My Virtual Girlfriend-Chapter 287: The War of the Heirs

Overall, Zhao Ying, who didn’t know about her father’s passing, remained very optimistic.

Chen Yan didn’t know how to break the news to her.

He thought that he should at least investigate the details thoroughly before considering how to explain it to her.

After all, based on the recorded message prepared by Zhao Xuan when Zhao Ying called home, it was clear that Zhao Xuan didn’t want Zhao Ying to know about his death.

As for other topics...

They barely touched on anything.

Because Chen Yan realized that he and Zhao Ying were not the same kind of people.

Zhao Ying judged everything based on feelings, while Chen Yan judged everything rationally.

This resulted in them having entirely different perspectives when discussing the same matter.

Moreover, Zhao Ying, like a sprite from nature, carried an innate temperament of freedom and optimism. Chen Yan, however, had developed a more composed and reserved demeanor through his career progression.

This made their meal together feel like a gathering of two different kinds of people.

Initially, when they were just friends, Chen Yan hadn’t noticed these things, but now, as their relationship grew closer, he realized their incompatibility.

Therefore, because of these reasons, after having a meal with Zhao Ying, Chen Yan drove her back to her school.

Unlike when he dropped off Yu Qiao Qiao at her dormitory, Chen Yan only dropped Zhao Ying off at the school gate and watched her leave.

After seeing her hop away joyfully, Chen Yan sighed, turned around, and walked towards his company.

He truly didn’t want Zhao Ying’s life to be negatively affected, so he prepared to investigate the situation first, then consider how to minimize the impact on Zhao Ying.

Thinking this, Chen Yan’s gaze gradually became firm:

Whether it was because of Zhao Xuan’s twice-entrusted and hinted responsibilities, or because Zhao Ying had just become his third "Virtual Girlfriend."

Out of emotion, reason, morality, and benefit, Chen Yan felt he must take on the responsibility of caring for Zhao Ying.

Arriving at the company, Chen Yan was still pondering over the responsibility of taking care of a girl.

As the elevator doors opened and Chen Yan just entered the company, a high-ranking company executive greeted him with a smile, "Mr. Chen! Congratulations!"

Hearing the employee’s words, Chen Yan was a bit surprised and looked up, not understanding why someone was suddenly congratulating him.

Then he heard the executive say, "Ms. Lu Man becoming the Best Actress, our film and television company is set for explosive growth!"

Upon the executive’s explanation, Chen Yan suddenly remembered the great joyous event of the past two days.

He temporarily set aside Zhao Ying’s issues and smiled, "It’s all thanks to Lu Man’s efforts. The film and television company should thrive, but our game company won’t fall behind either."

"I have high hopes for our new game."

The executive nodded, "I also think our new game will be a big hit!"

Then, on his way to his office, Chen Yan received many congratulations. They were celebrating Lu Man’s Best Actress award.

Since both companies were part of Chen Yan’s business and the office areas were so close, everyone paid extra attention to any significant actions by the other party.

And needless to say, this event was a big deal.

Back to his office, Chen Yan turned on his computer and realized just how much attention Lu Man’s award had garnered.

After all, she was the first "fresh face" to receive this title, which had a unique significance.

Additionally, considering Lu Man’s legendary experiences this year, these two factors together created an explosive topic.

Whether on microblogs, Zhihu, or various forums, everyone was discussing this event.

And Mei Li had already complied with Chen Yan’s request early on, arranging a simple interview for Lu Man. The interview content was about her views on her award.

The overall archetype followed what Chen Yan had thought: humble, humble, and more humble!

Now, Lu Man had taken a big step ahead of her peers of the same age, what she needed was to settle down and keep a low profile.

After all, she didn’t need to fight for anything anymore, she already was the first among her peers.

It has to be said, Chen Yan’s judgment was correct.

After Lu Man received the award, online opinions about the award were mixed. Some people believed she truly deserved it, while others thought her accolade was a bit undeserved.

But once this interview was released and heavily promoted, the overall public opinion and trend began to swing in favor of Lu Man.

After all, her performance in "Heartbreak" wasn’t bad, and her award was well-deserved. It just wasn’t universally acclaimed.

Now, with Lu Man actively admitting she had much to improve and attributing her victory to luck, stating that she would work hard to deserve the award, this statement alone, let alone anything else, greatly satisfied both fans and the general public.

It could be said that this public relations strategy greatly won over a swath of neutral observers.

And those in the circle who were paying attention to Lu Man’s awards and publicity were also a bit surprised.

They had thought it unlikely for Lu Man to win, but she did.

They felt that Lu Man’s win would spark a backlash in public opinion. Unexpectedly, Lu Man handled this PR crisis very well and even gained a wave of neutral fans.

For a while, the industry was quite astounded.

They felt that Lu Man must have had help from a mastermind.

Otherwise, the PR wouldn’t have come out so promptly and been handled so aptly.

After understanding the online sentiment and Lu Man’s current situation, Chen Yan was very satisfied.

After successfully securing the award, Lu Man’s career was on the fast track, and with the new variety show boosting her, Chen Yan believed he wouldn’t need to distract himself with her affairs for a while.

Next, his focus would shift to Yu Qiao Qiao and the new game.

After all, Boss Qiao Qiao was his first "Virtual Girlfriend," and the success of the new game was Chen Yan’s dream!

Of course... Apart from these two, now Chen Yan also had added responsibilities like unraveling the mystery of Zhao Xuan’s death and finding ways to properly care for Zhao Ying....

Perhaps because Chen Yan hadn’t come to work in the morning, his day passed very quickly.

Chen Yan merely handled a few documents, then joined Fat Phoenix and Cheng Tianxiang to test the new game’s beta version, and the afternoon flew by.

As the end of the workday approached, Chen Yan finally received a message from Qin Ming.

He told Chen Yan that at 7 pm, He Mengxue wanted to meet him at the bar where they last met.

Although he did not know why He Mengxue always arranged their meetings at the bar, Chen Yan agreed to meet her to clarify matters.

After work, Chen Yan grabbed a quick bite in the building’s cafeteria, then took a taxi to meet He Mengxue.

When he saw He Mengxue again, Chen Yan noticed she seemed different.

She was dressed in a proper women’s suit, holding a lighter and cigarette case in one hand and pinching a cigarette in the other, elegantly smoking.

When she saw Chen Yan approaching, she quietly removed the cigarette from her mouth and nonchalantly stubbed it out in the ashtray.

Pretending not to notice, Chen Yan looked around the bar and asked, "You always arrange our meetings here, won’t it affect the bar’s business?"

Hearing Chen Yan’s question, He Mengxue nonchalantly waved her hand, "I don’t care about the money."

Chen Yan nodded knowingly: It seemed, the bar belonged to He Mengxue. No wonder she always arranged their meetings there.

Sitting next to He Mengxue, Chen Yan took the initiative to inquire, "So, shall we talk?"

He Mengxue’s languid gaze fell on Chen Yan as she asked in return, "What about? About me or the Zhao family member?"

While Chen Yan was more interested in Zhao Xuan’s matters, since He Mengxue had brought up her own topic, he didn’t find it suitable to bypass it directly, so he said, "Let’s talk about one thing at a time."

"What’s going on with you?"

He Mengxue placed the cigarette pack on the table and sighed, "I’m leaving our family’s company."

Chen Yan was taken aback, "Why?"

"Haven’t you reached the level of vice president of the business department?"

He Mengxue nodded somewhat wistfully, "Yes. But... my father called me over today, wanting me to go out and start a business."

"Start a business?" Chen Yan asked in surprise.

He Mengxue nodded again, "Not just me. The legitimate heirs of influential families on Qin Island have all been ousted from their families, being told to go out and start businesses."

Chen Yan:...

Chen Yan was a bit dumbfounded.

"Why is that?"

He Mengxue scoffed, "Isn’t it all because of Zhao Xuan’s scheming?"

"He must have fed our parents some kind of potion, convincing them that the future belongs to the young, and only we young people would understand what young people like."

"With the traditional industries struggling under the impact of the internet wave, it might be better for us to have a go at it. To see if we can carve out a path."

"So, over thirty top heirs from Qin Island have been driven out of their families to initiate this war."

Chen Yan:.....

Chen Yan wasn’t sure whether these wealthy people were smart or foolish.

Is starting a business that simple...

Understanding what young people like equates to entrepreneurship?

Isn’t that too naive?

He looked at He Mengxue and asked, "Do you have any plans?"

He Mengxue twirled her brown hair around her finger, eyeing Chen Yan with interest, her lips parting slightly as she spoke, "A bit, maybe..."