eshing scent wafted through the air, reminiscent of clean summer days from eleven years ago.Not far away was another small store that, shortly before Mother decided to expand, had been rented by Aunti...Chapter 67: Crystal Clear Years

Lan Li suddenly appeared after school and informed Su Cun about something. He started to receive attention from the Tang and Mu families, gaining a certain level of importance. It was highly likely that he would face a direct interview from the Tang parents within this week once they had some free time.

After all, Mu Xuan and the Tang parents were filled with doubts at the moment. Although Mu Xuan appeared extremely calm during the incident, such overly repressed calmness often indicated more issues beneath the surface.

The Tang parents and Mu Xuan could no longer hold back.

Lin Guangdong arrived in Shanghai and checked into a room at the Holiday Inn on Nan University campus before heading straight to Nan University.

"It's simply too beautiful." In the parking lot of the journalism building, Lin Guangdong looked at the Bentley quietly glowing in a corner. He touched the bodywork, then crouched down by the headlights and poked around carefully.

The two people seemed more like car thieves hiding in the parking lot rather than owners of this Bentley. If students passed by, they would likely be very confused and wary about these two surrounding the car.

"I tried driving it; the engine is powerful, braking performance is good, and it can accelerate from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in around six seconds. I have plenty of relevant information in my trunk; you can clip out whatever you need from the magazines." Su Cun tossed Lin Guangdong the keys.

Lin Guangdong opened the door and got inside, observing the steering wheel and interior design carefully before testing the feel of the steering wheel and nodding. "Overall, it's quite impressive. The leather stitching on the dashboard looks extravagant. There are already rumors spreading that a mysterious young man around 19 years old bought this luxury Bentley in cash at the Shanghai Auto Show. It’s speculated to either be a diamond boy or the son of an inland super富豪, and now many media outlets are eager to dig up the story behind it. My circle of friends have been talking about it recently."

"Then let's capitalize on this momentum."

Lin Guangdong got out of the Bentley and closed the door with a slam, standing before Su Cun and sighing worriedly. "Indeed. However, I still feel there are some shortcomings. While炒作the Bentley at the auto show and your purchase thereof can attract attention for special reports and increase customer engagement temporarily, it’s only a temporary measure. Even if Fan Zhilian signs a contract with us due to this, he won’t be willing long-term.

The hype generated by this one-of-a-kind car may allow our magazine to gain recognition in Shanghai but without sustained effort, the impact will fade quickly. The established magazines in Beijing and Shanghai are still coldly observing our development process.

Su Cun looked at Lin Guangdong before him and felt that he had truly grown into a capable leader of Bolo Media from his previous role as a teacher. He was insightful, constantly reflecting on past actions, and clear-headed without being swayed by temporary success or status. Driving the Bentley to Tang’s dinner party definitely made him look impressive and prevented people from underestimating his background, but it was just an exceptional case where he turned the tables after being dismissed as a poor boy from a common family.

However, whether this Bentley could significantly elevate our magazine's status on a larger scale in Shanghai remains unknown.

"I hope everything goes well, Mr. Su," Lin Guangdong patted Su Cun’s shoulder. "Though your subsequent plans seem somewhat unrealistic, I’ve always believed in you."

The sunlight was bright; the red bricks of the journalism building reflected a warm glow.

Lin Guangdong pointed at the car and said, “I’ll take it to our studio now. Shall I drop you off or would you like to drive a bit longer”

Anyone who was not attached to material possessions would feel reluctant to part with such a luxurious Bentley, but Su Cun waved him off. "No need, go ahead to the studio. You’ll be busy preparing for the next issue; we still have some tough battles ahead."

Su Cun reconsidered and walked back over. “I’ll drive it one more time.”

He truly couldn’t bear leaving such a magnificent car.

Getting in, Lin Guangdong sat beside him as they drove out of the parking lot along the university road to the dormitory area.

A Bentley always attracted attention. Under the tree-lined avenue, it was quite eye-catching.

The students didn’t know about this car's background or its connection to the cash purchase incident at the Shanghai Auto Show by a mysterious young man. They didn't care whether it was the last S4 Bentayga in the world.

However, that did not prevent them from marveling at this exquisite piece of art on wheels. Car enthusiasts would debate its merits and features passionately.

No one could ignore a luxury car’s presence because it symbolized wealth and was something many people subconsciously aspired to possess.

“Where are you I’m in the car, near South Campus Building 5. Good, wait for me there; I’ll pick you up.” Su Cun made a turn at an intersection and drove towards the waiting Tang Wu at the entrance of the Fifth Teaching Building.

The Fifth Teaching Building was part of Nan University’s older batch of buildings, simple yet outdated. Flower beds lined the front, with the Foreign Languages Institute behind it. Next to it were the American Studies Center and School of Economics – famous for gathering beautiful women across campus.

Rows of bicycles neatly arranged at the entrance made transportation back to dorms convenient despite its distance from the main campus.

Couple after couple often emerged from teaching buildings, boys locking up bikes while girls hopped onto them with books in hand, their skirts fluttering under the sun as they went to libraries or canteens for meals and snacks.

The pleasant autumn weather made students drowsy; post-class lectures were often heard only in a haze of half-listening.

Cheng Congcong and a few girls were discussing going to Wujiao Field for some shopping; she had customized a crystal bracelet that would be delivered. After picking it up, she planned to head to the gym for exercise before swimming at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, making her life rich and fulfilling, embodying the image of a socialite queen at Nankai University.

In fact, those who gathered with her were still very active student groups within Nan Kai. They held some status or authority in on-campus organizations; today even one of Su Can’s opponents from Du Dawei's dinner party was here among the group of exchange students.

However, they are now being quite gentlemanly in front of Tong Tong and Ruan Sigu, among others, no longer boasting drunkenly as before. Perhaps this has to do with the shadow left by Su Can’s reprimand, causing them to restrain themselves a bit more.

The exchange students may have had conflicts with Tang Wu's boyfriend, but Cheng Congcong is someone who still firmly believes that "If we don't go swimming, then maybe just working out at the gym would be fine."

Said Ruan Sigu and Tong Tong in a hesitant manner. They were pulled out of their classes by Cheng Congcong only to encounter this big group. Then they saw Tang Wu hurry down from the teaching building, about to greet them when a dark luxury car parked perfectly downstairs.

Su Can's car arrived through rusted iron gates and entered the area around Wujiao Building.

Tang Wu received a call and hurriedly came down but did not expect that her classmates were still there after class had ended.

After class, she deliberately said she needed to study some more to avoid them because she didn't want Su Can's car to be seen by these girls.

Especially Cheng Congcong.

Tang Wu understood the mindset of this girl who constantly attends various social events while secretly comparing herself to Tang Wu. When Cheng Congcong always criticized other girls' boyfriends in front of her, it made Tang Wu very uncomfortable. Even Ruan Sigu and Tong Tong noticed such undercurrents, so they usually supported Tang Wu.

Cheng Congcong ignored this and continued acting as she pleased.

But now that Tang Wu knew about Su Can's influence, she felt conflicted. She wished to immediately show everyone who undervalued Su Can his true worth but also restrained herself from doing anything that would make people like Cheng Congcong go crazy out of envy.

Sometimes it’s difficult to change objective facts according to one’s will.

Su Can got out of the car and walked towards the entrance of Wujiao Building, where everyone was now silent. He didn't see Tang Wu come down but instead saw her group of classmates and roommates. Startled momentarily at their presence, he wondered aloud, "This is quite lively." Then he started to ponder which pocket to keep his hands in—left or right—to look most natural.

Under such a situation, the only thing left for him was to prove that Tang Wu's choice would shine brighter than others. What she chose would be outstanding indeed.

In autumn, with fallen leaves and long benches under the plane trees, occasionally students walked past listening to heavy metal rock music through their earphones while nodding along.

The Bentley behind Su Can attracted attention; Lin Guangdong stepped out of the passenger seat, closing the door with a soft thud. He lit a cigarette and leaned against his car, looking at the university students before him with deep thoughts about his own past. However, he mostly looked forward to what kind of grand career he would have under Su Can's leadership.

Some people close to Cheng Congcong who were also friendly with those exchange students still harbored hostility towards Su Can but had added nervousness. When Su Can walked over without any intimidating aura, it caused an inner shiver in others nonetheless.

"Huh, no wonder Tang Wu was unwilling to come out earlier; so you two actually planned this," Ruan Sigu pretended not to see the car behind Su Can and said with a tone as usual. Because if one wasn't blind, they would notice that Su Can got out from the left side of the car.

That was the driver's seat.

"Tang Wu, you're quite sneaky! Afraid we might disturb your date Could it be there’s a luxurious romantic journey today" Tong Tong looked calm but spoke with hidden resentment and implications. By now she could basically conclude that Su Can had been quietly hiding his true self since the start of school; from entering university to this day, the truth was revealed.

"No," Tang Wu walked up beside Su Can, her slender figure looking especially dependent as she held onto his arm and smiled at Ruan Sigu and Tong Tong, saying "I just didn't want you two to feel too lonely."

Ruan Sigu and Tong Tong looked at each other in surprise. They hadn’t expected Tang Wu would start joking with them; upon exchanging a glance, they fiercely said, "Tang Wu, are you showing off You’re the one feeling neglected. I formally declare that when you return to your dormitory, you’ll definitely beg for mercy."

Then both girls couldn't help but laugh.

The boys listening felt their blood boil.

"Nice car, yours" Cheng Congcong finally recovered her composure, walked up to greet Tang Wu and forced a smile at Su Can.

Su Can’s face or the words about to come from his mouth were what she hoped would be "no," or even just a shake of the head to ease her tense heart and make her strained smile more sincere.

But Su Can honestly nodded.

This caused many psychological defenses to crumble instantly.

Darn, this car really is his!

A group of good-for-nothings who had designs on Tang Wu now felt utterly dejected. Those who had thoughts about her but hadn’t invested too deeply quickly withdrew, keeping themselves safe from potential harm and preserving their ability to explore broader prospects in the future. They could now maintain a proper distance.

After all, when people initially encountered Su Chen and found fault with him for his family background, he was at most considered a promising stock, not an outstanding one.

No one would have expected this kid to be idealistic and humble, yet still incredibly wealthy.

Su Chen watched the expressions of those around him change dramatically in front of his eyes. He thought that compared to the shrewd family members from the Tang and Mu clans, these people were still too immature. The differences between them were clear.

The emotions on the faces of those below could be seen through easily, but the expressions of the Tang and Mu clan members quickly shifted after their initial shock, filled with hidden criticism and conjecture, as well as deeper plans.

Su Chen felt that staying any longer would lead to an awkward situation. He turned around and said, "Let's go."

"." Tang Wu nodded in agreement.

Lin Guangdun opened the car door for them and then moved to the driver’s seat, leaving the back seats for Su Chen and Tang Wu.

The sedan reversed and quickly turned onto a road through the trees, heading towards the main campus.

Those left under Building 5 continued their gossip about who these people were. Some even lamented having missed out on recognizing Su Chen’s true worth earlier. However, those foreigners and others at odds with Su Chen didn’t take this to heart.

Tong Tong shook her head repeatedly: "We underestimated him. We should have investigated during orientation. I never thought that Su Chen actually has quite a background."

Ruan Sige nudged Tong Tong, who turned and asked, "What"

Ruan Sige leaned closer and whispered uncertainly, "Do you believe it When school started, I saw Su Chen. His father was by his side. At that time he was dragging a heavy suitcase... He really wasn’t like this."

"Tongtong, where are you going" one of the girls suddenly called out.

Cheng Tongtong’s face looked terrible as she walked out of the teaching building. She didn’t turn back and said, "Why are all of you just standing there I need to go pick up my custom-made bracelet at Swarovski; if I’m late, it’ll be closed. You guys can play without me."

Lin Guangdun eventually left in his car, but before doing so he dropped off Su Chen and Tang Wu at the main campus.

Walking through the university grounds with her soft hand held tightly by him, they strolled leisurely under the eyes of those around them.

"How did you think to develop a direct investment consumption magazine through revamping ‘Morning Flowers’" Tang Wu asked, staring at Su Chen’s profile. The sun cast a faint glow on his face. She continued, "That year... You were only seventeen."

Since that day of the banquet at the Tang residence, Tang Wu still found what Su Chen did to be surreal.

The rainy night when she fell ill seemed to not have existed; the Bentley that appeared was as if a dream. Because Su Chen had come in a Bentley and changed her life so easily, it made her feel like everything was unreal.

She didn’t know that from the moment he entered her life, her world had already started shifting.

Their fates were intertwined with their era.

"Yes, I was seventeen."

"At that time, I thought about how Tang Xiaowu and I would eventually graduate from this school. She’s so excellent in her studies; I’m comparatively worse... What if I can’t catch up to her, fail my college entrance exams, and end up without a future or destiny How could I then"

"Imagine me watching Tang Xiaowu leave for the south on a train towards a prosperous world while I head north to Noscent or stay put here watching her go far away, finding an excellent boyfriend in college, working hard after graduation to establish a family, and maybe even giving birth to that chubby white kid that makes me want to hit him. While I sit atop my home’s roof holding a bottle of beer singing heartbreak songs as a single person—how foolish would that be Rather than wasting time now trying to get into college only to fail, why not do something else If I have money when we graduate, I’ll even charter an airplane to visit Tang Xiaowu. Wouldn’t that be amazing"

Tang Wu’s eyes welled up with tears but she couldn’t help but laugh at Su Chen’s last words and lightly punched him: "You’re a nouveau riche."

"Yes, I am nouveau riche. But I fear losing control of my destiny and failing to grasp Tang Xiaowu’s fate. I’m afraid we’ll miss each other in an instant; regrets and helplessness are all garbage. If life is a burden I carry, then I’m truly doomed."

Tang Wu’s tears overflowed: "Fool." She continued, "You’re the biggest fool."

Su Chen gently held her as he patted her back and inhaled the scent emanating from the hollow of her neck. He said softly, "Yes, I am a fool, but at least I’m not worse than someone who misses everything out of sheer stupidity."

The two hugged each other tenderly under the autumn wind that rustled through the locust trees.

"Su Chen..." Tang Wu’s voice echoed softly.

“Hmm.”

"I’m glad... We didn’t miss each other. Otherwise, I would regret sending you a letter that year." "The greatest fool is me."

Even though Su Cen's soul from two lifetimes had made his heart as hard as ice, a tender spot in his heart was still hit at this moment.

Su Cen patted Tang Wu on the back and held her arms before him. He looked down at her lotus-like face sprinkled with water droplets and smiled, saying, "You won't regret it, we're not allowed to regret anything. We have to live our life passionately."

Tang Wu nodded vigorously. A few men who had been watching them couldn’t bear the sight of such a beautiful girl being made to cry by this boy, and they all condemned him, shouting things like "shameless" and "scum."

Seeing Su Cen's innocent expression, Tang Wu wiped away her tears and smiled.

Su Cen then said in a proper manner, "I am indeed an upstart. I earn money but don't know how to spend it comfortably, so I bought the Bentley. In the future, I will probably have to spend even more."

"You can't just squander... What if I want you to hand over all your expenditure plans for me to manage"

Su Cen thought that Tang Wu was indeed professional; she didn’t say she would keep the money, but asked directly for an expenditure plan, locking him down in every aspect.

Su Cen grinned wickedly and said, "That depends. Unless Little Fuyu is willing to give herself to me, I might consider letting you manage all of Su’s family assets."

Tang Wu looked at Su Cen with her big eyes, bright and clear.

Su Cen was about to suggest a deeper discussion on this issue when Tang Wu wrapped her arms around his neck for a hug and said, "Is that okay now"

Su Cen took a deep breath. During this process, Tang Wu involuntarily lowered her head and turned away, her face as red as an apricot. Only then did he nod firmly, saying, "It's acceptable. But I've been wondering when your house will be finished renovating; we need to familiarize ourselves with the battle terrain."

"Big pervert," Tang Wu gave Su Cen a fair evaluation.

Tang Wu had envisioned countless times how she might suffer humiliation and lack of recognition if she were with Su Cen, possibly facing malicious rumors from relatives that would hurt her parents' feelings.

All this was because everyone believed the little boyfriend she found was just a silent supporter in the corner, an insignificant stone in their eyes. Yet when this stone suddenly shone brilliantly one day, everyone couldn't believe it: not Su Cen's father who had interacted with him; not Mu Xuan, who always boasted about her discerning eye.

Even Tang Wu herself, who had watched the boy grow from an ordinary middle school student to a high school and university student, didn’t believe it at first.

Su Cen could leap across hundreds of kilometers to reach Rongcheng and miraculously attend the same school as her. The surprise overwhelmed her when he suddenly appeared before her one day. Then they both went to America as exchange students for three years that she had never imagined in her wildest dreams.

Later, they came together to Nanda University where a Bentley was driven by Tang Wu's family at the banquet.

The shock this brought was like when Xia Hai entered First Middle School and Su Cen greeted him with a grin on his first day of school. The air was fresh that year, windows clean and bright; occasionally there were flying catkins. That smile was crystal clear.

This year, the banquet was splendid, lights shining brightly; people were worldly-wise and cold-hearted. Su Cen appeared in the car with a smile on his face, regardless of others' reactions.

Note: Noscent (nōsbhend) means Arctic in English. Brothers naturally know about the issue of deleting book review posts; I reject any posts that incite the uninformed masses and don't want to cause chaos in the book review section with such posts.

I haven’t even finished writing a joke when someone jumps out to criticize, disrupting my train of thought and affecting my mood. At this point, deleting a post seems reasonable.

Hope everyone can understand me more; I too am reflecting on my actions. Writing so late every day exhausts you all along with me, causing physiological dysfunction; venting frustrations is understandable.

I still owe everyone three chapters.

I won’t forget it and will prove it through action.

Of course, I’ll dedicate myself to writing what everyone enjoys reading and finds more enjoyable.

Thanks for your monthly tickets, friendly suggestions, understanding and tolerance. Unpleasantness has passed; let's move forward together. Thanks for sticking with me all this time. such actions often aren’t restricted and are prone to corruption, becoming tools for interest groups like Nanning Group.He’s also clashing with his father’s Dayong Construction in the aviation indust...