I really don't want to date a girl addicted to the internet!

"Miss Gu, please let me go, or perhaps you could take me and your father out for a meal sometime." The young man said earnestly.

"Wow, you want to meet my parents before we're even together? Don't I have any dignity?"

"So you have influence, huh..."

"What did you say?"

"I told you to remember to contact me if anything comes up, so I'll take my leave now." The boy said and left decisively.

"What's this 'message in a bottle' app?" The girl stood there stunned for a moment, then feigned anger, "Cheng Fei, are you kidding me? Don't come begging to me next time you need something!"

Not far away, Lin Xuanqi watched the boy chatting with the girl, her hands clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palms.

The girl parted ways with the boy and continued walking. As she passed Lin Xuanqi, she pursed her lips but did not stop.

……

Cheng Fei climbed onto the rooftop and entered the club activity room, where a cool, aloof girl with long, dark hair was already sitting upright in a steel-framed chair, reading a book.

"Good afternoon, Teacher Shen." Even though they had only parted not long ago, the boy still greeted her in a very serious manner.

"Good afternoon, Cheng Fei." Shen Xi lowered her eyes.

"The new profile picture is cute," the boy said casually as he sat down and expanded his domain.

"Shut up." The girl frowned slightly, not even raising her head. "It's been too long since I changed my profile picture, I just happened to want to change it."

"Yes, yes, yes, there's absolutely no intention to respond to me." The boy opened the book and nodded perfunctorily.

The girl kicked him and said coldly and unhappily, "Nonsense, how could I not be responding to you?"

The boy looked at her, surprised and uncertain. "Teacher Shen, you're so rebellious all the time. If you say you like me, I deny it. If you say you hate me, I deny it too. Is it Lenz's law, that you reject what comes and leave what goes?"

"This Cheng Feiyu either makes disgusting and absurd remarks, or he pretends to fawn over me, so I have to painstakingly correct him every time." The girl gritted her teeth and glared at him, a little annoyed.

The boy opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

Just as the two were getting into another meaningless conversation, the door to the club activity room was pushed open.

The haughty girl with reddened eyes met their gazes, walked in without a word, glanced at the sofa next to her but didn't sit down, and came to the seat next to Shen Xi, facing Cheng Fei, which was usually occupied by Nagasaki Asuna. She pulled out a steel pipe chair and sat down, staring at the table expressionlessly.

The room fell into an eerie silence.

Shen Xi's expression turned cold and she said without any politeness, "You are not welcome here. Please leave."

"I'm in this club too, why should I leave?" Lin Xuanqi didn't even look at her, keeping her eyes down and her mind at ease.

Shen Xi took a deep breath and raised her chin. "As the department head, I hereby officially inform you that you are being dismissed from the Corridor Research Department."

Lin Xuanqi's eyes flickered, and she turned her face away, forcing a half-smile, "I didn't do anything, is it appropriate for you to fire me like this?"

"Excuse me, everything in the Corridor Research Department is decided by me." Shen Xi sneered. "Vice Minister, please ask her to leave."

Lin Xuanqi looked at the boy opposite her, her eyes showing a hint of despair, yet she stared at him with a stubbornness.

Cheng Fei sighed softly.

Just as the boy was about to speak, new footsteps and voices came from outside the door.

The door was pushed open, and Nagasaki Asuna, Ye Shuang, Zhou Han, and Ruan Jingyi walked in together.

"Um, we came early because we saw the message in the group chat?" Nagasaki Asuna said, tilting her head and blinking as she looked at the scene in front of her.

Zhou Han, who was happily chatting with her best friend, suddenly changed her expression and quickly shut her mouth.

When Ye Shuang saw Lin Xuanqi, her relaxed expression instantly turned into panic. She twisted her hands together like a student caught playing games in an internet cafe by a teacher, her gaze shifting back and forth as if she wished she could evaporate on the spot.

After a brief silence, Shen Xi ignored the four people on the other end and raised her voice, emphasizing, "Cheng Fei, please ask this expelled person to leave."

Lin Xuanqi gritted her teeth and remained seated on the steel tube chair.

"Miss Lin, why bother?" The young man looked at her, his calm expression neither cold nor anything else.

"Expelled?" Ye Shuang, who had been listening intently, was taken aback. She quickly stepped forward, looked around, and frowned slightly. "Wait, why are you expelling Miss?"

"No reason, I just don't want to see her, is there a problem?" Shen Xi raised her head and looked directly at her.

The obedient goddess grew increasingly uneasy. First, she bit her lip and lowered her head, as if struggling with something. Then, she took a deep breath, raised her head, and said in a clear voice, "I disagree!"

Lin Xuanqi remained seated, not looking at her, and frowned.

Zhou Han and Ruan Jingyi exchanged a glance and remained silent.

Asuna Nagasaki casually picked up a steel pipe chair, pulled it out, and sat down, resting her chin on her hand as she looked out the window.

"You have no right to disagree; this is my decision as minister," Shen Xi said, her tone unchanged.

"But..." Ye Shuang opened her mouth, looking pleadingly at the boy beside her. She found him engrossed in his book, seemingly unconcerned. She quickly thought for a moment, her voice strained yet filled with determination, "But your affair with Miss is a private matter. Expelling someone should at least... at least require a vote, right?"

“Okay, let’s vote now on the decision to expel this person. Let’s vote by raising our hands.” Shen Xi said, raising her hand without hesitation.

Ye Shuang hurriedly looked at Nagasaki Asuna, her eyes pleading.

The sweet-looking girl met her gaze, then glanced at Cheng Fei and Shen Xi, hesitated for a moment, and gave her an apologetic smile, "Shall I abstain?"

The obedient girl looked at Zhou Han and Ruan Jingyi again, her eyes slightly red, looking pitiful.

“I’m abstaining too!” Zhou Han said decisively.

"Abstain," Ruan Jingyi said softly.

All eyes were drawn to the boy who was engrossed in reading.

Cheng Fei casually raised his hand, "I agree."

"Two votes to one, the decision to expel him is passed." Shen Xi looked at Ye Shuang coldly.

"You scumbag, if you agree... I'll quit the department with Miss, and I'll never talk to you again!" The innocent girl glared at the boy, her voice trembling with tears.

Cheng Fei was stunned for a moment, then looked up at her.

Lin Xuanqi clenched her fists tightly.

In a silent standoff, the atmosphere in the club activity room froze.

After a few seconds, the boy, who was being stared at intently by the obedient girl, shook his head. "Then I'll abstain too."

Ye Shuang sniffed and looked at Shen Xi again.

The aloof girl's eyes flickered, and she spoke with displeasure, "Tsk, then let's leave it as it is for now."

The obedient girl paused for a moment, then relaxed her tense body and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Lin Xuanqi suddenly stood up, let out a soft breath, and said with an expression that was neither sad nor happy, "Forget it, I'd better resign from the department."

"Miss...?" Ye Shuang's pupils contracted.

The arrogant girl ignored her and stood up, her condescending gaze sweeping over Shen Xi before turning to the young man beside her and whispering, "Cheng Fei, let me remind you, RealTech's remaining funds won't last until the end of its Series A funding round."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Xuanqi raised her chin, turned around, and walked away from the club activity room without looking back.

901. Cheng Fei returns to the club's online activities

The club activity has ended.

The sharply angled Lamborghini departed from Yinghua amidst the farewell gazes of the Yinghua students.

"Ruan Jingyi, see, I told you so, there's something fishy going on between Cheng Fei and Ye Shuang." Zhou Han, arm in arm with her best friend, watched the taillights of the white supercar disappear into the distance, her hand rubbing her chin, her round eyes slightly narrowed.

"Hmm?" The quiet girl turned her head expressionlessly.

"Can't you see? The way Ye Shuang spoke just now was clearly her way of acting cute!" The petite girl held up a finger, looking completely certain.

"Acting coquettishly?" Ruan Jingyi tilted her head.

Zhou Han paused for a moment, "Uh, maybe 'acting cute' isn't quite the right word. Anyway, it's definitely because their relationship is unusual that they used that kind of threatening method!"

“Mm.” This time, Ruan Jingyi nodded, her tone becoming affirmative.

"However, it's hard to say exactly what the situation will be. Let's continue to observe." The petite girl looked full of enthusiasm.

"Mmm." The quiet girl nodded again.

While the two were having this conversation, on the other side, Shen Xi and Nagasaki Asuna sat side by side on the back seats of the bus.

"Shen Xi is really heartless, expelling Lin just like that?" The sweet girl pondered nonchalantly.

"She brought this humiliation upon herself; it has nothing to do with me." The aloof young woman gazed out the window.

Nagasaki Asuna looked at her indifferent profile and smiled.

"Don't stare at me with that disgusting look. Just say what you want to say, you vixen." Shen Xi glanced at the other woman out of the corner of her eye, her brows furrowing slightly.

"I just feel that my older sister is as heartless as ever." The sweet girl tapped her chin with her fingertip, a look of reminiscence on her face, and sighed softly. "What should Lin do to get forgiveness?"

The aloof girl grew increasingly disgusted. "You vixen, do you think you're free to stand by and watch now that I've forgiven you?"

"Hey, haven't you forgiven her yet?" The sweet girl leaned closer, her clear, bright eyes reflecting her delicate and pretty face.

"Excuse me, but I will never forget your shameless behavior. Also, don't call me that; it's really disgusting." The aloof girl leaned back slightly to create some distance between them and glared at her without any politeness.

"It seems you haven't completely forgiven her yet?" Nagasaki Asuna stared at her, looking as if she were seriously investigating an academic issue.

Shen Xi opened her mouth.

"Looks like I need to keep increasing my favorability..." the sweet girl muttered to herself, then suddenly threw herself at the other girl in a bear hug. "Please forgive me, big sister!"

"You vixen! What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" The aloof girl was caught off guard and cornered, unable to break free.

"Hehehe~ Has your affection level increased?"

"Nagasaki Asuna, you'd better stop now!"

In the back of a bus at dusk, the two of them suddenly started fighting (or rather, wrestling) together.

……

A convoy of black luxury cars drove into the secluded estate in South Bay.

Lin Xuanqi got out of the car alone, walked into her palatial villa with a blank expression, ignored the maid who greeted her, and went straight upstairs.

As the arrogant young woman walked into the suite, she took out her phone and dialed her secretary's number, which was quickly answered.

"Director?"

"Keep an eye on RealTech's Series A funding round for me, and report back to me immediately if there are any developments."

"clear."

Lin Xuanqi hung up the phone, tossed it aside, took out a lollipop from her pocket, tore it open, put it in her mouth, went to the balcony, and stared into the distance with slightly narrowed eyes, lost in thought.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Academy City.

A middle-aged man, looking slightly haggard, entered the quiet teahouse and was led by a waiter to a private room deep inside.

Two tall men in black stood at the door and opened it for the middle-aged man.

Yuan Shijie sat alone behind the rosewood-carved tea table. When he saw the middle-aged man arrive, he gestured for the seat in front of him and put on a warm smile on his roguish face. "You've finally arrived, Manager Zhang. Please have a seat."

"Mr. Yuan." The middle-aged man bowed slightly as he sat down, a complex expression on his face. "I'm no longer the manager."

“In my opinion, you still are. I’ve heard about what happened with the Lin family. To be honest, it’s really not fair of them to push you out as a scapegoat at a time like this.” Yuan Shijie smacked his lips and poured him some tea.

"Thank you." The middle-aged man accepted the tea with both hands, expressing his gratitude.

He served as the risk control manager in Lin's risk management department, and he was held responsible for the recent losses in the investment department due to his misconduct.

Although everyone around him knew that this matter had nothing to do with him, Lin Xuanqi, as the director of the investment department, always did whatever she wanted. It was common knowledge that her strategies were above risk control regulations. Anyone who went against her could not stay at Lin's. But when something went wrong, someone had to step forward, and that person could not be Lin Xuanqi, so it became him.

“I don’t like beating around the bush, so let’s just get straight to the point.” Yuan Shijie rubbed his chin. “You know I’m a director of Academy City now. In the past, some business was tacitly taken by the Lin family. Now I want to fight for it, so I need to find people I know.”

"What does Mr. Yuan mean?" the middle-aged man asked cautiously.

“Zhenyuan Group’s investment department is short-staffed for risk control. You can come and join us. Your position will remain the same, but your salary will be doubled.” Yuan Shijie said casually, “I just need you to help me out a bit.”

"What kind of help?" The middle-aged man's expression hardened.

“I bet there are people in the Lin family who don’t like this kind of style. You’ve worked at the Lin family for so many years and you’re quite familiar with it. Please tell them privately that our Zhenyuan Group values ​​talent and offers excellent benefits. Do you understand?” Yuan Shijie looked at him and smiled.

“This…” The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath and nodded, “I understand, no problem.”

"Very good, then come to work tomorrow." Yuan Shijie smiled with satisfaction and patted him on the shoulder.