Shen Wang was angry because, early in the morning, he saw Shang Xinglu having breakfast with Yin Yao.

Shang Xinglu had already gone back last night, yet now she was with Yin Yao.

Yin Yao appeared gentle and warm, but her words often carried subtle barbs.

The aura of scheming that radiated from her was undeniable.

Shen Wang, being straightforward by nature, instinctively found Yin Yao very tricky to deal with.

In fact, she was indeed tricky.

When you thought she was scheming, she turned out to be frank. When you thought she was frank, she suddenly convinced Louise to stay—without even telling him.

It was infuriating.

However, Yin Yao and Shang Xinglu kept talking about their own topics throughout breakfast. By the time the meal ended, no one had paid any attention to the delicate and aggrieved Shen Wang.

The second young master sat there, feeling lonely, eating his breakfast absentmindedly…

And then the two women left together.

Shen Wang was even more furious.

After finishing his breakfast, Shen Wang walked toward the elevator.

By then, Shang Xinglu was nowhere in sight, but Yin Yao was standing in front of the elevator.

Sensing someone approaching, Yin Yao tilted her head slightly and smiled. “You’re really slow.”

Shen Wang: “…”

Shen Wang, ever so composed and pretentious, said coldly, “Miss Yin, do you need something?”

Yin Yao replied, “The one who convinced Louise to stay last night was Lin Heng.”

Shen Wang: “…”

Oh, so he had misunderstood.

Yin Yao added, “For an ex, your treatment is quite different.”

Shen Wang immediately gritted his teeth. “Mind your own business! You’re not even an ex!”

Yin Yao covered the hint of sadness in her eyes. “That’s true.”

At that moment, Shen Wang wondered if he had spoken too harshly. But before he could say anything, Yin Yao suddenly said, “Are you about to apologize? Sorry, but I don’t accept your apology.”

With that, she stepped into the elevator.

Shen Wang shouted anxiously, “I wasn’t going to apologize!”

The next day, Yin Yao and the others left.

Shang Xinglu, however, stayed at Hengxiu Villa for two more days.

With Lin Heng.

…Though nothing particularly intimate happened.

Shang Xinglu was serious about reversing roles and becoming Lin Heng’s benefactor. So she spent the nights seeking his guidance…

In the most literal sense.

She bombarded Lin Heng with questions about corporate mergers and acquisitions.

In the past, despite the pressure of her studies, she had always worked hard in areas she was familiar with. But when it came to business operations, she was completely clueless. Without guidance, she would just be fumbling around aimlessly.

Back then, even though she was surrounded by brilliant minds, she never claimed to be a top student—but she never fell behind either.

Now that she had decided to learn, she was truly putting in the effort.

Her questions were endless, almost as if she were conducting an interrogation.

Even Lin Heng started to get annoyed.

At first, he thought Louise was joking about making money. Who knew she was actually serious about it?

So Lin Heng said earnestly, “Louise, I’m not that hard to support. I don’t have extravagant hobbies.”

Shang Xinglu looked up at him, puzzled.

Lin Heng immediately scoffed in disdain.

“Look at this room. Look at the brands of the clothes you’re wearing. Look at your pants’ brand. And you have the nerve to say that? Liar!”

Lin Heng: “…Actually, I don’t even have to wear them.”

“…”

Huh?

Lin Heng: “Then should I just take them off?”

Shang Xinglu: “!”

No, Lin Heng, wait!!! Let go of me! I can still learn!!!

…

Before Lin Heng’s week-long meetings were even finished, Shang Xinglu had already returned home.

She returned to work hard and earn money—so she could support Lin Heng as soon as possible.

She had also arranged a time with Yin Yao to visit a renowned research expert.

Yin Yao had already been planning to acquire BiChen before inviting Shang Xinglu to join her.

She acted quickly and efficiently, assembling an acquisition team that included lawyers, accountants, and financial advisors.

However, when it came to technical experts—the core team—companies were extremely protective, making it difficult to poach talent.

The person they were visiting this time was actually the deputy chief physician of a hospital’s dermatology department.

That hospital was best known for its dermatology department, which had developed its own line of medical skincare products—high-quality, affordable, and well-reputed.

This deputy chief physician, named Ye Jiaping, had previously worked at the hospital’s affiliated dermatology research institute.

His expertise was solid, but he had a somewhat eccentric personality and was not good at hospital politics.

His wife was also a doctor, and while their combined income was decent, they had some savings. However, ever since they sent their daughter abroad for school last year, their expenses had skyrocketed, leaving them struggling financially.

Ye Jiaping was now looking for a higher-paying job.

Shang Xinglu had learned all this information from Yin Yao.

She couldn’t help but ask, “How do you know that? You’re amazing! How do you know everything?”

At this, Yin Yao gave a bitter smile and said, “After my grandfather passed away, my family split into three branches—my eldest uncle’s family, my aunt’s family, and my own family. My family’s business indeed has nothing to do with the chemical industry, but my aunt’s husband’s sister is in that field. They recently changed their packaging. You know that facial mask brand with all the strawberry ads?”

Shang Xinglu nodded.

Yin Yao continued, “That’s from their company. It’s called Yizhuang. They’ve been developing quite well recently and are planning to expand their business and production line. The manager you met last time, Wang, is a distant relative of my aunt’s husband’s sister and is mainly responsible for this acquisition. So not only is he opposed to me professionally, but he’s also against me in terms of relationships.”

Shang Xinglu always got confused by family relationships. Hearing this long and complicated explanation nearly made her dizzy.

She pulled out her phone and searched for a family relationship calculator.

Seeing this, Yin Yao couldn’t help but laugh. “Hahaha, so I’m not the only one who gets confused!”

Laughing and chatting, the two arrived at Ye Jiaping’s house with carefully selected gifts.

When Ye Jiaping’s wife opened the door, she looked visibly awkward.

Shang Xinglu and Yin Yao wondered if their gifts were inappropriate.

But once they stepped inside, they realized why.

They had run into Manager Wang again.

Sitting comfortably on the sofa, his short and stout figure giving off a strong presence, Manager Wang was chatting with Ye Jiaping in a seemingly harmonious atmosphere.

There was no trace of Ye Jiaping’s rumored difficult personality.

Seeing them, Manager Wang even gave a smug smile, looking quite pleased with having arrived first.

Shang Xinglu immediately turned her face away and silently sent a message to Assistant Yuan.

Shang Xinglu: “Quick! Send me a picture of President Lin!!!”

Although Assistant Yuan was confused, he still did as she asked—after first getting his boss’s approval.

Soon, a perfectly staged photo of Lin Heng in a meeting was sent to Shang Xinglu’s phone.

Shang Xinglu took a deep breath, savoring the image.

She felt her entire being, from the tips of her hair to the ends of her toes, relax.

She replied: “Thank you, thank you! You totally saved me. I just saw an incredibly disgusting middle-aged man, and I was so horrified by his creepiness that I needed President Lin’s handsome face to cleanse my eyes.”

Assistant Yuan… no, Eunuch Yuan faithfully reported this to his boss.

Lin Heng: “…”

Seeing his boss’s dark expression, Assistant Yuan hesitated before asking, “Sir, if Miss Shang asks for more pictures in the future, should I send them?”

Honestly, it was rare for him to see Lin Heng in photos.

For magazine interviews, Lin Heng avoided photos.

For news reports, he stayed off-camera whenever possible. If he absolutely had to appear, he would position himself at the edge of the frame.

And Shang Xinglu’s reason for requesting his photo was utterly ridiculous…

Plus, he wasn’t Shang Xinglu’s assistant!

Boss, please refuse her!

Lin Heng thought for a moment, then said, “Hmm. Send them to her.”

Better she obsess over his face than some other guy’s.

Assistant Yuan: “…?”

Boss, you’ve changed…

---

By the time Shang Xinglu and Yin Yao arrived, Ye Jiaping and Manager Wang had almost finished their conversation, and Wang was preparing to leave.

Since both parties had scheduled their meetings in advance, the fact that they overlapped showed that Ye Jiaping didn’t mind both companies competing.

Before leaving, Manager Wang greeted Yin Yao with a fake smile and a few sarcastic remarks, repeatedly implying that their visit was a waste of time.

Only after making his point did he finally leave.

Yin Yao wasn’t bothered by such petty provocations.

The moment Wang left, she got straight to business with Ye Jiaping.

Ye Jiaping was the type who didn’t care about superficialities—only efficiency.

Since he had scheduled both meetings so close together, Yin Yao figured he valued results above all else. So, she didn’t waste time and went straight to the key points.

As expected, after just a few exchanges, the topic shifted to salary and benefits.

Ye Jiaping said, “Manager Wang just offered this much.”

He gestured with his fingers.

Yin Yao immediately understood—he was using the competitor’s offer as leverage to push for a better deal.

She responded, “We can offer you 10% more, but that’s our limit.”

Ye Jiaping nodded.

They then discussed technical aspects and product development directions, mentioning terms like “palmitoyl pentapeptide,” “fruit acids,” and “BHA”—words that seemed familiar but were actually quite technical in the cosmetics industry.

Shang Xinglu had studied chemistry before… but that was so many years ago!

Now, she barely understood half of what was being said. During a brief tea break, she turned to Yin Yao and asked, “What’s the HLB value you were talking about?”

“That refers to the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance,” Yin Yao explained. “It’s used to select emulsifiers.”

Since Shang Xinglu was completely new to the industry, many of her questions were quite basic, but Yin Yao patiently answered them one by one.

However, halfway through, Ye Jiaping returned and suddenly asked, “Miss Yin, earlier you introduced her as your business partner?”

Yin Yao: “Yes.”

Ye Jiaping frowned. “I thought you were quite capable and practical. But your partner knows nothing—she’s a complete novice. How can she be a decision-maker? Isn’t this a joke?”

Hearing this, Shang Xinglu looked at Ye Jiaping.

Ye Jiaping was known for being blunt. He spoke his mind, which made him unpopular in the corporate world.

He assumed Shang Xinglu would be offended. But he didn’t care—he wasn’t desperate to work with them, and he would always speak his truth.

However, Shang Xinglu simply said, “You’re right. I don’t know much. But that’s okay—I can learn.”

Ye Jiaping thought to himself, By the time you learn, the opportunity will be long gone.

Then Shang Xinglu asked, “Could you recommend some books for me to start with?”

Ye Jiaping replied, “Start with a university-level textbook, Organic Chemistry. Then read Cosmetic Chemistry. Formulation Design and Preparation of Cosmetics is also good.”

The books were solid recommendations—but he didn’t believe for a second that she’d actually read them.

---

Two days later, before giving his final answer, Ye Jiaping planned to have a last discussion with Yin Yao.

As he walked into his office, he suddenly noticed someone and nearly jumped in surprise.

It was Shang Xinglu.

She had dark circles under her eyes, and her eyeballs were bloodshot from exhaustion.

Shang Xinglu said, “There was a lot to read, so I only finished two books. My efficiency wasn’t great—I only retained about 70%. But I should be able to understand our discussion now.”

Ye Jiaping: “???”

Two days? Two books? 70% retention? And she calls that ‘not very efficient’???

Is she kidding me?!