Chapter 72 Love Strategy
On Saturday morning, Lin Yao rushed to the classroom. She found a seat in the middle. She'd built up some connections during her orientation work, so she greeted everyone she knew. Coincidentally, in front of her sat Ruan Yiyan, and to her left sat Fang Qin. They'd been in her previous group, so naturally, they were closer than the others, chatting as soon as they met. She glanced in front, to her sides, but not to the back. She figured someone like Lin Yuxun would most likely sit in the last row, the "leaders' lounge." After the argument at the orientation dinner that day, he'd sent her messages at three or four in the morning. His words were jumbled, as if he'd been drunk, and he was still arguing, accusing her of discrimination and demanding she explain exactly what kind of person he was. He sent several messages in a row. She saw them the next morning and ignored them. She hadn't received a single message from him since then. After she returned from her hometown, he'd sent her several messages a day, asking about the start of school and other random topics. Now that she wasn't being bothered, she didn't seem to have much peace of mind. This semester, their class was assigned to take "Strategic Management" and "Data, Decision-making, and Models." Last night, she had snatched up a spot on the popular professor's elective course, "Corporate Governance and Incentive Mechanism," through the college system. The results weren't out yet, so she discussed with Fang Qin and Ruan Yiyan how to snag other electives. A male professor in his fifties had already taken the podium. He was teaching "Strategic Management," which he'd been doing all day. He began by explaining how the course would be structured, saying the topics would be discussed in small groups, and then displayed the list of groups he had created on the projection screen. Lin Yao scanned the screen, but didn't see Lin Yuxun's name. She scanned again, confirming it wasn't there. Only then did she look around, but he wasn't in the classroom. The professor began his discussion of strategy by citing Lao Tzu's statement, "The existence of the tongue, is it not a period of softness? The loss of teeth, is it not a period of hardness?" "Even if all the teeth are gone, the tongue remains," sounding like the philosophy of "the hard is easily broken, while the flexible can be preserved." He then moved on to international strategy, military strategy, and business strategy, even jokingly shifting to relationship strategy. "When facing competitors, you can't blindly confront them head-on. Rush to expand can lead to failure due to overdrawing resources. Instead, if you can employ a strategy of overcoming hardness with softness, focus on niche areas, and provide differentiated services, you can actually break through." The professor is a renowned scholar with outstanding research in the field of strategy. He also serves as a mentor to many well-known companies and has a good sense of humor. He then shifted the focus on business competition strategy, saying, "You guys should have experience in relationships, and the same applies to relationship strategy. You can't be reckless in pursuing someone. Arguing...
On Saturday morning, Lin Yao rushed into the classroom.
She found a seat in the middle. She had built up some connections during her time as an admissions guide, so she greeted everyone she knew. Coincidentally, in front of her sat Ruan Yiyan, and to her left sat Fang Qin. They had been in her previous group, so naturally, they were closer than the others, and they chatted as soon as they met.
She looked in front and on both sides, but didn't look back. She thought that someone like Lin Yuxun would most likely sit in the last row of the "Leaders' Leisure Area."
After the argument at the matriculation dinner that day, he sent messages at three or four in the morning, his words jumbled and incoherent, as if he'd been drinking too much. He was still arguing, accusing her of discrimination and asking her to explain what kind of person he was. He sent several messages in a row. She didn't see them until the next morning and ignored them.
Since then, she has never received a message from him.
After she came back from her hometown, he sent her several messages a day, asking about this and that issue regarding the start of school, as well as some random topics.
Now that she was no longer disturbed, she didn't seem to feel at peace.
This semester, their class was assigned to take "Strategic Management" and "Data, Decision-making and Models". Last night, she had snatched up a spot on the popular professor's elective course "Corporate Governance and Incentive Mechanism" through the college system. The result was not yet out, and she discussed with Fang Qin and Ruan Yiyan how to snag other electives. The male professor, who was in his fifties, had already taken the podium.
He lectures on Strategic Management all day long.
At the beginning, he talked about how the content of this course was arranged, saying that the subject would be advanced in the form of group discussions, and presented the list of groups he had divided on the projection screen.
Lin Yao scanned the screen, but there was no name called Lin Yuxun.
Scan again to confirm that there is nothing.
Only then did she look back and found that he was not in the classroom.
The professor started his talk on strategy with Lao Tzu's statement "The existence of the tongue, is it not a period of softness? The loss of teeth, is it not a period of hardness?" as his entry point. "Even if all the teeth are gone, the tongue remains" sounds like the philosophy of "the strong are easily broken, while the flexible can be preserved." He then moved on to international strategy, military strategy, and business strategy, and even jokingly moved on to love strategy.
"When facing competitors, we cannot blindly go head-to-head. Rushing to expand may lead to failure due to overdrawing resources. Instead, if we can use a strategy of using softness to overcome hardness, focus on niche areas, and provide differentiated services, we can break through."
The professor was a renowned scholar with outstanding research achievements in the field of strategy. He was also a mentor to many well-known companies. He was humorous and witty. He turned the above discussion on business competition strategy on its head, saying, "You guys should have experience in love, and the same applies to love strategy. You can't be brute-force in pursuit, and you can't be aggressive in an argument. You have to learn how to overcome hardness with softness..."
The professor's remarks on love strategy caused laughter in the room, except for Lin Yao who couldn't laugh.
She bit her teeth, tongue, and bit hard, and she thought of Lin Yuxun. Her mind was full of why Lin Yuxun was not there.
The first MBA class was truly profound for her.
She was depressed for the entire class and lost her eloquence in the group discussion. She was distracted and wondered why Lin Yuxun had disappeared. He was on the previous class list and he had forwarded it to her as soon as the system released it. He was quite active. Since then, the two of them kept calling each other "classmate Lin".
During the break, the class monitor passed a list around for everyone to sign. She carefully looked through the names on the list, but his name wasn't on it. She asked the class monitor where he got the list, and he said he got it from the admissions office.
She ran to the admissions office at noon. The teacher in charge of admissions knew her. He was the one who gave her the bonus she won for the exam. He was very enthusiastic about her consultation.
"Class A, right? Lin Yuxun, Lin Yuxun," he muttered the name, his eyes close to the computer screen, "Oh, I see, he got a deferral. He applied to extend his studies for a year, with the next class."
"Is there such a policy?" Lin Yao asked.
"Of course there are. There are many special circumstances where you can't start school on time or need to suspend your studies midway. If you submit an application, the college will allow you to postpone your studies. He's not the only one. More than ten of you in your class have postponed your studies. It's normal."
She walked out of the admissions office, took out her phone, clicked on his WeChat and typed a few words, "You've postponed your studies?"
I deleted it and typed it again, "Didn't come to class?"
After thinking about it, I deleted it again.
Yan Xueli probably wouldn't run into him again, so why bother? She put her phone away, feeling a strange feeling in her heart.
When she went to the cafeteria to eat, Long Weihe called and asked her how she felt about the first day of school. She replied that it was just so-so.
Long Weihe had an important matter to attend to today. Yang Chengkai changed the morning ball game to the afternoon. After playing ball in the afternoon, he just happened to introduce Ping Mei to meet him.
In the morning, Qian Pingtao came to pick up Qian Duoduo. She was startled when she opened the door. He had a scruffy beard and was in a very bad mental state. He didn't say anything. He just stood at the door, glanced at her, and told Duoduo to leave.
With him like this, she felt uneasy leaving the child in his care, worried his emotions would affect the child. But Qian Duoduo hadn't seen him for two weeks, saying she missed her dad and kept jumping on him. She had a lot of things to do herself, so she followed the father and son.
At noon, I put on my golf bag and set off. When I arrived at the garage, I saw Shi Zhenglin standing there waiting from afar.
"Didn't we meet on the court?"
She had agreed with him on the phone in the morning that they would drive to the stadium separately to avoid being seen by Yang Chengkai and the others.
"I'll bring something over."
He opened the trunk of his car and took out a big golf bag. It was a brand new and beautiful gray and white with Tiffany blue. The club head covers were also the same color. It was a women's club head set. She knew who it belonged to at first glance.
"I went to the store with Shi Shi this morning to pick it up. I chose a set based on your height, strength, and skills to see if it would be suitable. I told Shi Shi that I chose it for you, and she praised the color and said that Auntie would like it."
She put her golf bag in the trunk of her car. She had a set of clubs, but she hadn't brought them last time. She figured renting a course would be convenient, and since she wasn't a good golfer, she didn't care.
He probably saw her renting and thought she wasn't well equipped.
"What's the point of me talking about technique? Aren't you disgusted with me?" She looked at the golf bag and didn't take it.
"Why do I dislike it? Last time, my ball went out of bounds for the first time ever, and you didn't feel anything different?" He smiled, pulled out his driver, and took her hand. "Feel it. We'll practice more in the future."
She took it and found that the club was made of lightweight material, looked great, and had a sense of technology. When she looked at the club head, she saw a few extra letters "LONG". She looked at another club head and saw the same letters, probably all of them were engraved.
"We can only carve simple letters on site. More complex patterns have to be custom-made in the United States, which takes several months. Next time, we can carve a beautiful dragon."
She covered her head and laughed, not knowing what to say to him.
"Exclusive." He hugged her, "Let's make it clear in advance. When playing with those two, keep your distance and don't cause any trouble."
It was the same golf course as last time, and we played nine holes again. Liang Ge was the caddy again, and she had kept the golf equipment that Shi Zhenglin had said he didn't want last time.
When the four of them met, Yang Chengkai came up and said to Chen Yuantuo, "Last time we played, Xiaolong found someone for Director Chen. I took advantage of Director Chen's influence. This time, she found someone for me. Should I play today?"
Chen Yuantuo smiled, "Xiaolong is good at finding people. If I need someone to play basketball with next time, I'll ask her to."
Shi Zhenglin was well aware of Yang Chengkai's eagerness to arrange this round. Chen Yuantuo was actually Yang Chengkai's client, and the game was essentially a social one. He had seen how excited and successful Long Weihe had been last time, and he had invited her to join him this time. This time, he was ostensibly showing his respect for her, but in reality, he was also using her as free social labor. These types of people are usually under a lot of pressure and need a chance to relax and have fun. Adding a stylish woman to the mix would transform the atmosphere. Shi Zhenglin had seen many prominent figures bring attractive women to play, only to find they became close friends. So, he warned Long Weihe not to cause trouble.
"This time, Director Chen and Xiaolong will be in one group, and I'll be in another with Shi Zhenglin. How do you think that goes?"
The former teammates were separated like this. Yang Chengkai tried to please Chen Yuantuo, remembering that Chen Yuantuo was very happy to guide her last time, so she made this suggestion.
"I have no objection." Chen Yuantuo expressed his opinion.
It would certainly be difficult for Long Weihe to refuse, so she looked at Shi Zhenglin, smiled and said that she would follow the bosses' arrangements.
Shi Zhenglin tugged at his glove, suppressing his frustration. He looked up and smiled, asking Chen Yuantuo for his opinion. "Why don't we try a different game, Stableford? I remember Miss Long had a double bogey last time. It'll be more interesting if we take care of her. What do you think, Mr. Chen?"
This was the first time he went against his boss's opinion in front of outsiders.
A double bogey refers to Long Weihe's poor play. For example, she took six strokes to complete a par 4 hole, and even had a triple bogey. The style of play he describes is indeed quite popular and fair. Scoring is based on the difference between each hole's score and par, rather than the number of strokes. This approach accommodates weaker players, minimizing the risk of mistakes and increasing the fun and participation.
It was a reasonable suggestion. Chen Yuantuo didn't really care how he played, as long as it was fun. "That's good. Take care of Xiaolong."
Seeing Chen Yuantuo happily accept it, Yang Chengkai said, "Okay, let's change."
Long Wei smiled and said to the two bosses, "Thank you, Mr. Chen, thank you, Mr. Yang." She also turned her head to look at him, "Thank you, Mr. Shi, for your care."
The exclusive club and "special care" brought her good luck when teeing off.
Chen Yuantuo's first tee shot, 230 yards, landed firmly in the center of the fairway. He plays conservatively, prioritizing strategy. Yang Chengkai's power drive, aiming for distance, was inconsistent, and his ball grazed the flagstick and landed in the rough.
Shi Zhenglin's tee shot was over 270 yards, very aggressive, and he attacked a dangerous position right from the start, landing in the best attacking position on the right side of the fairway.
Everyone watched her drive, no guidance, no interference. She swung it about 200 yards, not out of bounds like last time. While not as far as the man's, it landed in a good spot on the fairway, an exceptional performance.
After being praised for her progress by the two bosses, she became much more confident. She glanced at Shi Zhenglin who was silent. He stood behind the other two people and mouthed three words of feedback on her performance. Her face turned red and she lowered her head to adjust her gloves.
Chen Yuantuo, who talks about strategy while playing basketball, really likes to coach her, and she also knows how to respect him. Shi Zhenglin asked her to keep a distance, and she kept the distance by behaving appropriately, talking and laughing openly, and being equal without trying to please others.
In order to avoid trouble, Shi Zhenglin did not interact with her too much, but he couldn't help but make some small movements, which made her nervous.
On one hole, she approached the green with her third shot and the ball fell into a deep bunker next to the green. Rescuing the ball from the bunker was difficult. She carried the bunker wedge into the bunker, and he couldn't help but run into the bunker to help her check the ball position and sand quality. The other two watched from a distance how she handled it.
"The sand is very loose. You need to sink your feet three or four inches, release the club face, and lean your center of gravity forward." He knelt on one knee at the edge of the bunker, drew a line on the sand for her with his fingers, and intentionally touched her back.
"Hurry up and go up, people are watching us." She lowered her voice.
"Don't be nervous, just relax."
The two of them whispered a few words to each other. She was afraid that something might go wrong, so she said, "Go up, I'll make some adjustments."
This bunker shot was beyond her ability to save, and she swung, and the ball landed on the green, but in a very bad position.
He didn't leave, but stood at the edge of the sand pit, watching, and reached out to pull her up. The other two were watching, so she couldn't be shy, so she gave him her hand and deliberately said loudly, "Thank you, Mr. Shi."
She wore khaki trousers, a light pink polo shirt tucked in, and a long ponytail hanging high on top of her sun hat. She looked neat and fresh, and her athletic performance made her look even younger. Yang Chengkai thought she was unmarried and joked with her, "Xiaolong must play basketball with her boyfriend often, right?"
This temptation made Shi Zhenglin's face darken, and she became nervous when she saw it.
"My child is almost five years old. I am busy taking care of him and don't play ball much." She directly interrupted Yang Chengkai.
This style of play is very fast-paced, and since everyone has other things to do, the 9 holes are kept within 3 hours.
After finishing, they were about to return in the golf cart. Yang Chengkai put his arm around Chen Yuantuo's shoulder and walked ahead. He slowed down his pace and walked with her, putting some distance between him and the people in front. He pulled her hand and squeezed it hard, and she hurriedly pulled away.
"Tired?" he whispered.
"fine."
"Duoduo isn't coming back tonight? Can we still go?"
"Um."
"Where are you going to meet Pingmei tonight? I'll wait for you there."
"No, go home and be with Shi Shi first. I'll call you when I'm done here."
Yang Chengkai and Chen Yuantuo stopped beside the golf cart.
"Mr. Shi, please sit with Mr. Chen. Xiaolong and I have other arrangements to make. Let's go together." Yang Chengkai turned around and said to them.
The four people separated according to Yang Chengkai's arrangement.
Shi Zhenglin accompanied Chen Yuantuo in the front golf cart, while Long Weihe accompanied Yang Chengkai in the back golf cart.
He saw from the rearview mirror that the two people in the car behind were chatting and laughing, and they were dissatisfied with Yang Chengkai and looked annoyed.
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