In Professor Yan's office in the Administration Building of Rong University.
Chen Yang and Liu Xinyao sat opposite Professor Yan's desk. Liu Xinyao sat upright, eyes downcast, seemingly in deep meditation. Chen Yang, however, occasionally glanced at Liu Xinyao out of the corner of his eye, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Since leaving the hospital, Liu Xinyao hadn't spoken a word to Chen Yang, maintaining a cool expression throughout.
Across from them, Professor Yan was intently reading a printed copy of a paper. Wearing reading glasses, he meticulously studied each word and sentence. Chen Yang secretly admired the professor's rigorous scholarship.
After a long silence, Professor Yan put down his manuscript, took off his reading glasses, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face. He exclaimed, "Excellent! Chen Yang, Xin Yao, your performance has exceeded my expectations. I was initially worried that you might not be careful enough with your wording, after all, this is an international forum! Some topics shouldn't be too sharp. But after reading your paper, I'm completely relieved. It seems you had considered this issue beforehand! The quality of this paper is quite high; I think you're perfectly capable of participating in the forum!"
Liu Xin Yao secretly breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, and at the same time, she couldn't help but subconsciously glance at Chen Yang. She hadn't noticed this issue before; it was Chen Yang who had astutely recognized it and brought it up. Chen Yang's observation skills and meticulousness were truly extraordinary. Professor Yan then said kindly,
"This paper doesn't need any further revisions. It's clear you've put in a lot of effort; it's been meticulously crafted! Here's what we'll do: send the electronic version of the paper to my email address when you get back. I'll recommend it to the forum organizing committee in the next couple of days!"
"Okay, Professor," Liu Xinyao nodded politely, stood up, and said, "Then I'll head back now."
Professor Yan nodded with a smile, but Chen Yang remained seated. Liu Xinyao ignored Chen Yang and turned to leave the office.
After Liu Xinyao left, Chen Yang straightened up and said to Professor Yan,
"Professor, thank you for what happened last time!"
Chen Yang was referring to the sale of the Shoushan stone. Without Professor Yan's help, he wouldn't have been able to sell the stone so quickly. Professor Yan chuckled and said,
"No need to thank me, it was just a coincidence! By the way, did you get the money from Lao Liu?"
"Yes, it was transferred to my card that very evening," Chen Yang replied.
After a few casual words, Chen Yang got to the point. He asked,
"Professor, what was the topic of your speech at the Boao International Law Forum?"
Professor Yan hesitated for a moment, but having no reason to hide anything from Chen Yang, he quickly replied,
"I was discussing border disputes. The situation has recently become tense, with some small countries, represented by Belo, starting to stir up trouble. I believe it's necessary to use the forum to call on all parties to exercise restraint and conduct their activities within the framework of international law."
Just as he remembered! Exactly the same as in Chen Yang's previous life. Recalling the events of this international law forum in his previous life, Chen Yang carefully chose his words and cautiously said:
"Professor Yan, this statement seems overly sensitive. As far as I know, experts and officials from the Country of Belo also participated in this forum."
Professor Yan confidently replied:
"That's alright. We were merely conducting academic discussions and didn't intentionally attack any particular country. My statement was generally objective and fair."
Professor Yan had just reminded Chen Yang and his team to be mindful of this issue. As a seasoned expert in international law with many years of experience, he naturally wouldn't make such a basic mistake. Therefore, he was somewhat dismissive of Chen Yang's words. However, Chen Yang meant well, so he wasn't angry.
Chen Yang knew that while it might seem insignificant now, a border dispute between China and the Country of Belo during the forum could make Professor Yan's statement a target of attack from the Country of Belo. Some unpleasant things even happened on the day of his speech.
"Professor, Bero has always had a small-country mentality, often playing the victim and appealing to the sympathy of the weak in public. With so many representatives from various countries attending this forum, we need to prevent them from engaging in any underhanded tactics! This isn't unprecedented!" Chen Yang said tactfully. "I suggest you don't change your speaking topic, but it would be best to inform the organizing committee to take targeted precautions on the day of the event."
This was Chen Yang's purpose in staying; he wanted to subtly remind Professor Yan to be vigilant.
Professor Yan nodded thoughtfully after hearing Chen Yang's words, falling into deep thought. Chen Yang then appropriately took his leave. He could only hint at his point; whether Professor Yan would take it to heart was beyond his control. In any case, if nothing unexpected happened, he would attend the forum himself, and if necessary, he could make further plans in Sanya.
Chen Yang had a class in the afternoon. He planned to go to Hengxiang after class to sign the formal contract and complete the property transfer the next day. So Chen Yang called his landlady, Aunt Zhou, beforehand. Aunt Zhou, presumably already aware of what had happened outside A Biao's shop, was extremely polite and made no mention of backing out. She readily agreed to all of Chen Yang's requests, saying that she and her relatives would be waiting for him at home that afternoon.
After hanging up, Chen Yang shook his head helplessly. Since his rebirth, he had truly experienced the hardships of life. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth in his previous life, he had no idea about the struggles of ordinary people! Like this incident, Chen Yang had only wanted to exploit a loophole to make some money, yet it was still fraught with difficulties. If it weren't for Guan Weiping's influence, the house purchase might have fallen through.
"In this society, it's truly difficult to move an inch without power and influence!" Chen Yang sighed.
"I really need to build my network as soon as possible, otherwise, getting anything done will be incredibly difficult. Fortunately, although there were some minor setbacks this time, things should go smoothly from here on out." Chen Yang thought to himself as he walked towards his dormitory.
"What?" As soon as Chen Yang entered the dormitory, Cao Xiao mysteriously pulled him aside and whispered a few words in his ear. Upon hearing this, Chen Yang couldn't help but shout loudly.
Cao Xiao quickly covered Chen Yang's mouth, urgently saying,
"Third Brother, keep your voice down! If Second Brother hears you, he'll be scared back from his newly blossoming romantic feelings."
"Mmm..." Chen Yang nodded repeatedly, and Cao Xiao finally released his hand.
Cao Xiao's words were truly shocking. It wasn't surprising that Chi Yunfei, the academic genius, had a girl he liked; after all, even a top student is still a man, and men eventually realize things. However, the girl he liked truly surprised Chen Yang.
The thought of Yang Xiaoxian's fierce, tomboyish image gave Chen Yang a headache. Chi Yunfei was an honest, simple boy; whether he could win her over was another matter, but if they actually got together, wouldn't Chi Yunfei be completely under Yang Xiaoxian's thumb?
Thinking this, Chen Yang shook his head repeatedly, pulled Cao Xiao a little further away, and then whispered, "Fourth brother, are you sure you're not mistaken? This kind of thing is no joke!"
"Hey! Third brother, you underestimate me! I, Cao Xiao, may not be a master of romance, but I've certainly been through many battles, haven't I? How could I be wrong about something like this?" Cao Xiao said, sounding quite dissatisfied. "Although second brother won't admit it, the look on his face tells me he's already fallen for her..."
Cao Xiao glanced at Chen Yang and continued... He said:
"Third Brother, you can't ignore this! I was only in the internet cafe for less than half an hour. As soon as Second Brother left, I followed him out, just to go back to the dorm and wait for you! We don't even know that girl. If you don't help, with Second Brother's personality, he'll never catch up to her in a hundred years."
Chen Yang scratched his head, looking troubled, and said:
"No way! I don't know her well either…"
Cao Xiao grinned mischievously:
"But you know Liu Xinyao well! They're best friends! Just based on your relationship with Liu Xinyao, you'll create…" "Getting a chance is a piece of cake, isn't it?"
Speaking of Liu Xinyao, Cao Xiao nudged Chen Yang with her shoulder, a meaningful smile on her face.
"By the way, Third Brother, you didn't...you know...with Liu Xinyao, did you?"
Chen Yang was completely bewildered.
"What??"
Cao Xiao placed her hands on her abdomen, mimicking a pregnant woman's movements, raising her eyebrows as she said,
"That! Otherwise, why did you go to the hospital? Why were you being so secretive..."
Chen Yang finally understood Cao Xiao's meaning, and... A sharp rap landed on his head, and he snapped, "Fourth Brother, what's going on in your head? Is this something you can just say?"
"Ouch..." Cao Xiao winced in pain, shrinking back and muttering, "I didn't say that to Su He..."
Chen Yang interrupted Cao Xiao without hesitation, saying, "You can't just say things like that anywhere! If word gets out, how will that girl face anyone?"
"Okay, okay! Third Brother, I'll keep it a secret, alright?" Cao Xiao pleaded.
Chen Yang, exasperated, slapped Cao Xiao on the head again, saying irritably, "Keep it a secret my foot! There's absolutely no such thing! Fourth Brother, I'm warning you, stop making baseless accusations! Even jokes have limits!"
Chen Yang was genuinely angry. If Cao Xiao's words got out, Liu Xinyao would definitely hold him responsible. That girl already disliked him, and if she did something like this, they'd really become enemies. Chen Yang didn't want to get into unnecessary trouble.
"Third Brother, I was wrong, don't be angry! I won't joke like that again!" Seeing that Chen Yang was genuinely angry, Cao Xiao quickly lowered her head and apologized with a smile, then asked, "What about Second Brother's matter..."
"Alright, let me think of a solution!" Chen Yang replied sullenly.
...
As soon as his afternoon classes ended, Chen Yang grabbed the contract and hailed a taxi, heading straight for Hongguang Road. He got out of the taxi at the parking lot where he had previously parked his Land Rover, intending to retrieve his car and drive to the alley entrance so he could leave immediately after finishing his business.
The parking lot was only two or three hundred meters from the alley entrance; Chen Yang could reach his destination by turning right after retrieving his car and crossing just one traffic light.
Lucky him, Chen Yang drove out of the parking lot and saw that the traffic light in the distance was green, with a countdown of just over twenty seconds, just in time for him to cross.
Chen Yang stepped on the gas; the Land Rover's acceleration was excellent, and it quickly surged forward.
Just as Chen Yang's car reached the traffic light intersection, the pedestrian light was red. However, someone seemed lost in thought and didn't see the red light, walking across the crosswalk with their head down.
Chen Yang, however, was positioned in a blind spot created by the A-pillar, so he only caught a glimpse of the person in front of his car when they were very close. Startled, he slammed on the brakes and instinctively swerved to the left.
A screeching sound of brakes filled the air as the Land Rover screeched to a halt at the intersection, leaving a dark skid mark. Chen Yang frantically opened the car door and got out.
Oh no, I've hit someone!
That was the only thought in Chen Yang's mind...