Chapter 27
Lin Langyi was still on the playground of Y University when she received Cheng Yanjin's call.
The spotlights on the playground shone a stark white light, yet they illuminated the entire 400-meter standard track. Everywhere, groups of college students were exercising, running, or strolling and chatting.
In the middle of the football field, five or six tables were put together, and a simple parasol covered a small area. A small light bulb was hanging in the center of the parasol to provide illumination, which attracted a lot of mosquitoes.
Many young couples or girls from the same dormitory sat around the table and chairs, laughing and joking, making their own pearl jewelry.
There was a man and a woman at the table in the middle, one standing and the other sitting.
"I'm sorry, we couldn't borrow the multi-purpose classroom today." The slender and clean-cut boy apologized while using an A4 sheet of paper to swat away mosquitoes for Lin Langyi. "With graduation season approaching, many activities require classrooms, so they are in short supply."
"It's alright, it's alright, Chi Shu, don't stand, sit down and talk."
Lin Langyi was speaking when she noticed a mosquito perched on his arm. She quickly swatted it away.
He raised his hand, and sure enough, there was a trace of fresh blood and a dead mosquito in his palm.
"Here's a tissue." Chi Shu handed it to her. His face was a little red for some reason. He scratched his arm, which had been slapped red by Lin Langyi, as if he really had been bitten by a mosquito and was a little itchy.
"President, mosquito repellent." A girl next door handed it to me. "Got it."
"Thank you, thank you!" Chi Shu thanked him repeatedly. He was rather thin, and from the side, he looked very youthful and innocent in his white T-shirt.
He opened the cap and carefully sprayed the mosquito repellent around Lin Langyi a few times, while he only sprayed a little on himself, accidentally getting some on his glasses. He clumsily took them off, wiped them with the hem of his shirt, and put them back on. After using the mosquito repellent, he immediately returned it to the other person.
"Alright, stop busy." Lin Lang saw him running around and couldn't stop, so she spoke up to stop him. "You said last time that the sharing and judging of the design competition results could be arranged before graduation season, right?"
“Yes, that’s right.” Chi Shu sat down and obediently placed his hands on his knees as he spoke to her. “The organizing committee has already made arrangements. Since there are senior students among the participants, we thought that if we could showcase their achievements before they graduate, they could also have a perfect ending.”
He honestly finished reporting the situation here, then glanced at Lin Langyi with some uncertainty, observing her expression: "What about the other schools?"
Lin Langyi: "They're doing it around the same time, but Y University's design programs are a strong point, and you've won a lot of awards, so everyone is paying more attention to you."
She seemed to remember something and laughed, "Where are your works? I've never seen them before. You've kept them so well hidden?"
Chi Shu's fingers intertwined and pressed together, her face turning red again.
Lin Langyi opened her laptop and registered the schedule of Y University in the spreadsheet. The spreadsheet was titled "The First Yingshan Cup Design Competition". The contestants were divided into two groups: design students from various universities and individual studios. The entries were pearl jewelry. The Lin family provided financial support and prize money.
Lin Langyi plans to implement a "front exhibition, back factory" sales model. Therefore, new products and designs need to be developed through collective wisdom. Since the price of loose beads cannot be increased, a new production line can be established to produce finished products. This will require more styles and designs.
Professional teams need to be built gradually, and design institutes also need to proceed step by step. She believes that college students majoring in design have more imaginative ideas and may break out of old and fixed ideas to create something different.
Therefore, in addition to financial and technical support, Lin's also offered to help students apply for patents on their award-winning designs. If they agreed to let Lin handle mass production and sales, a commission would be returned to the designer for each completed order, striving for a win-win situation for both parties.
Lin Langyi first set his sights on the universities in the province, and after a lot of effort, he managed to get nine universities to participate. Fortunately, the Lin family had been setting up a fund for scholarships for impoverished and outstanding students in universities, so the other parties gave him face when discussing matters.
Chi Shu was both a student from a poor family and an outstanding student. When he stood on the podium, it was Lin Langyi, who was representing the fund provider, who went up to present him with the award.
"The evaluation will be a combination of online and offline voting and expert commentary, so remember to promote yourself." Lin Langyi looked at him after typing, "You've put so much effort into organizing this event, at least you'll have an award-winning experience on your resume."
Chi Shu pursed her lips: "I actually want to work for Lin's."
"Huh?" Lin Langyi exclaimed in surprise, "Aren't you going to a big city? There are more job opportunities there."
“The cost of living is high, and I might not feel happier here.” He glanced at her, then quickly looked away. “I plan to finish my master’s degree before I start working, but I don’t know if the Lin family will want me.”
If you have the ability, then of course you should.
Lin Langyi sincerely said, "We pray that we can hold on until you graduate and we can pay you a salary."
Chi Shu thought she was joking. The Lin family was one of the top freshwater pearl companies in the country, so there was no way anything could go wrong.
He had no idea that Lin Langyi's previous funding gap was around 20 million yuan, not only for Ying Shan Lake, but also for several technology investments that were burning through cash, the preparation for the design competition, the bulk commodity market, and another thing that Lin Langyi was still doing.
The Lin family is not incapable of producing such assets, but assets are assets, and cash flow is cash flow. If they cannot suddenly produce working capital, their cash flow will dry up, causing the entire empire to collapse.
Fortunately, the bulk commodity market helped her come back from the brink of collapse. Lin Langyi felt that there was always a way out, and she did not spend too much energy on the past setbacks, but only wanted to live in the present.
“How could you be short of money?” Chi Shu smiled, her face showing two small dimples. “If the Lin family wants me, I will definitely work hard to make money for them.”
"Okay, you should study hard first." Lin Langyi was focused on the computer when her phone rang.
The two looked over at the same time, and Cheng Yanjin's name popped up on the screen, but Lin Langyi did not intend to answer.
He's probably out having fun at this hour, and besides, he doesn't come to her unless he needs something. She's not naive enough to think that answering the phone is a good option.
The screen lit up and then dimmed, then lit up again.
Chi Shu's smile gradually faded as the name kept appearing.
He said sullenly, "You have a phone, aren't you going to answer it?"
Lin Langyi dismissed it: "Harassing phone calls."
This answer is too perfunctory. Cheng Yanjin's name, or rather the Cheng family's name, is well-known in City A. Chi Shu is not a bookworm who is oblivious to the world around him.
However, he was still unaware of the marriage alliance between the Lin and Cheng families, but he intuitively felt that the frequent phone calls at this time and Lin Langyi's attitude were rather suspicious.
They didn't seem like customers, nor did they seem like strangers.
He habitually started picking at his nails, remaining silent for a long time until Lin Langyi finished her business and closed her laptop before hurriedly blurting out, "Langyi, do you have any plans for Qixi Festival?"
Lin Langyi was taken aback: "What?"
Chi Shu's thumb nail dug into her skin, tearing off a hangnail and drawing a little blood when she pulled it out: "We can continue to do activities like today's. Half of the people who came today were couples. They opened oysters by hand together and made couple bracelets and necklaces together. They all felt it was very meaningful."
Lin Langyi suddenly burst out laughing, teasing him: "Are you so busy you've gone mad? It's Qixi Festival, schools are on summer vacation, where are all the students coming from?"
Chi Shu had clearly forgotten this point, and his face flushed red. He moved his lips helplessly and hurriedly tried to make amends: "Then we can go to the vicinity of the East City Gymnasium. I know that it will be the time of the college basketball league. Not only students, but also graduates and people from outside the school will be there. At that time, the results of the design competition will be released, and some of the products that have been put into production can be exhibited and sold outside."
Lin Lang pondered for a moment, and although he wasn't directly persuaded, he sat back down after standing up: "It might be a bit far-fetched. I'll think about it some more."
“I can write a proposal for you first.” Chi Shu loosened his fingers, a little blood seeping into his fingernails. “I’ll write it tonight. If you think it’s okay, I’ll go to the site tomorrow to check it out and we can start making promotional posters.”
Lin Langyi quickly declined, saying, "You don't need to worry about that. You'll be going home to help your family harvest rice during the summer vacation, right? I'll figure out how to arrange it myself later."
Chi Shu clutched the hem of her clothes, standing ramrod straight, and hurriedly said, "It's okay, I'll finish as soon as possible and go back to school."
"Why bother? You'll have to transfer trains and stay overnight, it's inconvenient." Lin Langyi refused repeatedly. "It's not even on campus, why bother you? You should stay home and help your parents. Don't you only go back during winter and summer vacations, not other holidays?"
He lowered his head somewhat dejectedly, bit his lip, and awkwardly fell silent.
Lin Langyi paused for two seconds, becoming somewhat uneasy in the silent silence.
Chi Shu lowered her head and after a long while said, "Sister Langyi, don't indulge me like this, it only makes me feel uncomfortable."
The sentence sounded too familiar. Lin Langyi was stunned for a moment. In a daze, the person in front of her overlapped with a fading shadow in her memory, making it almost impossible for her to tell who was who.
“That’s not what I meant.” She rubbed her eyes, the words flowing naturally. “It’s up to you.”
Chi Shu opened her eyes wide, a smile suddenly appearing on her lips. Even though the weather had cleared up, she hesitated for a few more moments before glancing at her before stammering, "If it's convenient for you, we can also have a three-day event, since it's a series of competitions."
Three days… Lin Lang hesitated, but Chi Shu immediately refuted the idea: “It’s alright, it’s alright. I’ll oversee things here, you don’t need to come every day. I know you’re busy—”
"I'll come over when I have time," Lin Langyi agreed.
Chi Shu couldn't hide the surprise on her face immediately.
The two discussed a preliminary plan. During this time, Cheng Yanjin's phone rang several times. Each time, Chi Shu would glance at it discreetly with his glasses. Seeing that Lin Langyi really had no intention of answering, the expression on his face gradually relaxed.
"That's settled then, I'll contact you again later." Lin Langyi packed her bag, stood up, and said goodbye.
"I'll see you out of the school gate." Chi Shu hurriedly stood up.
"Aren't you supposed to be watching over the stall?" Lin Langyi nodded at the table.
Chi Shu quickly spoke to the girl next to him who was also a member of the student council, asking her to keep watch for a while. Then he immediately jogged up and walked side by side with Lin Langyi towards the school gate.
As he approached, he heard Lin Langyi talking on the phone with a young man. The man's voice was rather loud; he could say ten sentences for every one sentence Lin Langyi spoke.
"I'm drunk."
"……so what?"
"Come pick me up."
"I'm busy."
"You now—"
Before Lin Langyi could hear the rest of Cheng Yanjin's sentence, a clear and crisp voice suddenly rang in her ears: "Sister Langyi?"
Chi Shu's voice was very clear and melodious, sounding like that of a young man full of scholarly air. However, the way he called her "sister" made it sound like he was calling her affectionately if you didn't listen carefully.
Cheng Yanjin on the other end of the phone suddenly fell silent.
"Hello?" Lin Langyi called several times but there was no response. She took off her phone and checked it repeatedly, but it was still on a call.
“Sister…” Chi Shu called her again, drawing out the sound like a continuous spring stream.
"Hmm?" Lin Langyi glanced at him briefly, tilting her head slightly, as if to ask what was wrong.
Chi Shu raised her voice at just the right moment, with a kind of unspoken affectation: "Sister, are you very busy? If you have something to do, you can go ahead and do it. We don't necessarily have to do it today... Anyway, we made an appointment, so we can continue later."
"Okay," Lin Langyi readily agreed.
As soon as she finished speaking, the phone went dead with a busy signal. Lin Langyi looked again, and Cheng Yanjin had already hung up.
"By the way, Sister Langyi." Chi Shu stood tall and slender beside her. He blinked and spoke as docilely and reservedly as a stray animal, just like when she first met him. "My work is still missing some Edison pearls in bellflower purple. Can I come to your place to choose some?"
"Today?" Lin Langyi confirmed the time. "It's possible, but if we go now, we won't make it to your dorm's curfew."
Chi Shu bit her lip, still looking pitiful: "Because the competition is approaching, could I stay the night? I want to finish my work tonight."
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