Chapter 390: Respective Changes

Some vinegar tastes sour, while other vinegar can taste a bit sweet.

The biggest difference between Xin Zixing and Huang Kai is that she rarely shows her care, love, or even jealousy for him in front of Huang Kai.

Huang Kai is different; he follows his temperament quite a bit, saying whatever he thinks in his heart.

Xin Zixing doesn't want to hide it from Huang Kai either, but—she doesn't know how to say it; she's just used to it.

Being with Huang Kai, she seems to be ready to turn and leave at any time, but the longer she stands by his side, the more this so-called preparation looks like a self-deceiving joke. She subconsciously uses non-expression and non-disclosure to try to control and prove her rationality that she "actually doesn't love him that much," but the more she does this, the harder she finds it to pull herself away.

"You're counting on us breaking up?" Chen Siqi looked coldly at the stubborn, even somewhat extreme girl in front of her, calm and indifferent.

This girl who suddenly appeared in front of her, accusing her of not being worthy of Lu Yan He and telling her to break up with him, had long, dark green hair. It couldn't be called non-mainstream; it was actually quite good-looking. But the arrogant and aggressive expression on her face made her not so likable.

"Don't you realize that you are dragging Lu Yan He down?" the girl with long dark green hair said, her tone revealing a pride and self-satisfaction that others couldn't understand. "Lu Yan He is such an excellent person; what right do you have to stand by his side? You didn't even get into Zhenhua, and your so-called editor-in-chief position was obtained by relying on Lu Yan He's connections."

"Yeah, that's right," Chen Siqi smiled slightly, held back Bai Yu who had already taken a step forward, and glanced nonchalantly at a girl not far away who was pretending to sit on a public bench reading a book, her eyes not even pausing, as if she were just looking to see who was watching the fun. "It's precisely because I have a good relationship with Lu Yan He that I have the opportunity to be the editor-in-chief of 'Jump Up.' If you're jealous, you can travel back in time and be Lu Yan He's high school classmate. I have never claimed that everything I have was obtained by myself. Everyone knows that Lu Yan He has provided me with a lot of help. Have I ever denied it?"

"Since you know it, how do you have the face to stay by his side?"

"Why don't I have the face to stay by his side? He likes me so much he's dying to have me, and he's dying for me to stay by his side. Where do you get the face to question why I'm by his side?" Chen Siqi retorted without giving an inch, with an arrogant attitude. "Who are you? Are you a student at our school? Is it possible that the students in our school have such quality, running up to others for no reason to question their private lives?"

The girl with dark green hair was stunned.

"Go tell that girl over there who is secretly filming—" Chen Siqi raised her hand and pointed at the girl sitting on a public bench not far away reading a book, "Self-directing and self-acting to put on such a show, and then posting it on your social platforms to get popular, is that the idea? You'd better put this video on the internet exactly as it is. If you dare to edit even a second blindly, do you see that surveillance camera? I'll go get the video it captured in a moment. Don't blame me for exposing you on the internet without blurring your faces, and don't blame me for exposing your privacy. I've already made my words clear and plain. If you want to play this game, you'd better go back to your mother's womb and practice for a few more years."

Chen Siqi rolled her eyes and walked away without ceremony.

The face of the girl with dark green hair turned green and white.

Bai Yu chased after Chen Siqi in disbelief and asked: "How did you know someone was secretly filming? You're too awesome!"

Chen Siqi said: "Have you ever seen anyone reading a book under the big sun? Aren't they afraid of going blind? And that green-haired one, she kept turning her face toward that side intentionally or unintentionally, looking for camera angles to make herself look good on camera."

Bai Yu: "... I'm convinced."

Chen Siqi: "I've seen too much of this kind of thing."

Bai Yu smiled and said: "I feel like your experiences could be written into a novel."

Chen Siqi nodded and said: "If you want to write it, I'll authorize it to you. I have no opinion. Let everyone know what kind of monsters and demons I see every day."

Bai Yu: "You never tell Lu Yan He about this kind of thing either."

"What's the use of telling him? Except to make him feel sorry for me," Chen Siqi said. "This isn't something he can solve either. I actually think it's fine. I've seen too much of this kind of thing anyway, and I'm used to it."

Bai Yu: "You really radiate a queen's aura in my heart now, Siqi. Those who think you have no ability will all be waiting to suffer a big loss in the end."

Chen Siqi: "I'll take your word for it."

Bai Yu: "Also, for our December winter special issue, should we invite Yan He to write an article? This matter needs to be decided as soon as possible. We are sending it to print in November, and there isn't much time left."

Chen Siqi said: "I haven't talked to him about this yet, but he hasn't been very busy lately. I'm still pondering this matter. Our winter special issue has too high a content of celebrity artists, but many of our magazine's readers are actually not here for the artists. I'm afraid everyone will have big opinions."

Bai Yu hesitated for a moment and asked: "But Yan He is our editor-in-chief, and it's only natural for him to write articles for the magazine. Moreover, every special issue has Yan He's articles. If this one doesn't, people will find it strange, right?"

Chen Siqi thought and thought, and said: "What if we take the celebrity artists' articles out separately and make a small booklet?"

"That wouldn't be good either, right? When we invited the articles, we invited them in the name of 'Jump Up,' and then we put them in the attached separate booklet. I think the perception it gives people is not good."

Chen Siqi pondered for a long time and said: "Then take half of the artist contributions down and put them in the back. You guys see whose to take down, and I'll go make phone calls one by one to explain."

Bai Yu nodded.

"Okay."

Running a magazine also involves human relationships that must be taken into account.

Bai Yu has seen a lot and learned a lot by Chen Siqi's side.

Of course, the point Bai Yu admires most about Chen Siqi is that, no matter what, she always prioritizes the quality of the magazine itself.

A good-looking magazine is the first priority.

For someone as young as Chen Siqi, it is really very, very difficult to achieve this in the first few years of the magazine's founding.

Just like after their magazine office received Teacher Shi Xia's manuscript, if there were revision suggestions, they would inevitably sit together to hold a meeting and discuss whether these revision suggestions should really be sent back.

After all, he is Shi Xia, and they are just some college students.

Despite this, out of their consideration as editors and readers, they would still give Teacher Shi Xia the editorial department's revision suggestions.

If such things spread out, people outside might say these young people don't know what's good for them.

But Chen Siqi still supported them in doing so.

The editorial department is the editorial department. If it's to make the article better, what needs to be said still needs to be said.

Especially for a great writer like Teacher Shi Xia, they might not necessarily accept their opinions, but they will definitely think about them seriously.

Facts have also proven that Teacher Shi Xia is truly open-minded. Regarding their opinions, he seriously made revisions and expressed gratitude for the opinions they put forward.

Perhaps holding the idea that "black fame is also fame," the girl with dark green hair actually posted the secretly recorded video on the internet in the end, and it became popular, which was not surprising at all.

With the title of Lu Yan He's girlfriend, many people are paying attention to Chen Siqi's movements. Not to mention that in the video, what Chen Siqi said, as well as her attitude, all have many topics.

Like Chen Siqi being on the hot search this time because of this video, the associated keyword is "overbearing."

When Lu Yan He saw this hot search, he was still in the cafeteria. It was Zhou Mukai who reminded him, saying his girlfriend was on the hot search.

Mao Jiayang and Xiao Jing were also there. It was rare for the four people in the dorm to eat together in the cafeteria.

Lu Yan He put on his headphones in surprise and watched this video on his phone, only then did he know what had happened.

Mao Jiayang finished watching a step earlier than him, took off his headphones, and said: "Siqi is really overbearing, she retorted and shut them up in one go."

Xiao Jing also said: "It's really just..."

Lu Yan He heard them praising Chen Siqi, but there was no pride or happiness in his heart.

Just as Chen Siqi had anticipated, after Lu Yan He knew about this, he had no other thoughts except feeling annoyed and helpless.

Of course, in fact, Chen Siqi was not really hurt by such people.

This was where Lu Yan He felt a little relieved in his heart.

If it weren't for this, Lu Yan He would only feel even more uncomfortable now.

Mao Jiayang asked Lu Yan He: "Yan He, when you first met Siqi, was she this tough?"

Lu Yan He recalled and said: "She has always been stubborn, but tough... how is she tough?"

Mao Jiayang originally wanted to say, isn't this obvious enough?

But looking at Lu Yan He's earnest confusion, Mao Jiayang realized that Lu Yan He really didn't think Chen Siqi was tough.

Mao Jiayang didn't know what to say for a moment.

But thinking about it, it's also true; in the eyes of the person you like, everything is beautified, even Lu Yan He admits this point.

Many people in the cafeteria were watching this video.

Because many people were playing it on speaker, Lu Yan He and the others could hear it.

This made Lu Yan He inexplicably embarrassed.

He buried his head in his food.

Mao Jiayang and the others noticed Lu Yan He's embarrassment and strangeness and accelerated their eating speed in unison.

"See, don't look at Lu Yan He as being great in every way, like a perfect boyfriend. Dating him is like going through a tribulation; you can encounter all kinds of monsters and demons."

In another corner of the cafeteria, Ji Qianxing, who had confessed to Lu Yan He when military training ended and the whole class had a dinner, said to the person at the same table with certainty.

"Now that I think about it, fortunately I didn't get together with Lu Yan He back then. Otherwise, on the surface, it would seem like all the girls envied me, but in reality, I don't know how much suffering I would have to endure," Ji Qianxing said with quite a bit of emotion. "People like us, why should we suffer this kind of suffering?"

The friend at the same table smiled and asked: "Qianxing, if Lu Yan He came over to confess to you now, would you really refuse him point-blank?"

"That of course—" Ji Qianxing smiled slightly, sold a suspense, and then smiled beautifully, continuing: "Hesitate for a moment first, then refuse him. I wouldn't be so impolite as to refuse him point-blank."

"You really are, ever since you got together with Liu Yuanting, your posture has become higher and higher. Sure enough, you are someone who will marry into a wealthy family in the future."

"What marrying into a wealthy family, that's so vulgar," Ji Qianxing said. "Liu Yuanting and I are just dating, we haven't reached that step, okay? I am a dignified student of Zhenhua, my dream in life is not to marry into a wealthy family; that would be looking down on me too much."

"Then what do you plan to do?" the friend asked.

"I'm preparing to start my own business and open a studio, I told you guys a long time ago," Ji Qianxing said.

"Liu Yuanting is so generous, spending money to help you open a studio?"

"He's the one who earned it, okay? With me opening this studio with him, he can also complete his father's instructions and not just mess around all day," Ji Qianxing said. "There's more than just him who wants to invest in my studio. If it weren't for the fact that he's my boyfriend, it wouldn't be his turn."

The others looked at each other and smiled, and did not continue the conversation.

"This matter, this topic, we aren't going to ride the coattails? Not using the free heat is against the laws of heaven."

At Ye Mai Network, Zuo Yu brought up the heat on the internet at the senior management meeting.

"Before it was said that we couldn't market Lu Yan He, now we can't even market Lu Yan He's girlfriend?" Zuo Yu asked incredulously.

A look of anger appeared on Liu Qiao's face. "Director Zuo, are you not clear? Chen Siqi is not only Lu Yan He's girlfriend, she is also the editor-in-chief of 'Jump Up' and the leader of one of our Ye Mai Network's resident brands. You already angered Lu Yan He and his agent last time. If you anger Chen Siqi this time, when they take 'Jump Up' and leave, and the electronic copyright is taken back, then we don't need to have the face to go and apologize; we'll just break up with them and cut ties completely."

Zuo Yu was like someone with a fishbone stuck in his throat, his neck stiffened all of a sudden.

Liu Qiao: "I'm not fear-mongering. If everyone still holds the mentality of looking at young college students when looking at these two young people, then the advantages we laid down in the early stages will be gone."

"Now that we are talking behind closed doors, we are all very clear about how important these two young people have been to our Ye Mai Network over the past few years," Liu Qiao said, scanning everyone with his eyes. "If they really leave, can we find someone to replace them in a short time? Or rather, are there substitutes in this market? 'Jump Up' has also been founded for more than two years; have other magazines followed up? It didn't drive a renaissance of print media; it just grew a flower on a cliff. If this flower is gone, the cliff is still a cliff; there is no second one."

The conference room was silent.

After a while, someone asked: "Is Xin Zixing really preparing to leave the company? Before, Lu Yan He and Chen Siqi's affairs were all contacted by her alone. If she really leaves, won't she take Lu Yan He and Chen Siqi's cooperation with her? Why was such an important cooperation handed over to her alone in the first place? Didn't we sign a non-compete agreement with her?"

The conference room remained silent.

After another while, someone smiled and said: "It's not that such an important cooperation was handed over to her alone in the beginning; it's that at the time, everyone had projects they were pushing, but it just so happened that the projects in her hands all succeeded and occupied the top spot, while other people's projects just couldn't make a splash."

"Then what else is there to say? Hurry up and stabilize Xin Zixing first. Whatever she wants, hurry up and negotiate."

"I want to have sufficient space. It's not just me coming over; I want to bring my team over," Xin Zixing said, sitting opposite Chen Ziyan. "In the company, I must have the right to decide what projects I want to do. I don't want to be constrained by others like I was at Ye Mai Network."

Chen Ziyan smiled slightly, nodded, and said: "If what you want to do is inconsistent with the company's development direction, as long as you can pull in resources yourself, you can do it yourself. But there is only one point: what you want to do cannot affect the key interests of our company's core clients. Our company provides high-end customized services, and we cannot fight among ourselves. Can you understand this point?"

Xin Zixing said: "I'm not doing artist management, and the core sectors don't overlap, so how could we fight? Don't worry. I will still focus on creating content works. Of course, coming to your company can be derived into helping the company's core clients customize content works. It's just that I think such services, the numbers they pay for are not small. Are they okay with that?"

"Don't underestimate my clients," Chen Ziyan smiled slightly. "To tell you the truth, top artists in the entertainment industry are only a small part of my core client base. For a small part of the people in this world, money is just a number, and experience is the most precious thing. You will understand this point soon."

Xin Zixing shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, fine, then I'll wait and see."

"What about Chen Siqi's 'Jump Up'?"

Xin Zixing said: "When there is a need, we will talk about cooperation again. All their business sectors are biased towards mainstream and traditional, and their volume and scale cannot support what our team wants to do."

Chen Ziyan: "A wise choice. They have only been founded for more than two years after all. The accumulation is not enough, and no matter how fast they develop, it is not yet time to play capital games."

Xin Zixing asked: "Then do you hope Lu Yan He and Chen Siqi will play these so-called capital games?"

"That's their business, but based on my understanding of them, one day they will enter," Chen Ziyan said. "They didn't take a simple path from the beginning, and they never played just a single identity. Do you think someone like Yan He will only be an actor in the future? The two of them have never lacked ability, talent, and opportunity; they only lack qualifications, experience, and time."

Xin Zixing smiled slightly.

"Knowing that your view is consistent with mine, I am relieved," she shrugged her shoulders. "After all, you and I are both people who have a close cooperative relationship with Lu Yan He. How Lu Yan He develops is equally important to both of us."

"Prosper together, suffer together?"

"That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it's not far off," Xin Zixing laughed.

"When are you coming over?"

"The last issue of 'Jump Up' goes online this December, and I will submit my resignation," Xin Zixing said. "I didn't sign a non-compete agreement with Ye Mai Network, so I can come over the next day."

Chen Ziyan nodded: "Okay, then I'll wait for the good news."

—Yan He, are you free tonight? Last time Professor Zhao was there, we didn't chat to our heart's content. Let's have a good chat tonight.

—Brother Qiao, I have work tonight, unfortunately.

—Then what about tomorrow?

—Tomorrow is the same. I have a new play starting in December, and I've been very busy lately and can't find time, sorry.

Lu Yan He put down his phone and rubbed his face with some irritation.

Ever since he met Liu Qiao at school that day, he didn't know what was wrong with Liu Qiao lately; he sent a greeting message almost every day, which was very annoying.

However, he and Chen Siqi had already made a decision: after 'Jump Up' finishes its cooperation with Ye Mai Network this year, they will no longer continue to cooperate.

Therefore, he didn't want to get on good terms with Liu Qiao and make the relationship more familiar, so as to avoid embarrassment later.

Lu Yan He put down his phone and prepared to continue reading.

The phone vibrated again.

This time it was a message from He Lan.

His senior, and also his head fan.

After they added each other as friends, He Lan actually rarely sent messages to Lu Yan He, not wanting to disturb him.

Every time she sent a message, it was because she had something to find him for.

And most of the time, it was some rumors about him that she captured through the fan group, which she would send to him so he could prepare in advance. Many times, it was faster than the news from Sister Ziyan's side—the power of fans is terrifying, and the power of a large group of fans is even more terrifying.

He Lan asked: Yan He, are you free at any time today? I have something I want to chat with you about. If I disturb you for half an hour, do you think it's convenient?

Lu Yan He replied immediately: Sure, Senior, why don't we have dinner together in the cafeteria tonight? I'm reading in the classroom, and I have class in the afternoon.

He Lan: Okay, see you tonight.

Lu Yan He: Hmm, I'll contact you after class.

Lu Yan He didn't know what He Lan was looking for him for.

When He Lan opened her mouth to him that night, Lu Yan He was stunned.

"I've thought about it for a long time, I don't want to take the postgraduate entrance exam anymore," He Lan said to Lu Yan He. "Originally I wanted to take the postgraduate entrance exam, but this period of preparing for the exam made me very painful all the time. I only realized that I actually really don't like doing academics. At the time, I wanted to take the postgraduate entrance exam because many classmates around me were going to graduate school, so I followed the crowd. Yan He, I want to ask you, does your company recruit people? I really gathered the courage to recommend myself to you. I consider myself to be quite capable. If you need people, I want to come to your company to work."

This was a situation Lu Yan He had not anticipated at all.

Senior He Lan actually came to him to look for a job?

Actually, He Lan herself had also hesitated for a long time about whether to take the initiative to find Lu Yan He for this matter.

Thinking about it, she was afraid of troubling Lu Yan He and afraid of being rejected by Lu Yan He, worrying about gains and losses, struggling for a long time, and finally Xu Mingyue said: "You're just asking a question. If you're rejected, you're rejected. The norm in work is being rejected. You don't even dare to take this first step; what will you do when you work in the future?"

Only then did He Lan find Lu Yan He.