The apartment was completely silent.

Soft light spilled onto the wool carpet, and the air was filled with a faint woody fragrance.

Mo Xiangwan's throat moved as she swallowed, watching Su Yu who was looking down, feeling inexplicably tense.

"Xiao Yu, don't overthink things, I think you're being too sensitive."

She paused for a moment, then added: "You don't need to worry about gains and losses. Since Tang Song has already actively participated in the event, there won't be any variables. On December 25th, he will definitely appear before you and celebrate your birthday with you."

She knew very well that Su Yu had psychological issues.

She was very worried that the other party would do something impulsive again because of this baseless speculation.

"I know, I'm not worried about that." Su Yu shook her head, her slender fingers unconsciously stroking the strings of the instrument.

Mo Xiangwan remained quiet for a long time before speaking softly: "Ms. Ouyang has a good personal relationship with you and also appreciates you very much. I think she will definitely consider your position and feelings."

Su Yu slowly raised her head, a meaningful glint in her eyes, "These aren't mutually exclusive, right?"

Mo Xiangwan pressed her lips together and ultimately said nothing more.

Su Yu stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.

The night breeze brushed past the sheer curtains, gently lifting her seaweed-like long hair.

Looking down at the countless city lights below, her expression gradually grew calm.

Of course, she wasn't "overthinking things."

This intuition was a conclusion based on observation and deduction.

Over the years, she had long treated the behavior, habits, and speech of all the women around Tang Song like character scripts to be analyzed.

For example, with Liu Qingning, if she wanted to, she could replicate over eighty percent of the other's essence, allowing Tang Song to feel the charm of his first love.

Jin Meixiao went without saying - her award-winning television drama "Staring into the Abyss" was actually a secondary creation based on that woman as the prototype.

That was also her boldest attempt to win back Tang Song's love.

Even Ouyang Xianyue, this "friend" and "elder," she had seriously and repeatedly analyzed.

Even during their first meeting in 2017, she had instinctively regarded that elegant and luxurious top-tier noblewoman as her potential "love rival."

Because the way Ouyang Xianyue looked at Tang Song was never simply appreciation or concern.

There was suppressed emotional warmth in her gaze.

As the movie queen cultivated by Tang Song himself, her observational skills and sharpness in this area were instincts carved into her bones.

Even surpassing most psychologists.

However, the Tang Song of the past wouldn't respond, nor would he allow such feelings to have the possibility of sprouting.

But now things were different.

Recently, ever since meeting Tang Song in Rongcheng, she had been having these worries.

And Ouyang Xianyue's strange behavior had indirectly confirmed her suspicions.

Su Yu took a deep breath, her gaze profound.

She felt both fear and worry, along with a trace of morbid excitement.

The fear lay in Ouyang Xianyue's identity being too special.

In terms of family background, intelligence, and vision, she was truly remarkable.

If her selfish desires and possessiveness continued to sprout and escalate, it might bring unpredictable variables.

But at the same time, the one who was more worried and less tolerant of this matter than her was undoubtedly Jin Meixiao.

That "she-devil" who could overshadow everything was the real enemy of all of them.

What she feared most was never gaining one more "love rival."

What she feared most was Tang Song and Jin Meixiao actually getting married.

Once that woman legitimately became his "wife," the consequences awaiting her might be unbearable...

The more chaotic the situation, the more advantageous it was for her.

She wasn't in a hurry.

She knew that the reason Ouyang Xianyue remained silent at this moment wasn't because she wanted to "sneakily" conquer Tang Song.

Quite the opposite - that noblewoman was too smart.

She was definitely waiting for a sufficiently safe opportunity.

A chance that would make it impossible for anyone to criticize, prevent Jin Meixiao and herself from exploding, while allowing her to logically intervene.

Since that was the case, then she would give her this opportunity.

Su Yu smiled lightly.

She reached out, picked up the red wine beside her, and took a small sip.

The deep red wine spread between her lips, making her lip color appear even more full.

Like poppies blooming in the night.

"Xiangwan-jie, help me adjust my schedule. Cancel all events next week. Before going to Yancheng, I want to first go to Shen City to meet with Sister Ouyang. We really haven't seen each other for quite some time."

"...Xiao Yu." Mo Xiangwan instinctively frowned, her voice carrying a trace of worry.

"Don't worry." Su Yu gently swirled the wine glass in her hand, "I won't actually do anything impulsive, I just want to scare her a little. I understand what kind of person she is better than you do."

"Alright." Mo Xiangwan sighed softly.

Fundamentally speaking, she and Su Yu were on the same side, whether in terms of interests or emotions.

She would naturally support all her decisions.

The air grew quiet at this moment.

Beyond the night, the city lights shattered into countless spots of light on the glass curtain wall.

Reflected in Su Yu's profound amber pupils.

...

December 4, 2023, Monday.

Early morning, the sky still dark, the air damp and cold.

Cheng Qiuqiu woke up in her small single bed, having slept surprisingly peacefully.

In the dim room, the walls were covered with posters of Su Yu from various periods;

On the bookshelf by the desk stood a neat row of albums and photo books.

She rubbed her eyes, sat up from bed, and immediately picked up her phone from beside the pillow.

The screen lit up, a WeChat message quietly sitting at the top -

【Tang Song: "('V')/ Good morning, QQ."】

Seeing that message and the familiar emoticon, Cheng Qiuqiu's usually cool face instantly broke into a somewhat silly smile.

She quickly replied: "Good morning, Tang Song."

The two exchanged a few words about trivial matters.

By the time she got up, dressed, and pushed open the door to leave her room, the aroma of food already filled the living room.

Li Meihua was busy wearing an apron, smiling as she called out: "Qiuqiu, come quickly to eat, Mom made you preserved egg and lean pork congee."

"Oh." Qiuqiu responded and sat down at the dining table.

Soon, hot congee, steamed buns, and several side dishes were served.

The sounds of eating began.

Although there was still some distance between the mother and daughter, the atmosphere had eased considerably compared to before.

During the meal, Li Meihua looked at her incredibly beautiful daughter and chattered on about the house matter.

"...You know, that Lawyer Luo is really capable! He told me yesterday to rest assured, this matter will definitely be resolved within this week! Not only can we get all the money back, but we can also make them... pay a large compensation! When you go back, you can also go to work with peace of mind."

She paused, then asked in an almost ingratiating tone: "By the way, when can we... invite Tang Song over again? We mother and daughter should properly thank him formally?"

Qiuqiu's congee-eating movements halted, she remained silent for a moment before speaking softly: "We'll see, he... he's particularly busy, probably won't have time."

"Ah, I just want to see him again." Li Meihua sighed, muttering: "Today we're returning to our hometown to burn paper money and sweep your grandmother's grave, we'll need to stay for at least two days. By the time we come back, he'll probably have already returned to Yancheng."

Li Meihua continued chattering, but noticed her daughter's expression had changed.

She quickly closed her mouth, not daring to mention it again.

But Qiuqiu had already fallen into complex emotions.

Yes, tomorrow was her grandmother's death anniversary.

The 23rd day of the tenth lunar month - this was also her main purpose for returning.

She silently finished breakfast, after washing up, returned to her bedroom, and spent a long time spacing out alone.

The sky gradually brightened.

She casually picked up her phone and saw news messages frantically flooding the fan group.

Qiuqiu immediately clicked to check.

#Su Yu Appears in Jiangcheng, God-Level Bare-Faced Look Explodes Hot Search#

#One Candid Shot Creates Year's Divine Picture#

The news was accompanied by an extremely accidental photo taken by a passerby.

In the photo, Su Yu was walking on a path in a morning park, wearing a light-colored hoodie, jeans, and a baseball cap.

The moment she took off her mask and looked back.

The wind lifted her long hair, her bare-faced appearance cool and ethereal, like a dream.

Cheng Qiuqiu froze for a few seconds, immediately saved the picture, set it as her wallpaper and lock screen.

Then, almost instinctively, forwarded the news to Tang Song.

Leaving a message: "So Su Yu is in Jiangcheng, so close to us. This photo is so beautiful, even though she's bare-faced, it can still be taken so nicely."

"Buzz buzz—"

【Tang Song: "It is beautiful. Actually, you really do look quite similar to her. When you have the chance in the future, go to her fan meetings, or when you meet her, you could cosplay her classic big-screen looks. It would definitely amaze everyone."】

Cheng Qiuqiu stared at the screen, her heartbeat suddenly accelerating.

She hesitated for a moment, finally mustering the courage to type: "When I was in university, I bought the 'Lu Qinxin' costume from her movie 'The Seventh Code,' I still have it, kept at home."

【Tang Song: "Oh? Really? Then could you wear it and let me see?"】

【Tang Song: Curious (sticker)】

Qiuqiu took a deep breath, her fingertips trembling slightly: "Okay."

After sending this message, her cheeks instantly became burning hot.

She could almost hear her own heartbeat.

Immediately, she quickly stood up, opened the wardrobe, and took out that carefully preserved outfit from the very back.

As Su Yu's die-hard fan, how could she not have her idol's classic character costumes?

She had bought quite a few during university.

But only this set, because it was the best quality and her favorite, had been carefully preserved all along.

Her relationship with Tang Song could be described as quite complicated.

And the real reconciliation between them happened precisely at that Su Yu fan meeting in Modu.

Usually, the topics they talked about most, besides design, were Su Yu.

She could tell that Tang Song genuinely liked Su Yu and was also a hardcore fan.

If... if she could resemble Su Yu more, he would definitely like her more too.

Carefully changing into that cosplay outfit, she applied makeup similar to the character in the movie - cool and sharp.

Picked up that toy gun she had specifically bought for cosplay back then.

Qiuqiu looked at herself in the mirror.

Her expression was somewhat unnatural.

The girl in the mirror had a tall figure, curvy in all the right places, cool makeup, looking both cool and sarcastic.

About 50% similar to Lu Qinxin in the movie.

Only then did she take a full-body photo with an uneasy heart and sent it over.

Then, like an exam candidate waiting for judgment, she tightly clutched her phone, her heart pounding wildly.

Waiting for the "examiner's" reply.

But this time, Tang Song hadn't sent any message for a long time.

She switched between WiFi and mobile data, repeatedly refreshing the chat box, growing increasingly anxious inside.

Was it not good-looking? Was it too sudden? Too artificial? Did he dislike it?

Right at this moment.

"Knock knock knock—" Suddenly, knocking sounds came from outside the door.

Immediately followed by her mother's signature loud voice: "Who is it?!"

The sound of the door opening.

"Ah?! Tang... Tang Song?! Why did you suddenly come?! Aiyo, come in, come in!"

Qiuqiu's mind buzzed, thinking she was hallucinating.

Then, Tang Song's voice clearly came from the living room: "Good morning, Auntie, I'm here to see Qiuqiu."

"Alright, alright! She's in her room. Qiuqiu! Qiuqiu! Come out quickly! Tang Song came to see you!"

"It's okay, Auntie, I'll go in to find her, you go ahead with your work."

"Ai ai ai, alright, alright."

Qiuqiu finally came to her senses and quickly came to the door.

Steady footsteps grew closer, she pulled open the door and saw that familiar handsome face.

"Hello." Tang Song leaned against the doorframe, a bright smile on his face, "I came to see your cosplay in person."

His gaze shamelessly scanned up and down her sexy and hot body curves.

"Excellent, even more stunning than in the photos."

It had to be said, Qiuqiu and Su Yu were truly similar.

Not just in figure and appearance, but especially that cool temperament that seemed to emanate from the bones.

Wearing these clothes now, she looked very much like that "Lu Qinxin" from the movie.

"You... why did you suddenly come..." Qiuqiu stammered.

Tang Song casually closed the door, smiling: "You're going back to your hometown with Auntie today, right?"

"...Mhm."

"I'll accompany you on the trip." His voice became gentle, "Just happen to visit your hometown too."

Qiuqiu's pupils sharply contracted, her entire body stiffening.

Her eyes widened in disbelief: "What did you say? Really or not?!"

Because she was too shocked, she even burst out in dialect.

Above her head, the 【Dream Flower Seed】 began to sway violently, emitting a brilliant emerald green light.

Clearly, the designer's entire emotional state was ignited.

"Of course it's true." Tang Song imitated her accent, a teasing smile in his tone, "I also want to experience the customs and human relationships of your Bashu region, alright?"

"O... okay!" Qiuqiu nodded instinctively, still somewhat dazed.

Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of sweetness.

Tang Song looked at her adorable appearance, the smile at the corners of his lips deepening.

He couldn't help but reach out, placing his hand on her slender, soft waist that he could almost encircle.

His fingertips gently traced, feeling her delicate skin texture, clear abdominal lines.

Qiuqiu's face instantly flushed bright red, goosebumps rising all over her body, "You... what are you doing..."

Tang Song chuckled softly, leaning close to her ear, his voice low and gentle: "This level of intimate contact, you shouldn't mind, right?"

"N... not minding."

Tang Song's hand slowly moved downward along her waist and hip curves: "How about this?"

"I..." Qiuqiu hemmed and hawed, lowered her head, and said nothing more.

In the room, an ambiguous atmosphere was fermenting.

Tang Song looked at Qiuqiu, his eyes full of concern and heartache, but his hand continued to wander.

Feeling the designer's perfect comic-book figure.

His main purpose for coming to Rongcheng this time was to help this "little girl" overcome the shadows of her past.

And for Qiuqiu, the biggest emotional knot was undoubtedly her grandmother's death.

Although he had somewhat soothed her emotions in the previous "dream,"

The psychological barrier ultimately needed to be overcome by herself in reality.

This happened to be an opportunity.

At the same time, he could properly "cultivate" this precious 【Dream Flower Seed】 again, hoping it would bloom a few more flowers.

...

Yancheng Normal University, Girls' Dormitory, Room 201.

"Creak—"

The dormitory door was pushed open, and Wu Siqi, who had just finished washing up, walked in carrying the dampness of water.

"Aiyo, I say Lele, this is already your third one, right? Still not satisfied, starting on the fourth one? Your 'brother's' neck must be getting long from waiting!"

Qian Lele, who was focused on knitting a scarf, was startled by her, defending herself: "I'm just practicing, the ones I knitted didn't look good."

"Come on," Wu Siqi rolled her eyes, "you've already started knitting such complex double treasure stitch patterns, your skills are good enough to set up a stall and sell! Finish it quickly and give it to him. By the way, when are you going to ask Chairman Tang out for a meal? Give this little employee a chance to curry favor with the big boss."

"Brother he... is particularly busy right now, on a business trip in Rongcheng."

"Oh, that's true, such a big boss should be busy."

Then, Wu Siqi chatted with her about topics related to Tang Song while doing her skincare.

As her work time at Yannan Film Base increased, she had learned some rumors about Tang Song from various angles.

Mentioning her brother, Qian Lele's face couldn't help but show a smile.

More than twenty minutes later.

Qian Lele carefully placed the half-knitted scarf into a bag.

Picked up her backpack.

After bidding farewell to her roommate, she walked out of the dormitory building.

Looking at the clear, azure sky outside, she took a deep breath of the icy cold, clean winter air.

A brilliantly bright smile appeared on her face.

Recently, her life had truly undergone earth-shaking changes.

Her front-end development part-time job at 【Weiguang Coffee】 remained stable.

Last month, Professor Jiang Yourong proactively invited her to join that AI research team composed of graduate students and PhD candidates, making her the only undergraduate student in it.

Although she was only responsible for some basic data labeling and front-end page work, she could still receive a 1,500 yuan labor subsidy each month.

These two jobs combined brought her a stable monthly income of 4,000 yuan, and additionally, Weiguang Coffee offered 300~600 yuan in bonuses each month.

This was almost equivalent to the monthly salary of a full-time employee working hard for a month in her hometown.

This money not only meant she no longer needed to worry about her tuition, book fees, and living expenses, but she could even send some money home every month.

It was worth mentioning that her own "little savings" had already accumulated to 5,700 yuan after several months of effort.

And tomorrow, the 5th, was another payday at 【Weiguang Coffee】.

By then, her savings would break through the 8,000 yuan mark in one go!

She planned to find time soon to return to her hometown and buy that electric tricycle she had been longing for for her parents.

Then spend some money to hire someone to modify it into a beautiful and practical food cart.

Her mother's roujiamo tasted so good.

If they could have their own small stall, they could both earn more money and have more flexible hours to better take care of her father.

Just thinking about that scene filled her with endless motivation.

For the future, she had a crystal-clear plan.

She firmly believed that as long as she took one step at a time, walking steadily forward, she would definitely be able to live the life she wanted.

Of course, before returning home, she also planned to muster the courage to meet her brother.

Taking bus route 31 from the school entrance, rocking and swaying for 13 stops, would get her to Yanjing Tiancheng residential complex.

She could conveniently personally give him the scarf.

She didn't know if he would like it.

Thinking of this, her heart inexplicably accelerated.

...

The morning class was the boring "Data Structures and Algorithms."

Qian Lele sat in the front row of the classroom, listening with utmost seriousness.

She knew that these seemingly dull codes and logic were the foundation of her future livelihood.

After class, she didn't return to the dormitory but went directly to the "Multimedia Technology and Application Laboratory" located on the third floor of the Computer Science building.

This was Professor Jiang's "headquarters."

Pushing open the wooden door with an "No Unauthorized Entry" A4 paper stuck on it, a smell mixed with dust from computer case cooling fans rushed over.

The entire laboratory wasn't very large.

Against the wall were several "high-configuration assembled computers" that had clearly been upgraded with graphics cards later, humming loudly, with network cables and power cords tangled like vines around the table legs.

There were already four or five students in the laboratory.

Some wore headphones, focused on debugging code on their computer screens.

Others gathered together, arguing in low voices about algorithm formulas on a whiteboard.

Although the environment was slightly messy, it was filled with a thick and pure academic atmosphere.

"Lele's here."

"Hello, senior."

"Lele."

After greeting them, Qian Lele walked quietly to an empty seat in the farthest corner.

That was the position Professor Jiang had arranged for her.

Her recent work content was simple - manually classifying and labeling a batch of newly collected image data about "tea leaf quality."

This work was preparing the most preliminary data for the "AI Intelligent Quality Control Laboratory" project of 【Yuntong Zhicui】.

Although the work was basic, even somewhat tedious, for an undergraduate like her, it was a precious opportunity to access truly cutting-edge research projects.

She cherished it very much.

Putting on headphones, clicking on a soothing instrumental piece.

Qian Lele soon immersed herself completely in her work.

She didn't know how much time had passed when someone gently tapped her shoulder.

She quickly took off her headphones, turned around, and saw Professor Jiang smiling at her.

Today, Professor Jiang was wearing a beige high-neck cashmere sweater paired with khaki high-waisted suit pants, her figure full and appropriate.

Paired with gold-rimmed glasses, her entire person exuded an intellectual and gentle temperament.

"Professor Jiang." She quickly stood up, "Sorry, I didn't notice you arrived."

"Why so formal, sit." Jiang Yourong pulled over a nearby chair and sat down beside her, her voice gentle as she said: "How are you? Adapting these past few days? Any problems encountered with work?"

Qian Lele shook her head somewhat shyly: "No, the seniors have been very good to me, taught me many things."

"That's good."

The two chatted softly for a while, the atmosphere relaxed and natural.

Jiang Yourong looked at this simple yet spirited student before her, the smile at her lips gentle and satisfied.

Recently, her mood had been particularly bright.

Her laboratory had smoothly established relations with Yuntong Zhicui, obtaining a large amount of horizontal research funding she wouldn't have dared to imagine before.

Of course, she also knew that behind this was undoubtedly Director Jin's instruction.

After all, 【Yuntong Zhicui】 had invited her because they wanted to cooperate with 【Weiguang Coffee】.

Director Jin had most likely already noticed Xie Shuyu, and incidentally noticed herself who was closely related to her.

This realization filled the usually "Buddha-like" and "lazy" Jiang Yourong with unprecedented motivation.

She was so busy she couldn't even find time for her beloved milk tea and desserts, actually losing half a kilogram.

She greatly looked forward to the day when,

relying on this professional ability,

she could truly have deeper intersections with Tang Song, and even with that Director Jin.

Just as the two were engaged in heated conversation.

"Ring ring ring—" a sharp phone ringtone rang out.

The name flashing on the screen made Jiang Yourong's heart jump.

【Shangguan Qiuyas】

After saying something to Qian Lele, she immediately stood up.

Walking outside while answering the phone, "Hello? Assistant Shangguan!"

"Yourong." Shangguan Qiuyas's rhythmic voice came from the other end, "Is it convenient to talk now?"

Jiang Yourong quickly walked to the quiet corridor outside the laboratory, saying in a low voice: "Convenient, go ahead."

"It's like this, Director Jin has asked me to extend an invitation to you."

"What kind of invitation..."

Shangguan Qiuyas paused, then dropped the bombshell, "It's regarding the Xuanji Optical World project. Director Jin has decided to have you and your team deeply participate as core collaborators in the 'Human-Computer Interaction and Cognitive Science Joint Laboratory' project that Xuanji Optical World is cooperating on with universities."

Jiang Yourong's ample chest heaved violently, her voice trembling: "This... I can participate? Director Jin... she..."

"Hehe, Director Jin has always remembered you. You and I are both her first batch of assistants." Shangguan Qiuyas's voice carried a hint of laughter, "She has a very good impression of you. She said your professional ability, especially your cognition in multimedia data structures and human-computer interaction fields, is among the most forward-thinking she has seen. She has always felt that your departure back then was a great loss for Smile Holdings."

Hearing this, Jiang Yourong was so excited her face flushed red, her eyes even becoming slightly moist.

That period after graduating with her master's degree, the majority of a year at Smile Investment, had always been her most precious and shining memory in life.

Unfortunately, because she was too lazy and too "Buddha-like" back then, she ultimately gave up that high-pressure job.

And thus missed the subsequent mythical rise of Smile Holdings.

She never expected that Director Jin actually had such a good impression of her and had always remembered her.

She naturally knew about the 【Xuanji Optical World】 project.

That was currently the top-tier scientific research project in China, and even globally, regarding the next-generation human-computer interaction platform.

And the so-called "joint laboratory" was a focal point of competition among various top universities.

Tsinghua, Peking University, Fudan, Shanghai Jiao Tong, even Ivy League schools were competing, yet her "small laboratory" was directly appointed.

She could imagine what a huge stir this news would cause once it spread.

Department uproar, school shock, colleagues astonished.

More importantly, with the backing of 【Xuanji Optical World】, this world-class top scientific research project,

her personal career development would also completely enter the fast lane.

That "Changjiang Scholars Reward Plan" young scholar project she had always dreamed of;

that full professorship title that required accumulating seniority and competing with publications to evaluate...

At this moment, they all seemed to become within reach.

Just as she was feeling excited, Shangguan Qiuyas continued: "Additionally, Director Jin will return to China this week. She hopes to meet you personally, there are some things she wants to discuss with you alone."

Jiang Yourong's mind roared.

The sudden huge surprise exploded like fireworks in her mind.

"Click click click—"

The gears of fate began turning again.

She was going to see Director Jin in person again!