Lin Zhixia explained, "Hello, I'm here for a meeting today. I called ahead."
The receptionist made a "please" gesture and even escorted Lin Zhixia to the elevator entrance.
Lin Zhixia chatted with her briefly and deduced from her few words that the company's operational situation wasn't good, with very few visitors each day. However, Jiang Yubai had never mentioned these matters to Lin Zhixia.
Lin Zhixia could guess Jiang Yubai's mindset. He only wanted to offer her advice and didn't wish to take up her time. Within just one year, he had successfully built a fully-functional startup company. Now, they had multiple departments including operations, customer service, marketing, and product development, with their first-generation product set to launch in October this year.
At this critical juncture, Chai Yang's sudden criticism and attacks caught Lin Zhixia completely off guard.
Lin Zhixia clearly knew that Jiang Yubai had invested substantial money and effort into the "ptsic Quantum Laboratory."
Moreover, almost all members of the startup team were Lin Zhixia's close friends and relatives.
If Chai Yang continued to disparage the "Quantum Computing" industry, the company's reputation would be affected, and even Lin Zhixia's friends and relatives would face the risk of public questioning.
Lin Zhixia would never allow such a thing to happen.
She was determined to confront Chai Yang head-on.
Despite his young age, Chai Yang had built his business from scratch and was hailed as the "Post-90s Entrepreneurship Myth," attracting extremely high attention from netizens. He had over one million followers on Weibo and a highly active WeChat public account.
Shortly after the interview news from "Morning Daily" was published, Chai Yang posted a thought-provoking message on WeChat and Weibo: "Persist in doing what you believe is right, even if you have to pay the price."
The most popular comment under this Weibo post read: "Brother Chai, the waters run deep. Those who understand, understand. You're too straightforward. The internet industry grows more restless each year. No one is willing to settle down and create things. You lost in the factional struggles at Jiangke Software. Look back ten years from now—today will definitely be your victory."
Another netizen commented: "I'm half an insider! Quantum Computing isn't science! It's a hyped-up gimmick! Only Brother Chai dares to speak out! Fully supporting Brother Chai! Give me a like!!"
Chai Yang replied to this netizen with a "shush" emoji.
Chai Yang's action provoked Lin Zhixia's dissatisfaction.
What was he shushing about!
Lin Zhixia hadn't stopped him from speaking!
He was clearly targeting the "ptsic Quantum Laboratory."
The public relations department of the "ptsic Quantum Laboratory" reacted swiftly—public relations prioritizes timeliness above all. They held an emergency meeting this morning, which Lin Zhixia attended. During this meeting, she spoke passionately and immediately proposed a response plan.
After intense discussion, everyone eventually voted—Lin Zhixia's plan stood out. She was tasked with writing a public relations article for the company.
The PR department manager was a capable-looking young woman in her thirties. This manager told Lin Zhixia, "Professor Lin, once you finish the draft, we'll help polish it."
Lin Zhixia picked up her laptop: "Okay, I can finish it very quickly."
The manager added, "Chai Yang has started live streaming. In the live streaming industry, traffic comes first, face second.""Yes," Lin Zhixia said while typing and chatting with the manager. "Chai Yang's live streaming website has just started and lacks a user base. He desperately needs traffic right now."
The manager pulled out her phone: "I have Chai Yang's personal WeChat..."
Lin Zhixia took her phone and scrolled through Chai Yang's Moments.
Chai Yang had just posted an update yesterday—it was a group photo from a team gathering, with Chai Yang standing in the center and Nie Tianqing prominently positioned to his left.
Judging by their body language, Chai Yang and Nie Tianqing must be relatively close friends.
What was going on here?
Why did Nie Tianqing know Chai Yang?
Many questions arose in Lin Zhixia's mind, but her typing speed only accelerated. She quickly completed a brief PR draft, clarifying the company's functions and project types, and even made a bold statement: "The first-generation product of ptsic is about to be released. We welcome netizens to follow us and invite you to become 'product testing officers.' Your firsthand experience speaks louder than words."
Colleagues from the PR department reviewed Lin Zhixia's article and praised her for her clear thinking and concise writing.
However, some expressed concern: "Professor Lin, are you sure our company's product can withstand public scrutiny?"
"I'm sure," Lin Zhixia replied. "Don't worry."
Lin Zhixia reassured the PR department.
After the PR manager published that statement, Chai Yang actually reposted the original text on Weibo. He insinuated: "Time will tell everything."
Lin Zhixia frowned slightly.
She was almost certain that Chai Yang's current reactions were all for generating hype and traffic.
Lin Zhixia felt somewhat conflicted. As she browsed through the comments under Chai Yang's Weibo post, she suddenly noticed a male netizen named "Qiuqiu Gets Promoted and a Raise" hurling insults: "A clown seeking attention."
With a hint of suspicion, Lin Zhixia clicked on the profile picture of this male netizen. After reading all his Weibo posts, she was one hundred percent certain of his identity and privately messaged him: "Is that you? Lin Zeqiu?"
He instantly replied: "Are you fucking doxxing me?"
Lin Zhixia was stunned for a second, then immediately sent a voice message: "It's me, Brother."
Lin Zeqiu typed a string of ellipses.
A moment later, he said: "Ignore Chai Yang. Focus on your work."
Lin Zhixia said: "Okay, you too. Let's work hard together."
Given that Lin Zeqiu's username was "Qiuqiu Gets Promoted and a Raise," Lin Zhixia changed her Weibo name to "Xia Xia Forges Ahead." At that moment, she realized a fact: "Actually, you quite like your nickname, don't you? Qiuqiu, Qiuqiu?"
Lin Zeqiu seemed to vanish into thin air and never replied with another word.
Meanwhile, in the "Quantum Programming" WeChat group that Lin Zhixia had created, most members were in unprecedentedly high spirits. Duan Qiyan even analyzed Chai Yang's statement word by word and ultimately concluded: "Chai Yang is just a slacker."
Lin Zhixia didn't discuss Chai Yang. Instead, she asked Duan Qiyan: "Have you settled on a job?"
After graduating with his bachelor's degree, Duan Qiyan had worked at a financial institution, but he couldn't adapt to the environment of the financial industry. Coupled with the high cost of living in Beijing, he simply resigned.Duan Qiyan carried his luggage and returned to the provincial capital. Coincidentally, Provincial No. 1 High School was recruiting competition teachers with excellent benefits, including housing solutions.
Without the slightest hesitation, Duan Qiyan directly attended the recruitment fair at Provincial No. 1 High School. He had originally thought that as a top graduate from Peking University, he would effortlessly stand out, and the teachers at the school would beg him tearfully to stay and teach. However, he never expected the competition at the recruitment fair to be fierce—his rival turned out to be a mathematics master's graduate from Tsinghua University.
The job market was becoming increasingly competitive.
Duan Qiyan underwent three rounds of interviews. During the final round, he even met his high school homeroom teacher.
After the interview, his homeroom teacher chatted with him and asked about their classmates' current situations. Duan Qiyan emphasized Lin Zhixia, and the teacher nodded repeatedly but said, "Lin Zhixia is a good student, and so are you. Everyone has their own path. As long as you do nothing wrong, you are successful."
The recruitment results from Provincial No. 1 High School had not yet been announced. Duan Qiyan recalled his teacher's words and felt a twinge of emotion. He contacted Jiang Yubai: "Are you free this weekend? Let's hang out."
Jiang Yubai declined: "I have something very important this weekend."
Duan Qiyan asked: "What is it?"
Jiang Yubai replied briefly: "Family matters."
Duan Qiyan was quite sharp. He actually guessed: "Are you and Lin Zhixia getting married soon?"
Jiang Yubai admitted cheerfully: "We're already engaged."
Duan Qiyan immediately sought his advice: "How did you propose? Did you just say it directly?"
Jiang Yubai recalled that night. He hadn't beat around the bush and had directly asked Lin Zhixia to marry him. So, he described: "I spoke from the heart."
Duan Qiyan held his phone, lost in thought. He had been back in the provincial capital for two weeks, but Tang Tingting was still working in Beijing. She messaged him every day, either teasing him or making him laugh... He felt he should also speak from the heart to her.
On an autumn night, with a clear moon and sparse stars, a cool breeze brushed against him. Duan Qiyan bought a bottle of Erguotou downstairs. He sat on the tiled edge of a flower bed, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp of the liquor. Fueled by the alcohol, he sent Tang Tingting a cheesy WeChat message: "You're the only one who can make me wear capri pants in the middle of summer."
Tang Tingting replied: "I'm doing you a favor. If I accidentally touch your thigh, you'll complain for ages."
Following his usual pattern, Duan Qiyan would have likely responded with, "If you didn't touch me, there wouldn't be so much trouble." But today, he surprisingly asked: "Do you still want to touch my thigh?"
Tang Tingting didn't reply for a long time.
Just as Duan Qiyan was about to finish the entire bottle of liquor, Tang Tingting sent a long message: "I just said hello to Lin Zhixia. Next month, I'll be joining the ptsic Quantum Laboratory. I've quit my job in Beijing."
She asked him: "Hey, do you get it now?"
The night wind felt colder than the liquor, and the streetlamp's glow seemed to blur for a moment. Duan Qiyan's head spun as if he had stayed up until 4 a.m. without sleep. He replied: "What's not to understand?"
Tang Tingting sent him a smiling emoji.
For the first time ever, he mocked himself: "I've held you back. I'm a slacker who couldn't make it in Beijing."Tang Tingting, unusually gentle with him, said: "A slacker getting into Peking University? Don't make me laugh. It's not that you can't stay—you're just more suited to the provincial capital's environment. Being a competition teacher at Provincial No.1 High School is great! Base salary over 200,000, plus housing allocation. Have some confidence, will you? The primary school's First God of War? Besides, I'm going to work at PTSIC with Lin Zhixia as my boss. I'm perfectly willing to work for her—I don't see anything wrong with it."
Tang Tingting even sent Duan Qiyan her chat history with Lin Zhixia.
In these messages, Lin Zhixia had exclaimed delightedly: "You're joining our company? You studied hardware and have work experience—we're desperately short of talent like you... That's wonderful! When are you coming back? I'll pick you up."
Duan Qiyan copied and pasted Lin Zhixia's question: "That's wonderful! When are you coming back? I'll pick you up."
But Tang Tingting retorted: "Oh my god, please stop imitating Lin Zhixia."
Duan Qiyan asked inexplicably: "Between Lin Zhixia and me, who do you like better?"
Tang Tingting said coldly: "You two aren't even comparable."
Duan Qiyan sneered: "Fine. Now that you've got me, you don't value me anymore, is that it?"
Tang Tingting gave him the cold shoulder: "If that's what you think, I can't help it. I need to hand over my work and put in overtime—I'm not going to argue with you anymore."
Duan Qiyan, new to romance, had suffered a crushing defeat. He suddenly felt somewhat envious of Jiang Yubai—look at Jiang Yubai, who had already settled his relationship with Lin Zhixia long ago and was now about to get married. When he started dating Lin Zhixia, he hardly encountered any obstacles.
At that very moment, Lin Zhixia sneezed.
She had just finished bathing and stepped out of the bathroom.
Jiang Yubai lifted a corner of the quilt: "Come here quickly, don't catch a cold."
Lin Zhixia dashed toward him in one swift movement. She threw herself into his arms, hands clinging to his shoulders: "While you were working in the study just now, Mom sent me a text."
This weekend, both sets of parents—Jiang Yubai's and Lin Zhixia's—were going to meet formally. Lin Zhixia revealed: "Mom asked me what gifts she should bring for your parents? For the first meeting, she and Dad feel awkward going empty-handed."
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