Chapter 11 You’re Actually Quite Smart

Chapter 11: You're Actually Pretty Smart

Zhao Zhangfeng always believed people didn’t change for no reason. If Jiang Ruotang suddenly became this friendly, only to revert back someday… that would be truly disappointing.

Wait, could it be that once Mom and Uncle Jiang got together, this guy would start making their lives miserable again?

…He couldn't be that messed up…

Meanwhile, Jiang Ruotang sat at his desk, carefully analyzing why he had been so hostile toward Zhao Yunshu in his past life.

Was it simply because Zhao Yunshu came from a finance background and was really good at her job, making him suspect she was eyeing his father’s company shares? That was completely insane.

Jiang Ruotang closed his eyes, sifting through the unimportant memories, letting the recollections of Zhao Yunshu resurface bit by bit.

The starting point of it all was likely Zhao Yunshu’s having worked there for years in the finance department of Jiang Huaiyuan’s film company. The company’s executives recognized her strong work ethic and honesty, eventually promoting her to deputy manager of the finance department.

After that, Lin Lu began using it against her, insinuating that Zhao Yunshu was ambitious, trying to control the company’s finances, and that her relationship with Jiang Huaiyuan was just a means to get ahead in the company…

Back then, Jiang Ruotang had got angrier and angrier the more he listened, easily swayed by Lin Lu’s manipulation.

Especially that line—*"Ruo Tang, I’m only saying this for your own good."*—now gave him goosebumps just thinking about it.

Wasn’t that just the classic manipulation tactic, *"I just feel bad for you, brother"*?

But the real question was, Lin Lu was only in his teens, busy with school every day. Why would he care about company personnel and operations?

The only explanation was that Lin Lu’s father, Lin Chengdong, had put him up to this.

Lin Chengdong was the biggest shareholder of Universe Pictures. In his past life, his father’s shares had ended up in Lin Chengdong’s hands…

The more Jiang Ruotang thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He had called Lin Chengdong *"Uncle"* for eighteen years, and Jiang Huaiyuan had trusted him completely. That film with possible money laundering—Jiang Huaiyuan wouldn’t have taken it on just because Jiang Ruotang begged him. It seemed that after Lin Chengdong visited their home and spoke with Jiang Huaiyuan in his study, his father had agreed to it.

The deeper he delved, the more Jiang Ruotang’s frown deepened.

If his hostility toward Zhao Yunshu had been like a cheesy family drama, his sudden suspicion of Lin Chengdong now could rival a full-blown corporate thriller.

Just then, Jiang Huaiyuan knocked and entered.

The smile on his face made it clear his date had gone well.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Jiang Ruotang got right to it about the film company.

*"Who’s the finance director at Universe Pictures?"*

Jiang Huaiyuan was surprised—his son had never shown interest in company matters before. *"Why do you ask?"*

*"Of course I’d ask. Auntie Zhao hasn’t been promoted to deputy director yet, right?"*

*"Even if I told you, you wouldn’t recognize the name."* Jiang Huaiyuan chuckled.

Jiang Ruotang was at a loss for words. *If you don’t tell me, I’ll never know.*

Lin Chengdong had already groomed Lin Lu into a shrewd player, while his own father still wanted to keep him in the dark—never mind that the roof had already been blown away. Did he really think using an umbrella would keep him safe?

*"I just want to know—does this finance director have any connection to Uncle Lin?"*

*"Connection? They… were college classmates, I think. He was also recruited into the company by Uncle Lin. Really competent guy."*

Jiang Ruotang immediately had a sinking feeling.

The reason Zhao Yunshu wasn’t getting that promotion was likely because Lin Chengdong didn’t want her touching the company’s core financial records. There might be something fishy going on. Otherwise, given Zhao Yunshu’s qualifications, experience, and now her close relationship with Jiang Huaiyuan, there was no reason for the HR manager or board members to stand in her way.

The only explanation was that someone was afraid Zhao Yunshu would uncover financial issues and report them to Jiang Huaiyuan.

Realizing this was disturbing. His father, who only cared about making films and had no sense of office politics, probably hadn’t even considered it—or if he had, he’d looked the other way out of so-called brotherly loyalty.

In his past life, after being diagnosed with cancer, Jiang Ruotang had suspected as much but lacked concrete evidence. By then, Universe had already fallen into Lin Chengdong’s hands, and there was nothing he could do.

But in this life, he was determined to figure it out.

*"Dad, the finance department handles a lot of fund approvals, which means more networking. If Auntie Zhao becomes deputy director, she’ll be swamped. How about transferring her to the audit department? There, she’d just focus on checking the books without the same pressure. Plus, the head of audit is Grandpa Qin, and he likes her personality."*

*"Huh, that actually makes sense. I’ll ask Yunshu first, then talk to Uncle Qin! Son, you’re really clever—this is a great idea!"*

Jiang Ruotang smiled. Once his father left, he clicked his pen over and over, looking absently at the test paper in front of him.

*Lin Chengdong… how exactly did he drag my father down while getting off scot-free?* He might really need Zhao Yunshu in the audit department, going through years of financial records, to find the answer.

It was past ten when Jiang Ruotang checked his phone. No surprise, Lin Lu had messaged him.

[*Why are you so indifferent to Bai Yingchuan? Did you see those rumors online about him dating that actress and get upset? I know you’re his hardcore fan, but that news is fake—she’s just riding his coattails. Don’t take it seriously!*]

*Wow.* Back then, he’d been too naive to see it, but now the hidden agenda in this message was glaring.

First, labeling him as a *"hardcore fan"*—implying he was way too into Bai Yingchuan’s personal life, the type who’d criticize, boycott, or even threaten to stop supporting him over dating rumors. Bai Yingchuan hated that kind of fan. Then, once he replied, Lin Lu would show the messages to Bai Yingchuan.

No wonder Bai Yingchuan had disliked him so much in his past life. Lin Lu must’ve worked hard at it.

Jiang Ruotang replied calmly: [*I’m not being indifferent. He’s our classmate now. Whether he dates or picks roles is his own choice—why would I interfere? And I really was busy yesterday. You’re reading too much into it.*]

He watched the typing indicator—Lin Lu was typing, but no message came through.

Since he hadn’t taken the bait by ranting about some actress trying to latch onto Bai Yingchuan, Lin Lu was probably trying to come up with a response.

Not interested in his act, Jiang Ruotang took a photo of the half-finished problem on his test and found Lu Guifan’s profile in the class group chat.

Right now, Lu Guifan was still using the standard profile picture, and their only interaction was a New Year’s group message.

For two whole years, they’d hardly interacted.

Jiang Ruotang took a deep breath and typed: *"Are you there?"*

The moment he sent it, he cringed.

This was like the awkward small talk after a first date.

And the recipient… was his class president.

*Jiang Ruotang, what the hell are you doing?*

Better to recall it.

But then four words popped up in the chat: *"What do you want?"*

Thank goodness Lu Guifan hadn’t replied with *"I’m dead,"* or that would’ve been mortifying.

Jiang Ruotang covered his phone with one hand, exhaling sharply. He was mentally twenty-eight years old, yet texting his class president made him more nervous than arguing with the grade director.

[*There’s a problem I can’t solve. Been stuck on it for hours, so I messaged you.*]

After sending it, Jiang Ruotang scratched the back of his head—was this considered late-night bothering?

But at this hour, Lu Guifan definitely was still awake.

[Send it here, I’ll look.]

Lu Guifan’s reply was so short that Jiang Ruotang could read it ten times in less than a second.

He sent the photo over, his eyes fixed on the phone screen. After a while, a voice note popped up.

[Before solving any problem in the future, you should first consider what concepts it’s testing. Based on your current approach, you’re approaching it wrong…]

Across past and present lives, the moment Jiang Ruotang heard Lu Guifan’s voice through the phone, his heart raced uncontrollably. It felt like he was running desperately, trying so hard to catch up to Lu Guifan’s receding back.

The voice message ended. Jiang Ruotang took a deep breath, wiped the dampness from the corner of his eye, and listened carefully again.

Lu Guifan’s voice was calm and measured, his logic clear. He was teaching Jiang Ruotang how to think, not just mechanically providing the steps.

Jiang Ruotang kept replaying the voice note and, before he knew it, solved the problem. Unable to contain himself, he took a photo and sent it over.

But by then, it was already 11:10.

Lu Guifan was fast with his work—he was probably asleep by now.

Yet, to his surprise, the reply came lightning-fast.

[Your approach is correct, but you made a calculation error starting from the fourth-to-last line. If this were an exam, that’d be such a waste of points.]

“What?” Jiang Ruotang’s eyes widened. “I really did screw up the math…”

But how did Lu Guifan reply so fast? There was no way he’d been glued to his phone, right?

Jiang Ruotang quickly corrected it and sent it back.

“Ughhh, this feeling is practically like sending a love letter online and waiting for a reply… I’m gonna die.”

Just then, Lu Guifan’s response arrived.

[You got it right. You’re sharper than you think.]

Such a short sentence, so cold it barely sounded encouraging, but Jiang Ruotang felt like a rabbit, wanted to bounce around the woods a few times.

Jumping on the opportunity, Jiang Ruotang pressed further: [I want to get into the Central Academy of Fine Arts. Do you think I can still catch up on my grades if I start working hard now?]

Lu Guifan: [As long as you don’t give up, there’s hope.]

Jiang Ruotang: [If I run into problems I can’t solve, can I ask you for help?]

Lu Guifan: [Yeah.]

That simple “Yeah” made Jiang Ruotang happier than if he’d aced the college entrance exams.

Not just because he’d found a reason to get closer to Lu Guifan, but also because Lu Guifan hadn’t lied to him. Back then, he’d said that as long as someone genuinely wanted to learn, he would share everything he knew.

Too excited, he decided to try another tough problem to motivate himself.

He turned to the next page.

And was immediately hit with a reality check.

This… he could barely make sense of the question stem… (sigh)