After the three of them calmed down, Lǐ Xiǎoyuè seized the moment while her son was in his bedroom to ask, "How did Xiǎo Chāo suddenly get better?"
Shěn Bīng had kept it from her before because he feared she would worry. Now, with her worries gone, he said, "I asked someone to find some special medicine."
Lǐ Xiǎoyuè's eyes widened, "What kind of special medicine, that it's so effective?"
Shěn Bīng replied, "You don't need to worry about that. It's still in the experimental stage, so it needs to be kept secret."
Lǐ Xiǎoyuè asked worriedly, "Are there any side effects?"
Shěn Bīng pondered for a moment, "I haven't found any for now, but you should keep a close eye on him. Record any reactions."
"Okay."
Just then, her son called out, "Mom, I want to eat braised pork."
"Coming, coming, Mom will make it for you right away," Lǐ Xiǎoyuè replied hastily, a smile blooming on her face.
She couldn't remember the last time she had heard her son's voice, full of vigor.
"Is Xiǎo Chāo completely better?"
Shěn Bīng shook his head, "He still needs to continue taking the medicine."
Lǐ Xiǎoyuè's face fell slightly, "Mm, as long as he can get well, taking medicine is fine."
Shěn Bīng stroked her hair, "Don't worry, just once a week is enough."
Lǐ Xiǎoyuè became happy again, "That's great! Blessings from the Bodhisattva, blessings from the Bodhisattva."
Shěn Bīng said, "If anyone asks, don't tell them."
Lǐ Xiǎoyuè was surprised, "Why? I was planning to tell everyone in the patient group later."
Shěn Bīng explained, "The situation is complicated. The medication is still in the experimental stage, and the treatment process is complex. Spreading it will only cause trouble."
Lǐ Xiǎoyuè didn't doubt him, "I hope the medicine will be on the market soon."
As a family member of a patient, she deeply understood the suffering caused by depression.
Shěn Bīng nodded.
After his wife went to cook, he began to review the entire incident, gradually forming a guess in his mind.
Perhaps, Chén Xiǎo's target was him from the beginning.
Recruiting trial participants, visiting his home, posting on Moments…
It was a series of actions with a strong purpose. He had been preoccupied with his son's illness and hadn't thought deeply about it.
Looking back now...
Shěn Bīng gave a wry smile. Thinking about it now was meaningless.
As long as his son's illness could be cured, he would have swallowed even poison without hesitation.
He picked up his phone and sent a WeChat message to Chén Xiǎo, asking to meet at the office tomorrow to discuss the winery project.
He hoped to minimize losses.
As for going back on his word, he hadn't considered it. The life-saving medicine was still in the other person's hands.
He was the knife's handle, and they were the fish.
...
Chén Xiǎo glanced at his WeChat message and replied with a "Good."
"Brother Chén, is something wrong?"
Chén Xiǎo shook his head, "No, Yēyē, please continue."
Now that Shěn Bīng was settled, he had to consider the product launch.
Even good wine needs good marketing.
Even though he was confident in his white spirits mixed with Serotonin, he still had to put in effort to make it a smash hit.
Advertising and marketing were indispensable.
He didn't have the capital for large-scale advertising, so he had to win with novelty.
Chén Xiǎo planned to use short videos for marketing.
He couldn't afford the big influencers, so to expand his reach, he had to focus on the video content.
Chén Xiǎo found Yēyē and asked her to introduce a few skilled writers.
His goal was to create a hit product.
Yēyē replied, "We have a talented girl in our dorm who has published articles in many newspapers."
Chén Xiǎo asked, "What's her writing style like?"
Yēyē thought for a moment, "Style… hmm, I can't quite say. She's a bit of an artsy type. Why don't you look at her Moments?"
Chén Xiǎo leaned closer upon hearing this, catching a faint, fresh scent.
Yēyē seemed a little uncomfortable, her face flushing slightly.
Chén Xiǎo pretended not to notice and lowered his head to look at her phone.
"This is what she posted yesterday. She went to the sports field and found it full of couples," Yēyē explained.
Her friend's Moments read: "When I stood on the sports field, I felt very sad. I always felt that two people should be standing here."
Chén Xiǎo smiled slightly.
Yēyē flipped to the next post.
"Everyone sticks to their beliefs. What others see as a waste of time, she feels is extremely important."
"A friend once told me a story about a tree falling in love with another tree across the road. I asked her what happened next, and she said, 'Nothing happened.' It took me a long time to understand that impossible things end before they even begin."
...
Chén Xiǎo commented, "Not bad."
Yēyē smiled, "Everyone thinks she's very talented."
Chén Xiǎo added, "A bit too melancholic, perhaps."
Yēyē giggled.
Chén Xiǎo said, "Help me contact her and see if she's interested."
Yēyē's eyes widened, "Don't worry, I'll get it done."
Chén Xiǎo smiled, "What do you want to eat later?"
Yēyē's eyes glinted with amusement, "Whatever you want."
Chén Xiǎo understood, "Let's go then."
The two walked along a park path to a private kitchen.
"Try their place, the food is good."
Yēyē looked around, finding it quiet, private, and elegantly atmospheric.
In the center, beautiful red roses were in full bloom, beside retro red curtains. Pleasant music played in the background.
It felt like being in a vintage film.
Chén Xiǎo, familiar with the menu, ordered stir-fried eel with corms, Mapo Tofu with Patagonian Toothfish, Wuliangye bean sprouts, and preserved plum pork ribs...
"Are you busy with your studies?"
Yēyē replied, "It's alright. I'm studying humanities, so it's much easier. Unlike science, where you're stuck in the lab every day."
Chén Xiǎo nodded, "Having your own time is good. When you're in school, you can't wait to graduate and earn money, but when you're working, you miss your school days."
Yēyē frowned, "I just want to graduate quickly."
Chén Xiǎo asked, "Why? Don't you like being at school?"
Yēyē sat up straighter and smiled, "I've been in school for over twenty years. I'm tired of it."
Chén Xiǎo inquired, "Why haven't you dated anyone?"
Yēyē looked a bit embarrassed, "There hasn't been anyone suitable."
She had a great figure. Even in loose clothing, she exuded a certain sexiness. Her neck, shoulders, forearms, wrists, and calves were slender yet not frail. She had perfect shoulders and a beautiful back.
Chén Xiǎo chuckled, "Then you've missed out on a lot of wonderful experiences."
Yēyē replied, "I know. You dated a lot of girlfriends in college."
"No, no, I was too busy starting businesses in college, had no time."
Yēyē's eyes flickered; she clearly didn't believe him.
Just then, the dishes arrived. Chén Xiǎo gestured for her to try them, "Try this, it's their signature dish."
By the end of the meal, both were very pleased.
Their relationship seemed to have deepened.
Chén Xiǎo sent her back to school. The restless feeling in his heart gradually subsided.
The young girl looked delicate and fair, but she wasn't naive. She handled his subtle advances with ease.
She wasn't distant, nor overly familiar, but she wasn't annoying.
She had tact.
...
After a brief attempt, Chén Xiǎo gave up on that idea.
For now, his priority was his career. He preferred to steer clear of overly complicated matters.
He returned home, washed up, and opened "Wasteland World."
Recently, he had been testing an idea.
If the "Type II Serotonin Formula" took a year to materialize, could he perfectly replicate something told to him by an NPC in the game in reality?
This seemed like a shortcut.