Chapter 387: I’m Not Little Anymore

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Gu Ci had many more admirers than Qin Wan, receiving love letters every so often. Qin Wan had a personality more akin to a man’s, while Gu Ci appeared like a goddess. Men wanted to be friends with Qin Wan and then pursue Gu Ci.

Gu Ci’s daily life consisted of attending classes and club meetings while rejecting suitors.

Gu Ziyu was extremely irritated by the buzzing crowd around Gu Ci. Qin Wan even teased him about his fickleness, “Who was the one who initially wanted to introduce a boyfriend to Gu Ci?”

“At that time, circumstances were different!”

Back then, he believed his mother’s poor mental state was due to his father’s lack of love for her. He resented his father, but now he had grown to like him. Occasionally, Lu Zhiyuan would video call with Gu Ziyu, play basketball with him, have meals together, and compete with him. He had a different perspective on Lu Zhiyuan now. After all, there’s a saying that goes, “If there’s a stepfather, there’s a stepmother!”

So, Gu Ziyu made a declaration. When he grew up, he would pursue Gu Ci. He told the older guys not to compete with a kid for a wife.

The senior students were speechless.

Childish words, the senior students didn’t take it seriously. Those who persisted in pursuing Gu Ci, even though she rejected them, were not few in number. Eventually, they became good friends with Gu Ci and Qin Wan.

Gu Ci’s circle of friends expanded significantly. While she remained independent, Qin Wan made her a bit more sociable. As she interacted with people from all walks of life, Gu Ci became a bit more outgoing.

Zhou Jinjin didn’t expect to return from her New Year holiday with a web drama in tow. Gu Ci now had a Qin Wan by her side, and even best friends could get jealous. Gu Ci understood this jealousy well.

She was someone who needed to be favored, so she empathized with Zhou Jinjin. After consoling her for several days, Qin Wan didn’t mind at all and even brought Zhou Jinjin into their group. They were all high in looks and talents, and they quickly became the most popular girls at A University.

Gu Ziyu asked if Gu Ci and Lu Zhiyuan had truly broken up. Gu Ci spent an afternoon discussing her relationship with Lu Zhiyuan with Gu Ziyu and calmly confirmed their breakup.

Gu Ziyu was unwilling to ask Lu Zhiyuan and received the same answer from him.

He had wanted to introduce a boyfriend to his mother, hoping that when outsiders tried to steal his father’s thunder, his parents would stick together and love each other to the death. Instead, his parents fell apart.

Only Gu Ziyu was left hurt in this world!

Now, Gu Ci was genuinely happy. She was a top student, beautiful, and because of her rumored relationship with Lu Zhiyuan, some girls didn’t particularly like her, but they didn’t go out of their way to trouble her. Medical school was already filled with highly educated, emotionally intelligent, and intelligent individuals. Gu Ci didn’t indulge in gossip, nor did she engage in backbiting. Her strong professional abilities naturally led to good relationships with her classmates.

The Finance Department and the National Defense Information Institute, with social butterflies like Zhou Jinjin and social talents like Qin Wan, managed to integrate Gu Ci seamlessly into almost every activity.

Gradually, Gu Ci’s smiles became more frequent.

After breaking up, Gu Ziyu noticed how genuinely happy she was. He slowly accepted the fact that he came from a divorced family. Occasionally, he would send pictures of Gu Ci at school to Lu Zhiyuan.

Lu Zhiyuan never stopped him, and Gu Ziyu gradually increased the frequency from every three days to once a day.

Qin Wan would also share every detail about Gu Ci’s life at school with Jiang Junlin. They both witnessed Gu Ci’s transformation and were genuinely pleased. They hoped that Gu Ci would continue to heal and that everything would move in a positive direction.

Recently, Jiang Junlin had been busy with matters concerning the Dark Web underworld. After its exposure, various factions demanded to infiltrate the Dark Web, and he only had three slots available, with one reserved for national security.

The remaining two slots were highly sought after, and everyone wanted a piece of the pie. With only two slots available, it wasn’t enough to go around. So, they asked Jiang Junlin to open up more positions, even if it meant five more people. However, Jiang Junlin remained resolute and refused to budge.

While he wouldn’t compromise on that, he had no choice but to entertain. After his identity was exposed, his position was still under discussion, and whether or not to grant him a position became the focal point of their discussions.

Mr. Zhang helped him settle many influential figures, reducing the number of social engagements he had to attend. However, it remained a significant issue. Chairman Gu, who had a good relationship with him, also invited him to dinner and subtly mentioned that many people were trying to get close to him lately to improve their relationships.

Jiang Junlin was swamped, and Ji Chi sought to discuss the meeting with Lu Zhiyuan. Jiang Junlin had never found the time, which surprised Ji Chi.

Hualan Bank had floor-to-ceiling windows on all sides, offering excellent views and ample sunlight. It was the tallest building in the financial district, occupying the entire structure. While there were two technology companies in the building, there were no other prominent companies. However, a closer look at their tax records revealed that these seemingly ordinary companies paid more taxes annually than many Fortune 500 multinational corporations.

The building lacked hotels or shopping malls. The dining area was on the lower levels, and the elevator layout resembled a maze. After Jiang Junlin’s identity was exposed, Ji Chi guessed that this building was also the office space for the Dark Web underworld. If only Hualan Bank occupied the building, it couldn’t justify taking up so many floors. He had been inside countless times and never discovered any clues.

After Jiang Junlin’s identity was exposed, Lu Zhiyuan and Ji Chi specifically sent people to investigate the companies within this building. They discovered a diverse range of businesses, including some with peculiar names. Some floors were brightly lit, leaving the neighboring financial district to marvel at how these employees worked harder than those in the 996 system. No one ever imagined that the Dark Web office area and Hualan Bank would share the same building.

Ji Chi understood the situation but had never mentioned it to Jiang Junlin. Recently, their meetings were all held at Hualan Bank, focusing on official business. Hualan Bank had some financial dealings with the Black Hawk organization, and Ji Chi had always wanted to take over Black Hawk’s financial business. Recently, there had been some leniency in this regard, and Ji Chi, who was in charge of negotiations, couldn’t avoid meetings, discussions, and conferences, one after another.

After the meeting involving Black Hawk, the China Banking Regulatory Commission, and Hualan Bank, Chairman Gu invited both Jiang Junlin and Ji Chi to join him for lunch. Jiang Junlin glanced at Ji Chi, who had been sweating profusely on his forehead, and shook hands with Chairman Gu with a smile. “We have another video conference coming up, and we might have to have boxed lunches. Let’s meet again once this busy period is over.”

“Sounds good. I’ll take my leave for today,” Chairman Gu replied.

Ji Chi also stood up and shook hands with Jiang Junlin before seeing them off.

Once their subordinates had left the room, Jiang Junlin poured a glass of water and placed it in front of Ji Chi. “What’s wrong with you?”

“My stomach hurts,” Ji Chi replied.

Jiang Junlin was taken aback and blurted out, “You’re so young; how can your stomach hurt?”

“I’m 22!” Ji Chi retorted, always sensitive to Jiang Junlin calling him young..