Chapter 6: World One [6]

The foolish thing Xue Fan had done was only enough to amuse Shang Siyu for a fleeting moment, and she soon put it out of her mind.

The final wrap-up work couldn’t be finished in just a day or two. However, if she missed today’s opportunity to confess her identity as the investor and chose to do it another day, it would seem far too insincere.

So, around four in the afternoon, Shang Siyu asked her teacher to find an excuse to gather everyone in the laboratory. She was ready to come clean.

“Ahem. Haven’t you all always been curious about who invested that five million? Initially, I was worried that telling you would affect your work, so I kept it a secret. But now that our project is a success, I think it’s time to reveal the investor’s identity.”

Shang Siyu chose her words carefully, observing everyone’s reactions as she spoke.

Except for Shi Xiang, whose expression was a bit strange, everyone else looked very interested.

Senior Sister Mei couldn’t help but urge her on. “Who is it? Could it be someone you know, Little Yu?”

“Actually, that investor is me,” Shang Siyu said honestly, her tone very sincere. “I was worried everyone might overthink it, so I didn’t say anything before.”

“That was also my intention. If you’d known Little Yu was paying out of her own pocket, the pressure on you would have been too great. It wouldn’t have been conducive to you settling your minds on the experiments,” Professor Lin immediately added.

Professor Lin’s gaze swept over the students beside her. “The project’s funding withdrawal was largely related to me, so the responsibility to salvage it should have been mine. However, Little Yu had great faith in all of you and firmly believed we would succeed. That was the only reason I relented and let her invest.”

“I knew it! So the person with such good judgment is our Junior Sister Little Yu,” Senior Sister Mei was, as usual, the first to react. Taking advantage of her proximity to Shang Siyu, she slung an arm directly around her shoulder.

“Little Yu, you’re just too considerate. To avoid pressuring us, you kept this a secret until now. It must have been tough for you,” Senior Sister Mei said with a beaming smile.

Senior Sister Mei not only echoed her mentor’s words but further reframed Shang Siyu’s concealment of the investor’s identity as an act for everyone’s good.

The people in the lab already felt grateful towards the investor who had offered timely help. Hearing Professor Lin and Senior Sister Mei, they subconsciously accepted this explanation and began transforming into a chorus of praise.

“It’s all thanks to Little Yu. If she hadn’t promptly given us the funds, our lab space might have been taken by another team.”

“Exactly, and we would have been bullied by Dean Liu colluding with outsiders!”

“Seriously, Little Yu, next time, you’re not allowed to shoulder everything alone. How can we, as Senior Brothers, let you, our Junior Sister, take all the risks?”

“Shi Xiang, didn’t you say before you wanted to thank the investor? Little Yu is right here. Why don’t you give her what you prepared?”

Hearing his name mentioned, the smile on Shi Xiang’s face stiffened slightly. He asked, half-jokingly, “Little Yu, I remember you told me before that the investor was a relative of yours? How come it’s you now?”

“That was my idea, to prevent you all from overthinking things,” Professor Lin interjected quickly, turning to Shang Siyu, who was sitting beside her. “To celebrate our project’s success, Little Yu has already chosen a restaurant. Just wait for a big dinner.”

“Is Little Yu treating us?” Senior Sister Mei picked up the conversation with a smile.

“Yes, keeping this from everyone for so long was my fault.” A slight smile played at the corner of Shang Siyu’s mouth. “Tonight’s expenses are on me. Whatever you want to eat or drink, just order freely.”

“Great! With those words, we absolutely have to eat our fill tonight!”

“Let’s drink until we drop!”

“Getting drunk won’t do. We still have to come to the lab tomorrow. Just a few glasses will be fine.”

Hearing that Shang Siyu was treating them to a meal, the crowd, who already had very little dissatisfaction, became even happier.

Except for Shi Xiang, no one took Shang Siyu’s concealment of her investor identity to heart.

If the business partner was their own Junior Sister, they certainly wouldn’t forget about their Senior Sisters and Senior Brothers when it came time for profit-sharing in the future. This was only a good thing for them.

Shang Siyu joined in the laughter, ignoring Shi Xiang’s uncomfortable expression and cooperatively nodding in agreement.

After a wonderful, hearty dinner, the project officially entered its final wrap-up phase.

Upon hearing that Shang Siyu planned to establish a company, most people in the lab expressed their support. Those interested chose to invest their technical expertise for shares, obtaining a portion of the founding equity.

However, some were not interested in holding shares and didn’t want to take risks. They took a lump sum of cash and sold their patent rights.

An example was the uneasy Shi Xiang.

Shang Siyu was a master at research, but she was slightly inexperienced when it came to founding a company and recruiting talent.

Fortunately, Professor Lin had some connections in this area and recommended a comprehensive management professional to her student. Combined with Jing Ke’s help in checking for omissions and filling in the gaps, Shang Siyu managed to complete all the formal procedures within a month.

She transformed from a talented researcher into the boss of a technology company.

[That should do it. Whether it’s patent licensing or cooperating with other medical equipment companies, it can bring considerable revenue to the company.]

[Your strength is in the technical side. Personnel management can be handed over to the person Professor Lin recommended. I’ve checked Cui Xiangxiang’s resume; her ability is good, and her character is above average. You can feel confident hiring her.]

“Alright, thank you for your help during this time,” Shang Siyu said. “Without your assistance, I would likely have taken many detours.”

[You’re welcome. Helping you is the same as helping myself.]

“So, at this point, I shouldn’t be considered constrained by others anymore, right?” Shang Siyu asked. She hadn’t forgotten the original reason she agreed to form a contract with Jing Ke.

Shang Siyu: “Can you tell me that piece of information related to my teacher now?”

[I can, but haven’t you already formed a guess in your heart?]

“Was Xue Fan really behind my teacher being implicated in the academic fraud scandal?” Shang Siyu frowned. “Isn’t he running a construction company? How could he reach so far?”

[The cost of creating a rumor is far less than that of clarifying the facts. He doesn’t need extensive connections; spending a little money to hire paid trolls is enough.]

[Those who were jealous of Professor Lin also jumped on the bandwagon afterward, which is what caused such a huge impact.]

Shang Siyu pursed her lips. “You seem to know Xue Fan very well.”

[Why do you say that?]

“Before, when I asked you for information related to Shi Xiang, you always told me to investigate on my own.” Shang Siyu paused. “But regarding Xue Fan, you directly told me the information, and your tone is very certain.”

[That was an oversight on my part. You are more perceptive than I imagined.]

[It seems you have something more to say to me.] A hint of emotional fluctuation appeared in Jing Ke’s tone. [If you want to say it, just say it. If you keep it bottled up inside, it might eventually turn into a barrier between us.]

“Did you have contact with Xue Fan before?” Shang Siyu phrased it as a question, but her attitude was extremely certain.

[Yes.]

“Before forming a contract with me, was the person trading with you Xue Fan?” Shang Siyu continued.

Nearly three months had passed since Xue Fan first appeared before her as an investor.

Maintaining a vigilant stance against him, Shang Siyu had also used her channels to find out some information about Xue Fan.

Xue Fan had dropped out of high school at eighteen. Initially, he was just an ordinary construction site worker, first commended for discovering a safety hazard, then hitting a sizable lottery jackpot.

Shang Siyu hadn’t been able to find out the exact amount, but she knew Xue Fan used the money to buy many old, dilapidated houses.

Less than half a year after the property transactions were completed, news of the old, dilapidated area’s demolition emerged. Xue Fan made a fortune from the demolition compensation and quickly registered and established a company, becoming a boss.

Describing the development of Xue Fan’s company as smooth sailing would be an understatement. He won every single bid and miraculously outcompeted established enterprises, snagging projects related to government contracts and rocketing to success.

[You could say yes, and you could say no. The answer to your question depends on how you perceive me.]

“Hm?” A look of incomprehension appeared in Shang Siyu’s eyes. “It depends on my attitude?”

[In your view, am I a cold machine, or an existence more akin to a person?] Jing Ke asked.

Shang Siyu frowned, a contemplative look appearing on her cool, elegant face.

After a long while, Shang Siyu let out a soft sigh. “That’s a very difficult question to answer. I don’t believe a person could reside within me and communicate with me anytime, anywhere.”

[So, in your eyes, I am an emotionless machine?] Jing Ke asked, a trace of dejection she wasn’t even conscious of detectable in her voice.

“No.” Shang Siyu immediately denied it. “I can’t define what kind of existence you are. In my personal view, you are the existence that pulled me out of my predicament.”

“Although you keep emphasizing that helping me is for my future fortune, from what I’ve seen so far, what I’ve gained from you far exceeds what you’ve gained from me.”

A hint of a smile flickered in Shang Siyu’s clear, transparent ink-colored pupils. “Let’s just say I’m being a bit thick-skinned. I actually consider you a friend, a friend who has helped me a great deal.”

A moment later, Jing Ke’s laughter echoed in Shang Siyu’s mind.

[If that’s the case, then I can tell you the answer.]

[No, I have not traded with Xue Fan.]

[To be more precise, what once traded with Xue Fan was merely a fixed program, or perhaps an energy body.]

[I don’t deny that thing originated from me, but it was a part separated before I developed self-awareness. The entity that facilitated their deal was not me.]

Shang Siyu furrowed her brow, trying hard to comprehend Jing Ke’s meaning.

[You can also understand it this way: the one who traded with Xue Fan was merely the System, while the one trading with you is Jing Ke.]

Shang Siyu’s brow smoothed out. “Can I interpret that as: after you developed self-awareness, you left Xue Fan? And the person you wanted to choose… was me?”

[You could say that.]

“So that’s how it was.” Shang Siyu’s tone softened. “Then, did you choose me because you knew Xue Fan was targeting me?”

[Not entirely because of that. More so, it’s because I wanted to choose you.]

Jing Ke needed Fortune to strengthen herself. In principle, binding with Xue Fan or binding with Shang Siyu would both provide her with substantial Fortune.

Jing Ke deeply disliked Xue Fan’s actions after acquiring power and influence, especially his deliberate humiliation of the originally outstanding Shang Siyu for his own selfish desires.

Without the so-called System, Xue Fan would have been nothing more than a bottom-feeding thug his entire life.

But Shang Siyu was different. Without Xue Fan’s deliberate suppression, she would still be a dazzlingly brilliant existence.

Principled with a bottom line, intelligent, kind, and not weak-willed. Possessing a resilient nature and unmoved by external temptations. This was the type of Host Jing Ke liked and was willing to assist.