I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

I don't know which sycophant started clapping first, but after all the judges and teachers had finished speaking, someone clapped.

Based on the simple idea that "everyone else is clapping, and if I don't clap, I seem a bit out of place," more and more people clapped, eventually forming a continuous, thunderous applause.

He Qiuzhu and her team also stepped off the stage under these circumstances, their expressions remaining as aloof as ever, without a trace of smugness.

This scene also startled a few female contestants who had begun to envy and dislike He Qiuzhu. They then felt somewhat ashamed: if it were them, enjoying such praise from the judges and such thunderous applause, they might also feel a little proud and smug.

But they just don't have it.

This made them less jealous and disgusted with He Qiuzhu; instead, they felt a faint longing for her, a yearning to have such a strong female lead mentality.

Some of them even secretly regarded He Qiuzhu as their idol and a role model for future learning.

But what they didn't know was that the person they saw as "aloof," "confident," "strong-willed," and a "leading lady" was actually incredibly timid inside. Their pace quickened almost imperceptibly.

Only after taking her seat and leaving the spotlight behind did He Qiuzhu finally breathe a long sigh of relief. Her eyes sparkled, and she was overjoyed.

She had little concept of or feeling about the judges' praise or the applause from the audience. Her joy and happiness stemmed from the fact that she had successfully fulfilled Shen Kang's request and helped him.

As far as Shen Kang is concerned, since I've been useful once, he probably won't throw me away for the time being.

……

Inside another venue at the Haobo Hotel, there was a large stage on the inside. On the backdrop of the stage were the words "Qianlin Province Intelligent Manufacturing and High-end Equipment Industry Conference", and below were rows of high-backed chairs.

The meeting hadn't started yet, but quite a few people had already arrived. Some were sitting, some were standing, some were in small groups, chatting away. Many people were also moving around, and you could hear greetings like "President Wang" and "President Qin" from time to time.

Zeng Jie had already filmed enough footage of Shen Kang in the morning, and now he is taking the photographer around to shoot new footage.

Shen Kang, led by Chen Kexu, was chatting with a newly acquainted boss.

Niu Haisheng is the host today and is quite busy, currently greeting guests, so he didn't come over.

"...See you later."

After chatting with the new boss for a while, the two parted ways temporarily. Chen Kexu then led Shen Kang to find someone new to introduce to him.

Chen Kexu was quite happy to do this kind of thing. Introducing more people to Shen Kang was also a favor to Shen Kang, which was good. Of course, when introducing them, Chen Kexu didn't mention any of Shen Kang's identities that weren't yet proven. He only introduced Shen Kang as the owner of Anjia Household Services.

Perhaps because of the lack of that "suspected identity" aura, when Shen Kang was introduced to others by Chen Kexu, they only maintained basic social etiquette and did not seem overly enthusiastic.

So compared to the "paying respects to the leader" in the morning, the two of them are now surrounded by a rather deserted atmosphere.

Just as Chen Kexu was thinking about who to introduce to Shen Kang next, he noticed something to his left front.

There were two men chatting there, one in his forties and the other in his thirties.

Most of the CEOs attending the meeting were over forty years old, so the man in his thirties was quite conspicuous.

The two were talking about something, and the man in his thirties, looking rather smug, was saying something.

Let's go with the two of them then.

Chen Kexu thought for a moment, then led Shen Kang over. Before they even reached them, a smile had already spread across his face: "President Lin, President Bei, what are you talking about? You seem so happy."

Upon seeing Chen Kexu approach, the man in his forties said, "They were talking about President Bei's popularity with women." As he spoke, he noticed Shen Kang standing next to Chen Kexu.

Chen Kexu then introduced them, "Let me introduce you, this is Mr. Lin Yishan, the general manager of Qingshan Manufacturing." He gestured to Shen Kang towards the man in his forties.

Then he gestured to Shen Kang towards the man in his thirties, "This is Mr. Bei Ronghuan, the general manager of Luoda Machinery."

Finally, I introduced Shen Kang to the two of them: "Shen Kang, CEO of Anjia Household Services."

"Nice to meet you."

After the three politely introduced themselves, Mr. Lin Yishan, the CEO, looked somewhat surprised and said with a smile, "I thought Mr. Bei was the youngest among our group, but I didn't expect there to be someone as old as Mr. Shen."

Shen Kang smiled and said, "We work in the service industry, which is relatively easy because we just put in physical labor. It's not the same as the difficulties faced by you guys who run physical businesses."

"Not at all. Anjia Housekeeping has quite a prestigious reputation; Mr. Shen is too modest." "Yes, yes."...

Lin Yishan and Bei Ronghuan praised it verbally, but in their hearts they also thought Shen Kang was right, believing that the domestic service industry had low value. After all, they knew what the domestic service industry was like; you could start one by renting a storefront, setting up a few tables, and hiring a few people—the costs were very low.

Even companies like Anjia Housekeeping, which have branches all over Yangcheng, don't actually have that much in total assets.

As they were talking, someone's phone rang.

Bei Ronghuan took out his phone, glanced at the caller ID, put it to his ear, and answered it directly: "Hey...didn't I tell you the day before yesterday that I have an industry conference these two days and I'm busy...didn't I say that?...I really don't have time...that's all."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yishan chuckled and spoke first: "President Bei, didn't you just call? Why are you calling again?"

Bei Ronghuan remained calm. "Oh, not the same one."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yishan gave a thumbs up and exclaimed, "Awesome!" After praising him, he explained to Shen Kang and Chen Kexu, "Just before you arrived, President Bei received a phone call from a young girl, who was... what was her assistant again?"

"Assistant General Manager," Bei Ronghuan added, then continued, "She's basically a rich second-generation. Her dad owns a few small steel mills, and he just gives her a nominal position there. She doesn't really go to work much; she spends her days eating, playing, and shopping. But for a girl, that's fine."

Lin Yishan, ever the straight man, chimed in: "And this one?"

Bei Ronghuan said, "This family is just average, but I'm quite capable. I work in management at a large company and can earn several hundred thousand a year."

Chen Kexu also became interested, "Mr. Bei, is this a case of two phoenixes vying for a dragon?"

"Not really..."

Before Bei Ronghuan could finish speaking, his phone rang again. He picked it up and answered it right in front of the three of them, "Hey... in a meeting... when are you free? The day after tomorrow... that's too cheesy, I won't say it..."

Lin Yishan, Chen Xuke, and Shen Kang exchanged glances, all feeling quite amused.

After Bei Ronghuan finished his call, Chen Kexu teased, "President Bei, you're quite charming! This is the third one already? Are there going to be a fourth or a fifth? Let us broaden our horizons."

Bei Ronghuan was somewhat smug, but then, as if remembering something, his face immediately fell, and he sighed, "Actually, it's tough for me too."

"If I were ten years younger, I would definitely be very happy now, but as Mr. Lin knows, I'm already thirty-seven this year. I've finally achieved what I have today, and I want to get married. But well, either no one comes along, or three at once..."

Bei Ronghuan started rambling on and on.

Through his explanation, Shen Kang also understood Bei Ronghuan's current predicament:

Bei Ronghuan comes from a rural background and focused on his career in his early years, having no time for romantic relationships, which is why he has never been married.

In the past two years, Bei Ronghuan's career has finally gotten on track. With some time on his hands and the right age, he started thinking about marriage and finally took the initiative to make a move.

Although Bei Ronghuan is not handsome, he is not ugly either. He has an average appearance, and now that he is successful in his career and his height is up to standard, he still has a certain charm, and I was indeed able to get close to him.

And it wasn't just one, it was three.

The first female guest is 29 years old, a second-generation rich kid. Her family owns several small steel mills, and in terms of total assets alone, her family's assets are an order of magnitude higher than Bei Ronghuan's. Her personal income is 10 yuan a year. As for appearance, she is of average quality, but not ugly.

The second female guest is 30 years old, from a rural background, a graduate of a top university, and very capable. She works in management at a large company and earns 60 yuan a year. Her appearance is fairly average, but her figure is better than the rich second-generation guest's.

The third female guest is 24 years old, from a working-class family, graduated from a second-tier university, and works as an office clerk at a friend's company of Bei Ronghuan, earning 3 yuan a year. She is very beautiful and has a great figure.

Bei Ronghuan is currently dealing with these three women simultaneously.

"...I'm really torn about which one to choose." Bei Ronghuan looked worried, but also a little smug.

The triumph is genuine, and the distress is genuine.

Chen Kexu then thought of something and said, "How about we ask President Shen for his advice?"

"?"

Bei Ronghuan and Lin Yishan both looked over in surprise, quite puzzled: Bei Ronghuan was now troubled about choosing who to marry, and Shen Kang was just a young man, about the same age as Lin Yishan's son. It would be good enough if he could have a good relationship, what could he know about marriage? What advice could he give?

Chen Kexu added, "Besides Anjia Housekeeping, President Shen also created a website specifically for college students to find partners and date."

"..." Listening to Chen Kexu's explanation, Shen Kang felt that his Beiming Community seemed a bit improper in his description.

Then, Chen Kexu said to Shen Kang, "Mr. Shen, as a professional, could you analyze this and offer some help?"

Lin Yishan and Bei Ronghuan both thought that dating and blind dates were completely different things. If what Chen Kexu said was true, and Shen Kang really created a dating website for college students, then it was still about dating, and had nothing to do with blind dates.

However, they didn't refute Chen Kexu and Shen Kang's request and remained silent.

Shen Kang declined, saying, "That was just a website event, and it was organized by someone else. I know nothing about these things, so please don't mislead others."

"Hey, Mr. Shen, it's just a casual remark..."

Chen Kexu urged him on, and Lin Yishan and Bei Ronghuan were quite accommodating. Although they didn't really agree, they still chimed in, treating it as casual conversation.

After being confronted by the three of them, Shen Kang could only say, "Then I'll just say something casually, everyone just take it as entertainment."

"Okay, let's just listen to it for fun," the three said.

Shen Kang then said, "These kinds of things need to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis. Mr. Bei, let me make a bold guess: if we were to rank the three of them, wouldn't that rich kid be the highest in your mind?"

Bei Ronghuan's heart skipped a beat, somewhat surprised, and he glanced at Shen Kang a few more times. After a moment's thought, he nodded, "Yes."

Lin Yishan was also somewhat surprised and glanced at Shen Kang a few more times.

Lin could understand why Bei Ronghuan ranked that rich second-generation the highest, since he and Bei Ronghuan were roughly the same type of person. But this President Shen could also see it, so he must have some skill; you can't judge a person simply by their age.

Shen Kang continued, "Then let me make another bold guess: when you're with her, are you the one who usually pampers her?"

Bei Ronghuan's heart skipped a beat again. He wanted to deny it, but then he glanced at Shen Kang and thought that this guy really had something to offer; he might actually be able to guide him. If he missed out because of his lie…

After thinking about it, Bei Ronghuan reluctantly admitted, "Yes."

Although he was successful in his career, once he started making money, he couldn't stop; he was never satisfied. When he saw someone who was better than him, he wanted to climb up to them.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yishan was even more surprised. Although he also preferred to choose a rich second-generation heiress, his wife was just an ordinary woman who had helped him build his business from scratch, and he had never dated a rich second-generation woman before. Judging from Bei Ronghuan's tone and manner on the phone earlier, he had assumed that Bei Ronghuan was the one in control between the two, but it turned out to be the other way around.

After receiving Bei Ronghuan's reply, Shen Kang continued, "Mr. Bei, these three women you have now are actually three typical types of women."

"The second generation of rich kids are characterized by high assets and low cash reserves."

"A strong woman is one with low assets and high cash reserves."

"Young lady, you have low assets and low cash."

Upon hearing Shen Kang's classification, Chen Kexu, Bei Ronghuan, and the others found it quite interesting and apt.

"Based on my own wild guesses, if you two really get together and get married, this pattern won't change," Shen Kang said. "Many women with high assets and low cash are like this. They don't have much money, but they subconsciously think that the family's assets are their own cash, which makes them very arrogant, like swans."

"Mr. Bei, when you're with this kind of woman, you need to constantly lower your stance, to put it bluntly, you need to act like a subservient grandson. And then, as you keep doing this, you have a son, and as the son grows up, until one day..."

Shen Kang clapped his hands. "Hey, her father passed away!"

"If her father were in better health, by then, Mr. Bei, you would have been playing the subservient role your whole life. Her family's vast assets could finally be distributed after her father's death. You'd be too old to enjoy it then, but your son could!"

"I traded my entire life for my son's brilliant future, a chance to win at the starting line. I'm so happy! I'm numb with joy!"

"..."

Bei Ronghuan listened quietly, his feelings quite complicated.

Lies don't hurt, but the truth is the sharpest knife. He listened to Shen Kang's words, and considering his own relationship with that rich kid, he felt it might actually be true.

At this point, Shen Kang changed the subject again, "Of course, there are also situations where we might not win, for example, with pseudo-assets."

"I heard from Ms. Bei that her family owns a small steel mill? They're already making a name for themselves. Given the future direction of national policies, small steel mills might not have an easy time. What if a policy is actually implemented that is detrimental to small steel mills or even forces them to shut down? In that case, all these high-value assets might turn into liabilities. That's what I mean by pseudo-assets."

Bei Ronghuan's heart skipped a beat.

If he could barely accept trading his entire life for his son's brilliant future, then the introduction of the concept of "pseudo-assets" immediately raised alarm bells for him, highlighting the inherent risks.

But I'm also in business, how come I didn't think of that before?

Bei Ronghuan was somewhat puzzled and asked Shen Kang this question—after this conversation, he subconsciously regarded the young CEO Shen, who was young enough to be his nephew, as a "matchmaking master".

Shen Kang also responded: "Based on my wild guess, it's because when you were with her, Mr. Bei, you used 'emotional thinking' instead of 'career thinking'."

"If you were in a 'career-oriented' mindset, you would probably be able to see the risks involved. But Mr. Bei, you yourself said that you don't have much romantic experience; you're a blank slate in this area. When you were with her, you wanted to marry her, which is when you used 'emotional thinking,' and since your 'emotional thinking' is blank, you failed to see the risks involved."

Humans are complex.

Even if someone marries for money, they will often develop feelings and emotional attachments during their relationship.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that some people are exceptionally gifted and can truly treat this as a business transaction, remaining absolutely rational and always handling it with a "business mindset".

After hearing Shen Kang's explanation, Lin Yishan began to look at this CEO Shen with new respect.

This Mr. Shen, he said he was "just saying it casually," but he really wasn't.

When he started analyzing these things—high assets, high cash, pseudo assets, emotional thinking, career thinking—it was like an old sow wearing a bra, one set after another.

Chen Kexu was also somewhat surprised: he had only wanted to find some topics to talk about, but he didn't expect Shen Kang to actually know about it.