Cooperation upgrade
Feng Jinxuan's brief account of the car accident weighed heavily on Yu Jinli's heart like an invisible boulder.
The wind on the deck seemed to be getting colder.
She looked at the man in front of her. He was standing in front of the dazzling city lights, but he seemed to be shrouded in an impenetrable and heavy loneliness.
It turns out that beneath his cold armor lay so many unknown, long-healed wounds.
“So…” Yu Jinli’s voice was a little hoarse, “You knew all along that he had a problem.”
"Just suspicion." Feng Jinxuan's tone was indifferent, as if he were talking about something unrelated to himself. "Without evidence, it's all just speculation."
He turned his head and his gaze fell on her. His deep black eyes reflected the lights of the city in the distance, as well as her small, somewhat bewildered figure.
“But before today, all my guesses were only on the business level,” he said slowly. “I never knew that there were these things that I couldn’t understand mixed in.”
Yu Jinli understood that he was referring to "metaphysics".
They are forces that he once scoffed at, but now has to face squarely, forces that transcend scientific understanding.
This was also the first time he had openly admitted his "ignorance" in front of her.
This openness quietly dissolved the subtle barrier between the two, a barrier that existed between employer and employee.
"Let's go." He withdrew his gaze, reverting to his aloof demeanor. "It's windy here; we should head back."
After saying that, he turned around and walked back the way he came.
Yu Jinli watched his tall, straight back and silently followed him.
She knew that from this moment on, something had completely changed.
On the way back to the mansion, the atmosphere inside the Rolls-Royce was oppressive and silent.
The city lights outside the window flashed by, dazzling and rapidly receding, like a grand yet silent fireworks display.
The two people in the car were each lost in their own thoughts and remained silent the entire way.
Yu Jinli's mind was in complete chaos.
Feng Jinhong's hypocritical face, Sun Man's desperate eyes, and Feng Jinxuan's long-buried past intertwine to form a complex web that tightly traps her.
She originally thought that she had just taken on a "high-paying escort" job for a year. As long as she could endure more than 300 days, she could take a large sum of money and retire to live a carefree life of buying a house and collecting rent.
Now it seems she has clearly jumped into a bottomless vortex. At the center of this vortex lies an unseen venomous snake, ready to devour her and the man beside her at any moment.
She secretly glanced at Feng Jinxuan beside her.
The man leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest; the lines of his profile appeared even more hard and cold in the dim light.
He seemed to have reverted to the cold and aloof CEO he once was, exuding an aura that kept strangers at bay.
But Yu Jinli knew that this was just his camouflage.
Beneath this layer of ice lies a heart that too can be hurt and weary.
The car drove smoothly into the hilltop mansion.
Feng Jinxuan did not go upstairs as usual, but sat down on the sofa in the living room.
He poured himself a glass of water and also poured one for Yu Jinli.
"Sit down." His voice was low, tinged with weariness.
Yu Jinli sat down opposite him, holding a cup of warm water in both hands, feeling the coldness in her fingertips finally dissipate.
“You did very well today,” Feng Jinxuan suddenly said, without any prior indication.
This was the first time Yu Jinli had ever heard a pure, unconditional compliment from him since she met him.
She paused for a moment, feeling somewhat unaccustomed to it.
"Huh? Oh... It's all for KPIs, for KPIs." She subconsciously used a joke to cover up her discomfort.
Feng Jinxuan looked at her, his dark eyes deep, as if he could see through all her pretenses.
“Yu Jinli,” he put down his water glass, leaned forward slightly, and said clearly and solemnly, “I need your abilities.”
Yu Jinli's heart skipped a beat.
“Not just as a talisman,” he continued. “You saw what happened on the cruise ship. My enemies are not only in the business world, but also in some… areas I can’t see. I need your eyes to help me see what’s hidden in the darkness.”
His honesty, like a stone thrown into a lake, stirred up a thousand waves in her heart.
She fell silent.
She understood the meaning behind his words, of course.
This was no longer a simple "close protection" but a formal invitation for her to join this dangerous game of playing with fire.
Agreeing meant she would be completely drawn into the power struggle within the Feng family, and even face a mysterious force hidden behind the scenes that was even more terrifying than Feng Jinhong. The life countdown on her wrist could be cut off at any moment due to a single mistake.
reject?
She looked into Feng Jinxuan's unfathomable eyes.
Those eyes no longer held their usual coldness and mockery; only a heavy, almost overflowing loneliness and weariness remained.
Like a traveler who has been walking alone for far too long in the boundless darkness.
She couldn't bring herself to refuse.
Not just because they're now in the same boat, not just because of the generous reward.
More importantly... a soft spot in her heart was touched.
She remembered the fragile man who murmured "Grandma" in his nightmares, and the strong back that shielded her in his arms when danger struck.
She realized that she... couldn't just stand by and watch him die.
“Boss,” she looked up to meet his gaze, her face once again displaying that familiar, slightly sly smile, “You want me to be your 'strategist,' sure. But shouldn’t our cooperation agreement be upgraded?”
Looking at her greedy, "I won't act until I see the profit" attitude, Feng Jinxuan's heaviness in his eyes finally dissipated, replaced by a helpless smile.
He knew that any discussion with this woman would eventually come back to money.
"How do you want to sign?" he asked.
“It’s very simple.” Yu Jinli held up one finger, his expression instantly becoming professional. “Before, I was your ‘employee’ and received a fixed salary. Now, I’m going to be your ‘partner’ and receive venture capital.”
“I’ll help you solve your problems and fight your enemies; that’s my ‘technology investment.’ You’re responsible for providing all the necessary resources, including but not limited to funding, information, and connections; that’s your ‘capital investment.’”
"As for the dividends..." she said, her eyes darting around before making an outrageous demand, "all the 'spoils of war' captured from the enemy in the future, such as that imperial..."
"For tangible assets like Wang Lu, asking for 30% isn't unreasonable, is it?"
"Okay." Feng Jinxuan agreed readily, without the slightest hesitation.
“Furthermore,” Yu Jinli added, “intangible assets also need to be considered. For example, if I successfully help you resolve this crisis and prevent the Feng Group from suffering significant losses, I will receive one percent of the recovered losses as a project bonus.”
"In addition, I plan to expand and strengthen my 'Koi is Coming' app, and create new glories. I need the technical support of Feng's Group and... angel round investment."
She finished speaking in one breath, then looked at him nervously, like an entrepreneur awaiting sentencing.
Upon hearing this, Feng Jinxuan was not angry at all; instead, he chuckled softly.
That was the first time Yu Jinli had heard him laugh so genuinely and so heartily.
His smile is beautiful; warmth emanates from the corners of his eyes and brows, like the first melting of snow.
“Sure.” He nodded, his smile deepening. “Anything is fine.”
He reached out his hand to her; his palm was large and his knuckles were distinct.
"So, it's a pleasure working with you, my...partner."
Yu Jinli stared blankly at his outstretched hand.
The moonlight outside the window gently streamed in through the huge French windows.
The man's hand, bathed in the gentle moonlight, waited quietly for her response.
She hesitated for a moment, but finally reached out and firmly shook hands with him.
The moment their hands clasped, she felt as if her heart, which had been adrift for so long, had finally found a harbor to rest in.
...
Back in her room, Yu Jinli lay exhausted on the bed.
She stared at the magnificent crystal chandelier on the ceiling, her mind still a jumbled mess.
From a small business owner struggling to make ends meet to a key participant in a power struggle within a wealthy family and a business partner of a domineering CEO, this transformation happened as fast as a rocket.
She took out her phone, unlocked it, and opened the familiar, old-fashioned forum interface.
She found the ID "Zhiyi" and hovered her fingertip over the screen for a long time.
In the end, she sent a private message.
[Koi is not a fish]: Master, I think I've gotten myself into big trouble.
[The Koi Fish That Makes KPIs Isn't a Fish]: The other party might be more troublesome than we think.
[Koi is not a fish]: I need to... become stronger.
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