Chapter 421: Chapter 421

"Madam, Director Xiang has been busy with a case recently and doesn’t have time to dine with you."

The assistant had scheduled several times, but Xiang Chenyu’s assistant kept declining.

Helian Yu snorted coldly, "How arrogant."

"Madam, as far as I know, ever since she arrived in Qingzhou, she’s been preoccupied with investigating the case, even spending several nights directly in the office."

That was far more responsible than Li Minglai—no, the two couldn’t even be compared.

"Pass along a message for me. Tell her I have leads on the jade token; she’ll contact me herself."

Helian Yu took a sip of tea, something came to mind, and she asked, "How’s the investigation into Shen You’an coming along?"

The assistant shook her head, "Very clean. No problems whatsoever."

The porcelain cup struck the tea table heavily, spilling the tea and soaking her hand.

Helian Yu abruptly lifted her head, glaring sharply at the assistant, "How can she possibly have no problems?"

The assistant calmly replied, "Her background is spotless; her experiences are straightforward. She even enjoys preferential treatment due to having a martyr father. There’s not a single flaw."

The assistant couldn’t understand why the Madam continuously went against this young woman. After investigating her life story, the assistant even felt some admiration and pity for this girl—who lost both parents at a young age yet grew up strong and independent. But why did the Madam harbor such deep-seated prejudice against her?

"Spotless?" Helian Yu scoffed.

"A wicked little girl."

"I don’t care what methods you use; you must continue investigating her."

The assistant thought for a while before saying, "Madam, have you heard of an intelligence organization called ’Black Seven’?"

Helian Yu’s gaze shifted to her, "Black Seven?"

"Black Seven, known internationally as ’Black Seven,’ claims that in their eyes, the world holds no secrets. No matter how deeply hidden someone is, they can still dig them out. However..."

"However, it comes at a certain price to obtain the desired answers."

This hidden and shadowy world originally shouldn’t involve the Madam. But the assistant was truly at a loss—given the Madam’s current unscrupulous methods, she likely wouldn’t refuse.

"I told you, spare no expense. Do you not understand?"

On the morning of the 19th, Shen You’an had just stepped into the classroom when she heard Yan Lu’s excited voice: "I received an email from the organizers of the TM International Math Challenge. My registration was successful."

"Congratulations, congratulations! My application didn’t pass the evaluation, so I won’t be joining in the fun. I hope you shine on the international stage, Yan Lu, and bring glory to the school and the nation."

Most of the students in the class had applied with a "let’s try" attitude, but very few passed the evaluation.

The competition’s threshold was high, and the requirements for participants even higher. The exact selection criteria were unclear, but those who passed were undoubtedly the best of the best.

"An’an, did you receive an email?"

Yan Lu noticed Shen You’an walking in and immediately asked.

Suddenly, everyone in the class turned their eyes toward Shen You’an.

Shen You’an nodded lightly, "I received it a week ago."

Yan Lu let out an "oh," then said, "The first points round is scheduled for January 15th. We’ll be able to compete together then."

"By the way, Gu, did you get an email?" Yan Lu turned to ask Gu Bichen.

Gu Bichen nodded, "Yes."

Gu Bichen thought for a moment, "Five days ago."

Yan Lu finally figured it out, "The better the results, the earlier the email is sent."

Liu Runxi walked in, and Yan Lu wanted to ask if he had received an email but suddenly remembered that Liu Runxi hadn’t signed up for the challenge. She then turned her attention to Shen You’an and began talking about something else. Find the newest release on novel~fire~net

"We’re heading to Chunzhou the day after tomorrow. Chunzhou is my turf, An’an. When the time comes, I’ll show you around and let me play host properly, okay?"

Shen You’an glanced up at Yan Lu.

The pair of eyes behind her lenses were hard to read, but they always left Yan Lu feeling oddly exposed.

Before Yan Lu could delve into this feeling, Shen You’an had already lowered her gaze, her pale and flawless face remaining serene.

Shen You’an lowered her head, sharpening a pencil. Her fingers were long and elegant—one hand holding the pencil, the other a small knife, leisurely carving away. It was both graceful and languid.

For the simulated tests over the next two days, Shen You’an was preparing her pencils for the answer sheets.

After the exams, they’d depart directly for Chunzhou to attend winter camp.

Yan Lu propped her chin with one hand, marveling—how could someone even make pencil-sharpening look so beautiful?

An entire day of exams quickly went by.

After the final exam ended, Shen You’an and Gao Yuyue left the school gate. Shen You’an glanced across the street where a green off-road vehicle was parked. It was wild and eye-catching.