11: Chapter 11 Plan

Wednesday, March 19, 2025, Overcast, 7 ~ 20°C

When Qiao Yichen woke up in the morning, he first sent Liu Yanran a message requesting leave.

She replied very quickly, just a brief 'Okay,' without asking for any reason.

Qiao Yichen looked at the screen and smiled knowingly.

...

When he arrived at the bank, the lobby was a bit noisier than he had imagined.

A short line had formed in front of the queue machine. Some people were talking quietly on their phones, others were flipping through their phones, and still others were staring intently at the electronic screen, afraid they would miss their number being called.

Qiao Yichen sat in the waiting area, watching the scrolling screen—there were still seven people ahead of him.

He subconsciously frowned, feeling that this efficiency was truly too slow.

Three hundred thousand.

The number cycled through his mind without even eliciting any extra emotion.

If this were the Qiao Yichen of his past life, this amount of money wouldn't even count as the emergency reserve fund for one of his projects.

If he truly needed it urgently, a single call to the bank manager would have everything arranged—limit, interest rate, disbursement time—perfectly sorted out.

Back then, the concept of 'queuing' didn't exist in his world. Standing here, he realized that efficiency itself represented a form of privilege.

He quickly relaxed, having figured it out: this wasn't the bank's fault.

It was just that his 'position' had changed; now he was just an employee working in a company.

So, standing here, he was no different from anyone else, equally needing to take a number, wait to be called, and follow the procedures. Every single step was slow as a matter of course.

Even this change in reality caused a slight discomfort to pass through him.

It seemed he needed to hurry up and 'climb' back up.

Once he was back up there, all the 'privileges' he previously possessed would return.

...

When it was finally his turn, over an hour had passed.

Updating is not easy; remember to share on 101 Reading Network.

Sitting on the chair in front of the counter, the staff member spoke politely and standardly:

'Are you here to handle a loan application?'

Qiao Yichen nodded.

Next came verifying information, pulling up transaction records, and a brief inquiry about the use of the funds... everything proceeded in a normal and reasonable sequence.

'You currently have no fixed assets under your name, correct?'

'Yes.'

'Your credit record is good, but the maximum approved limit will be relatively conservative.'

Qiao Yichen nodded, indicating he understood.

He had already done some rough calculations last night; he had a general expectation in mind.

...

After the process was complete, he received a preliminary review result:

Pre-approved Limit: 300,000 Yuan

Estimated Approval Completion Time: 1 business day

Estimated Disbursement Time: Within 24 hours after approval

This meant the money could arrive as early as Thursday afternoon.

He folded the document and put it in his bag.

In terms of timing, the arrival of this loan was just enough.

...

When he walked out of the bank, the sunlight outside was just right.

The traffic light at the street corner turned green, and pedestrians crossed the road in waves, the rhythm slow yet real.

Qiao Yichen stood by the roadside and didn't leave immediately.

Instead, he pulled out the draft contract from his bag—the one he had spent a long time negotiating with the Channel Provider to finally receive yesterday. He had underlined the section regarding the usage period of the slot: 7 days.

Below it was a line of notes written in even smaller print: 'The first forty-eight hours of the slot usage period is a testing period, normally not open to the public, thus the Channel Provider reserves the right to recall and adjust the unused time slots.'

Qiao Yichen stared at that line for a few seconds.

Testing period.

This meant that what truly decided their fate wasn't seven days, but the data from the first two days.

As long as those forty-eight hours performed well enough, the subsequent issues would no longer be problems.

He put the contract away again.

Shaking his head, he glanced down at the time.

Wednesday, 12:30 PM.

There was still one person he needed to meet.

Thinking of this, his steps paused slightly.

While still inside the bank, he had sent a message to Liu Yanran:

['Free for lunch? The Cantonese restaurant downstairs from the office, 1 PM.']

Less than thirty seconds after sending the message, the screen lit up:

['Okay.']

One word, crisp and neat, exactly the same as when she approved his leave this morning.

This kind of brevity was the tacit understanding between the two of them: no questioning of reasons, no delving into details, just confirming the time and place, leaving everything else for the meeting.

He put away his phone and walked towards the company building.

The Cantonese restaurant was diagonally across from the office building, specializing in light and exquisite cuisine. It was already quite busy during weekday lunches, mostly with white-collar workers from the vicinity.

When Qiao Yichen arrived, Liu Yanran was already there.

She wasn't sitting bolt upright as usual, but was leaning slightly sideways against the soft cushion of the booth, supporting her chin with one hand, gazing out the window as if lost in thought. She exuded a sense of laziness he hadn't usually seen.

The midday light passed through the glass, bathing her as if coated in a soft filter.

She wasn't wearing the slightly stern, thin-rimmed glasses she usually wore; the lines of her profile were much softer than at the office.

Her outfit today suited her well: a light apricot silk shirt, the fabric draped nicely. The top button was undone, revealing a small expanse of her fair neck.

Her hair was loosely pinned up at the back of her head, with a few stray wisps falling by her cheeks, gently swaying with the slight breeze coming through the window.

Qiao Yichen's steps paused almost imperceptibly.

It wasn't that he hadn't noticed her beauty. From his past life to this one, he had never lacked beautiful women around him. But the Liu Yanran at this moment possessed something subtle—not deliberately displayed sensuality, but a natural laziness and fragility belonging to a woman, revealed only after letting down some of her guard.

This contrast with her usual demeanor was like a very fine needle sharply pricking the slightly numb tip of his heart.

'Have you been waiting long?' he asked softly as he pulled out the chair opposite and sat down.

Liu Yanran turned her head, her gaze falling on his face. The corner of her mouth seemed to curve slightly before quickly smoothing out.

'Just arrived,' her voice was softer than on the phone. 'What did you go out for this morning when you took leave?'

Qiao Yichen looked at her and didn't hide anything. 'I went to the bank to process a loan.'

Her voice held a trace of doubt. 'To apply for a loan? Are you short on money?'

Qiao Yichen picked up the lemon water and took a sip. 'Yes, I'm short on some funds.'

'So what did the bank say?'

'Following the normal process, the result should come out tomorrow, Thursday,' he said. His gaze lingered on her face for a second before he naturally handed her the menu.

Liu Yanran nodded and didn't press for further reasons.

The waiter came to take their order. She glanced briefly at the menu and directly named three dishes—Shrimp Dumplings, White Cut Chicken, and Stir-fried Seasonal Vegetables, all signatures of this establishment.

'You order,' then she pushed the menu toward him.

As Qiao Yichen took the menu, his fingertip accidentally brushed against the back of her hand. It was a very light touch, her skin cool and delicate. His movement didn't stop; he flipped the menu open, added an order of Olives and Minced Pork with Green Beans, and two bowls of rice.

'That's enough,' she said.

While waiting for the food, neither of them rushed to speak.

Cars came and went outside, and the restaurant was filled with noise. Qiao Yichen picked up his water glass and took a sip, his gaze unintentionally sweeping over her—she was tracing circles lightly around the rim of her glass with her fingertip. Her nails were neatly trimmed, unpolished, showing a healthy, light pink color. Her wrists were slender, and the curve where her wrist bones protruded was very beautiful.

He lowered his eyes, suppressing the slight ripple of emotion that had just surfaced in his heart.

It wasn't that he couldn't appreciate it, but it wasn't the right time yet.

The dishes arrived quickly.

The shrimp dumplings were crystal clear, the white cut chicken tender, and the seasonal vegetables bright green. They began eating slowly and steadily.

Halfway through the meal, Liu Yanran put down her chopsticks.

'Qiao Yichen.'

'Hmm?'

'You went to apply for a loan. What are you planning to use that money for?'

She asked very directly, her eyes fixed on his face.

Qiao Yichen also put down his chopsticks and picked up a tissue to wipe the corner of his mouth.

Qiao Yichen had prepared several explanations, but facing her, he still chose the most direct one at the moment of speaking.

He did not hide it from her. 'I want to secure a resource slot at the very beginning of the project execution.'

Liu Yanran didn't speak, just watched him, waiting for him to continue.

'There's been some abnormality with the outsourcing side these past few days; I spotted a hint of something.'

'The 48-hour flash sale slot has a traffic cost 40% lower than the conventional rate, and the estimated conversion rate could double,' Qiao Yichen said calmly, as if stating a known fact. 'This slot opens at midnight next Monday, perfectly landing 48 hours before our project's official launch...'

'Are you sure?' Liu Yanran's voice lowered slightly.

'I inquired through some internal contacts,' Qiao Yichen didn't elaborate on the source of the channel. 'This slot was originally intended by the Channel Provider for internal testing, and the person in charge of media on Party A's side might not be very aware of it, not taking it seriously...'

'So you want to...',

'I want to use my personal capacity to secure this testing slot before the project officially launches,' Qiao Yichen looked directly into her eyes. 'I investigated the historical data for this slot; it's excellent and the usage cost is low. If it meets expectations, the projected profit from reselling it is over 100%.'

Liu Yanran fell silent for a few seconds, her fingertips lightly tapping the tabletop. She was calculating rapidly.

'How much capital is needed?'

'To secure this slot, it will be around five hundred thousand,' Qiao Yichen said. 'I have eighty thousand I can mobilize, the loan will provide three hundred thousand, leaving a shortfall of one hundred and twenty thousand.'

'One hundred and twenty thousand...' Liu Yanran pondered. 'That gap isn't very large.'

'It isn't large,' Qiao Yichen nodded. 'But time is tight. Because I discovered that it seems other people have also set their sights on this slot.'

Liu Yanran looked up: 'Who?'

'Not certain,' Qiao Yichen shook his head. 'But when I inquired, the Channel Provider's tone was a bit evasive, saying several groups of people had already asked about similar things these past two days.'

This information made Liu Yanran's brow furrow slightly.

'If a competitor locks it down first...'

'Assuming the traffic during this period meets expectations, then our project's opening data will be affected to some extent,' Qiao Yichen interjected. 'Because others could use the same low-cost traffic to deploy disruptive information among our target demographic, causing our project to fail to meet estimated results, or making the data look less impressive.'

Liu Yanran picked up her teacup and took a slow sip, her gaze fixed out the window, seemingly thinking rapidly about something.

After about a minute, she turned back, her expression now somewhat sharp.

Qiao Yichen watched her and spoke slowly: 'Regarding this capital shortfall, if you are interested, you can join in. Profits will be divided according to the proportion of investment.'

Liu Yanran looked at him quietly, her gaze lingering on his face for a long time.

Long enough that Qiao Yichen could almost feel the rhythm of his own heartbeat—steady, but slightly faster than usual.

He remained outwardly composed, but inwardly, he felt a touch of self-mockery about this physiological reaction. After two lifetimes, his heart rate would still slightly accelerate because of a woman's focused gaze.

It seemed he had truly... come back to life.

'One hundred and twenty thousand,' she finally spoke, her voice clear. 'I can provide it. But I need to be involved in the entire process, including negotiations with the Channel Provider.'

'Agreed,' Qiao Yichen nodded. 'I've scheduled a meeting with the Channel Provider's people for Friday morning. If you are free then...'

'I am free,' Liu Yanran interrupted him. 'What time?'

'Friday morning at ten. A coffee shop near their company.'

'Good,' she said, taking a sip of water.

Qiao Yichen looked at her, and the subtle turbulence in his heart finally settled completely.

He knew that at this moment, what was being established between them was a clear cooperative relationship based on mutual benefit and trust.

'Thank you,' he said.

'Don't thank me,' Liu Yanran picked up her chopsticks again, selecting a shrimp dumpling, her eyes narrowing slightly as she ate.

'If it fails, I will bear the responsibility,' Qiao Yichen followed up, then looked at the woman before him.

Liu Yanran looked up at him, the corner of her mouth curving very faintly; it was clear she was in a good mood.

'Remember what you said.'

'I won't forget.'

...

They finished lunch in forty minutes.

When they walked out of the restaurant, the afternoon sun was somewhat harsh. Liu Yanran raised her hand to shield her eyes, an action that made her tilt her head back slightly, fully exposing the line of her neck to the light—fair and almost translucent.

Qiao Yichen shifted his gaze away from her and looked toward the distant office building. 'Let's head back.'

'Okay.'