about celebrities, everyone immediately shifted the conversation away from Lu Haoyu.

Li Xiaodie quickly clarified, “Tiantian wasn’t played by Yao Yunyou, don’t get it mixed up!”

“What? I always thought Tiantian was played by her. And isn’t that woman her mother?”

“Of course not. Yao Yunyou was already seven or eight years old at that time, but Tiantian was only five. Besides, Yao Yunyou’s acting skills aren’t that great.”

“Oh, I see.” The informed individuals nodded. “But she’s never clarified it either.”

Due to Yao Fanyu’s scandal, the movie 《Finding the Girl》 was also taken down, and now it’s hard to find any resources online. Plus, few people would specifically check the cast list. So, a considerable number of non-celebrity followers believe that Yao Yunyou played Tiantian, which was where a significant portion of her remaining popularity comes from.

“How can she clarify?” Li Xiaodie seemed familiar with the ways of the entertainment industry. “She will be happy if everyone thinks that way. Then if anyone asks, she can just say she didn’t know.”

If weren’t for the fact that the false couldn’t become true, Yao Yunyou would have used Tiantian for publicity long ago.

“I say! I even felt sorry for her acting skills declining.”

“If the person Lu Haoyu likes is really her, then I wish them well and hope they can be together forever!”

“Hahaha, if Yao Yunyou doesn’t even fancy Lu Haoyu, then he’s probably not up to scratch.”

Xu Youyou, who truly played Tiantian, remained unmoved amidst everyone’s discussion. That was merely a novel experiment from her childhood. If it weren’t for Li Xiaodie mentioning it, she would have almost forgotten about it.

Xu Youyou had no intention of entering the entertainment industry. The past was in the past. She just hadn’t realized how small the world was. No matter where she turned, she kept encountering people she had once crossed paths with.

If Xu Wenyin were there, she would surely understand this situation.

It’s the powerful attraction of the plot, which gradually brings key characters back together in seemingly coincidental ways.

Otherwise, in a city as vast as the capital with a population of millions, what were the odds of Xu Youyou and Lu Haoyu crossing paths?

It’s a kind of power that couldn’t be detected by anyone and there’s a high chance of falling victim to it with just one careless move. Xu Wenyin used to worry about this too.

Later, she realized that instead of worrying about the coincidences caused by the plot, it would be better to make Xu Youyou even stronger.

No matter if it’s someone’s background or personal strength, as long as they’re powerful, can the plot still force them to do anything?

Judging from the current development, it was indeed the case.

———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

After finishing a day of classes, Xu Youyou returned to her dormitory. She first chatted with Lu Chenjun and Qin Yiren for a bit, then received Liu Miaomiao and Qian Xin’s complaints about their overseas lives in the group chat.

In their own words, going abroad to study made them realize how good things were back home.

Traveling for a few days might not give someone the full feeling, but once they live abroad for a long time, it’s different. It’s only been a month, and they’ve already mentioned countless times in the group chat how much they crave Hua County’s food. Neither of them can cook, and the aunties they hired weren’t particularly skilled in cooking either.

Under Mother Qian’s constant feeding, their taste buds have long been spoiled.

In response, all Xu Youyou and Liu Yanzhi could do was send them more pictures of delicious food around the school area.

The best kind of ‘terrible’ friends indeed!

“Youzi, what are we eating tonight?”

“Oh, I forgot to mention, I have a friend coming to visit me. Sorry about that~”

Xu Youyou was supposed to mention it yesterday, but with everything going on with Lu Haoyu, she completely forgot.

“There’s nothing to apologize for. Have a great time! Do you want me to recommend some restaurants for you?”

Wei Xinmiao patted Xu Youyou’s shoulder with a hint of a gossipy look. “Is it a guy or a girl?”

Xu Youyou responded, “……It’s a guy, but he’s really just a friend!”

Wei Xinmiao gave a mischievous grin. “Don’t worry, I’m not that nosy. Just casually asking, that’s all!”

Xu Youyou waved goodbye to Wei Xinmiao speechlessly, grabbed a small bag, and without changing her clothes or anything, she headed straight out the door.

It made Wei Xinmiao believe that the other person was definitely a normal friend!

Later, Xu Youyou took a taxi to a private kitchen restaurant, which was about half an hour’s drive from A University. The main reason she chose this place, aside from the delicious food, was its excellent confidentiality. It was a popular spot for many celebrities to dine together.

Ordinary people needed a special code to enter.

“Gu Xiao Bao!”

Once inside the private room, Xu Youyou was the first to call out.

Gu Weiyi, wearing a baseball cap, looked up, and upon hearing his nickname, a slightly shy smile appeared on his face.

“Youyou!”

Indeed, the friend Xu Youyou came to see this time was Gu Weiyi, who had attended kindergarten with them for half a semester, the son of Gu Yi, also known as Movie King Gu.

Over the years, Xu Youyou and Gu Weiyi had never lost contact, and they had even met a few times along the way, although not frequently.

“It’s been over a year since we last met, hasn’t it? Yanzhi said he’s stuck in traffic and will be a bit late.”

“No problem, tell him not to rush.” Gu Weiyi said as he took off his cap, revealing a head of hair dyed gray.

If an ordinary person wore this color, it would definitely make them look older, but paired with Gu Weiyi’s boy band face, it’s just right.

No one would have thought that the shy boy from back then would become the leader of the hottest boy group now, and also the most popular member.

As the fans would say, they love the contrast between Gu Weiyi’s puppy-like demeanor offstage and his mad-dog-like energy onstage.

Although Xu Youyou didn’t understand why it always had to be dogs?

But it didn’t stop Gu Weiyi, who rarely had free time, from coming to see Xu Youyou…… and Liu Yanzhi.

He did consider asking Xu Youyou out alone, but he was afraid of causing her trouble or that she might not agree, so he invited others as well. However, Lu Chenjun had just taken a leave of absence yesterday, so he couldn’t make it to the dinner today.

“I heard that you……”

While waiting for Liu Yanzhi, Xu Youyou and Gu Weiyi started chatting.

One asked questions and one answered, the atmosphere was very harmonious.

If Gu Weiyi’s group members saw this, they would probably be surprised. They would never expect their leader, who was usually reserved offstage, to be so good at chatting.

“Sorry, I’m late.” Half an hour later, Liu Yanzhi finally arrived.

“Don’t worry, we understand the traffic situation in the capital.” Xu Youyou smiled and winked. “I told you earlier, it’s fine as long as we come together. Luckily, I didn’t encounter any traffic.”

Liu Yanzhi smiled at Gu Weiyi, then turned to Xu Youyou. “I thought I’d be later than you since my class is ending late. Hey, Xiao Bao, your hair looks trendy.”

Gu Weiyi was a bit nervous. “Does it look bad?”

“It looks great! I’m also thinking about dyeing my hair, but I haven’t decided on a color yet.” Xu Youyou said, looking at Gu Weiyi’s hair and then at Liu Yanzhi’s hairstyle. “What do you guys think? Should I go for a short haircut?”

Liu Yanzhi said, “It’s up to you, anyway, you have a pretty face, any hairstyle will look good on you.”

“Hahaha.” Xu Youyou laughed out loud. “An’an, I like it when you speak honestly.”

With a few jokes thrown around, the atmosphere quickly became lively.

Meanwhile, the dishes were served, and everyone continued chatting while eating.

As they talked, Liu Yanzhi brought up yesterday’s events, having also learned about them from the group chat.

At that time, Xu Youyou had already said it was nothing, and Liu Yanzhi didn’t ask much in the group chat. Plus, Liu Miaomiao had pretty much asked all the questions that could be asked.

Of course, now that they were meeting in person, he still couldn’t help but feel a bit concerned, so he asked again.

“Someone wanted to use Youyou as a stand-in?” Gu Weiyi had just learned about this incident and asked anxiously, “Youyou, are you okay?”

Xu Youyou shook her head. “I’m fine, what can happen to me? I can even knock Lu Haoyu down myself.”

With just one man who had only practiced a few moves, without any other weapons, Xu Youyou wasn’t afraid at all. She hadn’t been training over the past decade or so for nothing.

“I heard he wanted you to be a stand-in for that Yao Yunyou?”

Liu Yanzhi still remembered the conflict they had with Yao Yunyou back then. Even though Yao Yunyou apologized later, he didn’t have a good impression of the other party. Now, he couldn’t believe that the two were somehow connected even though they hadn’t met in person.

Was this what they call a doomed fate?

It wouldn’t be difficult to find out who Lu Haoyu likes.

Xu Youyou wasn’t sure during the morning class, so she didn’t say anything, but by noon, Qin Xiao had found out, and it was indeed Yao Yunyou.

Liu Miaomiao directly wished Lu Haoyu and Yao Yunyou a lifetime of ‘happiness’ in the group chat.

“Yao Yunyou?”

Upon hearing that name, Gu Weiyi’s expression changed, revealing a clear expression of disgust.

For him, this was truly a rare sight.

Xu Youyou and Liu Yanzhi immediately shifted their gaze and looked straight at Gu Weiyi. “Tell us?”

Gossip, indeed, is human nature.

Gu Weiyi hesitated for a moment. Being in front of Xu Youyou, he felt a bit embarrassed to talk, but seeing her curious gaze, he stuttered, “It’s just…… before, we happened to be on a program together, and she-, she came knocking on my door at night.”

“Wow.” Xu Youyou and Liu Yanzhi exclaimed with surprise, “And then?”

Gu Weiyi blushed. “I called the police.”

It was mainly because it was dark, and as soon as Yao Yunyou came in, she took off her coat, and underneath-, underneath she wasn’t wearing anything.

It frightened Gu Weiyi so much that he immediately pressed the emergency call button and then ran out like a flying bird. Afterward, he was teased by his unscrupulous group members.

Xu Youyou and Liu Yanzhi applauded, then exclaimed in unison, “Boys need to protect themselves when they’re outside too.”

Gu Weiyi: “……” He lowered his head, blushing, and remained silent.

“But does Lu Haoyu know that his white moonlight did such a thing?” Liu Yanzhi asked curiously. “What does he even like about Yao Yunyou?”

Xu Youyou spread her hands. “Who knows, maybe they appreciate each other?”

To make Xu Youyou more wary of Lu Haoyu, Aunt Qin even talked about the reasons for the rift between Lu Weizheng and the Lu family last night. Hearing that Lu Haoyu’s biological father and mother were such people, Xu Youyou even felt that it wasn’t surprising for Lu Haoyu to do such a thing.

“Youyou, do you want me to send you that Yao Yunyou’s……?”

He still had the police report from back then, and afterward, Yao Yunyou’s manager had to do everything to suppress the incident.

However, quite a few people in the circle already knew about it.

Yao Yunyou suddenly wanted to go abroad as an exchange student for this exact reason.

However, Gu Weiyi’s suggestion was met with a refusal from Xu Youyou.

“No need, the one who tried to use me as a stand-in is Lu Haoyu, not Yao Yunyou. If she did something wrong, the police will naturally educate her.”

Xu Youyou didn’t want to know whether Yao Yunyou was a good person or not.

Whether she wanted to take shortcuts to become famous had nothing to do with Xu Youyou.

She wouldn’t use Yao Yunyou’s dark past to attack Lu Haoyu. She believed in the principle of ‘the one who has done wrong should bear the consequences’, and this wouldn’t bring her any sense of revenge.

Of course, if Yao Yunyou intentionally caused trouble for her, Xu Youyou wouldn’t hold back either.

After a pleasant meal filled with reminiscing, the three bid farewell. Gu Weiyi even invited Xu Youyou and the others to come to see his concert tour when the time came.

The first concert was in the capital, about a month from now.

Xu Youyou said that if she had time, she would definitely go. She and her mother had never been to a concert before because they weren’t into idol culture, but she had heard the events were very lively.

Moreover, it was their friend’s concert, so Xu Youyou was quite interested.

She would invite Lu Chenjun along! Even though he liked peace and quiet, sometimes he needed a bit of excitement~

———pr

Happiness indeed continued, as Xu Youyou, lying in bed after washing up back in her dormitory, suddenly received an anonymous email!

She instantly thought of when her mother left her a message before, and the situation now was exactly the same.

Trying to calm her excited heart, Xu Youyou clicked on the email.

【Youyou, it’s Mom~ Did you miss me?

Mom is working hard to recover, it just takes a bit of time. Don’t worry, sweetheart.

Mom has a surprise prepared for your eighteenth birthday!

Remember to take good care of yourself. Love you~

P.S. If you encounter any weirdos, make sure to call the police or tell Yiyi! If anyone tries to force you to do anything, beat them up! Beat them to death!】

“Pffft——”

Hiding under the covers, Xu Youyou suppressed her laughter. It was indeed her mother’s style of talking.

But did her mother know about what happened with Lu Haoyu? Was that why she left those two sentences?

Knowing that her mother was recovering well was the happiest thing for Xu Youyou, more than anything else.

She read those few short sentences over and over again, almost memorizing them, because she knew that once she logged out, the email would be deleted.

Xu Youyou hadn’t considered taking screenshots either. Her mother definitely didn’t want to leave any traces that could be traced back to her, so even if Xu Youyou missed her, Xu Youyou could only secretly think about her in her heart.

She wondered when her mother would fully recover.

What if it really was a day in heaven and a year on earth?

Will Mom still recognize me if I age while she’s healing?

She will, she definitely will. Mom is watching over me, she will recognize me at first sight.

Holding the two dolls her mother made for her, Xu Youyou drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

In her dream, there was her mother, calling her name with a gentle voice, happily telling her, “Youyou, Mom’s back! From now on, we’ll never be apart again!”

Yes, they would never be apart again.

———pr

October came quickly, and on the seventh, it would be Xu Youyou’s eighteenth birthday.

For Xu Youyou, it was a very important day.

Qin Yiren and the others started preparing early on because Xu Wenyin was not there, and they couldn’t let Xu Youyou feel disappointed!

It must be done with great fanfare, and everyone should be happy!

Three days before the birthday, Qing Yixing appeared in Qin Xiao’s office.

He came this time not only to celebrate Xu Youyou’s birthday but also because of Lu Haoyu’s matter.

That Lu Haoyu guy was strange!

During the days when Lu Haoyu was detained, the Qing and the Qin family didn’t show any mercy.

Several projects that Lu Haoyu was negotiating and about to finalize fell into their hands, causing the Lu family to suffer a big loss.

But initially, Qing Yixing and Qin Xiao didn’t pay much attention to these projects. After all, considering their assets, these were only considered average projects that could be handled by their subordinates.

However, just a week later, Qing Yixing and Qin Xiao were somewhat surprised as they looked at the reports from their subordinates.

Was Lu Haoyu blessed by the deity of wealth or something?

For example, under normal circumstances, when someone invested one unit into a project and got two units in return, that was already considered a decent result.

With these projects from the Lu family, initially seeming average at best, maybe it would make two or three units in terms of results. But their subordinates were surprised to find out shortly after acquiring them that they weren’t just two or three units, but could possibly be five or even six or seven units!

Like one of the projects involving rare metals. Shortly after Qin Xiao snatched it from the Lu family, the price of that metal skyrocketed globally, and it seemed it hadn’t reached its peak yet.

Qin Xiao’s move not only made a fortune but literally exploded with profits.

Coincidentally, there’s not just one project like this. Whether it was sudden policy changes or natural disasters, each one was impossible to anticipate in advance.

If Lu Haoyu really could manipulate these, then there wouldn’t be much fun left for the Qin and Qing families.

So it must be luck, but this luck is something extraordinary.

There’s a saying, ‘Even a pig can fly if it catches the right wind^[1]any entrepreneur can make it if they’re in the right place at the right time to catch the next big thing’. Why were so many businessmen superstitious like this? Simply because luck plays a crucial role in business too.

If the Lu family managed to secure all these projects, it probably wouldn’t take many years for them to climb several steps and become formidable contenders against the Qin and Qing families.

By then, it wouldn’t be so easy to suppress Lu Haoyu anymore.

Qin Xiao frowned. “Is Lu Haoyu some kind of chosen one?”

Qing Yixing said, “Then we definitely can’t let him rise.”

Both families were enemies with the Lu family now. Lu Haoyu was released yesterday, and he definitely wouldn’t let this slide.

Being soft-hearted toward enemies is being cruel to oneself.

The two old foxes locked eyes, understanding each other’s thoughts without needing to say a word.

Since Lu Haoyu had this ‘luck’ on his side, they can naturally make good use of it as well.

No one would complain about having too many good projects, would they?