At the N.S press conference venue.
The promotional video, lasting less than a minute, had just ended.
Twenty-eight media reporters present at the venue remained silent, still immersed in the scenes that seemed straight out of a sci-fi blockbuster.
Secretary Gao sat in the main seat, appointed by Meng Xiyue as the person in charge of the press conference. Seeing the reactions of the reporters, he knew that the conference was already a success. With a professional smile, he said, “This is the new generation of intelligent service systems launched by N.S, which will be available soon.”
“If the old version of the service system had the intelligence of a one-year-old, this new intelligent service system is like a five-year-old, with a certain level of autonomous response awareness, covering various software on smartphones.”
“At present, N.S is cooperating with major software development companies…”
After briefly introducing the concept of the smartphone product, Secretary Gao pushed his glasses up and said, “Now we will move on to the Q&A session, N.S will address your questions in detail.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the reporters who had snapped back to reality eagerly raised their hands, and Secretary Gao randomly picked one.
The chosen one was from City S’s most influential new media, known for its sharp writing. The male reporter immediately asked, “It is said that N.S hired a famous Hollywood sci-fi director to shoot this promotional video. I wonder if your company’s new generation of smartphones is as real as depicted in the video, or is it just superficial?”
Secretary Gao responded with a smile, “The promotional video naturally contains exaggerations for effect, as humans are visual creatures and N.S is also aiming for performance.” His last remark was tinged with playful sarcasm, quickly lightening the atmosphere of the venue, “As for whether it’s just superficial, we invite everyone to try it out and then give your reviews.”
Following Secretary Gao’s signal, the staff began distributing the smartphones.
The reporters were too busy trying out the phones to ask any more questions.
At the back of the venue, Meng Xiyue stood outside the media lights, accompanied by Assistant Li, observing the reactions on site.
Secretary Gao, whom she had hired at a high salary, was undoubtedly capable in the workplace, controlling the scene at the press conference.
Assistant Li said happily, “President, the response is good, the first step went smoothly.”
Meng Xiyue replied, “After the press conference, notify all major TV stations to broadcast the promotional video.”
Her demeanor was calm and elegant, her presence commanding and undeniable, orchestrating behind the scenes.
It was just unfortunate that the president always preferred to keep a low profile, otherwise, she would have been the center of attention today.
Assistant Li quickly responded, “Understood.”
Meng Xiyue took one last look at the press conference scene before turning to leave, with Assistant Li following half a step behind, a sign of his respect.
Secretary Gao looked up to see Meng Xiyue’s tall and graceful figure leaving, a smile on his face as he answered the reporters flawlessly.
…
It was break time, and Xia Yuan hadn’t found a role she wanted to play yet, so she decided to come and learn some acting skills. When the acting teacher called for a break, Xia Yuan found a quiet, open spot to sit down, still shunned by the other small-time actors. This trivial exclusion didn’t bother Xia Yuan in the slightest; they were nobody to her, and was she, Xia Yuan, someone who needed others’ acceptance?
She knew that N.S was holding a press conference today, and she wanted to see if the promotional video she shot would ruin her image. When she turned it on, a man was sitting in the chairman’s position, clearly the person in charge. Where was Meng Xiyue? Giving the man a critical glance, Xia Yuan focused her attention on the promotional video. She rarely wore suits. Her makeup was exquisite, her gaze sharp, embodying a capable and strong woman. She felt somewhat proud and opened the comments, only to find that no one was paying attention to her looks; the screen was filled with comments about the new smartphone. She snorted in disdain; they had no eye for beauty. However, she also knew that this indicated the success of N.S, with everyone’s focus on the product rather than overshadowing it with her presence.
After watching for a while and not seeing Meng Xiyue appear, Xia Yuan was about to turn it off disinterestedly when a slender figure flashed across the screen. Meng Xiyue. Just from a silhouette, Xia Yuan recognized her, actually present at the event. Considering Meng Xiyue’s character, it seemed natural that she wouldn’t personally host the press conference. With nothing more interesting to watch, Xia Yuan turned off her phone and was about to get up when a somewhat familiar face approached her. “Xia Yuan, congratulations on making the hot search, you looked beautiful in the promotional video,” Yu Jiajia hurriedly tried to cozy up. Xia Yuan stared at the face with light, natural makeup, and after a few seconds, finally remembered who she was.
Recalling the agent’s words from yesterday, her eyes showed impatience, clearly because she knew her identity and came over to curry favor.
She glanced at a few small groups in the distance who were watching the drama, thinking they didn’t realize she knew. Only her agent, Lin Xin, knew about her S-grade contract.
Coincidentally, Yu Jiajia shared the same agent with her.
Xia Yuan knew exactly who was targeting her, wondering how they had the audacity to try and please her.
Her eyelashes curled in disdain, “What? Should I say ‘thank you’? With all the sneaky tricks behind the scenes, I chose not to bother. Now, what, you want to push your luck, huh?”
Yu Jiajia’s face stiffened, not expecting Xia Yuan to confront her so directly, not giving her any face at all.
Even though she was humbly trying to please her.
She forced a smile, “Xia Yuan, is there some misunderstanding between us? If so, I apologize. We share the same agent, you see. Please, be the bigger person and forgive me.”
Her posture was extremely submissive.
Xia Yuan snorted, “Forgive? Are you even worthy?”
After saying that, she ignored Yu Jiajia, the white lotus, walked to the front row, and stood ready as the teacher arrived.
Those who had watched the drama hurried over to comfort Yu Jiajia, indirectly badmouthing Xia Yuan.
After all, Xia Yuan herself had a strong presence, and they didn’t dare to confront her directly.
However, though they spoke behind her back, their sour tones were loud enough for Xia Yuan to hear.
Xia Yuan turned, her peach blossom eyes glaring unhappily at the gossiping bunch.
With just one look, they stopped talking.
With a snort, Xia Yuan then turned back to listen to the teacher’s instructions.
Meanwhile, Yu Jiajia bit her lip, watching Xia Yuan’s retreating figure, filled with resentment. Just because the other was wealthy, she could trample on her, and that wasn’t enough; she also lost an opportunity to shoot a music video.
Even the agent was biased towards Xia Yuan, simply because she was rich and powerful.
Xia Yuan was completely unaware of Yu Jiajia’s feelings, and even if she knew, she wouldn’t care.
…
The launch event for N.S was unprecedentedly successful.
With the exposure from various new media outlets, N.S saved a significant amount on advertising expenses. Continuous trending topics on Weibo about N.S’s new generation of smartphones led to an explosion in pre-orders.
Netizens were eagerly waiting for the phone pre-sale.
On the day of the pre-sale, some people even lined up at major sales locations in the early hours of the morning.
N.S’s new generation of smartphones quickly swept through City S, the designated city.
*
In just three days, N.S’s new generation product dominated City S and even spread nationwide, with sales performance skyrocketing from the first day.
This was a tremendous success for N.S.
However, it was a major shock to established electronics companies, especially Tianyu under the male protagonist’s leadership. As a veteran in the electronics industry and the top player in City S for many years, Tianyu had maintained a significant lead over other electronics companies despite not having major technological innovations, largely due to its excellent reputation.
Now, with N.S’s new generation stealing the spotlight, Tianyu’s technical department couldn’t even decipher the principles behind the new smart system.
Tianyu’s stocks plummeted, although it was still more stable compared to other smaller companies.
But the loss in profits was severely damaging.
Currently, only the land in the west of the city could resolve Tianyu’s predicament.
Li Ting was under tremendous pressure, busy with work, and hadn’t returned to the cozy home he shared with Ding Yaoyao for several days.
Ding Yaoyao was worried too, but she didn’t understand the business matters at all. Since resigning, she felt disconnected from society.
Tianyu’s predicament was all within Meng Xiyue’s calculations.
Compared to the frantic Li Ting, Meng Xiyue was quite relaxed.
Today was the premiere of “The Third Person.”
She and Xia Yuan were currently buying milk tea.
At the milk tea shop near the cinema, it was crowded, and it took a while for their order to be taken.
Meng Xiyue glanced around casually. She didn’t have a particular craving for milk tea as she rarely drank it, so she left the choice to Xia Yuan.
She was fine with anything.
Xia Yuan picked two flavors. It was cold, so she ordered two hot ones.
She had styled her outfit today with a coat over a tight red dress, which highlighted her exquisite figure.
Standing together.
One flamboyant, the other aloof.
Yet, they harmonized.
The milk tea was prepared quickly. Each of them took a cup and left the shop, heading towards the cinema where quite a number of people were also going.
Delighted, Xia Yuan said, “I can’t believe so many people came to see my movie.”
Before coming, Meng Xiyue had looked up the movie Xia Yuan starred in. It was a low-budget production with minimal promotion.
Compared to the romance movie released on the same day, the difference in promotion was stark.
Not to mention, the romance movie featured top-tier celebrities.
Meng Xiyue wisely chose to say nothing, to avoid upsetting the young mistress and causing a scene.
She gently sipped her warm milk tea.
Slightly sweet, not bad.
Seeing Meng Xiyue take a sip and the warmth in her eyes, Xia Yuan proudly said, “I knew it, you like sweets. This milk tea has the strongest sweetness.”
Hearing this, a faint shimmer appeared in Meng Xiyue’s eyes as she took another sip of her milk tea.
It was a bit hot.
Seeing her drink two sips in a row, Xia Yuan remembered how, when they were not yet close, Meng Xiyue had casually invited her for cake. She had gone and found it overly sweet.
Looking back now, Meng Xiyue had been kind to her since that time.
Thinking of this, Xia Yuan’s gaze fell on the two girls walking in front of them, each trying the milk tea in the other’s hand.
Meng Xiyue saw it too. She noticed Xia Yuan staring at her milk tea, her gaze so direct that it couldn’t be ignored.
Holding the milk tea cup a bit tighter, Meng Xiyue’s lips slightly parted.
Xia Yuan never hid her true self; she said whatever she wanted, directly stating, “Meng Xiyue, I want to try yours.”
Xia Yuan had friends, but none close enough to share a milk tea with. Suddenly, she wanted to try.
Meng Xiyue’s fingertips trembled. Seeing Xia Yuan leaning in close, she turned her head and quietly watched her for a few seconds before handing over the milk tea, then calmly looked ahead again.
“It’s so sweet,” Xia Yuan commented after tasting it.
She then handed her own over, “Try mine.”
Seeing Meng Xiyue hesitate, Xia Yuan blinked and shook the milk tea, “Meng Xiyue?”
She pursed her lips, her gaze falling on Xia Yuan’s lips, her light-colored eyes slightly dim. Finally, she took a sip.
“Sweet.”
Xia Yuan took a sip, “Yours is actually sweeter.”
＊
At the cinema.
Arriving at the screening room for “The Third Person,” Xia Yuan noticed that most of the seats were empty and pouted unhappily, “They really have no taste.”
As they sat down according to their seat numbers, Meng Xiyue saw that Xia Yuan was still upset and seemed to want to say something else, so she handed her the popcorn.
Xia Yuan huffed, “I’m on a diet.”
Meng Xiyue glanced at the milk tea still in her hand and quietly set the popcorn down.
The movie started.
“The Third Person” is a mystery film. The female lead, Li Man, is a descendant of a martyr. Her father was investigating a murder case when he died in the line of duty.
The murderer was never found, and the case remains unsolved.
At the beginning of the film, in a dark alley, a body appears, killed in the same manner as the unsolved case from three years ago.
As the plot unfolds with some brain-burning deductions, Li Man eventually pins the suspect down to a well-known entrepreneur.
And the character played by Xia Yuan is the suspect’s fiancée.
A mere cannon fodder.
Watching Xia Yuan’s vivid portrayal of a young lady in the film, Meng Xiyue’s eyes, light and clear, gleamed with amusement in the dark.
After the demise of the character played by Xia Yuan, the story approaches its end—the murderer is the entrepreneur, who suffers from mania but usually hides it well.
Xia Yuan, looking at her tragically beautiful dead self on the bed, lowers her voice with pride: “How about that?”
Clearly fishing for compliments.
Meng Xiyue lowers her voice, her usually serene voice softening: “Very spirited, you brought the character to life.” A truthful compliment from Meng Xiyue, though slightly embellished to avoid unnecessary trouble.
The warm breath on her ear carries a unique, serene fragrance from Meng Xiyue, causing Xia Yuan’s toes to curl from an inexplicable tingling sensation.
She looks up, and in the dim light, she sees a pair of light, smiling eyes.
Usually, that cold face now seems soft and gentle in the dark.
Xia Yuan’s toes curl again, her cheeks flushing as she keeps her head down.
She thinks to herself,
Why does Meng Xiyue always look at her with that kind of gaze when she’s not paying attention?
Under that gaze, her voice seems to tremble with heat: “Thank… thank you.”
