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The two then discussed the specific details of the two plans and divided the work among themselves.

Considering that Shen Ning would also be playing with the team on Saturday and wouldn't have much time, Shen Ning was responsible for the event planning of the temporary plan and the content related to the team, and also added the possible cooperative resources. The rest was modified by Xu Mingyu.

After making the decision, Shen Ning felt it necessary to report to the two captains, since she, this spendthrift, was about to gamble away all her savings.

She nervously edited and deleted the message in the meeting room, then walked and sent it to the small group. But when she got to the office, she found two big shots waiting for her inside.

Good grief, do we really have to face their firepower head-on?

"You're still here so late?"

Zhang Xinjie cleared some space on the table: "I brought you some food."

Seeing the red and green colors in the lunchbox, Chen Ning was flattered and said, "Thank you, thank you so much. You even waited for me."

Han Wenqing hadn't seen the message yet, and asked, "How did the chat go?"

"...Why don't you check the group chat?"

Han Wenqing frowned: "Why would you look at a group chat when the person is right in front of you?"

"...I'm going to eat, aren't I?" Shen Ning deftly broke open the bamboo chopsticks, and before she finished speaking, she stuffed a mouthful of shredded pork with bamboo shoots into her mouth.

Han Wenqing: ...

Fine, I won't argue with you.

Han Wenqing and Zhang Xinjie swiped their phones to check the messages, while Shen Ning secretly observed their expressions and quietly moved closer to Zhang Xinjie.

In crucial moments, I still have to rely on my boyfriend to shield me from the fire.

After all, the only people who could get Han Wenqing to speak calmly, besides his wife, were Zhang Xinjie.

The preparations for being scolded are complete; everything is ready except for the final push.

To her surprise, Han Wenqing didn't scold her; instead, he earnestly helped her think of the event plan.

"How do you plan to organize this carnival competition? Do you need us to coordinate with other teams?"

Shen Ning stared wide-eyed at Han Wenqing in disbelief, then cast a probing glance at Zhang Xinjie before tentatively asking, "Captain, you're not angry at all?"

"What have you done now?"

"I'm about to make a bet."

"Then let's think carefully about how to win the bet."

It would be a lie to say I wasn't moved. It seems that Han Wenqing and his team never criticize actions or results, but only scoff at those who don't take action.

"The captain has a broad vision." Shen Ning lowered his guard and said while eating, "We haven't decided on the specific matches yet, but we definitely need to find other teams. We just don't know who will be willing to help us set up the stage."

Zhang Xinjie processed the heavy words in his mind and then expressed his opinion: "The top teams have influence, but they may not be willing to endorse Tyranny. They will ask for something, such as resources or some flexible power in subsequent cooperation. On the other hand, the average teams have less influence and have limited influence on the event."

He chewed his food in a deep voice, nodding repeatedly.

"Then let's find a team with a lot of influence, but not a big name," Han Wenqing said.

Chen Ning pricked up his ears, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Zhang Xinjie immediately understood what Han Wenqing meant: "You mean Happy?"

"Yes, they've only been established for less than two years, starting from an internet cafe. They still don't have a well-developed capital operation system. It seems that besides their boss and Su Mucheng, only Wei Chen helps manage endorsements and other business matters. But they've won championships. Although Ye Xiu has retired, there's still Su Mucheng, Fang Rui, and that newcomer Tang Rou is also very popular."

Zhang Xinjie added: "So they need publicity and exposure; only with traffic can they be considered by investors."

Chen Ning mentally noted everything down and then asked for help: "Could you help me communicate with them? Or could you connect me with their person in charge so I can talk to them? That way it won't take up too much of your time."

Han Wenqing didn't mind having more work: "I'll go talk to Su Mucheng at the next competition. If you want to come along, then come along."

"Isn't Su Mucheng debuting with the vice-captain? Aren't they closer?"

Zhang Xinjie explained, "The captain and Captain Su knew each other even earlier, probably before the Glory League."

"I mainly got to know Ye Xiu first, and Su Mucheng followed him. She hadn't even started playing Glory yet."

Han Wenqing still remembers that Su Mucheng was very young at the time, but she was not shy or afraid of people. She was very opinionated. It seemed that Ye Xiu was always taking care of her, but in reality, she was the one taking care of Ye Xiu most of the time.

Before pausing, she had learned about the situation of each team and also knew about Su Mucheng's background. Han Wenqing didn't go into details, and she wouldn't ask further. It was enough for her to know that Su Mucheng had some trust in Han Wenqing.

"Then I'll leave it to you, Captain. I'll go with you. If you need to contact me again later, just let me know. It'll save you the trouble of going through all that trouble."

"The other teams are harder to deal with, especially Samsara, which is basically controlled entirely by capital. Zhou Zekai and his team have little say. Tiny Herb and Blue Rain are a bit better, but they are not easy to negotiate with. Think about it yourself later."

"OK."

After finishing their conversation, Han Wenqing left first.

After finishing his meal with Shen Ning, Zhang Xinjie asked while helping her clean up the lunchbox, "When is this event?"

"I'm thinking of waiting until the summer break after the league ends, so that you won't be under too much pressure."

"Has this long delay affected the project?"

"That's not necessarily the case. If the group accepts the performance-based agreement, the site design, construction, and business attraction will all take time, about six months."

Zhang Xinjie understood, and at the same time, some new ideas began to form in his mind.

After getting ready, Zhang Xinjie checked the time; it was past 8 o'clock. With such thick snow, the sled was definitely too heavy to ride. He asked Chen Ning, "Shall I take you?"

"No need, it's not that far," Shen Ning teased. "Your schedule is so full, don't let it interfere with your schedule."

"This period of time was originally scheduled for you."

Chen Ning felt a void in his heart, and the words he wanted to say stuck in his throat.

As colleagues, they saw each other every day, but as lovers, it seemed like she hadn't spent much time alone with Zhang Xinjie in a long time.

Shen Ning reached out and took Zhang Xinjie's hand, gently shaking it, her voice softening: "I'm sorry."

"Don't talk nonsense."

"Other couples should be having a candlelight dinner right now, right?"

Zhang Xinjie had a strange expression and pushed up his glasses: "The cafeteria doesn't sell candles. If you really want some, I'll buy some for my office later."

Shen Ning chuckled, nudged Zhang Xinjie, and said with a laugh, "You're crazy."

The five-minute drive passed quickly. They barely exchanged a few words on the way. When they arrived, Shen Ning suddenly didn't want to get out of the car. She just leaned back in her seat and turned to look at Zhang Xinjie.

"Don't you want to be alone?"

"Um."

Zhang Xinjie turned off the car and rolled down the window a crack, letting in the cold air.

"Are you cold?" Zhang Xinjie asked.

He shook his head, a smile on his face.

The snow has stopped, the wind has stopped, and a sense of tranquility has settled into the crisp air.

Chen Ning leaned back to make herself more comfortable, and for a moment she even felt a sense of enjoyment, like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a winter morning.

Zhang Xinjie, with his hands still on the steering wheel, suddenly asked, "You still feel uncertain, don't you?"

Shen Ning wasn't surprised by his sensitivity. She gave a soft "hmm" and said, "Zhao Yixing might not choose me."

Everything she's doing now is based on her ability to participate in this project.

But Zhao Yixing might not give her that opportunity.

He could have simply handed it over to Xu Mingyu and his sales department, just as he had initially envisioned.

Zhang Xinjie remained silent for a while before saying, "Even if he didn't choose you, it might be to protect you. After all, if you really lose the bet, your future path to advancement will be much more difficult."

Chen Ning chuckled: "You don't understand him. He's the kind of person who only makes choices after weighing the pros and cons."

"If he weighs his options and then abandons you, will you hate him?"

He sighed deeply, closed his eyes, and thought for a long time before slowly speaking, "I don't think so, because I'm that kind of person myself..."

After weighing the pros and cons, she chose to take advantage of Xu Mingyu.

Knowing that Zhao Yixing intended to give her an important position, she became even more determined to leverage the information gap and choose to cooperate with Xu Mingyu. She used Xu Mingyu's experience, her boldness, and her connections to pave a legitimate path for herself to enter the business sales field.

Zhang Xinjie placed his right hand on top of Shen Ning's left hand, gripping it tightly.

Then Shen Ning asked softly, "Do you think I've changed?"

"It's always growing."

"Don't you think I'm more cold-hearted?"

Zhang Xinjie shook his head, his gaze piercing through the car window, looking at the streetlights and snow, and said calmly, "Being sentimental and weighing the pros and cons are not contradictory. Besides, life is a process of constantly weighing emotions and interests."

"Choosing between extracurricular classes and tutoring classes, choosing between university applications, postgraduate entrance exams, civil service exams, or jobs, what kind of job do you want, the entanglements of dating, marriage, and divorce, whether to insist on medical treatment when a family member is seriously ill and has no dignity in life, and wills upon death..."

Zhang Xinjie listed everything in great detail, much like a revolving lantern display of life.

"Living, death, love, hate, money, freedom, interests... which are emotions and which are interests? They're all mixed up, who can tell the difference? To put it simply, humans are just creatures striving to achieve self-interest."

"You're even more ruthless than me..." Shen Ning stared at him, then suddenly asked, "So, you're with me because of a calculation of interests?"

“No.” Zhang Xinjie withdrew his gaze from the window, turned to meet Shen Ning’s eyes, and answered decisively, “At least not now.”

"What about the future? Let's think about it together now?"

Zhang Xinjie chuckled: "Are you sure you want to discuss this now?"

"Yes, the atmosphere feels just right, everything is great."

“Okay.” Zhang Xinjie accepted readily. “Then I’ll go first.”

"Um."

"If we don't get married, I think I'll continue to enjoy our relationship as it is now. If we do get married, we'll have to consider things like finances, career, compatibility in lifestyle, and children."

Shen Ning asked with some curiosity, "If we're not compatible and neither of us is willing to compromise, would you choose to marry someone you don't love?"

"……meeting."

Shen Ning wasn't angry when she heard this; she squinted her eyes as if she were smiling: "Is it my turn next?"

"you say."

"Although it sounds unfortunate, I'm pretty much the same as you. If I were to get married, I would need someone with clear goals, good finances, emotional stability, and someone with whom I can mutually respect each other's personal space and freedom, not someone who loves me or not."

At this point, Shen Ning grinned and said, "Of course, if this person happens to love me and I love him, that would be the greatest fortune in the world."

"So, do you think I'm qualified?"

He asked in return, "Then what do you think of me?"

The two understood each other implicitly and began to talk about their respective interests.

Zhang Xinjie said, "No matter where we live in the future, we will each have our own room and each have time to ourselves every day."

Shen Ning responded: "We respect each other professionally and will use each other's resources when necessary, but we do not use them for personal gain or moral blackmail."

"Communicate promptly when there are frictions or disagreements, do not let them linger overnight, and do not use passive-aggressive tactics."

"A clean private life is essential; I do not accept any physical or emotional infidelity."

"The party who commits adultery shall leave with nothing."

"Sign a prenuptial agreement, keep each person's property separate, and of course, don't worry about essential living expenses and small gifts."

"If irreconcilable conflicts arise after marriage, cut your losses in time and separate peacefully."

Shen Ning was very satisfied with everything; their views seemed to be perfectly aligned at the moment.

Finally, with a calm smile, she asked, "What are your thoughts on the child?"

Zhang Xinjie hesitated for a moment, which was rare: "I still want one."

To be honest, given his deep dedication to his career, he was already considering how to deal with being rejected.

Adopt one? Accept childlessness? Or separate?

While struggling with his inner conflict, Shen Ning blinked, a knowing look on his face: "Men really do want children."

"You don't like it?"

“No, but children are different from property; they are difficult to divide.” Shen Ning stated her requirements, “First, I do not accept premarital pregnancy, and I certainly do not want to get married because of a child.”

"nature."

"Secondly, I will not consider having children before the age of 35, and I only want to have one child."

"I understand, now is the golden age of my career."

"Third, after giving birth, raise the child together. Don't think that it's all a woman's responsibility and that you can just be a hands-off parent."

“Of course,” Zhang Xinjie agreed without hesitation.

"Finally, if we can't continue like this, the child will stay with me."

"good."

"You agreed so readily." Shen Ning squeezed Zhang Xinjie's hand. "Don't regret it later."

"Didn't we say we'd sign a prenuptial agreement? Just sign everything."

Shen Ning smiled brightly and asked, "How much time do you have left for me?"

The abrupt change of topic left Zhang Xinjie somewhat bewildered, but he quickly raised his hand to check the time: "19 minutes."

"That's a real pity." Shen Ning's face was full of regret.

"What's a pity?"

"It's a pity we can't spend the night together tonight; the atmosphere was just right."

Zhang Xinjie didn't know what to say to her, and shook his head, his left hand supporting himself on the car window frame.

Shen Ning leaned closer, her breath brushing against his ear: "Don't you have any thoughts at all?"

“I have a lot of ideas.” Zhang Xinjie didn’t shy away, and the two chatted in an ambiguous manner. “But your proposal and my forum management are calling on us.”

"Really? Hmm, what a pity..."

Although Shen Ning said it was a pity, her voice was incredibly soft, with a rising tone at the end, making her face even more alluring in the night.

Zhang Xinjie couldn't even pretend to be serious anymore; he put his arm around Chen Ning's shoulder and kissed him.

The two cuddled together for a while before separating.

"Hurry up and go, I should be going too."

He gave a lazy reply before pushing open the car door and stepping out.

"Chen Ning." At this moment, Zhang Xinjie suddenly called out to her again. Seeing her turn around, he said, "I think President Zhao will choose you."

A glint of light shone in his deep, focused eyes: "Mm!"