Lu Linshen returned to the dormitory and found that Qin Yu and the others were still awake, all looking at him with gossipy expressions.

“Lao Lu, that was one long phone call. I’ve been waiting for you here for half an hour,” Qin Yu said, yawning as he spoke.

Lu Linshen paused for a second and then asked slowly, “So, why were you waiting for me? Is there still an issue with the data you want to discuss?”

“No, no, no,” Qin Yu waved his hand. “I wasn’t waiting for those cold, lifeless numbers. I was waiting for—” He pointed at the small handset in Lu Linshen’s hand. “That.”

“If you want to dismantle the phone for testing, I can go buy a new one tomorrow,” Lu Linshen said as he glanced at the handset. “But not this one.”

Qin Yu: “!”
Who the heck cares about the handset?!
With emotional intelligence like this, if Old Lu doesn’t stay single for life, it would be an injustice!

“What I mean is,” Qin Yu clarified, “when you told the boss about the phone chip, how did she react when she heard we’ve been working day and night to help her raise funds? Was she super moved, maybe even ready to reward us generously? If she is, I strongly suggest cash as a reward—it’s more practical that way!”

Lu Linshen: “…”

“She’s already raised the money, so no, she wasn’t very moved,” Lu Linshen replied. “But I’ll be sure to pass along your suggestion.”

Qin Yu: “!!”
“What did you just say? Meng Jie raised over 20 million in such a short time? Are you kidding me?!”

Lu Linshen nodded.

Qin Yu jumped up in excitement. “Holy crap!”
“Meng Jie is a legend! How is she this amazing?!”
“Lao Lu, I strongly suggest you hold on tight to Meng Jie’s coattails! That way, your buddy here might benefit from it too.”

Lu Linshen: “…” He gave Qin Yu a side-eye.
“Even if I do, it has nothing to do with you.”

Qin Yu was full of question marks and took several seconds to process this before slapping his thigh and exclaiming,
“Lao Lu! I used to tease you about this, and you’d strongly refute me. But now, you’re calmly saying things like this!”
“Don’t try to deny it—you’re already in love!”

—

Since the mobile phone chip had been successfully developed, Meng Suihuan naturally needed to start preparing for the phone’s development. Her target was none other than Feiyun Group.

Feiyun Group’s CEO invested in a wide range of projects, but their core business was mobile phone development. They were also considered the leading enterprise in Ning City.

With this in mind, Meng Suihuan went directly to meet Feiyun Group’s CEO, Chen Yun.

CEO Chen, who was about forty years old, was a polite and humble man. When he heard her purpose for visiting, he was somewhat surprised but didn’t outright reject her. Instead, he responded with interest, “Let’s hear it.”

Meng Suihuan got straight to the point. “Mr. Chen, I’m here today to discuss a potential collaboration.”

“Oh?” CEO Chen raised an eyebrow in surprise, his expression still warm but with a hint of amusement. “If I’m not mistaken, your company’s main business is real estate.”

When Meng Suihuan nodded, he smiled gently, though the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Then you should know that I once publicly stated I would invest in all kinds of projects except real estate within a three-year period.”
“It’s only been two years, so this collaboration is a no-go.”

Meng Suihuan had, of course, heard about this before. However, she wasn’t interested in digging into the grudges behind Chen Yun’s decision, nor did she ask further questions. Her tone remained as light and natural as before.

“Mr. Chen, you’ve misunderstood. This isn’t a real estate collaboration—it’s about…”

Meng Suihuan paused for a moment before confidently saying, “Mobile phone development.”

At these words, CEO Chen’s expression froze for a moment, before quickly returning to normal. However, his tone now carried a hint of disbelief. “Are you sure you’re not joking?” Everyone knows that Feiyun Group specializes in mobile phones. Half of the phones sold in Ning City are developed by their company. And now, this young girl in front of him wants to discuss related cooperation? Especially when she remained so calm under his scrutiny, as if she had some sort of backing. This piqued his curiosity.

“Oh?”

“Well, go ahead and tell me.”

CEO Chen’s tone was casual, but Meng Suihuan felt a sense of relief upon hearing it. She proceeded to explain her ideas.

As she spoke, the smile on CEO Chen’s face slowly faded, and the look of disbelief grew stronger. To put it nicely, this was a joint development with their company. But to put it bluntly, it seemed the other party just wanted to use their name.

Realizing this, CEO Chen smiled at her again, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“It’s good that young people are confident and have ideas, but if it’s misplaced…”

He paused, giving Meng Suihuan a meaningful glance. “It might not be such a good thing after all.”

Meng Suihuan knew that he misunderstood her intentions, but she didn’t immediately try to explain. Instead, she calmly looked at him.

“Mr. Chen, I appreciate your advice, but no matter how much we say, it’s all about the results. The reason I chose to come to you is because I’ve heard that your company recently developed a new mobile phone chip. Since that’s the case, why don’t we have a little competition? If our chip doesn’t match yours, I’ll offer 500,000 to pay your staff’s year-end bonuses. But if I somehow win, I hope you’ll seriously consider the cooperation I’m proposing.”

CEO Chen’s fingers paused, and a flicker of amusement appeared in his dark eyes. “I do like your temperament. I’ll take this bet with you, but the rules need to be changed a little. If I lose, I’ll seriously consider the cooperation and also give you 500,000… after all, I’m not the kind of person who likes to take advantage of others.”

“…”

The cooperation talk seemed to be going smoothly, and Meng Suihuan felt relieved—it was going much better than she had expected. Although she was confident in the technical abilities of Lu Linshen and the others, she wasn’t foolish enough to directly hand over the relevant chip. After all, one must always be cautious. Some people may seem kind and approachable, but it’s hard to know what they’re truly like.

Just as she was about to bid farewell to CEO Chen, his assistant spoke first. “Mr. Chen, Song Mian has been waiting outside for half an hour. She seems to have something urgent to discuss.”

Upon hearing the name “Song Mian,” Meng Suihuan froze for a moment and then pressed her fingers to her temple, quickly shaking her head and smiling. Had she not heard the name just now, she might have almost forgotten about this person.

Song Mian was the female protagonist of the original story. Like the male protagonist, she came from a remote mountain village and changed her fate through knowledge. Meng Suihuan’s understanding of her likely stemmed from the book. According to the original novel, she and Lu Linshen were considered a pair of “happy enemies” who were initially put together by work, constantly clashing. However, after a series of events, their views changed, and Song Mian was gradually attracted to Lu Linshen, leading to the enviable love story described in the book.

But Meng Suihuan didn’t care much about that. What concerned her most was whether Song Mian’s appearance would affect Lu Linshen’s ability to help her make money. She hadn’t found a better tool than Lu Linshen yet!

This thought flashed through her mind, but she quickly suppressed it. However, she did keep it in mind. It seemed she’d need to be prepared in advance, so she wouldn’t be dragged into it later.

With her mind racing, Meng Suihuan made up her mind and stood up to bid farewell to CEO Chen.

“Since that’s the case, I won’t disturb you any longer, Mr. Chen.”

CEO Chen gave a faint acknowledgment, signaling his assistant with a glance. The assistant escorted Meng Suihuan out and called Song Mian in.

In the blink of an eye, Meng Suihuan and Song Mian brushed past each other. Their gazes collided for an instant, but it was Meng Suihuan who turned her eyes away first.

Although it was only for a moment, she managed to get a clear look at Song Mian. She couldn’t help but think, No wonder she’s the female lead—her appearance is the best proof of it. Fair skin, a beautiful face, and long legs. Her face was only lightly touched up, and it already stood out, though she did seem a bit youthful.

Meng Suihuan recalled that when Song Mian and Lu Linshen met, Song Mian had already been working for two years. Tsk, this girl is truly a lucky one with a baby face! I really envy that!

While Meng Suihuan was lost in her thoughts, Song Mian naturally let her gaze linger on her for a moment.

No matter the era, attractive people always draw a second look. Song Mian was no exception, especially since Meng Suihuan’s face fit exactly within her aesthetic preferences. Her gaze lingered a few seconds longer.

However, she quickly focused back on her work, suppressing those thoughts.

Meng Suihuan directly shared the news with Lu Linshen, as the follow-up would require the cooperation of their team.

Naturally, Lu Linshen had no objections. The little phone was quite loud, and since Meng Suihuan hadn’t lowered her voice, Qin Yu and Lu Linshen, despite being two meters apart, could still hear about 40-50% of the conversation. With Lu Linshen’s response, they could easily guess the content of the discussion! As expected of a workaholic! Given such a great opportunity, the two of them really only talked about work! Don’t they ever talk about life and ideals?! Of course, Qin Yu didn’t say this to their faces but waited until Lu Linshen hung up before he couldn’t help but start lecturing him.

“Lao Lu, how can your relationship make any progress if you only talk about work? Can’t you talk about anything else?!”

“For example, care about her and ask how she’s been! Does that really need to be taught?”

As soon as he said this, Qin Yu suddenly remembered that Lu Linshen wasn’t just single, he was completely clueless about women. He truly needed someone to teach him! Just thinking about it made him excited, and he couldn’t resist giving Lu Linshen a pat on the shoulder.

“Lao Lu! The tables have turned! I never thought you’d have something you don’t know how to do. Now you’re asking me for help. I’ll teach you a few tricks! I guarantee you’ll make a lasting impression on Sister Meng!”

In response, Lu Linshen gave him a look of disdain and said lightly, “My personal matters don’t concern you. If you’re really that free, maybe you could refine and research the chip data some more.”

“After all, we’re about to compete with the professional team.”

Qin Yu was instantly alarmed. “Lao Lu, what do you mean by that?!”

Lu Linshen’s tone remained indifferent. “It means your vacation is over early.”

Qin Yu: “!!!” When will this miserable life ever end?!