Chapter 17: Working Hard to Earn Money for His Girlfriend  

As soon as the car came to a stop, the driver’s side window rolled down.

The man wore a pair of sunglasses, and upon seeing Lu Yi, he casually pushed them up onto his head, revealing a face full of wild confidence.  

“What’s going on? I was still sleeping, and you woke me up with your call.”  

The man was Jiang Chen, a childhood friend who had grown up with Lu Yi.  

Lu Yi lazily glanced at Jiang Chen, then opened the car door and got in.  

As soon as Lu Yi sat down, Jiang Chen rested one arm on the window and gripped the steering wheel with the other. He stepped on the gas, and with a sharp roar, the car shot forward.  

Jiang Chen glanced at Lu Yi while driving, unable to hold back his curiosity. “No way, brother, what’s so urgent that you had to call me? You’re acting weird, and it’s making me nervous.”  

Lu Yi looked ahead and reminded him: “Watch the road.”  

“I have a girlfriend now, I—”  

Before Lu Yi could finish his sentence, Jiang Chen suddenly slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to an abrupt stop.  

Jiang Chen was utterly shocked. He had thought Lu Yi was destined to be single forever, yet barely after starting university, this guy already had a girlfriend.  

He glanced at the countdown on the traffic light, then turned his head, his face full of curiosity and disbelief. “You got a girlfriend? Seriously? Who is she? Do I know her? Is she pretty?”  

Before Lu Yi could reply, Jiang Chen continued excitedly,  

“Wait—could it be your university’s School Flower? It has to be! If she weren’t beautiful, would you even be interested?”  

Seeing Lu Yi remain silent, Jiang Chen suddenly had a flash of insight.  

“No way… You’re not saying anything… Could your girlfriend be just an ordinary girl? Like one of those novel plots where the cold and handsome School Grass falls for a plain, average girl?”  ^[1]School grass refers to the most handsome and popular male student in a school. He is often admired by many students for his looks, charisma, and sometimes his academic or athletic abilities.

The more Jiang Chen spoke, the more excited he became, looking as if he had cracked some great mystery.  

“Lu Yi, oh Lu Yi, I never thought you were that kind of guy! Hahaha! When are you going to introduce her to us?”  

Lu Yi wordlessly watched Jiang Chen, who was lost in his own ridiculous imagination. He glanced at the traffic light and said coldly: “It’s green. Drive.”  

“Alright, alright! But hurry up and tell me—I’m dying of curiosity!”

Lu Yi was utterly speechless at this moment. Jiang Chen had always been like this since they were kids—talkative to an extreme. He constantly spewed nonsense, and even if no one responded to him, he could keep babbling endlessly.  

What was even more astonishing was that Lu Yi and Jiang Chen were the closest of friends.  

Lu Yi knew that if he didn’t explain things soon, Jiang Chen would end up concocting an entire TV drama in his head. If he waited any longer, Jiang Chen might even start imagining his wedding.  

Lu Yi interrupted Jiang Chen: “First of all, my girlfriend is very pretty. She is indeed our school’s School Flower. Secondly, her name is Lin Zhizhi, and she’s a dance major.”  

“What? Why didn’t you say so earlier? I was… never mind. Seriously, the School Flower of your school?”  

Lu Yi responded earnestly: “Do I need to lie to you?”  

Jiang Chen quickly replied: “No, no need at all.”  

He immediately changed the topic. “By the way, why exactly did you call me today? Usually, whenever we ask you to hang out, you always say you don’t have time.”  

Lu Yi’s expression turned serious. “It’s about the company. I want to speed up the process to get the company listed.”  

“What? Why the sudden rush? Didn’t you always say there was no hurry and that we could take it slow?”

Lu Yi replied with a straight face: “I just suddenly want to make more money.”  

“Make more money? Wait… did I hear you wrong? You… need money?”  

Jiang Chen was completely caught off guard. He never expected this to be the reason. After all, even though Lu Yi hadn’t returned to the Lu family or taken a single cent from them, he had been investing in stocks online since a long time ago.

Although Jiang Chen didn’t know the exact amount, it was definitely substantial. When they founded the company, Lu Yi had provided the majority of the funds. On top of that, Lu Yi was also the technical lead.  

This meant Lu Yi was the absolute majority shareholder of the company. A small portion of shares was held by Jiang Chen, while the rest was distributed to the employees. After all, paying employees a flat salary wouldn’t inspire them to pour their passion into the company.  

Giving employees small shares was a classic win-win situation. When employees worked hard, they would feel motivated, knowing their efforts were contributing to their own profits.  

Lu Yi ignored Jiang Chen’s shock, nodded seriously, and calmly said: “Yes, I’m very short on money. If I don’t work hard to earn more, how can I support my girlfriend?”  

This time, Jiang Chen was genuinely stunned. He was so shocked that he even began to wonder if Lu Yi had been replaced by someone else.