In order to promote the corporate culture of "fairness and equality", the Internet company where Lin Zeqiu works requires every employee to give himself an English name. Colleagues use English names as pseudonyms and avoid honorific titles such as "Mr. X" and "Manager X".
Lin Zeqiu was chased by his former classmates and called "Brother Qiu", which attracted the attention of his colleagues. Lin Zeqiu was inevitably a little disgusted and asked coldly: "What do you have to say? Can't you finish it here?"
The classmate said hurriedly: "Your sister is a celebrity in our middle school. Her name is in the alumni archives of the Provincial No. 1 Middle School..."
Lin Zeqiu put the plate on the table, and the stainless steel cutlery made a soft "bang" sound. He sat down and ate two mouthfuls of food before asking, "Do you want to meet my sister?"
The classmate admitted shyly: "Let's make friends."
Lin Zeqiu said, "She is very busy. If you don't have anything important to do, don't look for her."
Lin Zeqiu's attitude was so cold and hard, but the classmate did not lose heart. He thought for a while and then spoke his mind. It turned out that he had a cousin named Meng Liansi, who had just turned 30 and worked at the best university in the provincial capital. She was a lecturer in theoretical physics and had not yet been promoted to associate professor.
Lin Zeqiu thought that the classmate was going to talk about career development, but unexpectedly, the classmate said that his cousin was in her thirties and still hadn't fallen in love, and her family was very anxious. Therefore, he wanted to introduce his cousin to Lin Zeqiu, and then introduce himself to Lin Zhixia. The elder sister matches the elder brother, and the younger sister matches the younger brother. It would be a perfect match, a perfect marriage and a perfect happiness. Isn't it a beautiful thing
Lin Zeqiu thought to himself: Get lost.
He put on a stern face and said, "Just write your code and don't think about those extra things."
The classmate still didn't give up: "My sister is pretty, mature and has a high degree and a high professional title..."
Lin Zeqiu sneered: "Okay, take care of yourself. My sister has a boyfriend, don't mention it to me anymore. You and I are in different classes in middle school, you don't know who I am. I'm in the rising stage of my career, and I don't want to hold up other girls."
Lin Zeqiu's last words blocked all the roads. The high school classmate walked away embarrassedly, while Lin Zeqiu was still eating. The beef rice bowl tasted fresh and tender, and each grain of rice was soaked with a little bit of soup. Lin Zeqiu was in a good mood after finishing the bowl of rice. He worked hard all afternoon, and after get off work in the evening, he bought a box of strawberries at a nearby fruit store, and then took the company bus home.
Lin Zeqiu never expected that Lin Zhixia didn't come home tonight.
Lin Zhixia called her mother. She said with reason: "I want to set up a quantum technology laboratory. Jiang Yubai has prepared a business plan. I want to discuss business cooperation with Jiang Yubai. Mom, I won't go home tonight..."
Mom turned on the speakerphone. Lin Zeqiu heard Lin Zhixia's voice and asked her directly: "Will you come back tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow morning," Lin Zhixia said, "Jiang Yubai will take me home."
Lin Zeqiu didn't say anything else.
Mom repeatedly told Lin Zhixia to be careful, and Lin Zhixia heard a hint of hidden meaning.
During the year that Lin Zhixia worked in the United States, Jiang Yubai often visited Lin Zhixia's home. He never came empty-handed, always bringing various gifts. However, Lin Zhixia felt that her mother still did not trust Jiang Yubai.
After hanging up the phone, Lin Zhixia was thoughtful.
Jiang Yubai and Lin Zhixia sat in a restaurant, where a white marble dining table blended into the floor. The cost of this table was at least five figures. Lin Zhixia gently patted the cold tabletop and said with emotion: "Human society has developed for so many years, why do we still use currency to exchange goods and services?"
Jiang Yubai peeled a huge lobster for her: "Reputation is more valuable than currency."
Lin Zhixia stared at him for a moment: "When you say reputation, do you mean fame, traffic, achievements... or something like that?"
Jiang Yubai took out a wet towel to wipe his hands, and then discussed with Lin Zhixia the "cause of the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis", from "market confidence" to "Lehman Brothers' bad debts". Finally, he changed the subject and said directly: "From the perspective of reputation, you are richer than me."
Lin Zhixia roughly understood what Jiang Yubai meant.
Financial institutions allowed a group of people who were not eligible for loans to successfully borrow money to buy houses - this was one of the causes of the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis. Later, the confidence of the entire market collapsed, leading to the bursting of the real estate bubble and the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers. Lehman Brothers is an investment bank and an international financial institution. Jiang Yubai also has an investment company under his name. He cited Lehman Brothers as a lesson, but he could not avoid the business risks caused by "market confidence". In contrast, Lin Zhixia's reputation was all determined and earned by herself, and her academic resume is the best self-proof.
Lin Zhixia tasted a piece of lobster meat and then said, "You always praise me in a roundabout way."
Jiang Yubai poured her a small glass of strawberry wine: "I'm just telling the truth."
Lin Zhixia picked up the cup and took a sip. Her lips were stained with wine, and they looked red and tempting. She really liked the taste of strawberry wine, which was sour and sweet, mixed with the aroma of wine and strawberries. It was really delicious. She couldn't help but pick up the bottle and took a big sip in one go. Jiang Yubai immediately stopped her: "Don't drink like that, you can't drink."
"It's OK," Lin Zhixia said, "I won't get dizzy no matter how much I drink."
Jiang Yubai raised a questioning voice: "Really?"
Lin Zhixia dragged a chair closer to him: "Really, you believe me."
She stared at him quietly, her eyes bright and expectant.
Jiang Yubai felt inexplicably dry in the mouth. He took Lin Zhixia's wine glass, borrowed her cup and drank a sip of wine, then leaned over and whispered a few words in her ear. The strawberry-flavored wine continued to spread, and she became more shy: "You..."
Jiang Yubai kissed her red ears: "What about me?"
Lin Zhixia did not answer.
She stood up from her seat and ran away quickly.
She accidentally ran into Jiang Yubai's bedroom, and Jiang Yubai followed her in and locked the door. She suddenly felt very excited, because Jiang Yubai often obeyed her and let her do whatever she wanted. It was rare to see a situation like tonight, and she loved to pursue new experiences the most in her life. She laughed softly, kicked off her slippers, walked barefoot on the floor, and disappeared at the bathroom door.
Jiang Yubai paused.
Lin Zhixia held onto the door frame, revealing only half of her face: "Come in quickly."
Her voice was charming and seductive, with an upward ending, just like the water monster in medieval legends, luring passers-by to approach the water source.
Jiang Yubai was still able to maintain sufficient patience. After all, he had long been accustomed to endurance. He turned off his cell phone, made sure the door was locked, turned on the doorbell's do not disturb mode, and finally turned off the bedroom light. He walked into the bathroom in the dark and fell into the bright world of surging water waves.
In the dead of night, Jiang Yubai carried Lin Zhixia back to bed. They were like a newlywed couple on their honeymoon, inseparable. Lin Zhixia was sleepy and tired, but very excited, and couldn't fall asleep. She recalled last night and tonight in her mind, and couldn't help but secretly make a comparison. Her sensory memory revived again, and it seemed that a raging wildfire burned from her heart to her ears in the darkness.
Jiang Yubai felt that her whole body was hot, and asked hurriedly: "Are you feeling unwell?"
Lin Zhixia seemed to have done something bad and was discovered. She explained with a lack of confidence: "I'm not feeling uncomfortable."
Jiang Yubai questioned her several times, but she couldn't find a suitable excuse, so she just broke down and told the truth. As soon as she finished, she immediately hid under the quilt, but was caught by Jiang Yubai again. He hugged her in a disheveled state, kissed her cheek, and called her "Xia Xia" repeatedly. When the love was strong, he restrained himself and whispered softly to coax her to sleep.
Jiang Yubai's embrace was extremely reliable. Lin Zhixia became more and more relaxed. She yawned: "I really want to sleep."
"Go to sleep," he said, "I'll sleep with you."
Lin Zhixia's consciousness was a little confused: "I still want to hear your story..."
Jiang Yubai was very interested: "What's the story?"
Lin Zhixia’s voice was even lighter, and her tone was unclear: “The adult version of “Exploring the Universe”.”
Jiang Yubai smelled the light fragrance of her hair and murmured to himself: "Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai landed on a strange planet. There are only the two of them here..."
"For the sake of human reproduction," Lin Zhixia replied in a half-asleep state, "Lin Zhixia decided that she and Jiang Yubai..."
What do you want to do with Jiang Yubai
Jiang Yubai waited for Lin Zhixia to describe in detail the history of human reproduction on the strange planet, but he waited for a long time and Lin Zhixia didn't say another word. He completely gave up the adult version of the story of "Exploring the Universe". He hugged her closer, kissed her cheek again, and gradually fell asleep.
The next morning, Jiang Yubai drove Lin Zhixia home.
Lin Zhixia said goodbye to him at the gate of Ancheng Community, and he took a detour to go to work at the company. His work efficiency was higher than usual, and he processed documents much faster. Even if he found that the annual performance of a subsidiary was terrible, he was not upset at all. When he was chatting with his elders at home via video at noon, he mentioned the company in passing, and his grandfather told him: "The new company was set up last year, and it was only handed over to you this year. Losses are common, but it doesn't matter. Just do things your way."
Jiang Yubai took out a document and turned the topic to the "Quantum Technology Laboratory". His team had already drafted a contract, and he signed his name on it. His grandfather reminded him again: "Invest in new industries, take it easy."
Jiang Yubai declared: "I will be responsible for my own profits and losses."
He has great faith in Lin Zhixia's abilities.
Lin Zhixia has not yet received the official appointment documents from the university. However, the vice dean has contacted Lin Zhixia, hoping that she can open a course called "Quantum Bits and Computers" for third-year undergraduates in the Interdisciplinary College—students in the School of Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, and Electronic Engineering can also choose this course.
The vice president also said that young teachers would be under great pressure to shoulder the tasks of both scientific research and teaching. If Lin Zhixia did not want to teach, the leaders of the institute also expressed their understanding.
Lin Zhixia immediately stated: "It's okay, I like teaching very much. I will prepare lessons carefully, prepare lesson plans, homework and test questions, and look forward to the start of school in September this year."
The vice president was very pleased: "Okay, okay, Teacher Lin, the students are waiting for you to start school in September."