January 27, 2024, Saturday, Sunny, -5~7°C.

Yancheng, North City Garden.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Winter sunlight pierced through the morning mist, seeping through the gaps in the curtains, laying a slender strip of light on the floor.

Cheng Qiuqiu slowly opened her eyes and glanced at the wall clock.

7:30.

She had actually slept this late.

It had been quite a few days since returning from Paris, and every night had been so peaceful.

No longer needing to turn on a nightlight to fall asleep, no longer afraid of nightmares suddenly surging in the darkness.

Even occasionally looking forward to the moment she closed her eyes, when that person's figure would appear in her dreams.

Qiuqiu hugged the blanket, bit her lip, and comfortably rolled over.

Her entire body radiated a light, relaxed feeling, as if soaking in a warm pool, lazily not wanting to move.

After all, it was the weekend.

She stared at the ceiling in a daze for a while, her thoughts gradually drifting away.

Over the past half month, with the matter of Bei Yuwei's endorsement finalized.

All aspects of [Songmei Apparel]'s business had been charging forward at full speed.

The team was also growing larger and larger, with many new faces appearing in the company.

The visual design department she managed had also expanded from being a one-person army at the beginning to now having five full-time employees.

Especially that newly hired Su Zhan a while back.

His resume was astonishing, having previously worked at Pentagram in New York, a top-tier global design agency where only true masters could get in.

Qiuqiu could clearly feel that this new colleague's professional expertise was extremely strong.

In terms of pure skill, he was much more skilled than her, the department head.

Logically, people from such major firms would have a bit of an arrogant air.

But Su Zhan had none at all.

Not only did he actively help her share the workload she couldn't finish, but during discussions, he always used a humble attitude like "seeking guidance" and "what do you think about this?" giving her, this young department head, plenty of face.

Just before leaving work yesterday, Su Zhan even proactively suggested that she polish and optimize the visual identity system she developed for [Songmei Apparel] and submit it for this year's D&AD Awards.

D&AD.

Called the "Yellow Pencil" in Chinese, it's one of the most authoritative awards in the global design world, hailed as the "Oscars of Design."

Su Zhan said one of his university mentors happened to be a peripheral judge there and could help expedite the recommendation process.

Qiuqiu was stunned for several seconds at the time.

As a visual designer, how could she not be tempted?

Especially since...

The bestselling shell jacket designed by Lingling had already been selected by another international design award.

If it ultimately made the shortlist, she might even have to go to France for the award ceremony.

That was also an international award.

Qiuqiu was of course happy for Lingling in her heart. They were good sisters; she was happier for Lingling's success than anyone.

But beneath this joy, there was undeniably a subtle sense of competitiveness.

She also hoped to receive honors, to get more attention and praise from Tang Song.

As her thoughts jumped around, an inexplicable emotion sprouted in her heart.

The [Dream Flower Seed] floating above her head was quietly extending its branches and leaves.

A tender flower bud was faintly forming at the top, with pure white petals intertwined with a few strands of eerie yet enchanting red.

It emitted a calming halo, making Qiuqiu snuggle even more comfortably under the covers.

The sky outside the window grew brighter and brighter.

Qiuqiu suddenly remembered something and immediately perked up.

She turned on her side, picked up her phone, unlocked the screen, and tapped into Xiaohongshu.

As soon as she opened the app, the first few image-text posts pushed on the homepage were, unsurprisingly, all about [Xuanji Optical World] and [Tang Song].

She tapped open that highly popular on-site paparazzi shots compilation video.

The comment section below was as lively as a New Year celebration, practically a large-scale frenzy scene:

[Help! I thought it was some celebrity doing a promotional appearance!]

[Old fan here uninvited! I've been following this male god's Xiaohongshu account "April" for ages, watching him transform all the way from a "listen-to-advice makeover" rustic straight guy into a CEO! He's basically the pinnacle of cultivation-type inspiration! I just never expected his career to be this heaven-defying!]

[Checked it out! Age 26, unmarried, no scandals, resume scarily clean! Charge! —]

Qiuqiu lay on her pillow, scrolling down through the comments one by one.

The corners of her mouth unconsciously lifted to her eyes, her fingers quickly giving likes, even using a side account to reply and defend the comments.

When encountering the occasional sour or sarcastic comments, she directly and unceremoniously threw data back at them.

As a seasoned "brain-dead fan," she could say she had never fought such a rich battle in her life.

Across the entire internet, it was basically zero negative reviews, couldn't find a single hater.

After all, although Tang Song was now somewhat of a public figure, he wasn't in the entertainment industry, didn't sell a persona, and always maintained an extremely high level of mystery.

Yet the resume dug up by the media was too shocking.

Brains, skill, capital, and a face straight out of a novel male lead.

Perfectly fitting everyone's fantasies.

On Xiaohongshu, the old fans who had been watching his "listen-to-advice makeover" were still celebrating with drums and gongs in the super-topics and various posts.

Tang Song's follower count had risen again, already surpassing 300,000.

Satisfied after inspecting her territory, Qiuqiu exited the Xiaohongshu interface.

Hesitating for a moment, she carefully tapped open the pinned chat window on WeChat.

Her fingertip hovered over the screen for several seconds.

Then, she slowly typed: "The weather in Yancheng is very good today, the sun is out. (#happy little bear.gif) Are you working overtime today?"

Send.

She stared at the screen, waiting.

"Buzz buzz buzz—"

As usual, the reply came quickly.

[Tang Song: "No overtime, work isn't that busy anymore, resting for the weekend."]

A smile lifted on Qiuqiu's coolly beautiful face as she quickly typed a reply: "That's good."

[Tang Song: "By the way QQ, I've been busy these days and forgot to ask. How is your condition now?"]

Qiuqiu's gaze fell on the word "condition," her expression becoming somewhat unnatural.

She pursed her lips slightly and typed word by word: "It's okay."

That frigidity issue, she felt it was completely cured.

Especially these days after returning, those scenes about Tang Song and Su Yu would jump out to stimulate her from time to time, she even had several wet dreams.

[Tang Song: "What does 'okay' mean?"] 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Qiuqiu bit her lip.

How to describe it?

Say "my heart races now whenever I think of you"?

Say "I've been dreaming about you a lot lately"?

Say "I want to hug you"?

Blushing, she typed: "It's just... I don't know how to describe it either."

[Tang Song: "Not clear? Then when I'm done with this busy period and return to Yancheng, I'll personally examine you. After all, concealing illness and avoiding treatment isn't good."]

Seeing this sentence full of aggressiveness and implication.

Qiuqiu pressed the phone against her chest, her whole body curling up under the blanket.

It was pitch black under the covers, only the sound of her heartbeat thumping loudly.

After quite a while, she slowly took the phone out again.

Her cool, exquisite, domineering sister face was tinged with a faint blush.

She typed a few words, thought they were too frivolous, deleted them.

Typed a few more words, thought they were too stiff, deleted them again.

In the end, she only replied with one word: "Okay."

After sending it, she felt it wasn't enough to express her feelings.

So, as if possessed, she searched through her sticker pack.

She sent over a sticker of a little cat lying on a bed, patting the empty pillow beside it.

The moment she sent it, she regretted it.

Wanted to recall it.

But her finger hovered over the screen, ultimately not pressing down.

Getting up, she tidied up her emotions.

Qiuqiu pushed open the bedroom door and walked out.

"Qiuqiu, good morning~"

As soon as she stepped out, a voice carrying a slight pant came through.

Qiuqiu looked up and saw Lingling sitting on the sofa.

She must have just finished her morning workout, fine beads of sweat still on her forehead, her cheeks flushed from exercise.

She only wore an oversized white T-shirt, the hem barely covering the top of her thighs, revealing a pair of full, firm, fleshy long legs.

In the early winter morning, vibrant sunlight poured in from the window, falling on her.

Her whole person radiated full vitality and energy.

Like a piece of fruit candy just unwrapped, sweet and shining.

The infectious energy she emitted made Qiuqiu's mood brighten as well. "Morning, Lingling."

Lingling "whooshed" up from the sofa, opened her arms and pounced over, her eyes curving into two crescents, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Aiya ya, seeing Big Qiuqiu in a camisole first thing in the morning, this is something! Come here, let big sister hug you! Give you a squeeze!"

Before Qiuqiu could dodge, she was firmly embraced by Lingling.

The warm sweat from after the workout pressed against her slightly cool cheek.

Damp and warm, mixed with the lingering fragrance of shower gel.

Qiuqiu's expression was somewhat unnatural, but she still didn't push her away.

Her hand gently patted Lingling's plump butt. "All sweaty, so dirty."

"Hehehe." Lingling not only didn't let go but even pushed her luck by rubbing against Qiuqiu, playfully sighing, "So comfortable! So fragrant and soft!"

Qiuqiu's face turned a bit red as she pushed her head. "Alright... go take a shower. What do you want for breakfast? I'll make it."

"Let's eat light in the morning! Just fried eggs with milk." Lingling finally let go of her, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "Let's save room, we'll go out for something delicious at noon!"

"What delicious thing?"

"Clay pot skewers!" Lingling's eyes sparkled. "Remember that Lele? Qian Lele."

Qiuqiu thought for a moment and nodded gently. "I remember."

"Yesterday she came to our area to mail something for her teacher, and we happened to meet at the courier station. I added her on WeChat, and only then found out she's now partnered with someone to open a super authentic clay pot skewer shop! Right near that old neighborhood where I used to rent."

Lingling said loudly as she walked towards the bathroom:

"I've already invited Jiahong, Minmin, and the others. The four of us will go support her at noon, and after eating we can even take a walk around the school area to digest."

Qiuqiu looked at her animated expression and gently replied, "Okay."

They had been living together for several months now.

Under the influence of Lingling's extremely extroverted, caring personality, she, who was originally reclusive and resistant to socializing, was gradually willing to participate in these lively friend gatherings.

Even enjoying them.

She thought, perhaps the improvement in her condition, besides Tang Song's help, also had Lingling's influence.

She looked at that energetic back, a smile appearing on her face.

...

By the time Lingling finished her shower and came out, the dining table was already set with fried eggs, milk, and a few slices of whole wheat bread.

The two sat facing each other, chatting as they ate.

Lingling suddenly went "huh?" and handed her phone over. "Isn't this your high school classmate? Xu An? He's trending."

Qiuqiu took the phone and looked down.

On the screen was a short entertainment news video, accompanied by a photo of Xu An.

The title was eye-catching: [Actor Xu An Exposed for Throwing Tantrums on Set, Exiting "Fingertip Starlight" Crew?]

Below were dense screenshots of exposés—

Rumors, black material, tantrums, being replaced...

One after another, true and false mixed, dizzying to look at.

Qiuqiu was stunned.

Since the Wushan incident, she had never contacted Xu An again.

That boy who had many interactions with her during high school had long disappeared from her world.

She subconsciously stopped paying attention to any news about him.

Never expected to see his name again in this way.

"Is all this true or false?" Lingling bit into her fried egg, wearing the gossipy expression of a bystander. "Looks like a pretty clean-cut young guy, didn't expect him to be so... tsk, the entertainment industry is really messy."

"I don't know either." Qiuqiu handed the phone back, her voice cool. "Haven't been in contact for a long time."

"Alright, people like that, best to have less contact." Lingling took the phone back, swiped a couple more times, and shrugged. "Probably won't be able to make a comeback in the future."

Qiuqiu didn't respond, lowering her head to take a sip of milk.

The morning hours quietly passed in their respective busyness.

Approaching noon, the doorbell rang.

Zhang Jiahong and Li Shumin had arrived.

The four chattered away as they got ready, bundled up in thick winter clothes, and squeezed into Lingling's white Mercedes CLS350.

In Yancheng at noon in winter, the sunlight was good, but the wind was still cold.

The traffic flowed in stops and starts, swaying along.

In the backseat, Zhang Jiahong and Li Shumin huddled together looking at their phones, discussing what dishes to order later. In the passenger seat, Qiuqiu quietly watched the street scenes flashing by outside the window.

Lingling held the steering wheel, humming an unknown tune.

After nearly half an hour, the car parked in a roadside spot.

The four linked arms and walked into an old street.

The sign for [Sister Wen's Clay Pot Skewers] glowed warmly in the sunlight.

The shop was steaming hot and bustling with noise.

Through the glass window, they could see tables full of people, clay pots bubbling on the stoves, white steam swirling.

"Wow, so many people!"

"Business is really good."

The four pushed the door open and entered.

A wave of heat wrapped in a rich aroma of spices rushed at them, instantly dispelling the chill on their bodies.

"Lele, we're here!"

Lingling spotted the busy Qian Lele at a glance, her eyes lighting up as she waved and strode over.

Qian Lele looked up, her face instantly blooming into a bright smile. "Sit, sit, I saved a big table for you!"

"Great! We'll go pick skewers first!"

Lingling patted her arm, pulling Qiuqiu and the others inside.

The 40-square-meter small shop was already packed.

Tables were completely full, clay pots bubbled on the stoves, white steam swirling.

Customers munched on skewers, drank beer, chatting enthusiastically.

Delivery riders called out order numbers to pick up meals, grabbing takeout bags before hurriedly disappearing out the door.

People occasionally peeked in at the entrance, seeing no seats, and reluctantly retreated.

Qian Lele was like a tireless spinning top, weaving through the narrow aisles, serving tea and water, clearing dishes.

Sweat beaded on her forehead, her cheeks flushed red from the heat.

But she didn't feel tired at all; instead, her whole body was filled with inexhaustible drive.

Business was far better than she had ever imagined.

During this period, the carefully made promotional images for the dishes and the paired meal combos she created had steadily increased online platform orders.

And offline, relying on Sister Wen's genuine old-fashioned taste, the fresh ingredients prepared daily, solid portions, and extremely fair prices.

Word of mouth had spread bit by bit.

She had roughly calculated.

Now, the average daily revenue steadily broke the 4,000 yuan mark.

With a gross profit margin of 60%, the shop could net around 2,400 yuan per day.

Doing the math for a month, that was over 70,000 yuan in pure profit.

And she held a 20% stake, meaning nearly 14,000 yuan in dividends coming in each month.

Plus the part-time wages from [Weiguang Coffee], the subsidy from Professor Jiang's lab...

Her total monthly income now actually reached eighteen thousand yuan!

Eighteen thousand yuan!

For her, this was an astronomical figure she never dared to imagine before.

This money was enough to change the entire situation of her family.

Enough to free her from the heavy pressure.

And this was during the relatively less crowded winter break.

After the break, when students returned, business would definitely be even better.

Thinking of this.

A dazzling light shone in her eyes.

Everything was developing in a good direction.

So good.

...

3 PM.

Yuexiang Art Space.

Yancheng Young Entrepreneurs Association · Annual Exchange Salon.

In the high-ceilinged loft space, sunlight poured through floor-to-ceiling windows, spreading large patches of warm light spots on the light gray concrete floor.

Small groups of people were scattered in various corners.

The air carried the aroma of coffee and red wine, mixed with faint jazz music.

This was the highest-level young entrepreneurs gathering in Yancheng.

Organized officially, hosted by the chamber of commerce; those who could receive invitations were all the city's business nouveau riche and industry benchmarks.

Gao Mengting stood quietly among the crowd, holding a glass of slightly bubbling champagne.

A white silk blouse paired with high-waisted black suit pants, her long hair tied into a neat low ponytail.

Her whole person appeared gentle yet outstanding.

"President Gao, Songmei Apparel has been in the spotlight recently, the development is really rapid."

"Yes, truly didn't expect our Yancheng could also incubate such a top-tier apparel e-commerce enterprise. Not only mastering traffic but also creating a high-premium own brand, impressive, impressive!"

Several young entrepreneurs of considerable net worth around raised their glasses, not sparing their praise.

"President Zhang, President Li, you flatter me. Songmei is still in the exploratory stage, we'll need to rely on you seniors for guidance in the future."

Gao Mengting smiled appropriately, raising her champagne glass in a slight gesture.

"Ah, right. President Gao, your company's President Tang... isn't here today?"

As soon as these words fell, several idle gazes from around that were still chatting instantly converged, eyes filled with intense scrutiny and curiosity.

Gao Mengting's slender fingers holding the champagne glass paused slightly.

The smile on her face remained unchanged. "President Tang is currently in Shen City handling some urgent business and couldn't make it back temporarily. So for today's salon, I'm attending on his behalf to seek advice from everyone."

"Haha, understood, understood! President Tang is a very busy man now!"

"Tsk, never knew before that our Yancheng hid a figure like President Tang with such extensive connections."

The atmosphere around, because of the two words "Tang Song," instantly became more enthusiastic, even carrying a touch of obvious reverence.

In fact, over the past half month, with the official announcement of Tang Song's identity as the global CEO of the unicorn enterprise [Xuanji Optical World],

His name had completely exploded throughout the entire Yancheng business circle.

[Songmei Apparel], as the enterprise most deeply associated with him, naturally entered countless people's sights.

And Tang Song himself became the hottest young entrepreneur in Yan Province.

Various event invitations flew in like snowflakes.

With Tang Song not in Yancheng, these social obligations naturally all fell on the shoulders of his partner, Gao Mengting.

Like today's salon, officially invited, impossible to decline.

Just as everyone was still surrounding Gao Mengting, trying to pry more information about Tang Song.

At the entrance of the banquet hall, a not insignificant commotion suddenly arose.

Gao Mengting followed everyone's gaze over.

The President Zhang beside her said in a low voice: "It's President Xie from [Weiguang Coffee]. Speaking of which, Weiguang is also an enterprise invested in by President Tang, right?"

Someone nearby immediately chimed in: "Weiguang Coffee's momentum is also very strong. Before it was just a few boutique shops around our Yancheng, now its directly operated stores have already spread to first-tier cities nationwide. Heard it was rated by "First Financial" as one of the 'Top 10 Most Promising Nationalized Coffee Brands.'"

"Yes, the industry often discusses it alongside Manner and Seesaw."

"President Xie is also a banner in our Yancheng entrepreneurial circle, starting from scratch to this scale, not easy."

Gao Mengting listened to the surrounding discussions, her gaze passing through the crowd to land on that extremely eye-catching figure at the entrance.

Xie Shuyu.

She wore a dark-colored women's suit, no extra accessories.

Fair skin, clear and deep eyes, her every move radiating the efficiency and dignified elegance unique to a mature female CEO.

Gao Mengting actually knew about [Weiguang Coffee] and had heard the name "Xie Shuyu" during casual chats with Tang Song.

But the two were in different specific fields and had never met on a formal occasion.

But at this moment, the instant she saw the other woman with her own eyes.

Gao Mengting's heart, for no reason, beat extremely violently.

Women's intuition is often terrifyingly accurate, especially when facing another equally outstanding woman.

She instinctively felt that between this dazzling female CEO and Tang Song.

It was absolutely not just a simple "investor and investee" relationship.

After a brief palpitation, Gao Mengting quickly suppressed the messy thoughts in her mind.

Holding her champagne, she gave an apologetic smile to those around her:

"Excuse me for a moment, I'll go greet President Xie."

After speaking, she passed through several groups of chatting people, walking straight to the center of the room.

Just as Xie Shuyu finished exchanging pleasantries with a host leader, their gazes happened to meet.

"President Xie." Gao Mengting proactively extended her free hand, a gentle, beautiful smile on her face. "I've long heard of your name, finally meeting you today. I'm Gao Mengting from [Songmei Apparel]."

Xie Shuyu was slightly taken aback, then ripples appeared in her eyes.

"President Gao, hello."

She seriously extended her hand, giving Gao Mengting's a light shake, her gaze involuntarily lingering on the young face opposite for a moment.

Sighing softly in her heart.

This is... encountered another one.

She certainly knew Gao Mengting.

Tang Song's main focus had previously been on [Songmei Apparel]; as his partner, she had long heard Gao Mengting's name.

Even though mentally prepared, now suddenly meeting in such a formal business setting, a trace of peculiar emotion still inevitably rose in her heart.

Or rather, awkwardness.

Actually, last week, Zhao Yaqian had invited her.

Enthusiastically invited her to fly together to France, to Tang Song's private estate in Nice, saying it was a gathering of a few "good friends" for a vacation.

Xie Shuyu had extremely tactfully but firmly refused.

On one hand, [Weiguang Coffee] was in the midst of a nationwide store expansion frenzy, and as the founder, she couldn't leave. That kind of purely relaxing vacation was too luxurious for her.

On the other hand was... truly couldn't bring herself to do it.

After all, those traveling together were all acquaintances—Wen Ruan, Tian Jing, Lin Muxue.

She certainly understood what kind of relationships these women had with Tang Song, and understood what kind of scene she would face if she went.

Participating in that "big stew" gathering with that kind of identity felt like stepping into a chaotic state she wasn't ready to face yet.

That sense of losing control made her instinctively resistant.

She had always been unwilling to waste too much energy on emotional entanglements.

Let things happen naturally.

Setting aside those sticky emotional entanglements, contacting them from a field she was more adept in might be her best choice.

Just like now, this sudden, chance encounter.