Chapter 26 Huang Shiyu was probably waiting outside...
Huang Shiyu waited outside for about five minutes. A black car with its hazard lights flashing in her direction was not far away. It was so bright that Huang Shiyu squinted and could only see bursts of white light. Thinking that it must be Li Xingzhou's car, she quickly walked over. Even though she didn't have a driver's license, she knew that she couldn't park there for too long.
She had only walked a few steps when a similar black car stopped in front of her. The window slowly rolled down, revealing Li Xingzhou's face. He raised one eyebrow and said, "You can even mistake a license plate number." His implication was that no one else could pull it off.
She had only ridden in this car twice and didn't really remember the license plate number. At most, she remembered the prominent "沪A" (Hunan A) lettering on the front. A little unwillingly, she glanced at the car with its hazard lights on. A couple got in. Fine, Huang Shiyu resignedly opened the passenger door and got in.
"My eyes and brain only process valuable information on the market." Huang Shiyu answered his question while fastening her seatbelt. Actually, she still wanted to save face in front of Li Xingzhou. On another level, she knew that memorizing a license plate number didn't take as long as watching the stock market's K-line chart.
Li Xingzhou didn't dwell on the issue with Huang Shiyu. Instead, seeing that she had her hands tucked into her sleeves and was huddled in the back of the seat looking cold, he moved his fingers and turned up the car's interior temperature.
The warmth in her body was very noticeable. Huang Shiyu took out her phone and started to get down to business. She typed a long message in the group and sent it over. Before she could put her phone down, Lu Xiao popped up first.
[Lu Xiao: Weren't you trying to win over Zhang Jingyan? How did you get involved with this guy? Isn't he the one from last time?]
My gaze fell on the words Lu Xiao posted. Presumably, Lu Xiao had already done some searching online and knew who this person was.
However, this reminded her of the nonsense she had made up with Lu Xiao back then. She would have to think about how to cover it up later, since she would be spending a lot of time with Lu Xiao in the future, and Lu Xiao was quite the chatterbox.
She glanced at the person in question, her eyes fixed straight ahead. Li Xingzhou seemed to sense her gaze, turning his face slightly towards her. His first words were sharp enough to kill, "What, is my face studded with gold or diamonds? Is it even in your eyes?"
She knew he was mocking what she had just said.
Huang Shiyu was a little embarrassed, paused for two seconds, and then managed to say something that seemed reasonable: "I wanted to ask if you had a cigarette, but then I thought about how a lot of people find it annoying when others smoke in their cars."
After saying that, she didn't care about Li Xingzhou's subsequent reaction. Anyway, the awkwardness was resolved, and she turned her attention back to the group chat.
The three of them created a group chat with a rather fancy name: "Three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang." With such a powerful and imposing group name, they had to prove themselves, right?
[Huang Shiyu: What happened last time was a misunderstanding. I'll talk to you about it another time.]
It's not that she doesn't want to be direct, but she finds it annoying to go through all sorts of complicated things over the phone. It's like a ball of yarn that gets more and more tangled the more you try to untangle it, so it's better to meet in person and talk it out.
Lu Xiao replied quickly, clearly she was quite free at the moment.
[Lu Xiao: Are you sure you want to work with him?]
[Huang Shiyu: Where else can you find an angel investor like this? They only want this small amount of equity, and they even help you expand your user base. If you can find one, then never mind.]
Without thinking, she typed the message and sent it. Lu Xiao didn't hesitate either and readily sent an emoji—a chibi-style figure slowly winking, with the word "OK" held up in its left hand. Huang Shiyu recognized the emoji; it was made by Wang Ping, who said it would be the company's future image. She guessed that part of Wang Ping's inspiration must have come from the Haier Brothers.
Thinking of Wang Ping, her gaze fell on the top of the screen, where Wang Ping's recent progress on the algorithm-related projects was displayed. His dedication was exemplary, making him a role model in the industry.
However, to be honest, it's hard to see this person in the group after it's been created. Apart from occasionally showing up to post her algorithm stuff, she's basically nowhere to be seen. After all, Wang Ping is a bit like Song Chaoye, and it's not an exaggeration to say that she treats that algorithm as her life.
Fortunately, this person ultimately chose to side with her, otherwise it would have given her quite a headache.
As she pondered, her mind gradually filled with all sorts of random thoughts, making her feel incredibly overwhelmed. So she decided to change her perspective and focus her attention on the view outside the window.
Huang Shiyu quietly observed the scenery rushing past through the car window. Under the night sky, the golden buildings unique to Shanghai were magnificent and resplendent, and beneath the prosperity lay the flowing blood of life.
Shanghai at night is quite different from Shanghai during the day. During the day, it's like an amusement park, operating non-stop all year round. At night, it's more like a dream of song, dance, and orchestra, alluring and enchanting.
Every day, she's faced with a barrage of documents the moment she opens her eyes, and after work, she finds herself crammed into the subway with its dense crowds. She hasn't had a chance to properly explore the city yet.
She thought maybe there would be another opportunity later.
"The cigarettes are in the drawer, take them yourself."
Hearing his words, Huang Shiyu turned to look at him. She hadn't expected the question to have a follow-up. Without being coy, she realized she was already feeling a bit irritated, especially when she was thinking.
She deftly pulled out a pack of cigarettes from there, and there were exactly two left. She handed one to Li Xingzhou, "Thanks, want one?"
Li Xingzhou shook his head.
"You smoke, don't you?" She was taken aback, then thought of another possibility. "Don't tell me you're trying to quit smoking, right?" She herself found it unbelievable to ask. Quitting smoking is difficult. She had tried it herself, using all kinds of candy as substitutes, but it still didn't work. The moment nicotine hits, the highly active brain can finally relax, and that feeling is something that no amount of candy can alleviate.
"Otherwise, do you think Xiang Zhinan was joking when she told you that the plants in my house wouldn't live long in my hands?" The red light ahead turned on, and Li Xingzhou gradually slowed down the car, turning to look at her. "I'm just doing this to accumulate some good karma for myself."
The tone of Li Xingzhou's words was so ambiguous that it left her momentarily stunned.
She had never heard of smoking killing plants before. Li Xingzhou was really something else!
Li Xingzhou noticed Huang Shiyu's hesitant expression, but he didn't explain further. Instead, he changed the subject, saying, "You really didn't treat me like an outsider at the fencing hall today."
She knew perfectly well what Li Xingzhou meant. When Li Xingzhou said he was willing to help her, it was undoubtedly a good thing for her. But she had nothing else of value to offer but sincerity, so that he would at least know that she, as his partner, was extremely honest.
It's like the four-second rule: if you want to gain favor with your collaborators and get on their good side, you often have to make some sacrifices first.
“Aren’t we partners now?” Huang Shiyu said, his voice clear even with a cigarette between his teeth. “It’s only right that I treat you with honesty.”
"If I remember correctly, it's a tie." The green light flashed, and Li Xingzhou restarted the car and turned left.
"So what?" Huang Shiyu said dismissively, "Find another fencing hall for a match?" She couldn't bring herself to say, "Then take it or leave it, I'm not going to put up with you." She really didn't have the confidence to say that. When you're under someone's roof, it's okay to bow your head occasionally. Just like she told Lu Xiao, she really couldn't find another angel investor like Li Xingzhou.
There weren't many cars ahead. Li Xingzhou casually tapped the steering wheel a few times with his long, slender fingers. "You've invested all your money in this project. You have high hopes for it, right?"
Li Xingzhou didn't bring up the issue of fencing, but instead circled back to this matter. It's unclear what he's planning now.
Huang Shiyu took the unlit cigarette out of his mouth, played with it in his hand, and softly hummed in agreement.
Li Xingzhou noticed through the rearview mirror that she was playing with the cigarette. He watched Huang Shiyu rub the cigarette again and again, then unfold it, repeating this action countless times. He knew very well that Huang Shiyu was thinking about something at that moment.
“You approached Zhang Jingyan hoping she would invest more money in you, but who knew she was interested in your project, not the resources you brought with you,” Li Xingzhou said. “No, you don’t have any usable resources at all, but you value this card you have and the algorithm engineer behind you, right?”
Huang Shiyu seemed to have had enough fun. He threw the cigarette into his bag, then pulled out a wet wipe from his bag, wiped his hands, and turned to ask, "Um, and then what? What do you want to say?"
"Didn't I say before that you could come to me if things didn't go your way in the future?"
Huang Shiyu smiled and said, "So you want me to beg you?"
Li Xingzhou also smiled, but he didn't speak. Instead, he stopped at an intersection ahead and turned to look at Huang Shiyu. Both of them had smiles on their faces, but only they knew that the smiles didn't reach their eyes. Their gazes seemed to carry the feeling of returning to the fencing ring and swinging their swords at each other.
“If you just ask me, there’s nothing I can’t help you with.” Li Xingzhou looked at her, his eyes so dark they seemed to want to suck her in.
This time, Huang Shiyu didn't choose to look away first, as if this was a confrontation, and whoever lost first would lose. She spoke frankly: "How do you want me to talk to you? Do you have a standard answer to show me?"
"You think this is an exam?" Li Xingzhou's laugh had a hint of sneer this time. "Standard answers? Figure it out yourself."
Huang Shiyu looked at him for a few seconds and said very seriously, "I've never been good at asking for favors, and I'm afraid I'll offend you directly if I ask." He paused, his tone still the same as before, "Besides, the fact that you told me you won't sell it cheaply is enough to show how much market share this project can capture when it goes public."
Li Xingzhou gazed intently at her. Outside, the cold wind howled; inside, they were evenly matched, separated by a fine line.
The streetlights cast a few streaks of darkness on Huang Shiyu's face, and her eyes, which were fixed on him, lit up. She slowly curved her lips into a smile, as if she had victory in her grasp.
"Li Xingzhou, don't you want to eat this cake?"
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