Chapter 14

Zhou Ping'an's office was remarkably simple, with almost no personal artifacts visible. On the wall hung complex battery diagrams and whiteboards densely covered with formulas and data. Zhou Ping'an sat at a large desk, Liu Yifan in a chair across from him. The air was filled with a calm, focused atmosphere, similar to that of a laboratory.

After a brief silence, Liu Yifan spoke first, breaking it. Her voice was clear and calm, and she spoke with the mastery of an actor, each word seeming to have been carefully crafted.

"Mr. Zhou, I came to Rongcheng this time to discuss with you face to face a core issue concerning the ultimate success or failure of the 'Overthrowing the Country' project." She looked at him calmly without any evasion.

Zhou Pingan raised his eyes, motioning her to continue. His eyes were calm, like a pool of deep water, with no emotion visible.

"The character of Bao Si doesn't hold up because we've been fabricating her 'inner motivations' out of thin air. Hatred? Sorrow? Or awakening?" Liu Yifan leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming more focused. "But we might be wrong. Her motivations may not lie in herself at all, but in the object of her gaze—King You of Zhou."

She paused, observing Zhou Ping'an's reaction. He remained silent, but his gaze was more focused.

"To understand King You of Zhou, to understand where his world-shattering madness and paranoia came from," Liu Yifan lowered his voice, speaking with an almost bewitching sincerity, "I must understand you."

Zhou Ping'an's eyebrows moved slightly.

"Not as investor Zhou Ping'an, but as you, the original creator and sole source of energy for the 'Allure' project." Her words were extremely cautious, yet pointed. "I must understand your most genuine and deep-seated needs for 'Allure', needs that even you may not fully understand. I must try to tap into... your most authentic subconscious thoughts about 'beauty,' 'preservation,' and 'defying time.'"

She saw a tiny ripple in Zhou Ping'an's eyes, like a pebble dropped into a calm lake. She knew that these words had touched him.

Strike while the iron is hot, she offered a grander, yet more dangerous, reason: "Mr. Zhou, the way you initiated this project has long surpassed the logic of commercial film. It is itself a contemporary, extremely luxurious performance art. Then, according to the rules of performance art, as the initiator and core driving force of art, you yourself should also become a part of this art. Your state and your will should be inseparable elements of the work. My job is to observe, feel, and transform this 'state', and ultimately present it through the medium of Bao Si."

The office fell into a deeper silence, with only the faint roar of machinery coming from the distant window.

After more than ten seconds, Zhou Ping'an leaned back slightly in his chair, looked at her with scrutiny, and finally spoke, asking a very practical question:

"So, you plan to stay in Rongcheng forever?" His tone didn't indicate agreement or disagreement; it seemed more like he was confirming the feasibility parameters of a plan.

"That's not the case." Liu Yifan immediately shook her head. Her answer was already prepared, smooth and natural. "My main battlefield is still on the crew. Director Lin needs me. But I need to fly over here regularly and irregularly. Immerse myself in your environment, observe, and feel it."

Zhou Pingan, hearing this, almost subconsciously, with a hint of pure logical confusion, asked, "Wouldn't it be strange to go back and forth so frequently?"

Upon hearing this question, Liu Yifan's face suddenly broke into an extremely bright, even slightly sly smile. This smile instantly diluted the overly serious atmosphere of the art discussion in the office, injecting a touch of fresh, even worldly vitality.

She laughed, her voice clear and crisp, as if she thought his question itself was the most "strange" thing: "Strange? Mr. Zhou, what's so strange about this?"

She tilted her head slightly, and in a tone that sounded almost "natural," she easily pointed out the most "normal" reason in the eyes of the world:

"You, 31, a billionaire tech tycoon, a top talent, and unmarried." She spoke each word as if she were listing mundane facts. "I, a top actress, a recognized beauty, am also single."

She spread her hands, her smile brightening even more, with a kind of insightful teasing: "The two of us, met because of a groundbreaking project, were attracted to each other, and wanted to get to know each other better... To anyone, isn't this the most natural and least surprising thing?"

"..." Zhou Ping'an fell completely silent.

He had clearly never considered this problem from such a profoundly "worldly" perspective. His mind had always been mired in projects, art, and logical chains. Yet, Liu Yifan effortlessly employed the most commonplace "human logic" to offer a flawless, even infallible, solution to what he considered a "feasibility problem."

In the face of this powerful and irrefutable "realistic reason", any questioning about the "purpose of art" seems redundant and inappropriate.

Zhou Ping'an looked at her smiling face and realized clearly for the first time that the woman in front of him was not only extremely beautiful, but also possessed an extremely sharp worldly wisdom that was enough to resolve all logical dilemmas.

He was silent for a few seconds, as if he was quickly reassessing the weight and risks of the entire plan. Finally, he seemed to accept this impeccable "solution" and succinctly concluded:

"Okay. I understand."

There is no explicit promise, but there is no refusal either. This usually means tacit agreement.

The smile on Liu Yifan's face slowly faded, returning to her focused and serious demeanor. She knew she had passed the first hurdle.

Just when she thought the meeting was about to end, Zhou Pingan didn't end the conversation. He looked at her calmly, and as if naturally moving on to the next item on the agenda, he asked a very practical question:

"According to what I'm saying, do I need to start introducing you to the people around me?"

There was no tentativeness or ambiguity in his tone, only a pure, business-like inquiry.

Liu Yifan was caught off guard, the composure on her face frozen for a moment. This question, like a precisely dropped stone, instantly shattered the psychological defenses she had just built, yanking her from the position of "strategic planner" to the position of "practical executor."

Introducing? So soon? To his colleagues, friends? Saying, "This is my girlfriend, Liu Yifan"? This... is this the beginning? I thought it would take more preparation and testing... His thinking and actions are so fast!

She quickly suppressed the momentary panic of her "girlfriend" role and immediately entered the calmness of "project co-planner." After a moment's hesitation, she analyzed:

"This is a good entry point, but the timing and degree need to be grasped. At this stage, we should be in the stage of 'mutual affection, cautious contact and mutual understanding'. This means appreciation, but it is far from the level of public confirmation and bringing into each other's core circles."

She looked at him and reminded him very seriously, her tone like an experienced director giving instructions to a talented but unskilled actor:

"So, if we suddenly tell someone 'this is my girlfriend' now, it would be 'over,' which would seem abrupt and illogical. We need to avoid this kind of 'jumping the gun.'"

Zhou Pingan listened intently, as if trying to comprehend a complex yet orderly new set of rules. He nodded, "I understand. So, at this stage, what should the correct...state be?"

Liu Yifan hadn't expected him to ask so directly, but she quickly took up the question, explaining calmly, "Well... probably: admiration, curiosity, and a hint of uncertainty. When we're together, the atmosphere is relaxed and positive, but we maintain an appropriate distance and sense of propriety. Conversations tend to revolve around shared interests, such as..."

She glanced across the tech-filled office and continued naturally, "For example, projects, or technologies you're interested in. Occasionally, you can touch on some personal preferences, but it won't go too deep into personal areas."

She thought for a moment and added a specific example: "For example, if you were introducing me to someone, a more reasonable way to say it might be: 'This is Ms. Liu. We're collaborating on an important project and we really hit it off.' Rather than something else. The latter requires more time and context."

Zhou Pingan was silent for a few seconds, seemingly lost in thought, as if inputting these "social parameters" into his cognitive system. Then, he simply responded, "I understand. It requires gradual progress."

His concise summary, on the contrary, reflects his way of thinking, which is to simplify things and get straight to the point, better than any technical terms.

Liu Yifan nodded gently: "Yes, gradually."

All the "rules" seemed clear, and Zhou Pingan's face showed a sense of relief that the issue had been resolved. He stood up and naturally changed the subject:

"Come on, I'll show you the newest lab. This," he said, his eyes scanning the diagrams and equipment on the wall, "is probably my most core 'common interest'."

Liu Yifan: "...Okay." She felt a strange sense of tacit understanding towards this direct yet extremely "plot-appropriate" invitation.

She followed Zhou Ping'an toward the brightly lit laboratory. Her steps remained graceful, yet she felt a sense of wonder. They had just, like two calm planners, set the parameters for their "emotional relationship" simulation, and now, together, they were about to visit a real place, a place ablaze with reason and passion.

The two walked out of the office building side by side. The evening breeze blew through the factory, bringing a hint of coolness. The surroundings were very quiet.

As they walked, Zhou Pingan suddenly spoke, a rare, relaxed smile on his lips, as if talking to himself: "Come to think of it, you know what, this kind of acting... really makes people feel very happy."

Liu Yifan turned his head to look at him and smiled cooperatively: "Oh? Mr. Zhou is enjoying the fun of being an 'actor'?"

His gaze became somewhat distant, as if he was retrieving a piece of dusty memory data:

"When I was in my early twenties, I stayed up late adjusting parameters in Rongcheng's laboratory. When I got tired, I would look at your poster on the wall. At that time, I thought that you looked so... beautiful, like an unattainable dream."

His tone was calm, without any shyness, and it seemed more like he was stating an objective fact.

Then, his gaze returned to reality, landing on Liu Yifan beside him. His eyes were clear, and the smile on his lips deepened, carrying with him a deep feeling and confirmation of his past self that transcended time and space:

"Now, more than ten years have passed. I can actually walk side by side with you, chatting, doing the same thing... Heh."

He laughed softly. There was no frivolity in that laugh, but an extremely complex one, steeped in the weight of time:

"It feels like I've accomplished something for my younger self that I never could have imagined. This feeling... well, it's hard to describe, but it's truly... wonderful."

The smile on Liu Yifan's face froze for a fraction of a second, then melted back into a brighter, more charming smile. Yet, deep down, it felt as if a fine, ice-hardened needle had suddenly pierced a nerve. A sharp, stabbing pain, accompanied by an icy chill, instantly spread from her chest to her fingertips, almost causing her to instinctively curl her fingers. She felt her breath freeze for a moment, requiring all her professionalism to maintain the natural curve of her face.

He wasn't saying, "It's great to be with me." He was saying... "It feels so good to have a dream come true." He was happy for the younger self who, years ago, could only stare blankly at the poster. He strictly separated his past self from his present self, and the successful him of today finally made up for the regrets of his past self.

She clearly saw that his joy came not from interacting with "Liu Yifan at this moment," but from a certain fulfillment and reward from "successful Zhou Ping'an" to "young Zhou Ping'an." She was a newly ticked, extremely gorgeous item on his list of life's achievements.

What struck her even more was a chilling insight: in his clear, focused eyes, now extraordinarily bright with the fulfillment of a long-cherished wish, she couldn't detect a single trace of the instinctive passion or possessive desire that men often harbor for women. His admiration was a pure, rational admiration, stripped of the physical, as if assessing a masterpiece that had perfectly met all technical parameters.

A startling thought suddenly occurred to her: Perhaps, at this moment, he was experiencing a higher level of satisfaction from being able to maintain this "pure, unselfish appreciation"? This absolute "control" was itself part of his philosophy of success and his sense of superiority, another proof of his distinction from "ordinary men." He enjoyed this transcendental, "perfect" state of appreciation itself.

Liu Yifan's tone grew sweeter, even tinged with a hint of admiration, perfectly portraying the symbol of a "dream come true": "If I can make you this happy, then I've done my job as your 'girlfriend'."

Zhou Ping'an was completely unaware and nodded naturally, saying affirmatively, "Yes. Perfect."

He answered so decisively, as if he was accepting the final results of a project.

Liu Yifan maintained a smile as she followed Zhou Ping'an toward the brightly lit laboratory. Her steps remained graceful, but her heartbeat was like a drum. A shudder, a mixture of a chill and a near-professional excitement at having collected crucial sample data, quietly ran down her spine.

This tremor contains both the stinging pain of being objectified and a stronger, crazy throbbing belonging to the creator - she is infinitely approaching that powerful, cold, and extremely real soul core, which is an invaluable treasure of pain for her to shape Bao Si.