Regarding the facial mask issue, just before Ning Qiuxiu was about to attend Super Ordinary, she finally got a response.

The other party confirmed that they had tested the sample she sent and found it to be a regular toner.

However, the effects were beyond their expectations, which intrigued them greatly.

They asked if she was available for a face-to-face meeting.

Ning Qiuxiu knew that a face-to-face meeting was necessary to clarify things, so she agreed.

Since their company was also based in A City, they scheduled a meeting at a business café.

Ning Qiuxiu was confident about the beauty formula.

After further testing, she found that the effects of the beauty formula were cumulative— the more you used it, the better your skin would become.

It didn’t rebound and had no side effects.

Of course, if someone used it only once and then stopped, hoping for a permanent result without ongoing maintenance, that wouldn’t work.

The skin would eventually deteriorate on its own, but that shouldn’t be considered a rebound, as beauty treatments aren’t the same as cosmetic surgery.

With so many women having skin issues, the market potential for this mask was enormous.

If she could secure 60% of the market share as Zhan Qingyue suggested, the profits could be astronomical.

This was definitely a lucrative business opportunity, and she needed to negotiate well.

Normally, Zhan Qingyue would be the expert negotiator.

However, recently, due to Zhan Qingyuan’s reckless pursuit of love, he had been left with a huge mess to handle.

He couldn’t ignore it, and with his daily rehabilitation taking up so much of his time, he had become extremely busy.

Even the preparations for the new company had slowed down.

Ning Qiuxui decided not to bother him for now.

If negotiations didn’t go well, she could always find another company.

After all, with her beauty essence in hand, she felt confident.

She dressed in a slightly formal outfit and drove to the agreed meeting point.

When she arrived, the other company’s representatives were already there.

They had quite a presence—three people, two men and one woman.

The woman, who was sitting near the door, saw Ning Qiuxui enter wearing a mask and hat and hesitated before asking, “Are you… Miss Ning?”

Why does it feel like a secret meeting?

Ning Qiuxui removed her mask and hat, smiling slightly, “Hello, I am.”

The woman looked surprised, feeling that Ning Qiuxui looked familiar but couldn’t quite place her.

Her companions seemed to have the same reaction.

Since Ning Qiuxui was only known as a social media influencer and not yet a household name, it made sense that they wouldn’t recognize her outside of Weibo.

Moreover, there’s often a significant difference between someone’s on-screen and real-life appearance.

Quickly regaining her composure, the woman, who introduced herself as Ye Qin, extended her hand and said politely, “Hello, Miss Ning. I’m Ye Qin, the one who has been in contact with you.”

Ning Qiuzhi shook her hand, “Hello, Manager Ye.”

“This is our Marketing Director, Mr. Wang, and our technician, Aning,” Ye Qin introduced the other two.

Ning Qiuxui shook hands with them as well. After the formalities, they all took their seats.

Once the waiter had taken their orders, Mr. Wang spoke up, “Miss Ning, your skin looks great. Is it due to this homemade beauty mask?”

Ning Qiuxui’s good skin was natural and not heavily influenced by the mask, but in negotiations, she smiled and said, “Yes.”

Aning, the technician, said, “However, after several tests, we found that the water component you sent us is just ordinary cosmetic water.

If we’re not mistaken, it’s from a certain pharmaceutical skincare brand.

According to what I know, their water does claim to have beautifying, repairing, and anti-aging functions, but the effects aren’t very noticeable.

So, Miss Ning, did you add something to this cosmetic water?”

Ning Qiuxui nodded, “Yes.”

The three of them exchanged glances. Then, Manager Ye asked, “You mentioned that you discovered this by accident?”

“Exactly,” Ning Qiuxiu said, using her prepared lines.

At this moment, the waiter brought their coffee, and everyone paused their conversation.

After the waiter left, Mr. Wang took a sip of his coffee and said, “To be honest, Miss Ning, we are quite interested in your… let’s call it a formula for now. We are very eager to collaborate with you.”

Mr. Wang paused before continuing, “But as you know, beauty and personal care products are closely related to every woman’s appearance.

We can’t just take a product that seems effective after a short period, start production, and rush it to market for quick profits. That wouldn’t be responsible, right?”

Mr. Wang had been in a leadership position for a long time, and his authoritative tone made it somewhat uncomfortable to listen to.

Ning Qiuxiu replied, “Of course.”

“So,” Mr. Wang smiled, “We would like to purchase your formula and study it. We would pay a portion as a deposit now, and if the product proves viable for the market, we would pay the remaining balance. How does that sound?”

Ning Qiuxiu understood the implication— they didn’t fully trust the product’s effectiveness and couldn’t complete the transaction in one go.

To avoid losses, they would pay part of the money upfront, study and produce the product, and if it looked promising, they would pay the rest.

Otherwise, there would be no further payment.

Ning Qiuxiu knew this was a typical business approach.

Although it felt a bit uncomfortable, it was normal.

She stirred her coffee and smiled, “I’m sorry, Mr. Wang, but I’m not selling the formula.”

This surprised the three people across from her.

Assistant Ning frowned and asked, “Not selling the formula? Does this mean Miss Ning will only provide us with the toner?”

Ning Qiuxiu nodded.

“That…” Mr. Wang pondered, “This could be a problem. We need to disclose the ingredients of our masks to our customers. Without knowing the formula, we can’t proceed with production, and consumers wouldn’t feel confident using the product. Miss Ning, you should understand this point as someone who uses cosmetics.”

Ning Qiuxiu was puzzled. “Can’t your technicians test the ingredients? The formula isn’t a burden.”

Fortunately, Ning Qiuxiu’s formula was essentially just a bit of herbal ash and didn’t have a complex composition.

She had been tricked by Zhan Qingyue many times and was very alert, or she might have been fooled.

Mr. Wang’s face darkened.

They couldn’t detect anything in the toner except that it was a bit more diluted than other brands.

If they could have just the formula, they wouldn’t have to go through so many hurdles.

He thought that since Ning Qiuxiu was only in her early twenties and looked like a student, she might be easy to persuade. But now, it seemed she was quite alert and smart.

Mr. Wang said, “Miss Ning, are you sure you won’t consider selling the formula? We could offer a much higher price compared to the single purchase of the toner. After all, we need to test and observe the water multiple times. If we buy it once, it might be months before we can buy more.”

Ning Qiuxiu knew this was an attempt to sway her with financial incentives.

She said, “I’m actually not in urgent need of money right now. Selling the formula wouldn’t make a significant difference to me. To be honest, I don’t plan to sell the toner either.”

Mr. Wang, despite his usual composure, was clearly displeased: “What do you mean, Miss Ning? Are you trying to deceive us?”

“Not at all,” Ning Qiuxiu replied. “To ensure both sides are satisfied and to avoid you making a loss, I’m willing to provide the toner for free. You can study it further. If you need a year or so to test it, that’s fine. After all, it concerns the appearance of many women, and this issue cannot be taken lightly. I completely agree with what Mr. Wang said. However…”

Ning Qiuxiu shifted her tone, “Once it goes into production, I will require 60% of the profit from every mask sold.”

“You’re asking too much,” Ye Qin’s eyes widened in disbelief at the mention of 60%. “That would mean we’re working for you for free. That’s impossible.”

Mr. Wang, clearly unhappy with the 60% figure, said, “Miss Ning, you’re young, and let’s consider your previous remarks as a joke. We are businesspeople, not philanthropists. If we go through all this trouble just to work for you, our company would be in dire straits.”

Ning Qiuxiu’s tone was firm: “Mr. Wang, Ms. Ye, although I’m relatively young, it doesn’t mean I’m easily swayed. Even if it were 80% or 90% profit, your company would still be making a profit. I’ve only contacted your company about this formula so far. If you’re not genuinely interested, I can find someone else to partner with for this lucrative opportunity.”

Her message was clear: she had the product, and if they weren’t interested, she would find another buyer.

Mr. Wang and the other two exchanged glances.

They all looked quite uneasy.

Ye Qin forced a smile and said, “Sorry, Miss Ning. I was a bit sharp earlier. I was just very surprised. We do need to discuss this profit amount among ourselves. Can you wait a few more days, Miss Ning?”

Ning Qiuxiu nodded and smiled, “Of course. Just contact me when your company has made a decision.”

After Ning Qiuxiu left the café, the room fell silent. Ye Qin suddenly remembered something, “I just realized who she is. Miss Ning is that actress Ning Qiuxiu!”

“Actress…” Mr. Wang clearly didn’t know who Ning Qiuxiu was, but he seemed to understand a bit why the other party had such high demands.

After Ning Qiuxiu left the café, she sighed with relief—her palms were sweaty.

Luckily, the Mr. Wang sent by the other party was just a leader, not a particularly sharp or cunning person.

If he were as tough as Zhang Qingyue, she might not have been able to maintain her composure today.

Now, what she needed to do was wait for their decision.

They would definitely send someone else to talk to her next time, and that person might be a negotiation expert. She needed to be well-prepared.

---

Zhan Qingyue and Zhan Qingyuan

Zhan Qingyue was extremely frustrated with his prodigal brother Zhan Qingyuan.

In a fit of anger, he decided to freeze his brother’s bank account and take over all his investments, urging him to focus on his dreams.

Zhan Qingyuan was no longer a child; he had to pay the price for his actions.

At his age, still being love-struck and quitting work at the drop of a hat needed to be addressed.

However, as part of the cost, Zhan Qingyue had to take over the responsibilities.

Everyone in the company knew about Zhan Qingyue waking up from his comatose state a few months ago, and their curiosity was ablaze.

They speculated how the two brothers would divide Zhuosen, which was a key asset for them.

With the transfer of company authority, people were excited and lamented how the younger brother’s two years of hard work were suddenly discarded.

Zhan Qingyue didn’t pay attention to their thoughts or go on a power grab as they expected.

He didn’t remove Zhan Qingyuan’s trusted aides but only handled some daily signing and decision-making.

Zhuosen’s system was well-established, and it wouldn’t collapse easily without the boss, though it required attention.

Zhan Qingyue was so busy that he barely had time to notice that Ning Qiuxiu, who had been sleeping in late for the past few days, was heading out with a suitcase.

He realized he hadn’t communicated much with her recently.

Zhan Qingyue introspected and asked, “Going out of town again?”

“Recording a show,” Ning Qiuxiu walked up to him and adjusted the blanket covering his feet. “Are you heading out too?”

“Yes, going to the company,” Zhang Qingyue looked at a strand of her hair falling to his knees and couldn’t help but tug on it. “Be careful and call or text me when you arrive.”

Ning Qiuxiu freed her hair from his grasp, tucking it behind her ear, and said with a gloomy face, “I might not be careful. I might not come back.”

Zhang Qingyue felt a bit regretful when he felt the soft hair slip away and frowned slightly. “What show is it?”

“One of the national TV’s shows. I don’t know the details yet, but I’m very scared. I’m even thinking about writing a will.”

Recently, Ning Qiuxiu had specifically watched some reality shows produced by the national TV and found they had two characteristics: they didn’t treat guests like people, and the content was something other TV stations couldn’t access.

Oh, it’s the national TV. It’s not life-threatening.

However, Zhang Qingyue felt he should comfort her.

He took out a pack of chewing gum from his coat pocket and handed it to her. “Here.”

“Hmm!” Ning Qiuxiu’s first reaction was to cover her mouth. “Do I have bad breath?”

She had garlic with her stir-fried vegetables yesterday!

“…” Zhang Qingyue, expressionless, said, “Yeah, it’s bothering me.”

Jingjing, the housekeeper, stifled a laugh with her hand over her mouth.

Ning Qiuxiu’s face turned red instantly.

As a little fairy, she couldn’t believe she had such a down-to-earth problem as bad breath.

What’s worse, Zhang Qingyue mentioned it in front of the housekeeper, making her feel very embarrassed.

She snatched the chewing gum from his hand, stamped her foot, and stormed off.

“Hey…” Zhang Qingyue was surprised by how quickly Ning Qiuxiu’s mood changed.

He was puzzled, realizing this wasn’t a playful issue but a serious one.

Ning Qiuxiu was usually quite tolerant and thick-skinned, but had the northern wind made her skin thinner?

Zhang Qingyue shook his head, thinking that women were truly hard to understand.

To pursue a woman, one had to read an entire encyclopedia on women.