Chapter 830: Blind Date (14)
Translator: Lordbluefire
Regarding someone like Zhu Lijian, the Chu family didn’t need to go out of their way to target him. Making him aware of Chu Qianshu’s true identity was the greatest torment for him. There was no need for others to witness how miserable he was; all that was required was for him to know just how happy Chu Qianshu and Zeng Keyi were, and he would regret it equally as much.
The wedding of Chu Qianshu and Zeng Keyi, while they both wanted to keep it low-key, was still quite lively. After all, it was the first wedding of the Chu family entering the ranks of the five great prestigious families, so it drew quite a crowd.
Almost every influential figure in the capital attended the event.
Even Zhu Lijian’s girlfriend’s family was trying every possible way to secure an invitation. Zhu Lijian’s girlfriend kept talking about it:
“You don’t know, among the eligible girls in the capital, Miss Chu has the highest status. Most of the girls from the other four major families are already married…”
“If we can get an invitation, it will definitely boost our company to a new level.”
“Alas, I don’t even know what kind of person Miss Chu is. It’s a pity I’ve never met her.”
“I’m already so good-looking, right? Miss Chu is even more precious, being someone whose worth is built on money…”
Zhu Lijian couldn’t help but say, “Is she really that great?”
His girlfriend immediately responded, “Well, let’s put it this way. She’s like a princess now. If you can marry her, you’ll have it made. Your ultimate goal, which you’ve been striving for your whole life, might not even reach her starting point…”
The more his girlfriend spoke, the more uncomfortable Zhu Lijian felt, and the more his mood soured.
However, he didn’t dare to say anything. He couldn’t even reveal that Chu Qianshu was his ex-girlfriend, as it would surely lead to disapproval from his girlfriend’s family. Instead, he felt somewhat relieved that his girlfriend’s family couldn’t secure invitations.
Unfortunately, before he could fully breathe a sigh of relief, videos of Chu Qianshu’s wedding began circulating on social media, albeit not in a grand manner. But influential people in the capital saw the videos.
When Zhu Lijian’s girlfriend saw the video, she was left dumbfounded. She grabbed Zhu Lijian and asked, “What’s going on? Why does Miss Chu look so much like your girlfriend?!”
Zhu Lijian swallowed hard, not daring to say a word.
Just then, her family’s business encountered a bit of a problem. A pre-arranged cooperation suddenly fell through, leaving her parents puzzled. She immediately thought of the Chu family.
It must have been Chu Qianshu who found out about her identity and released information to suppress them.
The girlfriend was constantly on edge and finally couldn’t hold back from revealing the truth to her parents.
Upon learning the truth, her parents immediately demanded that she break up with Zhu Lijian!
She had no choice but to comply with her parents’ wishes and officially propose a breakup to Zhu Lijian.
The plan they had made, where Zhu Lijian would go home after graduation to arrange his career, had now fallen apart.
The economic situation was grim, and Zhu Lijian had studied a niche field abroad. Upon returning to China, he struggled to find a job and wandered the streets of the capital every day.
One day, he went for an interview at a company.
The result was barely satisfactory. Although he was ultimately accepted, the salary was only half of what he had anticipated. A Ph.D. holder, and he was only earning eight thousand yuan a month…
As he walked out of the HR department, he happened to see a familiar figure ahead, surrounded by people as they left the building.
Someone nearby couldn’t help but say, “Isn’t that Miss Chu? She’s researching a specialized topic too, but it doesn’t matter. The Chu family’s investment in her project is such that even though her research lab focuses on a niche area, so many people want to join but can’t get in… If I could join, that would be great. Not only would 1 not worry about my salary, but I could also research what I love…”
Researchers all more or less faced such a dilemma.
Struggling between reality and dreams.
If they pursued topics they loved that were also niche, they often couldn’t expect a desirable salary.
Higher-paying research might not align with their interests.
But following Chu Qianshu was different.
Perhaps because Shen Ruojing was a researcher herself, the Chu family held researchers in the highest regard. They allocated a substantial budget each year to Chu Qianshu’s laboratory.
Thus, in the past six months, Chu Qianshu’s lab has become a paradise for researchers.
Listening to the voices around him, Zhu Lijian felt dazed.
If, just if, he hadn’t broken up with Chu Qianshu, would he now be flourishing alongside her, conducting research together?
Unfortunately, there are no ifs in this world.
As Zhu Lijian pondered, someone nudged him, “Newbie? Why are you daydreaming? Let’s hurry up and go to the meeting!”
Zhu Lijian stepped forward, becoming the most ordinary among the ordinary crowd.
Once upon a time, the highway to Rome was right in front of him, but he was blind to it. Now, he had to toil every day for bread.
After Chu Qianshu’s marriage, life in the Chu family became more settled once again.
Shen Ruojing and Chu Cichen were joyful for a period of time.
Two years later, their three children turned eight years old.
On this day, Shen Ruojing received another call from the school, summoning her to the school.
This was because her three children had gotten into trouble again..