Yin Yao called to find Shang Xinglu, and it wasn’t for personal reasons—it was for business.

They had agreed yesterday to visit Bichen, and at that time, Shang Xinglu would decide whether to partner with Yin Yao.

Although Shang Xinglu had already made up her mind deep inside.

But, Yin Yao had said they should go and take a look.

She smiled so beautifully, and her voice sounded so pleasant…

Could she still refuse?

Refusal was impossible, absolutely impossible.

Even if Yin Yao was deceiving her out of money, she would still willingly… give her Lin Heng’s money!

Originally, they were supposed to meet on the weekend, so it wouldn’t affect Shang Xinglu’s dinner with Shen Wang today.

However, just now, Yin Yao said on the phone: “The founder of Bichen, Mr. Chen, I heard he’s there today. His influence in Bichen is significant. If he’s willing to sell to us, that’s almost half the battle won. I’d like to visit him. How about we change the meeting to today?”

Shang Xinglu glanced at Shen Wang, and though it was a bit much, she still felt a slight pang of guilt.

But it was only a slight one…

At that moment, Yin Yao said, “It’s a sudden development. I just got the news. Sorry to trouble you, I’ll go on my own first!”

Shang Xinglu was the kind of person who responded better to soft approaches than to hard ones.

At once, her heart softened.

After all, hearing Yin Yao speak about Mr. Chen of Bichen made him sound like a hidden, great master—like a boss behind the scenes—not someone you could easily meet.

As for Shen Wang…

He probably could only be at the NPC level.

When it came to grinding daily tasks and fighting bosses, Shang Xinglu, under the gentle persuasion of the girl, naturally chose to fight the boss.

However, Mr. Shen was furious.

He was incredibly angry. Don’t think he didn’t see the caller ID showing “Yin Yao”!

He felt that Yin Yao was doing this on purpose!

Shang Xinglu quickly explained to Shen Wang what Yin Yao had told her.

Shen Wang had a bit of a bad temper, and was sometimes a little hypocritical, but being a CEO, he knew how important it was to make money at work.

This kind of thing shouldn’t be delayed.

If something went wrong with the acquisition later, Louise probably wouldn’t blame Yin Yao.

In that case, only he would bear the blame.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Wang made a decision.

“Fine, go ahead.” Shen Wang said.

Shang Xinglu handed him the card without any care for money. “Shen Wang, you’re such a good person!”

Shen Wang, keeping his face serious, took the card and said, “I’ll go with you.”

Shang Xinglu: “…”

Shang Xinglu disdainfully said, “What do you want to do? It’s not good to share a room with three people.”

Shen Wang: “!”

Wait, if he didn’t go, Louise was still planning to share a room with Yin Yao???

That absolutely cannot happen!

Shang Xinglu, however, was still caught in the fixed mindset of needing a room with two beds for two people, or a group of four for a trip. She thought three-person rooms were only good for domestic trips, and harder to arrange abroad.

But then she thought of something else.

Now, if they each took a room, or even booked two rooms, they could easily rotate.

One room could be used until they got bored, and then switch!

Shang Xinglu said, “Oh, right, we can book three rooms.”

Shen Wang: “Of course, we’ll have to stay separately. What else?”

Shang Xinglu: “Well, I’ll share with Yin Yao. We’re both girls, so it’s only natural we share a room.”

Shen Wang’s face was serious, “You better stay far from her.”

Shang Xinglu: “You better stay far from us too. Why are you coming along with us?”

Shen Wang was calm and reasonable, “You agreed to go out with me today. Wherever you go, I go. Isn’t that normal?”

Shang Xinglu couldn’t find a flaw in his reasoning.

And Shen Wang just kept staring at her.

Staring at her.

Staring at her…

Like a dog abandoned by its owner but pretending to be strong…

Shang Xinglu shrank her neck, “…Fine, if you don’t mind wasting time.”

When Yin Yao arrived and saw that both Shen Wang and Shang Xinglu were there, she squinted and looked at Shen Wang for a moment. There was no complaint, only saying, “Mr. Shen seems really interested.”

Shen Wang retorted bluntly, “Can you control me?”

Shang Xinglu quickly ran out to “restrain the dog”… no, to mediate the argument. “Come on, don’t waste time, let’s get in the car.”

Bichen’s factory was located in A City, which was nearby, so the three of them traveled in one car.

Along the way… Although Yin Yao’s few casual words were enough to make Shen Wang explode, overall, the trip was relatively harmonious.

Bichen was located in an economic development zone in the suburbs of A City, and the office building was right next to the factory.

That day, it turned out to be a coincidence.

Not only did Shang Xinglu’s group go, but another group interested in Bichen was there as well.

Among them was a middle-aged man from the central region, who seemed especially afraid of the heat, constantly wiping sweat with a handkerchief.

He knew Yin Yao, and when they ran into each other downstairs, the middle-aged man smiled and said, “Miss Yin, what wind brought you here?”

Yin Yao replied, “Manager Wang, it’s actually an honor to run into you. It’s no surprise that our schedules overlapped with yours.”

Yin Yao spoke politely and gently, her words impeccable.

Unfortunately, some people couldn’t find fault with themselves and chose to look for flaws in others.

Manager Wang said, “Miss Yin, you’re so delicate. Running around factories like this will hurt your skin. I see you’re at the right age. How about finding a man and getting married soon? Otherwise, it’ll be hard to find someone later.”

After speaking her mind, she still had to make an excuse for herself, saying, “Miss Yin, please don’t mind my straightforwardness. I’m only thinking about you, Miss Yin.”

Yin Yao’s eyes were cold, but her smile was not.

She was about to speak when President Shen, who hadn’t had lunch and was feeling terribly carsick, arrived late with a bottle of cold mineral water.

He didn’t look well, his face pale, and his tone worse.

Shen Wang said, “Do you think everyone worries about getting married? Well, some people can be sold by the pound, and even then, the meat is considered subpar—it’s unbearable!”

His gaze shamelessly scanned Manager Wang, and it was clear who the personal attack was aimed at.

“You!” Manager Wang’s face changed, and he was about to lash out when his secretary whispered a few words in his ear, mentioning Shen Wang’s identity.

Manager Wang, fuming, glared at them a few more times and turned to leave.

Bi Chen had sent someone to show them around the factory, and someone introduced them along the way.

Shang Xinglu didn’t fully understand.

She had been too busy enjoying the sight of the weak, carsick Second Young Master Shen, teasing him until he was furious and then immediately became so weak he could only lean against the wall…

Hahahahahahaha!

It was so amusing, truly, so amusing!

After the introduction, Yin Yao wanted to meet Mr. Chen, so she mentioned it to the person who had introduced them.

The person made a call and took them to the office.

By chance, they ran into Manager Wang and his group again!

Mr. Chen didn’t mind; his hair was graying, but his spirit was high, and he was making tea with a traditional tea set.

He invited both groups in, joking, “At my age, I end up repeating the same things, but now you’re all together, you can help save me some effort. I really appreciate it.”

Everyone politely smiled and exchanged pleasantries.

The office was quite large, but with so many people, it felt cramped.

Especially with a large astronomical telescope that took up a lot of space.

Manager Wang seemed prepared. As soon as he saw the telescope, he opened his mouth, asking, “Is this a GOTO model? Oh, very professional.”

Mr. Chen asked, “Manager Wang, you’re also into astronomy?”

Manager Wang pretended to be modest, “I do like it, just a beginner, only know a bit about it.”

His assistant immediately added, “Manager, I also like it, but the lenses are so expensive. You and Mr. Chen should suggest a good beginner model.”

Manager Wang said, “The 80EQ is a good choice for beginners, costs less than two thousand yuan. You should start with that.”

His tone sounded like an expert.

At this moment, Shang Xinglu said, “It’s cheap, but there are too many plastic parts.”

Her tone was casual, like she was commenting on a wonton stand she had passed by, saying there was too little meat and too much skin, and the soup wasn’t fresh enough.

Manager Wang was unhappy with her interruption and said, “Then what would you suggest instead of the 80EQ?”

His gaze was full of disdain, as if saying, “Amateurs shouldn’t butt in.”

Shang Xinglu replied, “The 900mm focal length and F11 aperture make it hard for beginners to control chromatic aberration. It doesn’t look great in photos. Better to buy binoculars, like 15×70 or 10×50. If not, you can modify them into a dual-focus version. That would completely outperform the 80EQ.”

She noticed everyone staring at her.

Shang Xinglu shrugged and said, “Of course, if you can’t do the modification, a simpler one is fine. After all, it’s just a beginner model…”

An amateur…

Everyone looked at Manager Wang in unison.

Although they didn’t quite understand what they were discussing, it seemed like Manager Wang had just been shown up.

Manager Wang’s face turned a deep shade of red.

Mr. Chen couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Shang, you really know your stuff, don’t you?”

Everyone looked at Shang Xinglu with eyes that seemed to say, “Although we don’t get it, it seems really impressive.”

However, just after Mr. Chen praised her, Shang Xinglu immediately nodded vigorously.

“Yes, yes, I’m quite knowledgeable.”

Look at her calm expression…

Everyone: “…”

She really had no shame.

“Oh?” Mr. Chen’s eyes narrowed. “In that case, I have a few questions I’d like to ask Miss Shang.”

“Go ahead.”

She replied, and Yin Yao gently tugged at her sleeve, worried.

But to her surprise, Shang Xinglu answered every question fluently.

No, it wasn’t a Q&A anymore. Mr. Chen’s knowledge quickly fell behind, and it turned into Shang Xinglu’s one-sided lecture.

They started with how humans discovered that black holes aren’t completely black, then moved on to several theories about the origin of the universe, and finally discussed what exactly the Crab Nebula was.

Shang Xinglu was clear and lively in her explanations, and even people who weren’t interested in astronomy found themselves drawn in by her descriptions.

But she didn’t boast about her knowledge; she still spoke as if—like discussing the local wonton shop—her tone was casual and indifferent.

The conversation continued until evening. Mr. Chen, still unsatisfied, invited them to stay for dinner.

Shang Xinglu glanced at the carsick Second Young Master Shen, who hadn’t eaten and was feeling terrible.

She decided to skip it.

Better to send him to the hotel soon; she couldn’t risk letting this delicate flower suffer too much.

Mr. Chen seemed reluctant.

He was also curious, “Miss Shang, did you study this professionally?”

Shang Xinglu nodded, “Yes.”

The arrogant Second Young Master Shen scoffed, “Don’t lie.”

Mr. Chen was puzzled.

Yin Yao clarified, “Mr. Shen and Louise went to the same university. Louise studied international relations and politics, and astronomy is just a hobby.”

Mr. Chen was amazed, “That’s truly impressive!”

Shang Xinglu suddenly felt relieved…

That was a close call. If she wasn’t really in this field, who would be interested in stargazing?

After all, her major’s employment rate was rather disappointing, and she wasn’t rich enough to work in her field. Maybe it was because her mom kept offering incense for her, hoping for her to succeed!

But if given a choice, Shang Xinglu would choose to be—an innocent pig.

However, right now… she seemed no different from a pig.

Was she… being raised by President Lin?

Shang Xinglu: “……..”

Why did her ex-husband keep popping up in her thoughts lately… This isn’t good.