Chapter 32 When the tears have dried, the body...
When the tears have dried, the body has already awakened.
As the first rays of dawn broke, Huang Shiyu woke up. She sat on the bed, her eyelids slightly swollen, her expression blank, as if her brain was in a state of shutdown after a hangover and had not yet started functioning.
She clearly remembered having a dream last night.
That dream haunted her for nearly ten years.
The collapsing houses, the incessant cries for help in her ears, and the crowds buried underground all felt like an invisible hand gripping her neck, determined to make her experience this despairing cold.
She knew it was just a dream, but she couldn't wake up. She didn't know how long she stood there, watching the day and night alternate, and the scenery around her kept repeating itself before her eyes.
The earthy smell mixed with blood and flesh made her nauseous. Her expression was numb as tears streamed down her face. Her hands and feet were icy cold, and the translucent teardrops began to turn black. The terrified faces of everyone else filled her with fear.
As she struggled to wake up, a pair of calloused hands gently covered her eyes. Everything went black, and she could see nothing. The sounds around her gradually faded away.
Someone caught her tears.
She heard Li Xingzhou say, "Don't cry."
From then on, the nightmare that had plagued him for ten years passed like a gust of wind, dissolved into dust by Li Xingzhou.
Huang Shiyu stared in one direction for a long time, then suddenly shifted his gaze to the window, as if he had gotten tired of looking and wanted to change his perspective before continuing.
The sky outside the window was not clear and bright; dark clouds loomed in front of me. The clouds were thick, and it seemed as if there was a hole in the middle, through which thousands of rays of sunlight poured down. The dark clouds, as if they had lost their hearts, stood there barely.
She looked at it for a moment and said sincerely: "As long as there is light, even dark clouds will appear dim."
The curtains and the wind whistled in harmony before Huang Shiyu's eyes, but she was lost in her own world, deep in thought.
Perhaps the impact of last night's dream was too great and she hadn't recovered yet, or perhaps the people in the dream appeared too abruptly yet incongruously, leaving her somewhat bewildered.
She ignored the sounds from the outside world and looked at the light breaking through the clouds.
Huang Shiyu felt that Li Xingzhou was sometimes strange and his actions were quite peculiar. The two were intertwined, but he was not disliked.
Back in school, they had a pretty good relationship. She lived on another street not far from his house, and the two of them went to and from school together. When they encountered difficulties in their studies, one of them would listen quietly while the other would explain quietly. They were also quite good at talking about good things.
Why things turned out this way was not due to Li Mansu, but rather because she accelerated the process.
Ultimately, it's her own problem.
She actually felt jealous of Li Xingzhou back then. In the past ten years, she had never been jealous of anyone. Even when she was abandoned by her parents and moved from one family to another, she only felt that the world was unfair and had no other inappropriate emotions.
Yet she was jealous of Li Xingzhou, who had absolutely no connection to her and was just her deskmate. In her eyes, this was truly absurd, inexplicable, and shameful. For a while, she really didn't know how to face him.
She felt that her jealousy was like a rat hiding in the shadows, unable to see the light of day.
Jealousy is just like happiness and sadness; it's an emotion we're born with. As long as you don't harm others and you're honest, it's not an unforgivable crime.
Ultimately, she was young and lacked resilience at the time. She hadn't seen enough of the world yet, so she felt that her heart was too dark. In reality, it was just a subconscious psychological reaction when people are close to beautiful things. Even now, she finds it hard to describe how she felt back then, and she doesn't want to think about it too much.
Huang Shiyu turned on her phone and saw a row of messages displayed on the screen, all from anonymous users on Douyin (TikTok). She initially thought it was about some stock market activity, but when she clicked through, she saw messages from anonymous users reminding her to check in the next day, eventually escalating to things like "remember to check in after you wake up." It was then that she remembered she'd been so busy yesterday that she'd forgotten to check in with the anonymous users about the 100 little things couples do.
To be honest, it's been more than half a year since they signed the agreement, and the two of them have never missed a single day of checking in. In particular, the anonymous user would sometimes send her a message to remind her, so she's feeling quite embarrassed now and quickly got a replacement card.
[It's a lucky cat: Sorry, I just woke up.]
[It's a lucky cat: Make it now!]
Just a few seconds after she sent the message, Huang Shiyu's phone vibrated.
[Anonymous user: You seem so busy.]
She didn't expect the anonymous user to reply so quickly, after all, if she remembered correctly, there was a time difference between them.
[It's a lucky cat: There's more to come.]
[Anonymous User: What are you busy with?]
[It's a lucky cat: starting a new project.]
[Anonymous user: Are you that busy? Can't you spare a little more free time each day to do some tasks with me? [crying emoji]]
Upon seeing the anonymous user's reply, Huang Shiyu almost burst out laughing. She hadn't expected this person to speak to her in such a coquettish tone.
[It's a lucky cat: I'll try, but I can't say for sure.]
[Anonymous User: Okay, then maybe you should take a break from your recent tasks for a while, and resume them when you're less busy.]
Huang Shiyu raised an eyebrow when she saw the reply; she hadn't expected this anonymous user to change their tune so quickly.
[It's the Lucky Cat: You're online every day just to urge me to do tasks, aren't you?]
[Anonymous user: Well, you've been busy lately, that's understandable.]
[It's a lucky cat: I've been checking in for almost half a year, how can I just give up like this!]
[Anonymous user: Okay, fine then. Do whatever makes you comfortable.]
Huang Shiyu thought the conversation had ended there and was about to put down her phone when another message came from the anonymous user.
[Anonymous user: Aren't you even going to ask me why I got up this morning? Aren't you curious at all?]
When the anonymous user asked this question, Huang Shiyu raised an eyebrow. She was actually a little curious as well, since there was a six-hour time difference between Germany and China.
[It's a lucky cat: Why are you up so early?]
[Anonymous user: I'm making breakfast.]
[It's a lucky cat: Is our nanny off today?]
Anonymous user: No, that's not the point. The point is I'm cooking for love.
What cheesy pickup lines! So corny! But then again, this guy is probably a Chinese American who has lived abroad since childhood. Huang Shiyu immediately categorized him as someone who isn't very good at Chinese.
A loud bang pulled Huang Shiyu back to reality. She had initially thought it was thunder, but then another loud bang rang out. This time, she heard it clearly and was certain it was coming from the kitchen outside the door.
It was only then that she came to her senses a little more. She shuddered and looked around the bedroom, then pulled back the covers to check on herself. Seeing that she was alright, she breathed a sigh of relief, her heart finally at ease, completely forgetting about Li Xingzhou.
Wasn't she revising documents in the living room last night? How did she end up waking up in her own bedroom?
Filled with questions, she opened the bedroom door, stepped out, and quietly approached the war-torn kitchen.
As she approached, the man's silhouette became clearer. Li Xingzhou, wearing a cotton bathrobe, was pouring oil into a pan; the sound from earlier had come from there.
Li Xingzhou also heard the commotion behind him. When he looked up, he saw a rare look of bewilderment on the other person's face.
Seeing his back, Huang Shiyu recognized him as Li Xingzhou, not to mention that she could see his face clearly now. She also remembered what happened last night, "What are you doing?"
"Pasta." Li Xingzhou paused in his work, looking at Huang Shiyu with an expression that said, "You can't tell what I'm doing."
"Don't move, I'll do it."
Li Xingzhou was very obedient, taking off his apron and handing it to Huang Shiyu, clearly knowing that if they continued to make a fuss, they might not even get to eat lunch.
Huang Shiyu, wearing an apron, looked down at the pot, which was two-thirds full of oil, with a handful of noodles lying on top. She really thought that this young master Li Xingzhou was ignorant of the hardships of life, unaware of the struggles of ordinary people like her, who were struggling with the daily necessities of firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. He poured the oil as if it were salt.
"With your skill level, you shouldn't even call it spaghetti." She paused slightly as she cleaned up the mess, seemingly thinking of a sarcastic remark that was both polite and discreet. "It's easy for people to get the impression that you're making a terrible dish, or even worse, that you're poisoning someone."
"It just doesn't look very appealing." Li Xingzhou leaned against the kitchen door, watching Huang Shiyu put a few slices of bread into the toaster to toast, knowing full well that she was making sandwiches.
"It's not just that it looks bad, it's completely inedible!" Huang Shiyu thought of a former employee who had studied abroad and whose cooking skills were top-notch; she could have started her own business. "Didn't you cook when you were abroad?"
It sounded like a casual question.
Huang Shiyu placed sliced tomatoes into a milky white ceramic plate. She rolled up her T-shirt sleeves a few times, revealing a section of her forearm that looked like she exercised regularly. The force with which she tossed the wok further highlighted the explosive power of her forearm. This scene was witnessed by Li Xingzhou, and only he could see it.
He swallowed hard: "There's an auntie."
"He's really rich." Huang Shiyu realized that her question was stupid. This person was none other than the heir of the famous Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group and the CEO of Sunac. Putting everything else aside, just the name alone exuded an aura of wealth. She herself didn't know why she suddenly had a brain fart and treated him like an ordinary person.
"We're so poor we're drinking bottled water."
Huang Shiyu didn't know how to answer. Although she had never studied abroad, she had been on business trips overseas and knew how expensive a bottle of mineral water was. Indeed, comparing people can be terrifying.
With Li Xingzhou watching, Huang Shiyu's sandwich was finally ready, golden and fragrant as it came out of the oven.
She usually doesn't eat breakfast, or she'll just go downstairs to the office to buy a cup of coffee and a piece of toast to have for breakfast. She's not used to going to such lengths today, and there's no food in the refrigerator except for a few eggs and the toast she left over from yesterday. The tomatoes were ones she bought on the street earlier.
She asked Li Xingzhou to take the food to the table and eat it first, while she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash up.
When she came out, she saw Li Xingzhou pick out the egg from the sandwich and put it on a porcelain plate. She couldn't help but think to herself: This young master is really picky about food.
She walked over, pulled out a chair, sat down, picked up her sandwich, and took a big bite. The bread was freshly baked and smelled wonderful, along with the aroma of tomatoes and eggs, which was especially stimulating to her taste buds.
After her stomach was satisfied, she unconsciously thought back to her earlier questions: "How did you get here? And how did I wake up in my own room?"
“When I woke up last night, I found I wasn’t in my room. When I came out, I saw you asleep on the table.” Li Xingzhou cleaned the egg before slowly taking a bite.
Without Li Xingzhou saying anything more, Huang Shiyu already knew what was going on. It was just that he carried her into the room after she fell asleep from exhaustion due to revising the documents. Honestly, she had completely forgotten that Li Xingzhou was drunk as soon as she woke up this morning, and thought that a thief had broken into the house!
Huang Shiyu looked at the sandwich in her hand, but spoke to the person across the table, "Can I ask you something?"
"explain."
"Could you spare some of your chip quota for me? I know that Sunac outsources its chip production," she asked tentatively, observing Li Xingzhou's expression.
"How much do you want?" Li Xingzhou asked, taking another bite of the sandwich in his hand.
The bread slices were toasted to perfection, and the tomatoes were very juicy, with a sweet aftertaste at the end. The only thing he didn't like was the egg sandwiched in the middle. It wasn't that it was bad or poorly cooked, but rather that he was allergic to eggs.
Seeing Li Xingzhou ask this question, she felt there was a chance. She mentally made some plans, saying, "Just one-third is fine. Any more than that would be too much for the joint venture to handle at the beginning."
She didn't dare ask for too much. On the one hand, it would be a waste to ask for too much chip share at the beginning, and she didn't know the order volume at the time. On the other hand, she was afraid that Li Xingzhou would not give her too much. So, one-third was the safest option she thought she had considered after much deliberation.
Seeing that Li Xingzhou was only focused on eating his sandwich and didn't say anything, she spoke again: "You know that the foreign chip company only accepts orders from large companies and big clients, and rarely accepts domestic orders. But they are the only ones who have this patent. United is not yet large enough to have any say in the matter."
She's even using the honorific "you" now, which shows she's determined to get it.
Li Xingzhou put down his sandwich, looked at her, shook his head, and said, "Sunac's chip share is also partly derived from Shenzhen and Hong Kong. This is the proportion agreed upon by the group. If I were to allocate one-third to you, then Qidian would also be in a difficult position."
Because the other party's tone was quite serious, Huang Shiyu thought for a moment that Li Xingzhou wouldn't fabricate such a thing just to avoid giving her a share of chips. She hadn't figured out a countermeasure yet. While biting into the sandwich in her hand, her eyes and head were swirling as she thought about how to get her hands on the chip.
After that, the two remained silent, with only the sound of chewing on the table. The eggs that Li Xingzhou had picked out earlier lay quietly on the porcelain plate, untouched by anyone. Seeing that Huang Shiyu was no longer speaking, Li Xingzhou felt an indescribable sense of unease. It seemed that Huang Shiyu had simply shut his mouth, as if saying another word to him would be a waste of breath. This thought made Li Xingzhou feel even more suffocated.
He didn't like the fact that the two of them had nothing to say to each other. He desperately wanted to say something to Huang Shiyu, anything at all, as long as they talked.
That's what I thought, so I did it.
"It's not that I don't want to give it, it's just that the foreign company only gives out such a small share each year."
Huang Shiyu was surprised that Li Xingzhou would explain to her. She glanced at him in astonishment, then lowered her eyes to eat her sandwich. However, she didn't stop there. She started to think about it in her mind again. After a while, she said what was on her mind, "Can't such a big company as Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group have any say?"
Hearing her question, Li Xingzhou swallowed the sandwich in his mouth before speaking: "What else? You said that only they have this patent and they rarely accept domestic orders, so the power is in their hands."
After saying that, he looked down at the sandwich he had almost finished eating, and the plate of food he had picked out on the table.
When they were in school, they used to have breakfast together. The breakfast shops near the school gate only sold things like eggs, steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and soy milk. He couldn't stand eggs the most. Whether it was a tea egg or a boiled egg, he wouldn't eat them. Besides being allergic, he always felt they smelled like farts.
It's just that some people have already forgotten about it, and it takes courage to bring it up again.
But he didn't say all of this at once; instead, he looked at Huang Shiyu.
Being stared at so openly by Li Xingzhou made Huang Shiyu feel a little uncomfortable. She wondered if he was watching her so closely like a prisoner to keep her from mentioning the chip share issue. She wasn't the type to give in willingly, so she opened her mouth and said, "Since you've funded my project, United is, after all, part of Shenzhen-Hong Kong, right? You should be able to get half of one-third, shouldn't you?"
Li Xingzhou seemed uninterested in her fawning and flattering manner, and instead finished his sandwich without replying.
Huang Shiyu's appetite had been completely exhausted during these conversations. Now, he sat motionless, watching Li Xingzhou finish his sandwich and then slowly take out a tissue to wipe his mouth.
The phone screen on the table lit up, but Huang Shiyu didn't immediately reach for it. Instead, she waited until the screen was almost off before grabbing the phone, unlocking it, and seeing the message from Wang Ping. Her thumb paused for a moment, then returned to normal, and she typed and sent the message.
Li Xingzhou, who was sitting opposite her, naturally noticed her actions. At this moment, he slowly put the tissue on the table and picked up the water glass next to him to drink water.
After sending the message, Huang Shiyu put her phone face down on the table, looked up at Li Xingzhou who was drinking water across from her, and couldn't help but think of what Wang Ping had said.
[Wang Ping: Currently, no domestic company has the capability to independently develop the 3nm chip technology patent, but I will ask my senior classmates to keep an eye out for it.]
Actually, they don't need 3nm technology chips, but Singularity, developed by Sunac, uses this chip. It is said that with the support of this chip, not only can the performance be greatly improved by 25% during loading, but the power consumption will also be lower than before, and the stability is very good. Moreover, the product will not get hot like a hand warmer after being used for a long time. So this is why Singularity opened the door to the domestic AI medical and mental health field as soon as it was launched, and firmly held the top sales position. Since her project is also AI mental health therapy, she naturally felt that she could not lose to others. As the saying goes, even if you lose to others, you can't lose face.
As she was thinking, she saw an anonymous user send her a message.
[Anonymous user: Waaaaah.]
[It's a lucky cat: What's wrong?]
[Anonymous user: I didn't do a good job and got criticized.]
[It's a lucky cat: It's not a big deal, don't waste time on internal conflicts. You might not have the talent for this, don't overcomplicate things.]
[Anonymous user: Cooking for someone you like is hardly a waste of talent. Besides, I followed the tutorial exactly, and I almost blew up the kitchen.]
Looking at this reply, Huang Shiyu suddenly thought of Li Xingzhou's earlier feat of blowing up the kitchen, and couldn't help but click his tongue and sigh: It's probably better for these two to not have the extra skill of cooking, it's just too lame.
[It's a lucky cat: Oh, is everyone alright?]
[Anonymous user: I'm fine, and I even got to eat a meal cooked by the person I like.]
[It's a lucky cat: Well, you've turned misfortune into a blessing in disguise, that's good.]
[Anonymous user: But I hate eating eggs.]
[It's a lucky cat: What's wrong with eggs? They're delicious and nutritious.] As Huang Shiyu finished sending this message, she unconsciously glanced at the untouched eggs on Li Xingzhou's plate. A feeling she couldn't quite describe slowly crept into her heart. Before she could figure it out, another message came from the anonymous user.
[Anonymous user: My eyes get red and itchy after eating it.]
[It's a lucky cat: So you're having an allergic reaction.]
Anonymous user: Hmm.
[It's a lucky cat: Then don't eat it, even if it was made by someone you like. Your health is important.]
[Anonymous user: I thought you wouldn't care about me.]
Huang Shiyu smiled slightly when he saw the reply.
[It's a lucky cat: Have you eaten yet?]
Anonymous user: Of course I didn't eat it.
Huang Shiyu didn't think the anonymous user was too stupid; she had previously thought this person would be a love-struck fool.
[It's a lucky cat: That's good, you haven't let love cloud your judgment. But since you already have someone you like, why did you still bind your couple's space with me to do tasks? Why not use such a good opportunity on the person you like?]
She didn't know the anonymous user had someone he liked before she started using their couple profile to complete the task. If she had known, she definitely wouldn't have agreed, since she has an extremely strong sense of boundaries and morality.
[Anonymous user: That's easy, just change your profile picture and nickname to someone I like.]
[Is it a lucky cat? ?]
[It's a lucky cat: Never mind.]
For a moment, Huang Shiyu felt that the anonymous user's smug typing tone was sometimes quite similar to Li Xingzhou's. Just as she thought of this, she heard Li Xingzhou say calmly, "Actually, what I wanted to tell you is that whether or not you have chips is not important to you right now. What's important is that you can get the company up and running."
Although their relationship is currently quite peaceful, Huang Shiyu just can't stand seeing Li Xingzhou sitting across from her, leisurely drinking water, and feels extremely unbalanced.
"What do you know? The chip is very important to me; it's the soul of the entire product."
“I understand what you mean. Since I’ve decided to invest in your project, I will naturally take responsibility for you,” Li Xingzhou said, raising an eyebrow.
Just focus on the project, why are you being responsible to me? Can this person please stop being so ambiguous?
"How will you take responsibility for my project? What kind of chips will you use?"
It wasn't that she was being unreasonable; it was just that the chip was really important, so she felt she had to get to the bottom of it.
After Huang Shiyu finished speaking, Li Xingzhou put the water glass on the table. His face did not show any different expression because of her words. It remained indifferent, but it gave Huang Shiyu a deep and dangerous feeling, like the dark clouds covering the sky outside the window.
The next thing he said confirmed what Huang Shiyu had in mind.
“I will definitely use the best. You don’t need to question me. After all, we’re not dating. I won’t invest in a project that won’t generate any value based on my emotions. What you’re saying is questioning my bottom line as an investor.”
Huang Shiyu was clearly taken aback by his answer. Her reaction was unusually slow, and she couldn't find a precise word to retaliate. She had just been thinking of turning the tables on him, but at this moment, all she seemed to feel was displeasure, though she didn't know where this displeasure came from.
"That's definitely not what I meant. I just hope that this project at hand won't disappoint Mr. Li in the end."
Li Xingzhou stared at her intently, a slight smile playing on his lips, and said, "I don't think President Huang will let me down. After all, President Huang is a very insightful person."
Huang Shiyu couldn't tell whether Li Xingzhou was praising her or mocking her, because he seemed quite serious about it.
She was already a little upset, and then Li Xingzhou kept staring at her. His bright, peach-blossom eyes were like the light outside the window shrouded in dark clouds, burning all the way to her. Otherwise, how could you explain her current restless state?
"Mr. Li's way of praising people is quite unique," she said, trying to appear calm.
Li Xingzhou had been observing her expression and naturally noticed her evasive gaze. After thinking for a moment, he said, "After all, President Huang is the key figure in this project, so naturally we should use the best praise."
His sudden change in speaking style made Huang Shiyu feel uneasy, as if he was plotting something.
The two sat facing each other across a table, seemingly separated by a boundary, though not far apart.
"I'm full. Remember to clean up after you're done eating." After saying that, Huang Shiyu wanted to escape the scene as soon as possible because she felt that the atmosphere was too strange. As long as the two of them were alone in a quiet space, this feeling would immediately come out. However, before she could stand up completely, Li Xingzhou spoke.
"Wait a moment."
"What is it now?"
"There's a problem with this; it needs to be changed." The living room was just a few steps away, and Li Xingzhou moved casually, accurately pulling out the document he wanted from the table covered with files.
The living room table is fully visible; from a distance, it appears as a thick layer of white, but upon closer inspection, it is covered with dense writing.
"Is there a problem?" Huang Shiyu was somewhat surprised by his question, and at the same time knew that Li Xingzhou had seen these documents.
"How can you guarantee that the future revenue of your project will bring me a 30% return on investment?" Li Xingzhou glanced at the document in his hand. "The RBF financing model is good, but Huang Shiyu, you have made a very basic mistake."
Although the documents on the table were messy, Huang Shiyu knew them better than anyone. She didn't need to look for them at all; she simply pulled one out from next to Li Xingzhou and handed it to him. "I did market research, and on page twelve, the first thing I noticed was the smart medical products launched by Sunac. The repurchase rate is very high. I think the future trend is smart healthcare, and I believe a 30% return on investment is achievable."
"You only see Sunac's current high returns. Can you predict the future market situation?" Li Xingzhou placed the document on the table, but his fingers did not leave it, as if he was looking for a support point, or perhaps he just placed it casually. "This data can only illustrate the current market situation, not the future. Sunac's predecessor was an old sunset industry. It was glorious in the past, but later it was acquired by Shenzhen-Hong Kong."
While intelligent healthcare is not Huang Shiyu's forte, her efforts cannot be completely denied. She did her preparations and is the kind of person who takes a pragmatic approach, choosing to lay a solid foundation step by step.
He was not blinded by the desire to beat Song Chaoye after experiencing major setbacks, nor did he excessively try to prove himself. Instead, he suppressed these emotions, slowly reviewed the situation, planned and advanced his strategy, and achieved his desired goal.
She was well aware of the gap between herself and Li Xingzhou, which was not only in her ability to strategize in the business world, but also in her family background and the advantages of her upbringing. This meant that her path to catching up with such people was long and arduous, and she might end up with nothing to show for her efforts.
But there's no such thing as a free lunch.
Li Xingzhou was under just as much pressure as she was. She had met many second-generation rich kids like them, who wanted to break free from the shadow cast by their parents, step out into the world, and make their own name for themselves.
So sometimes she felt that the two of them were on the same page. In terms of their careers, they both did their best within their capabilities and knew that everything had a cycle.
But Li Xingzhou's words are shattering all her efforts, making her think that everything she stayed up all night to organize was empty, unrealistic, and just empty talk.
But she clearly forgot that some efforts are not worth mentioning.
Huang Shiyu: "Li Xingzhou, do you think I'm not good enough?"
Perhaps because Huang Shiyu's gaze was too intense and her tone somewhat provocative, Li Xingzhou softened her tone a bit this time, but still spoke to her as if she were a business partner: "Huang Shiyu, you do have a long-term vision in business, but there are many objective factors that determine high returns. You studied finance in college, so you should know that increased income leads to increased demand, and only then will the results be proportional. However, the price of substitutes will affect the demand. If the quantity is too large, it becomes worthless. Under special circumstances, it is a necessity, but after that, it is no longer a necessity. There are many factors we need to consider."
Yes, Li Xingzhou is right. She admits that what she just said was not only a question but also an angry outburst. She shouldn't have let her emotions get the better of her, as that would affect her judgment. She just doesn't know why she was so stubborn today.
She would never have acted this way before. She would have been more inclined to seek advantage and avoid harm, and she would have been able to distinguish between good and bad emotions in obviously value-based relationships.
Then, keep your eyes on the target, like a wolf eyeing a sheep, plan and strategize, and then extract its essence. This is the wisest approach she can take, instead of being trapped in a vicious cycle and letting her emotions get the better of her.
Li Xingzhou suddenly said, "Do you know what a stupid mistake you made?"
Huang Shiyu was a sensible person, and his mind was clear at this moment. "What?"
“It’s about mindset and cognition.” Li Xingzhou’s posture remained unchanged from beginning to end, his fingers still resting on the documents as always. He looked at her and continued, “I’m an investor. What do I value? The final result. I only care about product innovation, repurchase rate, and whether the performance is impressive enough. You’ve been a boss, so you know that.”
Li Xingzhou may like Huang Shiyu, but his willingness to provide her with funding is primarily based on her personal value and abilities; that's the most important thing.
He could take her with him to build an empire and expand his territory, but only if she was a promising prospect. Otherwise, if he poured money into her and got nothing, Li Mingsheng would surely break his legs.
Because he likes Huang Shiyu, he hopes that her path forward will be a prosperous avenue, and he can be the one who supports her and paves the way with flowers.
Therefore, it was necessary for him to offer some advice before the warm water had even reached her neck, reminding her that seemingly gentle environments often harbor unknown dangers. In economics, there is a concept called sunk cost, which refers to costs that have already been invested and cannot be recovered in the end, regardless of the method used.
In fact, he was indirectly advising Huang Shiyu to let go before things got too bad. It's okay to stay up all night working on documents; cutting your losses is the right thing to do.
Huang Shiyu suddenly called his name, and Li Xingzhou looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
"Thank you for your kind advice. I didn't think things through this time."
Huang Shiyu knew she was in the wrong, and Li Xingzhou's words made it very clear that her biggest mistake was her way of thinking. This is how the gap between people widens. Now she only had one thought: to learn from Li Xingzhou and copy his methods.
"It's okay, just revise the points I told you and send them to me again." Li Xingzhou stood up and took a few steps closer to Huang Shiyu, stopping at a distance that was just right so as not to make the other person feel pressured. He extended his hand and said, "I hope to work with you to make this project a success and gain market recognition."
Her gaze fell on the hands in front of her. Li Xingzhou's palms were large and the lines on his hands were very chaotic. The life line, which symbolized his life, started straight down from the base of his palm, but it was broken and forked into several lines. Moreover, the lines were very clear, which meant that his childhood was full of twists and turns.
But what major changes could possibly happen to a prodigy like Li Xingzhou? Huang Shiyu just felt that this method of palm reading was inaccurate, or rather, it didn't work for Li Xingzhou.
At this moment, she had a strange feeling that Li Xingzhou was on a financial news program and she was the one interviewing him. It would be more appropriate if she changed her clothes.
No wonder she always saw comments saying that she wanted Li Xingzhou to sleep with her for no reason. Whether he was wearing a suit or a bathrobe, he always had an aura, as if everywhere was his domain, and he never gave people the feeling of looking down on everyone.
After shaking hands with him, Huang Shiyu went into the bedroom to change her clothes. She didn't have many clothes, and most of them were simple and versatile. She didn't need to dress up for work, as long as they were comfortable and suitable for her. Except for a few expensive brand-name clothes, which she had bought at a bargain price.
She herself has no materialistic desires; she simply thinks the brand's clothes are very beautiful. Women love beauty, and she is no exception.
After changing her clothes, she opened the door and ran into Li Xingzhou, who was coming out of the kitchen carrying trash.
Huang Shiyu seemed surprised that Li Xingzhou hadn't left yet, and paused for a moment. Li Xingzhou stood still, looking at her meaningfully. Huang Shiyu finally reacted, but remained expressionless and walked towards the entrance, even asking him seriously, "Is it pretty?"
“Your dress.” Li Xingzhou followed behind her.
Huang Shiyu opened the shoe cabinet in the entryway, leaned against the wall, looked at the shoes displayed inside, seemingly considering which pair to choose, and then asked, "Don't they look good?"
Li Xingzhou felt that he was right not to leave too early. The first thing he noticed was the dress she was wearing. Countless diamonds were embedded in the dress, scattered like a chessboard, making it look exceptionally gorgeous and adding a lot of sharpness. The design of broad shoulders and narrow waist was more eye-catching than the usual conservative clothes she wore, and it also showed off her figure to the fullest.
What's even more eye-catching are her long, straight, and smooth legs. Huang Shiyu is already tall, and the proportions of her legs are even more incredible. They are long and slender, but not excessively thin or gaunt. Instead, they are perfectly proportioned.
Li Xingzhou had only one thought in his mind: how could her legs be so long?
“It looks great,” Li Xingzhou said.
Are you going to see Zhang Jingyan?
After looking for a long time, Huang Shiyu was still struggling with which pair to wear. "Otherwise, why would a handsome guy get up so early? But after meeting with President Zhang, he should be getting up and leaving soon." After thinking for a moment, she thought, "Hmm, maybe I can go and hunt for a girl then."
"Are you the one hunting for women or are they hunting you? Pay more attention." After saying that, Li Xingzhou walked towards the door. "The ground is cold, and there's no underfloor heating in the house, so remember to put your shoes on."
How did he know there was no underfloor heating in the house? But Li Xingzhou also lives in this building, right across from him, so it's probably because there wasn't any in his house either.
Huang Shiyu could only think of this possibility.
She remained leaning against the wall, glancing out the window. The dark clouds were thicker now, suggesting a heavy rain was imminent. As Li Xingzhou opened the door, Huang Shiyu called out to him.
"Li Xingzhou, it's raining outside, remember to bring an umbrella." She still turned her head to the side, her eyes fixed on the window, where two overlapping figures were reflected in the glass. "Also, your stomach isn't good, so drink less alcohol in the future."
What Huang Shiyu really wanted to say was that we should just let this straight line intersect briefly, like the dark clouds outside the window, gathering together for a short time before dispersing after the rain.
"Huang Shiyu, right?"
The opening remarks were very concise, just like Zhang Jingyan's style.
"Yes, you can also call me Xiaoyu, that's what my friends call me." Huang Shiyu said truthfully, looking at Zhang Jingyan who was slowly stirring her coffee.
"You really have great taste. The coffee at this coffee shop smells wonderful. Even I, who don't like coffee, have started to like the taste."
Zhang Jingyan's tone was ambiguous, making it impossible to tell whether she genuinely liked coffee or was just being polite.
However, she still expressed her true feelings: "I didn't like coffee at first, I thought it was too bitter, but later I don't know if it was because I drank too much or I got used to the taste, but I can accept it now."
Zhang Jingyan put down the spoon she was stirring. "These coffee beans are a specialty of Yucheng. I used to rely on them to stay awake when I was in school. After I left for higher education, I never drank them again. Today is the first cup of coffee I've had since I returned to China. It's quite a coincidence that we're here. I'm also from Yucheng No. 2 Middle School, so I'm your senior on the surface."
Huang Shiyu didn't interrupt her. Zhang Jingyan's voice was actually very pleasant, with a touch of the smoothness of the Jiangnan rain. Listening to her speak was like listening to a gentle drizzle, which made people feel immersed in it. But if you look at her face, she also has a touch of intellectual beauty, just like the Jiangnan rain with its cool tones, mixed with a bit of coldness.
Zhang Jingyan took a sip of coffee, her voice a little lower than before, as if she were sighing, "I really miss the summers in Yucheng. The lush green sycamore trees are especially beautiful."
Huang Shiyu: "It is beautiful, but the flying catkins of the sycamore trees are a real nuisance." But then she thought that when the sycamore catkins gently brushed against her hair in the wind, the summer atmosphere that they inadvertently revealed was also something she missed.
"Now that you mention it, I remember too. Back in school, my nearsightedness was quite severe, and I wore glasses. Even a gust of wind couldn't escape the whiffs of sycamore fluff." Zhang Jingyan nodded, as if recalling her memories of Yucheng. "By the way, have you ever gone back to school since graduation?"
This question seemed to be asked casually.
"I've been busy with my business since graduation, and to my shame, I haven't had a chance to go back to my alma mater." After Huang Shiyu finished speaking, she stared intently at Zhang Jingyan across from her, not to glean what the other would say next, but to end the casual conversation. After all, she was there for an appointment with President Zhang, not with her senior Zhang.
However, Zhang Jingyan just smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. Young people should focus on their careers."
"We were just talking about the plane trees on campus. You've lived in Shanghai for quite a while now. Do you prefer Yucheng or Shanghai?"
Huang Shiyu laughed too. She didn't believe Zhang Jingyan didn't understand her meaning. The two of them had been tempered in the business world for so long, and their ability to read people's expressions was already honed to perfection. But Zhang Jingyan clearly chose to ignore her directly. Huang Shiyu didn't know what she was really up to.
"A lonely paulownia tree in a deep courtyard locks in the clear autumn. When it comes to paulownia trees, Shanghai is naturally famous, while Yucheng is famous for its unique coffee beans. If I like its bitterness, I will definitely choose Yucheng without hesitation."
This answer was essentially meaningless, but now she knew exactly what Zhang Jingyan was up to—that she was playing a game with her. However, Huang Shiyu had been in the business world for several years, and regardless of how well she had learned anything else, she was certainly adept at speaking to people. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was a silver-tongued silver-tongued person. Her words were so enigmatic that they left people scratching their heads, yet they also left no room for anyone to find fault with her.
Actually, the place with the most plane trees is Nanjing, but Huang Shiyu has never been to Nanjing. She thinks that if she has the opportunity in the future, she will go to see Nanjing full of plane trees and feel the moment when the plane tree leaves fall.
Later, the two talked about their school life and what they had seen and heard after graduation, as well as the various funny things that happened in their careers. It was interesting and wonderful. The two did not look around randomly, but quietly looked into each other's eyes. When one of them spoke, the other would quietly look at the other. By this time, the conversation had ended, and their eyes met.
The two stared at each other for a moment, when Zhang Jingyan's phone rang.
Zhang Jingyan looked at Huang Shiyu while answering the phone: "Yes, I'm meeting with a client today at a coffee shop in Lujiazui."
Are you checking up on me?
"Stop it. Keep your little schemes to yourself. Kids should behave themselves."
While T was drinking coffee, Huang Shiyu secretly observed Zhang Jingyan, who was on the phone. Strangely enough, the moment Zhang Jingyan answered the phone, her indifferent demeanor disappeared. It was a novel sight, one that Huang Shiyu had never seen before, or perhaps the media had never seen either.
After Zhang Jingyan finished speaking, she immediately hung up the phone and looked at Huang Shiyu, continuing, "Where were we? Oh, right, we were talking about when I first started working. In the first half of my life, I only did two things: one was to build a career, which everyone knows; the other was to love someone, to choose to love someone, which I've never told anyone before."
"It's fate that brought us together today. Although I'm single, as you just saw, I have a boyfriend. I'm not the workaholic that people say I am, someone who only cares about my career and has no femininity at all. Surprised?"
Huang Shiyu shook her head and said, "The accuracy, reliability, and completeness of rumors are all risky. I haven't been able to investigate them thoroughly, so I never believe them." At this point, Huang Shiyu smiled slightly; she thought of Li Xingzhou and that document detailing a 30% return on investment.
"Moreover, this world is very direct and only looks at the results. Being misunderstood is inevitable. Focusing on one's career and loving someone are not contradictory and should not be labeled arbitrarily. They can be like trains running in parallel on the same line."
But how could two trains possibly run side by side on a train track? Huang Shiyu's ideas were sometimes too naive.
But no one can stay sober all the time, which is only natural.
“I’m telling you all this in the hope that you can cooperate with me. Just like you said, we shouldn’t label things arbitrarily. We can be the trains running parallel on this line.” Zhang Jingyan paused, and finally brought her purpose to the surface, “Sell me your project. I can raise the price. It won’t do you any harm.”
Huang Shiyu just smiled and looked at the other person without saying a word. After this conversation, she gradually understood and felt that she had made the right bet. Zhang Jingyan did not simply want to reminisce with her. She was just using this as an excuse to weaken her defenses. As expected of a Harvard graduate, she had a way of scheming.
Moreover, she had been using sweet talk from the start. If she had fallen into the warmth the other party had set up, she would have been like a frog in slowly boiling water, being slowly strangled. Now, Zhang Jingyan was still able to steer the conversation to the point she wanted. Sure enough, those who can enter prestigious universities for further studies are not ordinary people.
Seeing that she didn't seem inclined to speak, Zhang Jingyan persisted, asking, "You can tell me your bottom line. After all, I'm your senior, we're practically family."
"It was very interesting to hear you talk about the past today, senior. I hope we will have the opportunity to continue to talk about every plant and tree in Yucheng in the future."
That was a very polite way of refusing. Zhang Jingyan just looked at Huang Shiyu quietly, without showing any other expression on her face. The air seemed to quiet down.
Just when Huang Shiyu thought Zhang Jingyan wouldn't speak again, she suddenly asked her, "Was that Li Xingzhou who was talking next to you that day? I'm quite curious about what you think of him. To be honest, he's a smart guy. Back when he interned at KKR, he was quite a prominent figure. Many of his fellow interns were Chinese, and while everyone else was busy working on projects, he was leisurely eating dinner and even had time to go to the gym. At the time, everyone thought he was just another rich kid trying to get some internship experience, but the final result was truly astonishing. He slapped everyone in the face, and his team achieved the final victory."
Huang Shiyu had also heard about this matter, and it was considered a topic of conversation among amateurs in the financial circle.
It's already quite regrettable that the heir of the prestigious Shenzhen-Hong Kong Group chose to intern at a financial investment institution in the United States instead of returning home to inherit the family business.
This is normal, given that Li Xingzhou's father is Li Mingsheng. Many large companies are willing to extend olive branches to Li Xingzhou. After all, in addition to world-renowned universities valuing alumni resources, group companies also attach great importance to them. It can be said that the circles of people they come from all pay attention to this aspect.
She also knew what Li Xingzhou was responsible for at KKR: healthcare investment management. Looking back on this now, Huang Shiyu suddenly realized that Li Xingzhou's success in making Sunac so successful was undoubtedly due to his training and strategic planning. After all, the market is unpredictable, and no one knows who will emerge victorious next time.
“I’m glad to have the opportunity to have a cup of coffee with you today, as you said.” Huang Shiyu smiled and continued, “Li Xingzhou is a smart man, and he was my first choice.”
"I am also very grateful to Mr. Zhang for his confidence in this project. After all, Mr. Zhang's keen eye for opportunity is well-known and he is very shrewd. I hope to have a deeper cooperation with Mr. Zhang in the future. I am looking forward to it."
It's said that you shouldn't hit someone who's smiling, especially Huang Shiyu, who not only didn't slap people but continued to give them candy, making it easy for people to fall into her sugar-coated trap in a short time.
Those who make a name for themselves in this world are never simple. This city is all-encompassing; it can tolerate a grain of sand, and it can also tolerate people who are full of cunning and scheming.
Huang Shiyu and Zhang Jingyan are both such people.
Zhang Jingyan seemed taken aback by Huang Shiyu's words and was momentarily stunned. She watched Huang Shiyu slowly get up, a movement that seemed to her as if it were in slow motion. Behind Huang Shiyu, she could see dark clouds slowly encroaching on the only sunlight.
A moment later, as Huang Shiyu turned to leave the coffee shop, she heard Zhang Jingyan say behind her, "Then I look forward to our future collaboration."
Huang Shiyu didn't stop walking. Instead, she slightly curled the corners of her lips and left the coffee shop in a good mood.
Behind her, the night and the rising sun coexisted, and dawn would eventually break.
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