Jiang Ruotang sat in his seat, his mind completely elsewhere. The sensation of the potato chip bending and brushing against his upper lip replayed in his mind. In his hand was a click pen, and as his thumb pressed down, he realized he was holding the pen upside down; he was pressing the tip.

Good thing Jian Sha didn’t see this, or she’d come up with a new dramatic plot.

Lu Guifan’s homework had already reached Bai Yingchuan. He stretched out his hand, and Bai Yingchuan handed over the paper, but his fingers didn’t let go. His fingers were still tightly pinching a corner.

Lu Guifan was about to leave, but when he tugged and found the paper wouldn’t budge, he turned his face and met Bai Yingchuan’s gaze. The mask of gentle smiles seemed to crack, and a chill seeped out, directed straight at Lu Guifan. Lin Lu, who was nearby, was stunned; it was his first time seeing Bai Yingchuan with such an expression.

But Lu Guifan’s expression remained calm. He held the other end of the paper, like a silent warning, suppressing Bai Yingchuan’s nerves.

Lin Lu couldn’t let them continue this standoff. He quietly asked Bai Yingchuan, “Aren’t you going to hand it in?”

Only then did Bai Yingchuan release his grip, and Lu Guifan left with the paper without another word. He looked back in Jiang Ruotang’s direction, where Jiang Ruotang was discussing English with Jian Sha.

Jiang Ruotang, do you know your earlobes are still red?

Bai Yingchuan wanted to ask him, What’s so good about Lu Guifan? So rigid, so by-the-book, just because of those questions that become useless once you leave the school environment? But soon Bai Yingchuan could only mock himself, because apart from this skin that no longer attracted Jiang Ruotang, he himself was truly useless.

---

During the break, Jiang Ruotang went downstairs to pick up the milk tea he’d ordered. He’d ordered enough for Cai Ji and Jian Sha to get the “buy one get one half off” deal, but Lu Guifan still got his Oolong Jinxuan.

Lu Guifan took it, glanced at it, and quietly said, “I can drink milk tea too.” Meaning he was also willing to go in on the “buy one get one half off” with Jiang Ruotang.

Jiang Ruotang smiled and shook his own cup. “I switched to Hangzhou White Chrysanthemum.”

“Hmm?” Lu Guifan’s eyes held a slight question.

“I’m feeling heaty, and the tip of my tongue hurts.”

Jian Sha heard this and immediately added, “Who told you to eat half a bucket of potato chips? This is heaven’s punishment for eating all by yourself.”

“How is it eating all by myself? You and Cai Ji clearly had some.”

“You still have the nerve to say that? Even the class monitor had to snatch the last piece from your mouth. If you’d left even a little for the class monitor, your tongue wouldn’t hurt.”

Cai Ji also nodded, “I think you’re going to get a pimple tomorrow.”

Jiang Ruotang shook his fist at him, “How vicious!”

His back of the head was pressed down, and Lu Guifan’s voice sounded, “Stick your tongue out, let me see.”

Jiang Ruotang was a bit awkward, only sticking out the tip of his tongue, a small red bit, and quickly pulling it back.

“It’s not very serious. Eat more vegetables for lunch.”

Jiang Ruotang deliberately replied in a perfunctory tone, “Got it, Daddy Guifan.”

Lu Guifan could only press the back of his head again.

---

Over the weekend, Bai Yingchuan, accompanied by Sister Yu and a lawyer, visited the commercial building where Little Sweet Fruit was located—floors 15 to 20 of Block A in Jingshang Twin Towers Mall.

Sister Yu parked the car, marveling, “Is Little Sweet Fruit’s financing capability really that strong? The rent at Jingshang Twin Towers Mall isn’t cheap. Gao Cheng actually rented five floors? Do they have that many employees?”

Bai Yingchuan said calmly, “We’ll know when we go up.”

After parking in the underground garage, Bai Yingchuan, wearing a hat and mask, entered the elevator. He happened to encounter a young man wearing a Little Sweet Fruit work badge rushing towards the elevator while on the phone.

Sister Yu initially wanted to quickly close the elevator. She didn’t want anyone else in the elevator, as it would lead to conversations with Bai Yingchuan or news spreading before a collaboration was even established.

But to her surprise, Bai Yingchuan shook his head. He stepped back, allowing the young man to enter the elevator. The young man was so busy that he had no time or energy to notice who was behind him.

“…I know, CEO Zeng… our advertisements for the past two months are really fully booked… even with more money for expedited service, it’s not possible, we’ve signed contracts with other brands! But rest assured, regarding your company’s new shower gel, our creative team has already made several versions. You can choose first, once we agree on the script, the efficiency for post-production will definitely soar!”

The elevator doors opened, and the young man quickly walked out. He had just hung up one call when another came in. The young man took a deep breath, patted his chest, and then answered the phone, “CEO Qiao, are you satisfied with the chocolate creative script we sent you? Oh, you want to emphasize the nuts inside? Okay, I’ll note that down. We’ll revise it as soon as possible and resubmit it to you…”

The young man was like a phantom, entering an office. Through the transparent walls, they could see over twenty workstations, each with rows of documents, indicating they were in use. This was a weekend, yet five or six young people were still working like they were pumped with adrenaline. The sign at the door read “Investment Department One.”

Sister Yu went to the front desk and explained their purpose. The receptionist quickly smiled and led them inside.

“May I ask, besides Investment Department One, how many other investment departments do you have?”

“We also have Investment Department Two. And Investment Department Three is currently being established.”

Sister Yu secretly gasped. It seemed that Little Sweet Fruit’s monthly revenue from advertising alone would be substantial.

“Can you tell me which departments are in this building?” Bai Yingchuan asked again.

The receptionist smiled and said, “The fifteenth floor is the Investment Department; the sixteenth floor is Customer Service; the seventeenth floor is Technical R&D, including big data algorithm research, various special effects, video interfaces, and so on; the eighteenth floor is Data Analysis and Marketing; the nineteenth floor is Administration and Finance, including meeting rooms on this floor.”

The twentieth floor goes without saying, it should be the offices of core managers like Gao Cheng.

“CEO Gao plans to rent five more floors because he wants to establish their own animation advertising production department, and other departments are also expanding, so five floors aren’t enough.” She added, “Of course, if the provincial government confirms the development of Chengchuan Beach, we can directly build a building there. I heard that our big boss at Little Sweet Fruit has plenty of resources in Chengchuan Beach.”

Hearing this, Sister Yu exchanged glances with Bai Yingchuan: Little Sweet Fruit had more capital and strength than they had imagined.

Bai Yingchuan wasn’t immediately swayed, as every company he collaborated with boasted about its strength.

“Isn’t CEO Gao afraid of a capital chain break, expanding so much?” Bai Yingchuan said very directly.

The receptionist smiled, “I don’t know if CEO Gao’s expansion is too big or not, I only know that Little Sweet Fruit’s capital is very ample and doesn’t just come from bank loans. For specific investment distribution, Mr. Bai can ask CEO Gao.”

Bai Yingchuan was momentarily stunned. It seemed he had truly underestimated Little Sweet Fruit, thinking it was in debt, but it could actually invest?

When he arrived at the small conference room, several people were already seated. One was CEO Gao Cheng, and next to him sat a very serious-looking elder, around fifty years old.

Gao Cheng and the others stood up. Bai Yingchuan quickly removed his hat and mask, and both parties greeted each other.

Gao Cheng introduced each person present to Bai Yingchuan: “This is Mr. Zheng Huasheng, currently Little Sweet Fruit’s largest shareholder and chairman.”

Sister Yu quickly stepped forward to shake hands, “Mr. Zheng, thank you and CEO Gao for the invitation, giving Yingchuan and me the opportunity to visit Little Sweet Fruit’s headquarters!”

Bai Yingchuan had been acting since he was young, so he understood social graces. He offered a humble smile and shook hands with Zheng Huasheng. However, what he was thinking was that for Mr. Zheng to be Little Sweet Fruit’s largest shareholder, his capital must be substantial, and video websites are also part of the entertainment industry. Why had he never heard of this person before?

“This is our Financial Director. If you have any questions about our company’s financial strength, I believe he can give you a professional answer.”

Gao Cheng then said, “This is Chen Dan, the General Manager of our Marketing Department. If we reach a collaboration, he will be your direct contact.”

Chen Dan leaned back in his chair and raised a hand to Bai Yingchuan.

Sister Yu was stunned. How could anyone in the entertainment industry not know Chen Dan’s family background? Sister Yu didn’t know how strong his work ability was, but the Chen family was deeply entrenched in the industry, and his resources were absolutely incomparable to Lin Chengdong’s.

Bai Yingchuan greeted them one by one.

Finally, there was a handsome middle-aged man wearing rimless glasses, exuding an extraordinary aura. “This is Dai Ming, the Director of our Legal Department at Little Sweet Fruit.”

Sister Yu stepped forward to shake hands, “Lawyer Dai! I’ve long admired your reputation! Previously, Bai Yue had an economic dispute with a film and television company, and we wanted to ask for your help, but you were abroad, so we didn’t have the chance to meet.”

“I heard about that case. It’s a pity Ms. Bai Yue lost the lawsuit. We studied that case, and it actually shouldn’t have gone to court. The optimal solution would have been for Ms. Bai Yue to accept mediation, which could have minimized both economic and reputational damage.”

Sister Yu nodded, “Lawyer Dai, you’re absolutely right. Bai Yue also regrets it. If you had been there, perhaps you could have negotiated a better settlement for her.”

Being able to invite such a renowned lawyer further boosted Sister Yu’s confidence in Little Sweet Fruit.

Everyone sat down, and Gao Cheng wasted no time on pleasantries, getting straight to the point. They had very clear plans for Bai Yingchuan, from video columns to fan communities and exclusive special effects. Sister Yu nodded frequently, finding it hard to believe imagining fans holding online parties there.

Gao Cheng even proposed the concept of Bai Yingchuan holding online concerts on Little Sweet Fruit, with detailed ideas on how to raise funds and enhance the sense of reality.

Sister Yu was truly moved. If online concerts were possible, fans wouldn’t have to travel to physical venues, and there would be no large expenses like venue rentals. Fans could also interact via bullet comments, and perhaps, after deducting various costs, the actual profit wouldn’t be much lower than a live concert.

She looked at Bai Yingchuan with eager eyes, prompting him to accept. Neither Yunfeng nor Qilin Video, nor major film and television companies, could find another partner like Little Sweet Fruit who would tailor so many activities and services for Bai Yingchuan!

At this moment, Bai Yingchuan’s thoughts were on Jiang Ruotang, truly a situation of “when mountains and rivers end, doubt seems to find no path; then in the shade of willows and brightness of flowers, another village appears.” Jiang Ruotang was that guide.

“May I understand Little Sweet Fruit’s financial situation and specific investments?” Bai Yingchuan first looked at the financial director, then at Gao Cheng.

Gao Cheng nodded, but Lawyer Dai asked them to sign a non-disclosure agreement, and then the financial director presented a stack of documents to Bai Yingchuan.

Bai Yingchuan began to read them very seriously.

“You actually invested in Fairy?” Bai Yingchuan looked up in surprise.

Gao Cheng chuckled, remembering Jiang Ruotang. Jiang Ruotang hardly ever attended board meetings, but he often had strange investment ideas, such as becoming a influential shareholder in Fairy. In the future, when Little Sweet Fruit produced its own animated content, it could co-brand with Fairy, so that every young person who received a milk tea could see the promotion of the new animation.

Most importantly, the stock would rise.

At first, Gao Cheng simply considered Jiang Ruotang to be childish, but to his surprise, Zheng Huasheng, as chairman, actually supported his decision, saying that this investment could be promising. So they bought five percent of Fairy’s shares, and now the stock price was soaring, with no signs of decline.

There were also some tech stocks, especially those related to cloud computing, emerging domestic smartphones, and online social media. Of course, these were also closely related to Little Sweet Fruit’s future development, with predicted dividends reaching thirty to fifty percent.

Gao Cheng noticed that Bai Yingchuan paused for a long time on that section, seemingly not expecting Little Sweet Fruit to have such accurate predictions for the booming prospects of the tech industry.

Of course, these three major areas were also specifically discussed by Jiang Ruotang with Gao Cheng and Zheng Huasheng. At the time, both of them felt it was a bit risky. Although these fields would undoubtedly shine brightly in the future, tying up funds in them like this felt too dangerous.

Who knew Jiang Ruotang was very firm. As the true major shareholder, Gao Cheng and Zheng Huasheng could only respect his opinion. As for Qi Yanzhe, he fully supported this move, because his intuition told him – these could all make money.

There were also new energy vehicles and resource stocks. Little Sweet Fruit made several quick profits, bringing in tens of millions in less than half a month.

Gao Cheng and Zheng Huasheng had once curiously asked Jiang Ruotang why he could predict so accurately. Jiang Ruotang just smiled mysteriously, saying that after he turned twenty-eight, his predictions would become inaccurate.

Gao Cheng and Zheng Huasheng only thought he was being enigmatic, but they agreed with his philosophy: technology holds the future.

After reviewing these investments, Bai Yingchuan understood that Little Sweet Fruit was by no means a second-rate video website. It was the best and most powerful partner he could find at the moment.

When Bai Yingchuan glanced at the shareholder situation, the first one listed was “Tangyun Culture Investment” company.

Bai Yingchuan held his breath, his heart seemed to be pricked by something, skipping a beat.

Why did this company’s name have the character “Tang” (棠)? What was its connection to Jiang Ruotang? And Jiang Ruotang could connect him directly to Gao Cheng with a single phone call…

Perhaps Bai Yingchuan was reading the financial documents too intently. Sister Yu happened to receive a message from Bai Yue asking about the collaboration. Sister Yu used the excuse of going to the restroom to call Bai Yue back.

At this point, Bai Yingchuan looked up at Gao Cheng: “May I ask, how did my classmate Jiang Ruotang and CEO Gao meet? I find it incredible that he can directly contact you.”

Gao Cheng smiled. He and Mr. Zheng understood and supported Jiang Ruotang’s decision to hide his identity. After all, he was young and had so many highly profitable investments. If his identity were revealed, his life would be filled with countless troublesome people.

“I met Ruotang at an art gallery exhibition,” Gao Cheng began. “I never imagined that at such a young age, his work was already being exhibited in a gallery. I really liked the painting ‘Bowed Sunflower.’ I had just left Qilin Video and was feeling quite down, and he enlightened me, and we became friends.”

Every word Gao Cheng said was true, except for not directly stating that Jiang Ruotang was his boss.

“CEO Gao, could you tell me which gallery it was? I also really like his paintings.” Bai Yingchuan’s voice sounded calm, but with a hint of urgency that even he could detect.

“Of course. It’s Deep Blue Gallery,” Gao Cheng replied with a smile.

---

In the hallway, Sister Yu, while excited, controlled her voice and tone as she reported the meeting news to Bai Yue.

“Sister Yue, you can rest assured, Little Sweet Fruit is much more reliable than we imagined. Just from external investments, the annual dividends are substantial. Even the recently listed sports brand, Climber, you wanted Bai Yingchuan to be their spokesperson, didn’t you?”

Bai Yue listened, surprised. Sister Yu’s last sentence hit her heart.

“Sister Yue, if I may be blunt… why are you so determined to stick with Lin Chengdong? I don’t think that man can do anything practical, and he hasn’t lost you less money… Little Sweet Fruit’s future plans also include investing in movies and TV dramas. I think, if Yingchuan cooperates with them and builds a good relationship, it might even bring you some reliable resources, which is better than following Lin Chengdong!”

Bai Yue’s throat moved. A trace of unwillingness surged from the depths of her heart. She was already in decline, but Bai Yingchuan could find such reliable resources, and all her efforts for him were useless, even… self-indulgent. And now, she probably had to rely on Bai Yingchuan to escape the quagmire that was Lin Chengdong.

After hanging up the phone, Sister Yu quickly returned to the meeting room, where Bai Yingchuan was already discussing platform fees and video traffic revenue sharing with Gao Cheng and his team.

What surprised Sister Yu was that the prices Gao Cheng offered were very reasonable. Both parties hit it off, and a contract could be drawn up very soon.

Leaving Jingshang Mall, Sister Yu was still caught up in the excitement of finding a way out, but Bai Yingchuan seemed very calm. He checked the time and said, “First, drop Sister Yu off, then let’s go to Deep Blue Gallery.”

“To the gallery?” Sister Yu was a little puzzled. After all, Bai Yingchuan rarely showed interest in art.

“CEO Gao said he really liked one of the paintings there.”

“Oh, I understand—you want to buy it for him?”

Bai Yingchuan shook his head. “It’s not for sale. I just want to see what that painting looks like.”

Sister Yu smiled. “Right, you need to understand CEO Gao’s preferences so you won’t have an awkward silence when you chat next time.”

Bai Yingchuan didn’t continue. In Sister Yu’s, and even Bai Yue’s heart, it seemed everything had to be measured by profit. As for him, he simply wanted to experience Jiang Ruotang’s world.

---

When they had all left, Gao Cheng returned to his office and made a phone call to Jiang Ruotang.

At this moment, Jiang Ruotang was sitting obediently at his desk doing practice problems. Beside him was Lu Guifan, acting as his supervisor. Lu Guifan was reading a biography of Leonardo da Vinci while keeping an eye on Jiang Ruotang out of the corner of his eye.

Just then, Jiang Ruotang’s phone vibrated, and the screen displayed “Gao Cheng.” Jiang Ruotang picked up his phone and gave Lu Guifan an apologetic smile, “Master, I have to take this call.”

“Go ahead.”

The name “Gao Cheng” sounded familiar to Lu Guifan. His memory had always been excellent, and he immediately realized it was the CEO of Little Sweet Fruit. His intuition told Lu Guifan that what Jiang Ruotang was about to discuss might not be something many people should know.

Placing the biography face down on the table, Lu Guifan said calmly, “Tell me after you’re done with the call.”

Just as he was about to get up, Jiang Ruotang caught his wrist, pulled him back into the chair, and shook his head, meaning Lu Guifan should just stay there.

“Hello, Uncle Gao, how did your discussion go?”

“Very well, the fish we wanted to catch took the bait,” Gao Cheng chuckled, squeezing the crystal paperweight on his desk. “Bai Yue will definitely yearn for us. She… it’s a pity about her acting skills, she’s too short-sighted, always attracted by petty gains. If we can control Bai Yingchuan and prevent him from being Lin Chengdong’s money-making tool, Lin Chengdong will definitely be very anxious.”

Jiang Ruotang lowered his eyes and softly said, “To destroy someone, first make them crazy.”

Gao Cheng chuckled: “Then let’s wait and see how crazy Lin Chengdong gets.”

It’s worth noting that a significant reason for Gao Cheng being targeted at Qilin Video was that other executives had taken benefits from Lin Chengdong, introducing his outdated and poorly produced TV series. Gao Cheng vehemently opposed this in internal review meetings, thus becoming an enemy of Lin Chengdong. Lin Chengdong had caused a lot of discord, otherwise Gao Cheng wouldn’t have been targeted so severely.

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Ruotang realized he had been holding Lu Guifan’s hand the whole time. The other’s hand was large, slightly open on his lap, allowing Jiang Ruotang’s fingers to intertwine with his.

Jiang Ruotang’s ears were buzzing. Just as he was about to withdraw his hand, Lu Guifan held onto it, flipped it over, placed it on the paper, and quietly asked, “Continue with the questions?”

“Mm!” Jiang Ruotang nodded. He had expected Lu Guifan to ask what he talked about with Gao Cheng, but Lu Guifan didn’t seem to care.

Of course, Lu Guifan was a person who never pried into others’ secrets. He didn’t know that the moment he pulled Lu Guifan, the other person’s heart was pulled along with his body.

To Lu Guifan, everyone has secrets. For example, he had gathered that Jiang Ruotang and Gao Cheng were collaborating against Lin Chengdong. Although he didn’t know the specifics, the fact that Jiang Ruotang was willing to let him know about the existence of this secret was enough for Lu Guifan.

It was as if he himself had a secret: he liked Jiang Ruotang, and so he hoped that whatever Jiang Ruotang wanted to do, he would be able to achieve it.

---

At 4:30 PM, Deep Blue Gallery was about to close in half an hour. It was empty inside, with only Bai Yingchuan. His steps were a little anxious because he wanted to find Jiang Ruotang’s painting as quickly as possible.

Sunflower… bowed sunflower…

Jiang Ruotang was a new artist, so his paintings shouldn’t be in a prominent spot. Just as Bai Yingchuan walked past a corner, his heart felt a tug, and he backed up to his original position.

Finally, he saw the painting. The sunlight streaming in from the window seemed to carry an invisible weight, pressing down on the sunflower until it couldn’t lift its head.

Seemingly boundless and limitless in its future, wasn’t this precisely the invisible forces in the entertainment industry? Forcing him to submit, to obey, wanting to use him as a money-making tool, to be controlled like a puppet on strings. Once he struggled and resisted, they would crush him.

He, like Gao Cheng, saw himself in this painting.

Unbeknownst to him, closing time arrived, and Bai Yingchuan had to leave.

He sent a message to Jiang Ruotang: [Thanks for the introduction. I had a great chat with CEO Gao and the Little Sweet Fruit team today and reached an agreement on cooperation.]

Jiang Ruotang replied quickly. When the message popped up, Bai Yingchuan felt his heart skip a beat. But it was just a smiling emoji.

Bai Yingchuan thought Jiang Ruotang would say “Congratulations,” and he could then naturally invite him to dinner. However, with just that smiling emoji, Bai Yingchuan’s finger hovered over his phone, unable to press anything.

---

The first mock exam finally arrived. For the first subject, Chinese, Jiang Ruotang’s palms were sweating from nervousness. Before entering the exam hall, he met Lu Guifan, who was perfectly calm, a stark contrast to Jiang Ruotang.

One seemed to be attending a funeral, the other ascending to heaven.

“The first mock exam usually isn’t too difficult; its purpose is to test how well candidates have built their foundations,” Lu Guifan said.

“But my foundations aren’t very good…” Jiang Ruotang kept taking deep breaths.

Lu Guifan sighed, “The Leaning Tower of Pisa was built in 1173 and has been leaning for over eight hundred years without falling. You have to believe in yourself too.”

“Believe in myself for what?”

“For stumbling into success.”

“Are you kidding me?!”

Other candidates rushed to find their exam rooms, but Lu Guifan wasn’t in a hurry at all, just chatting with Jiang Ruotang. He stood there calmly, the morning light highlighting his refined features. Occasionally, unfamiliar classmates passing by would unconsciously glance at him twice.

“Ruotang, I’m not kidding you. Because I understand you, I know how well your foundations are built. If you don’t believe in yourself, do you not believe me either?” Lu Guifan asked calmly.

His voice was so peaceful that Jiang Ruotang’s tumultuous heart also calmed down, and the nervousness that had been stuck in his throat unconsciously subsided.

Jiang Ruotang tilted his head and asked, “Then how many points do you think I can score overall?”

“Around 520,” Lu Guifan said calmly.

Isn’t 520 “I love you” in Chinese?