After Chapter 64, time flew by...

After that, time flew by, and soon the day of the Artificial Intelligence Conference arrived.

Because the exhibition booth at the World Expo Center was very large, Wang Ping and her team went there early in the morning. They were responsible for explaining the Xinyu Xinyu products and answering customers' questions at the booth. Therefore, the task of reporting the basic information of Xinyu Xinyu to Huang Shiyu fell to Lu Xiao.

During the discussion, Huang Shiyu asked her a few questions, all about the current technical aspects of Xinyu Xinsheng. After a thorough analysis, she felt that the software technology could be further improved, especially in the area of ​​chips. To achieve self-sufficiency, she needed to have a core R&D team. So, in the end, she hoped that Lu Xiao could take advantage of the recruitment season to recruit more talented people. In addition to the usual talent recruitment plan, she also planned to have Lu Xiao focus more on mechanical engineering during the fall recruitment season.

“The R&D department and the core algorithm department.” Lu Xiao finished reviewing the document in her hand, closed it, and handed it to Huang Shiyu, continuing, “The potential problems with Xinyu Xinsheng have also been calculated.”

Huang Shiyu nodded, took the document, flipped through it, and after confirming that it was correct, closed it and put it aside.

"The Heartfelt Voice software's test score is also very good." Lu Xiao pulled out a chair in front of her and sat down, looking at Huang Shiyu, who was engrossed in his work, with a smile in her eyes. "After the Artificial Intelligence Conference, we can really unleash our potential."

Huang Shiyu took a document and annotated it, scanning the details that needed to be filled in while listening, and occasionally offering his own opinions.

"I think the Heartfelt Words project doesn't overlap much with other products, so it will definitely have a bright future."

Huang Shiyu paused, glancing at the documents, and replied, "You seem to have a lot of confidence in Xinyu Xinsheng."

“Of course we’ll side with our own kids,” Lu Xiao leaned forward. “Besides, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group’s AI medical team is incredibly professional, you know.”

As a top domestic enterprise, Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group has its own R&D base in the field of medical research and development. Every year, they recruit students from various universities by car. They also have their own talent programs, all targeting college students. They have sufficient R&D funding. Huang Shiyu himself is a businessman, so he naturally knows what this means. Talent and technology will continue to flock to them, and they will be far ahead of other companies in terms of technology.

However, now it can be said that it has been recorded in history and become a thing of the past. But it doesn't matter. Even if this is the final result, the once glorious Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group has had a huge impact on various enterprises, and this impact continues to this day.

Huang Shiyu said without looking up, "I have good news for you."

"What?" Lu Xiao's interest was piqued. "Is it related to the AI ​​conference later?"

Huang Shiyu looked at her and said very seriously, "This is even more of a surprise than this."

"Stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me." She thought for several seconds, and really couldn't think of anything more surprising than the artificial intelligence conference she was going to attend.

Huang Shiyu turned his attention back to the documents: "The auction for the chip equipment from Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group is in a few days, and I want to bid on this batch of equipment."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao immediately wiped the smile off her face and looked at Huang Shiyu, clearly shocked by this "surprise".

"So?" Lu Xiao shrugged. "How do you want me to answer your question?"

"Speak freely, I'd like to hear your thoughts."

Lu Xiao was silent for a while: "As a friend, of course I want to support you without hesitation, but as a partner, I am worried that the auction will fail because our cash flow is probably not enough to support you in bidding for this batch of equipment, and even if we are lucky enough to win the bid, we do not have enough money to carry out independent research and development."

"Shiyu, as a friend, there's something I must tell you: a person only has two hands, and you can't hold onto both fish and bear's paw at the same time. We can't do things that are like picking up sesame seeds but losing watermelons."

She knew Huang Shiyu very well. Although she didn't have much money, she was smart, ambitious, and had a long-term vision. So when she was in college, she thought highly of her. She believed that such a wise girl would be successful no matter what she did in the future.

However, it was this inflated ambition that made Huang Shiyu want to take the initiative whenever she saw a business opportunity. It wasn't that she wanted to suppress Huang Shiyu's enthusiasm, but mainly that she didn't believe that United Innovation had the ability to manage such a large project well. After all, even the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group hadn't come up with anything innovative, so small businesses like theirs couldn't afford to play the game.

Moreover, Huang Shiyu's idea was to develop chips on the one hand and continue the research and development of Xinyu Xinsheng on the other. It wasn't that she deliberately poured cold water on Huang Shiyu's idea, but how easy is it to subtly "balance" the two?

Huang Shiyu looked at Lu Xiao and nodded. He seemed to know perfectly well that his decision had not been adopted, and his expression did not change at all. "I know what you are worried about, and I also know that you must be thinking that even a large company like Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group has tried and failed, so how can a startup like ours be easy? But what I want to say is, what was my original intention in buying this batch of equipment?"

After a pause, Huang Shiyu continued, still looking at her, "I'm doing this so that Joint Innovation can have independent R&D capabilities in the future, at least in a certain aspect of chip manufacturing. I don't want to become fat in one bite. Manufacturing chips isn't something you can just throw money at; I know that." Otherwise, the financially powerful Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group would have already produced them. It's not that they didn't, but the yield rate was too low to be usable.

She roughly knew why Huang Shiyu was so determined to bid for the self-developed chips in this batch of equipment. Although Huang Shiyu didn't say it, there are no secrets in the world. It was said that it was very difficult to negotiate the chip share with Qixing because Qixing thought that the chip share that a startup like theirs could get was too low. Qixing had just recently won an order worth billions of dollars, so it was understandable that they would not look down on a small company like theirs.

Even for this reason, she still did not agree with Huang Shiyu bidding for the equipment, because the chip industry is full of uncertainty and high capital expenditure, which can be described as an investment that is almost gambling and will definitely face huge losses, and United Innovation will be overwhelmed as a result.

Therefore, Lu Xiao disagreed: "Shi Yu, I think your analysis of this batch of equipment is very accurate and you have made a profit-first assessment, but this is not just based on the theoretical level. You have forgotten the primary rule of investing in a project, which is to ensure that the project can be sustained, or at least be under your control."

She understood what Lu Xiao meant. This was a completely new field for them, and there might be a bubble, but so what? Every industry has bubbles, just different kinds. So for her, it was both a bubble and an opportunity. After all, with the arrival of the 5G era, 5G mobile phones, autonomous driving, medical equipment, industrial automation, and other aspects have generated a huge demand for chips.

This is a trend, a trend that makes money in an industry.

Huang Shiyu thought about it carefully and said, "To be honest, investing is a very complex thing. From a macro perspective, it involves political policies. From a micro perspective, it involves corporate management decisions, marketing policies, finance, and product innovation. I believe that no matter what project you invest in, it will produce a good return on investment. However, it depends on the execution. As long as we are willing to put in the effort and be more skilled, more knowledgeable, and more focused than others, we can stand firm and make ourselves invincible. If the foundation of the house is solid, what are we afraid of in the face of storms?"

Lu Xiao had heard countless business tycoons spout similar platitudes and motivational platitudes on forums. Normally, she would have just let it go in one ear and out the other, thinking it would be better to learn more technical skills to equip herself. But when these principles came from Huang Shiyu's mouth, she felt a mix of emotions. The market situation in the chip industry next year was still uncertain, and Xinyu Xinsheng needed to reserve some disposable cash. No matter how you looked at it, bidding on this batch of equipment seemed far too risky.

Knowing that Huang Shiyu hadn't finished speaking, Lu Xiao didn't intend to interrupt and continued listening.

"Moreover, the chip industry is very hot right now, and there are relatively few competing products on the market. If we can catch this fast train, then the influence of United Innovation in the market will be incredibly strong. While the chip industry is still so hot, we should press our advantage."

After speaking, Huang Shiyu still stared intently at Lu Xiao, as if waiting for her to nod in agreement.

Despite Huang Shiyu's heartfelt and lengthy words, Lu Xiao still held the belief that chip development was something small businesses like theirs couldn't afford, given that research and development required a lot of capital, time, talent, technology, and the ability to withstand the risks it brought.

Joint Innovation was only recently established and had not yet turned a profit. Furthermore, the research and development of Xinyu Xinsheng required a significant amount of expenditure, meaning the company was currently operating at a loss. If their working capital exceeded their R&D investment, she wouldn't mind Huang Shiyu acquiring the equipment; they could always auction it off if they couldn't develop it themselves. However, given their current situation, she didn't recommend setting self-developed chips as a goal. The correct approach was to focus on developing a specific specialty within the limited time available, which might be more suitable for the growth trajectory of a startup like theirs.

“Shiyu, I acknowledge that you are a good person and I do admit that you have a long-term vision in business. However, this amount of money is not small. Let’s discuss it with Wang Ping later.”

It's unclear whether Lu Xiao's mouth is blessed with divine intervention, but Wang Ping's phone call caused Huang Shiyu's originally relaxed brows to furrow into a deep frown.

“The clients you talked to in Canada did come to our booth today, but they only glanced at it a few times and didn’t want to discuss signing any contracts. No matter how I tried to steer the conversation toward Xinyu Xinsheng, they just kept passing the buck. They said they needed to take another look and think about it. If you ask me, they probably lost confidence in our product because the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group went bankrupt, and they don’t believe that Xinyu Xinsheng will be well-received by the market when it is launched.”

At this point, neither she nor Lu Xiao had arrived at the scene, so they didn't know the specifics of the situation Wang Ping described. Their immediate priority was to have Wang Ping calm the group down, have a proper conversation with them, and probe their concerns. If possible, they should clarify their worries. Wang Ping said they had already started working on this, but those people were no pushovers; they were all seasoned veterans who knew how to play games. She was afraid that asking too many questions would annoy them.

Huang Shiyu understood this as well; even a cornered dog will jump over the wall. So she told Wang Ping that if he couldn't get any answers, he should just focus on the things on the exhibition stage. She would handle those people, since not directly rejecting them meant there was still a chance.

As he hung up the phone, Huang Shiyu couldn't help but swear, but he used elegant language, "Fuck your mother's group of people, they are really untrustworthy. They said such nice things in Canada, saying that they would immediately sign a contract when they saw Xinyu Xinsheng's product at the AI ​​competition, but now they're pulling this stunt, aren't they just trying to kill me?!"

Besides her grief and anger, her primary concern is how to retain these CEOs and prevent them from joining other startups like theirs—a situation she is unwilling to accept.

But the desire to invest is very personal, and she can't restrict others from investing in other companies. So, she can only try to figure out how to win back the hearts of these CEOs.

Clearly, Lu Xiao shared the same thought as her and knew why this group of people suddenly did this. Undoubtedly, they were afraid—afraid of not making money.

"Go ahead," Lu Xiao said slowly, "If only there were something right now that could rekindle their faith in Xinyu Xinsheng."

Huang Shiyu was also thinking about what could have such a big impact, big enough to rekindle the confidence of those bosses in Xinyu Xinsheng. Unfortunately, she couldn't think of anything for the time being.

But she knew she had to come up with a solution before the competition started, because once she was on the supplier list of these CEOs, it was like getting a golden ticket, making other business easier. This was similar to how she had allowed Li Xingzhou to invest his technology in her company back then—it was all thanks to the backing of the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group behind him.

Just then, Huang Shiyu's phone rang again. It was Wang Ping calling again. She initially thought it was about the same thing as before, but she was surprised to find out it wasn't after answering.

To her even greater surprise, the next time she heard about Youshe was because one of the laid-off employees, owed wages, approached Wang Ping, wanting her to act as an intermediary and pass a message to Huang Shiyu. Essentially, they couldn't contact Song Chaoye and his group, they weren't receiving their severance pay, they were struggling to pay their mortgage and car loan, and their children still needed to go to school. They hoped Huang Shiyu could help them get back in touch with Song Chaoye and his group, considering they had previously worked at Speed ​​Technology.

Huang Shiyu was shocked to hear the news. She asked Wang Ping and was told that it was true. She was furious at Song Chaoye and his company's actions. Although layoffs are common in companies struggling with the economy, she was angry because they should have kept their promise to pay the compensation amount. This is a matter of corporate integrity, and employees who are forced to leave should not be treated like this.

She firmly believes that people, like companies, are labeled. A company's founder often leaves a deep personal imprint on the company's culture, which cannot be erased. Therefore, one should cherish one's reputation even more.

Clearly, Wang Ping shared the same thought as her, but unfortunately, that's reality. In most cases, even if both parties agree on severance pay, things can change before the money is actually received, and what awaits them is only a long labor arbitration process, while the company receives almost no arbitration punishment.

Such incidents are countless.

Over the phone, Wang Ping asked Huang Shiyu for her opinion: "What should I say? Should I help?"

"Let me think about it."

Objectively speaking, this matter has nothing to do with her, whether from a legal or moral perspective. The smartest thing to do is not to get involved, since they are employees of Youshe, not employees of Lianhe Innovation. Although this approach may seem inhumane, it is reasonable.

But then she thought again that these employees who were owed wages must be desperate and had no other choice, which is why they pinned their hopes on her.

If she doesn't help, it seems like no one else will. But she herself is in dire straits, barely able to save herself, and she also has to think about how to regain the confidence of those bosses in Xinyu Xinsheng. There are still about two hours before the competition starts, so she doesn't have much time to think.

At this moment, Lu Xiao suddenly interjected, "Shi Yu, you'd better not get involved in this. It's not that I'm heartless, just too cold-hearted." Lu Xiao rested her chin on her hand, looking at her, "As the saying goes, even an upright official can't settle family disputes. Right now, you're being asked to help contact Song Chaoye's group. Once you actually manage to get in touch, these people will probably cling to you as a lifeline and pester you relentlessly. Even if it's not directly related to you, it will have a direct negative impact on you, and this negative impact won't just be on you, but also on the company."

“Yes, that makes sense,” Wang Ping echoed over the phone. “Lu Xiao is right.”

Huang Shiyu nodded.

She understood everything Lu Xiao said, which reminded her of the first time she participated in a roadshow to raise investment for the newly established Speed ​​Technology. Because she had been staying up almost every night in the days leading up to the roadshow to ensure the best possible presentation, she looked extremely unwell on the day of the event, as if she had been completely exhausted. As a result, the online public opinion against her was very unfavorable.

Even after the company issued a statement clarifying the so-called targeted public opinion against her, it was to no avail; people only believed what they saw.

At first glance, it seems that this only affected her public image, but that's not the case. In fact, it also affected the company. After all, as the head of Speed ​​Technology, she is also a symbol of the company's image.

Huh?! Wait a minute!!!

Despite the fact that they were completely unrelated, she suddenly remembered what Wang Yutong had told her during her job interview about "leveraging resources." Wang Yutong had mentioned many different approaches, but Huang Shiyu immediately focused on the media.

After all, she had witnessed the power of public opinion.

She felt that if water could capsize a boat, it could also carry it.

Since netizens only believe what they see, could she cleverly use the issue of unpaid wages owed to employees of United Innovation as a platform to subtly package herself and project an image of humanistic care, unlike other companies? Huang Shiyu thought that it would be difficult to regain the trust of those bosses in such a short time, and this method would be more effective. She could also help the employees who were owed wages—a win-win situation.

Regardless of whether she wins or loses in this public opinion battle, she will win the hearts of the people. Someone will always stand up for her, and she also believes that the group of employees who are owed wages will cooperate with her. After all, at this stage, she is the only one who can help them.

After thinking it over, Huang Shiyu quickly came up with a plan and truthfully shared his thoughts with the two of them.

Lu Xiao and Wang Ping both knew that Huang Shiyu's marketing plan was far from perfect for either Xinyu Xinsheng or the group of employees owed wages. If used well, it might bring them a lot of money, but traffic is sometimes a double-edged sword. It represents money, fame, halo, and resources. If they can handle it, that's fine, but if they can't, they will inevitably be in the spotlight every day, constantly being dragged out and criticized.

Huang Shiyu was aware of all this. She turned her head to look at the big tree outside the French window. Someone had hung a banner there, which was wrapped around the branch. The wind happened to blow in her direction, blowing the words written on it into her eyes, as if these words had been waiting for her there.

She read it very carefully, as if she wanted to memorize every single word.

She had no other choice but to resort to this desperate measure. For her, the problem she faced was almost unsolvable. Once the advantage was gone, she wanted to quickly regain the confidence of these bosses in Xinyu Xinsheng. This was the only way, although it was not very ethical, it was the best strategic decision at this stage.

The banner in the distance was being blown about by the wind, which was blowing so hard that it twisted into all sorts of strange shapes.

To ensure the plan's perfection, a trustworthy and suitable person was needed, and the task undoubtedly fell to Lu Xiao. After handing over the instructions, Huang Shiyu left the office building and waited for most of the day, but the car sent by the Artificial Intelligence Conference still hadn't arrived, and time was running out.

Huang Shiyu called the person in charge there and was told that a car had a minor problem on the road. The driver was fine, but the car had broken down. The person in charge told her that she could only wait for another car to be sent over.

Huang Shiyu checked the time; there were still more than two hours until the start of the AI ​​conference. If she was lucky enough to avoid a few red lights, she would make it in time. But she disliked arriving right on time. Just as she was hesitating, a familiar voice came from ahead.

"Timely Rain".

Hearing Li Xingzhou call her, Huang Shiyu stopped, looked up, and saw him—who shouldn't be there—with a hint of surprise in her eyes. She asked, "Why are you here?"

"I was running errands nearby," Li Xingzhou said as he walked towards her, bathed in the shimmering sunlight. "I stopped by to see you."

He didn't tell Huang Shiyu that the reason he was there was because he had arranged to meet Zhang Jinheng in the vicinity last night to discuss a collaboration. They talked until very late, so he simply rested at a nearby hotel.

Despite talking for so long last night, we didn't get anything out of Zhang Jinheng. He had visited many semiconductor companies recently, both foreign and domestic, but none of them seemed very willing to cooperate.

When he was about to leave this morning, he thought that Huang Shiyu's company was nearby, so he decided to come and take a look. When he arrived, he remembered that today was the day of the Artificial Intelligence Competition. However, he did not expect to see Huang Shiyu standing downstairs at the first glance.

He went to Zhang Jinheng to discuss cooperation because of Huang Shiyu.

Although he had previously vehemently denied Huang Shiyu's idea of ​​bidding for the equipment, he knew that Huang Shiyu really wanted to achieve results, make products to sell, and become an upstream player in the industry chain. Therefore, he would definitely do whatever it took to acquire the equipment.

He had always known that Huang Shiyu was the kind of person who would go all in on anything, gambling on the possibility of something ultimately being implemented. He had always understood this point quite well.

If it were him, he certainly wouldn't take such a big risk. After all, he has a project in operation at the moment, and it's hard to guarantee that he has enough cash flow to take care of both projects, especially since they are both large-scale investment projects.

He understood that Huang Shiyu meant he could borrow money. Undoubtedly, many entrepreneurs are in debt, and there's even a saying that being in debt is a sign of ability.

This might be due to the different perspectives of investors and founders.

Huang Shiyu raised an eyebrow: "What a coincidence."

She was still very excited to see Li Xingzhou here today, but she didn't show it on her face. It had been almost a month since they last met. Although they lived close by, separated only by a wall, she had been busy with the auction and the artificial intelligence competition, and had probably seen Lu Xiao the most during this time.

Li Xingzhou has been busy with something lately, and he seems to have no presence at all. Their chat box hasn't been updated in the past month.

Clearly, Li Xingzhou had no idea what she was thinking. He glanced at his watch. "If I remember correctly, today is the start date of the Artificial Intelligence Conference. Why haven't we set off yet? Has something happened?"

"The vehicle they sent suddenly broke down," Huang Shiyu said truthfully. "Now we can only wait for them to send another vehicle."

"I can take you there."

"This isn't a good idea, it's a bit of a hassle." The place she's going to is quite far from here. If it were in the same district, then getting a ride wouldn't be a problem, but bothering others for no reason isn't her style.

Li Xingzhou knew that Huang Shiyu was embarrassed to trouble him, but he just didn't like Huang Shiyu's overly polite manner. He always felt that this was the way Huang Shiyu interacted with strangers or people he didn't know well. "It's just a small favor, it's on my way."

Before Huang Shiyu could answer, he asked, "Did you receive the flowers?"

Flowers? What kind of flowers?

Upon hearing this, Huang Shiyu frowned, a perfectly timed look of confusion flashing in her eyes.

Li Xingzhou naturally noticed the fleeting confusion in her eyes and had a vague guess in his mind. "I ordered a bouquet of flowers for you, gold ones."

"With our relationship, why are you putting on this kind of early celebration show for me?" Huang Shiyu chuckled, speaking casually, but her eyes betrayed her true feelings. She scanned Li Xingzhou from every angle, but behind Li Xingzhou, besides the office workers coming down from the building every now and then, and the cleaning ladies passing by, there was no golden flower that Li Xingzhou had mentioned.

She asked, "Where are the flowers?"

Li Xingzhou hesitated for a moment: "Didn't you receive it?"

Huang Shiyu was taken aback and asked, "Did you write the address wrong?"

"Impossible." Li Xingzhou said calmly, but his brow furrowed instinctively as he spoke. "Which building is this?"

Huang Shiyu calmly gave the building number, then watched as he opened his phone, swiped a few times, paused, pursed his lips, and finally frowned.

During this process, she raised an eyebrow and glanced at Li Xingzhou several times. Her first thought was, "Could this guy have really written the address wrong?" Why didn't he ask her for the exact address first? He could have made up any excuse. She could have thought of that. With his intelligence, he shouldn't have made such a basic mistake.

However, she really didn't expect Li Xingzhou to send her flowers; it was quite a surprise.

Because her rejection was already quite obvious when he gave her plum blossom seeds, a smart person wouldn't waste their time on this.

She never told him why she didn't want the plum blossom seeds. Besides feeling that they couldn't compare to the significance of the plum blossom tree her grandparents planted, there was also a subconscious reason: when she was dating Song Chaoye, she would receive a bouquet of flowers from him every day without fail. She knew it was wrong to make such connections, but she just couldn't control herself. She wasn't a saint who wouldn't have any unfounded emotions, otherwise she could have ascended to heaven.

"It really was the wrong address. I filled it in for the building next door." Li Xingzhou frowned slightly as he looked at the order on his phone that had been placed in the delivery locker. He had intended to surprise her, but he never expected such an absurd thing to happen. He almost ruined the surprise, and a wave of irritation washed over him for no reason.

He then looked at Huang Shiyu and said, "I'll go get it."

After saying that, Li Xingzhou lifted his foot and turned to look for the flowers that had been delivered to the wrong address.

Huang Shiyu quickly grabbed his arm and whispered to him, "Let's not go get it now. We still have to go to the Artificial Intelligence Competition. Isn't it too rushed? Tell me where you put it by mistake, and I can have an employee go get it."

Li Xingzhou lowered his eyes, staring at Huang Shiyu's hand. Her grip was strong; although it was just a casual pull, it had gripped his arm tightly and was quite heavy. After a few seconds, Li Xingzhou looked up at her, his gaze somewhat ambiguous, "Do you know what else is inside besides the flowers?"

ah?

For some reason, Huang Shiyu felt that Li Xingzhou's gaze held a hint of malice, so she decisively withdrew her hand and asked in a seemingly ordinary tone, "What?"

The next second, Li Xingzhou's answer confirmed her premonition, and even nearly made her jaw drop.

"A 500g gold bar."

"?!!"

Huang Shiyu almost lost his smile at those words. His eyes were filled with undisguised shock, and his mouth opened and closed slowly, as if he wanted to say something but stopped halfway. His mouth was slightly open, and he was completely stunned by the words "500g gold bar." After a long while, he still couldn't believe it and said, "What...did you say?!"

Li Xingzhou did not answer, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye with utter indifference, leaving her to interpret the meaning of his gaze alone.

However, Huang Shiyu couldn't see it at all. After all, what could be more impactful to her than a 500g gold bar?

She asked Li Xingzhou directly what the pickup code was, and when she got the answer, she gave him a harmless and gentle smile.

Li Xingzhou seemed to sense something, but before he could even think about it, Huang Shiyu pulled him forward.

He had never run so fast before. Now that he stopped, he felt as if a sharp gust of wind would rush into his nostrils and nasal cavity with every breath. He exhaled a thick cloud of white air and saw Huang Shiyu already carrying a bouquet of flowers from the takeout cabinet, walking towards him without stopping, not even out of breath, with a happy expression on her face.

He just looked at her like that.

Looking at her eyes, expression, and every pore of her skin, you could tell she was very satisfied with the gift.

His cheerful and carefree demeanor, as if he hadn't lost his childlike spirit, and his toes were still bouncing down the steps. Li Xingzhou took in all of this unrestrained behavior.

He's so happy about 500g of gold bars. If he had known that Huang Shiyu was going to leave him, he should have thrown a basket of gold bars at her, or two or three if that wasn't enough, until Huang Shiyu was satisfied. That way, there wouldn't have been any trouble for Song Chaoye later.

He suddenly felt a deep regret for not having thought of this back then, thus missing out on so many years of precious time.

Before he could even catch his breath, he heard Huang Shiyu say, "Next time, could you please write the address correctly? If it weren't for the delivery locker here, someone else would have taken this 500g gold bar."

This woman changes her attitude incredibly fast. Just a moment ago she was grabbing his wrist, begging him to take her to the artificial insemination competition, and now… tsk tsk, a woman's heart is truly unfathomable.

"What's there to be afraid of with surveillance cameras?" Li Xingzhou looked at her, completely unconcerned. "This amount of money is enough to feed the government. Nobody wants to take such a big risk."

That makes sense.

Huang Shiyu glanced down at the large gold bar surrounded by roses. The shimmering gold was so unreal that she couldn't help but look at it a few more times. After a while, she remembered why Li Xingzhou would suddenly give her a gold bar. Thinking about it, she asked, "Why did you suddenly give me a gold bar? Did I tell you that I like gold bars?"

These words unexpectedly reminded Li Xingzhou of yesterday when he asked Xiang Zhinan on the phone what gift to give a girl that wouldn't go wrong. To be honest, he thought about it for a long time but couldn't come up with anything.

He usually gives gifts to men like Xiang Zhinan and Yan Shi, but he has never given gifts to women. Moreover, everyone has different preferences, so he really doesn't know where to start.

These past few days, the search keywords on his phone's browser have all been words like "girls," "gifts," and "no mistakes," and he's even thinking about it when he's talking to people.

Therefore, he could only place his hopes on Xiang Zhinan, the "friend of women," since this man had seen countless people and definitely knew how to please girls.

Xiang Zhinan quickly realized who he wanted to give a gift to and immediately said, "Hey, is it Helen's birthday? I want to give her a gift too."

Li Xingzhou coughed twice to interrupt him at the right moment: "Forget it, I don't want to go with you to deliver it. It's not her birthday, let's get serious."

"Hmph, whatever it is, I'll give you whatever you give me."

"How old are you? Be serious."

Xiang Zhinan thought for a moment and suggested, "See what she's interested in or likes, and then cater to her interests."

Are you sure?

He had considered what Xiang Zhinan meant by catering to someone's preferences. Huang Shiyu's current wish was nothing more than to list Xinyu Xinsheng on the stock exchange and to acquire the equipment from Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group. He knew that the most crucial step in the former was the lack of a chip, and the latter was not much different from the former.

He recently met with so many semiconductor company managers to discuss chip-related matters, and also to fulfill the promise he made to Huang Shiyu to help her find the best chip supplier.

Besides this, he wants to give Huang Shiyu some other gift at this stage, unrelated to the ones mentioned above. He just wants to give it to her. For him, a gift doesn't need to have a reason or special meaning. He just follows his heart and gives it to her if he wants to. It's that simple.

"Believe it or not, it's up to you." Xiang Zhinan continued, "Oh, I've never seen you put so much effort into preparing a gift for me on my birthday. What's that saying again? You forget your principles when you see a pretty face."

He didn't reply, too lazy to respond. In her mind, she cursed him as an idiot. Why would a grown man be jealous for no reason? It's so inexplicable.

Xiang Zhinan then asked, "Hey, why did you think of asking me?"

He deliberately jabbed at Zhinan through the phone: "Isn't that because you have a lot of practical experience, you can apply the formulas faster?"

Subsequently, Xiang Zhinan sent him a long string of “##&%t#…” messages in a very serious tone to accuse and protest against him.

Huang Shiyu pursed her lips and just looked at him, letting time race by. However, after waiting for a long time, he still didn't say anything. Huang Shiyu noticed that his peach blossom eyes were obviously a little dazed. She didn't know what he was thinking that could make him so engrossed. For a moment, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Li Xingzhou pondered for a moment, thinking about what Xiang Zhinan had said, then looked at Huang Shiyu with a faint smile in his eyes, "That day at the German restaurant, you held the gold bars like a dog seeing a bone, it was hard not to notice you."

These words struck her like a thunderbolt, hitting her very soul. Under Li Xingzhou's unwavering gaze, she began to flash back to the scene of herself holding gold bars in the German restaurant. She vaguely remembered making a fool of herself in front of Lu Xiao back then. Could it be that Li Xingzhou not only saw it but also heard it? Holy crap, no way! She had almost forgotten what she had done and said. No way! She felt there was nothing more terrifying than being forced to recall something you don't remember. Even though it was just a fleeting memory, it suddenly made her feel guilty, her throat tightening. It seemed like what he said really was true.

But she still said defiantly, "What did you say?! What do you mean by that?!"

He looked at Huang Shiyu, at her fierce expression. Although she seemed dissatisfied, she probably didn't know that when she glared at him with her big eyes, those wide eyes were just like those of a squirrel guarding its food, which was quite cute.

A gentle smile appeared in his eyes: "I was just teasing you, are you angry?"

You son of a bitch!

No, what's wrong with Li Xingzhou? What's so funny about making people laugh like this? I really don't know where he learned it from.

Huang Shiyu didn't look at him and said casually, "Come on, this is a gold bar. Such a valuable thing, weighing 500g, who wouldn't like it? What's the price of gold today?"

She took out her phone and did a quick search. Today's gold price was 624 yuan. The 500g gold bar in her hand would be worth 312,000 yuan. The gold bars she had previously saved were bought when the price was around 300 yuan. So, she made a huge profit.

Seeing Huang Shiyu's eyes light up, Li Xingzhou laughed and said, "Little money-grubber."

Huang Shiyu scoffed. She admitted that she loved money; who wouldn't?

On the bus.

Huang Shiyu and Li Xingzhou sat down facing each other.

The moment the car door opened, Huang Shiyu glanced at the interior and lights and realized that this was not the same car that had picked her up from prison last time.

At the time, she saw that all the cars on the outside were all black and about the same length, so she thought they were the same car. Little did she know that the interior was a completely different world.

The interior lights in the car were no longer the sapphire blue color from last time, but a light pink. Looking out the window, the people and scenery were also enveloped in a soft pink glow.

The interior layout is actually quite similar to the last one, except for the seating. The last one didn't allow for face-to-face seating, but this one does. Huang Shiyu felt that it was perfect for having a few drinks and a get-together with friends.

The lighting, the quality of the seats—it's so comfortable to lean against, and then you can play some upbeat music. Just thinking about it is awesome.

Huang Shiyu held the gold bar and examined it carefully before looking away.

As soon as the car door closed, Li Xingzhou raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Treat it like a treasure. No one in this car will try to take it from you."

"I'm checking if it's real," Huang Shiyu replied frankly, his tone making it impossible to tell if he was joking.

Li Xingzhou looked at her face, which was illuminated by the bright lights, and smiled: "You'll know when you go to the bank. If it's fake, I'll compensate you with myself."

Caught off guard.

"..." Huang Shiyu suddenly didn't know how to respond to his words.

"You don't find my face ugly or like I'm being taken advantage of, right now?" Huang Shiyu glanced at him, then squinted at the sky outside the window and said with a smile.

Li Xingzhou didn't take it seriously: "A little makeup will do the trick."

Huang Shiyu turned her gaze back to him, "What the hell are you talking about! Do you think I don't look good now?"

Li Xingzhou had already guessed Huang Shiyu's reaction. He looked at Huang Shiyu's face and said, "Didn't you say you were worried I'd get taken advantage of?" He paused for a moment and asked, "But I don't think I've ever seen you wear makeup before. What do you look like with makeup on?"

Huang Shiyu answered frankly: "I've never worn makeup because I don't know how, and I think makeup is a waste of my time."

She wasn't lying. Everything had a priority for her. For example, working and making money took a higher priority than makeup and dressing up. The main thing was that she always felt uncomfortable and couldn't breathe when she put those bottles and jars on her face, as if she had a layer of lard on her. Compared to torturing herself, comfort was more important to her.

"You're really lazy," Li Xingzhou continued to tease her.

"But I think I look great like this, why waste time on makeup?" Huang Shiyu asked him, pursing her lips. "What, you don't think I look good now?"

"What prompted you to ask such a tricky question?" Li Xingzhou almost laughed.

Her questions were tricky? It's because he kept bringing up makeup; she really didn't understand Li Xingzhou.

This person might have some serious illness; they can't say more than three nice things before they start stabbing people in the heart, and doing so with great force.

These thoughts had barely crossed his mind when he heard Li Xingzhou say calmly, "Get out of the car."

What?

Huang Shiyu looked up at him, and Li Xingzhou was also looking at him. Their eyes met, and Li Xingzhou seemed to know what she was wondering about. He said with a smile, "Are you going to carry it into the competition venue?"

Huang Shiyu turned her head and realized that while they were talking, the car had already stopped in front of the bank she usually went to.

This person is quite thoughtful.

Huang Shiyu is a VIP at this bank, so the gold bar deposit process was very quick. In the end, the two got into the car under the eager gaze of the account manager.

As soon as she sat down, she didn't know what Li Xingzhou had pressed. There was a TV next to her, but it suddenly lowered, revealing half of the driver's head.

It took her a long time to accept the fact that it was a partitioned television.

He couldn't help but sigh, "So this is the luxurious and decadent life of capitalists. No wonder, no wonder everyone is scrambling to climb into the upper class."

Huang Shiyu's gaze wandered for a moment before she realized that Li Xingzhou seemed to be looking at her. She turned her head and saw that Li Xingzhou had his hands in front of his chest, his eyes fixed on her. The shimmering pink light above his head fell on his brows, concealing the emotions revealed in his peach blossom eyes, making him appear even more enigmatic and mysterious.

But Huang Shiyu knew there was a smile in his eyes, and she said with a hint of sarcasm, "President Li, you don't even know how to treat guests properly. You've been in the car for so long, and you haven't even offered us a drink of saliva."

"What would you like to drink, Ms. Huang?" Li Xingzhou paused, seemingly considering what drinks Huang Shiyu would like, but couldn't think of a particularly good answer for the time being. In the end, he decided to give her the choice. "I have both soft drinks and alcohol. Take a look."

They were looking in the same direction.

The bar counter was packed full.

Under the twinkling lights overhead.

The dazzling array of drinks on the table was so captivating that it made one's eyes sparkle, yet not a single bottle was the same.

Huang Shiyu glanced at the bar counter closest to her seat. It was filled with all sorts of bottles and jars, which looked nice, but the colorful array combined with the overhead lights was overwhelming and gave her a headache. After thinking for a moment, she focused her attention on a particular liquid. "I'm thirsty. I want to drink water."

Li Xingzhou stood up and asked, "Warm water or ice water?"

"Ice water is fine, thank you Mr. Li."

"Your stomach is still in good condition."

His tone was very ordinary, sounding neither like praise nor sarcasm.

Huang Shiyu stared at him.

Li Xingzhou took a bottle of ice water from the ice bucket, unscrewed it, and handed it to her.

"Actually, it's alright." Huang Shiyu looked at the water in his hand, feeling its coolness. "Back when I was working, I drank a cup of coffee every day to stay awake, and my stomach has gotten used to it."

"So," Li Xingzhou said softly, "how are the preparations going?"

Huang Shiyu knew he was asking about the upcoming artificial intelligence conference: "It's alright."

After this topic ended, the carriage was very quiet. Huang Shiyu tapped her fingers on her cup idly, and the subtle ripples of the water fell on her retina. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Li Xingzhou sitting next to her and found that he was sitting with his legs crossed, looking very relaxed and comfortable.

After a brief silence.

"You're really that eager to acquire this batch of equipment from Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group?"

His question seemed casual, but Huang Shiyu perceived it as a test.

Huang Shiyu put down the water in her hand, looked up at him, and said, "Don't you know my determination? What's wrong?"

The two rhetorical questions indicate that the questioner's tone already contained elements of displeasure, or at least a sense of rejection.

"No, I was just asking." Li Xingzhou smiled slightly and denied it, not intending to stir up trouble. "It seems you've already made up your mind."

"Yes, Mr. Li seems quite disappointed." Huang Shiyu tapped his finger lightly along the rim of the glass a few times. "Don't you want me to bid on this batch of equipment?"

Li Xingzhou raised an eyebrow slightly: "That's not what I meant. The problem is that you don't have enough funds to bid on this batch of equipment."

Upon hearing this, Huang Shiyu immediately objected, raising her voice slightly, "Didn't I already say that I can borrow money from the bank?"

"You need collateral to borrow money from a bank. What are you going to use as collateral?" Li Xingzhou looked at her. "Joint innovation?"

“It’s not impossible.” Huang Shiyu looked at him, emphasizing the four words that came out of her mouth.

The two of them stared at each other, a kind of staring contest, neither of them speaking first, and the atmosphere remained tense. It just so happened that it was rush hour, and the cars were all stuck together, like fish stuck together in a pond.

Inside the car, two people were also locked in a gaze.

Huang Shiyu was waiting for an opportunity, a point of entry that could ease tensions between the two.

After all, she was still sitting in someone else's car, and it wouldn't be good to make things too tense.

I don't know if it was because God heard her prayers and decided to resolve her awkward situation.

The TV happened to be showing an advertisement, and the entire carriage was filled with calm, passionate, and cheerful tones, all repeating the name of a self-service piano room.

Hearing the name of this self-service piano room again after so many years is really hard to accept. I don't know how to feel about it, especially since I'm with Li Xingzhou.

Li Xingzhou, sitting across from him, immediately recognized this self-service piano room as the place where he first met Huang Shiyu. He had read the advertisement countless times and watched it over and over again.

Li Xingzhou didn't look away until the next advertisement appeared, and neither did Huang Shiyu; their eyes met once again.

He looked into those eyes. To be honest, he could hardly remember Huang Shiyu when he was a teenager. But he was sure that Huang Shiyu was happier now than he was back then.

At least superficial happiness.

He knew why; at her age, she could earn money, a lot of money.

But she was too stubborn, and that stubbornness sometimes got her into trouble.

Before long, a large gap finally appeared on the bustling elevated road, the peak of the congestion was over, and the traffic did not linger there for long before it began to disperse.

It is the venue for this artificial intelligence competition, the officially designated location.

It is also the venue for many forum activities.

Inside the car.

The atmosphere between the two plummeted to freezing point. The relationship that they had finally managed to improve was now turning against each other again because of this topic.

Perhaps realizing that his words had been too aggressive, and knowing full well Huang Shiyu's fiery temperament, he softened his tone and asked, "Do you know how much money you'll need to borrow to buy this equipment?"

"Of course I know, I've done the math." Huang Shiyu continued to stare at him, his eyes filled with stubbornness.

“You never know when the risks hidden here will surface,” Li Xingzhou frowned. “Huang Shiyu, after all these years of entrepreneurship, I’ve noticed that besides liking to increase the difficulty for yourself, you also like…”

Hearing this, Huang Shiyu's expression turned cold, clearly displeased. He interrupted her directly, asking, "Are you overestimating yourself?"

That's not what I meant...

He just felt that Huang Shiyu was sometimes a scoundrel in his business dealings.

Before he could finish speaking, he saw Huang Shiyu open the car door.

Before getting off the bus, Huang Shiyu said to him, "We've arrived. I'll go in first."

Before Li Xingzhou could answer, she added, "Li Xingzhou, you are a very good investor."

so what?

Li Xingzhou opened his mouth: "I..."

At this moment, Huang Shiyu felt a surge of indescribable emotion welling up inside her, an emotion that made her so agitated that she was almost frowning. She suppressed the turmoil raging within her and said in a low voice, "Let me finish. You are truly an excellent investor, very trustworthy. Especially in handling investments, your insight is unique, and your words are incisive and convincing. I..."

Li Xingzhou was clearly somewhat helpless. Simply trying to persuade Huang Shiyu wouldn't work; once she made up her mind, nothing could change it. But he didn't want to ruin the warm atmosphere they had finally built up. The more he thought about it, the more agitated he became, as if he had a lump in his throat, which was extremely uncomfortable. He was eager to find a way out, so without even looking at whose water it was on the table, he picked it up and drank it all in one gulp. Then he looked up at her and said, "Alright, the conference is about to start. Let's go in."

Only after finishing the drink did Li Xingzhou realize that the ice water was the same one Huang Shiyu had just drunk from. As if he had done something wrong and been caught red-handed, Li Xingzhou reflexively looked at Huang Shiyu, and his hand, as if suddenly enlightened, withdrew.

Huang Shiyu paused slightly as he pressed the car door shut. He didn't listen to Li Xingzhou's words and immediately got in. He seemed not to have noticed Li Xingzhou's actions just now. Instead, he pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "I know my chances of winning this batch of equipment are very low, but can't I try to seize this opportunity? How will I know I can't do it if I don't try? I came to Shanghai from Yucheng with nothing, which means I'm destined not to just want to live a peaceful life."

“I dare to do anything, I have my own pursuits.” Her eyes remained fixed on Li Xingzhou, with a hint of defiance or stubbornness in them. “Maybe I am not qualified in many aspects compared with other successful businessmen, but there is one thing that I am the same as these successful businessmen, and that is the same underlying qualities. I have their courage, perseverance, unwillingness to admit defeat, and willingness to fight.”

So even if she ends up losing miserably, she'll accept it. Moths are drawn to flames, so there's no reason for her not to jump in when the fire is spreading.

If she can secure the equipment, the company will thrive and her business will flourish. If she doesn't even have the courage to take such a risk, what will she have to compete with others? In this cutthroat business world, let alone gaining a foothold, even just having a small place is a precarious undertaking.

After all, she had seen too many large companies in the business world, some of which had enjoyed periods of great success, only to rise and fall in the commercial arena and eventually fade into obscurity. There were far too many such cases.

Li Xingzhou understood the meaning behind her words: even if it was a trap, she would jump in without hesitation.

The midday sun cast a dark shadow over the city, swirling among the skyscrapers. Under the daylight, crowds moved densely toward the venue.

Despite the beautiful weather and the lively atmosphere, the two of them seemed to be standing at the ends of the earth, facing each other, with the sounds of the crowd echoing in their ears.

Li Xingzhou looked steadily at her through the crowd, his expression calm, and said softly, "Good luck."

Then, in Huang Shiyu's view, the car door slowly closed, and the car sped forward. From Huang Shiyu's perspective, she could not see Li Xingzhou looking out the window and glancing at her.

It wasn't a look of deep affection, but rather the gaze of someone who cherishes their most beloved possessions after they've been soiled.

Only after the car had driven far away and disappeared from sight did Huang Shiyu turn around, and, guided by staff, pass through security.

Upon entering the venue, a person walked towards him, and Huang Shiyu knew who it was without even looking closely.

"Oh, you're here," Lu Xiao said with a smile.

Upon seeing the person who arrived, Huang Shiyu smiled slightly, all her previous emotions dissipating as if the fog had cleared and the sun was shining. "Am I late?"

"Wang Ping's dad just picked her up for the Smart Conference, and I hitched a ride with him," Lu Xiaoyan explained succinctly.

Huang Shiyu nodded, glanced behind her, and, not seeing Wang Ping, asked, "Where's Wang Ping?"

Lu Xiao looked around and said, "It's probably at one of the exhibition booths."

This competition is unlike any other held before, comprising both a forum and an exhibition. Strictly speaking, the competition is only one aspect; the core is to leverage the value of each company. Therefore, in addition to the competition, there are booths where company representatives can explain and introduce the core selling points of their products. This is also to facilitate investors in selecting the companies they want to invest in. After all, in addition to the competition judges, renowned scholars, entrepreneurs, scientists, and government officials will also be present at the conference, making this competition quite prestigious.

Joint Innovation also has its own booth, which Wang Ping set up a long time ago, in another exhibition hall.

Huang Shiyu patted her on the shoulder: "Come on, let's go take a look too."

The competition venue was at the World Expo Center, and the exhibition booths were at the World Expo Exhibition Hall. The two places were not far apart, quite close.

The exhibition hall is very large, and the exhibition hall covers a lot of hardware equipment related to artificial intelligence. In addition to the person in charge explaining the selling points on the booth, there is also a physical display area where you can experience it firsthand, which is very eye-catching. The two of us walked around and looked at the exhibits, both from the professional perspective of competitors and from the mindset of users to experience the new trend of the times.

"Is this the legendary startup hodgepodge?" Lu Xiao turned to ask Huang Shiyu.

Huang Shiyu raised an eyebrow, finding her viewpoint quite novel. "This is the first time I've heard this kind of statement."

As I passed a booth, the guide standing inside immediately came out to pull people in as soon as they appeared, acting as if he was trying to recruit them into a pyramid scheme.

"Hello, please take a look at our brochure. We manufacture automatic cooking machines. If you are interested, you are welcome to come in and learn more and experience it."

Lu Xiao's eyelids twitched slightly as she looked at the tour guide who had suddenly barged in.

Huang Shiyu took the brochure from the guide, looked at it, and said to Lu Xiao, "This is good."

Lu Xiao's eyes were also on the brochure. She was examining it with the mindset of looking at other companies' exhibited products. Just looking at the product features, she felt that it was highly suitable for office workers.

Huang Shiyu and Lu Xiao did not go in to experience the product, but instead walked towards the next booth. It was not because of the product itself, but simply because there were too many products on display. If they tried them all, they would not be able to see them all before the competition.

We passed by another booth.

"Hello, we are a smart education platform developer, and we've already completed our Series B funding round. Are you interested in taking a look?"

After taking the flyer and looking at it, Huang Shiyu said to Lu Xiao, "This one is not bad either."

Lu Xiao also took a look. The brochure also introduced the product features, but she was attracted by one of its advantages: the product could create a learning plan that suited the child's learning level and interests. She suddenly thought of Dou Dou. She was quite sensitive to anything related to children. She kept the product in mind and thought that after the competition, she would come over in person to learn more about the product from the salesperson.

She didn't make this decision blindly. Compared to how much others praised it, she only believed the answers given by the data.

They continued walking.

Compared to Lu Xiao, Huang Shiyu was not participating in a forum about artificial intelligence for the first time. Previously, he had participated from the perspective of a player or investor, but this time he was participating as a contestant.

We strolled around for a while longer.

Looking at them, they saw only highly repetitive products, and both of them showed a lack of interest. In fact, the field of artificial intelligence has always been quite complex, with a wide variety of products on the market and fierce competition. Few products stand out and are well-known. Ultimately, it's because there are too few truly good products, and it can be said that the field is not yet mature enough.

The two were planning to head back to their own booth.

Suddenly, they stopped walking and stared at each other without moving.

“Hello there.”

Huang Shiyu and Lu Xiao were both captivated by the robot in front of them, their eyes fixed on it intently, displaying the research-oriented demeanor of professionals.

But before she could see the details clearly, something very troublesome was quietly approaching.

At the same time, the exhibition hall was no longer filled with excited shouts, but rather with some arguments, making it seem so out of place.

It was described as arguing, but more accurately, it was a one-sided uproar.

Hearing the rustling noise, Huang Shiyu turned her head and looked outside the exhibition hall. When she saw it clearly, she couldn't help but frown. There was a group of troublemakers holding banners.

Everyone's face was menacing, and their impassioned voices were the resentment that was rising from their chests.

"Bring Huang Shiyu out here!! Give us back our hard-earned money!!!"

"Exactly! Call Huang Shiyu out here! He's owed money for months and hasn't paid it back, he's inhuman!!!"

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Author's Note: Guess what Shiyu is up to~ [That's right, I'm subtly hinting and inviting you to read the next chapter~ My lovely readers~]