CHAPTER 267: CHAPTER 267: XU SI MEETS SHEN YAO

This incident strengthened the cohesion among the ten of them and could be considered a blessing in disguise. Fu Bing pressed her advantage, dragging those operating behind the scenes into the light. It turned out to be the work of the president of Xinning Film and Television Company. After the scandal was exposed, the company’s stock plummeted. The capital backing Xinning Film and Television Company was also exposed and fiercely attacked online, then jointly pursued by Fu Bing, Qin Jinhai, Ren Zhi, Su Junxian, and Lian Yingting. Within just a few days, Xinning Film and Television Company and its financial backers completely imploded, unable to sustain themselves any longer.

Several factions that had been observing the situation ceased targeting Fu Bing once they witnessed the formidable capabilities of her and her allies.

People in the business world are motivated solely by profit. Fu Bing herself possessed irreplaceable qualities. Moreover, she had a strong enough foundation on her own. Even though she hadn’t officially acknowledged her connection to the Su family, Su Junxian’s decisive and resolute actions during this turmoil paradoxically echoed Qin Jinhai’s renowned past sharpness and vigor.

For a moment, they were suddenly reminded that no matter how deeply Su Junxian hid his fangs, he was, after all, the most prominent heir among the top-tier families. He could be as gentle as jade, exuding the warmth of spring, but he could also wield a sharp blade to defend his family.

Once the storm passed, Shen Yao’s results for the adult college entrance exam were released. She successfully enrolled in a full-time junior college program. The students at the junior college weren’t merely slacking off, as she had initially assumed. On the contrary, while they might not excel at textbook knowledge, they excelled at extracurricular development.

Shen Yao’s class had twenty-four students. Within a week of starting school, nearly everyone had one or two part-time jobs. They recognized Shen Yao but didn’t make a big deal out of it. Their days were incredibly hectic; if they weren’t in class, they were at their part-time jobs. No one had time to meddle in others’ affairs.

Nowadays, the competition for academic credentials was fierce. Nearly everyone aimed to qualify for an upgrade to a bachelor’s degree within three years, after which they would consider postgraduate studies if necessary. Their educational journey was still long, and not a single person dared to slack off.

Shen Yao didn’t quite grasp their logic. These recent high school graduates could have spent an additional year preparing for direct entry into a bachelor’s degree program. Instead, they chose the roundabout path of upgrading from junior college, effectively wasting a year. But Shen Yao didn’t ask; it was their business, not hers. She just needed to focus on her own affairs. Whether they wasted time or not was none of her concern.

Shen Yao dedicated almost all her spare time to writing novels. The amount of money in her bank account steadily grew. She now had over 100,000 yuan.

She had previously told Auntie Zhang and Sister Liu that she had money and could help fund their shop. That way, their store could help more and more women recently released from prison. However, Auntie Zhang and Sister Liu refused, advising her to save the money for herself.

None of them had ever truly enjoyed life. Each had once reduced their living standards to the bare minimum just to survive. Now that their finances had eased slightly, they could afford to buy a few feminine items.

Shen Yao, however, had little interest in such things. Sister Fu Bing received many clothes, shoes, and skincare products from sponsors. After confirming Sister Fu Bing couldn’t use them all, she gave them to Shen Yao, who accepted them without embarrassment. She didn’t recognize the brands, but the clothes felt like good quality, so she didn’t spend money on clothes and shoes.

One day after class, a beautiful young girl was standing outside the dormitory building. When Xu Si saw Shen Yao, she hurried over.

"Hello, are you Sister Shen Yao? I’m Xu Si."

Shen Yao nodded blankly, inwardly sighing in admiration. This girl is truly beautiful.

"I am," she replied.

Xu Si smiled faintly. "Don’t be nervous. Like you, I’m someone Sister Fu Bing has helped. I plan to follow Sister Fu Bing always. What about you?"

Without any hesitation, Shen Yao replied, "Me too."

"I saw how you handled the recent public opinion crisis. You did an excellent job; I was very impressed," Xu Si continued. "I thought we should get to know each other sooner. That way, we can work hard in our respective areas and better support Sister Fu Bing in the future."

Shen Yao nodded repeatedly. "You seem very smart. Keep up the good work, and you can help Sister Fu Bing with plans and strategies in the future."

"I’ll do my best," Xu Si said. "I’m also earning my own money. I’ve already saved enough to cover my living expenses and tuition for all four years of university. How about you?"

"I don’t have any other particular skills," Shen Yao admitted, a little embarrassed. "Right now, I’ve earned over 100,000 yuan writing novels, so I’m relying on that for income at the moment. I used to love reading, but I read very little during my years in prison. Now, writing novels compels me to read one or two books daily to maintain my output. I find this work quite suitable for me right now."

"Besides," Shen Yao added, "I also want to use my spare time to go out more and broaden my horizons."

Xu Si nodded. "We can’t always be troubling Sister Fu Bing. If you’re willing, we can explore together. Let’s compare our class schedules later. When we have free time, we can start by thoroughly exploring Jiangcheng. Besides our current income streams, there must be other ways to earn money."

"My current thinking," Xu Si continued, "is that we should try to gain exposure to as many different fields as possible during our student years. Ideally, we should accumulate more work experience to develop a wide range of skills. If we have shortcomings, we might become a burden to Sister Fu Bing in the future."

Shen Yao strongly agreed. If not for those three lost years, she would have been three academic years ahead of Xu Si. Now, she found herself in the same year.

Xu Si then said, "If you need any materials for your novels in the future, let me know. I can help you find them when I have time. That way, you’ll spend less time searching for information."

"Thank you," Shen Yao replied.

Shen Yao realized the internet was a vast platform with endless possibilities. As long as one wanted to learn, there were gateways to knowledge all over the internet. However, she was still not very familiar with navigating the internet, and her understanding of how to pursue deeper learning was superficial. If Xu Si was willing to help, she could save half the time she would otherwise spend sifting through cumbersome and useless information.

Shen Yao treated Xu Si to a meal at the school cafeteria. During the meal, Xu Si mentioned her plan to pursue a dual degree during her four years at university.

Although Shen Yao was intrigued, the concept of dual degrees didn’t exist in their junior college at the time. She didn’t know if other junior colleges offered such programs, but hers certainly didn’t.

Shen Yao asked, "Won’t that make you very busy?"

"No matter how busy I am, I have to pursue other things," Xu Si replied. "I’m studying so much because I don’t want my lack of professionalism to hinder Sister Fu Bing. If I only possess theoretical knowledge without practical experience, I’ll still encounter problems."

Shen Yao instantly felt like a wind-up toy that had just been wound again. She had thought she could finally relax a little, but now she realized she still had to grit her teeth and persevere. Having someone to move forward with would only give her more motivation.

Jian Si informed Fu Bing that Xu Si had sought out Shen Yao. Fu Bing wasn’t surprised. Xu Si and Shen Yao were both very intelligent individuals. If they could become friends, it would be a fortunate milestone in their respective journeys of growth. Their life experiences were also quite similar. They could indeed grow closer to one another.

What Fu Bing didn’t realize was that without her connecting them, given Xu Si’s and Shen Yao’s personalities, they could interact amicably with anyone but wouldn’t form any truly close friendships. They were skilled at disguising themselves to blend into crowds, rather than opening themselves up to genuinely accept friends.