I am not a literary giant

For a cheetah on the African savanna, the most dangerous moment in its life is not when it is hungry and living in constant fear, but when it spots its prey.

Hidden among the scorched, dense grass, those moving pieces of meat, appearing and disappearing, are the world's most primitive traps. Far more cheetahs die in the pursuit of prey than those that starve to death when they can't find their prey.

Therefore, a cheetah will be extremely cautious before it strikes, as if it were carrying a wallet full of money.

Prince Xu knew he was in the most dangerous moment of his life. The tempting bait before him, emitting an intoxicating aroma, was a sign of impending danger.

Ten years of obscurity transformed him from a spirited young man into a pathetic figure, and also cultivated his cautious and timid nature. He had to carefully question and explore, using the survival philosophy of animals to seek greater benefits.

Wang Zixu said, "Let's put aside development for now. What are your plans to do about that female user wanting to see me?"

Zuo Ziliang looked up at him, chuckled, and said, "Do you remember what I said when we first met?"

Which sentence are you referring to?

"Everything in life is related to sex, except for sex itself, and sex is related to power."

Zuo Ziliang repeated it verbatim, his tone familiar, reminiscent of the past. Wang Zixu spread his hands, indicating his confusion.

"Why do you think our users got angry after discovering your existence as a scriptwriter?" Zuo Ziliang asked. "Why not excitement, thrill, or admiration, but anger? Have you ever thought about this?"

Prince Xu was taken aback; he had indeed never thought about this question.

"Do they feel... deceived?" Prince Xu asked.

Zuo Ziliang shook his head: "If they feel deceived, why would they want to see you? Would you really want to meet a conman who lied to you?"

Prince Xu shook his head.

Zuo Ziliang said, "Because of power. During the speech therapy process, they thought their emotions were two-way, they thought they were 'communicating,' but they found that it was not like that."

"In a two-way exchange, pleasing means submission, but you don't know them, and they are being pleased unilaterally, so this pleasing becomes manipulation. They are unwilling to be manipulated by you, to be above them. They want to reclaim their power. The only way to reclaim this power is to meet with you."

Wang Zixu remained silent. Zuo Ziliang was always like this. He could always derive a mundane, even vulgar, conclusion from a metaphysical philosophical concept. Yet, it always sounded so reasonable.

Ye Lan crossed her arms, shrugged dismissively, and smiled elegantly.

"So what are you planning to do?"

Zuo Ziliang took out his phone and said, "It's very simple, you become a speech therapist."

Prince Xu raised his face and slightly opened his mouth.

"Once you become a speech therapist and personally engage in speech therapy with users who want to see you, they can reclaim their power, and they will even crave to please you. There's no need to meet in person."

Wang Zixu asked, "Are you sure you can convince them?"

Zuo Ziliang said, "We can try it now."

After he finished speaking, he immediately opened the chat software and sent a message to the other party.

Wang Zixu glanced at the software and noticed that the user's nickname was "Qiuge".

While Zuo Ziliang was working on the characters, Ye Lan said to Wang Zixu, "You don't have the sharp, assertive quality I imagined."

Wang Zixu said, "I have never been a person who flaunts my talents."

Ye Lan said, "Really? The talented people I've seen are all quick-witted, eloquent, and assertive. You don't seem like that kind of talented little prince."

The prince thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps it's because I'm unlucky."

Zuo Ziliang was still engrossed in negotiating, head down, when Ye Lan asked again, "Do you believe him?"

Prince Xu shook his head: "I don't know."

Ye Lan said, "He always comes up with some strange theories. But most of the time he's right, and he's rarely wrong."

Prince Xu said, "I agree with that."

Ye Lan asked, "If his negotiations succeed, will you join?"

Prince Xu frowned. He felt that some important unresolved issues were still weighing on his mind.

"No need to think about it anymore." Zuo Ziliang held up his phone. "It's a success."

He showed his phone to the two of them, and Qiu Ge's brief "Okay" proved that his negotiation was successful.

Zuo Ziliang stood up and announced, "Tomorrow afternoon, you will personally conduct speech therapy with this user as a speech therapist. She has promised not to cause us any trouble, and might even give you a generous reward."

Ye Lan's lips curled up as she looked at Wang Zixu: "I didn't expect you to be so charming."

Zuo Ziliang extended his hand and said, "Let's redefine your identities. Welcome to join us, Chairman Wang."

Wang Zixu said, "I remember now. I cannot invest."

After he finished speaking, the expressions on the faces of the two men in front of him changed.

Why?

"I am a public sector employee. According to the Civil Servant Law, I am not allowed to hold shares in commercial companies."

Zuo Ziliang and Ye Lan exchanged a glance, both finding the whole thing utterly absurd.

The new Civil Servant Law was only revised in recent years. Before that, civil servants received low salaries and had a lot of work, and had no human rights within the system. It was common knowledge that many people would take on side jobs to make a living.

Because there are almost no ways to make money illegally in this area, and the power of a public institution employee is practically zero, the organization has always turned a blind eye to the past cases of public institution employees engaging in side jobs.

After the new law was introduced, the overall salaries of employees in public institutions increased, but at the same time, regulations became more stringent. It essentially eliminated the practice of engaging in side jobs.

Ye Lan said, "There are so many people with government jobs in Xihe City, and plenty of them hold shares and run side businesses outside. Who's going to care about you? Besides, you only make four thousand yuan a month, is it really necessary to be so obedient? You can just quit, right?"

Wang Zixu shook his head: "No. My wife won't let me quit my job. She married me because I have a government job, a stable employment, and I won't have to worry about retirement. If I told her I wanted to quit, she'd think I was crazy."

Ye Lan angrily put her legs down and said, "None of us have official positions. Are you saying we're all crazy?"

"This is different."

Zuo Ziliang stopped Ye Lan and shook his head at her: "Don't force him. You don't understand him. Let me persuade him."

He turned to Wang Zixu: "Your company has a rule against publicly holding shares, right? Does that mean your relatives and family members can't hold shares? You're just a lowly clerk; surely no one will check if your parents or wife own any companies?"

Prince Xu said, "That's not the case."

"That's settled then," Zuo Ziliang said. "Just find a trustworthy family member, have them hold the shares on your behalf, and you'll keep the profits, with the shares registered in their name. Isn't that enough?"

Prince Xu nodded, uttering two words: "Feasible."

Zuo Ziliang smiled and turned to Ye Lan, saying, "Do you understand? He's a scholar. He loves money but is stubborn, restrained yet tactful. He's not the kind of person who purely measures economic interests; you have to use methods to persuade him."

Ye Lan pursed her lips: "I just can't understand it. I'm just an ordinary person. I go wherever there's money. Whoever pays the most, I'll follow. That's all."

Zuo Ziliang said, "The world needs both ordinary people and scholars. It needs the adaptability of ordinary people and the steadfastness of scholars. Water overflows when it is full, and the moon wanes when it is full. Only when yin and yang are in balance can the world be complete."

Wang Zixu looked at Zuo Ziliang: "Then who are you?"

Zuo Ziliang laughed and said, "I am a fluid. I can transform into any shape. I am the two dots in the eyes of a yin-yang fish. I can become whatever person is needed."

Ye Lan said with a slightly sarcastic tone, "You're a fence-sitter."

Zuo Ziliang said, "I have a well-rounded inner world."

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Thank you so much to the great author Ni Baifo for recommending my book! I'm a complete stranger to him, and he kindly recommended it to me. I'm incredibly touched! His book is listed at the end of the chapter; feel free to check it out.