Capítulo 42: Chapter 42: Take Care of Her

"So? What did you want to discuss?" Lin JinYan asked impatiently as he sipped his warm honey water.

"Tch," Gu YuChen clicked his tongue as he glanced at the impertinent 16 year old seated across from him. Mutual dislike was apparent in both boy's faces.

"I will have Little Two and Little Three maintain surveillance on the Gu Family and Su Ning while I am away in Cambridge. However, since you are currently attending M Academy with her…" (Gu YuChen)

"You don't have to remind me. I will take care of Su Ning in your absence." (Lin JinYan)

"..." Gu YuChen was not particularly fond of being interrupted and narrowed his eyes at Lin JinYan. "Song Rui, might have some lackeys in M Academy to create issues for NingNing so you have to remain diligent," Gu YuChen continued to speak.

"NingNing?" Lin JinYan repeated Gu YuChen's affectionate way of calling Su Ning with some distaste. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Lin JinYan responded to Gu YuChen, "Don't worry about NingNing at M Academy and just make sure you have everything ready for us when it's time."

"Are you confident you can convince her to leave C Country?" Gu YuChen asked, a slight provocation present in his voice.

"Are you confident you can have the scholarship available in her major?" Lin JinYan fired back with a mocking tone.

After a few moments of tense silence, Gu YuChen spoke again, "I don't intend to argue with you. We both want her safe. I will make sure everything is ready in two years time so just take care of her until then."

"Protecting Su Ning is something I will do even without anyone asking. However, seeing as we both have a common objective, I give you my word. I will take care of her to the best of my abilities." (Lin JinYan)

"I don't have in-depth knowledge of the situation in the Lin Family. I trust you have plans of your own to keep your family in check?" Gu YuChen asked calmly.

"Of course," Lin JinYan succinctly replied.

Gu YuChen handed Lin JinYan a card with two phone numbers neatly written on the surface, "If you are unable to get a hold of me. Call Little Two or Little Three directly for any matters that need to be handled discreetly. They've been informed to follow your orders."

Lin JinYan accepted the card with a slight smile on his face, "It seems we've reached an agreement then, YuChen-ge. I wish you a safe trip."

...............

When the two emerged from the study, Su Ning was lying on the couch on her stomach still playing her phone with a focused look on her face. "Oh? Done with business? That's quick," she commented with a sweet smile. Lin JinYan strode over to the couch and helped Su Ning to a sitting position.

"JinYan-ge, are you okay to eat out with us? Not tired?" Su Ning asked.

"En, not tired." Lin JinYan answered as he patted Su Ning's head.

Gu YuChen gave Lin JinYan a perfunctory look before motioning towards Su Ning with a small smile, "Let's go."

As the group ate a light dinner of abalone porridge, steamed vegetables and moo shu chicken at A City's downtown, each were engrossed in their own thoughts. Gu YuChen was busily preparing countermeasures upon countermeasures to ensure Su Ning's safety. He quickly sent a text to his subordinates to meet up prior to his departure to the UK.

On the other hand, Lin JinYan's mind was filled with thoughts of wanting to grow up. As a 16 year old classically trained musician, he was aware he did not have as much resources as Gu YuChen who was highly skilled in entrepreneurship and coding. Bitter as it is to swallow, Lin JinYan concedes that the one year difference between himself and Gu YuChen clearly showcases the disparity in their abilities. 'I need to hurry and catch-up,' thought Lin JinYan as he glanced at Su Ning.

Meanwhile, it appears only little Su Ning was focused on the meal as she inwardly lamented, 'I really dislike these light flavored dishes. So bland ah! Aii, I actually wanted to eat mala hotpot but Lin JinYan is still jet lagged and it wouldn't be good for his body. How nice I am to these kids!' In fact, Su Ning had actually hoped that Lin JinYan would decline joining them for dinner so she could drag Gu YuChen to eat mala hotpot but alas today is just not her day.

..................

And so it was finally the day of Gu YuChen's departure. The day before, the boy had gone to the Gu estate to meet with Grandma Gu, Qin Lan and Su Kun to say his farewells. He didn't bother meeting Ouyang Jun in person, simply opting to send a message.

**text message**

[YuChen_Fox]: Flight to Cambridge tomorrow.

[Boss_JunJun]: You are telling me this now?!

[YuChen_Fox]: En.

[Boss_JunJun]: What time is the flight? Let's go out for drinks!( ＾◡＾)۶🍸🌟🍺٩(˘◡˘ )

[YuChen_Fox]: No time. Busy.

[Boss_JunJun]: What are you busy with?! You don't even have time to have a drink with your business partner?! ლ(ﾟдﾟლ)

[YuChen_Fox]: En.

[Boss_JunJun]: YuChen! There is a limit to how cold you can be!! (｀Д´)

[Boss_JunJun]: This is how you repay 4 years of friendship?! (｀ε´)

[YuChen_Fox]: En.

[Boss_JunJun]: Gu YuChen! ಠ▃ಠ

[YuChen_Fox]: Don't be dramatic.

[YuChen_Fox]: I need to pack with NingNing.

[Boss_JunJun]: щ（ﾟДﾟщ）

[YuChen_Fox]: …

[YuChen_Fox]: The amount of time you spend downloading these emoticons could be used in brainstorming new ideas instead.

[Boss_JunJun]: (ಥ﹏ಥ) Please don't give me more work....

"Is it really okay not to meet up with Jun-gege before you go?" Su Ning asked somewhat concernedly. She sat cross legged on Gu YuChen's bed as he began to pack his belongings.

"No need. We will meet regularly via video chat." Gu YuChen answered as he continued to fold his clothing. He will still continue working on Sun Fox as he broadens his business connections and hones his expertise in the UK.

"But still a personal farewell is more meaningful bah." Su Ning tried to convince her good friend, after all a face to face meeting is different from speaking to a person through a screen.

"No need to be too nice. Or he will get too sticky." Gu YuChen coldly responded.

Su Ning responded with a simple "Oh." but she really couldn't understand the relationship dynamic between Ouyang Jun and Gu YuChen. Su Ning is aware that Gu YuChen was the main creator of the games Rose Wars and Ever Star; however, when she inquired about his specific position at the company, Sun Fox, Gu YuChen would always deflect the question or answer vaguely.

After a while, Su Ning thought it best to stop asking since it appears the latter wanted to keep the extent of his involvement in the company a secret. 'But wasn't Ouyang Jun the vice president of Star Fox where Gu YuChen works? How come, the way Gu YuChen treats Ouyang Jun is more like a subordinate than a superior?'

It also appears that Sun Fox itself is a highly private mobile gaming company, using aliases for most of its employees on their website. Only the several employees that often deal with the media, rival/partner businesses, or investors have their real names listed out. The most curious thing of all is the other co-founder who also happens to be the president of the company still remains anonymous to the public.