respectively

For many days after that, until Xia Ye moved out, Song Xiaoxiao never came back.

Even if Xia Ye was naive, she still noticed the change in Song Xiaoxiao's mindset. And with Xia Ye's lack of cunning and emotional maturity, she was naturally unable to process this unease on her own.

Since graduation, Song Xiaoxiao had been Xia Ye's de facto reliance, and this reliance was more spiritual. Therefore, Song Xiaoxiao's sudden disappearance from Xia Ye's life immediately made her panic.

When Xia Ye panicked, she naturally sought out Lin Yuan to confide in him.

"I went to Xiao Xiao's live stream location to find her, but she said she was busy and didn't see me. I asked her when she would come back, and she said she was too busy lately.

However, she renewed the lease for the small single room we shared, telling me to feel free to stay there.

Xiao Xiao, is she angry with me?"

Lin Yuan listened to Xia Ye's rambling, idly stirring the straw in his milk tea cup. "Then why do you think she's angry with you?"

Xia Ye thought for a moment, "Because I'm too close to you? No, that's not right. Xiao Xiao said she wasn't against me interacting with you."

"You'd better stop thinking about it and first figure out your north, south, east, west, and up, down, left, right."

"Hmph, I'm talking seriously with you."

"Alright, alright, I understand your panic. You're like a bird that's lost its perch, feeling empty inside, right?"

"Mhm." Xia Ye blinked her eyes and nodded very seriously.

"Don't worry, it's not because of you, it's because of me."

"Because of, you?"

"The last time we met, I poured a huge bucket of cold water on her live streaming ambitions. She's not stupid, she must have taken it to heart. So, she doesn't want the splash to hit you if something goes wrong in the future. Also, she probably has some intention of being angry with me."

Without waiting for Xia Ye to ask further, Lin Yuan continued his explanation, knowing that Xia Ye must be completely confused.

"Her live streaming is completely taking a risky approach. How dare a small, suggestive streamer like her touch on topics like college student employment? Once you touch on college student employment, it will involve university major selection. At a time when higher education has become a de facto employment reservoir, how much weight does she carry to dare to touch such sensitive topics?

Someone like Zhang Xuesong, backed by Suzhou's talent introduction policy and immense online popularity, only dares to hint at it occasionally. Even then, he gets attacked from time to time.

With your good friend's experience accumulated from dealing with all sorts of people in the pleasure quarters, plus my previous explanation of the pros and cons, she couldn't possibly not understand.

So, she's keeping her distance from you."

"At the same time, she's also doing it for me to see, lest I think that I'm the only one in this world who cares about you."

Xia Ye pondered for a long time before finally grasping the general meaning of Lin Yuan's words. "Is a live stream really that serious?"

"Influencers with questionable personal conduct still have a chance to make a comeback. But those who touch on social topics, it depends on whether they get dealt with. Once they are, none of them can ever recover."

Then Lin Yuan listed several examples of influencers for Xia Ye, "........."

"Employment is already a sensitive topic, let alone college student employment."

The more Xia Ye listened, the more worried she became. "Then I have to call Xiao Xiao and tell her quickly."

Lin Yuan pressed down Xia Ye's hand as she was dialing. "She knows!"

"She understands all of this!

If I'm not mistaken, then she's gambling."

"Gambling?"

"Accumulating the first wave of popularity by using suggestive topics, and then transforming at the appropriate time.

This plan isn't necessarily wrong.

But I've watched her live streams and past videos, and unfortunately, she still suffered from her lack of education."

Xia Ye had become like a primary school student, sitting there quietly listening to Lin Yuan's explanation.

"In our society, it's not that sensitive topics can't be discussed. They can be discussed in public."

"Are you saying one needs to grasp the right measure?" Xia Ye retorted.

"You're not too stupid. However, the issue of measure is not yet the main point. The depth of the measure entirely depends on an individual's level of analysis of the topic.

Take the issue of college student employment for example. You can't just complain. Everyone knows the problem, after all, it's a real issue. But what about the background and causes of the problem, and more importantly, the solutions?

If you can analyze the problem from its root, and then combine it with domestic and international situations to clearly explain the ins and outs to everyone. Finally, while allowing everyone to vent their frustrations, you also give everyone a little hope and convey more positive energy.

Then even if a live stream runs into problems in the future, it would only be a minor punishment."

"But does Song Xiaoxiao have that knowledge reserve?"

"Moreover, why do many video bloggers who discuss these topics often produce videos instead of discussing them in live streams? Because live streaming heavily tests on-the-spot improvisation and control, while videos can be edited later."

Lin Yuan took a sip of milk tea and continued, "You also shouldn't try to persuade her. Your experiences are completely different from hers, so you two can't be on the same wavelength."

Xia Ye was still puzzled. "If I can understand it, Xiao Xiao should be able to understand it too, right?"

"Then let me ask you. Is Song Xiaoxiao good to you?"

Xia Ye nodded.

"But wasn't it she who recommended you to the maid cafe in the first place?"

Xia Ye still nodded.

"Isn't that contradictory?"

Xia Ye thought for a moment, her expression very confused.

"Song Xiaoxiao genuinely cares about you, and she genuinely recommended you to the maid cafe. Because in her worldview, working part-time at a maid cafe is nothing. In her words, 'It's nothing compared to a commercial KTV.'"

Lin Yuan sighed, "When a person has nothing left to lose, that little bit of risk is not worth mentioning to her."

—

Good Group ultimately did not appoint Lin Yuan as the head of the Zijin Branch's technology department, because Lin Yuan clearly did not have the energy to preside over the daily work of the technology department. He was currently doing the work of a special forces soldier, not a commanding officer.

Therefore, Good Group headquarters ultimately appointed Lin Yuan as: General Manager's Technical Assistant of Good Group's Purple Gold Branch Company.

This title of "General Manager's Technical Assistant" is similar to a position (e.g., company commander, battalion commander), while his senior engineer rank at the Shanghai Research Branch is similar to a military rank.

While his position was clarified, Lin Yuan also received his first monthly salary at Good Group – 22K. According to the supplementary contract he just signed with Good Group, he would only receive this 22K monthly salary for three months before it would increase to 42K.

Lin Yuan always felt there was an element of intentional suppression from Good Group. For such a large company, deliberately delaying a salary increase for three months was completely nitpicking, most likely because Lin Yuan stubbornly refused to provide algorithm technical details.

After deducting the five social insurances and one housing fund, and individual income tax, the 22K would amount to about 19K in hand.

Thus, Lin Yuan had the money to rent a place for Xia Ye.

Lin Yuan found a small apartment for Xia Ye near the school, one bedroom and one living room, about 50 square meters, at 2800 yuan per month, with a three-month deposit and one-month rent in advance. So, 11200 yuan immediately went out again.

Xia Ye naturally assumed that Lin Yuan used the money he earned from hard work delivering food to rent the apartment for her. She had opposed the idea of renting a place ever since Lin Yuan brought it up.

"How can we afford to rent a place now?" Under the Sharpening of life, her first reaction was not the subsequent issues she would face living with Lin Yuan, but rather her concern about money.

But Lin Yuan absolutely did not want Xia Ye to get too close to Song Xiaoxiao again.

In case Song Xiaoxiao's misdeeds were exposed in the future, Xia Ye would also be investigated. Who knew what kind of trouble would be dragged out. Besides, if the investigation traced back to him through Xia Ye, his mentor would inevitably find out.

From Lin Yuan's understanding of his mentor, that "old fossil" would absolutely, certainly, and definitely oppose him associating with Xia Ye.

Sometimes, it's not good when a mentor is too much like a father.

From his mentor's perspective, Lin Yuan would be out of his mind to find an art student who had worked at a maid cafe and was completely muddled as a wife.

However, on the issue of Xia Ye, Lin Yuan did not consider too many pros and cons. He was merely acting on his intuition.

—

On the day Xia Ye moved out, Song Xiaoxiao finally appeared.

She punched Lin Yuan hard on the shoulder. "Take good care of her. She's your only five-million-dollar lottery win in this lifetime."

"She's worth more than five million."

"I hope you remember what you said today."

Lin Yuan retorted playfully, "Is five million a lot?"

Song Xiaoxiao, with an expression that said she couldn't be bothered to waste words, ignored Lin Yuan and turned to leave.

Xia Ye rushed over and hugged her. "Xiao Xiao, I'll miss you."

"Let go, you little green tea, go find your man." Song Xiaoxiao was still joking with Xia Ye at their parting.

Seeing tears streaming down Xia Ye's face, Song Xiaoxiao still ruffled her head. "I'll come back for you."

Lin Yuan found this scene somewhat amusing; he always felt a sense of "Song Xiaoxiao, with the wind rustling, selling her daughter."

"Parting advice." Lin Yuan watched Song Xiaoxiao's farewell care for Xia Ye and finally couldn't control his mouth. "You'd best still..."

"Never mind, I won't advise you anymore!" Lin Yuan gave up on the futile effort and instead said cheerfully, "Remember the promise, 'I can help you once in the future.' Don't be embarrassed to come find us if you're down and out."

Song Xiaoxiao lit a cigarette and said to Lin Yuan, "Stupid ass." She cursed out a sentence that had been accumulating in her heart, then swaggered off with the cigarette dangling from her mouth.

"Damn it," Lin Yuan cursed inwardly, and shouted at the receding figure, "Oh, right, if something happens, make sure you clean up your mess before you come to us!"

This half-serious, half-joking remark earned him a middle finger from Song Xiaoxiao, who turned her back.

"All good things must come to an end. Don't worry," Lin Yuan comforted the tearful Xia Ye, "a cockroach like Song Xiaoxiao won't die anywhere."

I feel like some readers really have a bit of PTSD (no offense, though). If I wanted to play tricks, why wouldn't I write the traditional academic prodigy novel tropes? There are tons of ready-made ones to borrow from. And Editor Wang Cai loves that stuff the most. I even thought about writing this book as a mudslide among academic prodigy novels, and then throwing it at Editor Wang Cai's head, saying, "I'm a big shot now, let me have creative freedom for the next book."

(P.S.: I won't say much more, but before you big shots want to criticize, why not let it stew for ten chapters? If I'm proven right by you, then you can really stab me in the back. Don't hold back then.)

(P.P.S.: With my writing style and sporadic updates, I really recommend accumulating a few chapters before reading. The road is long, and we have plenty of time for lingering affection. If it's meant to be, why does it matter if it's not every day?)