644: Chapter 644 Everything has a price.

"Awake?"

"Mhm~" Qiao Xichen closed her eyes and rubbed her face against Chen Cheng's back.

Chen Cheng suddenly frowned and said faintly, "Have you gained weight?"

"No," Qiao Xichen said, still a bit confused.

"No?"

"Then why do I feel like my back is being squeezed a bit?"

Hmm?

Qiao Xichen's face instantly flushed crimson. "Pah~ You rogue."

Chen Cheng chuckled and didn't say anything.

Qiao Xichen's tone shifted. "Though, my bra does feel a bit tight."

"Then buy new ones. If they're constricted, they won't grow, and it wouldn't be good to starve the child later."

Qiao Xichen had indeed gained a little weight recently. Previously, she had been a small A-minus hill, but now she had evolved into a solid A-cup that could be held in one hand.

There should still be room for improvement; after all, Han Su was already a swelling B-cup.

Qiao Xichen's face turned beet red. "Pah! You're the one who'll starve the child."

Chen Cheng turned around and looked down at her with a beaming smile. "I won't let anyone go hungry. Isn't that right, Student Xiao Qiao?"

"Are you trying to get killed?" Qiao Xichen gave him a flirtatious roll of her eyes.

She wasn't some little girl; how could she not hear the dirty meaning in his words?

Chen Cheng had a mischievous grin. "How about having some dessert before the meal?"

"..."

Qiao Xichen's fair and tender face looked like it could drip water. "I still have to go to work this afternoon..."

Chen Cheng heard the anticipation in her tone. With a smirk, his hands began to wander.

"It's fine, I won't overdo it. It won't delay your work."

Qiao Xichen: "..."

Before long, suppressed groans drifted from the kitchen.

...

"It's all your fault, the side dishes at the bottom are a bit burnt," Qiao Xichen complained, though she could hardly hide the smile on her face.

Chen Cheng rolled his eyes at her. "I don't know who it was just now, holding their breath so hard they almost choked."

"Aaaaaah... Chen Cheng!" Qiao Xichen's face turned icy as she stared at him indignantly. "If you say one more word, I'll get angry."

"Fine!"

"The side dishes are burnt, but there's still shrimp and tofu. Hurry up and eat."

Qiao Xichen giggled and reached out to pick up a shrimp with her chopsticks. "Hey, what are you doing this afternoon?"

"I'm going to Peking University this afternoon."

Qiao Xichen took a bite of the shrimp and looked at Chen Cheng somewhat nervously. "Then, are you free tonight?"

"I want to treat my friends to dinner."

"When you left last time, they were the ones who helped me move..."

Chen Cheng nodded without hesitation. "Sure, I'll handle the reservation. Don't worry about it; just focus on your work."

Qiao Xichen breathed a sigh of relief, a somewhat silly smile playing on her lips. "Then I really won't worry about it."

She had originally been a bit worried that Chen Cheng wouldn't want to meet her friends.

She hadn't expected Chen Cheng to agree so readily.

"Yeah, I'll call and book a private room in a bit."

"However, I don't know what time I'll be out of the university. It might be a bit late."

Qiao Xichen thought for a moment. "Then let's make it 7:15."

"What are you going to... Peking University for?"

"Hmm..." Chen Cheng pondered for two seconds. "I might do a postgraduate degree at Peking University."

"I'm going today to meet the professors who might become my supervisors."

"Huh?" Qiao Xichen was stunned, her hand holding the chopsticks freezing in mid-air.

It took her a long while to snap out of it. "Aren't you a freelancer? And a singer. You've already achieved financial freedom, so why do you want to go back to school and suffer through studying?"

Chen Cheng smiled. "I've developed an interest in chips recently."

"So I want to give it a try."

Qiao Xichen still hadn't quite recovered. "As I recall, you studied economics. Going into chips... that's quite a leap, isn't it?"

Chen Cheng lifted his chin proudly. "What of it? I'm also a singer-songwriter."

"Don't worry, your boyfriend is very smart. I'm not afraid of exams at all."

"Whether I can achieve something earth-shattering, I don't know. But breezing through a Master's or PhD shouldn't be a problem."

Ever since he promised Li Na he would develop in-house chips, Chen Cheng had been pondering this matter.

With Photographic Memory and the Top Student Halo, he wanted to try.

In the afternoon, Qiao Xichen arrived at the company feeling refreshed.

Qiao Xichen's colleague, Miao Miao, immediately approached. "Qiao, is your boyfriend back?"

"How do you know?" Qiao Xichen frowned.

Miao Miao giggled and leaned in close, whispering, "The way you're walking with a spring in your step and that glowing face... Plus, the Qiao Xichen who never takes leave actually didn't show up this morning."

"Tell me, why is that?"

Qiao Xichen felt embarrassed. "Keep your voice down."

"Don't worry," Miao Miao patted her hand. "I definitely won't let anyone else know."

"By the way, did you hear the news?"

"What?"

"Just before you walked into the office, the President's Office issued a notice. Except for front-line stores, overtime for the entire group shouldn't exceed 10 PM."

"They're promoting no unnecessary overtime. Any overtime past 10 PM requires an approval process submitted to the President's Office."

"They also told the process control department to optimize the operational procedures for front-line stores and to create a separate plan for the winter."

"They also issued a bunch of Anti-involution regulations."

"What?" Qiao Xichen's eyes widened. "Did I hear that right?"

"You heard right~" Miao Miao nodded. "I heard a big shot from the investment company saw a store employee complaining online about the procedures being too cumbersome, so he called Chairman Meng directly."

"That's why this emergency regulation was issued today."

"Huh?" Qiao Xichen was even more bewildered. Was this right?

They had just discussed this topic last night, and it actually came true today?

Such a coincidence?

...

In the afternoon, Chen Cheng took Zhao Yazu to Peking University to meet some expert professors in the field of integrated circuits.

Along the way, he also scouted some Master's and PhD students suitable for recruitment to Boundary Exploration.

It wasn't his first time there, so he knew his way around and didn't encounter any issues.

From start to finish, Chen Cheng didn't reveal his intentions; he just toured the various laboratories of the School of Integrated Circuits.

Chen Cheng turned his head to glance at Zhao Yazu, who was following beside him.

"Tell me, should I acquire a team or build one from scratch?"

The two had just come out of the School of Integrated Circuits' experimental building. After saying goodbye to the professors who had received them, they walked through the campus.

Zhao Yazu stopped and thought seriously. "The key question is, is there a good team available?"

"Or rather, would a good team agree to be acquired?"

Chen Cheng thought for a moment. "Yes!"

Chen Cheng actually already had candidates in mind.

"As for whether they'll agree to an acquisition... well, everyone has a price."

Zhao Yazu considered it. "Then acquire them. If you can't acquire them, poach them."

"All you want are the people anyway; the rest isn't important."

Chen Cheng smiled and shook his head; having Zhao Yazu as his secretary was indeed a waste of her talent.

"Have Zou Yu set up appointments with Chen Wei, Chaowei's chief scientist Peng Li, and Yang Jian. They should all be in Shanghai."

"Just say an investor wants to chat with them."

"The plane is still in Shanghai. If they're willing, bring them over."