Jian Chunqiu stood up and said to Chu Ge, "But now I need you to accompany me to a place."

Chu Ge was somewhat curious, "Where?"

"Huangpu Mansion."

Jian Chunqiu explained, "I heard that you have a collaboration with the Huangpu Family, regarding the development of a new drug."

Chu Ge nodded, "That’s right, I’ve had research in this area before. I happened to have a preliminary proposal in hand, and when I saw they were recruiting, I tried applying and was actually selected."

"I need to see Old Master Huangpu, also for the purpose of developing the new drug."

Chu Ge looked at Jian Chunqiu, puzzled; although he was a bit doubtful, he knew what questions should and shouldn’t be asked.

He didn’t ask further, only nodded gently, "Alright, I’ll go with you."

...

During this time at the Huangpu Group, Nangong Yang received a call from Huang Puchen. She was still Huang Puchen’s contractual girlfriend, and under this pretense, he wanted her to accompany him back to the Old Mansion for dinner.

The day felt particularly slow; every time Nangong Yang thought of Chairman Zhang’s cold face, her heart sank.

She sat in Huang Puchen’s car, looking out the window as the hustle and bustle of the city faded behind them. The wind whooshed by, and after half an hour, the car drove onto a deep, quiet lane, lined with plane trees. The car slowed down, and with the window open, the fragrance of the plane flowers filled the air. She gently closed her eyes and reached her hand out the window.

Huang Puchen saw this and slowed down even more...

The car slowly stopped in front of a villa, but Huang Puchen didn’t seem intent on getting out. Observing he wasn’t reacting, Nangong Yang prepared to step out, but the door in front suddenly opened on its own, making her sit properly again. She thought to herself how advanced technology was now, really the life of the wealthy, beyond their comprehension.

Huang Puchen led her by the hand, straight from the underground garage upstairs. Entering the living room, they found his grandfather, who they usually saw in videos, sitting on the sofa with reading glasses, holding a newspaper. Hearing their entrance, he looked up.

"Oh, Nangong Yang is here, come have a seat." The grandfather shook the newspaper and slowly folded it up.

"Hello, Grandfather." Nangong Yang smiled at him, her palm sweaty in Huang Puchen’s grip.

Huang Puchen gave her hand a slight squeeze, offering a steadying glance.

He then let go and sat beside his grandfather, and Nangong Yang followed suit and sat next to Huang Puchen, sitting there respectfully.

"No need to be stiff; grandfather isn’t a tiger."

Nangong Yang felt a little embarrassed by his words, not knowing where to place her hands and feeling somewhat uncomfortable all over.

Chairman Zhang came downstairs, having changed from her formal attire into casual wear, with her hair loosely tied up. At a glance, she looked like a woman in her late twenties, hard to imagine she was already the mother of a marriageable young adult.

Chairman Zhang glanced at her, then sat across from them.

"Chairman Zhang," Nangong Yang called out softly.

The grandfather took off his glasses, saying, "At home, there’s no need for such formal titles."

Nangong Yang instinctively looked at Chairman Zhang’s face, which showed no expression, as she picked up her cup, took a sip, and started reading the newspaper the grandfather had put down.

Soon a young maid placed a glass of water in front of her.

"Nangong Yang, do you play Chinese chess?" the grandfather suddenly asked.

"A little bit."

Huang Puchen fetched the chess set, suggesting he play with his grandfather first. In each game, Huang Puchen lost, seemingly on purpose. Each time he had the opportunity to change the outcome, he deliberately made mistakes. It’s unclear if the grandfather noticed this, but he seemed quite happy.

Chairman Zhang took her aside to a study, getting straight to the point, "I know the Old Master likes you."

"..."

"Don’t worry, I won’t target you anymore, but you need to change now!"

"Change what?" Nangong Yang looked at her puzzled.

"Think about your behavior in the company, what part of it is satisfactory to me? It’s unpromising!"

"..."

"I know you’re impulsive, with an air of arrogance, but if you want to be part of our family, these traits need to be eradicated."

These things have been part of her for almost 20 years; how was she supposed to get rid of them? It was really difficult for her.

"I can’t change." She said a little dispiritedly.

A hint of impatience flickered in Chairman Zhang’s eyes, "I will guide you properly."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Ma’am, the Old Master has asked Miss Nangong to join him for chess."

"Understood."

Chairman Zhang instructed them to call her for dinner, then turned and returned to her bedroom, while Nangong Yang went back to the living room.

"Huang Puchen’s skills are slipping a bit, don’t always focus on work. There are many secrets in chess too." She had just sat down when she heard the grandfather lecturing Huang Puchen, advising him to study chess skills seriously.

"Nangong Yang, come play a round with me." With that, he nudged Huang Puchen aside.

"Grandfather, please go easy on me."

"I won’t go easy, not only that, I want to win with all my might."

"..." She glanced at Huang Puchen, who nodded at her.

...

"Check!" The grandfather exclaimed excitedly.

Thanks to her grandfather, she was a sparring partner from a young age. Even now, every time she returned home, she needed to battle through three rounds first. While playing, she saw that if you won against the grandfather, he would want to win back, explaining why Huang Puchen had deliberately lost games.

"One more game." The grandfather was still enjoying himself.

"Old Master, dinner is ready," a middle-aged woman came over to say.

"Alright, let’s eat first," the grandfather stood up first.

Chairman Zhang also came downstairs, glancing at her without much expression, and walked to the dining table, arranging the grandfather’s chair before sitting down first. Nangong Yang murmured in her heart, the elders hadn’t sat down yet, is this polite?

As it turned out, Huang Puchen also directly sat down at the table, leaving Nangong Yang taken aback. Just then, the grandfather stopped suddenly by the fish tank, feeding the fish.

Nangong Yang stood there, unsure whether to sit down.

Chairman Zhang casually remarked, "Don’t just stand there, come take a seat. We don’t have too many formalities here."

Nangong Yang replied affirmatively and had just sat down when the housekeeper ran over in a hurry, "Old Master, Mr. Chu and Elder Jian have arrived."

Old Master Huangpu looked at the time, a bit puzzled, "At this hour? Is there something urgent? Please invite them in quickly."

Nangong Yang sat in her place, initially not paying much attention to their words.

Until Chu Ge and Jian Chunqiu walked into the living room, Chu Ge politely greeted Old Master Huangpu, and only then did Nangong Yang realize the Mr. Chu the housekeeper mentioned was Chu Ge.

"Mr. Chu, Elder Jian, is there something urgent for your sudden visit?"

Jian Chunqiu looked apologetically at Old Master Huangpu, "Sorry to interrupt your meal."

"No, no, there’s no inconvenience at all."