The incident involving Xie Xi had caused quite a stir.
His influence was immense, with a single song's performance fee even reaching a million. After the news broke, even an official channel weighed in, hinting that entertainers needed to improve their cultural literacy.
For a time, ridicule was everywhere. It seemed that overnight, everyone had turned against him.
Xie Xi's agent, Sister Wei, felt somewhat uncomfortable about the whole situation. If the program crew hadn't played a part in this from the very beginning, she wouldn't be surnamed Wei, and all her years as an agent would have been for nothing.
Previously, shows and media outlets who knew Xie Xi's handwriting was a mess would deliberately avoid filming it. Yet, just last week, after Xie Xi had a falling out with the production team of a singing competition show, that very episode featured several shots clearly showing the whiteboard where Xie Xi was writing.
Now that it had exploded online, getting the production team to retract those shots was impossible. The only option was to try and steer netizens away from continuing the discussion.
At the same time, they needed to arrange further education for Xie Xi. Of course, they couldn't announce this online immediately. They had to wait for the storm to subside, then subtly leak the news that he was diligently studying to improve himself because of this incident.
This would multiply the support from netizens.
Sister Wei naturally couldn't contact Ye Qiusuo directly. Fortunately, she had a friend who knew the dean of that faculty and could arrange an introduction.
Deep down, Sister Wei wasn't keen on sending Xie Xi to Ye Qiusuo. The two were close in age and both possessed strikingly good looks. What if netizens started wild speculation...
She'd have to deal with more trouble.
But she knew Xie Xi's temperament; once he decided on something, he wouldn't change his mind.
However, the person Xie Xi had chosen was interesting. She had become quite famous recently, the only drawback being she was too young and had the kind of good looks common in the entertainment industry. Sister Wei had watched that "Knowledge Q&A" show; her expertise was solid enough. Anyway, Xie Xi was just going through the motions; they didn't actually expect him to learn much.
"Go get ready, and don't wear that piece of clothing." Sister Wei told assistant Dongzi to put down the ripped denim jacket and rummaged through the walk-in closet, pulling out a light grey coat. "We're visiting Professor Ye today. Don't dress too outrageously."
Hearing the word 'Professor', Xie Xi pursed his lips. Indeed, he couldn't be outrageous; that person definitely seemed like a stick-in-the-mud.
In the end, he wore white pants with a black shirt, topped with the light grey coat. A hairstylist was specially called in to change his hairstyle.
His originally sharp and handsome features were softened, instantly giving him a more scholarly air.
"What a pity Xie Xi doesn't act with this look of his," He Feng sighed, looking at his face.
Sister Wei also smiled. "Does Xie Xi want to try acting? I can get you scripts."
Over the years, numerous directors had approached Xie Xi for roles, but he always refused.
Sure enough, Xie Xi, who had been fiddling with his coat, looked up at the mirror and said nonchalantly, "No. Scripts have too many words; I don't want to memorize them."
If netizens heard him now, it would probably cement Xie Xi's reputation as culturally deficient, disliking study, a fish that slipped through the net of nine-year compulsory education.
But the people in the room showed no particular reaction to his words, instead humoring him, saying it was fine if he didn't want to.
When they set out, only Sister Wei accompanied Xie Xi. They drove all the way to Huajing University and met with the dean.
"Xiao Ye should be in the lab at this time. I'll take you there." The dean was unpretentious and didn't treat Xie Xi any differently.
The group arrived at the laboratory building, with students occasionally coming and going.
"Dean, our Xie Xi is a bit of a slow learner. We'll have to ask Professor Ye to be patient with him," Sister Wei said, setting expectations in advance.
The dean glanced at the handsome young superstar beside him and said calmly, "Actually, to learn foundational knowledge, finding a teacher from the College of Liberal Arts might be better. But if Xiao Ye is willing to teach him, that's fine too."
There was an eighty percent chance Xiao Ye wouldn't agree. She was swamped with various commitments; where would she find the time to tutor a celebrity?
When they reached Ye Qiusuo's laboratory, the dean asked the two to wait outside while he knocked and went in.
Xie Xi stood outside bored, looking around. He had never attended university, let alone seen this kind of lab building.
This lab didn't even have a window. Weren't they afraid of developing psychological issues from staying in there too long?
"This is Xie Xi," the dean introduced as he and Ye Qiusuo came out together.
When Ye Qiusuo emerged, she was still wearing a white lab coat. Because she had been adjusting instrument data, she was wearing glasses today, giving a different feel from that night in the elevator.
Of course, only Xie Xi present noticed the difference.
"What's the matter?" Ye Qiusuo glanced at Xie Xi and then asked.
Sister Wei immediately stepped forward with a smile. "Professor Ye, it's like this. Our Xie Xi would like you to tutor him and help him learn a few things. If it's convenient for you... you can set the hourly rate."
Ye Qiusuo swept her eyes over Xie Xi without speaking. She was thinking about the plot.
According to the plot, after being criticized, Xie Xi sought out a professor from the College of Liberal Arts at a top university. That professor had appeared on several major cultural programs and was quite well-known.
Going to study with the professor was originally a move by Xie Xi's team to improve his public image later. Unexpectedly, that professor once gave a lecture at a school, using a certain male singer as an example, saying his cultural literacy was too poor, he couldn't even recognize many characters properly, yet he came to seek out a professor like him.
Although no name was mentioned, anyone who followed the news knew the professor was talking about Xie Xi.
This incident fermented repeatedly, causing Xie Xi's reputation to plummet. Later, to pave the way for the male lead's rise, the author simply wrote that Xie Xi was too ashamed to show his face again, disappearing from the entertainment industry altogether.
Having been forced to read the entire book, Ye Qiusuo could only think the author's logic was... touching.
Forget about the role of a top singer's professional team; the idea that Xie Xi would 'shamefully' retire over this incident itself defied logic. When Xie Xi first entered the industry and became hugely popular, he weathered storms much bigger than this. Not to mention the author had previously written that the reason he often got characters wrong and only attended school until junior high was because Xie Xi had dyslexia.
Perfectly square characters looked like dancing symbols in Xie Xi's eyes.
Ye Qiusuo suspected the author had forgotten the character traits she herself had established earlier.
Hearing no reply for a while, Sister Wei thought Professor Ye was unwilling to take Xie Xi on and was about to mention other forms of compensation when Xie Xi suddenly interjected from beside her.
"One of my songs costs a million. You listened to two of my songs." Xie Xi slowly held up two fingers. That night in the elevator, she had even said they sounded good.
Sister Wei: "?"
The situation was a bit awkward. Xie Xi's words carried a hint of coercion.
And also...
"Xie Xi, did you know Professor Ye before?" Sister Wei asked with a smile on her face, but her hand firmly pulled on Xie Xi's arm, signaling him not to be willful now.
Contrary to Sister Wei's expectations, Ye Qiusuo didn't seem angry. Instead, she said calmly, "I know."
Her students were still waiting in the lab. Professor Ye met Xie Xi's eyes. "Every Sunday afternoon, in Room 212 of the Wenhe Building. Is that acceptable?" Since the plot was already derailed, she was happy to watch it derail even further.
Xie Xi struggled to recall his schedule and agreed. "Acceptable."
Ye Qiusuo nodded, said a word to the dean, and turned back into the laboratory.
Sister Wei, a seasoned and savvy top agent, found herself failing to react promptly several times today. Was that it?
The dean was a bit surprised that Ye Qiusuo agreed, because they knew each other? Then why did he need to be brought in to mediate.
"Since Xiao Ye agrees, that's fine. I'll give you a temporary pass for accessing the teaching building," the dean said, waving them over.
"Thank you, Dean." Sister Wei suppressed the various thoughts rising in her mind and smiled.
It wasn't until they were seated in the car that Sister Wei turned to ask Xie Xi: "Did you know Professor Ye before? What's your relationship?" And singing, too.
"I didn't know her." Xie Xi leaned back against the seat as soon as he got in the car, picking up the earphones beside him to put on, but was stopped by Sister Wei.
"Then what did you mean by what you said earlier?" Sister Wei asked seriously.
Xie Xi had his life manager and assistant keeping tabs on him daily, with monthly summaries sent to her. When did he get to know Professor Ye? She had no idea.
Xie Xi said lazily, "Last week, I was stuck in an elevator, and she listened to two of my songs for free." As for the initial reason being to bother Ye Qiusuo, he kept that to himself. Anyway, she had agreed.
Sister Wei thought for a moment before recalling that both of them had been recording programs at Gaoxing TV Station, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.
"I think that Professor Ye seems like a decent person. Even if you don't learn well, your attitude should be good," Sister Wei instructed. Xie Xi had a bit of a temper; those close to him knew he meant no harm, but outsiders might not understand.
"So how long do I have to study?" Xie Xi tapped his fingers on the earphones and asked.
"Two months. Once your album is out, you won't need to study anymore."
When the album is released, Xie Xi is sure to attract attention. If nothing else, his singing truly has few equals in the current music scene.
It would be the perfect time to hint to the public that he's been furthering his studies.
...
After receiving a call from Zhang Chengjue, Ye Qiusuo rushed from the university to Tianqiu Technology Company.
She held a purple ID card in her hand. There were only two of these cards in the entire company, held by her and Zhang Chengjue respectively, granting access to any floor and laboratory in the company.
"You're here." Zhang Chengjue stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in the top-floor office and turned around upon hearing the knock.
"Did they agree to fund the project?" Ye Qiusuo asked as soon as she entered.
Zhang Chengjue pulled out a chair for her, saying helplessly, "Is that the first thing you ask?"
Ye Qiusuo didn't speak, just looked at him quietly.
"I asked you to come precisely because of the project." Zhang Chengjue walked over and sat down opposite her. "I've been working on those shareholders for several days, and they've finally relented. They can fund this project, but..."
Ye Qiusuo waited for his next words.
"...but the funding has been cut to one-third." Zhang Chengjue sighed. "The funding gap for the project is too large this way. Who knows how many years it will take to succeed? Your own money would last at most a year."
Every project undergoes internal company evaluation. Even though Ye Qiusuo is a 'founding member' of Tianqiu Company, the evaluators unanimously considered this project too radical.
With the company currently on a strong upward trajectory, this project was deemed completely unnecessary.
"One-third is fine. I must do this project." Ye Qiusuo stood up. "Call a meeting now."
Zhang Chengjue was taken aback: "A meeting?"
Major shareholders have the right to convene temporary meetings. Usually, high-level meetings are organized by Zhang Chengjue. After all these years of Ye Qiusuo not being involved, he had almost forgotten she was also a major shareholder.
"You still have those ongoing projects on your hands. Now you want to take on this one too. Can you handle it all?" Zhang Chengjue asked.
"For those projects, I only need to oversee the general direction; they don't require much time." Ye Qiusuo remained firm.
Zhang Chengjue placed his hand on the phone on the desk and finally notified his assistant to have the shareholders attend the meeting.
The meeting went surprisingly smoothly, on the condition that the company only had to provide one-third of the project's funding. Of course, the overall decision-making power for the entire project lay almost entirely with Ye Qiusuo.
Having gotten what she wanted, Ye Qiusuo stood up and left.
Most people had left the conference room, leaving only Zhang Chengjue and two others. One middle-aged man loosened his tie and said, "That one-third would be much better invested in other projects. This 'artificial synapse' thing is clearly going to be money down the drain."
"Enough, you can say that in front of me, but that's it." Zhang Chengjue frowned. "She's a major shareholder. Can't she run a project?"
Ye Qiusuo, of course, was unaware of the opinions a few in the meeting room held about her. As soon as she left the company, she flipped through her schedule and realized she still had to tutor Xie Xi the day after tomorrow.
...She had no idea what to teach him.
Might as well start with writing.
