Ji Mingyu was following behind Zhou Chongli, lost in thought, when the middle-aged man who had come out to greet them spoke up.
Wang Hongming, the head of Hong'en Cultural Tourism, wore a warm and attentive smile.
"Professor Zhou, we'll need you to put in extra effort on this ancient city development project."
As he led the way, he continued,
"If we all work together, we can turn this project into a famous tourist destination for Nanzhou City—so that whenever outsiders think of Nanzhou, they'll think of our ancient city."
Zhou Chongli gave a slight nod, his tone unhurried:
"That won't be easy. But as long as we find the right approach—a unique and suitable model—success is possible."
Wang Hongming nodded in agreement, then changed the subject.
"Our group and the government have invested enormous funds into building this ancient city, all for the sake of Nanzhou's cultural tourism."
"I was thinking we could simply adopt the proven templates used in other cities—uniform Suzhou-style upturned-eave facades, with the standard nationwide mix along the street: cultural creative shops, hanfu rentals, chain snack stalls.
The merchant recruitment resources and construction blueprints are all ready. We could open in just six months."
He glanced at Zhou Chongli and added:
"The shops sell easily, cash flow comes back quickly—it's safe and foolproof. Every popular ancient town in the country uses this exact playbook. Once it's built, traffic comes fast."
Zhou Chongli's brow furrowed slightly.
He didn't speak right away.
If they were going to use this ready-made plan, what did they need him for?
Just to lend his name, so they'd have something to boast about?
Ji Mingyu stood quietly behind Zhou Chongli, listening to it all, and pressed her lips together lightly.
"Mr. Wang, forgive my bluntness."
Wang Hongming turned to look at her.
Ji Mingyu's tone was calm: "That proven template you just described is no longer suitable for today."
Wang Hongming's smile faded a degree.
"Tourism these days is all about distinctiveness—the more distinctive, the more popular.
If our ancient street in Nanzhou just copies the old templates, it's already outdated. It might be lively for a short while, but once tourists have visited once, they won't come back."
The smile vanished entirely from Wang Hongming's face.
He waved a hand, his tone carrying a trace of impatience, though he maintained basic courtesy.
"Miss Ji, you may be highly educated, but you've never been involved in business management.
When running a project, we can't be too idealistic. We have to think about how to launch quickly and recoup costs quickly. The standardized template I just described is a well-proven operating model—"
Ji Mingyu nodded, her tone neither servile nor arrogant.
"You're right, Mr. Wang—one can't be too idealistic about projects."
Then she shifted direction.
"But I often hear my father say at home that the most profitable business is the one no one else has."
"The same principle applies to our ancient city project in Nanzhou. With a little more care, the construction schedule wouldn't be delayed much—and it might even finish well ahead of what you're expecting, Mr. Wang."
Ji Mingyu noticed the change in Wang Hongming's eyes—from dismissive to attentive.
Beside her, Zhou Chongli gave a slight nod.
Signaling her to continue.
"Our ancient street in Nanzhou has a unique character, and that is our distinction. There's really no need to renovate everything.
Preserving the original character, restoring it appropriately, keeping the everyday life of the residents intact—this authentic slice of local life is itself the most unique scenery the ancient city district can offer."
She glanced at Wang Hongming's expression and continued.
"The old street's original residents will wear hanfu, the various old shops will be preserved, we'll dig deep into Nanzhou City's distinctive cultural programs, and use folk-culture IP for regular, ongoing operations."
Wang Hongming fell silent.
After about half a minute, he suddenly smiled—a smile no longer perfunctory, but carrying genuine appreciation.
"Professor Zhou," he said, turning to Zhou Chongli, "you've taken on a fine student here."
Then he looked at Ji Mingyu.
"Miss Ji, organize what you just said into a proposal. We'll continue discussing it at next week's symposium."
After Wang Hongming walked away, Zhou Chongli glanced sideways at Ji Mingyu.
There was approval in that glance, but his mouth certainly wasn't about to let her off easy.
"Didn't I tell you to talk less? Look at that mouth of yours—chirping away, noisier than a frog."
Ji Mingyu smiled, her eyes curving.
She could see it clearly. For all Zhou Chongli's grumbling, the smugness in his eyes and the upturned corners of his mouth couldn't lie.
"Teacher," she said sweetly, sidling up to him,
"At an occasion like that, why would you need to speak up yourself? A rebuttal like that should come from your student. You're the face of our History Department—you can't be lowering yourself to that level."
Zhou Chongli was amused into laughter, pointing a finger at her in mock reproach.
"Keep being cheeky, why don't you."
In a corner of the venue.
No one noticed that beside a lush, spreading green plant stood a tall, straight-backed man.
His dark gray suit was sharply tailored, lending him an air of quiet, cold composure.
He stood in that spot—not in the middle of the venue, unobtrusive and unremarkable—but as it happened, every word of the exchange between Wang Hongming and Ji Mingyu had fallen, without missing a syllable, into his ears.
He tilted his head slightly, his voice low and steady.
"Assistant Wang, who was that woman speaking with President Wang just now?"
"Chairman, that woman is Professor Zhou's student—"
Assistant Wang stepped forward half a pace and lowered his voice. "She's also the daughter of the Ji Group. Miss Ji Mingyu."
At the first part, a flicker of satisfaction passed through Sheng Xiuwen's eyes.
Anyone taken on as a student by Zhou Chongli couldn't lack ability.
Then came the second part—the daughter of the Ji Group.
Sheng Xiuwen's gaze paused slightly.
Oh well.
The corner of his mouth moved almost imperceptibly.
Wasn't she his nephew's arranged-marriage match?
So she couldn't be coaxed into coming to his company.
What a pity.
He withdrew his gaze, lifted the cup in his hand, and took a slow sip.
Not someone he could put to use, then.
Zhou Chongli took Ji Mingyu around the venue, introducing her to quite a few people.
Perhaps it was because she hadn't rested well these past two days, or because the venue was crowded and the air stuffy, but Ji Mingyu kept feeling her head grow heavy and muddled, her temples throbbing faintly.
She gently tugged at Zhou Chongli's sleeve and lowered her voice. "Teacher, I'm going to step out for some air."
Zhou Chongli gave her a look, nodded, and cautioned, "Don't wander off."
Ji Mingyu acknowledged him and slipped quietly out through the side door.
Behind the reception hall was a small garden, quiet amid the bustle. Ji Mingyu sat down on a bench and finally felt comfortable.
She was still lost in thought when, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a young man walking over.
Sharp-mouthed and monkey-faced, his thin frame wrapped in an ill-fitting suit—from a distance, he looked like a monkey.
He walked straight toward Ji Mingyu, wearing what he clearly believed was a polished smile.
"Miss Ji, hello." He extended his hand. "I'm from Lin Pharmaceutical Group—Lin Jiaye."
Ji Mingyu's mind went blank for a moment. Who?
But she still maintained a polite expression on her face, reaching out to shake his hand lightly, and said with a smile, "Hello."
What was this about? She didn't even know him.
She heard Lin Jiaye continue, his tone carrying a deliberate sort of sincerity:
"I greatly admire Miss Ji. Might I have the honor of becoming Miss Ji's friend?"
Ji Mingyu kept the smile on her face, but her mind was already calculating.
Lin Pharmaceutical Group—who hadn't heard of it? Another giant, though neither of them was anything the Ji family could compare to.
She looked up at the face before her.
A pointed chin, small eyes, and a smile revealing crooked teeth.
Ji Mingyu quietly withdrew her gaze.
She realized that maybe she wasn't quite so in love with money after all.