"I've read President Song's email," Xiao Yu's voice was low and unhurried.
Overwhelmed, Song Quanxing exclaimed, "That's fantastic, Professor Xiao, do you have any advice for me?"
He rubbed his hands together, "Everyone says Professor Xiao can turn stone into gold, I'll surely be convinced!"
Xiao Yu did not immediately respond.
He was in the middle of choosing a piece of beef flavored with the taste of the Capital, meticulously picking out the coriander on top.
Sheng Shushu's gaze steadied; she was fond of this dish, but if her memory served her right, in her previous life, he shared her taste; whatever she ate, he ate too.
Had she ever heard him say he didn't eat coriander?
"Professor Xiao?" Song Quanxing saw him as a foodie.
Engrossed in eating, he might not have heard, so Song repeated himself.
Xiao Yu chewed on the dish, his eyebrows slightly furrowing—perhaps not too fond of it, but he ate it nonetheless.
"Turning stone into gold." He looked at Song Quanxing, "It has to be the right stone."
Spoken with a calm tone, yet sharp and cutting.
As if to say that the other was not even a stone.
Song Quanxing was stunned but didn't quite understand, sensing only that Xiao Yu seemed reluctant.
Sheng Shushu was not surprised; Xiao Yu could be both gentle and harsh, his criticism cutting deep.
Song Quanxing thought it was a matter of compensation and hastily added, "Remuneration isn't an issue."
Sheng Shushu sighed inwardly; they really didn't understand Xiao Yu. When had he ever cared about money when making strategic proposals or evaluations for businesses?
What he sought was to build a solid and high-quality network within the business community, helping him to ascend the throne of the Xiao Family effortlessly.
Xiao Yu had looked at the email for a month without a response, which in itself was telling: either there was no hope, or he did not like the person.
Caught in her thoughts, Sheng Shushu did not realize she was staring at Xiao Yu.
Xiao Yu looked up and met her eyes.
Caught off guard, she lowered her head.
Xiao Yu's expression remained calm, and his gaze shifted smoothly to Song Quanxing without a ripple, "Huanyu's situation isn't beyond saving."
Song Quanxing breathed a sigh of relief.
His company, which had been established for less than a decade, had hit a bottleneck after the initial boom. If it went under, he would face debts of hundreds of millions; distress had led him to seek out Xiao Yu.
"Back to basics, conduct a SWOT analysis, list each item clearly, and then explore new paths," Xiao Yu said succinctly, yet his words were clear enough.
Song Quanxing sat up straight like a student but then frowned, "SWOT... analysis?"
Sheng Shushu almost laughed.
Even she, who was far from an expert, knew this was a fundamental concept.
She thought, no wonder Xiao Yu was reluctant to help him—was this the behavior of a nouveau riche who, after making his fortune, was too lazy to improve himself and just enjoyed the spoils? No surprise his company was on a downhill path.
"Forget the remuneration," Xiao Yu said firmly, "A friend of a relative is also a friend."
That meant he was doing it as a favor.
Song Quanxing was thrilled and toasted to Xiao Yu.
After putting down the glass, Xiao Yu finally directed his second sentence to her,
"Where's the material?"
Her father jumped in, "Not in the bag? It's in the car, go get it, and on the way, give your uncle a ride."
Sheng Shushu frowned, "Wasn't I told not to drive?"
Her father smiled, "Then let your uncle drive."
Sheng Shushu was speechless; making the guest drive themselves, then who was giving whom a ride?
Sheng Huannian didn't care about such details; in his view, his daughter marrying Xiao Qingzhou was only the first step. The real victory was for her to enter the Xiao Family's old house as the wife of the eldest grandson.
For that, she needed to win the favor of the Xiao Family elders, and Xiao Yu was the primary target.
Although he was a bastard child, he nevertheless was highly sought after in the Capital Circle, respected yet feared by the elder Xiao, who had even made exceptions for him.
Sheng Shushu walked with Xiao Yu to the car.
The materials were indeed in the bag, and she handed them directly to him—coming outside was an excuse to avoid staying in the private room.
"My leg hurts; I can't drive, not giving you a ride."
Xiao Yu glanced down but did not take them.
Compared to the persistence of the past month, she had been energy-less the last two days.
"I'll take you to the hospital," his voice was steady and assertive, not a question.
"No need."
Her knee genuinely hurt, and the scab had not yet dried.
But she did not want to become more entangled with him.
She stuffed the materials into his hand, "I'll be leaving then."
"Sheng Shushu," he called after her.
She closed her eyes briefly, then turned around, as composed as possible, "Professor Xiao, is there anything else?"
The car stopped by the roadside, the light slightly dim.
Xiao Yu's gaze rested on her delicate face.
"Talk?"
Sheng Shushu of course understood his meaning.
She turned back.
"I'm sorry, Professor Xiao, last night was entirely my fault, and I apologize to you! But what's done is done, and, strictly speaking, you didn't suffer a loss, so I won't speak of this to anyone. Let's both pretend this never happened."
She spoke at length on her own before she finally took a light breath, "Is that okay?"
Xiao Yu was looking down at her intently.
It was evident that she had organized her thoughts for a long time and could recite them fluently.
After a long pause.
"You've thought it through," he said, his thin lips barely moving.
"A girl has only one first time, no matter the cause, as a man, I should take half the responsibility..."
"That's not necessary," Sheng Shushu cut him off directly.
Had he always thought like this in his previous life?
It was just out of a sense of responsibility.
It was she who had felt too much, truly believing she had moved him.
Then, Sheng Shushu heard his sudden remark, "Is this your method to win him back?"
His pair of eyes, cold as she knew, darker than the night.
Like they contained hidden waves.
Sheng Shushu didn't react at first.
Two seconds later, she understood, he thought she was flirting with him as a way to stimulate Xiao Qingzhou, the prodigal, to turn back?
Sheng Shushu's brain was spinning fast.
If she answered like this, would he not pursue the matter further and not get involved since it would surely hurt her pride?
For someone as esteemed as he, to be used by her as a toy to agitate Xiao Qingzhou, he would surely not want to see her ever again.
"Yes," she answered firmly.
Xiao Yu's eyes darkened a shade.
He casually tossed the documents onto the car roof and tucked his hands into his pockets.
Looking at her.
"Xiao Qingzhou must be so good that you are willing to sacrifice your most precious thing," he said, his tone devoid of warmth, the question sounding like an accusation.
Sheng Shushu's heart suddenly tightened.
Knowing Xiao Yu as she did, the fact that he had his hands in his pockets meant he was very displeased, or irritated, at the moment.
He was restraining himself.
Sheng Shushu swallowed and thought to herself, if Xiao Qingzhou doesn't turn back, I can't keep carrying on with you like this, right?
She paced her speech evenly as she fabricated her tale, "It's because I love him too much, so in my panic, I offended you, I'm sorry."
Xiao Yu seemed to snort coldly, "Why not continue to offend then?"
"Because he won't turn back. Provoking you further is a waste of my time, and I don't want you to hate me," she said, half-truthfully.
Xiao Yu, however, was listening intently, always staring at her face.
"I do not hate people easily," he said, his tone cold and dark.
Sheng Shushu felt pained after hearing that.
He didn't easily hate people, but had she become that one so readily?
"If you don't hate me, that's the best," Sheng Shushu tried to maintain a faint smile, "Shall we turn the page on this?"
Her eagerness to clear the air was so apparent, how could Xiao Yu not see it?
Therefore, his chiseled face visibly turned dark.
"You've been bothering me for so long, just slept together and you say turn the page just like that?"
Sheng Shushu frowned.
The last thing she expected was for Xiao Yu to hold onto this matter.
Of course, a god defiled by a mortal must have some temper.
What to do then?
A thought flashed through her mind.
She looked at him unabashedly and threw a wild counter, "If Professor Xiao is unwilling to let it go, are you bothered because I played you, or..."
"Do you want me to keep clinging to you?"
"You couldn't possibly have fallen for me?"