Rong Shiyun stared at the message, holding her phone motionless.
Soon, Ye Qiusuo sent another message: 【If something's wrong, you can tell me.】
Rong Shiyun rested a hand on her forehead, couldn't help but let out a laugh, yet her eyes reddened after laughing.
She gazed at the ceiling for a long time before finally dialing Ye Qiusuo's voice call.
The other side answered quickly, clearly having been waiting for her.
"Didn't you say you were afraid of waking your roommate?"
Rong Shiyun exaggeratedly went 'ahh' a few times: "You already knew I was lying, why ask."
Ye Qiusuo also chuckled lightly: "What happened? That trip back home wasn't just for a simple visit."
"Nothing gets past you," Rong Shiyun muttered, then her voice grew a bit louder, "I can't make it here anymore."
Ye Qiusuo didn't interrupt, quietly waiting for her to continue.
"You know the environment back home isn't great either. I just wanted to focus on research, but they kept pressuring me to change my nationality, suppressing me openly and covertly. I was suspended right before I returned home last time," Rong Shiyun said helplessly. "That last trip back was to ask my mentor about this."
Rong Shiyun didn't want to stay abroad permanently. She had planned to gain skills and experience before returning, hoping domestic institutions would have developed more by then, but things weren't that simple.
Ye Qiusuo asked her: "What are you doing right now?"
"Hunkering down in my rented apartment," Rong Shiyun said guiltily. That's why she had so much free time to obsess over the entertainment industry.
"Come back home first," Ye Qiusuo said directly. "Your resume is stronger than most. You graduated from Tsinghua or Peking University back then. Come back now, have your mentor recommend you, you could be a lecturer."
Rong Shiyun sighed: "I'm not cut out to be a teacher. You know how much nonsense I talk; lecturing would just mislead students. I just want to focus on research." That's why she worked for a large private company abroad. To do research back home, especially at top institutions like Tsinghua or Peking University, one must handle both research and teaching. And crucially, the internal politics at Tsinghua and Peking University are too complex; she couldn't navigate them.
On the surface, Rong Shiyun seemed more socially adept, but in reality, apart from having above-average intelligence, her emotional intelligence and maturity weren't much different from an ordinary person in their early twenties. In contrast, Ye Qiusuo, though appearing rigid and unworldly, was actually the clearest-headed; no one could outmaneuver her.
"Come back and try first."
"Qiusuo, what's the atmosphere like at your university? Maybe I'll go to yours."
"Rong Shiyun." Ye Qiusuo called her name calmly and softly, and the other end immediately fell silent. "In this field domestically, if you want to achieve anything, you can only go to Tsinghua or Peking University. If you don't know how to lecture, then learn."
"...I should have switched majors like you back then," Rong Shiyun grumbled quietly.
Ye Qiusuo pretended not to hear. If Rong Shiyun hadn't genuinely loved her field back then, she wouldn't have stubbornly stayed on this path.
"Recent policies seem to be changing. You might return at a good time."
Those at the top weren't entirely unaware of researchers' hardships. In recent years, several fields have seen significant talent drain abroad. It can only be said they are still slowly exploring solutions.
"Alright, I'll call my mentor tomorrow and ask him to help recommend me." Rong Shiyun suddenly cheered up again. "I'm still young, I can wait."
...
After the conversation with Rong Shiyun, it was almost 4 AM. Ye Qiusuo slept until 6 AM and got up again. She drank a strong cup of coffee in the morning, marking the start of a new day.
Because of the messages Rong Shiyun had sent earlier the previous day, Ye Qiusuo instinctively opened Weibo while having breakfast.
The top trending topic was related to Xie Xi, though it was no longer the cheerful hashtag from yesterday, but one directly accusing Xie Xi of being excessively wasteful with his three meals a day.
The comments below were fiercely critical, as if overnight Xie Xi had become public enemy number one.
Ye Qiusuo frowned. She clicked into the edited video to watch. Indeed, Xie Xi had many dishes each time he ate, many of which he only tasted a bit before leaving untouched.
But she also noticed something: every time, after Xie Xi finished eating, Zhang Dong would carefully pack up the leftover food into a large container. He used that container nine times out of ten. The container had several compartments inside and didn't look like it was meant for throwing things away.
Only on one day, when they flew to another province, that container wasn't used, and the amount of food that day was also halved.
It seemed no one in the comments had noticed this detail.
Just as Ye Qiusuo was still pondering, Xie Xi's studio released a video and a statement.
【Thank you for your concern! Xi Xi has a sensitive stomach, so we try our best to ensure he eats well. However, the food is not wasted. We have an ongoing connection with a local stray cat and dog shelter manager, and we deliver the food there daily.】
The video showed the large container Zhang Dong always used. The food was basically poured into bowls for the cats and dogs. Food unsuitable for cats and dogs was given to chickens raised by the shelter manager.
【I think I've seen this shelter before. Did it trend on Weibo a few years ago?】
【Ah, I remember this. I think it was about the manager not having enough funds to cover the food for the strays, and later many kind people started sending leftover food.】
【Xie Xi's team is really something, finding a PR excuse so fast. Recording one video proves it's delivered daily?】
【Um, the shelter seems to have a Weibo account. The manager posts videos daily, and that container appears in them regularly.】
Netizens immediately followed the clue to browse the shelter's videos. Many hands make light work. Soon, someone found several videos and screenshots, asking everywhere: 【Isn't this hand in the shot definitely Xie Xi's?】
The shelter's Weibo videos received hundreds of comments daily, mostly from people who loved cats and dogs. Occasionally, someone would comment on the hand in the shot, saying it looked nice, but that was it. Now, with Xie Xi's fans flooding in, they almost instantly recognized it as their idol's hand.
【Our baby has a tiny mole on the tip of his ring finger. That's right! This is our baby!】
People from the city often came to donate and pet the cats. Some with a connection would adopt one. Occasionally, people would appear in the videos. Fans dug through and found that just this year, Xie Xi's hand had appeared in the shots five times.
When the manager recorded videos daily, carrying that large container and pouring food into the bowls, he sometimes remarked: "See what the big patron donated for you today," and so on.
Now, anyone could guess who the "big patron" was.
"How does his luck turn out good every single time?" Lu Mingzhe sneered after reading the trending topics. Waking up early to see negative posts about Xie Xi had made him quite happy. He didn't expect the situation to reverse so quickly.
"Wei Qi is cunning and calculating; she can turn black into white. That's normal," Shi Ru said disdainfully. "Maybe she even staged this whole thing herself."
If Wei Qi were present, she would definitely recognize Shi Ru as the former colleague who deliberately didn't hold up the signboard, trying to make her fall from the height.
Both mentioned Wei Qi, but Shi Ru's words sounded much more pleasant than Jiang Jingyuan's earlier.
Lu Mingzhe tapped the desk with one hand, thinking replacing Jiang Jingyuan with Shi Ru was a good choice.
...
"Brother Xi, what are you looking at?" Zhang Dong was startled to see Xie Xi wearing glasses and looking at his phone in the morning. Now his boss didn't even need him to read the trending topics anymore. Before, he could secretly skip over the negative posts.
"Scrolling through Weibo," Xie Xi said matter-of-factly.
Zhang Dong: "Bro Xi, the studio has already clarified, you don't need to be on..."
He had just leaned over, only to discover Xie Xi was watching a fan-made compilation video of him and Professor Ye.
"Clarify what?" Xie Xi asked Zhang Dong casually, having just finished watching the video once and pressing replay to watch it again.
"...Nothing, haha."
Xie Xi glanced up at Zhang Dong, reluctantly exited the video, then clicked into the trending topics. After looking, he didn't seem displeased. He stood up and called towards a corner: "Lili."
A snow-white kitten immediately emerged from the corner and jumped into Xie Xi's arms.
"Take a picture of me and Lili." Xie Xi tossed his phone to Zhang Dong. This was for fan engagement while also introducing Lili—this was the cat whose ears Professor Ye had touched!
After Zhang Dong took the photo, Xie Xi logged into his Weibo account and posted it: ["Our Lili. [image.jpg]"]
The shelter director had Xie Xi on special follow. As soon as he posted this Weibo, she immediately commented: ["Finally taking some responsibility."]
Five minutes after Xie Xi posted the Weibo, his agent, Wei Qi, called Zhang Dong, instructing him to go to the fan groups to explain the origin of this cat and why Xie Xi hadn't adopted a cat from the shelter before.
Some of the stray cats at the shelter were actually abandoned purebreds, good-looking and no less appealing than Lili. In the past, Xie Xi would only donate and pet the cats for a while, firmly refusing to adopt. He felt he was too lazy, and that entrusting the cat's care to others was worse than not having one at all.
But now, to care for Lili, Xie Xi could even get up early. Lili was also peculiar, only warming up to him.
Once the fans found out, they naturally spread the word to prevent anyone from smearing Xie Xi as looking down on shelter cats.
"Your career paths are different, and you're collaborating lately. You could leave a comment; it won't cost you anything," Jiang Jingyuan said, standing before You Feibai.
He was now You Feibai's agent.
This all stemmed from when Jiang Jingyuan was ousted from Xinyou. After leaving, he joined You Feibai's company, initially just planning to manage artists again. But not long ago, You Feibai's previous agent was suddenly diagnosed with a serious illness and could no longer work. The company had been quietly looking for a good replacement. Coincidentally, Jiang Jingyuan had taken on a minor artist and, through his handling, made them popular. The company discussed it and felt You Feibai needed to shift towards a different image now, so they promoted Jiang Jingyuan.
"You want me to ride on his coattails?"
"Not riding, it's mutually beneficial," Jiang Jingyuan said seriously. "You're in different fields. Coming together creates a synergy greater than the sum of its parts."
Jiang Jingyuan was actually a bit apprehensive. Some stars have immense pride; even leaving a comment like this could feel like an insult to their principles.
But since the company didn't want You Feibai to remain just a low-profile acting award winner, they had to loosen up a bit.
In the end, You Feibai left a comment: ["This cat looks more lively than it did on set."]
Many netizens who saw You Feibai's comment couldn't believe it, repeatedly clicking into his profile to check if it was really him. Soon, the crowd pushed his comment to the top.
[OMG, OMG! Are the two male gods actually friends?!]
[I can die happy now!]
It has to be said, agents must have a clear grasp of online trends. Wei Qi called Xie Xi, telling him to reply to You Feibai's comment.
"Got it." Xie Xi had already logged out of Weibo, engrossed in taking pictures of Lili to send to Professor Ye for her 'appraisal'.
"Reply naturally, don't sound too distant," Wei Qi instructed. She needed to go find out what was up with You Feibai's agent. Given that agent's usual low-key, principle-driven style, it was unlikely they'd have made You Feibai comment.
