With global currency devaluation, I'll wear these back and take my whole family flying!

After school, Uncle Jiang's car was already waiting in the usual spot.

This was Pili's first time visiting a wealthy family's villa area. After the car drove in, she kept looking out the window with curiosity.

"Pili, doesn't it look incredibly luxurious and grand?" Lianxing turned to look at Pili and asked.

Pili nodded as he looked outside: "It's not quite what I imagined."

Lianxing smiled and said, "Don't bother looking. Your master's martial arts school isn't much cheaper than the villas here."

As soon as the car came to a stop, Gu Lianxing's mother was already standing in the yard to greet her. Seeing several pretty girls getting out of the car, she called out repeatedly, "Lianxing!"

"mom!"

Gu Lianxing waved and ran towards her mother. Shen Ci and Pili thanked Uncle Jiang slowly before following her.

"Mom, let me introduce you. This is Shen Ci, and this is Pili."

"Hello, Auntie!" the two greeted her in unison, behaving very politely.

Mrs. Gu had an impression of Shen Ci, since she had visited once before. This was the first time she had met Pili, though her daughter had mentioned that she was a new roommate who had moved into the dormitory.

"Hello, please come in. Lianxing suddenly told me you were coming, so I was in a bit of a rush to prepare." Mrs. Gu was very approachable, with elegance in every gesture, and her voice was also very pleasant.

After entering the villa, the group sat down in the living room. Mrs. Gu quickly instructed the housekeeper to bring out chilled juice and washed fruit: "Have some fruit first. Dinner still needs some time to be prepared, so please don't be shy."

"Thank you auntie."

Gu Lianxing then pulled her mother aside and asked, "Hasn't my dad come back yet?"

"It should be soon. You never used to come back to see your father. What's wrong with you today?" Mrs. Gu asked, puzzled.

Gu Lianxing raised an eyebrow: "Something must be wrong. You'll find out later."

Mrs. Gu smiled without saying a word, gracefully sat down on the sofa, and instinctively looked at Shen Ci: "Shen Ci, I remember you live here too, don't you?"

Shen Ci nodded: "Yes, Auntie, we're less than 500 meters apart, it's very close."

"Lianxing said you live alone. Where are your family? Aren't they in Longcheng?"

"Mom, are you checking the household registration?" Gu Lianxing looked at her mother with displeasure.

Mrs. Gu smiled and said, "Mom is just chatting with your friend."

“It’s alright, Lianxing.” Shen Ci looked at Mrs. Gu and patiently explained, “My hometown is Shenzhen and Hong Kong. My younger brother is about to take the college entrance examination. My mother will accompany him in Shenzhen and Hong Kong until he finishes the exam and then return to Longcheng. I don’t live alone. I live with my younger sister, but she is currently filming and is not at home.”

"Oh, your sister is an actress?" Mrs. Gu exclaimed with delight.

She is a true socialite, spending her days shopping, getting beauty treatments, and having afternoon tea. At home, she enjoys watching TV dramas and reading novels.

Shen Ci nodded with a smile: "She's new to the industry, currently working on the set of 'Destiny of the Phoenix'."

"Really! I know this show, I've seen the original version. Who does she play?"

"Playing the role of 'Hua Xixi'."

"Wow, I love this character..."

For a moment, Shen Ci and Mrs. Gu were chatting animatedly. Gu Lianxing and Pili exchanged a glance, realizing they couldn't get a word in edgewise and could only listen silently.

As dusk settled and night fell, a fragrant aroma wafted from the restaurant. The nanny came over and said, "Madam, everything is almost ready. There's only one soup left to simmer. Please sit down and have a look. I just saw that the master's car has returned."

Mrs. Gu nodded upon hearing this and warmly greeted, "Dinner is served, ladies, please take your seats."

Just as he finished speaking, Gu Shangyou walked in and was taken aback when he saw what was going on: "Oh my? Why is it so lively today!"

"Hello, Uncle Gu." Shen Ci and Pili greeted him immediately.

Gu Lianxing rushed over and grabbed her father's arm: "Dad, I'm inviting my roommate over to our house!"

Gu Shangyou nodded with a smile: "Welcome, welcome."

At the dinner table, Shen Ci and Pili sat on one side of the guest seats, opposite Mrs. Gu and Lianxing, while Gu Shangyou sat at the head of the table.

The atmosphere was anything but serious. Mrs. Gu and Gu Shangyou were both very talkative, especially since they had both heard a little about Shen Ci and were very curious about her. They had already said that they would have their daughter invite her to their home.

"Don't be shy, make yourselves at home. If you don't like something, eat less; if you like it, eat more. Stretch your chopsticks out a bit longer," Gu Shangyou said, inviting everyone to join in.

Shen Ci didn't rush to get to the point, but instead chatted with them. Unexpectedly, halfway through the conversation, Gu Shangyou brought up the matter himself.

"Shen Ci, I heard from Lianxing that you invested in an artificial intelligence project?"

His initiative surprised Shen Ci and the other two. Shen Ci came to her senses and nodded with a smile: "So Lianxing told you about this."

Gu Shangyou said with a wry smile, "She not only mentioned it, but she also said that if this project succeeds, she'll be waiting to see me make a fool of myself."

Gu Lianxing raised an eyebrow smugly.

Shen Ci pursed her lips and said slowly, "Uncle Gu, to be honest, I really want to talk to you about this today."

Gu Shangyou was taken aback. He had only mentioned it casually, but he hadn't expected the other party to be prepared.

"The project was successfully tested yesterday," Shen Ci stated the result directly.

Gu Lianxing's smug expression grew even stronger.

Mrs. Gu looked at Gu Shangyou with some surprise, while Gu Shangyou asked in return with a puzzled expression, "You mean the artificial intelligence project you invested in has passed the self-test?"

Shen Ci nodded.

Gu Shangyou frowned and paused for a moment, then suddenly smiled, though the smile was somewhat ambiguous.

Shen Ci spoke softly, “I know that Uncle Gu’s Gu Group is a pioneer in artificial intelligence. There may have been something wrong with the way Senior Brother Luo tried to get the Gu Group to invest in the project. It is understandable that Uncle Gu would have some doubts about his rash actions.”

"The project has already completed testing. This program is of extraordinary significance to the current field of artificial intelligence. I hope Uncle Gu can give us a chance to cooperate. This program will definitely not disappoint you, Uncle Gu."

Shen Ci wanted to seek cooperation with the Gu family, and as a junior, she naturally lowered her stance intentionally.

But her tone was neither humble nor arrogant, for no other reason than the confidence she had as a result of the team's project achievements.

Gu Shangyou looked at Shen Ci without responding for a moment, but he always had a smile on his face. However, Shen Ci couldn't quite understand the smile, and couldn't even tell if he was happy or angry.

“Shen Ci, you’re quite bold,” Gu Shangyou suddenly said.

The atmosphere immediately froze upon hearing this. Gu Lianxing frowned and was about to speak when she heard Gu Shangyou continue, "You know I kicked those two kids out back then, and they still dare to come back to me after the project succeeded. Aren't you afraid I'll think you're slapping me in the face?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Ci shook her head calmly: "I didn't think that much. My only thought is that if Uncle Gu misses out on our project, he will definitely feel very sorry."