Volume One, Chapter 16: The Grace of a Startling Swan

The night was hazy, but the room was brightly lit.

After taking a shower, Wanxi Song sat cross-legged on the floor between the low coffee table and the sofa, dressed in her pajamas.

The coffee table was covered with documents, a small printer, and a laptop.

Wanxi Song was struggling to revise the proposal.

She was skilled in pharmaceutical research, but drafting a business plan was nearly killing her.

There were only a few people in the entire company, and none were capable of preparing such an investment proposal.

The sound of a door opening came.

Wanxi Song knew it was Jin You returning, but she was too busy to even glance up.

You Jin changed his shoes, put down the car keys, closed the door, and walked in.

Wanxi Song’s gaze remained fixed on the computer screen, her fingers typing away.

Only when she caught him sitting down on the sofa beside her out of the corner of her eye did she stop, turn around, and meet his gaze.

You Jin picked up the materials on the table, flipping through them with the faintest curl of his lips and a barely audible scoff.

He looked displeased.

Wanxi Song found the proposal too difficult and thought it necessary to ask plainly, “I want to know—are you deliberately putting on a show for Grandma, or do you genuinely intend to invest?”

You Jin raised his eyebrows lightly. “Is there a difference?”

“We’re all busy. If you never intended to invest from the start, then I have no reason to continue working on this proposal.”

You Jin leaned back lazily, one arm draped over the sofa back. “Operating at a loss, barely scraping by with government subsidies?”

Wanxi Song felt a bit embarrassed and was momentarily at a loss for words.

You Jin studied her pale, flushed face with a warm, deep voice. “With your skills, any renowned company would be fighting over you. Six insurances and one fund, high salary, good benefits—why insist on running a small, unprofitable company yourself, working so hard?”

Wanxi Song sighed softly, her clear and lively eyes shining like pearls, her gentle voice steady and firm. “You know some so-called world-class pharmaceutical companies first produce a vaccine, then create a virus that can be destroyed by that vaccine, and spread the virus worldwide to make a fortune.”

You Jin gazed at her in silence.

Wanxi Song continued, “Have you ever heard of a drug that can cure chronic diseases completely, but it never circulates in the market or hospitals, only accessible to a very few wealthy people?”

You Jin’s deep eyes darkened and burned silently.

Wanxi Song blushed under his gaze and quickly turned back to her computer, muttering to herself, “Capitalists only empathize with other capitalists. Why am I even telling you this?”

You Jin pursed his lips, turned his head, swallowed, glanced at the clock, cleared his throat, and asked, “How much longer will you need?”

“About half an hour.”

---

“I’ll go wash up first,” You Jin said as he stood and turned toward his room.

Wanxi Song exhaled softly, feeling the tension in her nerves instantly ease. She straightened her back, rallied her spirit, and dove back into the proposal.

Half an hour passed.

You Jin emerged on time and sat down on the sofa.

Wanxi Song distinctly smelled the fresh scent of his shower gel.

A faint fragrance mixed with a hint of warmth wafted over her.

Her heart quickened. The proposal was printed out. After spotting a typo, she hurriedly rummaged around for a pencil to make corrections.

The desk grew messier as she searched, and she lowered her head to scan the floor.

“What are you looking for?” You Jin asked.

Wanxi Song shifted her laptop aside. “A pen.”

You Jin watched her slender back from behind. Her black hair was pinned up with a pencil, though a few strands had slipped loose, revealing her fair, beautiful neck.

He reached out and pulled it free.

Her hair suddenly fell down, and Wanxi Song jumped in surprise, turning to look at You Jin in shock.

The instant she turned, her eyes sparkled like stars, her hair flowing freely—a breathtaking vision.

You Jin’s pupils flickered slightly as he handed her the pencil.

Wanxi Song then remembered that her freshly washed hair was cumbersome, so she’d used the pencil to pin it up.

She took it with a hint of embarrassment. “Thank you.”

She quickly corrected the typo, organized the materials, and handed them to You Jin.

He took them and flipped through them at a leisurely pace.

She closed her laptop and began tidying the desk.

When she was done, she sat upright on the sofa, about a meter away from You Jin, quietly waiting for his response.

He wore light-colored casual home clothes, brows furrowed, focused intently on the proposal, radiating an overwhelming sense of pressure.

Wanxi Song felt inexplicably nervous.

She knew You Jin was giving her a chance out of respect for Grandma, and she dared not harbor too much hope.

After all, her company was currently unprofitable. No capitalist would invest in a small enterprise that showed no promise.

You Jin closed the proposal with a slightly mocking tone. “If you had no ideals or ambitions and were just an ordinary investor, would you put money into this?”

---

Wanxi Song bit her lip softly, unwilling to lie to herself. She sighed deeply, nodding, then shaking her head.

You Jin summarized, “Developing rare disease specialty drugs is the most expensive research and the least profitable business—long and with little return.”

Wanxi Song instinctively leaned toward him, reaching to skim the materials in his hands. “Look here. Besides researching specialty drugs, I’ve also developed two vaccines that are already in clinical trials, with minimal side effects and excellent preventative efficacy...”

You Jin lowered his gaze, staring at her earnest face. His voice was low and husky. “I see. It’s a rare virus that appeared a few years ago. Although the fatality rate is high, it’s not very contagious. With proper prevention, it won’t spread widely. That’s why major pharmaceutical companies see no profit and don’t invest in this vaccine.”

“We can’t just let a virus run rampant and kill people because there’s no profit,” Wanxi Song met his eyes resolutely.

You Jin explained calmly, “Your research aims to cure and save lives, but businessmen will only back your dreams if there’s profit to be made.”

Wanxi Song sighed helplessly. “In the end, you still think it’s unprofitable.”

You Jin replied decisively, “Yes.”

“What if I develop two drugs for rare diseases?” Wanxi Song countered.

You Jin smirked faintly. “Can I have the pricing rights?”

Wanxi Song stiffened.

You Jin asked again, “Would you agree to selling a single dose of a specialty drug for a million?”

Wanxi Song took a deep breath and shook her head.

You Jin seemed to see through her fundamental kindness. She was an excellent pharmaceutical scientist but definitely not a good businesswoman.

She excelled at making drugs to save people but was utterly inept at business.

That was why she refused to join big corporations and compromise with capitalists.

You Jin returned the documents to Wanxi Song and suggested, “The state prefers selfless researchers like you. You’re suited to government funding. You should develop the specialty drugs and put them under the National Medical Insurance Bureau so ordinary people can afford them.”

Wanxi Song murmured softly, “The government’s funding for small pharmaceutical companies like ours is limited. It’s hardly enough to support massive research costs.”

You Jin ignored her and got up to return to his room.

Wanxi Song quickly stood and blurted out, “President You, please reconsider.”

You Jin stomped his foot, turning his back to her, motionless.

The title ‘President You’ clearly marked her position and stance. Because of this, in the past two years, this was the longest conversation she had ever had with You Jin.