Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 399: As Long As There Is Enough Love

This kind of matter really required Peng Xiaoyong to speak up. Even though Lu Wanting had already clarified to Zhou Yuwen that she and Peng Xiaoyong were not in a romantic relationship, inviting Zhou Yuwen out for a meal alone to build connections still felt awkward.Primarily, back in their hometown, they had mentioned gathering more often once they arrived in Jinling. Having Peng Xiaoyong invite him over wouldn't seem abrupt; it would just be a simple gathering among friends. Besides, shouldn't they celebrate moving into a new home?

Naturally, Peng Xiaoyong was unwilling. He was never the type to fawn over powerful and wealthy relatives. The memory of his mother humbly borrowing money from his maternal uncle had always been a lingering shadow in his mind. Now, Lu Wanting wanted him to invite Zhou Yuwen for a meal, clearly just because Zhou Yuwen held power and influence.

Peng Xiaoyong refused to do it.

However, Lu Wanting insisted that her company had a very important project involving him.

"The leadership wants me to make contact with him privately, but I feel it would be too abrupt if I just approached him directly. So..."

A worker had no human rights.

Of course, by saying this, Lu Wanting also revealed her own desire to climb the corporate ladder.

Or perhaps...

She wanted to use Peng Xiaoyong's connections to get closer to Zhou Yuwen.

None of this could be known for sure.

Peng Xiaoyong pushed up his glasses, a moment of hesitation crossing his face. "I understand."

Hearing this, Lu Wanting was thrilled. "That's wonderful!"

In truth, they really should treat Zhou Yuwen to a meal. After all, according to the customs of their hometown, it was only natural to invite relatives over for dinner once they had settled down in Jinling.

For the sake of the woman he loved, Peng Xiaoyong swallowed his pride. That evening, he contacted Zhou Yuwen, asking if he was free to come over for a meal and hang out.

"Recently? I probably won't have the time."

"I'm currently in Changzhou taking care of some business," Zhou Yuwen flatly refused.

Peng Xiaoyong was not the flexible sort. Hearing Zhou Yuwen's response, he simply gave a noncommittal grunt and said that was fine.

"I'll hang up then."

Zhou Yuwen hung up just as decisively. These so-called relatives were nothing more than connections from his parents' generation. As far as Zhou Yuwen was concerned, if a relative proved capable in the future and was willing to fawn over him, he wouldn't mind letting a few benefits slip through his fingers for them.

But someone like Peng Xiaoyong, who refused to even try to curry favor?

At home, he might respectfully call him his eldest older male cousin.

But out in the real world, there was no way Zhou Yuwen was going to cater to his ego.

Over the past few days, Zhou Yuwen had been constantly traveling back and forth across Suxi-Chang. The student demographic was indeed more simple and straightforward. Furthermore, during the winter break part-time job operations, they had retained the contact information of many students who had subsequently joined the Xuhuai Association.

Since these students were willing to take on winter break part-time jobs, their family financial situations were undoubtedly less than ideal.

Zhou Yuwen focused primarily on them, providing the necessary investment capital and having them establish Xianlin Delivery branches.

With Meituan and Ele.me already laying the groundwork, Zhou Yuwen simply had to copy their successful models.

Meituan and Ele.me mainly utilized idle individuals from society as their delivery workforce. This came with certain drawbacks, the biggest being that these outsiders were often barred from entering university campuses.

Zhou Yuwen's approach was to collaborate directly with the local Student Unions. He would first invest five to ten thousand yuan to sponsor their evening galas, and then initiate partnerships under the banner of providing employment for impoverished students.

The intricacies involved were highly complex. If Zhou Yuwen wanted to rapidly dominate the market, he needed more than just human resources; he needed substantial amounts of money. Fortunately, Zhou Yuwen possessed both in abundance.

Therefore, everything proceeded exceptionally smoothly.

In just one short month, Zhou Yuwen had poured in eight million yuan. Of course, all these investments would eventually yield massive returns, because Zhou Yuwen knew that Meituan and the others wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer.

During his time traveling across Suxi-Chang, Zhou Yuwen only brought Lu Lin along.

He had indeed been neglecting her lately, leaving her feeling wronged. Since the start of the winter holiday, they barely had any opportunities to spend time together. He had promised her earlier that once he had the time, he would take her on a trip.

Yet, he could never seem to find the time.

Now, everything worked out perfectly. For the two weeks he spent in Suxi-Chang, Consort Lin accompanied him every step of the way.

Aside from shuttling between various colleges and universities, he spent the rest of his time taking Lu Lin out to enjoy the scenic sights.

It happened to be the vibrant peak of spring. Zhou Yuwen and Lu Lin wandered hand-in-hand through various tourist attractions. Truth be told, among all the women in Zhou Yuwen's life, Lu Lin had changed the least.

The other girls, like Zheng Yanyan and Su Qing, had all undergone some degree of transformation since the start of their freshman year. Zheng Yanyan had even dyed her hair once.

Lu Lin, on the other hand, still maintained her exact same style from the beginning of her freshman year.

She wore a black, cropped small T-shirt, a type of revealing top designed to accentuate the bust. It showed off her slender waist perfectly, paired with a set of mountain-blue jeans for her lower half.

Whenever the sun grew too glaring, she simply slipped on a pair of sunglasses.

She would follow lazily behind Zhou Yuwen, letting him lead her by the hand.

While visiting a museum, Lu Lin crouched by a pool of water and had Zhou Yuwen take a picture from behind. When she squatted in those jeans, the waistband slipped down slightly, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of her pale lower back.

Fortunately, there was no one else around, but it was undeniably a gorgeous sight.

In truth, once a young couple spent enough time together, their interactions generally boiled down to the same familiar routines. The sightseeing these past few days was entirely at Zhou Yuwen's insistence; Lu Lin herself would have much preferred to just lounge in the hotel.

Even if it meant having her thighs draped over Zhou Yuwen's shoulders.

Lu Lin was perfectly willing to do that. At the very least, she wouldn't have to exert any physical effort walking around.

They were practically an old couple by now anyway.

Why bother going through all these tedious preliminary steps?

Wasn't it better to just skip straight to the end result?

She might think that way, but the necessary rituals of dating still had to be observed.

For instance, returning to the hotel after a long day of sightseeing and pulling that revealing top up from the navel, wasn't that exact buildup what made the feeling so satisfying?

Over the one-month period spanning March and April, Zhou Yuwen made three trips across Suxi-Chang, successfully establishing food delivery operating points in the vast majority of colleges and universities across the three cities.

Since he didn't want to burn through too much capital, Zhou Yuwen adopted a franchisee model. This meant the person in charge of food delivery at each university was the local Student Union, while Zhou Yuwen's side solely provided the platform and paid out commissions.

This strategy slashed his required capital in half, yet still allowed him to rapidly expand his operational network everywhere.

By the time Meituan and Ele.me finally realized what was happening, the entirety of Southern Jiangsu was already saturated with Zhou Yuwen's food delivery branches.

Towards the end of March, Mr. Wang, the person in charge of Meituan's Jinling district, was still attempting to make a last-ditch stand.

At this point, the commission per order had already exceeded six yuan, yet Mr. Wang gritted his teeth and ordered, "Increase it! Raise it even higher!"

That is, until Zhu Hong slammed the latest report right into his face.

"This is no longer a matter of raising commissions! You've been fixated on his Jinling territory this entire time, completely blind to the fact that he's already set a raging fire in your own backyard!"

Upon reading the report, Mr. Wang's face filled with sheer disbelief.

"Impossible. How is this possible!?"

But the facts were undeniable. Mr. Wang had assumed that Zhou Yuwen was just some stinky student. How could a mere student possibly compete against a publicly traded company? He believed Zhou Yuwen's funds were strictly limited, and as long as Meituan kept applying the pressure, it was only a matter of time before Zhou Yuwen was forced to retreat.

Little did he expect that Zhou Yuwen would not only withstand his brutal price war...

...but also set a fire right in his own backyard.

The real question was: Suxi-Chang had long been occupied by their forces, so how was he still able to rise up there!?

Zhu Hong stared at the glutton and good-for-nothing standing before her, remarking coldly, "It's all written in the report. Read it yourself."

Mr. Wang flipped through the pages one by one, his expression frozen in absolute disbelief.

Finally, he looked up at Zhu Hong in shock. "You! Why didn't you tell me this earlier?!"

This report had been penned by Zhu Hong and sent straight to the headquarters. It clearly detailed Zhou Yuwen's background and net worth. Zhou Yuwen was not just an ordinary entrepreneurial college student; he was a highly famous novelist on the internet. His royalty earnings from the previous year alone ranged between seven to eight million yuan. Furthermore, the various companies he had established, such as Xianlin Labor and Xianlin Planning, were all turning a solid profit.

Because Gao Bide from Wanhui Group was Zhu Hong's former classmate, she was able to obtain precise data and accurately gauge roughly how much money Zhou Yuwen was pulling in.

In the report, Zhu Hong wrote: "Zhou Yuwen is a highly talented and exceptionally adventurous entrepreneur. I believe that if we continue to fight him, both sides will suffer, allowing a third party to benefit from the fallout."

"However, if we collaborate with him, we can effortlessly seize control of the entire university student market in Southern Jiangsu."

"At present, our most thorny issue is that our delivery riders cannot enter university campuses. By partnering with Zhou Yuwen, all these problems will be instantly resolved."

After reading this report, Mr. Wang's immediate reaction was naturally utter shock. But very quickly, realization dawned on him, he had been completely trapped by Zhu Hong.

He was furious, but it was already too late.

The latest directive from the headquarters explicitly stated that Mr. Wang was stripped of his position as the East Region Executive President. Until a new president arrived, Zhu Hong would step up as the acting person in charge of the East Region.

She was now solely responsible for negotiating the contract terms with Zhou Yuwen.

If Zhou Yuwen could successfully secure the university student market across the entire province...

...Meituan was prepared to invest twenty-five million yuan to acquire Zhou Yuwen's Xianlin Delivery.

Mr. Wang began to roar inside the office, unleashing a torrent of vicious curses at Zhu Hong.

He screamed that Zhu Hong was nothing but a vile bitch!

A treacherous snake!

Yet Zhu Hong appeared perfectly composed.

Dressed in a sharply tailored coffee-colored suit and trousers, her casually curled long hair perfectly reflected her decisive working style. With one hand tucked smoothly into her trouser pocket, she stated flatly, "Mr. Wang, you are no longer the Executive President. Until the new president arrives, I am the master of this office."

Mr. Wang lunged at Zhu Hong like a rabid madman.

But Zhu Hong had come well-prepared and immediately summoned the security guards.

Now sitting securely on the throne of the Executive President, Zhu Hong still found herself unsatisfied.

She let out a faint sigh. At the end of the day, she was still merely an Acting President.

The tides of the business world were constantly shifting, with kings rising and falling.

However, back on campus, a perfectly harmonious atmosphere prevailed.

The themed class meeting that their class had been organizing for a month finally concluded. Normally, Zhou Yuwen would never have bothered participating in something like this. Unfortunately, he was the only truly presentable talent their class had to offer. Facing Gu Yaoyao's relentless invitations, Zhou Yuwen found her hospitality difficult to refuse, so he reluctantly agreed to play a rendition of "Can't Help But Love You."

Gu Yaoyao had even eagerly asked if he had any original songs to debut.

Zhou Yuwen retorted, "Do you think original songs just grow on trees? You think I can just open my mouth and spit one out?"

Gu Yaoyao just let out a foolish giggle in response.

These themed class meetings were factored into the class excellence evaluation and were fully open to the public. They also had to be officially reported to the Student Union, who would then dispatch representatives to review the performance.

Considering Zhou Yuwen was somewhat of a prominent figure on campus, the news that he would be singing immediately drew the attention of quite a few well-known individuals within the school.

Even some of the girls Zhou Yuwen had previously added on WeChat proactively messaged him, asking if he was really going to perform at the themed class meeting.

Zhou Yuwen admitted that it was true.

The girls would inevitably ask, "Can I come listen to you sing?"

"If you want to come, just come."

Zhou Yuwen gave the exact same reply to every single girl.

This, of course, included Shen Yu.

A girl who he had barely seen at all, despite it being a full month into the new semester.

It couldn't be helped; Zhou Yuwen was simply far too busy. Even though Shen Yu and Zheng Yanyan were roommates, the dynamic within their dormitory had been thoroughly shattered and scattered by Zhou Yuwen's influence.

Out of the four girls sharing that dormitory, three of them now practically lived in Zhou Yuwen's big flat every day.

Thanks to Zhou Yuwen's immense blessing, Shen Yu basically had the entire dormitory to herself as one person. Yet, she wasn't happy about it at all.

On the day of the event, the classroom hosting the themed class meeting was packed. Zhou Yuwen definitely had fame, but it wasn't an overwhelming level of superstardom. Therefore, while there was a solid crowd, they fit into the single classroom just right.

Aside from two unfamiliar girls leaning eagerly by the window to catch a glimpse, he recognized the vast majority of the girls present.

For example, Su Qing, Zheng Yanyan, Shen Yu, and Lu Lin. Since these four girls were so incredibly familiar and intimately acquainted with Zhou Yuwen, them dropping by to watch was entirely expected as a matter of course.

However, it was Chang Hao who felt somewhat awkward.

Seeing Zheng Yanyan again...

Sigh!

Zheng Yanyan had indeed been thoroughly pampered and well-taken care of by Zhou Yuwen. She seemed even more stunning than before. It was just a pity that she no longer belonged to him.

No!

This wasn't a matter of whether she belonged to him or not.

The undeniable truth was that she had actually called the police on him!

Thinking of this, Chang Hao had absolutely no idea what kind of expression to wear when facing her. The awkwardness was palpable and suffocating.

Most importantly, Zheng Yanyan acted completely heartless and carefree. Whenever Chang Hao walked right past her, she behaved as if she couldn't even see him.

Shen Yu couldn't help but ask her, "Don't you feel awkward seeing Chang Hao?"

"What's there to be awkward about? There's absolutely nothing between him and me! I'm just here to see my hubby!" Zheng Yanyan beamed with a bright smile.

"Are you totally shameless? You guys already broke up," Su Qing remarked, her face twisted in utter disgust.

Zheng Yanyan simply huffed dismissively.

Normally, at a time like this, Li Qiang would definitely chime in right next to Chang Hao, patting his shoulder and saying, "Stop looking, she's the Big Sister-in-law now!"

But right now, as Chang Hao sat by the computer adjusting the music tracks, he glanced up and saw the quirky, animated Zheng Yanyan across the room, and his expression inevitably darkened with sorrow once more.

Yet, to his surprise, Li Qiang wasn't there gloating or rubbing salt in his wounds.

This lack of teasing made Chang Hao feel somewhat unsettled.

He turned to Lu Yuhang, who was sitting next to Li Jing, and asked, "Where's Qiangzi?"

"No idea. He didn't show up."

"Sigh."

Chang Hao sighed softly. He wasn't really angry at Li Qiang anymore. For the past month, Li Qiang had acted like a completely different person. He spent every single day lying prone on his bed, wrapped tightly in his quilt, not uttering a single word.

He looked as if all the life had been drained out of him.

Chang Hao couldn't wrap his head around it. He thought to himself, 'What exactly are you moping over? Could your feelings possibly run as deep as my love for Yanyan?'

'And even I never acted this pathetic.'

But when confronted, Li Qiang had merely rasped, "You don't understand."

"You don't understand anything. Zheng Yanyan never liked you to begin with, so you have absolutely no right to feel heartbroken. But my situation is different. She loved me. It was all my fault."

"..." Those words had silenced Chang Hao instantly.

Love?

Recalling Li Qiang's words now...

Chang Hao lifted his head and cast a glance toward Liu Yue.

At this very moment, Liu Yue was chatting and laughing happily with a completely unfamiliar boy.

Rumor had it that the boy was from the neighboring school. They had met while working a part-time job together. He was quite handsome, though his family background was rather poor.

Liu Yue had reportedly said that she no longer cared about any of that.

She just wanted to have enough love.