My girlfriend is from the future!

"No... uh... you said you met at an event, what event?"

"I was a guest on a live gaming show arranged by Surfline, and coincidentally, the person in charge of the live event was this young master."

Wen Liang realized that Surfline was currently heavily promoting its live streaming business. Not long ago, the live streaming promotion for the drama "Wild in My Heart" was also conducted on Surfline, and she had participated in it several times.

"So that's how it is... But He Tianran and his younger brother have always kept to themselves, and there's even a bit of competition between them within the Shan Hai Group. Although they're in charge of two different industries, you've recently been negotiating a contract renewal with He Tianran, and his younger brother has suddenly gotten close to you... Isn't this just deliberately making his brother uncomfortable? Could it be... that he's a fan of yours? Or has he really taken a liking to you?"

There's so much to say about He Yuanchong's approach to Bai Lingye that Wen Liang isn't sure what to make of it.

"Look at the question you're asking. What fans are you talking about? Do you even have a crush on me? You're just asking unnecessary questions. Take away the word 'have a crush'. Anyway, it's true that he wants to sleep with me."

Bai Lingye's words were startling, and Wen Liang's features scrunched up. "Ugh—look at what outrageous things you've said. I really hope you can maintain this sense of humanity on social media as well."

The exotic beauty spread her hands and said, "What else can I say? The moment a man like him gets close to me, I know what he's up to. Everyone's just pretending not to know. If it were you, you'd probably say something even harsher than me."

"douzo (please)."

At this moment, the hourglass on the bar ran out of time, and the master chef gestured to the pufferfish sashimi, then began preparing the next dish.

Wenliang, whose mouth was already tingling with anticipation, picked up a slice of sashimi and put it in her mouth. It was cool and chewy, and she could feel a slight resistance when she bit down. The pufferfish meat was crisp and firm. As she chewed, the umami flavor spread in layers, with a hint of minerality like the ocean tide. After swallowing, there was a subtle elasticity between her teeth, and the aftertaste was clean and refreshing.

Pure deliciousness needs no further comment; taking another bite is the best expression. However, even faced with such a delicacy, Wen Liang couldn't suppress her curiosity and, between bites, still managed to ask:
"This is your business, don't worry about me. You know so much about their intentions, what are you planning to do?"

"I'm just discussing this with you. Actually, it's kind of funny. The way this second young master started chatting me up was incredibly cliché..."

After adjusting the ratio of wasabi to soy sauce, Bai Lingye pushed the condiment dish to her side to cool it down, and then said:
"He said he had seen me in the game and that I had flaunted my wealth in front of him."

"He might as well say he's seen you in person at the company; that would be more believable. How did you respond?"

Wenliang dipped the sashimi lightly into the condiment dish and put it in her mouth, experiencing a different kind of flavor.

"Let him think that way if he wants to. He's our boss's brother, after all. We can't afford to offend him."

"I think you're enjoying it a bit, aren't you?"

"What else can I do? Slap him? You have to have some survival skills to survive in this industry. It's better to just go along with him and avoid trouble... But recently he asked me to shoot an advertisement for their live streaming platform and wants to sign me as their spokesperson."

Here comes the key.

Wen Liang put down her chopsticks and said, "So, is this considered a lamb entering a tiger's den, or is it consensual?"

"Want to hear the truth?"

"We finally manage to get together for a meal, we can't just keep telling lies, can we?"

The two women turned around and looked directly at each other.

Bai Lingye seemed to hesitate for a moment, so Wen Liang continued:
"Senior, you can just pretend this pufferfish was poisoned. We've already eaten it, and people say good things when they're about to die. Once we're out of this door, no one else will know."

The air was silent for a few seconds, and finally, a bitter smile appeared on Bailingye's face.

Are these two women on good terms?

Even though they work in the same company and are essentially competitors, they are often in a state of ambiguous "hostility." From a career perspective, they shouldn't talk too much about personal matters, because the deeper their relationship, the greater the potential harm to each other from future conflicts of interest. However, in the world of fame and fortune, there are many things that your friends and family cannot understand or explain. But ironically, only your rivals truly understand your situation.

"You ate it, I haven't touched it yet."

Under Wen Liang's gaze, Bai Lingye finally smiled, picked up a piece of pufferfish sashimi, put it in her mouth, and slowly chewed and swallowed it.

"Actually, this is my first time eating pufferfish... I was never really brave enough to try it before."

Wen Liang glanced at the old man making sushi behind the bar, pointed to the sashimi, and gave a thumbs up. Receiving the approval of today's customer, the old man's serious and indifferent face finally showed a smile.

"So you think it's not enough that the chef tested the poison, and you want me to give you double insurance?"

"I wanted Director He to come."

"Oh, then I'm not even worthy of being called a scapegoat."

"That's not what I meant! I meant that if anyone's going to die, it'll be He Tianran before you!"

"Slap—Hahahaha, good, good, well said!"

Wen Liang clapped her hands and laughed heartily, and her laughter infected Bai Lingye, and the two women laughed together.

The female apprentice promptly served a dish of monkfish liver chawanmushi (steamed egg custard). The monkfish liver was mashed into a dense foam and placed on top of the smooth steamed egg. The egg custard was mixed with bonito broth and steamed until it solidified like lamb's fat. A thin slice of freshly shaved black truffle was buried in the center. The two women enjoyed the sashimi with relish. "If I had encountered something like this before meeting Director He, the outcome might have been... uncertain..." Bai Lingye opened up. "That's how this industry is. To become famous, you always have to go through a lot. He Yuanchong is considered good. At least his power, wealth, and status are tangible and visible. If you really want to climb the social ladder, he is indeed a good choice."

"Senior, you remind me of another classmate of mine."

Wen Liang was quite moved, and Bai Lingye pointed out by name: "You mean Gu Ling, right?"

"Oh, you even know her real name?"

"It's no secret. People in the industry say she got to where she is by sleeping with so-and-so, but behind the scenes, everyone is envious of her resources. People are just that complicated. When an opportunity is right in front of you, pain, principles, and morality become secondary. What matters is whether you have the right to choose."

Bai Lingye's words were very realistic. Although Wen Liang did not agree, she listened quietly.

"Therefore, in this materialistic industry, Director He is the rarest kind of person. His so-called talent and ambition are not surprising. What is important is that he has the eye to recognize people, the courage to use people, and the capital to be a talent scout. This is what people like us want... Of course, this is my opinion from a year ago."

Wen Liang succinctly pointed out:
"You just said that he changed because of me. Have you seen him getting very close to me over the past year?"

“That’s right, because… I originally thought he…” Bailingye hesitated for a moment, “…was not tempted.”

"I'm sorry, senior, but I don't really like beating around the bush. So, can I understand what you're saying as, because I've gotten too close to him over the past year, it's made you feel insecure, but you've always kept your distance from him. If you were in my shoes, you wouldn't be troubled by what happened today, right?"

Wen Liang spoke her mind frankly, and Bai Lingye looked at her with eyes full of admiration.

"I wish I could be as brave as you, reckless, willing to do anything and say anything."

"Your words just now were quite bold."

"This is different."

"Senior, while you're still sober, let me give you a piece of advice: as far as I know, our second young master of the He family has a girlfriend."

"Ah Liang, He Tianran also has a girlfriend. He even got into a car with another woman today."

"..."

Bai Lingye squinted, and Wen Liang felt as if she had a lump in her throat, and nothing she said made sense.

"If only I had known earlier that those brothers were the same kind of people..."

"They are not the same kind of people."

Wen Liang coldly and decisively interrupted Bai Lingye's conclusion, who was initially taken aback and quite surprised:

"I thought you would say first that you and I are not the same kind of people."

“Such words carry no weight when spoken by oneself, and you wouldn’t believe them anyway.”

"So, He Tianran means a lot to you? That you'd say such things on his behalf?"

"Senior, do you think it's possible that you keep saying He Tianran is your mentor, but in reality you're so calculating, cutting human relationships into every single detail and waiting for the right price, that he has no choice but to weigh the pros and cons of your relationship, and that's why you only touched on it briefly?"

Bai Lingye was rendered speechless by this rebuke, while Wen Liang continued.

"Whether it's 'people die for wealth and birds die for food,' or 'people strive for higher positions and water flows downhill,' these are undoubtedly very correct ways of dealing with the world. But conversely, if you treat others the way you treat them, don't blame others for treating you the way they treat you. He Tianran is indeed a talent scout, but at the same time, he is a director and a businessman, but not a sucker."

The difference between you and me is that I'm a little closer to him. Maybe it's because I don't care much about whether my efforts will be rewarded. I just care about my own enjoyment. He takes one step towards me, and I take four or five steps. I don't feel like I'm at a disadvantage. I'm like this not only with him, but with all my friends. That's why we've gradually gotten closer, allowing me to see his true colors more clearly.

And you're comparing your so-called mentor to a rich second-generation heir with ulterior motives towards you, placing them in the same position and at the same distance. You'd think they'd be the same kind of people, right? So, if He Yuanchong succeeded in sleeping with you and gave you a livestreaming endorsement deal for surfing, wouldn't he also become your mentor?

"Ring ring ring, ring ring ring—"

Wenliang's phone, which was resting on the table, rang, breaking the silence and awkward atmosphere around them.

Bai Lingye, who had been talking to herself and was already lost in thought, looked down and her eyes became unfocused again.

"This is……"

"Hey, Ai Qing..."

Before Bai Lingye could react, Wen Liang decisively answered the phone.

"Hey, never mind why I called you before, there's something more important right now... Well, some people think I used Director He to get ahead, and my own explanation won't carry much weight. You know best what kind of person He Tianran is, so why don't you explain it to me yourself?"

While Bai Lingye was still in shock, Wen Liang had already expressionlessly handed her the phone... (End of this chapter)