After Flirting with the God-Tier Beautiful Tycoon - Chapter 69

Shen Xiaojiang had just finished washing up. Under the lingering steam, her cheeks were fair with a rosy tint, her skin looking incredibly delicate.

With damp mist clinging to the ends of her hair, she looked lazy and relaxed.

Sun Jiabao, who was waiting for her gaming partner to come online, couldn’t help but glance sideways at her.

“Yo, which middle schooler snuck into our dorm?” Her voice wasn’t quiet, drawing the attention of the other two girls.

Chen Xingnan chewed her gum: “Xiaojiang, I never noticed before, but you look so good with messy hair. You’re actually kind of cute.”

Liu Wei pushed up her black-rimmed glasses: “Our Xiaojiang looks good no matter what. She lives up to the title of school beauty.”

Shen Xiaojiang rolled her eyes at the air. “Slick talkers.”

Sun Jiabao stood up and hooked an arm around her neck: “Seriously though, our ‘Ginger’ is naturally beautiful. She never wears makeup but her skin is like a baby’s. I seriously doubt you even get pimples.”

“I do get them!” Shen Xiaojiang felt the heat and pushed Sun Jiabao away.

“You guys didn’t see it today the looks those guys in the computer club were giving our Ginger were practically dripping with obsession,” Sun Jiabao laughed as she walked back to her seat.

“Are you done yet?” Shen Xiaojiang feigned anger, glaring at Sun Jiabao. “Summer break officially starts tomorrow. Aren’t you guys going back?”

The three said in unison: “To stay with you!”

Shen Xiaojiang waved them off: “I truly thank you all. Please, spare me.”

With Shen Xiaojiang’s help, no one in the dorm had failed a class.

“It’s really strange that the school beauty is still single.”

“Our school beauty only has eyes for studying and work. Where would she find the heart for romance?”

They joked around for a while until the conversation ended when Sun Jiabao’s game started.

Speaking of work, Shen Xiaojiang thought of Wanning Electronics again.

First of all, Wanning was indeed a good company, and Bai Shuhua seemed to be a capable leader with real strength.

During the early campus recruitment day, Shen Xiaojiang had many concerns. But after visiting Wanning’s headquarters with Bai Shuhua and learning more about the company, she felt she would fit in there.

What should she do? Accept or refuse? Should she consider it a bit longer?

Just then, Shen Xiaojiang received a remittance notification on her phone.

A total of 3,300 yuan.

Shen Xiaojiang recognized the account; it was the shop manager’s.

It was her salary for the month.

This month, due to exams and other reasons, Shen Xiaojiang had missed a few days. However, the manager hadn’t deducted much.

Shen Xiaojiang felt grateful. Until she found an internship, she would continue going to the shop.

Counting this 3,000 plus, the money Shen Xiaojiang had saved far exceeded her initial goal of 10,000 yuan.

Though it wasn’t a huge sum, it was deeply meaningful to her.

There was a big difference between school and society.

To her, Feifei Pet Shop was the bridge connecting the two, allowing her to adapt to the social atmosphere in advance.

Shen Xiaojiang liked it there very much and was grateful for its existence.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated again.

She opened WeChat, it was Bai Shuhua.

[Wanning CEO Bai: Student Shen, are you asleep?]

[Wanning CEO Bai: Smile emoji]

Holding the phone with both hands, Shen Xiaojiang typed back, “Not yet.”

[Wanning CEO Bai: I’m downstairs at your dorm. Is it convenient for you to come down for a moment?]

[Shen Xiaojiang: Now?]

[Wanning CEO Bai: It won’t take much of your time.]

Just like on the day of the early recruitment, Bai Shuhua said she wouldn’t force anyone, yet her actions were impossible to refuse. Helpless, Shen Xiaojiang went downstairs.

Seeing her from a distance, Bai Shuhua excitedly rolled down the window on Shen Xiaojiang’s side and said with a beaming smile, “Get in.”

Shen Xiaojiang froze for a second, then suddenly looked up, glancing casually at the distance.

She wasn’t looking for anyone, nor did she truly expect to see anything.

It seemed to be a subconscious reflex a second later, she felt ridiculous.

That tone of voice was a little bit…really, just a tiny bit..like a certain someone.

But Shen Xiaojiang had deliberately magnified that tiny bit many times over.

Truly, a bit ridiculous.

However, never one to dally, she immediately tucked that person away into the depths of her mind.

“Oh, Student Shen, it’s so hot out there and there are mosquitoes everywhere. I don’t want to stand outside to talk to you,” Bai Shuhua said.

Shen Xiaojiang snapped back to reality. Thinking she had a point, she opened the door and sat inside.

Bai Shuhua’s car was much lower than Chen Yi’s. The strange field of vision made Shen Xiaojiang feel out of place.

Humans are truly mysterious creatures, how could one become so easily dependent on something so meaningless?

The plum rain season this year lasted longer than usual, and even the cicadas in the trees sounded more sweltering and humid than in previous years.

“Student Shen,” Bai Shuhua took a USB drive from her bag and handed it to her. “Here, this is the basic situation of the new project I’m currently developing, including the initial program.”

Shen Xiaojiang stared at her blankly, not reaching out to take it.

Even though she hadn’t started working at Wanning Electronics yet, she knew that project R&D was a company secret and the initial program was the most classified part of all. It wasn’t something you just showed people.

“What do you mean?” Shen Xiaojiang’s eyes flickered, her fingers tightening around her phone.

Bai Shuhua lowered her gaze and spoke frankly: “To be honest, the project I’m working on has hit a snag. My R&D team has spent half a month on it with zero progress.”

“No progress?” Shen Xiaojiang repeated, puzzled.

“Yes,” Bai Shuhua rubbed the USB drive. “The robotic arms in some factories in Nancheng have already broken through many technical barriers and are undergoing a ‘2.0’ transformation. But in terms of both gripping speed and precision, there is still a huge gap compared to foreign technology. During my time studying in the US, I saw too much 3.0 or even 4.0 tech. Our speed and precision aren’t even on the same level. I want to change that to catch up with them.”

“So, you didn’t happen to make adjustments based on the initial program, did you?” Shen Xiaojiang asked calmly.

The finger Bai Shuhua used to rub the USB drive paused. She looked up. “Yes. I changed everything.”

Shen Xiaojiang was stunned, shaking her head helplessly.

Writing initial programs is extremely complex, involving many technical pitfalls. One wrong step can lead to total failure.

Having learned a lot in Old Mao’s classes, Shen Xiaojiang understood this logic well.

Bai Shuhua had likely just stepped right into one of those professional pitfalls of the initial stage.

She wanted to copy Western technology and apply it directly to an existing program. Setting aside whether it was a good idea, the feasibility was extremely low. One slip-up could cause the original code to scramble, or worse, become completely invalid.

To prevent the massive investment from becoming a sunk cost, Bai Shuhua had no way out. If she couldn’t find anyone in the company to help, she had to look outside.

“What, do you think it’s too difficult?” Bai Shuhua forced a smile. “I remember your resume said you have a Level 4 Computer Certificate and won gold in an algorithm competition. Do you lack confidence in yourself?”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll tamper with the program in a way you’ll never detect?” Shen Xiaojiang countered.

It was common knowledge that the initial program was the core of the project. Usually, only high-level clients who had purchased products multiple times could even get their hands on it and even then, only on versions that had been through several iterations.

Bai Shuhua narrowed her eyes and gave a snorting laugh, shaking her head. “If I can’t find a professional to solve this major problem, the project is essentially dead. I don’t care what the outside world thinks of me, but I care about my intellectual fruit. I want it to be concrete, I want it to land, I want it to become a living product. For that, I am willing to bear all consequences.”

Hah, another lunatic.

Shen Xiaojiang was lost in thought, a serious expression appearing on her fair face.

The corners of her mouth pulled inward slightly, her lower lip bit gently between her teeth like a sulking child. It created a strange sense of “pure desire.”

Bai Shuhua watched blankly, her throat unconsciously bobbing. “Shen Xiaojiang, I’m a good judge of character.”

“And?”

Bai Shuhua leaned in closer: “And so, I trust you.”

Shen Xiaojiang paused. The moment Bai Shuhua leaned in, she instinctively moved back to maintain distance.

The two made eye contact.

Shen Xiaojiang didn’t show a hint of cowardice.

“Fine. If you’ve decided, I can give it a try,” Shen Xiaojiang exhaled. “But I can’t guarantee I’ll solve it for you.”

“No problem.” Bai Shuhua shook the USB drive in her hand.

Shen Xiaojiang looked at the drive between the other woman’s fingers, its gunmetal casing glinted coldly in the dim light.

After a few seconds of hesitation, she reached out and pinched a corner of the USB drive.

“However…” Bai Shuhua held onto the other corner. “Don’t ignore me.”

The two locked eyes again in the darkness, each pinching one end of the tiny drive.

Shen Xiaojiang knit her brows slightly, a hint of displeasure touching the corners of her eyes as she remained silent.

The atmosphere became momentarily strange.

As if to break the tension, Bai Shuhua let out a laugh. “Look at you, taking things so seriously. I mean on WeChat don’t stop replying to my WeChat messages.”

Shen Xiaojiang’s brow remained knit, though the displeasure on her face softened slightly.

“Oh, little sister, what did you think I meant?” Bai Shuhua released her grip.

The irritation on Shen Xiaojiang’s face surged back. “President Bai, I don’t care for terms like ‘sister.’ I think it would be better if you continued to address me as Student Shen.”

She was dead serious and perfectly formal.

Bai Shuhua froze, the smile on her face almost turning to stone.

Given her status in Nancheng, countless people were desperate to be on “sisterly” terms with her, yet this Shen Xiaojiang was completely impenetrable.

Not bad, she thought. This is exactly the kind of person I scouted.

Since she was the one asking for a favor, Bai Shuhua knew she had to mind her manners and avoid offending the girl.

“Fine, Student Shen.” With that, she unlocked the doors and let Shen Xiaojiang out.

As the red sports car sped away, Shen Xiaojiang turned and headed back to the dorm. The night was locked outside.

Over the following week, students began leaving school one after another. The dormitory was scheduled to be sealed in a week’s time.

During this week, Shen Xiaojiang split her time between her part-time job at the pet shop and studying code in the dorm.

As it turned out, people are always more motivated when doing what they are good at.

She could sit in front of her computer for hours without eating or drinking. Even if she didn’t achieve a breakthrough immediately, her patience and focus were unshakable.

“Jiang, I finally found them for you!” Sun Jiabao burst into the dorm lugging a stack of books, drenched in sweat and panting. “Everything you asked for Core Programming, C++ Object Models, the works.”

With a heavy thud, Sun Jiabao dropped the books on Shen Xiaojiang’s desk.

“Why do you need so much dry material? Even Old Mao didn’t recommend these books,” Sun Jiabao said, flipping through one half-heartedly.

Shen Xiaojiang kept her eyes glued to the monitor, giving a distracted reply: “They’re useful.”

Sun Jiabao closed the book and pressed her hands to her temples. “No, I can’t do this. Just looking at this makes my mind spiral. Amitabha, Amitabha…”

Hearing Sun Jiabao climb up to her bunk, Shen Xiaojiang finally looked away from the screen. “Break has started. Are you really not going home?”

Sun Jiabao gripped the ladder and looked back with a raised eyebrow. “How can I go? I’m out here getting you food and borrowing books for you.”