Chapter 188 Old Acquaintance

ly.The female students collectively vomited: "I'm puking!""To be frank, I want to say can we please not shout like we're abandoned spinsters Someone walking by would think our school has people practi...Chapter 188: Old Acquaintance

Su Cen received a call while he was at school. When he answered, it turned out to be Li Ying, saying she wanted to come to Nankai University specifically to visit him.

Su Cen subconsciously thought of that girl in the white dress and felt somewhat nostalgic, so he said, "Sure, you can come anytime."

Li Ying set up a meeting for Saturday. That day, Su Cen went out at the appointed time to wait by the red walls of the old campus covered with green treetops that blocked sunlight near Gate Number One.

A Mitsubishi sedan stopped in front of him; the door opened, and Li Ying, looking quite refined, jumped out of the car, then directed it to park nearby. A man followed her out of the Mitsubishi car—short hair, a few years older than Su Cen, around 5'9", not particularly robust, but his appearance complemented Li Ying well. He had been somewhat awkward at parking and was scolded for it; now he was sweating.

He came over to Su Cen, extended his hand, and said with a smile, "I'm Zhu Junfeng, nice to meet you."

"Su Cen," Su Cen smiled back. "Nice to meet you."

"Li Ying has told me all about you." Zhu Junfeng nodded. "Shall we find somewhere to go"

In the coffee shop and small water bar at Nankai University, Li Ying sat next to Zhu Junfeng across from Su Cen; when they were walking and talking earlier there was no awkwardness, but now that they had settled down there seemed to be an uncomfortable vibe. Zhu Junfeng probably noticed Li Ying keeping a distance from him and also sat upright stiffly as he ordered some drinks. When he heard Su Cen say they usually came here to look at the Nankai beauties, his gaze wandered around.

Li Ying was still somewhat shy and awkward, perhaps feeling it was presumptuous to appear before Su Cen like this. So Su Cen asked first, "Is your dad doing okay"

"He has some small health issues—high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes. The doctor says they’re due to overwork and he needs more rest. But my mom always says it’s because of the alcohol; every night he goes from one place to another."

Zhu Junfeng smiled and said, "Uncle doesn't have a choice in this matter."

"Why do you defend him You first need to get through his scrutiny..." Li Ying seemed to realize she had slipped up when she spoke; Zhu Junfeng also glanced at Su Cen and changed the topic with her.

Su Cen was well aware by now that the relationship between these two individuals was not just ordinary friendship, but something deeper. However, it seemed that Li Yan's father did not approve of Zhu Junfeng, and this might take time to resolve. Su Cen didn't want to provoke anything, so he took a sip of the lemon water in front of him, smiled slightly, and looked away.

"Facebook is developing very well... now almost all foreign companies in China are using it for internal communication and meetings; I often hear my classmates from these foreign companies and large state-owned enterprises talking about it. But your cooperation with American Facebook—does this count as a channel rental" Zhu Junfeng asked.

Su Cen glanced at Li Ying, who stuck out her tongue at him. He hadn't told Li Ying anything about himself, but the fact itself wasn't such a closely guarded secret. Although he had never appeared in any media and refused all interviews, major media outlets wouldn't just wait around for an interview after being rejected. However, he was still well-known by name, and many people inside Nan Da University knew of him too, let alone Li Ying's family; if she were to inquire about him, it would not be difficult.

"Are you suggesting that Facebook China is constrained by American Facebook and can't sustain long-term development" Su Cen smiled. The way Zhu Junfeng asked indicated he was thoroughly aware of his identity and had rich internal information. There was no need for Su Cen to be evasive, "Unlike many joint ventures or subsidiaries of U.S.-based companies in China, the management of Facebook Chinese includes human resources, finance, technology departments, etc., all controlled by us ourselves. In our corporate hierarchy, positions such as CEO, COO, CFO, CTO, Director of Business Development, and HR Manager can only be nominated by American Facebook for the CEO and COO roles; other key positions are proposed by Chinese Facebook and appointed by the board. All senior managers report to the CEO."

The chairman of China's Facebook was Su Cen, with two out of five seats on the board belonging to him, one seat taken by Qiao Shuxin as e (CEO), another seat held by CFO Kate representing American Facebook, and the remaining seat being occupied by Mark Zuckerberg.

Different from many joint ventures where the board is basically controlled by foreign companies and annual patent fees have to be paid, Facebook Chinese has its own intellectual property and patents, without concern for trademarks. The overseas structure was mainly set up for financing and future listing considerations; essentially, Facebook Chinese belongs entirely to Su Cen.

The rapid development of Facebook Chinese benefited from such flexibility, while in the real world, Mn (Micro-Network) could not catch up with Tencent QQ due to numerous restrictive regulations.

Everyone knew about Microsoft's Mn, but few were aware that the Chinese part of its joint venture was led by the eldest son of a national leader. Even with such deep state backing, it still faced constraints from American Microsoft, with management power being largely usurped and the board almost rendered ineffective. It could not surpass competitors in China’s fast-developing market and eventually became mediocre.

Su Cen wanted Facebook Chinese to become a platform favored by the masses; naturally, he would avoid such foreseeable limitations.

Zhu Junfeng felt quite pressured sitting across from Su Cen today. He learned many things about this man through Li Ying, especially that he was now a prominent figure at Nan Da University, one of the most talent-rich universities in China, and could potentially become someone deeply influencing economics and environmental policies in the future. Moreover, he knew why Li Ying's parents were somewhat against him; originally, they had their eyes on this young man.

It was impossible for Zhu Junfeng to have no reservations in his heart; there would always be a competitive spirit involved because admitting being inferior to someone else is an issue of male dignity. But after chatting face-to-face with Su Cen, he felt somewhat defeated when the latter explained his understanding of future trends and company development plans. Even information-rich Zhu Junfeng from state-owned enterprises was left speechless.

Age indeed shouldn't be a standard for measuring intelligence; Zhu Junfeng had no idea what exactly Su Cen was thinking, but he understood that it might take him until his thirties or forties to comprehend the significance of what Su Cen was doing.

This thought inevitably led to some disappointment.

"Su Cen is a perfect example of hard work, and you are even older than him. Don't you feel the need to put in more effort" Li Ying said to Zhu Junfeng, who could only nod repeatedly. When she was with him, Li Ying always had a rather assertive personality.

Su Cen observed this scene but remained silent despite sympathizing with Zhu Junfeng.

"Although you've never come over to our house," Li Ying brought up the topic again and said, "my dad sometimes mentions you."

Li Ying's father, Li Yan, used to be part of a faction in their college黨委 (Party Committee) and later became the director of Shanghai’s Development Planning Commission. Su Cen felt slightly wary; if someone at such a high level as Li Yan was discussing him, it certainly wasn't a good thing for his reputation.

Li Ying seemed to sense Su Cen's apprehension and smiled, saying, "My dad sometimes asks me whether you are very busy at Nan Da. If not, why haven’t you come over often as you promised last time You haven’t contacted me either."

Zhu Junfeng felt even more dejected seeing Li Ying scolding him in front of Su Cen yet being considerate at the same time. Usually, when Li Ying was around, she would be distant and sometimes domineering due to family issues. Zhu Junfeng always had to submit to her, and she rarely apologized.

Sometimes Zhu Junfeng felt lost; he didn't know if Li Ying was with him because of an inner void. He wondered when he might see the refined side of her or even find her charming like how cute she looked now.

He sometimes even doubted himself, thinking that he wasn’t worthy of a girl like Li Ying.

The time passed unnoticed as Li Ying chatted with Su Cen. Throughout the conversation, Zhu Junfeng's mood sank lower and lower; he was unsure why he had sat there at all.

When it was time to leave, everyone got up, but Zhu Junfeng still seemed dazed until Li Ying nudged him. He then realized that he should have tried to pay for the meal instead of letting Su Cen do so, but in the end, he couldn’t prevail over Su Cen.

Outside the café, Li Ying said, "It’s really unnecessary; I called you specially to pick us up and now you even have to pay."

Su Cen waved his hand with a smile. "This place is my territory anyway. No big deal."

Zhu Junfeng sighed inwardly, feeling utterly defeated in terms of aura, generosity, and wisdom when he was before the founder of Facebook's equivalent. He went to fetch their car but suddenly felt something soft enveloping his hand; looking over with surprise, Li Ying had wrapped both her hands around his arm, disregarding propriety as she leaned against him. Zhu Junfeng thought that every part of his body seemed numb from head to toe at this moment.

Li Ying tilted her head and said to Su Can, "If everything goes well, after I graduate from university, our wedding ceremony is something you have to attend."

Zhu Junfeng took a deep breath as if he were trying to calm his heart which was beating wildly.

Su Can paused for a moment and then nodded solemnly. "That's an event I can't miss in my lifetime."

Li Ying turned around and reproached Zhu Junfeng, "Hey, do you have confidence"

Zhu Junfeng swallowed hard and said, "I'm very confident."

Su Can wanted to laugh from his heart as he saw Li Ying leaning on Zhu Junfeng. He could clearly recall the image of Li Ying in a white dress walking through the corridors of the teaching building during high school. This girl was well-liked and strong-willed; she didn't choose to jump off the six-story tall building because of temporary setbacks when facing challenges with him.

Instead, he had held her back at that critical moment, and her white dress unfolded like a flower at that time. Whether or not she was exposed, how many people saw her underwear, what color it was, these were not problems Su Can needed to consider.

"Do you remember the story I told you" Li Ying gripped Zhu Junfeng's arm tighter and looked at Su Can with a smile, "The English textbook tells a story about a boy named Lilei and his girl MeiMei. Then there were Lily, Lucy, Jim Green, their little romantic relationships... In the future, Lucy returned to China, Lily went to Shanghai, and Green got married. But in the end, neither Lilei nor MeiMei held each other's hands... It's a bit of a pity."

"That was just a story I made up," Su Can laughed.

"But I believe it." Li Ying looked at him with bright eyes. "The boy who used to be close by is now someone you need to look up to... Fortunately, I've found my Lilei and roughly know what the future will look like that I didn't consider before." Then she smiled and said, "So Su Can, you have to work harder."

Su Can was too tired to respond. He turned back as he walked away from them. On his way through the complex road network of Nan University on the way to his dormitory, he waved goodbye from afar.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! May you all have a joyful family reunion. A little note: Everything I'm writing now, whether it's small waves or troughs, plainness or smooth sailing, is following the path I've designed towards my final outline. Whether or not this is transitional right now doesn't matter; in the end, many story nodes will be very fitting and will certainly lead to a beautiful grand finale.

Finally, a little more: On Monday, instead of going out shopping or playing, I'll update smoothly from my computer then.ter. However, it seemed like they were talking about something serious when they encountered this group of people. Zhao Xin wanted to make a good impression on Tang Wu and quickly greeted the girls he...