【Such a Glutton】: So, from the looks of it, Yu Chengqun insulted Chen Qingtian, only for her to fight back and deliver a kick straight to his family jewels?

This juicy drama wasn’t just being devoured by Lin Ran and netizens—Chen Qingtian herself was indulging in it.

She never expected netizens to be so resourceful.

A knock sounded at the door, and Pei Qianqian walked into the office.

"Qingtian, public opinion has flipped—again."

Chen Qingtian nodded. The day had been full of so many twists and turns that she was practically stuffed.

"Mm, it’s about time. Go brief Director Wu on the situation and reassure him."

Pei Qianqian: "Already done. Right now, Director Wu has the entire PR department watching and learning from this crisis. They want to use it as a case study to gain experience."

Chen Qingtian’s face darkened.

That bastard.

"Got it. You can go now."

Pei Qianqian nodded and left, leaving Chen Qingtian alone in her office to think.

Xia Xia, do you know how much your sister has given up for you?

If you dare treat me poorly, I’ll toss you aside and adopt ten cute younger men instead.

Ding!

Her phone buzzed. Chen Qingtian picked it up and glanced at the screen.

[Yu Chengqun]: Qingtian-jie, let’s meet. I want to apologize in person.

[Chen Qingtian]: No need.

[Yu Chengqun]: Qingtian-jie, surely you wouldn’t want your little toy boy to get hit by a car one day while walking down the street, would you?

Chen Qingtian narrowed her eyes. Personal threats like this crossed a line.

[Chen Qingtian]: 8 AM tomorrow. Nuanyao Group’s film department office.

If they were going to meet, she’d pick a location where she held the advantage.

…

Lin Ran set down his phone. When it came to gossip, moderation was key—too much and it became exhausting.

Besides, it was a bit rude, wasn’t it?

With the drama consumed, Lin Ran ordered, "Let’s head to Suran Group."

Wang Bao started the car. When they arrived at Suran Group, Qu Te’niang happened to be there too.

"Chairman Lin, you’ve finally graced us with your presence?" Qu Te’niang feigned surprise.

"Just dropping by. Otherwise, I might forget I even own this company," Lin Ran replied, looking around at the thriving Suran Group with satisfaction.

"You jest. Your mother built this place—how could you ever forget?"

Lin Ran smiled. His mother truly was an impressive woman. After fleeing the Chen family, she’d founded Suran Group without their help and built it into something remarkable.

Her only flaw? Poor judgment in men—falling for the scum of the century.

"Anything new at the company lately?"

Qu Te’niang shook his head. "Everything’s fine. We’ve coordinated with Nuanyao Real Estate on the Peking University library and campus project as you instructed. But… well…"

"But what? Spit it out."

"Then I’ll say it—just don’t get mad, Young Master Lin."

Huh?

There really was an issue?

Lin Ran raised his gaze to meet Qu Te’niang’s. "Go on."

Qu Te’niang took a deep breath and vented his frustrations.

"What kind of clowns are the civil engineering students at your university? They’re the biggest roadblocks to progress! They keep proposing ridiculous designs, then throw tantrums when we reject them, claiming the company doesn’t understand their vision."

Lin Ran blinked. Were his alma mater’s students really that bold?

"Do you still have the blueprints? Let me see."

"Of course! Someone, bring Young Master Lin the explosive designs!"

Since he had nothing else to do, Lin Ran settled in to admire his classmates’ work.

After a while, his brow furrowed slightly.

He didn’t see anything wrong with the designs. They didn’t interfere with the external framework at all.

The library would still be a library—just with some imaginative additions inside. What was the issue?

"These look fine to me."

Qu Te’niang froze. Were college kids really this audacious?

"Young Master Lin, you genuinely think this design is good?"

Lin Ran pointed at one blueprint. "Take this, for example—the maze-like bookshelf wall on the second floor is brilliant."

Qu Te’niang’s frown deepened. "How so?"

Lin Ran explained, "The path of learning is endless, and the pursuit of knowledge is never smooth. A maze-like bookshelf wall embodies that struggle. Students have to work hard to find what they need. If they fail, maybe that book wasn’t so important to begin with."

Qu Te’niang gaped. Every word out of Lin Ran’s mouth sounded like nonsense.

"You… you’re serious?"

His expression shifted slightly. Lin Ran’s deadpan delivery made it hard to tell if he was joking or genuinely unhinged.

Lin Ran shrugged. "I’m just talking nonsense. But don’t you think this design is fun? It combines play and learning."

"Honestly, their goal was probably to balance work and leisure. And look—there’s even a categorized shortcut map here. It adds entertainment value while letting those who just want to study skip the game. Am I wrong?"

Qu Te’niang exhaled in relief.

Thank goodness!

Young Master Lin’s sanity was intact.

Still, he was stunned by how accurately Lin Ran had interpreted the designers’ intent—almost word for word.

Truly cut from the same cloth.

"Setting aside whether your interpretation is correct, the construction complexity alone would affect the load-bearing walls. A small change could derail the entire project, slow progress, and inflate costs."

Lin Ran patted Qu Te’niang’s shoulder. "Old Qu, who’s on your review team?"

"Suran Group’s professional review team. They’ve been in the industry for years."

Lin Ran nodded. "Replace them with a team of college students. Let the students solve the problems they create. Don’t underestimate them."

Qu Te’niang mulled it over. The idea made sense but also felt risky.

"Then… I’ll give it a try."

"Good." Lin Ran nodded, then added, "As for the cost issue, challenge the students to meet two conditions: cut expenses without sacrificing quality. If they can pull it off, go with their design. Simple, right?"

"Huh? Will that work?" Qu Te’niang was skeptical.

"Try it and see. You can even dangle incentives—promise them more opportunities, credit their names in the design credits, whatever. You’re good at painting rosy pictures, aren’t you?"

"If they actually deliver, let them have the rewards. They’d have earned it."

"Alright, I think I get it now." Qu Te’niang’s eyes cleared as he processed Lin Ran’s words.

Lin Ran grinned. "Never underestimate the creativity of college students."

He gestured for the blueprints to be put away and turned back to Qu Te’niang.

"Remember that guy who caused a scene trying to buy a property? What was his name again?"

Qu Te’niang thought for a moment. "The one you blacklisted?"

"That’s the one."

"Pretty sure it was Zhuang Bifan."