I am not just a tycoon

At 3 p.m., Shen Yuan arrived at the activity room as planned, while the tall Fu Yingzi had already been waiting at the door early.

Today, she was still wearing denim shorts, revealing her long, fair legs. Her legs weren't very slender because her calves and thighs were slightly fatty, making them look proportionate. Below, she wore white sneakers and white long socks.

She wore a slim-fit white printed T-shirt on her upper body, and when she walked, one could vaguely see a glimpse of her stomach revealing a bit of white flesh.

Many girls in the university dressed this way, but very few could pull it off like Fu Yingzi. Having experienced Liew Menglu's allure yesterday, Shen Yuan was particularly struck by Fu Yingzi's fresh and clean look today.

Unfortunately, the mood was somewhat spoiled by the presence of Feng Zegui standing next to her.

Shen Yuan frowned subconsciously. This damn simp, why couldn't he just disappear?

Fu Yingzi quickly stepped forward to explain, "Shen Yuan, sorry, he saw me in the cafeteria and insisted on following over. I've told him several times not to follow, but he wouldn't listen."

Feng Zegui, also worried that Shen Yuan might blame Fu Yingzi, stepped forward to explain, "Don't be mad at Yingzi, I just thought I could come over and see if there was anything I could help with. An extra person could provide extra strength, right?"

Ever since he had thrown a small tantrum at the furniture store, Feng Zegui had deeply reflected on his actions upon returning. He felt he really had done wrong.

When she was merely dealing with official matters, he had allowed personal feelings to intervene. Feng Zegui conducted a thorough self-examination and decided he wouldn't affect Fu Yingzi's official affairs anymore but would instead silently assist her from the sidelines.

He aimed to be the man behind Fu Yingzi!

Shen Yuan couldn't help but roll his eyes. This breed of simp was quite pure. He wasn't bad-looking either, being slightly taller than Fu Yingzi, probably around 175 cm.

With those looks and his dogged attitude, he could have easily succeeded with any ordinary girl, but why insist on being a burning sheep here?

What was he thinking anyway?

"No need, you can't help with our matter."

Shen Yuan replied indifferently and then signaled for Fu Yingzi to unlock the door.

After Fu Yingzi opened the door, she handed both keys to Shen Yuan, but he only took one, "Keep the other one for yourself; I probably won't be here often."

"Okay."

As the two entered the activity room, Feng Zegui, still holding out hope, tried to follow them in. However, Shen Yuan immediately shut the door firmly, blocking his access.

Stunned, he stood outside the door, feeling suddenly anxious because, with the door shut, he could see nothing—the windows were fitted with blinds.

Feng Zegui couldn't understand why an activity room would need blinds.

Could it be...

An image suddenly flashed in Feng Zegui's mind—his Yingzi and Shen Yuan inside...

Could it be true?

Feeling even more uncertain, he stared at the door, a sense of unspeakable sorrow filling his chest.

My Yingzi...

Shen Yuan was completely unaware of the drama playing out in Feng Zegui's mind. He scanned the activity room, which was clean and tidy. The desks and executive chairs were to his liking, and there were potted devil's ivy plants in each corner.

Although the blinds on the corridor side were closed, those on the other side were open, enabling good lighting. Directly opposite was the girls' dormitory, where one could occasionally see a few girls drying small clothes in the corridor.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Shen Yuan called Fu Yingzi to sit on the sofa, "How's the progress on the publicity?"

Fu Yingzi sat down, plucking at her denim shorts, "We've already sent out posters and copies yesterday through official accounts, Weibo, Quick Music, and even the school confession wall. The level of views and attention is good, but it will take some time to reflect this in applications, especially since preparing entrepreneurship proposals takes time."

Shen Yuan nodded but he was not there to discuss these matters, and then said, "I plan to create another wave on the publicity front, to drive the buzz even higher."

Fu Yingzi was stunned for a moment, "What exactly do you have in mind?"

Shen Yuan paused, "I plan to tie the entrepreneurship base to my name, letting everyone at the International campus know that I invested in this entrepreneurship base."

"Shen Yuan, do you mean to push yourself into the spotlight, letting everyone know about you?"

Fu Yingzi was quick to connect Shen Yuan's investment in this loss-making project with his new proposal to promote himself, presumably aiming for some attention or to enhance his personal reputation.

This was somewhat similar to doing charity, where tycoons, celebrities, and stars didn't necessarily want to donate money but aimed to increase their own reputations or that of their companies.

"Right."

Shen Yuan nodded, "Do you have any ideas?"

Fu Yingzi thought for a moment, "Actually, we could post something when the publicity is at its peak, directly letting everyone know that you invested it, maybe even reveal the amount of investment."

Shen Yuan shook his head, "That's too bland and won't create the 'long-awaited hero's arrival' effect."

Fu Yingzi blinked her beautiful eyes, clearly not understanding what the phrase 'long-awaited hero's arrival' meant.

"Let me share my idea."

Shen Yuan pondered for a bit, "In a couple of days, when the entrepreneurship base is at the height of its popularity and most students at the International campus are aware of it, we could send out an eye-catching copy or post."

"You've seen the headlines from UC, right?"

"For instance, 'My heavens, 10 million was invested in our school's entrepreneurship base!' 'I can't believe it, the entrepreneurship base was invested in by a student from our school!' 'You might not know, but our school has such wealthy and handsome individuals!'"

"Something like this, got it? I won't say who it is, but through this method, I'll make everyone really curious to find out who."

"Then we'll slowly release some information, letting them guess on their own, keeping them on tenterhooks until their expectations peak, and then I'll make my appearance."

After listening, Yingzi looked at Shen Yuan with complex eyes. If they proceeded as he planned, it would likely cause a sensation among the girls at the International campus, especially since the campus already had a disproportionate number of girls to boys, and rich and handsome guys were even scarcer, let alone top-tier ones like Shen Yuan.

She didn't quite understand why Shen Yuan would want to thrust himself into such a storm, but that wasn't for her to worry about. Her job was just to carry out Shen Yuan's requests.

"That's a great idea. This will definitely heat things up, and the numbers applying for the startup will soar. With a bigger pool of applicants, we can better select the outstanding ones."

"Exactly."

Shen Yuan had considered this issue. If they could achieve this effect, it would be a triple win: accumulating Prestige Points for the school, selecting high-quality female juniors and seniors, and after investing the full ten million, receiving the rewards promised by the System.

Of course, to achieve the best effect, it was crucial not to leak any information too early. Currently, aside from the School Youth League Committee and the counselor, some male classmates and Fang Minhui were aware that he was investing in the startup base.

Shen Yuan would also notify those in the know to ensure confidentiality.

Neither the counselor nor the School Youth League Committee would likely reveal anything. As for the class belle, so long as he spoke to her, she wouldn't talk either. The main concern was Old Huang and Old Cao and those guys.

If those damned blabbermouths spread rumors like, "two-timing jerk" or "keeping a mistress off campus," it could result in a reputation collapse. His notoriety rather than prestige would be infamous.

He also needed to give them a preventive warning.

"Is there any difficulty in implementing this?"

Shen Yuan asked.

Yingzi blinked her beautiful eyes and thought for a moment before saying, "It's doable. We can have an unofficial account post about it on the confession wall, then use two dummy accounts to generate hot comments under the school's official account and Microblog, drawing attention naturally."

"Let's do that."

Shen Yuan nodded, pleased with Yingzi's plan, as it aligned with his own. It was essential to use unofficial accounts for these kinds of rumors to maintain a sense of mystery.

Yingzi was sharp too, getting the gist of controlling narrative and direction with just a little guidance.

Through this incident, Shen Yuan increasingly believed Yingzi was a good choice for a secretary. She didn't question his reasons, only thought about how to implement his requests effectively, and was very efficient in her work, always providing feedback.

For instance, the test paper set—Shen Yuan hadn't even prompted her, yet she'd voluntarily updated him on her progress that morning.

This kind of talent was indeed worth employing.

"Let's talk about your affairs."

Having settled that matter, Shen Yuan looked over Yingzi again, his gaze lingering momentarily on her bare legs before he earnestly asked, "What do you want to gain from working with me?"

"Ah?"

Yingzi was slightly startled, not expecting Shen Yuan to be so direct. Initially, she had approached Shen Yuan to see if she could possibly develop a romantic relationship.

However, it seemed now that not only did Shen Yuan have someone else, but he also showed no interest in her in that respect.

After a moment's thought, Yingzi said, "I'll be starting my internship next semester, but as you know, it's tough for someone from a private university like mine to find a job, especially with a major in marketing, like mine."

"Even if I do find a suitable job, reaching a decent income level would take at least five or six years."

"So I want to make money, a lot more money."

Shen Yuan was not surprised by Yingzi's answer, but still found her somewhat timid. If she had said she wanted him, they could have also gone with the flow and settled the matter.

That way, he could have gained another NPC.

Shen Yuan crossed his legs and leaned back on the sofa, asking, "What amount of money are you talking about?"

Yingzi's eyes filled with anticipation, knowing that Shen Yuan's question implied he was willing to discuss her salary.

But thinking about it made her slightly nervous; she feared asking for too much might displease her boss, and too little would be selling herself short.

From what she knew of current salary standards for interns or recent graduates in her field, the going rate was about three to four thousand a month.

But she was far from satisfied with that salary as both her parents made five to six thousand a month working in a factory. Since she was doing so much for Shen Yuan, she naturally expected a higher salary.

"Eight thousand?"

Yingzi tentatively spoke, carefully watching Shen Yuan's expression.

Though this salary was already two to three times that of a fresh graduate, it wasn't her highest expectation; she had cut it down worrying that asking for too much might be refused by Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan thought, this girl was rather honest, but he couldn't let his first secretary be underpaid.

"I'll add another two thousand to round it up to ten thousand, and if you perform well, there'll be extra bonuses and rewards. From now on, you're with me."

"Yingzi, are you done talking?"

"Why is it taking so long?"

Feng Zegui was knocking on the door, his heart anxious and uneasy, fearing that Yingzi might be getting too close to Shen Yuan inside.

...