Chapter 34

"Were you bribing the examiner just now?"

When Chen Xi asked this, she felt a sense of unease. Her misty almond-shaped eyes were wide, and her entire face was a portrait of stubbornness. Zhou Yanzhou was certain that if he so much as nodded, Chen Xi would burst into tears right there.

Chen Xi did not want to rely on connections, nor did she want to engage in such despicable behavior. It made her feel as though her hard work and talent were worthless in the face of influence. Zhou Yanzhou mocked her for being self-righteous, yet he also felt that this was fine—at least she still possessed a shred of integrity.

He lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, and tilted his head to look at Chen Xi’s reddened eyes. He said calmly, "That man is a renowned heavyweight in the legal circle. The doctoral students under him have all become highly sought-after top lawyers, easily commanding fees in the tens of millions for a single case. A difficult murder-of-a-wife case in Shanghai a few years ago was handled by one of his students."

Zhou Yanzhou paused, his gaze dropping to Chen Xi’s heaving chest, and he said in a level tone, "Don't you want to get into the R University Law School?"

"Having the chance to be his student would naturally mean a bright future ahead."

Chen Xi whipped her head up, looking at Zhou Yanzhou with complete astonishment. "How did you know I wanted to apply to R University’s Law School?"

As soon as the question left her lips, she remembered the time Zhou Yanzhou had flipped through the speech draft she had written for He Xu while they were in the car. It was her scratch paper, and on the very first page, she had written her goal: R University Law School. She just hadn't expected Zhou Yanzhou to notice, let alone act as a bridge for her. She stood rooted to the spot, her face filled with disbelief.

Zhou Yanzhou finished his cigarette, flicked the ash, and after observing the shifting emotions on Chen Xi’s face, he discarded the butt and asked, unmoved, "Do you feel that this dinner has made you unable to hold your head up?"

Caught off guard, Chen Xi met his knowing gaze. She instinctively wanted to deny it, but the words died in her throat.

Zhou Yanzhou didn't give her time to react. He waved away the lingering smell of smoke, lifted his chin, and said with an indescribable calmness, "Chen Xi, the world is not as fair as you think."

"Sometimes, talent is worthless compared to connections. You are unhappy today because you feel you can achieve everything you want through hard work, but the truth is, you have that talent, and so do others."

"There are plenty of capable people in this world, but not everyone has the good fortune to soar."

"The cake is only so big, and a crowd is rushing to grab it. Are you sure you can compete?"

Every word from Zhou Yanzhou was like a sharp blade, and Chen Xi’s heart was bleeding. She understood the cruelty of reality, yet she clung to a shred of naivety, foolishly believing that as long as she worked hard, she would one day obtain everything she desired.

But Zhou Yanzhou did not think that way. Since birth, he had possessed resources, connections, and money that most people could never reach. He could squander vast sums of money, fly anywhere in the world, and come into contact with top talents in every industry; there were shortcuts for everything he did. He enjoyed this treatment and was quite happy standing in the clouds. If someone asked him to abandon all of this one day, he would probably think they were insane.

With this thought, Zhou Yanzhou lowered his eyes to look at the pale-faced Chen Xi and pointed out cruelly, "The world isn't as beautiful as you imagine; instead, it is full of traps at every turn."

"You should be grateful that you had the opportunity to communicate face-to-face with Professor Xu."

Chen Xi’s lips trembled. She looked up, staring fixedly at Zhou Yanzhou, feeling for the first time that deep down, he was actually cold and snobbish.

On the way back, Chen Xi sat in the passenger seat without saying a word. She rested her head against the glass window, her eyes unfocused and lost as she watched the scenery pass by. From Wudaokou to Park Hyatt, Chen Xi saw the prosperity and bustle of Beijing, and she experienced the allure brought by money and power. She loved this city, wanted to put down roots here, and even more so, wanted to become someone with a voice and influence like Zhou Yanzhou.

Zhou Yanzhou glanced at her from time to time. Seeing her arms folded and her head tilted, looking at the view outside with a bewildered expression, he swallowed hard but ultimately said nothing. Let her think it over; once she understood, she would grasp it.

They had to go to the school for the competition at 7:00 AM. When Chen Xi returned to the hotel, she hurriedly washed up and went to her room to sleep. Zhou Yanzhou still had several thorny documents to handle. He sat under the floor-to-ceiling window with his laptop, replying to emails while admiring the night view of the city's central axis.

Midway through, Jiang Chi called to invite him out for a drink, but Zhou Yanzhou refused without a second thought.

Jiang Chi howled in dissatisfaction over the phone, "It's only eleven o'clock; the nightlife has just begun. Don't tell me you're already asleep."

"I just confirmed with Chen Huai that you took that little girl to a dinner party today and invited a professor from R University. What, planning to pull strings for someone?"

Zhou Yanzhou scoffed, thinking that Jiang Chi was quite well-informed. He closed his laptop, stood up, looked at the distant TV tower with a blank expression, and said lazily, "The little girl has high spirits. The dinner was a waste."

Jiang Chi clicked his tongue on the other end, unable to resist teasing, "I never would have guessed there would come a day when you’d be rejected."

"But I’ll be fair—the little girl is still a high school student in an ivory tower, incredibly devout about book knowledge. It’s no wonder she’s throwing a tantrum at you for dragging her into this cruel adult world so early."

"If I were her, I’d think you were crazy too. Back in the day, I was a dashing youth too, not like now, covered in the stench of copper..."

Zhou Yanzhou ignored him. He lifted his eyelids and asked emotionlessly, "Is there anything else?"

Jiang Chi chuckled, sounding malicious. "It's nothing major. Didn't you praise a female streamer’s voice last time you were in Yunnan? I used some connections to invite her over. Why don't you come and take a look?"

Zhou Yanzhou frowned. "Are you sick?"

Jiang Chi didn't care what Zhou Yanzhou thought; he sent him a text message and said with a laugh, "I've sent you the address. Hurry up and come. Don't waste my good intentions."

After hanging up, Zhou Yanzhou glanced at the text, deleted it as spam, and moved on.

Perhaps because she had too much on her mind, Chen Xi tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. After struggling for a long time, she finally resigned herself to it. She picked up her phone and checked the time; it was only 1:00 AM. She raked her hair, turned on her side, and aimlessly scrolled through her social media feed, thinking again about what Zhou Yanzhou had said. She bit her lip, stubbornly thinking that she could absolutely get what she wanted on her own.

The long night wore on, and Chen Xi slowly closed her heavy eyelids amidst her wandering thoughts.

When she woke up, it was already 6:30 AM. Fearing she would be late, she scrambled out of bed, put on the dress she wore yesterday, and rushed into the bathroom to wash up. When she finally emerged, Zhou Yanzhou was already sitting on the sofa in a suit and tie, waiting for her.

Chen Xi’s steps faltered. Her gaze landed on him, and a hint of surprise appeared on her face. When did he wake up?

Seeing her come out, Zhou Yanzhou checked his watch, stood up, buttoned his suit jacket, and said in a measured tone, "Breakfast is on the table. I'll take you there after you finish."

Chen Xi blinked and asked instinctively, "Aren't you busy?"

Zhou Yanzhou smiled upon hearing this and replied calmly, "No matter how busy I am, I have to send you off to war."

The word "war" was used too cleverly. Chen Xi couldn't quite grasp his meaning, so she pursed her lips, pretended not to hear, moved slowly to the dining table, pulled out a chair, and finished her breakfast quickly.

After a few bites, she hurried back to the room to grab her backpack, scrambled to put on her shoes, and waited for him at the entrance. When Zhou Yanzhou came out of the bathroom and saw Chen Xi with her small pink backpack, her hair in braids, wearing the same bright yellow dress from yesterday, looking at him with expectation, a soft spot in his heart suddenly gave way.

He licked his cheek and asked with interest, "Are you nervous? Competing against the best and most brilliant students in the country?"

Chen Xi was actually a bit nervous, but upon hearing his question, a surge of courage rose within her. She shook her head and said firmly, "I'm not nervous."

"I've prepared quite well."

Zhou Yanzhou laughed, clicking his car keys, and said calmly, "Alright, I wish you success."

On the way, Chen Xi kept doing final preparations. She could recite the entire speech perfectly without notes. She had already corrected all the minor issues Zhou Yanzhou had pointed out, and even her accent had improved significantly.

The competition started at 9:00 AM. Chen Xi’s seat was near the front. She knew the other contestants were strong, but she wasn't weak either. Zhou Yanzhou had been to R University a few times and knew the way; when they arrived at the school gate, he drove straight in. It was class time, so there weren't many students on campus. Chen Xi was so focused on her script that she didn't notice the changing scenery until the car stopped at the auditorium.

She opened the door and stepped out in a daze. Seeing the crowd lined up at the entrance, she felt a bit of nerves.

There was no parking here. Zhou Yanzhou let her out, rolled down the window, and instructed, "I'm going to park, you go in first."

Chen Xi clutched her speech script tightly and nodded stiffly.

Once the black Mercedes vanished from sight, she took a deep breath and turned to look at the crowd, hoping to find a familiar face, but she saw none. The competition was about to begin, and under the guidance of the organizers, Chen Xi followed the other students inside.

Before leaving, she looked back one last time, but could not find Zhou Yanzhou. She dismissed the thought that he might have left early, took a deep breath, and followed the others into the auditorium.

Once inside, she realized there were many people—the scene was much more solemn than she had imagined. Chen Xi was seated in the third row, flanked by English majors from R University. The pressure hit her all at once, and her palms began to sweat. Even though she kept telling herself she wasn't inferior, the grandeur of the setting still made her feel intimidated.

He Xu was the first speaker, and he was also looking for Chen Xi. He searched for a long time without success until just before he was to go on stage, when he finally spotted her sitting in the third row near the wall. He wanted to go over and say a few words, but the organizer was already calling for him to prepare, so he had to give up.

When the host called He Xu’s name, Chen Xi looked up and, watching him walk slowly onto the stage, whispered, "Good luck."

He Xu seemed to sense it; he looked toward where she was sitting. Their eyes met across the room for two seconds, both seeing encouragement in the other's gaze. He Xu smiled slightly, took the microphone, turned his expression serious, and began his speech.

In the audience, Chen Xi was multitasking, listening to He Xu while memorizing her own lines. A few minutes later, He Xu stepped off the stage to enthusiastic applause, and the judges looked satisfied. Chen Xi thought he must have done well.

Next was a student from Beijing No. 4 High School. The opponent was confident, brave, and had a fluent, standard accent. Chen Xi began to feel anxious.

When it was her turn, her palms were dripping with sweat. She stood up slowly and, under the gaze of everyone, supported her trembling legs and stepped onto the vast stage.

At that moment, standing on stage and looking at the sea of people below, her fear suddenly vanished.

Xu Shaoyi saw Chen Xi on stage and, recalling the dinner from the night before, a glimmer of expectation appeared in his eyes.

Zhou Yanzhou had parked the car and was preparing to watch the competition when he received an urgent call. By the time he finished and rushed to the auditorium, he arrived just in time to see Chen Xi stepping onto the stage. He didn't want to disturb her, so he stood silently at the back door of the auditorium, watching her small figure carrying such massive ambition.

Despite being nervous enough for her legs to tremble, her voice didn't waver in the slightest; instead, it was unexpectedly firm and powerful. She performed better and with more emotion than in any of her rehearsals. Zhou Yanzhou had truly thought she would win, but he hadn't expected there to be others even better than her.

After the competition, Zhou Yanzhou found Chen Xi backstage. She seemed to have guessed the outcome, but still couldn't accept the result. After the judges and audience had dispersed, Chen Xi crouched in a corner, head in her hands, sobbing softly.

Zhou Yanzhou didn't want to hurt her pride, so he stood a short distance away, watching silently. It wasn't until the young girl cried until she was breathless and began to retch on the floor that Zhou Yanzhou could no longer bear it. He stepped forward, pulled her into his arms, pressed his warm palm against the back of her head, and comforted her softly, "You performed very well today. You’ve already done your best."

"Don't cry anymore."