Chapter 138: Yan Luoxi’s Existential Crisis: Have I Really Fallen for That Jerk?

Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Yan Luoxi’s Existential Crisis: Have I Really Fallen for That Jerk?

Gu Yizhou stared wide-eyed at his friend, his glass frozen in mid-air.

"Hey, Old Gu, why are you staring at me like that?"

"You’re the one who told me to say what was on my mind!"

Chen Dongyuan said with a perfectly straight face.

Gu Yizhou: "..."

’Yes!’

’I told you to be direct, but I didn’t tell you to cost me my job!’

Gu Yizhou gave Chen Dongyuan a speechless look, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

"Old Gu, I’m not kidding. Quit your job!"

"Come join me. We two brothers can start a business together!"

Chen Dongyuan said.

"Uh..."

’So that’s what this guy was after!’

"Old Gu, you should quit!"

"Tidal Group is a decent company, sure, but for someone with your talent and ability to stay there as a lowly intern is a real waste!"

"You said it yourself earlier—that project I mentioned is definitely viable. So come on, let’s do it together. I’m planning to start a company, and I’ll cover all the initial startup capital. All you have to do is show up. As for the shares... we can’t officially register it as a 50-50 split, but we can sign a private contract. In the end, we’ll still split the profits fifty-fifty, brother to brother."

Chen Dongyuan said, looking at Gu Yizhou with utmost sincerity.

It might have sounded like he was selling a pipe dream, but he was offering to cover all the startup capital himself. Gu Yizhou wouldn’t have to invest a dime to get a fifty percent stake. An offer like that proved he was serious about wanting Gu Yizhou to join him.

Hearing this, Yan Luoxi, who was curled up on Gu Yizhou’s lap, felt her heart skip a beat.

’An offer like that is truly sincere!’

’She knew that starting his own business might be better for Gu Yizhou’s future development!’

’But!’

’She really didn’t want Gu Yizhou to quit.’

’If Gu Yizhou left, she would only be able to see him at night when she turned into a cat.’

’She didn’t want that at all!’

’Besides, when it came to money, it’s not like she was short on it!’

’If Gu Yizhou got together with me, the entire Tidal Group would be his...’

’Uh...’

Yan Luoxi’s thoughts suddenly came to a halt.

’Why am I even having thoughts like this?’

’Have I really, without even realizing it, fallen for this scoundrel?’

For a moment, Yan Luoxi began to question her own existence.

She lifted her little head and peeked furtively at Gu Yizhou’s profile, feeling a blush of shyness creep into her heart...

"This..."

Faced with Chen Dongyuan’s sincere invitation, Gu Yizhou was momentarily at a loss for words.

The invitation had come so suddenly that he was completely unprepared.

Besides, to be honest, Gu Yizhou felt his current life was actually quite good.

His daily work was pretty relaxed, and whenever he had the time and opportunity, he could play the stock market and make some quick money.

To be frank, he had several million in cash on hand. It wasn’t a staggering amount, but it wasn’t a small sum either. The point was, he wasn’t really hurting for money anymore.

Most importantly, he wanted a quieter life and had no desire to repeat the path he’d taken in his previous life.

"Old Gu, don’t hesitate!"

"I really want us two brothers to fight side-by-side again!"

Seeing Gu Yizhou hesitate, Chen Dongyuan pressed on.

"Besides, I have a gut feeling that this project of ours will be a huge success!"

"Think about it! We’ll have to buy houses, buy cars, get married... If we just work a normal job for the rest of our lives, we’ll end up with nothing to show for it!"

"Put in your resignation tomorrow. I’ll start getting the company paperwork ready in the next couple of days."

"No, wait. If you resign tomorrow, the handover will take at least a month. That’s too much of a hassle!"

"How about this: your intern salary is peanuts anyway. Just stop showing up!"

Chen Dongyuan mused aloud.

"I’m a full-time employee now."

Gu Yizhou said quietly.

"What?"

Gu Yizhou’s words made Chen Dongyuan freeze.

"You’re full-time?"

"Wait, we don’t even have our graduation certificates yet. How did you get promoted to full-time?"

he asked, baffled.

"Oh, the company said I was performing well, so they promoted me early, even without a graduation certificate. I’m earning a full-timer’s salary now."

Gu Yizhou said.

"Well... you being full-time now really makes things tricky."

Chen Dongyuan frowned. "An intern can just walk away, but a full-time employee can’t. You’ve signed a contract, after all. So you’ll really have to stick around for a one-month handover!"

"Okay, how about this: I’ll get started on the company paperwork and all that. You go resign tomorrow, and then as soon as your handover is complete and you’re free, come straight over."

"I can handle the initial setup by myself. You..."

Everything he said made it sound like it was already a done deal—that Gu Yizhou would definitely quit and join him.

This left Gu Yizhou feeling exasperated.

"Hang on, Old Chen!"

He couldn’t help but interrupt.

"Huh?"

Chen Dongyuan paused, then looked at him. "What is it?"

"Look, I know you’re eager, but slow down a minute!"

"I haven’t agreed to quit my job yet!"

Gu Yizhou said with an exasperated look.

"Er..."

His remark made the words on the tip of Chen Dongyuan’s tongue catch in his throat.

"Come on, Old Gu, what is there to hesitate about?"

"Are you worried something will go wrong on my end?"

"How about this? I’ll go find an office space tomorrow and register the company right away!"

"I..."

Chen Dongyuan said anxiously.

"Hey, Old Chen, just calm down!"

Gu Yizhou cut him off. "Just listen to me first."

"Fine, Old Gu. Go ahead."

Chen Dongyuan shot him a glare and said irritably.

After speaking, he snatched a cigarette from the table, lit it, and took a deep drag before speaking again. "But if you don’t give me a good reason today, consider this job quit!"

Hearing this, Gu Yizhou once again didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’This guy... he’s still so hot-headed!’

But Gu Yizhou wasn’t angry. They had been best friends all through college, so he knew and understood Chen Dongyuan’s personality. He knew his friend was genuinely eager for them to build something great together.

DING~

Just then, the long-dormant mechanical voice of the system sounded in Gu Yizhou’s mind.

"Hm?"

Gu Yizhou’s expression changed slightly.

’The system, which had been silent all this time, has suddenly reappeared!’

Gu Yizhou was momentarily stunned as the mechanical female voice echoed in his mind.

"Current conditions met. Triggering main quest: ’Invest to Become Stronger.’"

"Host is required to invest in Chen Dongyuan’s company and help it rapidly grow into a ’unicorn’ company."

"Upon reaching an investment agreement, the System will issue the following rewards: 1. One complete version of the core foundational algorithm for the Earth Douyin project. 2. One dose of Gene Enhancement Potion."

...