Equity

Cheng Xingzhou met his gaze and, without warning, a faint smile curled at the corner of his lips. "Yeah, I'm that desperate. So what?"

"Su Xingshu, worry about yourself."

The atmosphere turned tense in an instant.

They weren't alone in first class. Noticing the commotion, a nearby classmate quickly approached, and seeing the friction between Su Xingshu and Cheng Xingzhou, he tried to smooth things over. "Whatever it is, sort it out. Don't give people a show."

He gestured toward the other students craning their necks to watch. At that, Cheng Xingzhou gave a slight nod, withdrew his gaze, and stopped acknowledging Su Xingshu.

Su Xingshu, meanwhile, straightened up, his face sliding back into that practiced, businesslike smile. He said to the classmate who'd come to mediate, "Alright, got it. Thanks."

Satisfied that the two wouldn't come to blows, the guy turned and headed back to his seat.

Once he was gone, Su Xingshu exchanged no further words with Cheng Xingzhou. He only muttered a quick "I'm off" to Fu Haoyao before turning and striding out of the cabin.

Meanwhile, Fu Liangxia sat in her seat, reviewing the company's financial reports and the industry news she'd gathered.

The project they were developing in partnership with the Fu family and Huiming Technology wasn't just a simple develop-launch-dividend model. They might consider establishing a separate company to run the project, which would also make it easier to file patents and go public later.

But that approach brought up one issue: equity distribution. In theory, the patent technology came mainly from the Fu family's side, counted as a technical contribution, and should take the largest share. But the Fu family provided technical support, Huiming Technology offered overseas channels, and the latter two were investing more capital. So in the end, the Fu family's equity share wasn't as large as one might expect—only 37%.

She felt that wasn't enough.

Knowing how things would unfold, Fu Liangxia was well aware of the staggering profits this patent would generate. The cake wasn't even baked yet, and she was already scheming to get a bigger slice.

Trading existing chips for more equity wasn't realistic. Despite how easygoing Fu Langshu and Liang Huiming seemed, they were businessmen at heart—shrewd to the core.

Both could see the project's potential. Who wouldn't want to claim more equity and skim off more profit?

Fu Liangxia considered using the money she'd earned from stocks to buy a larger share, but neither Fu Langshu nor Liang Huiming was strapped for cash. If it came to a pure capital-for-equity game, she wouldn't even get a seat at the table.

So what else could she use as a breakthrough?

Fu Liangxia pondered for a long time, when suddenly a thought flashed through her mind.

She remembered that the patent had been submitted for review last week. She wondered if the results were out yet.

Judging by how her father constantly wined and dined officials, gave gifts, and worked connections for every little project he started, this matter probably wouldn't be so straightforward.

And although the Fu family was enormously wealthy, they didn't have deep political roots, so this would likely drag on for a while.

But from what Fu Langshu had said earlier, they intended to bring the project to the seminar at the end of the month. Going public was essentially about packaging a cake beautifully and selling it at a high price.

Fu Liangxia figured they'd want to get it done before the month was out.

And conveniently, one of the rewards she'd earned from completing a task earlier included a relevant option.

If she could solve this problem, getting a bit more equity wasn't entirely out of the question. But first, she needed to know how things were progressing on the Fu family's side.

But who could she ask?

Her father might not know the details, Fu Langshu wouldn't necessarily tell the truth, and Feng Qian was just an employee who couldn't go against his boss.

The best option would be someone within the system.

Judging by that criterion alone, Cheng Xingzhou might be a good fit. Given his background, it wasn't just about being in the system—he wielded real power. His father, under the current circumstances, had a strong chance of climbing even higher, all the way to that position.

Still, Fu Liangxia didn't think asking him was a good idea.

Not only would it be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut to trouble him with such a trivial matter, but she had also just given Cheng Xingzhou the cold shoulder. Suddenly turning to him for help now would make her look pretty tactless.

As she sank into thought, the plane gradually filled up. Seeing Fu Liangxia seated in first class, the other passengers exchanged surprised glances.

Students from other classes didn't know what was going on, but those in first class, noticing someone they hadn't seen in their social circles before, couldn't help but size her up.

First impression: she was pretty. Then: she looked familiar.

Like they'd seen her somewhere.

"Bai-ge, who's this?" A girl sitting diagonally behind Fu Liangxia leaned forward, glancing curiously at her, who had taken the empty seat next to Bai Yan.

Fu Liangxia hadn't expected such a direct question and was about to introduce herself.

"My new model. Pretty, isn't she?" Bai Yan had already put down his phone and was looking at Fu Liangxia with a smile.

Hearing Bai Yan introduce her that way, the girl who asked was a bit surprised.

After all, Bai Yan hadn't taken on a new model in a long time, and he never used models his own age, saying they didn't have the right vibe yet.

Now he'd made an exception, and it was hard not to read into it.

"No way, Bai-ge. Is she a new model or a new girlfriend?" the girl teased with a grin.

She knew Bai Yan wouldn't get angry, and she was just joking around.

But just then, Su Xingshu walked in from outside, radiating a low-pressure aura. Hearing her words, he paused mid-step.

"Don't overthink it. Your Bai-ge only likes older women," Su Xingshu said.

Whether intentionally or not, his gaze casually swept over Fu Liangxia, emphasizing the word "older."

That Bai Yan preferred mature older women was basically common knowledge to anyone who followed celebrity gossip. What was odd was why Su Xingshu felt the need to say it out loud, as if it were aimed at someone in particular.

Bai Yan just smiled lightly at the remark, saying nothing.

He knew inwardly that Su Xingshu was trying to eliminate a potential rival.

But seeing Su Xingshu so on edge only made Bai Yan more intrigued—

Was Fu Liangxia really so captivating that she could make Su Xingshu so insecure?

He curved his lips with an unreadable expression, and the girl in the back row chimed in casually, "Well, that's not necessarily true. People's tastes can change."

Su Xingshu asked Bai Yan, "Is that so?"

To Bai Yan's ears, it sounded like "Is that a death wish?" His smile deepened as he crossed his legs and said, "You've changed too."

He wasn't referring to Su Xingshu's preferred type, but rather how his behavior had shifted compared to usual.

He was getting too invested. Watching from the sidelines, Bai Yan thought he was being foolish.

For a girl, he'd lost himself entirely.

Su Xingshu understood Bai Yan's meaning: "Let's hope you never have this day."

"Of course," Bai Yan said with full confidence.