At this moment, Song Xinya was sitting at her desk in the office.
Jin Ruizhi stood opposite her. His arms hung by his sides, hands clenched tightly into fists. The usual laziness had faded from his eyes, replaced by a clear, unwavering determination.
Song Xinya asked, "Have you really made up your mind?"
Jin Ruizhi replied, "I have."
Leaning back lazily in her chair with her legs crossed, Song Xinya twirled a black pen between her pale, slender fingers. Her tone was drawling and playful.
"Who was it that said just a few days ago, 'Studying is incredibly boring. I like doing fun things, not studying. If I sit in a chair for half an hour, it feels like there are nails poking my butt'?"
"Who said that? Who? Who? Who was it?"
Inside his basketball shoes, Jin Ruizhi's toes curled in embarrassment, gripping the soles.
The teenage boy shoved his hands into his pockets and tilted his chin up slightly, trying to look cool and defiant. In reality, his face was flushed with the embarrassment of eating his own words.
"I said it. So what?"
"Aren't you afraid of the nails in the chair poking your butt anymore?"
Jin Ruizhi: "Not anymore."
"Alright," Song Xinya stopped teasing the kid. She pulled out a pre-printed contract and placed it on the desk. "Sign on the dotted line."
Jin Ruizhi: "You make it sound like I'm a criminal signing a confession."
Song Xinya: "You can choose not to sign it."
Jin Ruizhi: "I'll sign!"
He grabbed the pen briskly, signed his name, and pressed his thumbprint onto the paper without a single trace of hesitation.
At this moment, the boy was desperate for a change.
After signing the contract, Jin Ruizhi asked a question: "Miss Song, if I rank first in my class, first in my grade, and first in the city in the future, will Jian Yiyi like me?"
Whether Jian Yiyi would eventually fall for Jin Ruizhi was a matter for the future.
When it came to personal feelings, no one could say for sure.
But Song Xinya knew one thing very clearly, and she told the seventeen-year-old boy with utmost honesty:
"Jin Ruizhi, I can't give you any guarantees or promises about whether Jian Yiyi will like you in the future. What I want you to know is this—"
"Kuafu isn't praised because he caught the sun. Jingwei isn't remembered because she managed to fill the ocean. The Foolish Old Man isn't respected because he moved the mountains."
"Xiang Yu slit his own throat at Gaixia, yet no one has ever said he wasn't a hero."
"What people praise and admire is never the final success or failure, but the perseverance to do something even when knowing it might be impossible."
"The fact that you are willing to change for the girl you like, willing to become the kind of person she admires—on that point alone, you've already beaten ninety percent of men."
"Jin Ruizhi, I won't deny that you've taken some wrong paths and made mistakes in the past, but you possess qualities that are attractive and endearing."
"Leave the future to the future. For now, all you need to do is keep moving forward."
Jin Ruizhi suddenly felt a wave of clarity.
Song Xinya continued, "To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools. If you want to do something well, having the right method is crucial."
"Now I need to assess your academic situation, analyze your weak points in every subject, and create a unique, customized study plan just for you."
"This process will take a day. You can go home for now, and I'll come find you tomorrow with your study plan."
Jin Ruizhi replied obediently, "Okay."
As he was walking out of the office, he ran into Chen Siyan, who was just returning from a client visit.
Chen Siyan still held a grudge against Jin Ruizhi for peeing on his face. The only way he would ever forget such an insult was if he got to pee on him back.
"Oh, Young Master Jin, what brings you to our company? With a head that only thinks about dating little girls all day long, and considering we don't have any little girls here, what are you doing here?"
Jin Ruizhi, hands in his pockets, replied cockily, "None of your business."
Chen Siyan: "I don't live by the ocean, so of course I don't care about your broad business. I'm just curious. You're just a brat still in school, yet you're so high-profile about liking a girl. If I were you, I'd be embarrassed."
Jin Ruizhi: "I just like a girl. It's not like I broke the law. What do I have to be embarrassed about?"
He stared directly into Chen Siyan's eyes and challenged, "Dare you say you never liked anyone of the opposite sex when you were a student?"
After a pause, Chen Siyan said, "I haven't."
A mocking smile curled the corners of Jin Ruizhi's lips. "You hesitated just now when you answered my question. That means you're lying."
"As an adult, you don't even have the courage to face your own heart. You hide and cover things up, only making it more obvious. You can't even be honest. As a minor, I feel ashamed for you."
Chen Siyan had originally intended to take a jab at the kid, but ended up getting completely roasted instead.
Jin Ruizhi walked out, and Chen Siyan walked over to his desk.
Tossing his backpack onto the desk, Chen Siyan started complaining to Song Xinya, "That Jin Ruizhi, look at his bratty attitude. He walks around all day acting like he owns the world and he's the most badass person alive. Just looking at him pisses me off."
"For a wild and untamable client like him, Miss Song, I sincerely advise you not to waste your time. No one can make money off him, and no one can get him to sign a deal."
"As the top sales rep here, I once spent two whole months on him, didn't make a single dime, and only got a face full of pee."
"I'm not trying to rain on your parade. As the company's top seller, I'm highly capable. If even I couldn't handle this client, you can imagine how difficult it is."
"Hey—why is there a contract here?"
Chen Siyan picked it up, flipped it open, and exclaimed, "Holy crap! Miss Song, you actually signed Jin Ruizhi! You are absolutely freaking amazing!"
Song Xinya: "Just performing at my usual level."
Chen Siyan: "If your usual level is this awesome, if you ever overperformed, you'd be mind-blowingly epic!"
Song Xinya: "What did the little cow ever do to you for you to want to hang firecrackers on its butt?"
"Explode what?" Zhao Yinian, having just finished a group meeting, walked in and looked at Chen Siyan. "The moment I stepped into the office, I heard you yelling. I thought someone had poked a hornet's nest."
Chen Siyan: "I just came across some great news, so of course I'm thrilled."
Zhao Yinian: "I don't know what you're smiling like an idiot about every day. I just saw Young Master Jin leave, and he hasn't signed the deal yet. You didn't even think to stop him. Especially you, Song Xinya. Young Master Jin is your client now. Instead of figuring out how to get him to sign quickly, you're in the mood to sit here and laugh. If I were you, I wouldn't be able to crack a smile."
Chen Siyan strode over to Zhao Yinian and flipped the contract open in front of her. "Ta-da! Miss Song successfully conquered Jin Ruizhi. The deal is signed!"
Zhao Yinian stared at Jin Ruizhi's signature and the red thumbprint on it, her eyes widening like saucers.
Chen Siyan: "Dumbfounded, aren't you? Heh, serves you right!"
Zhao Yinian's mouth twitched before she said, "Oh, he signed it. I didn't know. But looking at this signature... it doesn't look like it was written by Young Master Jin."
Chen Siyan: "What are you implying? Are you saying Miss Song forged his signature?"
Zhao Yinian: "I didn't say that, but theoretically speaking, the possibility does exist."
Wasn't this just a passive-aggressive way of accusing Ms. Song of faking it? Chen Siyan gasped in anger. "You really are... oh my god... wow... I'm speechless... you really are something else..."
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in from the doorway as Jin Ruizhi returned, pushing the door open and walking back inside.
Carrying a beautifully packaged bag, he walked straight up to Song Xinya and placed it on her desk.
"Ms. Song, thank you for your hard work in customizing a study plan for me. Let me treat you to some coffee."
After speaking, he turned to head toward the door. As he passed by Zhao Yinian, he paused, looked at her, and said:
"Ms. Song didn't fake anything. I did indeed sign a contract with her. She is now my private tutor. I trust her and only want her to teach me."
Chen Siyan burst into laughter: "Director Zhao, you should find some time to get plastic surgery. Your face has been slapped so hard it's swollen out of shape. It's a tragic sight."
Zhao Yinian fled in embarrassment.
Learning that her best friend had signed another massive deal, Tiantianquan specially bought a bottle of red wine after work to celebrate with Song Xinya.
The two met up at a Hunan restaurant.
Inside the private room, Tiantianquan sat across from Song Xinya, scrutinized her face for a moment, and said: "Babe, your complexion isn't as good as it used to be."
Song Xinya touched her face: "Do I look that bad?"
Tiantianquan: "Not bad, just... you're not glowing like you used to."
"Have you been really busy with work lately?"
Song Xinya: "It's alright, not too busy."
Tiantianquan: "Since it's not because of work, then I know what it is. You're withering away without Mr. Qin's watering and nourishment."
"Come to the beauty salon where I work and get an Ultrasound lift. It uses ultrasound technology to stimulate the contraction and regeneration of collagen deep within the skin, making it firmer, fairer, and softer. I guarantee..."
"The results will leave you just as glowing as a banging session with Mr. Qin."
Since it was just the two of them in the private room, they had no reservations when chatting.
Song Xinya: "Is this Ultrasound lift really that effective?"
Tiantianquan: "The effect might not quite match getting banged by Mr. Qin, but since you can't get banged by him right now, you'll just have to settle for the next best thing and get banged by the Ultrasound machine."
Song Xinya had been perfectly calm, but hearing Tiantianquan repeatedly throwing around the word "banged," she unconsciously squeezed her legs together...
