He fiercely criticized the Manchu scholar clique and the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

Inside Starbucks, a melodious blues tune was playing in the background.

Upon hearing the words "ex-girlfriend," Zhao Shuyao's gaze fell on President Li's hands, which were resting on the table.

The two hands were interlaced, the thumbs rotating casually. Mr. Li leaned forward at a very slight angle. The other party was waiting, waiting for him to show embarrassment, waiting for him to show anger, or even just a hint of reminiscence.

This is the most common psychological pressure tactic at the negotiating table: throwing out a personal question unrelated to the core issue. Once the other party's emotions fluctuate, the subsequent pace will be completely controlled by the questioner.

Zhao Shuyao immediately cut off all emotional feedback loops, raised his head, and looked directly into President Li's eyes.

"I don't know." Zhao Shuyao's voice was surprisingly calm, without even changing his speaking speed. "To be precise, from the moment I posted those screenshots online, there was no relationship between us."

He picked up the coffee in front of him, bit the straw, and took a sip.

"I don't have the extra energy to learn about a stranger's life." Zhao Shuyao put down his cup, spread his hands, and showed an expression full of curiosity. "Judging from Mr. Li's tone, since you specifically brought her up on this occasion, you must know something about her recent situation?"

Zhao Shuyao leaned forward slightly, kicking the ball back in the opposite direction: "Why don't you tell me? I'm also quite curious whether your circle's information network can even cover the everyday gossip of ordinary students."

Mr. Li's prepared comforting words were abruptly cut off by this rhetorical question. Looking at Zhao Shuyao's unwavering eyes, he realized that this low-level emotional test had completely failed.

The other party not only didn't care, but even started to laugh at him.

Mr. Li nodded, his smile fading slightly, replaced by a look of regret.

"I did hear about it from a friend in the industry," Mr. Li sighed. "She was fired from the media company where she was interning a few days ago. It didn't look good, and the company was worried about attracting online criticism. As for the boyfriend she found later, I heard he cut ties with her and broke up with her."

Mr. Li shook his head, his gaze lingering on Zhao Shuyao's face: "A girl who has become completely famous in this city will probably find it very difficult to find a decent job in this industry in the future, which is a pity."

After saying this, President Li stopped what he was doing, shifted his gaze from Zhao Shuyao, and turned to Gu Nanxi sitting next to him.

He was observing.

When a young man hears about his ex's tragic end in front of his current girlfriend, he will either show magnanimity by appearing reluctant to let go, or he will show extreme indifference to distance himself from her. Both of these reactions will give him an opening to move on to the next topic.

Gu Nanxi held the paper cup in both hands, listened to President Li's words without even blinking, took a sip of the matcha latte, and then turned her gaze to the gate of Dongda University outside the window.

She used her body language to clearly convey a message: this trivial matter wasn't even worth her glancing at.

Zhao Shuyao leaned back in his chair, looking at President Li's slightly disappointed expression.

"Thank you, Mr. Li, for coming all this way to tell me this." Zhao Shuyao's lips curled into a polite smile. "This is a good piece of social news, and it can serve as a lesson for many people, right? But, what substantial connection does this have with us sitting here today?"

Zhao Shuyao raised his left hand and glanced at the time on his wrist.

"It's 3:30." Zhao Shuyao put down his hand. "President Li, everyone's time is precious. I have to go to the movies at 5 o'clock. Let's skip the unnecessary scenes and get straight to the point. What do you need me to do for you in Fengtian today?"

They directly ripped off the fig leaf.

The woman in red next to him frowned, clearly uncomfortable with this unconventional and direct communication. Just as she was about to speak, Mr. Li raised his hand to stop her.

Mr. Li sat up straight, adjusted the collar of his coat, and completely abandoned any pretentious pleasantries.

"Okay, Zhao, you're quick to speak your mind." Mr. Li's tone regained the confidence of a professional trader. "Then I won't beat around the bush. We highly value your popularity online. Your historical expertise is also recognized by the industry."

"Several film and television companies have jointly prepared a number of film and television dramas, all of which are large-scale productions. We would like to hire you as a consultant for these dramas."

Mr. Li held up one finger: "It's just a nominal appointment. You don't need to stay up all night with the crew every day. We'll send you the script, and you can give us your feedback. As for your salary, you definitely won't be shortchanged."

Zhao Shuyao listened quietly, quickly deciphering the true meaning behind those words.

consultant.

This is a common way of transferring benefits in the industry. Once he signs the contract and receives the money, his name will be tied to the show. If he tries to criticize distorted history online again, netizens will simply use the contract to expose him.

"He who takes a bribe is bound to do his bidding," and this is essentially a disguised form of hush money.

Zhao Shuyao did not refuse immediately, but needed to hear all of the other party's cards.

"Besides these dramas," Mr. Li said, seeing that Zhao Shuyao was not speaking, assuming that he was interested. He immediately added a second bargaining chip, "Next month, there will be a very high-level symposium on Asian history and culture in Europe, and our company happens to have a few nomination slots."

"This is an extremely rare opportunity for overseas academic exchange. We will cover all your travel expenses, including first-class flights and five-star hotels. Go out and see how overseas scholars study Eastern history. This will greatly benefit your graduation thesis and future academic evaluation."

All the bait was thrown out.

In 2016, fame, fortune, and an overseas degree were three things that had an overwhelming impact on an ordinary college student about to graduate.

Zhao Shuyao tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

He was considering how to refuse, but directly accusing the other party of having ill intentions would seem vulgar and uncultured.

We must use the most absurd logic to expose this seemingly glamorous facade.

Zhao Shuyao stopped what he was doing with his fingers and sighed.

"President Li," Zhao Shuyao shook his head, "the conditions you've offered do sound very tempting, but I have a major flaw: I'm very stubborn."

He looked at President Li and said, "Let's talk about film and television consulting first. It's not appropriate for a student like me who studies history every day to become a consultant for your TV series. So let's forget about it. I don't have any experience in this area either."

Mr. Li was stunned for a moment and was speechless.

"In the end, for the sake of a good plot, historical logic will be completely sacrificed, and I, as the consultant, will become nothing more than a figurehead." Zhao Shuyao spread his hands. "I haven't graduated yet, and I still have some integrity as a scholar. I can't take this job."

Zhao Shuyao didn't give the other party time to react and immediately moved on to the second topic.

"As for that overseas seminar you mentioned," Zhao Shuyao's lips curled up and he laughed, "that's even more outrageous."

"As someone who studies thousands of years of Chinese history, you want me to take a flight of more than ten hours to the other side of the ocean to discuss with a group of foreigners who can't even understand classical Chinese sentences and whose native language is English how our ancestors managed to control floods in Shuntian Prefecture?"

Zhao Shuyao leaned back on the sofa, his tone revealing an extreme sense of cultural humor.

"Mr. Li, this is like asking someone who has been planting trees in the desert for years to fly to the middle of the Pacific Ocean to explain how to catch deep-sea fish. It's so irrelevant. I went to this kind of seminar that was just a sham. I felt like my professional intelligence was insulted."

Clean and efficient.

Gu Nanxi sat beside her, holding a coffee cup, trying her best not to laugh out loud.

Mr. Li's face darkened completely as he realized that the young man in front of him didn't care at all about the worldly success theories they had constructed.

"Zhao, don't jump to conclusions so quickly." President Li leaned forward, placing his hands on the edge of the table, his eyes becoming extremely aggressive. "You haven't even found out where you're going or what organization's project you're participating in before closing the door. That's immature."

President Li stared into Zhao Shuyao's eyes and uttered a name, word by word.

"If you usually consult historical materials, you should know that there is a very famous foundation overseas that specializes in funding projects that reinterpret East Asian history."

"The person in charge of next month's project is that titan of your history field who regularly gives lectures on television. They will personally send out the invitation. Are you sure you don't want to even glance at it?"