The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

Hong Yun picked up where Zhou Yanruo left off and said seriously, "Yibo and I have only held nominal positions all along. After all, we have never really participated in the management of a large group and we lack practical experience in dealing with people. Zhou Yanruo, what are your thoughts? We can discuss it together."

Shang Yibo gave Zhou Yanruo an encouraging look, "Just say what you want to say, don't be shy."

After a moment's thought, Zhou Yanruo said, "Perhaps we can approach this from a few angles. I think that in addition to finding out the specific reasons and evidence of Chairman Chu's detention as soon as possible, we should also contact some influential lawyers and public relations teams to get them involved as early as possible to provide Chairman Chu with legal support and public opinion guidance."

Upon hearing this, Shang Yibo and Hong Yun nodded in agreement. Shang Yibo continued, "Yanruo, you take charge of contacting lawyers. Although the group has a legal department and familiar law firms, this situation is different. It's not as simple as drafting a contract or participating in business negotiations. We need to find lawyers with experience in criminal defense."

Zhou Yanruo replied, "Okay, I'll conduct one round of screening first."

After discussing the details along this line of thought, Shang Yibo, needing to rush back to the film set in the suburbs to shoot a night scene, pulled Zhou Yanruo along to prepare to leave.

Hong Yun glanced at the two of them and suddenly spoke up: "Something's not right between you two, is something going on?"

Zhou Yanruo quickly explained, "The filming location is in the suburbs, and it's quite a distance. Yibo was worried about delaying the nighttime filming."

"That's not what I meant. I sensed something was off the moment you two walked in. One minute you were saying it was too cold to drink green tea, the next you were asking the waiter for honey, saying it was to help with a hangover. Shang Yibo, when did you learn to take care of people?" Hong Yun scolded, pouting.

Zhou Yanruo blushed, feeling embarrassed by what was said.

Shang Yibo casually replied, "I've always known it, you just didn't know it. You don't need to know, it's none of your business."

"Tch, don't flaunt your love in front of me. I don't care about your business." She waved her hand and said, "I do have something to report to you."

She stood up and moved closer to Zhou Yanruo, "What exactly is your relationship with Zhou Zihang?"

No one expected that Hong Yun would ask this question out of the blue.

Zhou Yanruo and Shang Yibo were both surprised, but one looked concerned while the other remained calm.

Zhou Yanruo replied, "Friend."

"What kind of friend?" Hong Yun pressed.

Shang Yibo looked at Zhou Yanruo, waiting for her answer.

"Of course we're good friends." Zhou Yanruo was puzzled by the question. Seeing the two people opposite her staring at her expectantly, she suddenly realized what Hong Yun meant by "something's going on."

She belatedly added, "After living abroad for many years, Zihang took care of me like an older brother, and I have long regarded him as my family."

She said the last sentence while looking at Shang Yibo.

Shang Yibo nodded and emphasized to Hong Yun again, "The professor is her family, her older brother."

Then he pulled Zhou Yanruo toward the door, saying, "Let's go quickly."

Hong Yun's excited voice came from behind: "Then I'm going to pursue the PhD."

*

An hour later, the two arrived at the film set in the suburbs. As soon as Zhou Yanruo parked the car, Ding Jiajia and Xiao Guangzi eagerly ran over to greet her.

After getting out of the car, Zhou Yanruo asked, "Are we not too late?"

Ding Jiajia quickly shook her head: "No, they are still making preparations. Yibo can rest for half an hour in the van."

Afterwards, everyone surrounded Shang Yibo as he got out of the van and into the nanny van. Xiao Guangzi quickly ran to inform the assistant director that Teacher Yibo had arrived.

Ding Jiajia thoughtfully prepared a cup of hot coffee for Shang Yibo and Zhou Yanruo. As she handed them the coffees, she said, "Yibo, Yanruo, have some hot coffee to warm yourselves up. There's a cold snap tonight, and the weather in the south is so cold and damp that it's unbearable. It's nothing like the weather in Beijing."

Shang Yibo held a coffee cup, his gaze lowered, seemingly lost in thought. Seeing this, Zhou Yanruo assumed he was preparing for his upcoming scene, so she whispered to Ding Jiajia, "Is Teacher Sai on set? Go and invite him over."

However, Shang Yibo suddenly interrupted them: "No need, Jiajia. Go and check on their preparations. Once they're ready, come and let me know immediately."

Although she knew she didn't need to personally supervise the operations, Ding Jiajia still obediently agreed and then turned to get out of the van.

Recalling her argument with Jian Zheng that evening, Ding Jiajia felt uneasy. She had learned from Jian Zheng that he had left Yibo alone in the suburbs while she returned, and she was furious, leading to a huge fight with him. She wanted to pick up Yibo herself, but worried about how she knew about it. Jian Zheng, however, casually said, "Easy," and then sent a message to Zhou Yanruo.

These days, Ding Jiajia and Jian Zheng have grown closer. Last night, Jian Zheng confessed his feelings to her, hoping to date her. Actually, Ding Jiajia also likes Jian Zheng, despite their significant differences in status and age. But in her view, these aren't the most important factors in a relationship. However, what troubles her most is Shang Yibo. She can see that the relationship between Shang Yibo and Jian Zheng isn't as good as she imagines; there's always a subtle and complex layer of ambiguity between them. This makes her feel a sense of guilt, like a traitor, when facing her own feelings.

Zhou Yanruo realized that Shang Yibo was intentionally trying to get Ding Jiajia away, clearly indicating that he had something to say. She looked at Shang Yibo, waiting for him to speak.

Shang Yibo: "Yanruo, you really want to know why I went out with Jian Zheng, where we went that afternoon, and why Jian Zheng left me alone in the suburbs?"

Zhou Yanruo had thought he would discuss Chairman Chu of Rushang Group, but she didn't expect him to bring up what happened that afternoon. "Hmm, I'm puzzled."

"Yanruo, why aren't you asking directly? Have you already figured something out?" Shang Yibo said leisurely. "You've managed to hold back until now without asking."

"You'll tell me if I ask?" Zhou Yanruo smiled faintly. "See, even if I hadn't asked, you were planning to tell me anyway, weren't you?"

Shang Yibo took a sip of coffee and then got to the point: "This afternoon I went to see someone with Jian Zheng."

"Oh? Did he introduce you to any new friends? Are they from the business or political world?" Zhou Yanruo asked curiously, taking a sip of her coffee.

“No, it’s an old friend of ours, and he’s also related to you,” Shang Yibo said slowly. “His name is Zhang Qian. He used to work at Professor Zhou’s experimental center at Sunan University. He experienced that accident and was the only survivor.”

"Where did you learn these things? Did Jian Zheng tell you?" Zhou Yanruo sat up straight, staring at Shang Yibo warily. "Wait, you said 'old friend'? When did you and Jian Zheng have mutual friends? And old friends at that?"