The President, the Chairman, and "Lu Chuan from the Capital"

The middle-aged man in the custom-made dark gray Sea Island cotton bathrobe had reached the tea table.

Up close, the imposing air of authority he carried without anger was even more apparent.

He did not walk quickly, but every step was firm. It was the old-fashioned bearing that could only be cultivated by years of giving orders within the system, backed by genuine knowledge and ability.

The moment Lu Chuan recognized him, he stood up.

The movement was natural, without the fluster of a subordinate meeting a superior. It was simply the most basic courtesy owed to an elder.

The smile on Fang Zhiyuan's face grew wider.

He did not deliberately rise to greet the man, either, merely pulling out an empty wicker chair beside him.

"Just in time."

Fang Zhiyuan raised a hand toward the middle-aged man, then turned his head slightly toward Lu Chuan, his tone carrying the easy familiarity reserved for one of their own.

"Let me introduce you."

"You should know him. He's the president of your Jiangcheng University."

The words were spoken very softly.

Yet in the rather small VIP tea lounge, they carried astonishing weight.

Chen Songnian, president of Jiangcheng University.

In this back-to-school season, when every freshman trembled before their student counselor, those words carried enough weight to crush the composure of any ordinary first-year student in an instant.

But not Lu Chuan.

He simply stood there, steady as ever.

He did not gasp at the word "president," nor did he immediately put on a sickening, ingratiating smile.

He did not even avert his gaze unnecessarily.

"Hello, President."

Lu Chuan's voice was steady, without the slightest quaver.

"Lu Chuan, first-year finance, class one."

A brief eight words.

There was no unnecessary chatter, no insincere pleasantry like "I've heard so much about you," and no eagerness to show off how talented he was.

He offered a greeting when a greeting was due.

He introduced himself when an introduction was due.

Neither servile.

Nor overbearing.

President Chen paused slightly as he was about to sit down.

His sharp eyes, accustomed to scrutinizing scholars and officials, settled directly on Lu Chuan.

As the man at Jiang University's helm, he had seen all kinds of young people in his lifetime.

When freshmen who had only just stepped out of high school ran into him unprepared on a private occasion like this, their reactions were almost always the same.

Either they were so nervous they could barely speak, with no idea what to do with their hands and feet.

Or they tried desperately to show themselves off, their eyes full of ingratiating eagerness for quick gains.

But the young man before him, Lu Chuan, showed none of that.

Facing him, Lu Chuan seemed to be facing an ordinary elder from the neighborhood. The composure and sense of boundaries that came from deep within him could not have been an act.

Anyone putting on a forced act would have stiff shoulders and a rigid neck.

And Lu Chuan's shoulders were frighteningly relaxed.

A plainly visible flash of surprise and appreciation crossed President Chen's eyes.

"Don't stand there. Sit."

He pulled out the chair and sat down, picking up the cup of hot tea Fang Zhiyuan had just poured him.

"Old Fang."

President Chen took a sip of tea and turned to Fang Zhiyuan, a gentle smile suddenly appearing on his formerly rather imposing face.

"This is the first time you've ever introduced a young person to me so formally. You're not planning to reach into our university, are you?"

He set down his teacup and sized Lu Chuan up again.

"But this young man today doesn't look like a freshman who's just enrolled."

Fang Zhiyuan leaned back in his chair and laughed too.

"Oh?"

"Then what does he look like?"

President Chen pointed at Lu Chuan, his tone carrying the easy teasing of an elder.

"Judging by how composed he is, he looks more like a young official sent down by the higher-ups to inspect our university's work welcoming new students."

Once he made that joke,

the faint, invisible pressure that had hung over the tea table because of the difference in their statuses vanished like smoke in an instant.

Lu Chuan gave a soft laugh too.

He did not rush to deny it, nor did he make a point of showing humility. He simply sat there quietly.

Seeing him remain so at ease before major figures of this caliber made Fang Zhiyuan feel immensely pleased.

Fang Zhiyuan tapped his fingers on the tea table and laughed aloud.

Looking at President Chen, he jokingly scolded him in an entirely casual tone.

"That mouth of yours."

"Chen Ergou, after all these years, you still can't be serious, even as a university president."

Ergou.

Fang Zhiyuan had tossed out that distinctly old-fashioned, almost comically rustic nickname as lightly as could be, right there in the tea lounge of this ultra-luxurious, top-tier spa.

The contrast with his status could not have been greater.

President Chen was not angry. Instead, he shook his head helplessly.

He picked up his purple clay teacup and used its lid to gently skim the foam from the surface.

"In all of Jiangcheng,"

"you're the only one who still dares call me that so shamelessly in front of an outsider."

Those two sentences

pulled President Chen straight down from the lofty pedestal of "university leader" and planted him firmly in the everyday warmth of being an "old friend."

Fang Zhiyuan was using this most informal of methods to show Lu Chuan just how close their friendship was.

Lu Chuan sat to one side.

He listened quietly, a perfectly measured smile on his lips, while his eyes remained clear.

When the older generation was reminiscing like this, knowing when to shut up and listen was far wiser than saying ten thousand pretty words.

Fang Zhiyuan took a sip of tea.

With the social skills of an old fox like him, he naturally would not let things stop at a polite introduction.

He set down his teacup and smoothly moved things along.

"All right."

"Don't just stop at an introduction."

Fang Zhiyuan looked at Lu Chuan, his tone as casual as if he were giving instructions about a minor matter.

"Add each other on WeChat."

"If you really run into trouble at school later, or there's something difficult to resolve, it'll be easier to contact him directly."

With those words,

Fang Zhiyuan was calling in his own favor to carve out the very best shortcut for Lu Chuan at Jiang University.

President Chen did not hesitate.

He even took the initiative to pull his phone from his pocket, open his WeChat QR code, and turn the screen toward Lu Chuan.

That meant he had genuinely taken a liking to the young man.

Lu Chuan was not the least bit awkward about it either.

He did not say anything foolish like "How could I possibly accept?" or "Sorry to trouble you, President."

He simply took out his phone calmly and opened the scanner.

"Beep."

A crisp notification sounded.

He added him and sent the request.

His movements were clean and efficient, just like scanning a code in the most natural social exchange.

President Chen glanced at the notification on his phone confirming the connection and put it back in his pocket.

"Xiao Lu."

He looked at Lu Chuan and gave him a half-joking reminder.

"Now that you've added me, don't only think of me when you get into trouble at school."

Fang Zhiyuan immediately and mercilessly cut him down.

"Stop flattering yourself."

Fang Zhiyuan glanced at his old friend.

"It's not as if you're the only contact the young man has. If something really happened, do you think he couldn't find someone to handle it?"

The meaning hidden in those words made the smile at the corners of President Chen's mouth deepen.

With the WeChat exchange complete,

the atmosphere had reached its best.

By most people's logic, this was the moment to cling on shamelessly, seize the excellent opportunity to ask a few more questions, perhaps even take advantage of the situation to treat them to a meal and weld the relationship shut.

But Lu Chuan did not.

He knew perfectly well when to advance and when to retreat.

In social circles at this level, excessive attempts to curry favor would only make a person seem cheap.

Lu Chuan put his phone back in his pocket and stood up.

"Uncle Fang, President Chen."

His tone was gentle but firm.

"My roommates are still waiting for me in the private room, so I won't disturb you two while you catch up."

Fang Zhiyuan looked at him, the admiration in his eyes almost overflowing.

He knew when to advance and retreat.

He knew where to draw the line.

This was the bearing of someone from a truly distinguished family.

"All right, go on."

Fang Zhiyuan nodded.

"Have fun with your classmates. Call anytime if you need anything."

President Chen smiled and waved him off as well.

Lu Chuan inclined his body slightly and turned away.

Without dragging things out in the slightest, he strode down the wooden corridor he had come by and disappeared around a corner of the landscaped tea area.

He left decisively.

He did not look back once.

The air around the tea table fell quiet again.

The water in the landscaped feature murmured softly.

President Chen leaned back in his wicker chair.

He withdrew his gaze from the end of the corridor, the lighthearted teasing slowly fading from his face to be replaced by a look of weighty contemplation.

He turned his head.

Leaning forward slightly, he lowered his voice and looked at Fang Zhiyuan across from him.

"This one."

President Chen tapped the tea table lightly with a finger, his tone carrying a hint of grave inquiry.

"He's the one you mentioned to me on the phone a while back..."

"Lu Chuan from the Capital?"