Yi Jinbai felt that it was good to leave now, otherwise everyone would feel awkward.
"Mr. Shen, is something wrong? Then Ms. Jiang, you can take my car over. I'm not leaving for the time being anyway." Xi Rong breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said.
"No need, I'll just drive the car in the garage. We'll be going now."
As soon as Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai left, an awkward silence fell over the villa. After all, match-fixing was no small matter. Shen Dao had initially insisted that it was Jiang Shuiyun, but later his words became ambiguous, making it hard to believe.
Jiang Shuiyun was unaware of those details. When she and Yi Jinbai went out, she sent a message to Shen Yunyi saying that she was going with Yi Jinbai. In fact, when Shen Yunyi called earlier, he didn't know that Yi Jinbai and the others had already returned. Jiang Shuiyun just thought it might be awkward for Yi Jinbai to stay behind, so she deliberately said that to bring him out.
Once outside, Yi Jinbai, sitting in the passenger seat, couldn't help but glance at Jiang Shuiyun beside him. "That person is framing you."
“I know,” Jiang Shuiyun said, giving Yi Jinbai a reassuring look, “but it won’t affect me much. It’s fine to let this matter pass.”
"Have you always been this good-tempered? You didn't seem like it when we went out to eat last time."
Yi Jinbai didn't quite understand. Last time when he met those young masters, although the other side made the first move, Jiang Shuiyun really hit hard. He probably would have been in pain for at least ten days or half a month. But this time, Jiang Shuiyun clearly held back and didn't even expose the other side's despicable lie.
"After all, Jiaoyang and the others still have deep feelings for the Divine Blade. There's no need to make things so ugly."
Jiang Shuiyun tapped the steering wheel with her finger, "Besides, pointless arguments are useless; it's better to solve the problem at its root."
"What's the meaning?"
"The fact that Shen Dao knew your return time so accurately means he must have been prepared in advance. He went to so much trouble and was in such a hurry, so he must have a purpose. Once we find out his purpose, everything will be clear. The bribery and match-fixing incident before couldn't be that simple."
Jiang Shuiyun is indeed not a great philanthropist. When she was looking at Shen Dao earlier, she noticed that Shen Dao's right middle finger was unnaturally bent. This is not normal for a professional e-sports player. However, whether it has anything to do with Shen Dao's purpose or not, we will have to wait for an investigation.
Jiang Shuiyun slowed down as they approached the meeting place with Shen Yunyi.
Yi Jinbai looked up and saw that it seemed to be a restaurant; they must be here to eat.
After parking the car, Jiang Shuiyun called Shen Yunyi. She and Yi Jinbai walked to the door, where Shen Yunyi came out to greet them. The three of them walked in together, talking as they went.
Walking up to a private room, Shen Yunyi opened the door. "We have to celebrate today. Miracle Team has won the championship and returned to the top. But I'm not very familiar with the others, so I'll treat you two. I'll have Xi Rong celebrate with them later. Otherwise, everyone will feel uncomfortable with me around."
"I haven't eaten since this morning. Have you ordered yet?"
Jiang Shuiyun didn't stand on ceremony and sat down with Yi Jinbai. Shen Yunyi handed over the menu, "No, you guys order."
After ordering the food, Jiang Shuiyun and Shen Yunyi chatted about the invitational tournament, while Yi Jinbai got up to go to the restroom.
After Yi Jinbai got up, left, and closed the door, Shen Yunyi approached Jiang Shuiyun mysteriously and asked, "Shuiyun, haven't you told Miss Yi about the company's affairs yet?"
"Not yet, it's just the beginning. I want to wait until things are more stable at the company before I talk to her."
Jiang Shuiyun had considered telling Yi Jinbai, but she wasn't entirely sure about the matter and didn't want to cause him any worry. After all, this wasn't as simple as having a meal; there were risks involved. Besides, she and Yi Jinbai weren't legally related, so she could bear all the risks herself without affecting Yi Jinbai.
Shen Yunyi didn't know what Jiang Shuiyun was thinking, but he respected her decision. "By the way, how long do you plan to play this game? You'll probably be quite busy after the company is established."
"Let's play for a few more months. It's almost June now. I can retire after SWC ends in September. Can you hang in there a little longer?"
Jiang Shuiyun also knew that Shen Yunyi was not only busy with the new company, but also with Shengguang Group. He was really overwhelmed and it was not easy, especially in the early stages when there were many complicated matters.
"I'm relieved to hear that," Shen Yunyi said, genuinely believing that Jiang Shuiyun planned to play until retirement age. "Also, the company will be officially established next week. It might be a bit small at the beginning, but that's normal. We have to take it one step at a time. But once the company is established, we can start working on the patents. I can also help you negotiate with Star Wars. Once that's done, the company will be stable, and you can just sit back and wait to collect the money."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work on these matters." Jiang Shuiyun patted Shen Yunyi on the shoulder. Without Shen Yunyi, these matters would have caused her a lot of trouble. After all, she only had a superficial understanding of business operations. Although she was learning now, it was not something that could be accomplished overnight.
"Wouldn't it be too formal for us to say such things? Besides, others might want to work hard, but they don't even have the opportunity."
Shen Yunyi smiled and shook his head. There are many people who understand business, but not many who can develop holographic technology. Considering the huge future prospects, he would still be more advantageous in the collaboration between the two.
As the two were talking, Yi Jinbai pushed the door open and came in. Shen Yunyi's expression remained unchanged, and he smoothly changed the subject, "Shuiyun, you're really famous now. Your name is all over the trending topics."
"I'm not going to be in the entertainment industry, so what's the point of this for me?"
Jiang Shuiyun glanced at Yi Jinbai as he entered, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and concealed her slight unease and guilt.
"Who says only entering the entertainment industry is useful? As long as you have traffic and popularity, the benefits are countless. Countless people would kill for such an opportunity to become a star contestant."
Shen Yunyi continued, "Even if you play e-sports, there's a difference between star players and ordinary players. Just in terms of income alone, there's a difference of several times, tens of times, or even hundreds of times. Right now, you have the perfect timing, location, and people, your strength is beyond doubt, and your looks are also on point. If you ask me, this is a windfall that God has delivered to your door, so why not take it?"
"I didn't realize you knew about this?"
Jiang Shuiyun wasn't really interested. Anyway, once the company was established, the money problem would be basically solved. Besides, she didn't like the kind of life where she was surrounded by people all the time.
The more Shen Yunyi talked, the more reliable he seemed. "These days, you have to know a little about everything. Shuiyun, all you have to do is say yes, and this will be simple. Trust me, once you gain recognition, the benefits will be countless. You'll find that whatever you want to do, it will be easy."
"The more you talk about it, the weirder it gets," Jiang Shuiyun said, shaking her head, not believing what Shen Yunyi was saying. "Let's eat."
Helpless, Shen Yunyi could only skip this topic and talk about something else.
After finishing their meal, the three of them went outside together. Shen Yunyi looked at the car Jiang Shuiyun had driven and paused for a moment. "I suddenly remembered that your car and house issues haven't been resolved yet?"
"Things are fine now, no need to rush."
Jiang Shuiyun didn't care; she could consider it when the company was running smoothly or when she retired.
“No, that won’t do. Leave this to me, you don’t need to worry about it,” Shen Yunyi waved his hand. “Alright, take care on your way.”
Jiang Shuiyun didn't take it to heart and got into the car with Yi Jinbai to drive back.
The two were silent for a while on the way. Jiang Shuiyun observed Yi Jinbai out of the corner of her eye for a moment, "Jinbai, I think Yunyi has a point. We need to have our own house too. Do you have one you like?"
"You should remember now that we're not husband and wife anymore, right?"
Upon hearing Jiang Shuiyun's question, Yi Jinbai felt his heart skip a beat, then start racing. After hesitating for a moment, he still reminded Jiang Shuiyun.
Jiang Shuiyun remembered, of course, but it didn't make much difference to her. "I remember, so what kind of house do you like?"
Jiang Shuiyun's insistence made Yi Jinbai's heart race, and he asked incredulously again, "Are you serious?"
Jiang Shuiyun was completely confused. "Why wasn't I serious?"
"In terms of the actual time we've known each other, we've only known each other for about a month."
Yi Jinbai took a deep breath and reminded Jiang Shuiyun.
"So what?" Jiang Shuiyun asked Yi Jinbai, both amused and exasperated. What was the connection between the two?
Yi Jinbai didn't know what to say. She pursed her lower lip, her palms sweating nervously. She felt her brain was out of control, just like her heart. Whether it was when Jiang Shuiyun said he wanted to take care of her for the rest of his life in the villa, or now he was directly discussing buying a house with her, she felt that Jiang Shuiyun was being a bit rash, but she also felt that this straightforward expression made her feel at ease.
But the two of them have only known each other for a month, so it's too early to say these things now.
"This is a bit sudden for me, please give me some more time to think about it."
While Yi Jinbai was caught off guard by Jiang Shuiyun's words, the culprit, Jiang Shuiyun, was unaware of how easily she had said something that could lead to misunderstandings. Although she felt that Yi Jinbai's answer was a bit strange, she just assumed that he couldn't think of what kind of house he liked at the moment. After all, this was a big deal, and it was only right to consider it carefully.
"Okay, there's no rush. Just let me know when you've thought it through."
Yi Jinbai nodded, trying to keep his gaze fixed on the window and not on Jiang Shuiyun, attempting to calm his racing heart. Meanwhile, Jiang Shuiyun was considering how big the house should be in the future, at least enough to provide a music room for Yi Jinbai, and it would be even better if it could be converted into a recording studio.
A note from the author:
Around 3 PM, for some reason, I've been feeling a bit foggy-headed these past two days. Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 5:45:54 AM on May 16, 2022 and 12:53:45 AM on May 18, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: 朕慕林 (1);
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: mz 30 bottles; Junjun, Xuxubuguoqianqiu, and Hefushushenghexuan 10 bottles; 『』 5 bottles; Xubaiwanxingwen and Qisani 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 37
When Jiang Shuiyun and Yi Jinbai returned to the villa, Shen Dao had already left. Xi Rong was holding a meeting with the Miracle Team. Although they had played well in this invitational tournament, there were still many things that needed to be reviewed. They should not be arrogant in victory or discouraged in defeat, and they should always improve on their mistakes in order to make progress next time.
Yi Jinbai didn't want to disturb them, so he went to the music room first, where Jiang Shuiyun sat down at the end of the table to listen.
“Teacher Jiang is definitely fine, the only problem is that she spoils you too much,” Xi Rong said, going around in circles before inevitably bringing up Jiang Shuiyun. After thinking for a while, he said this with a straight face, “Of course, you need to have self-control. That’s your problem, not Teacher Jiang’s. Okay, do you have anything to add?”
The group expressed disdain for Xi Rong's sycophantic behavior, but they still carefully wrote down everything Xi Rong had said. They then reflected on and evaluated their own performance, and most of them were satisfied with their results.
"Is there anything else you'd like to say, Teacher Jiang?" When no one spoke, Xi Rong smiled and looked at Jiang Shuiyun.
"No, Brother Xi explained it perfectly."
Jiang Shuiyun nodded in agreement. She had been racking her brains about how to review the match with them, but Xi Rong had been a great help. After all, he was the manager who had been with the team from beginning to end, and he knew the Miracle Team very well, so there were basically no problems.
“Okay, let’s leave it at that for now. I have something else to tell you, let’s discuss it,” Xi Rong said, taking out a document from his briefcase. “Actually, after the competition, the organizers offered to treat us to a celebratory dinner, but Teacher Jiang had to come back first, and you guys were having too much fun, so I went by myself. I also took the opportunity to discuss something with the organizers.”
Xi Rong placed the file on the table with a malicious smile. "Take a look at this."
"Brother Xi, you're not going to sell us all off, are you? Judging from your expression, the price you're asking for is pretty high."
Yao Yao Ling glanced at Xi Rong with feigned disdain, then picked up the document. "Interview? Variety show? Are you kidding me? These days, everyone has to be on variety shows?"
Xi Rong waved his hand, "Hey, don't say that. Look at the entertainment industry now. As long as you have some buzz, even a dog can be on a variety show. Why can't you? You've at least played a match and made it to the trending topics three or four times, right? Besides, look at the price you're offered. Tell me, should I sell you or not?"
"No price you can... accept!" Yao Yao Ling's words took a complete 180-degree turn, and she excitedly showed the last page of the document to the group, "Can you count how many zeros are in this document?"
"Wow! This is amazing!" Jiao Yang leaned forward to take a look. "Six figures, that's incredibly valuable!"
"Just two days? I could live there for a year."
The venomous snake glanced at the time and switched sides very decisively.
"Right? I'm doing this for your own good, and these two days are Saturday and Sunday, so it won't interfere with our training. How about it? Want to make some money?"
Xi Rong, like the Big Bad Wolf who lures Little Red Riding Hood, drugged the group.
The group was clearly tempted, but they suppressed their desire and looked at Jiang Shuiyun, "Captain, shall we go?"
“Teacher Jiang, if you’re willing to go, look here,” Xi Rong opened his phone and showed the screen to Jiang Shuiyun, which displayed a string of messages. “There are still many invitations here that I haven’t replied to yet. Take your pick.”
"These are all for hiring the team leader alone? How much would that cost?"
Yao Yao Ling, who was closest to Xi Rong, stepped forward for a look and exclaimed, "Wow! They even have dating reality shows? That's too much!"
“Teacher Jiang is probably worth five of you. I’ve already turned down the blind date, and what about those dating reality shows? How can we let Teacher Jiang go on those kinds of programs?” Xi Rong turned off his phone and looked at Jiang Shuiyun expectantly.
Jiang Shuiyun never expected that after Shen Yunyi suggested she consider becoming a star athlete, Xi Ronglu would pave the way for her when she returned.
"Brother Xi, you can handle it. I don't know much about this, so I have no objections, as long as it doesn't interfere with training."
It seemed that this was the path Jiang Shuiyun was destined to take, and she didn't really resist it, so she nodded and agreed.
"Teacher Jiang is easy to talk to, don't worry, it won't interfere with the training."
Xi Rong smiled and agreed. After replying to the other party, he told the others to hurry up and go to training, and then pulled Jiang Shuiyun aside to discuss it.
"Teacher Jiang, your performance this time was truly outstanding, so we released the news that you are the legendary person that the entire server has been searching for. Is that alright with you?"
After all, it's normal to use some trending or eye-catching points to promote something in order to support the publicity. Jiang Shuiyun naturally had no objection, since it wasn't anything bad or fraudulent.
Xi Rong nodded happily, "That's good. Also, Teacher Jiang, would you consider doing more interviews or variety shows? There's a really popular national variety show that's planning a Star Wars themed episode and has invited a lot of e-sports stars, including captains Feng Jue and Zhu Lang. They sent me a message yesterday, hoping Teacher Jiang would consider it. Is that okay?"