"You... you're insane!" The male teacher trembled as he pointed at Zhong Ziyan, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. "This is currently the most expensive artificially synthesized element. Both companies producing it are overseas—they're cutting-edge tech leaders. Do you really think you can just buy them with money? Do you think money alone can make it happen?"
Zhong Ziyan took a moment to reflect.
She genuinely didn’t know whether companies could be bought so easily. The last one, that shipping company called Polang, had been acquired swiftly—handled entirely by Fang Nan. Zhong Ziyan had merely signed a stack of documents under his guidance without giving it another thought.
Just like that, a company was hers.
So, with an earnest desire to learn, she turned to Hua Shuangshuang beside her and asked, "Can’t we buy it?"
"If it's cutting-edge technology, the acquisition might face interference from the host country’s government," Hua Shuangshuang replied thoughtfully. "But I believe they’re privately owned enterprises. Even if outright acquisition isn’t possible, we could still invest or take a stake."
And if all else failed, the big boss could always resort to the same tactic she’d used on Luo Yin’s birthday.
—I’ll. Pay. More.
Hua Shuangshuang calmly added a new task to her work schedule: investigate californium and smooth the path for the big boss’s investment plans.
After her experience with Fang Nan, Zhong Ziyan’s understanding of the "assistant" profession boiled down to one word: "omnipotent."
So when Hua Shuangshuang spoke with such confidence, Zhong Ziyan immediately dismissed her earlier hesitation. "Good."
Just then, the male student inside the exhibit booth suddenly stood up and gestured at her.
Hua Shuangshuang blinked. "You can’t speak?"
"He was born mute," muttered another student nearby, their tone laced with malice.
But Zhong Ziyan happened to understand sign language. "You think it might not succeed? Impossible. I trust my own judgment."
After all, poor as she might have been, her luck had always been decent—otherwise, she wouldn’t have survived long enough to escape the Infinite Space.
The boy signed again, his hands moving so fast it was like he was drawing a magic circle in the air.
"Oh, that," Zhong Ziyan mused, tapping her chin. "Since it’s a globally scarce synthetic element, production must be low. Are you saying the quantity you need exceeds the current output?"
The boy froze mid-motion, as if he had a thousand things to say but didn’t know where to start. After a few seconds, he shook his head and held up four fingers, then reconsidered and lowered one to make it three.
Zhong Ziyan exhaled in relief. "Just thirty percent? That’s no problem."
The boy: "…" He clarified with sharp gestures: Three grams. Isotopes are acceptable too.
Realizing she’d overcomplicated things, Zhong Ziyan lowered her hand. "…Ahem. Hua Shuangshuang, accompany this student to register with the organizers."
Hua Shuangshuang hesitated, reluctant to leave the big boss—whose wealth far exceeded her common sense—alone in this shark tank.
"I’ll be fine," Zhong Ziyan waved her off. "Call me later. I still want to check out the biotech and pharmaceutical sections."
Who knew? Maybe she’d get lucky and stumble upon a way to help this gloomy boy speak.
…Wait. Speaking of luck, wasn’t there someone perfectly suited for this?
Zhong Ziyan pulled out her phone to contact Shen Beibei, only to realize she’d never gotten her number. So she dialed Fang Nan instead.
Fang Nan: "…What a coincidence. She’s right here revising her proposal." Without further ado, he handed the phone to Shen Beibei.
—Why?! Why are you still calling me about work when you already have an assistant?! Do you need six assistants and two financial consultants now?!
"Miss Zhong," Shen Beibei answered, her voice as sweet and harmless as usual, though with a barely detectable hint of excitement only she recognized.
As time passed, Shen Beibei grew increasingly certain that meeting Zhong Ziyan had been her stroke of luck. It only strengthened her resolve to forge ahead on this path without hesitation.
She believed—no, she knew—she was heading in the right direction. And with every step, the dazzling future and wonderful life she dreamed of grew clearer.
No longer just an orphanage girl who wrapped herself in vanity and deceived others for affection.
"Still haven’t hit your small goal, have you?" Zhong Ziyan asked as she walked, scanning the vibrant exhibits on either side.
Her earlier display of extravagance had spread like wildfire through the tech zone, and now ambitious young minds were eager to catch her eye for funding. But nothing else particularly stood out to her.
"Not yet," Shen Beibei admitted softly. "But my plan is getting more detailed, refined, and solid—thanks in part to Mr. Fang’s guidance."
Zhong Ziyan: "…" So Fang Nan was angling for a raise after all, even using Shen Beibei to drop hints. "Keep at it. But I called about something else."
"Please go ahead," Shen Beibei perked up, mentally rolling up her sleeves. What kind of challenge had prompted Zhong Ziyan to bypass Wei Hanyun, Fang Nan, and everyone else to come straight to her?
This must be what it feels like to be trusted wholeheartedly!
"Don’t you think people born deaf and mute deserve a chance at treatment?" Zhong Ziyan asked. "Like, say, modern medicine developing new therapies?"
Shen Beibei: "…Uh, yes? You’re absolutely right. As people born without such conditions, we’re already fortunate. If there’s a way to help them, it’d be a great boon to society."
"Sound more convinced," Zhong Ziyan instructed.
Shen Beibei: "…" Drawing on her old self-hypnosis techniques, she took a deep breath. "I genuinely believe that! It would be a tremendous benefit to the world!"
"Good," Zhong Ziyan said, satisfied. "Keep making money. Don’t let anyone overtake you."
With that, the call ended.
Shen Beibei stood frozen: Overtake her? Who could possibly overtake her? Her "small goal" of three hundred million hadn’t even taken shape yet.
Fang Nan retrieved his phone and dryly reminded her, "Back to work. No revisions, no funding."
Shen Beibei: "…"
While Shen Beibei tearfully resumed editing her business proposal, Zhong Ziyan finished touring the tech zone. She asked a security guard for directions and headed straight for the adjacent biotech and pharmaceutical sections.
And sure enough, thanks to Shen Beibei’s "luck boost," Zhong Ziyan soon discovered a groundbreaking biomimetic material in the biotech zone—one with potential for artificial vocal cord reconstruction.
Without hesitation, Zhong Ziyan greenlit the second project, handing it off to Hua Shuangshuang the moment she returned.
Hua Shuangshuang ran back and forth tirelessly—not that she minded, given her salary—but watching money pour out of the big boss’s wallet still made her, a mere commoner, ache inside.
Fortunately, Zhong Ziyan didn’t find much else at the exhibition worth investing in. In the end, she only backed four teams.
The last two additions were a woman developing holographic interactive controls and a Ph.D. team dedicated to creating completely pollution-free new energy.
Hua Shuangshuang quickly organized the personnel files for all four teams. Though there was still plenty of work ahead, as a highly paid special assistant, this was all part of her job.
The role of an all-around assistant was precisely to ensure the boss could issue orders without worrying about the actual execution. Hua Shuangshuang had a clear understanding of her position—she hadn’t even planned to let Zhong Ziyan deal directly with the students, intending to act as the intermediary herself.
But Zhong Ziyan insisted on creating a WeChat group, adding the leaders of all four projects.
She even took the time to rename the group.
Hua Shuangshuang studied it for a moment before humbly asking, "What’s that symbol in the group name?" It looked like a plant.
"A money tree," Zhong Ziyan said solemnly. "Still sprouting."
After saying this, she edited the group description, typing just four words: Make money properly.
Hua Shuangshuang: "..." Fair enough. Money making money was the way to go.
But Wei Hanyun’s wealth growth rate ranked among the top three globally, his investment instincts were frighteningly sharp, and his portfolio included countless cutting-edge ventures. Did his money really need protection from being squandered?
At this thought, Hua Shuangshuang suddenly paused, frowning. "Hm?"
Following behind Zhong Ziyan, she pulled out her phone and did a quick search, then wore an indescribable expression: "..."
There were only two companies in the world capable of stably synthesizing and supplying californium—one had received substantial personal investment from Wei Hanyun, while the other research lab was outright owned by one of his companies.
"What’s wrong?" Zhong Ziyan turned back and caught sight of the californium structure on Hua Shuangshuang’s screen, immediately stopping. "Can’t buy it?"
"Not exactly..." Hua Shuangshuang struggled to maintain her composure. "It’s not impossible, just... unnecessary."
Zhong Ziyan: "?"
Hua Shuangshuang: "Well... here’s the thing. You probably just need to make one call to Mr. Wei to solve the procurement issue."
Was there really a need for a married couple to turn this into a forced corporate acquisition?
She explained the situation as simply as possible.
Zhong Ziyan propped her chin in her hand, looking troubled.
"What’s the matter? Are you worried Mr. Wei might refuse?" Hua Shuangshuang was taken aback.
"No." Zhong Ziyan sighed inwardly. "I think he’d just give it to me for free. Might even gift me the entire research lab, not just the californium."
Which meant today’s biggest spending plan would fail.
Spending money was hard. Ziyan sighed.
Hua Shuangshuang: "..." I DON’T UNDERSTAND YOU SUPER-RICH PEOPLE!!!
