Xie Wang felt something was amiss and continued reading.
Suddenly, he saw a campus weekly magazine from many years ago.
There was a news item about Shang Qi.
He recounted the resounding success of an art exhibition he organized, which received unanimous acclaim.
But in the corner of that news article, he caught a glimpse of Ling Shuangjiang's name.
This news article was clearly on the second page, which he couldn't see.
But on this page, there was a sentence.
[Regarding the handling of the copyright infringement incident involving Ling Shuangjiang, a genius from the art department, at her art exhibition.]
Xie Wang closed the document: "Go and investigate all of Shuangjiang's past events during her four years in England. Give me the information within two days, and don't miss a single detail."
Assistant Jin sounded somewhat uneasy: "President Xie, Mr. Ling actually wouldn't be with anyone else—"
Before he could finish speaking, Xie Wang said in a deep voice, "Don't make me say it a second time."
Just as Assistant Jin was about to leave, Xie Wang called him back.
"Give me my student records first, I'll wait here."
Assistant Kim: "Okay, right away."
A light snow began to fall outside. After finishing his work, Xie Wang waited for news from Assistant Jin.
He wasn't in the mood to rest, much less to do anything else.
He always felt that what happened to Ling Shuangjiang in England was not as simple as he described.
Midnight is 8 a.m. in the UK.
Xie Wang received Ling Shuangjiang's student file.
The archives are very complete, containing every one of his works, as well as his scores on various exams.
After seeing Ling Shuangjiang's grades, Xie Wang knew that the "genius" title in the campus weekly was indeed well-deserved.
But when he turned to the back, his heart clenched painfully, and the smile in his eyes gradually disappeared.
In February 2020, the art exhibition was penalized for copyright infringement.
In March 2020, the qualification for postgraduate admission without examination was revoked.
In April 2020, I was deducted academic credits for taking 30 days of unexplained sick leave.
May 2020 Exam Results: Ordinary
In June 2020, the awarding of degrees was delayed.
With a loud bang, a loud sound of shattering glass came from Xie Wang's office. Assistant Jin, who was standing guard outside, frowned and hesitated whether to go in.
His secretary, who was working overtime with him, held the documents and asked, "What's in there that made Mr. Xie so angry?"
Assistant Jin sighed slightly: "President Xie is in a hurry. I sent the file to him without even having a chance to look at it. But it must be related to our relationship."
"Oh?" The secretary was worried for Ling Shuangjiang. "Did something happen to Shuangjiang in England that made President Xie unhappy?"
Assistant Kim: "It seems so."
A voice came from inside the office: "Hurry up and investigate. I need the results by tomorrow."
Assistant Kim: "Received."
Of the entire building, only the chairman's office had its lights on.
Xie Wang opened Ling Shuangjiang's photo and gently stroked it with his fingertips.
Although he didn't know the specifics of what happened, those few words were enough to break his heart.
He desperately wanted to know what exactly happened during that month of sick leave, and whether Ling Shuangjiang was really sick.
If it's fake, that's fine, but if it's real, he definitely won't let those grandsons who made Ling Shuangjiang sick go.
Suddenly, he remembered something. He picked up Shang Qi's file from the ground and compared the two files.
Coincidentally, during Ling Shuangjiang's most painful months, Shang Qi had a smooth and successful life, frequently receiving awards.
Shang Qi was admitted to graduate school on the same day as Ling Shuangjiang, only one day after Ling Shuangjiang's application was revoked.
As far as I can remember, Shang Qi's exam scores were always in the third tier, so nobody would believe he could get a guaranteed postgraduate admission.
There must be something fishy about the infringement incident.
Xie Wang finally managed to fall asleep on the office sofa at three in the morning. Before going to sleep, he was still clutching Ling Shuangjiang's student file in his hand.
—
Upon waking up in the morning, Ling Shuangjiang belatedly realized that he was browsing his chat history with Xie Wang.
The two did not chat last night.
It seems Xie Wang is busy.
Ling Shuangjiang felt a little regretful; he should have sent Xie Wang a message to express his boyfriend's care.
Li Man kept sending him voice messages early in the morning, each message lasting a full minute.
In short, the answer is: on GF's side, the plan was indeed changed at the last minute, at the instruction of the planning team.
Although Ling Shuangjiang had already guessed it, this confirmed it completely.
As for why Shang Qi did this, it's probably because Xie Wang taught him a lesson last time, and he didn't dare to openly trip him up. This time, he seized the opportunity to make things unpleasant between the two of them.
The rich aroma of chocolate filled the entire house.
Ling Shuangjiang recently placed an order online for an animal mold, so this time he not only made puppy cookies, but also lion-shaped cookies.
There's still one day before he has to go back to filming, so after he finishes work today, he has time to go to Xie Wang's company to give him a surprise.
Today's task is to be interviewed by GF, which is to cover content for the magazine's pages. It's scheduled for the afternoon.
Because he and Chen Xingxi had to answer many questions together, and the two sometimes worked together and sometimes separately, it took a while, and it was already evening when they finished.
It was already eight o'clock, and Ling Shuangjiang planned to call Xie Wang to ask if he was still at the company.
Li Man said from the side, "When President Xie couldn't reach you, he called me and said he'd come pick you up in a bit."
Ling Shuangjiang nodded, holding the cookies she had prepared for Xie Wang, and walked out with Li Man.
He was very hungry, so he asked Li Man to get this from the car. It still smelled strongly of milk.
As luck would have it, I ran into Lin Yili again, but Shang Qi was nowhere to be seen.
Lin Yili was clearly surprised and walked towards him.
"Shuangjiang, what are you doing here?"
Ling Shuangjiang's answer was very brief: "Work."
Lin Yili smiled warmly: "What a coincidence. Have you eaten yet?"
Ling Shuangjiang: "No, I'm going to eat."
Lin Yili glanced at Li Man: "I'd like to have a few words with you alone."
Just as Li Man was about to leave, Ling Shuangjiang stopped her: "We don't need to talk alone. Just say what's on your mind."
Lin Yili: "I want to talk to you about that art exhibition you held back then. I have evidence here that can help you."
Li Man was very good at reading people's expressions. As soon as she heard that it was such an important matter, she made an excuse to move her car and left in a hurry.
Ling Shuangjiang's scarf was a little loose, and she gently adjusted it: "Your evidence is important to me, but I don't need your help."
After tidying up, he turned to leave.
"Frost's Descent." Lin Yili stepped forward to stop him: "I know I was cowardly back then. I couldn't stand up for you when Shang Qi bullied you. Now that I have the ability, I want to make up for the mistakes I made."
Ling Shuang lowered her laughter, and when she raised her head, her gaze was cold: "I can see that you do have a certain status now, but don't take yourself too seriously. Your so-called compensation is worthless to me."
"Frost's Descent." Lin Yili took his arm somewhat absentmindedly. "I truly loved you back then, and I still do now. Especially after meeting you that day, being with Shang Qi was always painful for me."
This sentence disgusted Ling Shuangjiang to the extreme.
He pulled his hand away, his voice cold: "Do you know how despicable you are now? You climbed up the ladder at all costs, and after gaining power and status, you became fickle and unfaithful in relationships. Someone like you doesn't deserve love."
The snowfall gradually intensified, settling on their coats.
Lin Yili raised his eyes slightly, looked behind Ling Shuangjiang, and then chuckled: "Even if I'm this kind of person, you still liked me a lot back then, didn't you? We went to the library together, ate together, and went to exhibitions together. If it weren't for Shang Qi's sudden appearance, perhaps we would already be together."
Ling Shuangjiang lowered her eyes and smiled disdainfully.
"I rarely say such harsh things."
"Going to the library together was our task in the art club: to research information."
"We went to see the exhibition together because we needed to refer to the architectural layout in order to complete our assignment."
"We're going out to eat together. It's just a simple lunch after finishing our homework, and other members of the art club are also coming along."
"When you confessed your feelings to me, I felt nothing because I don't like people like you who are opportunistic and willing to do anything to climb the social ladder."
The last sentence seemed to have hit Lin Yili's sore spot.
He was no longer gentle; his voice was cold: "What's wrong with climbing the social ladder? Don't you also like people with power and money? Your boyfriend's name is Xie Wang, right? Do you really love him for who he is? Don't be ridiculous!"
Ling Shuangjiang said frankly, "Yes, I just love him as a person."
"He has a good character, sound values, and is devoted in relationships; you can't compare to him."
Xie Wang stood behind Ling Shuangjiang, one hand in his pocket, and cleared his throat.
Author's Note:
"
Chapter 61 Cohabitation
Upon hearing these words, Lin Yili, who was standing in front of him, dropped his gentle mask and became furious.
Ling Shuangjiang ignored him and gently turned her head.