Shine on Me

So, on a perfectly fine Saturday, Lin Yusen dragged me out of the company at nine in the morning. After a bowl of noodles at Tongdexing, I was hauled off to his place to "study together."

Lin Yusen was dead serious—that was my first thought upon seeing the mountain of company documents piled on his desk. But this was way too much material, wasn’t it?

I silently glared at him in protest.

Lin Yusen feigned innocence. "I just asked Xiao Dai to bring over some documents. I didn’t expect this much."

Hmph~ An accomplice, that’s what he was. And now he’s trying to shift the blame.

Of course, I wasn’t about to obediently comply. After flipping through a couple of pages, I commandeered his computer to play games. When I got tired, I wandered into the yard to observe the grass and tease stray cats.

It was Saturday! Who in their right mind wanted to work besides someone like him, who found joy in it?

But having an overly diligent person around eventually made me feel a little guilty about goofing off. Especially when this person, despite claiming to be "studying together," had downloaded a bunch of games for me and stocked up on snacks...

After enjoying a hearty lunch prepared by Auntie Chen, I finally settled down at the desk.

He had an exceptionally spacious desk. Sitting across from each other, it almost felt like we were a college couple studying together in the library.

Huh, now that I thought about it, should I thank Lin Yusen for making up for my lack of a college romance?

My thoughts began to drift, but then the "study supervisor" Lin glanced up at me. I quickly lowered my head and refocused.

I skimmed through the materials Xiao Dai had brought me and eventually settled on the company’s annual financial reports, studying them carefully.

All those meetings and factory visits lately hadn’t been for nothing—I’d gained a much better understanding of the industry and the company’s situation. Now, as I read the financial reports, everything clicked into place. The numbers weren’t just numbers anymore; I could grasp the real meaning behind them.

By the time I finished a pot of fruit tea, I had gone through most of the financial data and couldn’t help but sigh.

Lin Yusen, who was pulling a book from the shelf, turned to look at me. "Why the sigh?"

"It’s just... the company’s situation seems much worse than before."

"What do you think the reason is?"

I didn’t answer immediately.

I realized that perspective changes everything. Before, as a new employee, my thoughts had been limited to my immediate surroundings. Last year’s decent year-end bonus had made me think the company was doing well. But after attending so many meetings and visiting the workshops recently, my perspective had gradually shifted toward the bigger picture—the industry’s landscape and future trends.

Now, after reviewing the reports, it was clear that even before Lin Yusen joined last year, the company had been on a downward trajectory. The reason we’d managed to stay afloat was largely due to his efforts in quickly recovering several long-overdue payments through various means.

Lin Yusen was still waiting for my answer. I gave a brief reply. "The broader environment, like you mentioned in meetings. Our products were mainly exported to Europe and the U.S., but due to the financial crisis and anti-dumping investigations, orders from those regions plummeted. The entire industry is struggling to survive, just waiting for better days."

Then a question occurred to me. "But why is the company expanding under these circumstances? I remember that was something you initiated after joining, right?"

"Correct." Lin Yusen nodded. "Counter-cyclical expansion is a common strategy. You must have studied it in college.""Oh, right. The teacher mentioned cases from the memory storage industry." His reminder made it click for me.

Seeing that I understood, Lin Yusen said no more and returned to his seat with his book.

I pulled over a bag of snacks, munching as I pondered. Counter-cyclical expansion is a common strategy to seize market share during downturns, but it's always predicated on extreme confidence in future market prospects. Recalling how he'd repeatedly expressed optimism about the photovoltaic industry during meetings, then looking at the mountain of materials beside me, I suddenly felt the weight of responsibility.

"Lin Yusen, do you really want me to manage Shuangyuan in the future?"

"Not entirely." He looked up from his book. "Mainly, I want you to explore what you're passionate about."

Huh?

"The joy of fully committing to something and succeeding is unparalleled. Don't you want to try it? If you're genuinely not interested, you can always do something else—or nothing at all."

"But during the meeting, you gave that motivational speech about how the photovoltaic industry is crucial for the nation's future, with potential to lead globally. Wouldn't it be disastrous if I messed it up?"

"What motivational speech?" Lin Yusen chuckled. "Don't worry about that. China is vast, with talents emerging constantly. If we fail, others will succeed. We'd just earn less money—no real consequences." ???

How can someone make slacking off sound so profound?!

"Do you want me to succeed or not?" I felt dizzy—one moment encouraging study, the next seemingly endorsing laziness?

"Either is fine. But Xiguang," he mused, "you played the role of the clueless young miss so convincingly with the Sheng family—they actually believed it. Wouldn't it be a shame not to prove them wrong? On the other hand, if you quietly build your skills and then astonish everyone, making them realize you'd been fooling them all along—wouldn't that be fun?"

Wow~ That does sound incredibly fun.

Imagining the stunned expressions of the Sheng family, I suddenly felt motivated enough to plow through ten tons more materials.

"Back to work—no more talking."

I immediately grabbed another document from the pile and started reading. Lin Yusen gave a soft laugh and returned to his own work.

An hour later... I began to think impressing the Sheng family wasn't that important after all...

An hour and a half later... I started questioning why the Sheng family should be my motivation. What have they done to deserve it?

I sneaked a glance at Lin Yusen. He was engrossed in neurosurgery materials, occasionally jotting notes on the manuscript beside him. The setting sun cast a faint glow through the window, his hair falling slightly over his forehead. Time seemed to slow... I suddenly wanted to set aside my work and just watch him for a while.

But would he scold me for it?

Sigh...

Is he my boyfriend or my taskmaster?

As I silently grumbled, Lin Yusen seemed to read my mind. He suddenly looked up and asked, "Done with the silence? What did you want to say?"

Instantly perking up, I said, "Nothing much! Just wanted to ask—how's your thesis coming along? And have you decided which direction you want to specialize in?"

I swear I was just making conversation, but to my surprise, Lin Yusen set aside his work and enthusiastically launched into a detailed explanation, roughly as follows—Because he had financial support, he didn't need to worry too much about income, giving him many options—like entering the high-end medical equipment industry, engaging in basic scientific research while teaching, or furthering his studies to specialize in internal medicine.

His professor hoped he would pursue scientific research at a university, which also interested him, but he was equally drawn to the high-end medical equipment sector.

I knew many large medical devices were imported, but after his explanation today, I learned that the proportion was shockingly over 90%. These expensive imported devices kept medical costs high, with a significant portion of annual healthcare funds ending up in foreign companies' pockets. Domestic medical equipment companies, starting late, faced various constraints, making their growth painfully slow.

After listening, I found every direction meaningful and asked with concern, "So, have you made a decision?"

"Not yet. I won’t be leaving Shuangyuan anytime soon. As for the future..." Lin Yusen wore a deeply troubled expression. "It feels like every industry needs me—supply just can’t meet demand."

Me: "..."

They say men change completely before and after falling in love—seems true. But have I already developed a bias for him? Why do I find even this side of him witty and adorable?

Lin Yusen was clearly dissatisfied with my speechless expression and raised an eyebrow. "What did I say wrong?"

This expression was more about me questioning my own judgment.

"Nothing at all. Everyone really does need you," I replied dismissively.

"Thanks for the affirmation. What about you?"

Me? What about me?

I blinked, my brain sluggishly processing before realizing—was he teasing me?! Unsure, I asked, "Are we not studying anymore? Is it time for post-class romance now?"

Lin Yusen: "..."

Well...

The rest won’t be described...

Let’s just say, Mr. Lin isn’t exactly a man of unwavering willpower either.

Nothing special!

On the way back that evening, Lin Yusen summed up his outstanding early life. "Seems like my past excellence was entirely due to not being in a relationship. You’re way too distracting."

Me: Smiles.

I firmly sent him off once we reached the parking lot. If he walked me to the dorm, who knows what blame he’d shift onto me next.

Washing up and climbing into bed happened in one swift motion. Checking the time—it was already 11 PM. Closing my eyes to sleep, but sleep wouldn’t come.

Now, the solitude of a single dorm felt a bit too quiet. I really wanted to grab someone and talk endlessly. How nice it would be to live with Yin Jie and Yu Hua.

After much deliberation, I boldly sent my mom a message: "Mom, are you asleep?"

Soon after, she called directly. "Why aren’t you sleeping yet? Where did you go with Lin Yusen? You only went back to Wuxi once after New Year’s."

"Working overtime, every week." That was the honest truth. Cutting off her chance to probe further, I struck first. "Mom, I don’t think you guys raised me very well. Look, Lin Yusen is only a few years older than me, but he knows so much more. Talking to him often makes me seem pretty clueless."

Mom wasn’t offended and politely asked why I thought so. Seizing the opportunity, I chattered away with a long list.After hearing this, Mom expressed some approval for Lin Yusheng, then said mildly and restrainedly, "Is it possible that it's a matter of individual aptitude?" ??? That was too much! How could she resort to personal attacks?

Even worse, she gave an example, "Look at Sheng Xingjie. He was raised by Old Master Sheng since childhood, yet there's nothing particularly promising about him either."

I was incredulous, "Mom, you're actually using Sheng Xingjie as an example? I'm definitely much more promising than him."

Mom sounded doubtful, "Really?"

"Of course it's true! Just wait and see! I'm just starting out now!"

Mom remained skeptical, "Then we'll see in two years. By the way, your father might not agree to Sheng Yuan gifting Shuang Yuan's shares to Lin Yusheng."

She dropped this bombshell casually.

I immediately sat up in bed, "What do you mean? What does this have to do with him?"

I'd already told Mom everything that happened during the meal at the Sheng family, of course with Lin Yusheng's permission. However, I didn't mention Lin Yusheng's personal matters or his plans to change careers.

"I know transferring shares to a third party requires approval from half the shareholders, but why wouldn't he agree?" I jumped out of bed and paced around, truly unable to understand. "Mom, can't you intervene in this?"

"According to the divorce agreement, I can't intervene."

"Why exactly? Does he think Lin Yusheng can't manage the company well and it would harm his interests?"

"You'll know when he comes to see you. President Nie has already asked for my opinion, trying to form an alliance with me." Mom gave a cold laugh and said, "Xiguang, I have a suggestion—see if you can do it."

"What?"

Mom said calmly, "Get all of your father's shares in Shuang Yuan too."

"Ah?" I was somewhat surprised. "But didn't you tell me not to take a single cent from Dad?"

I'd kept that firmly in mind and never violated it.

Mom said serenely, "Taking small amounts is meaningless—it would only make him feel comfortable, and over time he wouldn't feel he owes you anything. But when it comes to major assets, everything that should be yours, you must not miss out. All these years you haven't taken a single cent from him, so whenever you make a request, he'll do everything possible to make you happy. Do you understand now?"

I understood, and only then realized that Mom's prohibition against taking money from Dad years ago had actually been based on such considerations. For some reason, I suddenly felt rather downcast and responded listlessly.

Mom sighed. "Husband and wife can be the closest or the most distant of people, let alone your father and me. Xiguang, Lin Yusheng sounds wonderful now, but your father was once wonderful too... I hope you understand that no matter how much you love someone, you must still be guarded. You must have a fortress of your own in your heart. Of course, I hope you'll never need to retreat into that little fortress in your lifetime."

"Mm."

My eyes stung as I listened.

But Mom laughed. "You said you're better than Sheng Xingjie. Sheng Xingjie emerged victorious from so many competitors. As an only child, if you can't even get your father's shares in Shuang Yuan, don't look down on others in the future."