I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

Upon entering and exchanging greetings, Qian Ming'en asked, "Are you all discussing tomorrow's provincial competition? Preparing for it? Why didn't you book a meeting room at a hotel?"

One of the people sitting on the sofa said, "There isn't much information to prepare. We can basically just go over it verbally, so there's no need to bother opening a meeting room. We can just go over it in the room."

"This kind of austere and simple style is hard to find nowadays."...

While they were exchanging pleasantries, Shen Kang glanced at the four people and found that he didn't recognize three of them, but he recognized the one sitting on the bed. It was Huang Anyong, the one who hadn't gotten along with Xiao Bonian during the last city-level competition.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Qian Ming'en got straight to the point, explaining the purpose of their visit. The reason given was that a television station was coming to interview them the next day, but the station was short-time and only available in the morning.

After hearing this, all four looked at Shen Kang.

The three people Shen Kang didn't recognize all seemed quite interested.

One of them said, "A special interview with Yangcheng TV? Dean Qian, this student from your school is quite something."

Qian Ming'en smiled modestly and said, "It's alright, it's alright."

As one of the participating universities, all Qian Mingen and his team could do was "submit an application" and explain their reasons. As for how to make the decision, that was the competition organizer's business.

So after listening to Qian Mingen's request and reasons, the event organizers said they needed to discuss it and let Qian Mingen and his group go back first.

After Qian Mingen and Shen Kang left, the group began to discuss the matter.

Two of them were quite interested in things that could increase exposure, while one remained noncommittal.

Huang Anyong sat on the bed and watched the whole thing unfold.

He and Xiao Bonian were already at odds, and naturally, he also disliked Xiao Bonian's son, Shen Kang. If someone else had brought this up, he would most likely have pretended not to hear and offered no opinion. But since it was Shen Kang who brought it up…

Huang Anyong chuckled inwardly, then offered his opinion.

"Increasing exposure is certainly good, but I think it would be a loss to arbitrarily change the rules of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition for this reason."

"The rules for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition were all set when the project was initiated, and they are the same nationwide. If our provincial competition in Qianlin Province were to try to gain some exposure by making exceptions or even engaging in 'cheating,' it would be too unsightly, and we're even more afraid that someone would use this to make a fuss... In fact, the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition itself is of a very high standard. The fact that it can be held smoothly is already a great success. These things are just icing on the cake, not essential support..."

In summary, Huang Anyong's words can be summed up in eight words: "Everyone, don't strive for merit, just strive to avoid mistakes." Stability and smooth sailing are the most important things.

It must be said that Huang Anyong's idea hit the nail on the head for these three people, and they all felt a sense of urgency and found it to be reasonable.

The two who were initially interested in this matter also began to change their minds.

Finally, after discussing it, the three of them called Qian Ming'en to inform him of their decision—the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition is a fair and just national competition, and they would not give Shen Kang any special treatment.

Qian Ming'en, after receiving the call, didn't give up and mentioned that Shen Kang was going to attend an industry conference next door the next afternoon. Although he didn't know if it would be useful, having more leverage was always good.

But the result was disappointing; the tournament organizers remained firm and showed no interest whatsoever in this new bargaining chip.

The TV station's interview with Shen Kang would also give the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition exposure, which would benefit them. What good would Shen Kang's attendance at that meeting do for the competition? They simply ignored it.

……

In Qian Mingen's room

After putting down his phone, Qian Ming'en looked at Shen Kang, who was sitting on the sofa, and told him the results.

After hearing this, Shen Kang fell into deep thought.

Many teams participating in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition may value it highly, as it offers honors, academic credits, and numerous benefits for university students.

But Shen Kang didn't care; he didn't care about honors or academic credits.

For him, things are simple: go for the draw tomorrow morning as usual, and if he gets a morning draw, that would be ideal. If he's unlucky and the time he gets clashes with the industry conference there, he can just withdraw from the competition.

However, Qian Ming'en and Yang Keda clearly had different ideas: since they had inexplicably reached the provincial competition stage, they hoped that they could advance, achieve good results, and bring glory to Yang Keda.

If they lose due to a normal, unbeatable match, they won't have any complaints. But if they voluntarily withdraw from the competition because of personal matters...

Shen Kangjue knew that Qian Mingen would eventually agree, but he would definitely be unhappy about it.

"So, besides gambling on luck, is there any other way...?"

As Shen Kang pondered and recalled, a sudden thought struck him.

"Dean Qian, may I borrow your computer for a moment?"

After taking out Qian Ming'en's computer, Shen Kang searched for information about the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition on it, thoroughly reviewing the rules.

He had read the rules of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition before and had some vague impressions. After a careful search, he found the relevant rules that he could use.

According to the rules of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, once a participating team submits its project, it cannot be changed.

For example, the theme of the "Second-hand Textbook Recycling Platform" project that Shen Kang's team worked on cannot be changed afterward.

In the last city-level competition, Shen Kang and his team did not change their theme. They simply improved the project based on questions from the judges, which was permitted by the competition organizers.

Aside from the project theme not being changed, the team leader can be changed, but a new team leader cannot be brought in from outside. Instead, a team member can be promoted to team leader, and the original team leader will be demoted to a team member.

The team leader is also the main speaker. If the team leader of Shen Kang's team changes, for example, to Ye Jintong, then Ye Jintong will become the main speaker.

Shen Kang's role as a team member will be much less significant. If he happens to have diarrhea, he won't have to go on stage. That way, there's no need to gamble on luck.

"…Dean Qian, what do you think?"

After Shen Kang finished explaining his thoughts, he asked Qian Ming'en for his opinion.

Qian Mingen hesitated for a long time.

In his opinion, it would be best for Shen Kang to be the team leader—the remaining three members of Shen Kang's team were all enthusiastic about tourism and were all there for the trip, so he wouldn't feel comfortable letting any of them take the lead.

However, Shen Kang did have his own important matters to attend to, and Qian Ming'en couldn't bring himself to ask Shen Kang to sacrifice himself for the honor of the school.

After some hesitation, Qian Ming'en finally agreed, "Okay, let's do it this way."

Anyway, Shen Kang's team's project, after Shen Kang's last-minute major revisions and subsequent refinements, is already quite complete. If someone else were to present it, there shouldn't be any major problems. Qian Ming'en thought to himself.

After reaching a consensus, the two went to the event organizers and submitted their new idea.

Since this was done entirely in accordance with the tournament organizers' rules, the other party naturally had no reason to object, so they asked them to submit the list of replacement captains.

So Shen Kang called Ye Jintong and the other two to his room, explained the situation, and finally gave his orders.

"Ye Jintong, you'll be the team leader, and you'll be the main speaker."

There really weren't many good choices among these three: Ma Liang was okay at answering technical questions, but he couldn't handle giving a long presentation on the project; as for He Qiuzhu, there was no need to even mention her. If Shen Kang really let He Qiuzhu give the presentation, he was afraid that she would rub the red rope chain on her wrist until it sparked and then burn the hotel down.

Letting He Qiuzhu do the main talk would be torture for her, and Shen Kang would be the first to disagree.

So it was Ye Jintong.

Ye Jintong knew this too, and didn't say anything, only sighed, "I thought I was just here for vacation... Boss, this counts as overtime, extra pay, extra pay is a must!"

Shen Kang cursed, "Damn it, the team leader has the most honors and gets the most credits. I gave you those honors and credits, and you still want me to pay extra?"

Yip Kam-tung directly threatened, "I won't go unless you give me more money!"

During their argument, a voice suddenly rang out.

"Shen Kang, I want to be the team leader."

"?"

Shen Kang and Ye Jintong stopped arguing and, together with Ma Liang, all three of them looked at He Qiuzhu, wondering if there was something wrong with their ears.

Even though she was quite familiar with the three people here, He Qiuzhu still blinked a few times when they all looked at her with such intense gazes.

Shen Kang knew that she was a little timid because she was being stared at.

But He Qiuzhu met the gazes of the three of them again and repeated the same sentence: "I want to be the captain." Her voice was not loud, soft and weak, but very firm.

"Uh...actually, I just wanted to take this opportunity to extort some money from the boss. I can do it, Qiuzhu." Ye Jintong was a little annoyed. "Forget it, boss, it's free, I'll do it."

He Qiuzhu repeated herself: "Shen Kang, I want to be the team leader."

"...Why?" Shen Kang looked at her and asked directly.

He Qiuzhu pursed her lips and remained silent.

Ye Jintong and Ma Liang looked at each other, sensing that the atmosphere was slowly becoming a little strange, and began to communicate with their eyes.

What's going on?

do not know.

What should I do?

Let's slip away first...

After exchanging glances, Ye Jintong spoke first: "Boss, I just remembered that I left the gas on in my room."

Ma Liang readily chimed in, "Boss, I'll go fix her gas."

The two of them then immediately slipped out of the room, and thoughtfully closed the door behind them.

After the two left, Shen Kang softened his tone and asked He Qiuzhu again why she wanted to be the captain, but He Qiuzhu still didn't speak, her eyes showing some stubbornness.

Shen Kang rarely saw her like this, and found it strangely adorable. He laughed, his tone softening further, his voice even a little strained: "The most important thing in a brother-sister relationship is communication. If something is bothering you and your sister, it can easily lead to misunderstandings. Once a misunderstanding arises, a rift forms, and as time goes on, the rift widens, eventually causing the two to become like strangers..."

He Qiuzhu's eyes darted around in their sockets, a mixture of fear and apprehension in her. Finally, she spoke up: "I just want to help you. You always try to solve everything yourself, or you ask others for help. You never let me help you. I feel so useless."

As He Qiuzhu spoke, she became increasingly frustrated and uneasy, saying, "Useless people will be abandoned. I don't want you to abandon me..."

Shen Kang was stunned.

Just then, a slightly indistinct voice rang out in the room, and the voice sounded somewhat familiar.

"Holy crap! He Qiuzhu has already grown into such a monstrous beauty, why is she so subservient to that bastard boss?! If I looked like He Qiuzhu, I'd use a bastard like him every day and throw him away after I'm done!..."

"..."

Shen Kang silently looked to his left. He Qiuzhu was startled by the sudden sound, and her words came to an abrupt halt.

Shen Kang followed the sound and picked up a cell phone from a table hidden behind a chair.

The phone showed that I was on a call with "Ma Liang," and it was on speakerphone.

"..."

Shen Kang brought the phone to his mouth and calmly said, "You two, you won't get your salaries next year." Then he hung up the phone.

In another room

Ye Jintong and Ma Liang were sitting around a coffee table, with a cell phone between them that showed they were talking to "Ye Jintong".

The cell phone in Shen Kang's room was secretly left behind by Ye Jintong before she left.

"Tonics, boss!..."

Ye Jintong quickly picked up her phone and called out, but it was too late; the call had already been disconnected.

Seeing this, Ma Liang urged, "He's already hung up, he can't hear you. Why don't you call back?"

He hadn't had enough yet.

Ye Jintong gave a forced smile and handed him the phone, saying, "It's your phone, you make the call."

Ma Liang chuckled dryly, refusing to answer the phone, as if it were a bomb.

Ye Jintong then put down her phone, sighed deeply, and blamed herself for not being able to hold back and giving herself away.

But there's nothing I can do.

Upon hearing He Qiuzhu's words, she seemed to see that stunningly beautiful woman, a scourge to the nation, standing before her, humbly begging her not to leave her...

Even the most sci-fi dramas I've ever seen aren't this sci-fi; it's too outrageous, which is why I couldn't help but exclaim "Holy crap!"

"The boss must have saved her life." Ye Jintong made this reasonable deduction regarding this puzzling question.

Otherwise, there is no other explanation.

Ma Liang nodded silently.

While the two were cricketing on this side, on the other side...

Shen Kang walked back to He Qiuzhu and looked at her.

She looked utterly hopeless, almost like she was about to die, which was incredibly cute. Shen Kang wanted to laugh, but couldn't—a girl like that had just said those things to him, expressing the affection a younger sister has for her older brother. Anyone would be bewildered.

Shen Kang was no exception.

All I can say is that this kind of family bond is incredibly difficult to break.

Shen Kang didn't know what to say, so he opened his arms and hugged her.

He could feel that He Qiuzhu's body was initially stiff, but gradually relaxed. Her arms, which had been awkwardly positioned at first, slowly and naturally wrapped around his waist.

No one spoke; the room was quiet.

Finally, a muffled, sweet voice came from Shen Kang's neck, "Shen Kang, your phone is bumping into me." As she spoke, she nudged the "phone" with her thigh, as if trying to move it aside.

"..."

Shen Kang loosened his arms, turned around, and walked towards the bathroom, leaving He Qiuzhu with his back: "You watch TV for a while, I'm going to the toilet."

He Qiuzhu's face was a little red, probably because she had been hugged by Shen Kang and was short of oxygen.

Upon hearing this, he obediently said "Oh" and went to get the remote control to turn on the TV.

Shen Kang went into the bathroom, closed the door behind him, took out his phone—the real phone—found Ruan Yue's number, and dialed it.

The phone rang for a while before being answered.

"Did you need something?"

Ruan Yue's voice sounded somewhat languid on the other end of the phone.

Shen Kang asked, "You just woke up?"

Ruan Yue's voice came back: "I wasn't awake, your phone call woke me up."

"Awesome, sleeping until this late." Shen Kang praised, then cut to the chase and said, "We're currently participating in a university student entrepreneurship competition..."

He briefly explained the situation, mentioning that He Qiuzhu wanted to be the team leader and give a speech on stage.

"...You're her good friend and know her quite well. I want to ask you, if she really goes on stage to speak, can she handle it?"

at the same time

In a high-end residential area in Beilu District, the curtains were drawn in a bedroom, effectively blocking out the light and making the room pitch black.

A series of clapping and chaotic sounds came from the table tennis court, then with a snap, someone pressed the switch and the light came on.

Wearing a silk nightgown, Ruan Yue sat on the edge of the bed, holding her phone to her ear in one hand and reaching out to the power switch on the side of the bed with the other, her face full of astonishment, as if she had seen some kind of prehistoric beast.

The bed was a mess, which she had made in her haste to get up.

"You mean, she volunteered to go up and give the presentation?"

Ruan Yue repeated it to the person on the other end of the phone.

Then came Shen Kang's affirmative answer.

Moreover, Shen Kang provided more information: "Actually, she had already been on stage last time, during the city-level competition, also in this same competition. Although I was the main speaker at the time, she was still standing on the stage."

Ruan Yue said, "That's different. She was standing behind you then, and she didn't say anything, but this time she's the main speaker... Okay, I'll hang up now. Wait a moment, I'll call you back later."

After hanging up the call, Ruan Yue immediately made another call.

After waiting for a while, the call was finally answered.

A somewhat deep male voice came over.

"Tna, I hope you have something important to say. After all, this is the first time I've slept this well since Lehman Brothers went bankrupt."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Yue asked, "Has the situation improved?"

The male voice said, "I guess so... You know, it involves too many people, everyone's in a mess. The so-called 'improvement' is just that it's not as bad as it seems... Let's not talk about that, what exactly happened?"