"A reward?" Ning Ruoxi blinked, a hint of confusion on her face.

"I’ll get it myself..."

As Ye Ling spoke, he tossed Ning Ruoxi’s phone aside, pulled her into his arms, and fiercely kissed her cherry-red lips.

Meanwhile, in Ning Ruoxi’s dorm group chat.

Ning Ruoxi’s sudden disappearance had been noticed by her roommates.

’Zhou Ya: Huh? Ruoruo’s gone!’

’Yang Lu: Hehe, what do you think could happen this late at night?’

’Zhang Xuan: Say no more. Our Ruoruo is going to be ravaged again tonight.’

’Zhou Ya: Trading a roommate for a Japanese dinner isn’t too much to ask, right?’

’Yang Lu: I think it’s totally worth it!’

...

Meanwhile, on the other side, a great battle had already begun.

Because it was an inconvenient time for Ning Ruoxi, the Little Fox Demon changed her combat tactics, beginning her struggle with the Righteous Giant.

The Little Fox Demon was clearly not quite accustomed to this special method of combat, so this battle lasted much longer than usual.

After a full two hours, the great battle finally came to a reluctant end.

After washing up, Ning Ruoxi lay on the bed, her hands sore and weak, a coquettish pout on her face.

"You brute, you bullied me again!" Ning Ruoxi mumbled, quietly voicing her complaint about Ye Ling’s recent actions.

"There, there, my dear."

Seeing this, Ye Ling immediately pulled Ning Ruoxi into a tight embrace, gently stroking the little kitty’s smooth back.

What to do when the little kitty is unhappy?

Brother Ling’s take: a gentle petting is all it takes!

Under Brother Ling’s great fur-smoothing technique, the little kitty soon forgot what had just happened and curled up in Ye Ling’s arms again, obedient and adorable.

"Oh no, I don’t think I replied to the group chat!"

Ning Ruoxi suddenly remembered something and hurriedly picked up the phone Ye Ling had tossed aside.

Ye Ling, a little curious himself, looked over and immediately saw the girls’ teasing messages to Ning Ruoxi in the group chat.

"How could they be like this!" Ning Ruoxi said, her face flushing as it filled with a mixture of shyness and vexation.

Seeing this, the corners of Ye Ling’s mouth couldn’t help but curve into a slight smile.

Alright!

’He had to admit it. Honestly, he really wanted to laugh.’

"So outrageous!"

Ye Ling said, suppressing a laugh as he chimed in with Ning Ruoxi.

"Hmph!"

Ning Ruoxi glanced at Ye Ling.

’So outrageous, really?’

’The corners of this brute’s mouth hadn’t stopped twitching upward for a second!’

"This Yaya, she’s so mean!"

Ning Ruoxi looked at Zhou Ya’s message, feeling annoyed all over again.

’What did she mean, trading a roommate for a Japanese dinner?’

’Was she only worth a single Japanese dinner?!’

Fine.

’Some close roommate she was.’

’Ning Ruoxi: Yaya, what are you talking about?’

’Ning Ruoxi: You brat, you’re bad-mouthing me again!’

’Zhou Ya: Oh!’

’Zhou Ya: It’s been more than two hours, right? Ling God is really amazing!’

How could a pure little white flower like Ning Ruoxi possibly be a match for a veteran like Zhou Ya?

With just a few words, she had already lost the upper hand.

"This Yaya is so mean!"

Ning Ruoxi looked at Ye Ling, her face full of indignation.

"Alright, I’ll help you reply," Ye Ling said with a small smile, ruffling Ning Ruoxi’s hair.

"Mhm!"

Ning Ruoxi nodded obediently and handed the phone to Ye Ling.

Ye Ling used Ning Ruoxi’s account to reply to Zhou Ya’s message.

’Ning Ruoxi (Ye Ling): Alright, alright, my little darling is shy now. We’ll see you at Kongchan!’

’Zhou Ya: Whoa, Ling God really was watching!’

’Zhang Xuan: Ling God, are you short a handmaiden?’

’Yang Lu: I want to be Ling God’s handmaiden too!’

"These roommates of yours are actually pretty amusing..." Ye Ling shook his head with a sense of helplessness. He didn’t drag it on, just sent a casual reply and ended the chat.

"Hmph! Those three big baddies. When school starts, I’ll teach them a lesson!"

As Ning Ruoxi spoke, she even brandished a small fist, looking utterly adorable.

"Okay, okay," Ye Ling said, dotingly ruffling Ning Ruoxi’s hair. "I’ll help you when the time comes!"

"Mhm!"

Ning Ruoxi nodded obediently, sweetly resting her head on Ye Ling’s chest.

...

...

As the start date for Modu University drew closer day by day, online discussions about the Xia Wei Group grew increasingly intense.

After the Xia Wei Group announced that it had found a new supplier, numerous Western high-tech companies issued statements mocking them.

In the eyes of these corporations, the idea that this so-called Tianxin Technology Company could produce 7nm chips was a complete pipe dream.

...

United States, Fruit Group Headquarters.

Inside the massive conference hall sat numerous men dressed in suits.

These were the top executives of the Fruit Group. The Chief Executive Officer, Kurda, sat at the head of the table.

"Gentlemen, what are your thoughts on this Tianxin Technology Company that has suddenly appeared in Xia Country?" Kurda began.

As soon as Kurda finished speaking, a bald, middle-aged man stood up.

"I believe this is merely a stopgap measure by the Xia Wei Group, intended to temporarily quell the external panic. This so-called Tianxin Technology Company has absolutely no ability to produce high-end chips!"

The middle-aged man’s name was Blaise, and he was the General Manager of the Fruit Group.

Upon hearing this, the other Fruit Group executives all nodded in agreement.

In truth, they simply did not believe that a company from Xia Country could possess the capability to produce high-end chips.

In the eyes of these investors and capitalists, discrimination against companies from Xia Country had already become deeply ingrained!

"Yes, I think so too. I even suspect that this Tianxin Technology Company was actually created by the Xia Wei Group itself!"

Another middle-aged man stood up and said, "They’re probably trying to use this tactic to temporarily control public opinion while they figure out a way to secure a new chip supply channel!"

"Exactly!"

Blaise immediately added, "Therefore, what we need to do is continue to block the Xia Wei Group’s chip supply channels!"

"Didn’t the Xia Wei Group claim they could get chips in a month? Their mid-year new product launch isn’t far off. When the time comes and they can’t produce a new product, the whole charade will collapse on its own!"

"You have a very good point."

Kurda nodded in agreement.

Honestly, his initial thoughts had been basically the same as Blaise’s.

’Tianxin Technology Company?’

’A high-tech company from Xia Country that just popped up out of nowhere could have the ability to produce high-end chips?’

The Fruit Group’s senior management had already slapped the "pipe dream" label on Tianxin Technology Company.

It wasn’t that they were overly arrogant; it was mainly because the cycle for the chip industry is incredibly long.

It wasn’t just the research and development; the crucial steps of implementing production and building a supply chain all require a great deal of time!

Unless Tianxin Technology had been secretly preparing for many years, it was absolutely impossible for them to possess such manufacturing capabilities...