Chapter 42 Before Huang Shiyu could even sort it out…

Before Huang Shiyu could understand the meaning behind Yan Shi's words, Li Xingzhou's distinctive voice rang out behind her.

Congratulations on the successful conclusion of the performance.

Li Xingzhou stopped a few steps behind Huang Shiyu. He originally wanted to go up and pull Huang Shiyu away, although he had no right to do so, but he just didn't want to see the two of them so close.

However, he saw Huang Shiyu subconsciously retreat, and his tightly furrowed brows relaxed easily.

He had been waiting and waiting, but Huang Shiyu was nowhere to be seen. He wondered if she had gotten lost, so he asked the staff along the way to find her.

Unexpectedly, the first thing I saw wasn't Huang Shiyu, who couldn't find his way, but two figures standing very close together. Because there weren't many people in the corridor, only a few of the overhead white lights were on, illuminating the two figures in a somewhat indescribable way.

But Li Xingzhou knew perfectly well that this was just Yan Shi's quirky sense of humor. This man hadn't changed over the years and had always retained his innate, quirky sense of humor.

Yan Shi straightened up, looked at him, and said with a smile, "With President Li's support, I naturally have to work hard to ensure the performance is a complete success."

Even though it was meant as a compliment, Huang Shiyu always felt that she could hear a hint of sarcasm in the other person's words.

"The music was good, and the performance was good too." Li Xingzhou shook his head and sighed, "But I think I heard a beeping sound."

The two stared at each other. Huang Shiyu watched their eyes meet, but she didn't sense any confrontation. Instead, she remained calm and silent.

Li Xingzhou remained calm, while Yan Shi remained silent.

She noticed that Yan Shi's bright eyes immediately dimmed after Li Xingzhou's last words, like a lens that couldn't focus, shrouded in a thick fog.

However, deep down, Yan Shi thought: What's the difference between this and questioning the silence of his bass?! Fine! Very well! Li Xingzhou's words still so easily hurt other people's self-esteem!

After a moment, Li Xingzhou spoke: "Move your cute little short legs back to where they belong."

He had just seen Yan Shi stand up straight but refuse to move his feet, instead sticking close to Huang Shiyu. Although he knew that this was clearly a deliberate act, it still made him very unhappy!

The metaphor in Li Xingzhou's words was easy to understand, and Huang Shiyu understood it immediately. He wanted Yan Shi to stand further away from her. However, there was no sign of Li Xingzhou on the ground. Apart from the sign of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group on the stage, he could be considered a half-boss, but why should anyone listen to him?

The next second completely shattered all her assumptions.

“Okay, whatever Mr. Li says goes.” Yan Shi shrugged and took a few steps back. He always paid attention to his image, and his movements were very elegant. “Report, moved.”

She really wanted to take out her phone. She regretted keeping it in her pocket, otherwise she would have loved to record what Yan Shi said and let Lu Xiao hear it.

Let her see a side of her favorite idol that no one else knows.

Oh no! This was a complete blunder!

Yan Shi had originally planned to deliver a shocking and irreconcilable remark to Li Xingzhou, but after seeing Huang Shiyu staring at him intently, he paused, and then a rare look of panic appeared on his face.

"Please don't misunderstand me. I have no ill intentions towards beautiful women. Please forgive me for my earlier offense."

Huang Shiyu blinked slowly, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes, but it was only for a moment before she quickly understood Yan Shi's meaning.

She smiled politely and said, "It's alright, I'm good at recognizing and utilizing talent."

The meaning was clear: she wouldn't bother with such trivial matters, wouldn't take them seriously, and wouldn't care at all.

"Ignore the idiot, let's go," Li Xingzhou said.

There are many things that Huang Shiyu dares not speculate or think too much about, such as the relationship between the two. It is not right to say that they are like fire and water and cannot get along, nor is it right to say that they are brothers in distress or good friends. It is hard to judge and hard to say.

"You've changed your mind way too fast," Yan Shi reminded him. "Just a few months ago you asked me how to make pork tripe and chicken soup hot pot, and now that you've learned it, you're just going to throw it away after you've used it, huh? You capitalists are really heartless."

His words were filled with a sense of innocence, which made Huang Shiyu want to investigate them.

Would a noble young master like Li Xingzhou ever want to cook?

Thinking back to the scene that almost destroyed her kitchen that day, she felt that Li Xingzhou should give up the idea. Putting aside whether the food would be edible, his life was the most important thing; everything else was secondary.

Li Xingzhou was somewhat surprised that he would bring this up. "I didn't even look at the recipe you posted."

"Is it because I didn't give you a chance to show off?" Yan Shi gave a playful smile, glanced at Huang Shiyu, and continued, "If you tell me that, I can understand. After all, I wrote this recipe for you with great care, and I even gave you the exclusive recipe with the exact same proportions. If you didn't even look at it or try it, I would be unhappy."

Li Xingzhou said, word by word, "Thank you for your one-on-one guidance, Teacher Yan. I will definitely try to recreate your recipe for pork tripe and chicken soup hot pot one by one when I have the chance."

Yan Shi didn't answer, but looked at Huang Shiyu and asked, "Do you like pork tripe and chicken soup hot pot?"

Huang Shiyu didn't expect the topic to turn to her. Not knowing how to respond, she simply told the truth, "It's alright, I wouldn't say I like it that much. I'm not picky about food, I can eat anything."

"So easy to feed." Yan Shi smiled elegantly. "You should learn to be picky about food, otherwise many men will think that pursuing you is an effortless thing."

After saying that, he raised an eyebrow at Li Xingzhou, as if he had said it specifically to him.

Huang Shiyu was thinking about what he said and didn't notice Yan Shi's little movements at all. After a while, he said, "Hiss... You've learned to be picky about food... But I really don't have any food that I don't like to eat."

Then, she chuckled softly, "What did I do that made you think I'm a harmless person?"

On the way back, Li Xingzhou kept thinking about Huang Shiyu's last words.

What behavior makes you think, "I am a person who does not appear dangerous"?

He kept mentally scrutinizing, digging deep, exploring, and examining Huang Shiyu's words. Before he could even think them through, the elevator dinged and the doors slowly opened, letting in a few gusts of cold air that hit his neck, which wasn't covered by his coat collar. The cold air clung to the burning heat of his skin, constantly assaulting and colliding with it, and relentlessly drilling into his shoulders and neck.

The cold wind not only dampened his neck, but also his brain, which had been filled with Huang Shiyu's last words, instantly turned hostility into friendship.

He didn't want to consider where the danger this person perceived came from; he was capable of allowing anything unexpected to happen, just like the stock market predicament they were about to face.

Once inside the suite, the two parted ways without exchanging polite pleasantries. Instead, they went straight to their respective rooms, closed and locked the doors, their unspoken understanding striking a chord for the first time.

In short, it means not interfering with each other.

As soon as Li Xingzhou entered the room, he turned the heating up to the highest setting and took off his bag and coat. Before he could even sit down, his phone, which was on the bed, rang.

He glanced at the caller ID, but didn't rush to answer. He slowly took off his shoes and only answered after the phone rang for almost a minute.

"Judging from your situation, things aren't looking good for you, buddy. I'll teach you one of my signature dishes, so you'd better watch carefully and remember it well this time."

The caller was Yan Shi, and his tone didn't change even though Li Xingzhou hadn't answered his call for quite some time; it remained as elegant as ever.

"explain."

"Red and yellow scorch the spring mud."

Compared to Li Xingzhou's conciseness, Yan Shi was equally impressive, adding four more words.

"The name seems pretty good." Li Xingzhou rarely showed any interest.

"recipe."

Yan Shi: "Boil the tomatoes in boiling water for one minute, then peel and chop them. Next, fry the eggs in oil and scramble them. Then, add the tomatoes and stir-fry until they release their juices. Add salt and sugar and stir-fry evenly."

"Does a simple dish like scrambled eggs with tomatoes need such a poetic name?" Li Xingzhou couldn't understand this person's thought process.

“You don’t understand,” Yan Shi said, feigning profundity. “Life is already so bitter, we have to find ways to enjoy ourselves amidst the suffering.”

"I'm so bored."

He originally thought it was a very difficult dish, although he didn't know how to make it, but that didn't stop him from thinking it was simple.

"Dude, you absolutely have to believe me, you're in big trouble."

This rather solemn tone left Li Xingzhou somewhat bewildered.

Li Xingzhou: "?"

Yan Shi: "Haven't you heard the saying, 'The way to win someone's heart is through their stomach'? But your cooking is so bad even a dog would complain. This is a disaster. I'd say this isn't good for you, brother."

If the first half makes sense, Li Xingzhou really thinks the second half is nonsense; he can only tell that the person is gloating.

However, Yan Shi reminded him that it was mealtime and he should eat.

If it weren't for the occasional soft breathing sounds from Yan Shi during the ordering process, Li Xingzhou would have thought the phone call had ended. Seeing that Yan Shi hadn't spoken for a while, Li Xingzhou took the initiative to ask, "Is there anything else you want to say to me?"

After a moment of silence, Yan Shi finally spoke, "To be honest, I really don't understand why you would release this kind of news and then ask me to buy up a lot of your company's stock." He paused, then added, "Aren't you afraid it will backfire on you?"

Li Xingzhou didn't expect that this topic hadn't been over yet. Of course, he knew what Yan Shi meant: when the company's stock price fell, not only would the company be affected, but his personal value and reputation would also be affected.

However, he had no other choice but to resort to this desperate measure. At present, the founding members of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group are not satisfied with the large number of shares they hold and enjoy dividends. They also want to squeeze out Li Mingsheng, the founder. The number of shares held by shareholders can determine the extent of their power to participate in the company's decision-making. Therefore, as long as the number of shares held by shareholders reaches the actual number of people needed to influence the decision-making results, they can gain the final decision-making control of the company. This is the fundamental reason why he chose such an extreme and incomprehensible method.

The main impetus was that pharmaceutical companies like these need to invest a lot of money in the early stages of developing new drugs. They can only start making a profit after the FDA approves them. So, in order to shorten the drug development time and quickly pass clinical trials, the group made the final decision to raise a lot of research and development funds. After several rounds of financing, the founders' equity has been diluted to almost nothing.

However, if another round of financing occurs, Li Mingsheng will no longer be the largest shareholder. He must prevent this from happening. If Li Mingsheng loses control of the group, his Sunac will also be in jeopardy. Although he is the sole shareholder of Sunac, the data used in the AI-based mental healing products developed since its inception all come from hospitals under the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group. Therefore, there is an inextricable connection between them. Huang Shiyu's products will also be affected, since the medical data is also provided by Shenzhen-Hong Kong.

Therefore, under these circumstances, he had no choice but to take a risk and resort to a desperate measure.

However, on the other hand, this is the only opportunity to exploit loopholes and buy back a large number of shares from shareholders in a short period of time. That's why he approached Yan Shi, the founder of the hedge fund. After all, buying back a large number of shares is no small amount, and he also has to ensure that the stock price rebounds immediately when he buys at the bottom, otherwise he will lose both his money and his investment.

"As I said before, I have my reasons for doing this."

Knowing that Li Xingzhou didn't want to talk about it, Yan Shi was also a smart and tactful person, so he didn't ask any more questions. He then changed the subject, "Oh, Brother Xiang, take a good look at the recipe I sent you, and make me a Manchu Han Imperial Feast later."

"Are you treating me like a chef?" Li Xingzhou slightly twitched the corners of his mouth, a half-smile on his face. "I think I'd be better off cooking you a Hongmen Banquet."

"I can lend you so much money to help you buy stocks at rock-bottom prices, what's wrong with you cooking me a meal?" Yan Shi said nonchalantly.

"You think learning to cook can really win someone over? Really?"

Hearing this, Yan Shi chuckled lightly, inwardly cursing Li Xingzhou for being a slacker, "I'll tell you after you cook me a meal."

"Stop joking, I'm serious."

"I'm serious too~" Yan Shi deliberately drew out the last "ya" sound, which softened his usual nonchalant tone when it came through the receiver, making it sound more playful.

"..." Childish. Li Xingzhou frowned slightly: "Stop messing around, hurry up, or I'll ask Xiang Zhinan."

Yan Shi first gave a couple of ambiguous laughs before speaking slowly, though his words were somewhat surprising.

"He always gets dumped in the end of every relationship, and you're asking him about that?"

Li Xingzhou: "..."

Yan Shi: "I'll be merciful and tell you this: I really don't want to see you being a single dog for ten years straight. Hurry up and find someone to marry a beauty."

"First of all," Yan Shi paused, but his pace remained unhurried, "the first step is to close the distance."

Hearing this, Li Xingzhou couldn't understand, "Isn't the distance close enough already? How else can we pull?"

"The distance I'm talking about is between hearts. You can deliberately play the victim and act pitiful to let her see your vulnerable side, thereby arousing her sympathy. This is how you can take things a step further."

Li Xingzhou said awkwardly, "How could I possibly do something like playing the victim? Can you be a little more reliable?" Even if he were to throw money at Huang Shiyu, he would never do something like playing the victim that Yan Shi suggested. In his heart, a man doesn't easily shed tears, so how could he show his vulnerable side in front of a woman, especially the woman he loves?

But he clearly forgot that the next line after "A man doesn't easily shed tears" is, "Until he is truly heartbroken."

Playing the victim is indeed very difficult for him, almost impossible. Otherwise, why would he let his love tear him apart for so many years without letting Huang Shiyu notice it at all?

“If you can’t do it in person, you can do it online.” Yan Shi chuckled lightly. “If you can’t even do that, then I’m out of ideas.”

After saying that, the call ended, but Yan Shi's last words lingered in Li Xingzhou's mind like a curse. His originally calm face involuntarily furrowed slightly between his brows, as if two little people were struggling in his brain, one saying yes and the other saying no. If someone hadn't messaged him in the middle, he would have suspected that he would still be agonizing over this matter even after the ordered food arrived.

As soon as Huang Shiyu entered the room, she curled up on the bed, her limbs sprawled out, as if all her strength had been drained. But she was still thinking about what Li Xingzhou and Yan Shi had said earlier. Actually, she really wanted to ask Li Xingzhou what he was going to do, since it was related to her major and she was quite interested. However, she didn't dare to speak on the way back. She hadn't forgotten that she had been eavesdropping, and she felt a little guilty.

However, she still had to ask. She needed to find out exactly what Li Xingzhou was planning to do. This involved her company, and even if she wasn't responsible for herself, she had to be responsible for the company. After all, Li Xingzhou was contributing his technology as equity, and they were in the same boat.

Besides, in the business world, what tricks haven't CEOs used? They're always framing and slandering people. It's not a big deal for her to overhear a little bit, especially since she didn't mean to.

In the end, Huang Shiyu convinced himself of this and made up his mind to open the door.

As soon as she opened the door, Li Xingzhou said that the hotel staff would bring the food later. Then he answered a phone call and hurriedly left. He seemed very busy, as if he had something urgent to do. But what was he going to do? But that wasn't the point. The point was that she had finally convinced herself to ask Li Xingzhou what his real purpose was, but before she could even get to the point, he was already gone.

It seems I'll have to ask again another time.

Huang Shiyu continued to curl up on the sofa, just about to close her eyes and rest, when the phone rang to disturb her. If she hadn't seen that the caller was Lu Xiao, she really wouldn't have wanted to answer so soon.

She listened as Lu Xiao said on the other end of the phone, "I saw the video you posted on your WeChat Moments! To be honest, I'm a little sad, a little upset, and a little angry."

I know she was referring to the concert video.

"Why are you so angry?" Huang Shiyu said with a smile. "It's not worth ruining your health."

Lu Xiao listened to her words thoughtfully: "That makes sense."

A few seconds later, Lu Xiao's voice continued, "Don't you know what's making me angry? Why didn't you tell me you went to see my favorite band?"

Huang Shiyu sensed the hidden meaning in Lu Xiao's words: Why didn't you invite me to go see it together? Do you have other good friends by your side?

As expected, Lu Xiao's opening remarks confirmed her suspicions.

"Who did you go with? Didn't you say you were going on a business trip?"

“With Li Xingzhou…” Before she could finish speaking, she heard Lu Xiao hiss on the other end of the phone. With just that one sound, she knew that this person was starting to overthink again, so she quickly explained, “But I really am here on a business trip, that’s true.”

"With Li Xingzhou?"

The question was asked in a very calm tone, which left Huang Shiyu somewhat bewildered.

"Mmm," she replied.

The conversation clearly wasn't over yet, and Lu Xiao quickly asked again, "Didn't you say you didn't want to have any contact with him outside of work? When did you two get so close that you could go to a concert together? Don't tell me it wasn't with him; I saw his coat."

The three questions were all pointed and hurtful, and it was clear that she couldn't fool Lu Xiao. However, she didn't intend to fool Lu Xiao either. From the moment she told Lu Xiao about her past with Li Xingzhou, she treated Lu Xiao as one of her own. She never treated her own people perfunctorily.

“Yes, it was with him,” she admitted. “But it’s not what you think. I did think that way before, but then I realized I couldn’t keep running away. I had to face the past and confront my past. So, first and foremost, I couldn’t do anything escapist with Li Xingzhou. Otherwise, it would mean that I was the one who was holding a grudge against the past.”

Huang Shiyu paused for several seconds before whispering, "Or rather, I compromised for the sake of this project."

She never imagined that she would have such a deep entanglement with this person, and thinking about it made her feel unusually irritable.

“Life is full of unpredictable things. You never expected to run into him again after all these twists and turns, and to have a series of collaborations and contacts in the future,” Lu Xiao said.

She asked Lu Xiao on the other end of the phone, "Do you think what I did was right?"

"Now you know to ask me."

She could picture Lu Xiao standing in front of her, saying these words with a slight upturn of her lips, her eyes sparkling, her arms crossed over her chest, looking utterly radiant.

Huang Shiyu chuckled softly and said, "I was going to tell you about going to the concert, but I got busy with other things and forgot. I'm so sorry, Xiao."

Lu Xiao: "How was the concert? Was the atmosphere amazing? What about the stage design?"

When the topic came up, Huang Shiyu didn't reply quickly, clearly savoring the moment. "It was good, almost like dropping a bomb, very amazing, but there's still one minor flaw."

"Tell me about it," Lu Xiao said, intrigued.

Huang Shiyu didn't like to keep people in suspense, saying, "It's just that I didn't invite the beautiful, generous, elegant and charming Ms. Lu, so it didn't feel quite perfect."

"So, Ms. Lu, would you be willing to give me a chance?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Lu Xiao didn't speak. After a while, Lu Xiao spoke again, her voice quite serious: "You can ask me anytime if you have any questions. This is my promise to you as your good friend."

In response to her earlier question.

"My brain is completely muddled right now. I don't know if the choices and decisions I made were right or wrong."

As she spoke, she got up from the sofa and walked to the window. "Right now, I just want someone to give me the answers or to comfort me. That would be great."

Vancouver's nighttime lights are as bright as the moon.

She stared at it for a long time, and just as she was about to drift into a daze, Lu Xiao's voice came through the receiver, traveling across half the globe to reach her ears.

“I understand you. When you said that your renewed contact with Li Xingzhou was due to a compromise on the project, I understood you, Shi Yu.”

Looking at the night view, Huang Shiyu blinked her sore eyes and sighed, "My head is throbbing."

After blinking, the sour feeling wasn't so strong anymore, and he continued, "Our project is all on this person's shoulders. If the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group's stock goes bust, this project will really be completely ruined, and all the hard work of the three of us will be destroyed. But if we stop the loss in time, the failure rate of the project will be reduced."

Lu Xiao understood what she meant. "I've been following the stock markets in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, and I understand what you're worried about."

Huang Shiyu immediately noticed a small, grayish-brown insect, about the size of a grain of rice, resting on the glass window. After a while, it struggled to climb upwards. She watched quietly, without disturbing it.

“I still have five million yuan tied up in the Shenzhen and Hong Kong stock markets. I’m now in a situation where my fortunes are tied to theirs.”

Huang Shiyu closely monitors the Shenzhen and Hong Kong stock markets every day, but contrary to the predictions of her management team, the market has not fallen. Instead, it has been rising steadily, now reaching 50 yuan per share. It's hard to say whether to be grateful for her business acumen or to be wary of another possibility: a sudden and dramatic drop from its peak.

“I also put some money into it. I understand the stakes involved, so now it’s not just about the project, but also about the stocks in Shenzhen and Hong Kong,” Lu Xiao said.

She kept looking out the window at the little bug that kept climbing up and then sliding back to the same spot and spinning around. Vancouver nights are actually quite cold, but the little bug on the window seemed unfazed by the cold.

Before my eyes was the vitality embedded in the window, and beside my ears was Lu Xiao's eloquent voice.

"We're afraid of a drop in Shenzhen and Hong Kong stock prices, but aren't those other people afraid too?"

Lu Xiao continued, "Everyone is afraid, but everyone is also gambling and trying to salvage the situation so that they won't become the last laughable cannon fodder."

"Shiyu, I have witnessed how you got here. On this field, it's either a winner or a loser, a fight to the death."

She was still looking out the window, but not at the little insect; she was watching the insect fly into the boundless night sky under the lamplight.

It turns out it had wings.

Having not heard Huang Shiyu's voice for a long time, Lu Xiao said in a deep voice, "So, I suggest you go all in and invest another five million. If you're going to do something, do it big. I'll go with you."

"Are we really going to go this far?" Huang Shiyu asked, somewhat surprised.

“The management team I hired told me to stop there. As long as I stopped, I could not only break even but also make a profit.”

“You don’t,” Lu Xiao said. “I’m sure of it.”

It must be said that no one understands her better than Lu Xiao.

"You really know me well, Xiao," she said with a smile.

Lu Xiao only touched on the topic briefly and didn't dwell on it further. "Have you had dinner before this? Would you like me to order you some?"

“Li Xingzhou just ordered it,” she said truthfully.

"You're not going to have dinner with Li Xingzhou again, are you?" She added, as if realizing something, "He's not next to you right now, is he?"

She stood facing the window, bathed in the warm, soft light of the room. The window was closed, and the room was quiet, shielding her from the noise of passing cars and people outside—a peaceful oasis amidst the hustle and bustle.

Huang Shiyu smiled helplessly: "No, what are you thinking..."

The doorbell rang.

Huang Shiyu glanced at the gate, thinking that the hotel staff must have brought the food, and said to Lu Xiao on the other end of the phone, "I'm not going to say anything more, my food should be here."

The two lingered for a while before saying goodbye, and the phone finally ended as she reached the door.

When she opened the door, she wasn't greeted by hotel staff delivering food, but by Zhang Jingyan, whose face was contorted with anger.