Chapter 72

"Is there anything to be embarrassed about?" Chen Yaoyu said in surprise, "This is what you deserve! Do you know, Xu Yan, for Grandpa Li's illness, the hospital expenses, including consultation fees, equipment fees, ICU special care fees, and imported medicine costs... these expenses have already far exceeded several million. The hospital took so much money, kept us busy for several days, and in the end, could only shrug and say 'sorry.' But you went there, and with just a bottle of mineral water, you saved Grandpa Li—compared to that, giving you just this much money, I already feel very guilty. If you refuse to accept it, I'll think you're dissatisfied with the amount. I'll go back and ask them to add another two million, how about that?"

Xu Yan was greatly alarmed by this and repeatedly said, "No." When Chen Yaoyu asked him why, he stammered and couldn't give a reason—Xu Yan didn't really have a reason. If the Li family had only given him fifty or a hundred thousand, Xu Yan would have half-heartedly accepted it. But the Li family giving him two million at once scared him. The amount was too large, making Xu Yan feel he couldn't bear it.

Seeing Xu Yan hesitating, Chen Yaoyu found it both amusing and frustrating. She poked Xu Yan's forehead with her finger, saying, "You, acting so indecisively, you don't act like a man at all. This money isn't stolen or snatched; it's willingly given by my family. It's clean and clear, your legitimate compensation. What do you have to worry about? If you were a government official, fearing accusations of corruption, that would be one thing, but you're just a college student, not a government official. What are you afraid of?"

After being poked a few times by Chen Yaoyu, Xu Yan came to his senses: Yes! Although two million is a lot, this money is his legitimate labor compensation. The other party gave it willingly, and he didn't steal, snatch, or extort it. This money is completely legal and reasonable. What is there to worry about?

Seeing Xu Yan still hesitating with the bank card in his hand, Chen Yaoyu walked up and quickly slipped the card into Xu Yan's shirt pocket, "Alright, just listen to me. Don't hesitate anymore—this is settled. We should go back; otherwise, they'll think we're doing something improper."

At this, Chen Yaoyu realized her words might be easily misunderstood. Her face turned slightly red, but she didn't explain, just turned and walked out of the private room.

Chen Yaoyu left. Xu Yan stood alone in the empty private room, still in a daze. For a moment, he couldn't come to terms with the fact: from now on, had he become a millionaire?

This was too sudden and too unexpected.

Recently, due to inflation, the value of the RMB had dropped significantly. News of billionaires and millionaires was common, and Xu Yan had become somewhat indifferent to a million yuan. But now, with two million yuan in cash, holding the bank card, he felt the weight of the money. It was heavy and substantial.

According to Xu Yan's life plan, after graduation, he would find a job, and as a new graduate, his monthly salary would be around 3,000 yuan. He would need to work for three to four years to gain experience and earn a monthly salary of over 10,000 yuan. Even if he earned 10,000 yuan a month, with bonuses, he would make at most 200,000 yuan a year. If he didn't eat or drink, it would take him at least ten to eight years to save up a million yuan. He never expected that in just a few minutes, his goal of ten years of hard work had been achieved.

After a moment of daze, Xu Yan calmed down and secretly mocked himself for being shallow: just a mere two million yuan, and he was so dazzled. In modern society, what could two million yuan do? It could only cover the down payment for a house in a big city, not even the full price. He actually thought he could live off this for the rest of his life, which was too unambitious.

Xu Yan straightened up and walked out—whether it was an illusion or not, with two million yuan in his pocket, he felt his posture was much more upright. He thought, the ancients were right, indeed, a man of high status cannot go a day without power, and a man of low status cannot go a day without money. With money in his pocket, he felt more spirited, and even his steps felt lighter.

But when he pushed open the door of the private room and saw the scene inside, his good mood was immediately dampened: the room was filled with smoke, and the voices were loud. In addition to Gong Xueting's roommates, there were a few more people: a man and a woman wearing glasses, who looked like teachers, and another teacher Xu Yan recognized, the lecturer who taught the science fiction appreciation course, Situ Xiao.

Even if some teachers were invited to dinner, Xu Yan could tolerate it, but his gaze shifted, and he saw another person he detested—Gong Xueting's fellow townsman, Zhao Tianyu.

Seeing Zhao Tianyu, Xu Yan felt a surge of anger—He still remembered how this guy had provoked him in the hospital and even reported him to the doctors. Now he had the nerve to show up?

Gong Xueting, what are you doing? Why did you invite such a scoundrel?

For a moment, Xu Yan was really angry. He glanced at Gong Xueting, who was sitting at the table, chatting with a few teachers. Hearing the door open, Gong Xueting looked up and greeted Xu Yan with a smile, "Xu Yan, you're finally back. We've been waiting for you to start the meal."

Seeing a strange male student walk in, the three teachers all looked over. One of them said in surprise, "Is this male student also from our International Trade Department? I've never seen him before."

Gong Xueting introduced him, "Secretary Zhao, this is Xu Yan. He's from the Economics and Management Department. When my father was ill, Xu Yan helped a lot. I specially invited him to thank him—Xu Yan, this is Secretary Zhao from our International Trade Department."

Xu Yan bowed slightly and greeted, "Secretary Zhao, hello!"

"Oh, hello, hello, Xu Yan, please sit down."

Hearing that Xu Yan was not from the International Trade Department but from a neighboring department, the teacher called "Secretary Zhao" politely chatted with Xu Yan for a moment and then turned to talk to others. However, the teacher who had taught Xu Yan, Situ Xiao, was more friendly and smiled warmly, saying, "Xu Yan, we've been waiting for you. If you don't come, we'll be starving."

"Sorry, I kept you waiting, Teacher Situ. I was on the phone outside, and it took longer than expected."

Teacher Situ smiled warmly, saying nothing, but Zhao Tianyu interjected, "Teacher Situ, young people nowadays are different from us. They have no sense of discipline or time. Knowing that so many people are waiting for him to eat, he still lingers outside making phone calls. It's really a lack of public morals—Teacher Situ, don't you think so?"

Situ Xiao shook his head, smiling, "We can't say that. Xu Yan might have had some urgent matters. Being late is understandable."

Hearing this, Xu Yan felt a surge of anger. He glanced at Gong Xueting again, feeling even more annoyed—Gong Xueting, are you out of your mind? Why did you invite this guy?

He looked around and saw that the table Gong Xueting had booked was large, with over a dozen seats. A few seats were still empty. According to Xu Yan's preference, he wanted to sit near Gong Xueting, but she was sitting next to Situ Xiao, and next to her was Zhao Tianyu. Xu Yan found them annoying and didn't want to sit there. He looked for Liu Yang but saw him already sitting between Chu Yan and Yu Lan. As for the others, Xu Yan wasn't familiar with them and didn't want to sit with them.

Xu Yan was hesitating about where to sit when Chen Yaoyu raised her hand and beckoned him over, pointing to the empty seat next to her, "Sit here."

Xu Yan breathed a sigh of relief and responded cheerfully, "Alright!"—If he had to sit next to Zhao Tianyu, Xu Yan would rather not eat and leave.

Xu Yan sat down, and Chen Yaoyu seemed to sense that he wasn't happy. She explained in a low voice, "When Gong Xueting's father was ill, the department organized a fundraising campaign. Now that her father has recovered, it's only right for her to invite a few department leaders to dinner to show her gratitude. It's a matter of courtesy."

Hearing this, Xu Yan's mood improved. He glanced at Teacher Situ Xiao, "So, is Teacher Situ also from the International Trade Department?"

Chen Yaoyu looked over, her expression unchanged, but her lips moved slightly, "Not really. When our department organized the fundraising, Teacher Situ heard about it and came to donate 50,000 yuan on his own. Gong Xueting is very grateful to him, so she invited him to dinner."

Just gratitude, huh?

Xu Yan mused, glancing at Gong Xueting again and seeing the annoying Zhao Tianyu. He pursed his lips, "So, did this Zhao senior also help?"

Chen Yaoyu shook her head, "We don't know—anyway, I know Gong Xueting didn't invite him. He must have heard about it and came to join in. Since he's here, Gong Xueting couldn't bear to ask him to leave, so he just sat down."

Hearing that the annoying Zhao Tianyu wasn't invited by Gong Xueting, Xu Yan felt a bit better. At this moment, seeing everyone gathered, the waiter began to serve the dishes. As the waiter served the dishes, the handsome Teacher Situ Xiao began to talk about his experiences studying in the United States. He spoke eloquently and confidently, occasionally using a few English words: "So, I went to see Professor John and handed him my thesis. Professor Johnson, who usually didn't take us foreign students seriously, said, 'Gordon, you shouldn't hand it to me directly. You should go to your academic advisor and communicate with them. They should come to me, not you.' But I, being young and fearless, just shouted at him, 'Professor, let's skip the formalities. The key is that I can complete this project, and among all the students in the department, only I can do it. If you don't read my thesis, it's your loss.'"

"Ha, foreigners are like that. They don't respond to softness, only to firmness. If I had asked nicely, they wouldn't have paid attention, but by shouting at him, they took me seriously. In their view, if you lack confidence, your work is definitely not perfect. If you are firm, they think you are confident and therefore excellent, so they give you a chance."

Teacher Situ had a graceful demeanor and spoke clearly, making the story clear and engaging. Some people have a natural charisma; as soon as they speak, they attract everyone's attention and become the focus of the room. At this moment, not only Xu Yan but everyone at the table stopped chatting and listened intently to him.

Xu Yan also noticed Gong Xueting. Despite Zhao Tianyu's persistent attempts to chat with her, Xu Yan could see that Gong Xueting wasn't paying attention to him at all. Her full attention was on Teacher Situ Xiao, who was sitting next to her. She looked up at him with a sweet smile, like a blooming flower. Her eyes, filled with admiration, gazed at Teacher Situ Xiao.

Seeing Gong Xueting's expression, Xu Yan felt a heavy blow to his heart, a mix of pain and sourness. He sipped his tea, looking at the table full of delicious dishes, but he had no appetite. If it weren't for the rudeness, he would have left on the spot.

Chen Yaoyu, a considerate girl, noticed Xu Yan drinking tea in silence and saw the gloom in his eyes. She opened her lips as if to comfort him, but such matters are hard for outsiders to intervene. She hesitated, then shook her head and sighed, "Xu Yan, try to be more open-minded."

Xu Yan looked up, surprised by Chen Yaoyu's words. He hadn't expected this proud and reserved rich girl to be so considerate. He smiled bitterly, raised his teacup, and touched it to Chen Yaoyu's, expressing his gratitude, "Thank you, Yaoyu."

Chen Yaoyu raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Thank me? Why?"

Xu Yan pointed to his shirt pocket, where the bank card was, and nodded, smiling bitterly, "Don't laugh at me, Yaoyu, but I've never seen so much money before."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(To be continued) r640

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