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Surprise flickered in Xie Zhiyu's deep-set eyes. He glanced at the proposal in Shen Baili's arms and nodded. "Sure. Come with me to the study."

Shen Baili followed close on Xie Zhiyu's heels, and they entered the study together.

"Give me a moment. I'll read the proposal first."

Shen Baili sat bolt upright, her posture even more proper than it had been in elementary school. Anticipation, unease, and excitement churned inside her.

For some reason, she felt fired up, too.

The study was so quiet she could have heard a pin drop.

Shen Baili slowed her breathing and watched Xie Zhiyu closely, hoping to read something in his expression.

She studied his sharp features but could glean nothing. Her hands rested on her thighs, opening and closing, then closing and opening, over and over.

On the sixty-sixth cycle, Xie Zhiyu turned the final page of the proposal and met the gaze of a very nervous Shen Baili.

"Eldest Brother, what do you think?" Shen Baili asked at once.

She was impatient by nature. If she could ask him directly, she wasn't going to sit there worrying.

Xie Zhiyu raised an eyebrow and set the proposal aside. "What do you think?"

Huh?

Shen Baili was momentarily at a loss, but quickly recovered. "I think it's good."

She briefly went over the market share and growth prospects she had discussed with A-Deng.

When she finished, she looked at Xie Zhiyu again.

This time, Xie Zhiyu answered directly. "It's an excellent proposal."

"If it were up to me, I'd invest."

The wording and presentation revealed gaps in Shen Baili's business knowledge, but her central idea was highly original and compelling.

Xie Zhiyu was intrigued by the future the proposal described. It opened up an entirely new angle.

Building something from nothing would be