Chapter 75 Part 1

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After the International Technology Exhibition ended, Lu Wuqi quickly threw herself into her 9-to-6 work routine.

According to the original plan, the project rollout was set for November. After subtracting the time needed for testing, the project team only had half a month left.

Thinking back to the little reward Tang Yuxu had once promised her, Lu Wuqi felt energized from head to toe. She pushed hard and wrapped up her work six days early, on October 25th.

Unfortunately, the project’s overall progress wasn’t up to her alone. She still needed to wait for her colleagues to finish their parts before formal testing could begin.

Slacking off at her own desk was no better than slacking off in the president’s office. Having reached this conclusion somehow, Lu Wuqi grabbed her laptop and temporarily switched to a new workspace.

Lu Wuqi could slack off with a clear conscience after finishing early, but as the head of a major company, Tang Yuxu had no such luxury. New files and tasks demanded her attention every day.

This was especially true in the period right after the technology exhibition. After witnessing Runyu Technology’s latest success, not only domestic companies but also numerous major overseas enterprises wanted to collaborate with them.

If the visitors were just directors or vice presidents from the other companies, Tang Yuxu could have Deputy General Shen handle it. But if they were CEOs or the top regional executives in Asia, she had to meet them personally.

“I’ll go with you, Sister. If there are any technical questions, I can help answer them.” Upon hearing about the afternoon engagement, Lu Wuqi—who had been reviewing holographic materials—immediately looked up.

Chief Assistant Li, who was in charge of scheduling, stayed silent and patiently waited for her boss to respond.

“These engagements might be boring for you. They’ll probably take several hours,” Tang Yuxu said. She didn’t refuse, merely stating the facts.

“It’s fine. As long as I’m by your side, Sister,” Lu Wuqi replied with a smile.

Entertaining clients had been one of her old specialties, after all. Brushing up on those skills now and then wasn’t a bad idea.

Since Lu Wuqi herself didn’t mind, Tang Yuxu naturally didn’t stop her. After a brief introduction to the other company’s background, she set off with her little girlfriend in tow.

The person Tang Yuxu was meeting today was the head of a European tech firm. Their company ranked among the world’s top 500, with solid influence in Europe and America. A successful partnership could open up plenty of new markets.

The other side had shown interest in Runyu Technology’s new tech and sent over their regional executive president. But the moment they met, Lu Wuqi picked up on the arrogance ingrained in his bones.

Even though their company’s security systems fell short of Runyu Technology’s, his words dripped with disdain for them. It felt like he was doing Runyu Technology a favor just by agreeing to collaborate.

Tang Yuxu noticed this during their conversation too. A chill crept into her eyes, though the curve of her smile remained unchanged.

This dismissiveness toward Runyu Technology was a mixed bag.

Being looked down on was frustrating, sure. But it also meant the other side wasn’t overly wary of them. If she played that arrogance right, they could quietly erode the competitor’s market share.

Tang Yuxu knew this full well, so she kept up her calm facade.

Still, she worried her little girlfriend might get upset. During the meal, she gently patted Lu Wuqi’s hand under the table as a way to comfort her.

Lu Wuqi gripped Tang Yuxu’s hand in return and gave her palm a light squeeze.

“Sister, this shrimp tastes great.” Lu Wuqi picked up her chopsticks and offered a glistening piece of shrimp meat to Tang Yuxu’s lips.

Tang Yuxu leaned in and took it. She savored the springy texture and sweet aftertaste right away, then returned the favor by feeding Lu Wuqi a bite of wagyu beef.

“Are you two a couple?” the European executive at their table asked in accented Chinese.

“Yes,” Tang Yuxu confirmed openly. She picked up a napkin and dabbed at the corner of her mouth, wiping away a stray bit of sauce.

The European executive nodded. Probably short on Chinese vocabulary, he didn’t press further and focused on his meal instead.

Though arrogant, the man fancied himself a gentleman. Before leaving, he made a point of giving the two a small gift.

It was a pair of company-branded ornaments—no specific gender implied, open to interpretation as any equal relationship.

“Is this supposed to be a bribe?” Lu Wuqi toyed with the ornament in her hand, her cheeks faintly flushed.

The European executive loved his red wine, and Lu Wuqi had inevitably sipped some while he droned on about tech.

“It’s more like so-called gentlemanly etiquette.” Tang Yuxu prodded the ornament in Lu Wuqi’s palm. “Cheap little trinket. Its real value comes from the brand.”

“Sister, can we make a ton of money partnering with them?” Lu Wuqi let her body lean into Tang Yuxu, resting her head on her shoulder.

“If tariff policies and such don’t change, we could net about twenty percent profit,” Tang Yuxu answered honestly. She shared everything with Lu Wuqi.

Lu Wuqi blinked. Slowed by the alcohol, it took her a beat to do the math.

The deal was worth about two billion euros, right? Twenty percent profit would be three billion RMB?

“Pure profit?” Lu Wuqi felt a bit more sober suddenly.

“Mm, pure profit after taxes,” Tang Yuxu said. She reached out and brushed the strands of Lu Wuqi’s hair that draped over her neck. “And you’ve got credit in this too, Wuqi.”

“Hm? Me? But this deal isn’t even for a new product,” Lu Wuqi murmured, blinking in mild confusion.

“True, but they came for the new product. The contract specifies that if we have new items targeting the European market, they get first dibs on partnering.”

Tang Yuxu pressed her fingertip to Lu Wuqi’s warm cheek and explained patiently. “Of course, that only kicks in if our quote isn’t more than two percent higher. It’s beneficial for us too…”

Lu Wuqi listened intently and grasped the idea. But recalling the executive’s flashes of arrogance, she couldn’t help huffing.

“Sister, give me a little more time. Once I get the holographic tech sorted, they’ll be the ones begging you to partner,” Lu Wuqi declared, putting holographic technology back at the top of her agenda.

Her wonderful sister had put up with that slight today—playing weak to seize the market later—but no one should look down on someone as great as her. She deserved to be admired by all.

“Alright, I’m waiting for your surprise.” Tang Yuxu smiled and couldn’t resist pinching her little girlfriend’s ear.

Her tolerance for alcohol was way too low. Less than half a glass of red wine, and she was already fuzzy.

Next time she took Wuqi out, she’d have to watch extra closely. No letting her drink too much.

–

A little alcohol now and then was fine, though.

Three hours later, seeing how unusually docile Lu Wuqi was lying beneath her, Tang Yuxu silently added the thought.

–

Lu Wuqi wasn’t joking about tinkering with holographic technology. After smoothly wrapping up her previous project at the end of October, she handpicked the team with the best talent reserves.

She pulled a few strings and became the project team leader. While continuing external recruitment, she led over a dozen PhDs in research.

These people had all slogged through their doctorates, so none were spring chickens—the youngest was twenty-eight, over five years older than Lu Wuqi.

At first, they were all full of themselves and reluctant to accept a young woman as their boss. Even knowing she was a coding whiz didn’t stop them from looking down on her.

But who was Lu Wuqi? The knowledge in her head was nearly a century ahead of this era.

In under seven days, she left the group of PhDs slack-jawed, disbelieving, questioning their lives, full of admiration, and utterly compliant.

Researching holographic tech wasn’t simple. The dozen-plus PhDs formed the core, and during those seven days of Lu Wuqi showing off, HR efficiently poached over thirty more masters and PhDs with high salaries.

Cramming over fifty tech talents into one project team was wasteful, so Lu Wuqi whispered in the right ears. Just like that, she went from team lead to manager of a new department.

No one in the R&D Department objected—they knew her capabilities all too well.

But other departments grumbled a bit, muttering to themselves and venting on the internal forum.

【I know Lu Wuqi’s impressive and her leads have created huge value for the company, but different fields are different fields. How’d she jump straight into holographics and turn a small team into a whole department?】

【Supplement: I know Lu Wuqi’s resume looks great, but isn’t she just a college grad? No matter how freakish her knowledge is, she can’t match PhDs, right?】

【Why not? Those PhDs and masters aren’t spineless, are they? If Lu Wuqi didn’t have real skills, why would they follow her lead?】

【It’s obviously the money. Whisper network: the new Holographic Department’s average salary is the highest. Minus the manager, monthly take-home is six figures.】

【Holy crap, six figures? Before or after tax? That’s my whole year’s pay in a month.】

【After tax, obviously. They’re high-salary poaches. Word is they’re swamped every day—mostly 996, some insane 997s.】

【Whoa, that’s brutal on the body. Basically exploitation, right?】

【Exploitation? Nah, that’s passion! Get it? Passion! They’re gonna create miracles with their own hands!】

【OP’s from R&D, huh? That department’s been wild lately.】

【Probably ’cause R&D got a ten percent raise across the board. If Lu Wuqi gave me a raise, I’d go nuts for her too!】

【No word from the people involved? This is all speculation, right?】

【Quit whining about overtime. Those folks are practically living at the office. Don’t ask—it’s voluntary. They’re all pumped up like they’d been injected with chicken blood. Right now, big boss Lu’s picking a hotel, gonna book a whole floor for them to crash and commute easy.】

【What? That’s next-level crazy.】

【Researchers gonna research—where’s the sanity? Don’t ask, just know they’re nuts!】