"I've signed you on as the spokesperson for Luli's Asia region. There's a brand event in France this month, perfect timing, you need to go." Wei Qi was in a good mood. Xie Xi was finally willing to take the initiative in his career. Luli was one of the global luxury brands; of course she had to secure good resources for him.
Xie Xi: "...I have to go to France this month?"
"Of course you have to go. It's the annual brand event, all the important spokespersons need to attend."
The person in question, Xie Xi, was now filled with regret, deep regret.
"How many days minimum for France?"
Wei Qi calculated: "Round trip, plus attending the event, at least six days."
Xie Xi: "...Is the endorsement fee high?"
Wei Qi looked at her artist. "You've been acting a bit strange lately."
Xie Xi immediately reverted to his usual lazy demeanor. "Just asking casually. My accounts are all empty."
"Don't worry, Luli's endorsement fee won't be low," Wei Qi said with a smile. "There are also three more episodes of the reality show to record. Between the endorsement and the show, get some good rest tonight."
He had almost forgotten about the reality show. That would take at least three days.
The more Big Star Xie thought about it, the unhappier he became.
"What's going on?" Wei Qi suddenly asked seriously.
"What?"
Wei Qi pointed at the glasses on his face. "Why are you wearing glasses so late at night?"
Mentioning this, Xie Xi said with a touch of pride, "Professor Ye gave them to me."
"Professor Ye gave... oh, that research glasses project." Wei Qi caught on.
Xie Xi nodded, straightened up, and brushed past a box nearby. He opened the magnetic clasp, lifted the lid, revealing a row of glasses cases inside. "Professor Ye gave me all of these." His tone carried a hint of showing off.
However, Agent Wei clearly didn't pick up on it. "Can you see the characters clearly now? Why so many pairs?"
"Yes. Professor Ye was worried that having only one pair wouldn't match all my outfits, so she specially had so many made for me." Xie Xi employed a bit of creative phrasing, suddenly making Professor Ye sound rather ambiguous.
"Professor Ye is so thoughtful," Wei Qi nodded. "Having only one pair really isn't very convenient."
Xie Xi: Why is there no reaction at all? He had been so blatant. Shouldn't she suspect something?
In reality, in Wei Qi's mind, Professor Ye belonged to the category of people who would never have a closer relationship with a star like Xie Xi in this lifetime. After all, she seemed too upright, exuding an air of a scholar.
...
The next day, at 8:30 in the morning, Ye Qiusuo received a call and came downstairs to lead Xie Xi up.
"Did you wear them after going back last night? Do your eyes feel uncomfortable at all?" Ye Qiusuo was wearing a white lab coat, holding a tablet, scrolling quickly.
Xie Xi, using his height advantage, could easily see the content on her tablet. Although looking at characters no longer made him dizzy, he still couldn't understand what was on it; it was very complex.
"My eyes feel a little tired."
"Hmm, your brain might still be adapting. It should get better in a few days. If it doesn't, we'll need to make adjustments."
The elevator opened. Ye Qiusuo led him towards the same lab as yesterday. It was basically empty now, all the experimental data and various items had been removed.
"Sit." Ye Qiusuo took a brand-new notebook from a drawer in another desk. "You can try writing. Have your assistant check if it's correct."
Different from the previous teaching and copying sessions, Xie Xi didn't slack off this time. Instead, he sat up straight and proper, holding the pen and starting to trace.
Ye Qiusuo watched for a while and shook her head. "Since you can see now, you can find time to start practicing your handwriting properly." It would also save others the chance to criticize him.
Looking at his own crooked and scrawled characters, Xie Xi suddenly felt he had found a new way to spend money.
When Ye Qiusuo got up to talk to someone who had come from outside, Xie Xi immediately called Zhang Dong over and whispered a few words to him.
When Ye Qiusuo came back in, Xie Xi was still sitting with his back straight, copying diligently. His assistant approached.
"Professor Ye, could we trouble you to be Brother Xi's teacher again? We'll pay the same hourly rate as last time," Zhang Dong sighed. "You know how many people out there say Brother Xi didn't finish junior high, that he's uncultured and makes tons of character mistakes."
"With that money, you could easily hire a professional calligraphy teacher." Ye Qiusuo didn't understand his reasoning.
Zhang Dong coughed, pulling Ye Qiusuo towards a corner, lowering his voice. "It's like this, Professor Ye. Brother Xi isn't very willing to deal with strangers. Plus, he thinks your handwriting is very beautiful. Professor Ye, you don't need to teach too meticulously. Just let Brother Xi practice by copying your notes, and you can check his work."
Seeing Ye Qiusuo still hesitating, Zhang Dong started playing the sympathy card. "Professor Ye, you know Brother Xi's situation. He's a big star. If he rashly hires a teacher, it could easily cause problems. You, on the other hand, know the background, and you wouldn't talk about Brother Xi's affairs outside."
This line could only fool an outsider who didn't understand the entertainment industry. Coincidentally, Ye Qiusuo truly didn't understand it at all. She frowned, looking at Xie Xi writing earnestly across the room. He sat at the long white table, his profile clean and handsome, as if no foulness could come near him.
"Alright," Ye Qiusuo agreed.
Although she agreed, Ye Qiusuo didn't have extra time right now. She wasn't at the company to sit in an office; she had matters to handle.
"The temporary ID card is still valid for over two hours. You can practice your handwriting here. When the time is almost up, I'll come get you." Before leaving, Ye Qiusuo pointed at the door. "I won't lock this door. You can go out into the hallway, but don't wander to other areas. It will trigger the alarm."
"Understood."
As soon as she left, Xie Xi asked Zhang Dong, "How did it go? Did she agree?"
Zhang Dong nodded. "She said she agreed, but didn't specify a time. Professor Ye seems really busy."
The two sat inside whispering, while Ye Qiusuo went to the first-floor lobby to meet a guest.
...
"Professor Ye, long time no see." Hearing footsteps, Lu Minglang turned and saw Ye Qiusuo, then corrected himself. "I should call you President Ye now."
"President Lu, is there something you need?"
Lu Minglang looked at the cool and detached Ye Qiusuo opposite him, his gaze meaningful. "I came to discuss cooperation with President Ye."
"If I remember correctly, there were no issues at the conclusion of our previous cooperative project."
Lu Minglang was wearing a custom-made light grey suit today, making him appear even more tall and straight. He curled the corner of his lips. "The previous project was a pleasant cooperation, which is why I, Lu, wish to continue working with President Ye. To clean up the mess left behind by Zhang Chengjue, I imagine Tianqiu Tech's capital chain has been operating under extreme strain."
Tianqiu had been watched by major industry players for the past two years, so it was normal for someone to have estimated this. Ye Qiusuo looked at Lu Minglang. "So?"
"So, President Ye's new project must have no capital to invest." Lu Minglang said this, switching back to 'Professor Ye'.
A research scientist, originally only wanting to research her own projects, now in control of a company, yet without the funds to conduct her own research—no one would be too happy about that.
Lu Minglang was extremely confident the other party would agree.
"I have several new projects. Which one is President Lu referring to?"
Lu Minglang lowered his head, straightening his sleeve, then looked up. "The one Professor Ye needs funding for the most."
Ye Qiusuo looked expressionlessly at Lu Minglang. He knew about her new project—the artificial neural synapse project she had only mentioned at the shareholders' meeting, for which she had secured funding but had not yet begun research and development.
"President Ye, merely stripping shares without a gag order is still troublesome," Lu Minglang chuckled lightly. "Zhang Chengjue often drowns his sorrows in drink; anyone could easily pry information from him in a bar."
In that moment, the lofty eldest son of the Lu family reminded Ye Qiusuo, for no apparent reason, of the male lead in the book who had sailed smoothly through the entertainment industry relying solely on the Lu family's reputation.
Ye Qiusuo finally frowned. "Perhaps President Lu needs to have a bit more respect for the law."
"I merely came to remind you, President Ye," Lu Minglang said with a smile on his handsome face. "After all, we are still partners."
Ye Qiusuo didn't want to entangle with him any further. "I will not cooperate with you on the new project."
Lu Minglang's smile froze at the corners of his mouth. After a moment, he resumed an air of casual indifference. "Professor Ye, what if someone releases this project before you?"
"No one will get ahead of me. Tianqiu Technology has all the necessary experimental instruments; no laboratory, domestic or international, can match that," Ye Qiusuo replied, a rare hint of arrogant pride flashing in her eyes. "And most importantly, Tianqiu Technology has me."
With that, Ye Qiusuo walked directly toward the elevator doors without looking back.
Lu Minglang watched her retreating figure deeply. After stepping out of Tianqiu Technology's main entrance, he turned, looked up at the logo, and suddenly laughed softly for no reason. "Interesting."
...
"President Ye, did he come to... declare war?" Zhao Guiyin, watching from upstairs as Lu Minglang got into his car and left, couldn't help but ask.
The Lu family appeared formidable to the outside world, but many companies and enterprises did not like them. For no other reason than that the Lu family excelled at mergers and acquisitions. Entering a new industry, they would first start a company, then slowly swallow others up, always targeting the most powerful companies in the field.
They had played this game to perfection for many years.
By now, Ye Qiusuo's expression had returned to its usual calm, her features peaceful. She always hid that streak of arrogance extremely well.
"I'm going downstairs." Ye Qiusuo wanted to go see Xie Xi practicing his calligraphy and also ask about his teaching schedule. "Tomorrow, give me a list of all the new employees who joined last month."
"Yes."
When Ye Qiusuo went down one more floor, Xie Xi was still writing. She felt a bit surprised. Usually, he loved to slack off, often making small movements when he thought she wasn't looking.
Back then, thinking he was genuinely uncomfortable looking at the characters, she had pretended not to see.
So now, since looking at the characters doesn't make him dizzy anymore, he's stopped slacking off?
"Professor Ye." Zhang Dong called out upon seeing her enter, also reminding Xie Xi to perk up.
Ye Qiusuo walked to Xie Xi's side and looked at the half-page of weak, floating characters he had written. "Do you recognize these characters?"
He used to see them in a blur. Now, the characters he sees are completely different from before, so he should probably start learning from scratch.
"I'm learning," Xie Xi admitted. Many characters were essentially being seen clearly for the first time.
"Mm, start with the basic strokes when practicing calligraphy." Ye Qiusuo exported her schedule from her phone and sent it to Xie Xi. "I've marked my available time in red. See what time works for you."
Xie Xi looked it over and was utterly shocked.
Because the schedule Ye Qiusuo marked in red completely conflicted with his own.
"..."
"What's wrong?" Ye Qiusuo asked, noticing his strange expression.
"I need to go back and ask my manager to know my schedule," Xie Xi lied, his eyes darting away slightly.
Ye Qiusuo nodded. "You can message me tonight."
Under normal circumstances, if Professor Ye actively asked him to send a message, Xie Xi would secretly feel happy for a while. But now, his mind was filled with the thought: maybe I should just stop working for a bit.
"Alright, I'll take you both downstairs. I have something to attend to outside, so you can't stay here for the full three hours," Ye Qiusuo said.
This was also Tianqiu Technology's rule: when the person who applied for the temporary ID leaves, the people they brought must also leave.
Because of Lu Minglang's sudden visit, Ye Qiusuo suddenly had something she needed to do.
