cooperate
Since Xu Changjia had agreed to the memory book, he stayed at home alone for a few days and wrote two new songs in one go.
However, she only gave one of the songs to Zheng Ruoqian, asking him to find someone to compose and perform it, and also suggested that he could release it online simultaneously on the first day of recording "Galaxy Reserve".
After waiting for a while without receiving a reply, I knew he was probably still busy. Instead, I received another message.
She smiled and raised an eyebrow. She never expected that the "Li Li Li Da Pu" was actually an old acquaintance of theirs.
She scrolled through her WeChat friends list and found the profile picture of the person she was looking for. She sent a message: "In Nan'an?" and went over.
Li Teng, dressed in a suit and tie, was sitting in his office working with his phone in hand when he suddenly shuddered and felt a chill down his spine.
He sensed a familiar chill in those words; he was still that aloof academic genius, no matter how many years had passed.
Seeing him staring absentmindedly at his phone, his colleague asked with concern, "Li Teng, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
As if knowing he was staring at his phone, the person on the other end quickly sent him an invitation to have coffee near his company.
He wiped away non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, asked a colleague to help him ask for leave, and left with his briefcase, claiming he wasn't feeling well.
When a figure appeared at the entrance of the coffee shop, he was hanging his head and looked unwell. From a distance, Xu Changjia could also see that the oversized suit did not fit him properly.
However, she didn't care about any of that. The main purpose of asking him out today was just to catch up with an old classmate. So, Assistant Wen drove her over and just waited in the car instead of going to the appointment with her.
She leaned back and smiled, extending her hand to invite him to sit down.
This increasingly nonchalant attitude actually made Li Teng somewhat uneasy.
"Hey Xu, the academic star, it's been a long time!"
She followed up with pleasantries, then brought up how the other people they had been with back then were all doing very well in the entertainment industry, and asked about his recent work.
Although Assistant Wen had already found out everything before coming, she still wanted to hear her old classmates chat casually and tell stories from the past.
Li Teng naturally saw that the academic superstar in front of him was still standing at the top looking down on them as always, but he also had to admit that the Weibo post did use the fame of his old classmate to try to make his life better.
Before that, he worked for a small private company, working ten hours a day. After work, he would either sleep or play games online to relax.
He was fed up with this kind of life where he could see the end from the beginning, but his parents would call from Junzhou from time to time. Besides their concern, their voices sounded increasingly old to him, mixed with coughs that made it hard for him to breathe.
He knew he had to find another way to make a living; it wasn't worth spending three to five thousand yuan a month to save his life.
I sent out countless resumes to online part-time jobs, trying to find a second way to support myself, but I never received a reply.
Unexpectedly, there's always a way out. He accidentally saw a jewelry advertisement featuring Zheng Ruoqian on a large advertising screen. It looked familiar, so he searched it up and discovered that the big shots who had tutored them, a group of underachieving students, were now making a name for themselves in the entertainment industry.
At first, he really just wanted to pay more attention to his old classmates. But later he gradually discovered some tricks of the trade, started a Weibo account, and spent one or two yuan at a time to spam the screen, acting as a so-called "water army".
Just two days ago, Zheng Ruoqian was trending on social media again for being criticized. He knew that an opportunity to make money had come. He used his personal account to post a long article, showcasing his friendship with his classmates. As a result, quite a few business opportunities came his way, and he made a small profit as a result.
In fact, these past two days, some colleagues at the company have even asked him if he really knows any big stars, making him feel different from others at the company for the first time.
When he said these words, he immediately felt much more relaxed. He never expected that the first person he would meet would be Xu, the academic star, since she had never cared about these things before.
Xu Changjia gently placed the coffee cup on the table; they were all pitiful people caught up in the clutches of fate.
“I can let bygones be bygones, and I will not let anyone else investigate.”
Upon hearing this, he immediately looked up at Xu Changjia. He was indeed quite different from a few years ago. Now, his shrewd and capable demeanor made people even more hesitant to approach him.
"Thank you so much. But what do you need me to do? What are the conditions?"
He knew the rules, and he knew that there were some things that could be done in this line of work, and some red lines that absolutely could not be crossed, so he naturally had to ask clearly.
“I need you to resign and go to Zheng Ruoqian’s studio to work in public relations.” She deliberately didn’t mention the salary and benefits, wanting to see the other person’s reaction.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a single "Good!" was uttered without the slightest hesitation.
So, in less than ten minutes, he signed a new contract with Xu, the top student. He didn't even read the details clearly, but he knew that his monthly salary had increased from four figures to five figures.
Xu Changjia also gave him the address and phone number of the new company, telling him that he could go there to report after he finished handing over the affairs of his original company. He had one month to go, and he should say that he was from President Wen's side.
Then, he clapped his hands and left, not giving him a chance to ask any more questions.
Since he has some talent in this area, he should just do his job well and keep people under his watchful eye. Then all their worries will be resolved.
Before she could even tell her assistant to keep an eye on things, Wen had already given her some good news.
For several days in a row, he came to her small apartment to show her the olive branches that people outside were extending to her. In addition to publishing houses, there were also major news and online media companies that wanted her to work for their companies or collaborate on making videos and publishing books.
Xu Changjia asked him to analyze from a professional perspective which companies had the best development prospects and which companies offered relatively free and easy work.
But Wen's assistant's words brought her back to reality: work is never easy or carefree.
The reason I still feel free now is because I haven't been poisoned by work yet. Once I've worked for a few days, I'll know the bitterness of it.
She didn't want to be out of touch with society; she still wanted to work and earn a living with her own hands. However, apart from writing, she really didn't know what other skills she had.
Having worked with her for so many years, Assistant Wen knew her young lady's personality. She selected two offers from among them and placed them at the top. Both companies were quite good; there was no need to work regular hours, only the requirement to submit manuscripts on time each month, and there was a base salary. Although it wasn't much, it was still a decent job.
She took it and glanced through it. "Hmm, working from home online is indeed good, but we still need to meet with their boss in person."
The name seemed familiar, and she reached out to feel for it. Before she could figure it out, Assistant Wen, anticipating her thoughts, told her that it was indeed an old acquaintance of her mentor, who had been supporting the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore at South Shore University, so she had a high degree of freedom.
She nodded and decided to go to this company. With her mentor's connections, she figured they wouldn't harm her.
In the year HX2124, as the vegetation deepened and summer grew longer, Xu Changjia began his first formal job in both his past and present lives.
Although the salary wasn't much—only a base salary of five thousand yuan per month compared to her friends—her boss, Xiong Jianian, told her that as long as her articles were well-written, she would receive bonuses each month based on the number of times they were adopted, cited, and downloaded, which would amount to five figures.
Back in school, Professor Xu used the same calculation method to settle her bonus every month, so she knew as soon as the boss mentioned it to HR.
After finishing the important work-related matters, she went to Zheng Ruoqian's apartment.
To avoid suspicion, everyone in their studio lived in this neighborhood, and the apartment downstairs from Zheng Ruoqian's was bought by her for herself, so that she could come here to see him.
She hadn't come here once since she bought it; today was her first time.
Fortunately, a cleaning lady comes every few days to clean, and all the necessary supplies are provided, so it doesn't affect her living here or staying overnight.
She bought some hot pot ingredients. On her first day at her new job, she naturally wanted to give herself a little celebration and create a sense of occasion.
After leaving the new company, she messaged Zheng Ruoqian in advance, asking him to come back and have hot pot together after he finished work. She also went to the supermarket and bought some things, not all of them hot pot ingredients.
The late spring cold snap was quite chilly; her breath outside the window would condense into a thin mist. She put her scarf away for a few days but wore it again today. She also picked out a few pairs of wool socks for herself at the supermarket and bought some small items to give to her friends.
When I lived alone and was too lazy to cook, I was very grateful for their care. Now, I eat very casually with Zheng Ruoqian. I wash a pot of my favorite vegetables, throw them in, find a movie I like, project it on the white wall, and eat it while listening to the loud bubbling sounds.
A meal is the most delicious thing in the world.
Now, under the warm yellow chandelier, the soft light outlines two figures embracing each other.
The pot was half red and half white. Zheng Ruoqian needed to protect his voice, so he couldn't eat too much red soup. She poured some of the washed ingredients into both sides of the pot and put them in to cook over medium heat, waiting for him to come back and have dinner.
The message I just received on my phone says I've arrived at the community and will be there in five minutes.
The sound of the hot pot bubbling away was accompanied by the ringing of the doorbell outside her apartment; the person it was waiting for had returned.
Xu Changjia, wearing slippers, jogged over to open the door for him. "You're back?"
A bouquet of pink roses appeared first, followed by the familiar face she recognized.
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