Yu Tu nodded, "Senior Brother Zhang recommended me to the quantitative department at Company Name."

"When HR was doing the background check, they discovered the connection between Chen Cheng and me."

Xia Qing paused for a moment, "Then why did you go into venture capital instead?"

Yu Tu smiled, "I didn't actually have a clear idea about the direction myself."

"Chen Cheng said quantitative trading wasn't very interesting and suggested I try venture capital, so I agreed."

"Quantitative trading isn't interesting... Ha," Xia Qing sneered, frowning.

The most profitable sector in the market right now is quantitative trading, and you're saying it's not interesting?

Xia Qing was somewhat speechless.

After a while, she looked up at Yu Tu, "You've changed a lot."

"The old you would never have gone to work for a classmate's company."

Yu Tu smiled, "My resume was sent out before that magazine feature."

"I hadn't originally planned on going there."

"I just wanted to take the opportunity when he asked to meet me to have a chat."

"After all, he has already reached the ceiling in this industry."

"Anyway, I had some free time, and talking to him wouldn't hurt."

A smile tugged at the corners of Xia Qing's mouth; he had indeed changed.

"I'm curious, though, what did he say to make you change your mind?"

Yu Tu shrugged, "He didn't say much. Actually, he also felt it was a pity for me to leave the research institute."

"But he respected my choice, though he did recommend I try the venture capital department."

"I chatted with him for a long time and discovered that he has a very deep understanding of frontier technology."

"We really hit it off."

"If it weren't for your call, we might still be discussing Artificial Intelligence."

If the old Chen Cheng were here, he might tease him for trying to make himself look good.

But if it were the current Chen Cheng, he would suggest frame-by-frame learning.

Yu Tu raised an eyebrow, a smile on his face, "He's currently doing research in Artificial Intelligence."

"His research into the technical side is very deep, which is something I hadn't expected."

Xia Qing was quite speechless, "So you accepted his offer?"

Yu Tu nodded, "Uh-huh."

"A young and all-around capable boss is very rare."

"I don't want to give up the opportunity to grow with him just because we were classmates for a year and I'm worried about saving face."

"Talking to him, I saw a different kind of sea of stars."

Xia Qing smiled and nodded approvingly, "You really have changed."

"The old you would have scoffed at this kind of thing."

Yu Tu spread his hands, "Face isn't that important."

"Besides, I don't think there's anything shameful about working with Chen Cheng."

Thinking of that magazine cover featuring Chen Cheng, Xia Qing sighed with a hint of jealousy, "It's only been a few years, and he's already left us so far behind."

"Do you think he finds us laughable when he thinks of us? The top students in the class back then are now only able to look up to him."

Yu Tu frowned, knowing she was feeling unbalanced due to the shock, and after a moment of thought, he said:

"Actually, if you think about it, he was very strong back then too. In one year, he went from having the scores of a junior college student in a parallel class to being among the top in the grade; that's not something an ordinary person could do."

"At the very least, his learning ability is very strong."

Xia Qing thought for a moment, then laughed self-deprecatingly, "Maybe."

Yu Tu glanced at her, "If you're tired, just take a good rest for a while."

Xia Qing gave a wry smile, "I'm like a machine that's been wound up; I can't stop."

She let out a sigh and glanced at her watch, "Forget it, let's not talk about him. Let's eat? It's about time for dinner."

Yu Tu readily agreed and nodded, "Okay."

Xia Qing smiled and raised her hand to call the waiter.

After dinner, Yu Tu dropped Xia Qing off at the hotel where she was staying.

Xia Qing looked at Yu Tu, pursed her lips, her eyes and brows carrying a distinct allure, "Why don't you come up for a glass of water?"

Yu Tu paused, "..."

He immediately nodded, "Okay."

...

On Chen Cheng's side, he and Li Na walked into the rooftop restaurant of a five-star hotel near the company.

At first, Chen Cheng didn't say anything, just stuffing steak into his mouth.

After he had eaten enough, he wiped his mouth and looked up at Li Na.

In the dim lighting, Li Na, with her curly hair, delicate features, and alluring gaze, looked even more charming.

"Are you still in contact with Robin?"

Li Na paused, her hand frozen, and looked up at Chen Cheng, "Is something the matter?"

"My girlfriend needs to terminate a contract, and I need a lawyer with strong negotiation skills to intervene."

"Which girlfriend?" Li Na clicked her tongue and gently set down her knife and fork.

Chen Cheng laughed helplessly; she seemed quite annoyed with his girlfriend.

"Qiao Jingjing."

Li Na opened her eyes wide, "She wants to terminate her contract?"

Chen Cheng nodded, "Yes, I'm planning to gradually move her behind the scenes."

Li Na's mouth twitched; you really are quite willful.

She's one of the highest-earning actresses.

Recalling his attitude toward the media, it wasn't strange that he wanted to reduce Qiao Jingjing's exposure.

Only then could he reduce the attention from the media.

Li Na thought for a moment, "Okay, I'll talk to Robin tomorrow."

Chen Cheng nodded, "Time doesn't matter, but losses must be minimized."

Time... Li Na frowned, "That's not good. The longer the negotiation takes, the greater the impact on Miss Qiao Jingjing's exposure."

Chen Cheng squinted at her, "Do you think I'm intentionally suppressing Jingjing's exposure?"

Li Na didn't flinch, "Isn't that the case?"

Chen Cheng picked up his wine glass and took a sip of red wine, a bright smile on his lips, "I've studied her works, and they are all idol drama types."

"To be honest, her acting skills are average."

"Of course, that's not her fault."

"She's too beautiful. Whether it's the director or the audience, as soon as they see the film, their attention is drawn to her radiant face."

"This has trapped her in this 'vase' cycle."

"As soon as there's a 'vase' role, whether it's a director or a producer, they will think of her first."

"The market pushes her, constantly giving her these homogeneous roles."

"..."

Actually, Qiao Jingjing is just like Xu Weining from Taiwan back in the day.

She's too beautiful. Wherever she stands.

Whether it's the audience or passersby, everyone thinks you're the mistress or vixen stealing the female lead's boyfriend.

Once the image becomes too set, homogeneous roles like the beautiful, vicious female supporting character, or the 'vase' role, will come flying in like snowflakes.

It was only when she reached her forties and her looks slightly declined that Xu finally allowed the audience to see her acting skills.

"Since she has become my girlfriend, I don't want her to be pushed by commercialization."

"This bit of money is meaningless; I would rather she do what she likes."

Li Na's mouth twitched; a top-tier actress, and you call this 'a bit of money'?

"She's young now, so it doesn't matter if she acts in idol dramas to make money, but what about when she's older?"

"If her acting skills aren't honed, she can't still be playing silly, sweet high school students when she's forty or fifty, right?"

"This afternoon, I found a movie script for her."

"Although it's also a 'vase' role, it's enough; it's better than wasting time in idol dramas every day."

"There will be more movie scripts for her in the future."

"Film production cycles are longer and have higher requirements, so she will have the time to calm down and refine her acting skills."

Li Na smiled, "Alright, I misunderstood."

After saying this, Li Na raised an eyebrow and asked gossiping, "With so many girlfriends, do you love all of them?"