Chapter 760 511: Jiangg Yao Leaves

"Where's Yaoyao? Is she still not up yet?"

Chen Yuan, now in a sharp suit, had shed his boyish immaturity. He saw Ningning come back from trying to wake Yaoyao and turned to ask.

Chen Yuan stood ramrod straight.

Before him was the walk-in closet's full-length mirror.

He wasn't sure if it was because he had just showered and his skin was hydrated, or because of the sudden change into a suit, but he looked exceptionally sharp at that moment.

Broad shoulders, a straight back... Although his tie was undone and hung loosely on his chest, he already had the air of a mature, elite professional.

His freshly washed hair lay flat against his forehead.

"She's gone."

Jiangg Ning's words came as a surprise to Chen Yuan.

"Gone? Gone where?" He didn't understand.

"She said she was afraid that if she saw you before going abroad, she wouldn't want to leave. So she secretly booked a morning flight. I just checked the ticket; it took off a little after five... She should be preparing to fly across the Pacific by now."

A moment of silence passed.

"She didn't have to go if she didn't want to. With me here, who could force her? She's a grown woman, still leaving without a word... Forget it. I'll call her when she lands. By the way, has she found a hotel? Remind her to keep her passport and ID somewhere safe. It's much more dangerous overseas than here; people get robbed all the time."

"I'll ask her when she gets off the plane." Jiangg Ning could hear the subtle displeasure in Chen Yuan's voice.

So she answered quickly.

A moment later, she took the initiative to soothe him.

"Alright, Yaoyao has her own way of thinking. She's already gone, so don't ruin her trip by being upset. Just calm down," she said, stepping closer and adding softly, "Let me get your tie."

"Okay. You should get changed soon, too. We need to get going."

Jiangg Ning's slender fingers moved deftly at his chest, and she quickly finished tying his tie.

"Very handsome," she commented sincerely.

Compared to when they first met, when Chen Yuan was just another college student in a lecture hall, he had changed so much. He now possessed a charm that matched his handsome face. Every gesture, while not exactly radiating an air of command, showed a presence that was several notches above what it used to be.

"What do you think? Should I push my bangs up?" Chen Yuan asked, fiddling with his hair.

"Sure, let me do it. Showing your forehead will make you look brighter."

The two whispered to each other in the walk-in closet.

Chen Yuan sat obediently while Jiangg Ning styled his hair, lifting it strand by strand. He would periodically open his eyes to check his reflection, asking Ningning to make adjustments wherever he wasn't satisfied, which earned him a playful jab about being vain.

This must be what they call perfect harmony.

Once Ningning had also changed, they stood together, and their roles seemed to instantly transform.

She wore a women's suit, looking radiant and alluring. Her mature charm was self-evident, and her entire being exuded an intellectual elegance.

"Perfect," Chen Yuan smiled with satisfaction and planted a firm kiss on her cheek. "Let's go, honey."

"No more kissing once we're out the door. Don't forget, you're my boss," Jiangg Ning said, pressing her lips together in a way that was surprisingly cute and coquettish.

"A boss kissing his secretary? That's even more right and proper..."

"Get out of here!"

...

「A few days passed.」

Chen Yuan settled into his life in Mingzhu City without any trouble.

Back in Lanjing, their lives had revolved more around daily living—a simple routine between the university and Fengting District. Looking back, it was a lazy, comfortable time. Here, however, they were much busier.

Jiangg Ning rarely had to cook anymore, needing only to focus on her studies. Chen Yuan, on the other hand, spent his days visiting the various grassroots positions within Jiang Corp's Mingzhu City operations, learning the rules of the trade.

Gradually, he met more and more people, and the number of headaches began to pile up.

He was improving at a rapid pace every single day.

Chen Yuan hadn't been a very talkative person before, but the demands of the job forced him to realize the importance of communication.

How to communicate with subordinates, with management, and with employees at the grassroots level.

He walked countless steps a day, which meant he had to soak his feet in a medicinal herb bath every night when he got home. Otherwise, even he couldn't stand the sour, sweaty smell.

Life was so full that he barely noticed the time passing.

Then one day, Chen Yuan realized he had missed his exam...

And it had been over for two days.

That day, it was drizzling in Mingzhu City. One of Chen Yuan's subordinates had gotten into a conflict with a grassroots employee, and it had blown up into a big deal. He was called into a meeting and couldn't answer his phone.

At the time, Chen Yuan had seen the call from Wei Zhen at the university.

He'd sent a text saying he would call back when he was done, but in the blink of an eye, he'd completely forgotten about it.

...

On the terrace of the Jiangg Family's villa in Mingzhu City.

Chen Yuan was utterly shocked to hear the exam was over. On the other end of the line, Wei Zhen sounded helpless.

"Bro, you asked me to notify you, but I never thought you'd forget the exam date itself... The counselor didn't mention it to our dorm, either. I assumed he had told you and you just didn't show up, so I didn't call again."

"Okay... I was in a meeting at the time; I really couldn't take the call. So when's the makeup exam?"

"Uh, I think you have to register with the counselor for the makeup exam, right? He's the one who finalizes the list. The final is right after this test. If you don't take the makeup, you probably can't take the final either."

"So if I don't take it, I'll fail the course?"

"Duh... If I were you, I'd talk to the counselor in advance. I don't think he'll give you a hard time. After all, you've been on leave for months. You haven't come back to campus once. I bet our class has almost forgotten you exist."

"You're right."

Chen Yuan thought for a moment.

'He really wouldn't be returning to the university much in the future. It would be best to get approved for a long-term leave of absence and arrange to take his exams off-campus, with a designated proctor.'

'Landa University wasn't without precedent for such cases.'

'If they really didn't agree... Chen Yuan recalled that the Jiang Corporation had an annual budget for university donations. He could just donate a building to Landa University. That would count as contributing to his alma mater, wouldn't it?'

'It wasn't his money anyway.'

"Okay, let's leave it at that for now. I'll call you guys when I head back to campus, and we can grab a meal... Both of them are busy, so they probably won't be coming back with me. Alright, isn't it enough that I'm coming back by myself?"

As he spoke on the phone, a genuine smile spread across Chen Yuan's face.

Jiangg Ning, who was behind him with her chin in her hands, took in the entire scene.

After he hung up, Ningning's soft voice sounded from behind him.

"Student Chen, your answers on this year's sophomore philosophy exam were far too perfunctory. After a unanimous discussion among the department heads, we have decided that you will have to take a makeup exam."

"A makeup exam? Teacher Jiangg Ning, I'm begging you, please just let me pass..."

Seeing the laughter in her eyes, Chen Yuan played along, putting on a pitiful, long face as he pleaded.

He wrapped his arms around Ningning's shoulders and said pitifully, "As long as you let me pass, I'll do anything you want."

"Can I ask you *not* to do something?"

"Absolutely not."

Chen Yuan instantly pulled back, wary, and raised an eyebrow.

'He looked forward to *that* every day.'

'It wasn't his fault his mind was in the gutter; Jiangg Ning was just too intellectually captivating and charming.'