It's just The Sims, how did it become my ideal love story?

Chapter 81 Reckless Acts (Vote Requested!)

Sipping coffee, I savored the distinct bitterness and the tingling sensation of ice.

To be honest, I didn't feel anything special about the expensive price. Even if I had money, I probably wouldn't make drinking this a habit.

Yuan Shu sat opposite him and then took out a list.

"Knowing you were coming today, I specially had someone make a list of people who might meet your criteria. Take a look."

After saying that, he handed over the list.

Because there was only one copy, Gu Huai and Cai Yan had to huddle together to look at it.

Yuan Shu found the two people's actions somewhat amusing.

Of course, he didn't say it aloud, but just said to himself, "This list includes both men and women. They all have experience in live streaming and have a stable fan base. A few of them have experience in selling products, and their results are quite good. For example, Xiao Fan, Luo Yu, and Qing Yu are the ones you can pay special attention to."

The list is quite well done; at least from the perspective of the other party's status, it shows considerable sincerity.

Moreover, they all included photos, the number of fans, the number of active fans, the number of stable viewers during the broadcast, and the peak number of online viewers.

Gu Huai felt a little dizzy just looking at it.

Why is this even more confusing than watching high school courses on Bilibili? No wonder people always say that society is a big school, and there is indeed a lot to learn.

Despite his headache, Gu Huai didn't see much hope in the list.

Those with good live streaming data, experience and achievements in selling products, charge high prices and have a high profile.

The more affordable options seem to have less reliable data, creating a recurring dilemma.

The selection process was more difficult than Gu Huai had anticipated, as it might be his only chance. If he chose the wrong person and caused a negative outcome, the company and Minister Qian would likely no longer take him seriously.

Whether Zhong Xinyang will laugh at him or not is irrelevant. The key point is that if a person has never seen the light or gained hope, he will not be filled with immense fear about returning to the abyss.

Nobody wants to give up halfway after finally reaching the summit. Gu Huai certainly didn't want that either.

So I used to convince myself to be a person with very low material needs, so that I wouldn't have unnecessary desires and wouldn't try to achieve things through hope, only to suffer a painful blow in the end.

However, the current situation seems to be showing some signs. Although the list is still visible, an invisible pressure has already begun to engulf and surround them without their knowledge.

Cai Yan was so focused on watching that she didn't realize their heads were getting closer and closer until they lightly touched.

The two of them then realized what was happening and looked up at the same time to see each other standing right in front of them.

The unexpected eye contact made them both seem a little awkward, and they immediately pulled away.

Seeing this, Yuan Shu looked around and then said softly.

"Excuse me for interrupting, are you two dating?"

"no!"

"How can it be!"

They denied it at the same time, although the content was not the same, the timing was quite tacit.

Yuan Shu smiled and said, "Oh, maybe I misunderstood. But to be honest, looking at you two, I thought you were two high school students dating."

"Brother Yuan, don't joke around."

Cai Yan awkwardly tidied her hair, while Gu Huai took a sip of his coffee.

Yuan Shu asked, "You two have also looked at the list, do you have any thoughts?"

Cai Yan glanced at it and said, "The people at Brother Yuan's company are indeed all talented elites, but the price isn't cheap."

Yuan Shu shrugged. "I told you from the beginning that this is how the market is. If it were two years earlier, this number would have been even more outrageous. This is the result of the market downturn leading to price reductions, and then giving you a friendly price. It really can't go much lower."

Cai Yan glanced at Gu Huai, clearly unsure of what to do as well.

Gu Huai remained silent, as still as a stagnant pool.

She knew she couldn't count on this man at this point. Even though his condition had improved recently, she couldn't expect him to suddenly become a completely different person. Was things really moving too fast for him?
As she was thinking, she was finding it hard to contain her disappointment.

Suddenly I heard a sound from the side.

"Mr. Yuan, may we find a place to discuss this and get back to you later?" "Of course, please go ahead."

Yuan Shu smiled.

Gu Huai stood up and glanced at Cai Yan, who was still somewhat dazed.

"Let's go, let's discuss this."

Gu Huai's expression was different at this moment; he appeared unusually calm, rather than the familiar dejected look.

This seemed to give Cai Yan some kind of power, and she nodded as she stood up with the other person.

The two left the office and, without looking for anything special, went straight to the emergency exit.

The quiet hallway was a little dusty and not very clean.

"Do you have any idea?"

Cai Yan crossed her arms and looked at Gu Huai. Even though her expression remained as cold as ever, the worry in her eyes was undeniable.

Gu Huai reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette.

"May I have a cigarette?"

Cai Yan looked at him and said, "Smoking won't solve the problem."

Gu Huai nodded. "I know, but you always have to find a way to deal with pressure. Some people eat something, some people like to drink something, I'll just smoke a cigarette."

Cai Yan hesitated for a moment but nodded, though she still advised, "Smoking is bad for your health, you should quit if possible."

"Yeah, I'll try my best."

Who wouldn't want to quit smoking if they could? It's just that when faced with stress and anxiety in life and work, there aren't many ways to relieve it. Smoking becomes a simple and effective way, much like how some people turn to alcohol when they're troubled.

Everyone understands what constitutes a healthy life, but the problem is that not everyone can simply live a healthy life.

Gu Huai lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of smoke. Through the hazy mist, he spoke in a low voice.

"Team Leader Cai, are you also worried that this matter won't be handled well?"

Cai Yan nodded without much thought. "Of course, if you don't do a good job on Minister Qian's task, it will affect not only you, but also the status of the entire second group."

Gu Huai nodded, "I thought so too. But I don't have as many concerns as you, Team Leader Cai. I'm only thinking about myself."

"What do you mean?"

Cai Yan did not understand the meaning behind the man's words at this moment.

Gu Huai looked at Cai Yan with a self-deprecating smile.

It was that familiar look of someone immersed in suffering, unwilling to struggle, a look she didn't like.

"It's very simple. I used to think about the serious consequences of everything. For example, what would I do if I didn't do well on a test? Would my life be a failure because of it? I would think, what would happen if I easily agreed to something and then didn't do it well? Would I seriously disappoint the other person and cause us to never speak to each other again?"

"It's funny, isn't it? It sounds a bit like paranoia, right? But that's what I think. So I used to prefer doing nothing rather than trying to see what would happen if I made a mistake. That's why I've ended up living this miserable life."

Cai Yan sighed softly, "It's not that serious."

Gu Huai shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm not saying this to comfort you at this time. I'm telling you that I'm not so afraid of bad outcomes anymore."

"Ok?"

Gu Huai took a big puff.

He still couldn't taste what nicotine tasted like. What was so intoxicating about cigarettes? He never thought so.

Maybe it's so I can show off a bit? Well, actually, handsome people look handsome no matter what they do, while unattractive people look pathetic no matter what they do.

After exhaling the smoke, he looked clearly at Cai Yan.

"So if I could disregard the consequences, do you think I should take the gamble?"

……

(End of this chapter)