The question came from one of the top five students in the class. Normally, poor students like Gu Chen were beneath his notice.
Song Qianhan glanced at the student and grunted. "If you were as outstanding as Gu Chen, you could leave too. Enough nonsense. Say another word, and you'll be disqualified from the exam!"
The student gnashed his teeth in anger. Gu Chen? Outstanding? What a joke!
But the moment Song Qianhan got angry, the classroom fell silent. A dozen or so minutes later, Wen Xinbai poked his head around outside the classroom door.
The previous night, Wen Xinbai had spent the entire night discussing the matter with several professors of international standing, which was why he was late today. After reading Gu Chen's solution to the conjecture, those leading figures in academia had unanimously agreed that he was the next Hua Luogeng. Wen Xinbai had been greatly encouraged and rushed to school, where the first thing he did was come to see how Gu Chen was doing on the exam.
"Where's Gu Chen?" Wen Xinbai had been beaming with excitement, but after looking around, he was utterly astonished.
"He left," Song Qianhan answered.
"Left?" Wen Xinbai was taken aback, then came to his senses. "He left that quickly? Our bet is off? Haha, it seems the boy does understand the importance of school after all. There's hope for him yet!"
"No." The corner of Song Qianhan's mouth twitched as he took out all the exam papers Gu Chen had handed him. "He finished them all. I had no choice but to let him go."
"What?" Wen Xinbai was shocked. He checked his watch and said in a trembling voice, "It's only been forty-odd minutes, and he finished them all?"
"Mm." Song Qianhan took a deep breath, his face full of bitterness. "And he wasn't just scribbling nonsense. I checked his math paper: full marks! Principal Wen, we might lose..."
Gu Chen walked out of the school, took a deep breath, and made a phone call.
"Who is this?" Xu Mo's voice came through.
"Gu Chen," Gu Chen said mildly.
Xu Mo shuddered. "Gu Chen? Why are you calling me?"
"Cut the nonsense," Gu Chen said coldly. "The Starbucks across from the school. I want to see you. You have thirty minutes to get here."
Half an hour later, Gu Chen sat in a booth at Starbucks, looking out the window. Across from him sat Xu Mo, unable to sit still.
"Young Master Gu, why did you call me here?" Xu Mo finally couldn't help asking.
Gu Chen pointed out the window. "Remember that place?"
Xu Mo followed the direction Gu Chen was pointing and saw a barbecue stall. "I'm not quite sure what you mean, Young Master Gu." Unsure what Gu Chen meant, Xu Mo forced a smile as he asked.
"Half a year ago, when I first came to Zhou City, we often had late-night snacks there," Gu Chen said. "Zhou Xue'er often came along too."
"Young Master Xu, you haven't forgotten how many times you picked up the tab, have you?"
Xu Mo could only give an awkward laugh.
Back then, Gu Chen had been a favored son of heaven. As soon as he arrived in Zhou City, the Zhou Family had personally come to propose a marriage alliance. Though the Xu Family wasn't a major family, it was on good terms with the Zhou Family, so Xu Mo had naturally fawned over Gu Chen.
"Order some coffee. I'll pay you back," Gu Chen said. "This past month, you've been the only one who treated me somewhat normally. I don't like owing people favors."
"Young Master Gu, I don't drink coffee. Please stop messing with me." Xu Mo forced a smile. "I know all about it. Yesterday, you beat up Jiang Yu and divorced Zhou Xue'er, and Brother Bao came looking for trouble with you and got the worst of it... himself!"
"Does it still hurt?" Gu Chen suddenly asked.
"What?"
"Those few blows I gave you yesterday." Gu Chen pointed at the gauze on his head. "You didn't come to the exam today. Does it still hurt?"
Gu Chen's reaction left Xu Mo at a complete loss. With a mournful face, he said, "Brother Chen, Young Master Gu, what is it you want? Just say it. I won't take revenge on you."
"Your Xu Family is about to be swallowed up by the Zhou Family. Did you know?" Gu Chen said mildly. "In just half a month."
"What?" Xu Mo stood up, his face full of shock.
"Don't get worked up. Have a cup of coffee to settle your nerves." Gu Chen crossed his legs. "A month ago, could you have known I'd be kicked out of the Gu Family? My father is the legitimate eldest son. If even that could happen, what's so strange about the Xu Family being swallowed up?"
"That's absolutely impossible!" Xu Mo said firmly. "Our Xu Family and the Zhou Family have been friends for generations. We've always supported each other! Besides, I grew up with Zhou Xue'er. If there were even a rustle of wind or grass in the Zhou Family, there's no way I wouldn't know!"
"Because you're an idiot!" Gu Chen chuckled. "Does a venomous snake bare its fangs before it eats a white rabbit? It can only hide in the grass and slowly creep closer! If you don't believe me, call your older brother right now. He should have taken over a family subsidiary. Ask him about the Zhengchang Group's stock."
Xu Mo didn't want to call, but seeing how serious Gu Chen was, he took out his phone and called his older brother, Xu Da.
Just five minutes later, Xu Mo hung up, his face dark.
"Your brother said things weren't looking good for the company, didn't he?" Gu Chen tapped his fingers on the tabletop, each tap like a bell tolling through Xu Mo's heart. "Zhengchang is your subsidiary. It's building a tourist resort, but the land hasn't been secured. Your older brother is in full charge of the project. You asked the Zhou Family for funding, but they opened their mouths like lions and demanded a fifty-one percent stake. The negotiations are deadlocked now, so naturally the stock has fallen."
Xu Mo jerked his head up and asked in shock, "Y-you, how do you know?!"