A few minutes later, Chen Chen walked out of the library with a calm expression.
This was different from how he usually left late at night. At the moment, it was not yet two in the afternoon and a girl in black-rimmed glasses was trailing behind him obediently.
Both of them had been "invited out" of the reading room by the manager and a crowd of students.
"Can you really do it?"
The girl appeared to be wavering. "What if your research produces no results? Won't my money be wasted?"
"That depends on how rich you are then."
Chen Chen turned around, his eyes serene and composed without any hint of pleading. "You're from a single-parent family."
"How did you know?"
Her eyes widened. She had never told anyone about her family situation. Otherwise, she would have thought this guy had investigated her background.
"You said before that you wanted to show your father you can become a postgraduate student. On the surface, there's nothing strange about this statement. But combine this with the fact that you're taking sleeping pills, it's clear that your father is very important to you. At the same time, there's a deep conflict between you two."
Chen Chen continued. "You have a rebellious streak, so the conflict must be about studies. You wish to continue studying while your father has other plans for you… Let me guess, since it's still too early for you to start a family, your father must want you to help manage his company."
"How did you know?"
The girl asked in shock in an even higher-pitched voice.
"If you had a brother, your father wouldn't request this of you. Clearly, you don't have one, so you're an only daughter. Your relationship with your father is so rigid but three feet of frost doesn't form over a single winter's day. If you had a mother to soothe things over, you wouldn't reach the point of taking sleeping pills. Thus, there's a high possibility that your mother isn't with your father.
"Plus, your parents aren't divorced because barring exceptional circumstances, the courts in Mainland China would usually grant custody of a daughter to the mother. However, you're with your father, so I deduced that you're from a single-parent family."
"I…" The girl opened her mouth with a dazed expression.
Chen Chen looked at the time and hurried toward the dorm as he said, "It's rare for a female student to harbor such ambitions. You come from a life of luxury, so money and fame aren't a big deal to you. At this point, you're simply determined to gain your father's approval and so, you waver between his wishes and your desires."
The girl was thoroughly stunned. "How did you know…"
"I'm just good at observation." Chen Chen flashed a quick, harmless smile.
"Then… What do you think I should do?" The girl could not refrain from asking. Without realizing it, she was hanging onto Chen Chen's every word.
"That's up to you."
Chen Chen changed the subject. "In most cases, the personalities of kids from single-parent families would have one flaw or another. You're no exception. Now, you're still young and you don't understand what a father's love is like. Perhaps from your perspective, your father is occupied with work all day and has little time to care for you, leading to a distant relationship between you two. In truth, deep down, there's no way you don't understand how much your father loves you."
The girl was instantly silent.
"Putting aside the age and gender gap, your relationship with him is in this state today mostly because of you. When you were little, you resented him for not spending time with you. Now, you resent him for not letting you continue your studies. To be honest, this is a display of immaturity."
"So, you're saying I should give up on advancing my studies?" the girl questioned, somewhat dejected.
"No, you should continue your studies."
"Huh?" She stared at Chen Chen in surprise. Before this, she had almost been convinced by what he said.
"A father's love is reserved. He won't tell you how much he loves and cares for you, but this doesn't mean that the love isn't there."
Chen Chen explained, "It's simple enough to bridge this gap between you two. Over one meal, in one honest conversation, it can be resolved. But this doesn't mean that you should obey him by taking over the company.
"After all, one's learning lasts a lifetime. Although you're not concerned about money, this endeavor represents your determination. If you want to repay your father, do so with the best version of you. Although a father's love is a great thing, you still have your own convictions."
Having said this, Chen Chen exhaled and smiled at her. "That's what I think, anyway. Let go of your grudge and make things up with your father. Would that go against your determination to continue your studies? No, it wouldn't."
"You're right!"
The girl's eyes shone with a resolute glint and there was a trace of gratitude in her glance toward Chen Chen. "I must have my persistence and convictions!"
'Ah, if you don't have any convictions, how can I carry out my experiments? When your relationship with your father is mended, I could get more funding…"
Chen Chen smiled and looked at her with a steady gaze. There was no sign that his mind was on other things. "So, what do you think?"
"Okay, I'm willing to try it!"
The girl nodded vigorously until her tiny face was flushed. She reached out to Chen Chen with one hand. "You don't know my name yet, right? I'm Xia Yin from Grade 17, Biotechnology Class."
'Summer dusk? Summer sounds? Oh, it's
There was something special about this name.
"Spring waters are like sapphire;
Chen Chen shook her slender hand.
"Wow, you remember that piece of prose?"
The girl looked up in delight. "I'd thought you'd be like the rest…"
"In what way?"
"No, nothing."
Xia Yin smiled awkwardly, then hastened to change the subject. "Oh, right, when do you plan on starting your experiments? How do I help you?"
"It'll be winter break in a few days. I'll apply to stay on campus but if the lab includes an employee lounge, that'll be ideal."
Chen Chen listed out the conditions. "That's number one. Number two, the lab must meet
"But I haven't rented a lab before…"
Xia Yin looked troubled. "Other than the labs on campus, where else can I find one, and how do I rent it?"
She was a pampered young lady who had everything done for her. She did not even know how to do this…
"In that case, I'll do the renting."
Chen Chen spoke carelessly, "Still, you'd better prepared a significant amount of money. After all, renting a lab like that won't come cheap."
"So… How much money, roughly speaking?"
Xia Yin wore a solemn expression, demonstrating her readiness.
"A GMP-level laboratory would include at least five or six rooms of various functions, over three hundred square meters or so. According to the current market, renting one square meter would cost about RMB 5, so a lab like that would cost at least forty to fifty thousand a month."
"Phew, that's not a lot."
When she heard this, Xia Yin sighed in relief.
"That's just the rental, not including the funds for the experiments."
Chen Chen shook his head. "I can carry out three experiments at once. If all goes well, they'll be completed in three months. The funds plus the rental might come up to around three hundred thousand."
"That much?"
Xia Yin gasped sharply and Chen Chen's heart clenched tightly.
Just when Chen Chen thought she was going to change her mind, Xia Yin suddenly exhaled with a righteous, generous expression. "Looks like I can't hold on to this year's New Year's money…"
"..."