They're already in university, and the primary school system is only just starting out?

It was lunchtime, so Chen Lin simply led Sun Yu to the cafeteria and got two meals for him on the first floor.

After finishing their meal, considering they needed to discuss business, he and Sun Yu went straight to the fourth floor, ordered two glasses of lemonade, and found the most secluded corner to sit down.

"So, you really are the one who consulted me last time about optimizing the calculation scheme..." Chen Lin picked up his cup, took a sip, and looked at Sun Yu, who was sitting upright across from him, before asking.

"Yes, yes, yes! Master, Phoenix Inoue Kyouma, that buyer was me!" Sun Yu nodded frantically, as if afraid he wouldn't believe him, while frantically rummaging through his briefcase. "You even gave me a discount for two practice questions!"

"..." Chen Lin watched as Sun Yu pushed his ID card, the engineering design institute's employee ID, and even a printed high-speed rail ticket all in front of him, and his eyes twitched involuntarily.

Now he was completely convinced.

If you ask Chen Lin whether he regrets rejecting the other party's suggestion to meet in person, what is the answer?

He has no regrets whatsoever.

Caution was his first guiding principle after he acquired the system.

Even if this decision might cause him to miss out on a major investor, protecting his own and the system's secrets is always the top priority when the situation is unclear.

However, the other party has now come knocking on our door, and judging from their humble yet anxious appearance, they certainly don't seem to have any malicious intent.

Moreover, according to Sun Yu's intermittent account, this guy wandered around Yannan University like a headless fly for three whole days in order to find him. In the end, he only recognized him by his own singing voice when he accidentally saw the promotional video that Brother Wang had put up in front of the backstreet bar.

Chen Lin himself had worked part-time for over a year and could somewhat empathize with the hardships of such a job.

Forget it, let's listen to what the other party wants to do first.

Seeing Chen Lin's expression soften, Sun Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Master, it's like this, our General Manager Peng, the boss of our design institute, greatly admires your talent! I've already reported the good news of finding you to him!"

As he spoke, he deftly pulled out his phone, first adding Chen Lin on WeChat, and then sending over a WeChat contact with the nickname "Peng Yifeng".

Chen Lin sent a friend request to the other party, which was accepted quickly.

A few seconds later, the other party sent a voice call request.

Chen Lin answered the call and then put the phone on speakerphone.

"Is this Chen Lin? Hello, hello, this is Peng Yifeng." A steady, smiling middle-aged man's voice came from the other end of the phone, which was very pleasant to listen to.

"Hello, Mr. Peng," Chen Lin replied politely.

Peng Yifeng first exchanged a few pleasantries with him, subtly praising his mathematical talent with words full of admiration, before getting straight to the point.

"Chen, I won't beat around the bush. Our design institute is very sincere in wanting to establish a long-term cooperative relationship with you."

Chen Lin raised an eyebrow, somewhat puzzled, and asked, "President Peng, if you're just looking for a consultation, why not just place an order on Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace app)? The consultation listings I have online are hardly getting any bids."

"Hehe, Chen is a straightforward person, so I'll be frank with you too." President Peng smiled and explained, "There are two main reasons for doing this."

"First, it's for compliance and security. The time Xiao Sun contacted you online, which strictly speaking didn't comply with our company's confidentiality procedures. If we cooperate again in the future, we will have Xiao Sun stationed near Yannan University to specifically liaise with you. When a solution needs to be developed, he will bring our design institute's encrypted office computer so you can review the materials and work on-site. This is safer for both of us."

"Secondly, it's about efficiency. Our design institute sometimes takes on very urgent projects, such as requiring a final design within three days. If your schedule is full by then, we hope to have an option to expedite the process at a higher price. Of course, this price will definitely satisfy you."

Chen Lin listened quietly, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table.

He had to admit that this Mr. Peng was indeed a shrewd and meticulous businessman.

The two points he raised almost perfectly resolved all of Chen Lin's previous concerns, and also offered a suggestion that he could not refuse.

Pay extra for expedited service.

Isn't this the perfect plan he was thinking about last night before going to bed—how to increase the scale and profit of his consulting business?

It's really nice to have someone bring you a pillow when you're sleepy.

Chen Lin was secretly pleased, but he remained calm and said, "President Peng, cooperation is possible. But I have one condition: you must keep my personal information, including my school, major, and year of study, strictly confidential."

"No problem!" General Manager Peng's answer was decisive. "You can rest assured about that. Currently, only Xiao Sun and I know your details. The other employees who were involved in the last project only know your code name 'CL' and your amazing mathematical talent."

"Okay." Chen Lin was completely relieved. He cleared his throat and announced his prices. "Since it's a long-term cooperation, the price will be as listed on my Xianyu (a second-hand marketplace platform): 888 per hour, or 2000 for three hours. If it's urgent, it'll be 2000 per hour, or 5000 for three hours."

"Absolutely no problem!" Mr. Peng's tone was one of confident ease. "Perfect timing, we have a proposal that needs to be worked on. I heard from Xiao Sun that you're busy preparing for your final exams, so this consultation can be considered an expedited three-hour session. Xiao Sun will show you the detailed proposal materials."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Lin's phone screen lit up, and a WeChat notification sound rang out.

An orange transfer box popped up, clearly displaying the message:

Peng Yifeng transferred ¥5000.00 to you.

Chen Lin looked at that number and instantly felt extremely relieved.

Big spenders are just that simple, unpretentious, and boring!

He clicked "pay" without hesitation.

Before hanging up the voice call, President Peng seemed to suddenly remember something and gave Chen Lin a suggestion with a smile.

"By the way, Chen, forgive me for saying so much, but since you have such a high aptitude for mathematics and want to earn money without neglecting your studies, why not consider switching to the mathematics department?"

"This way, you can handle your studies very easily, maintaining your grades without having to spend extra time preparing for exams, and you can also connect with more people and organizations related to mathematics. Wouldn't that be beneficial for your business development?"