A bead of sweat rolled down the chairman's temple.
This kid...
He hadn't expected him to be so brazen.
The chairman swallowed.
"You're not..." He hesitated. "You're not doing anything illegal, are you?"
Lin Feng looked at him.
"Does it matter?"
The chairman's breath caught.
Then Lin Feng smiled.
"Relax, Chairman. It's nothing illegal."
He paused.
"Just a little problematic."
The chairman stared at him.
Lin Feng stared back, perfectly at ease.
The silence stretched between them for a moment.
The chairman exhaled slowly.
Then he extended his hand across the desk.
Lin Feng shook it.
"Pleasure working with you again, Chairman."
…
Lin Feng stood and headed for the door.
He had his hand on the handle when he stopped.
"That reminds me."
He turned back.
The chairman looked up, already appearing somewhat drained.
"As it happens," he began, "I've become quite a busy person lately. Running multiple companies, managing a new talent - it doesn't leave much room for sitting in lectures."
The chairman's brow furrowed.
"The same goes for the talent. Her career is picking up quickly, and her schedule is becoming difficult to manage."
The chairman opened his mouth.
"I'm not asking for a full leave of absence," Lin Feng said, cutting him off before he could object. "Just an exemption from daily classes. We'll still complete all assignments and sit for every exam."
The chairman stared at him.
"...What?"
Lin Feng waved his hand as he pulled the door open.
"I'm sure it'll be no problem for you. You can use our exam results to convince the professors after they come out."
He stepped through the doorway.
"Thank you for your time, Chairman."
The door clicked shut.
…
Chairman Wu Zhennan sat alone in his office.
He stared at the closed door for a long moment.
Then he leaned back in his chair and let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Where did this monster come from..."
…
Later.
Su Yue leaned on the wall, her hands clasped together.
Lin Feng walked over.
"So," he began, keeping his voice low. "What did you want to talk about?"
She hesitated.
"Did you receive your money?" he asked.
She nodded slowly. "Mengqi sent it to me."
She hesitated for a moment.
"It's just..."
She trailed off.
Lin Feng studied her face. Her brows were furrowed, her gaze distant.
He reached out and placed a hand gently on her head.
She looked up at him.
He understood.
A month ago, she had been a poor girl with nothing. And now, almost a million yuan had landed in her account all at once. Anyone would be at a loss for words. And with all the things weighing on her, she must be considering her choices.
"I understand," he said softly.
Her lips parted, as if to speak.
He raised a finger to his lips and smiled.
"It's okay. I understand."
She fell silent.
"I also know about your worries," he continued.
Again, she tried to say something.
Again, he stopped her with that same quiet smile.
"You wanted to start a beauty company, right?"
Her expression shifted. A faint light entered her eyes.
"...Yeah."
"Has the idol career still not grown on you?"
She became flustered.
"It's not like that," she said quickly. "I... I actually like it."
She looked down at her feet.
"It's just... this is all temporary. I don't have any real talent. This career won't last forever."
Lin Feng smiled.
"You're wrong about not having talent."
She looked up.
"But you're right about one thing," he said. "It's true this won't last forever."
He tilted his head.
"So why don't you start preparing for a future?"
She blinked.
"Do you know what you need to start a beauty company?"
She thought for a moment.
"Money?"
He laughed softly.
"Well, there is that too."
"How about this - you could start saving the money you earn. And also research what you'll need."
He looked at her.
"You're a smart girl. I'm sure you can figure it out. By the time you don't want to do this work anymore, you'll have a solid plan ready."
He shrugged.
"Hell, you could even do both at the same time."
Su Yue was quiet, absorbing his words.
Then Lin Feng's gaze sharpened. He looked directly into her eyes.
"As for the other matter..."
She stiffened.
"Don't let it bother you too much."
She opened her mouth…
"Have I ever let you down?" he asked.
She paused.
Then slowly, she shook her head.
He smiled.
"Then you should believe me when I say I'm working on it."
He leaned slightly closer.
"You trust me, right?"
She nodded.
"Good."
He reached out and patted her head.
"You can leave this matter to me. You're my talent, so it's only fair that I don't let others bully you."
A faint blush crept across her cheeks.
She nodded softly.
At that moment…
"Su Yue!"
Mengqi's voice cut through the air.
Lin Feng withdrew his hand.
"We should get going."
The two of them walked toward the other room.
Mengqi stood waiting, arms crossed. Her eyes moved between them.
"Did something happen?"
Su Yue smiled brightly as she stepped forward.
"Nothing."
Mengqi's gaze lingered on her for a moment. Then it shifted to Lin Feng.
He simply waved.
Mengqi studied them both for another second. Then she turned to Su Yue.
"Then get to work. Quickly get yourself dressed."
Su Yue nodded and headed off.
Mengqi looked back at Lin Feng.
"Lin Feng... can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Sure."
The two walked away.
…
Lin Feng's expression turned serious.
"How is it?" he asked. "Did something happen?"
Mengqi sighed.
"Well... somewhat."
She crossed her arms.
"I looked into the music video production like you told me. I already have everything planned out."
She paused.
"It's just... I wasn't sure..."
"Is it the money?" he asked.
"Yeah."
She began listing off on her fingers.
"We need a director, a cinematographer, studio rental, a production crew, a choreographer, backup dancers, and post-production."
She lowered her hand.
"After my calculations, it all comes to around 250,000 yuan."
She met his eyes.
"The money we have currently is just a little over 200,000. We could work around this budget, but... it might not quite fit the quality I wanted."