Chapter 12: [Cognitive Awakening]

“I told you, there’s no way they’re boyfriend and girlfriend, and they aren’t on a date either.” Zhao Yue covered her mouth and chuckled. “That guy in the executive jacket is way more impressive than Tang Song.”

Wang Yubo nodded in agreement, sighing, “He looks like a social elite with status; he’s got quite the air about him. It’s pretty impressive that Tang Song can even get to know people like that.”

Zhao Yue’s eyes darted around as she carefully observed Tang Song.

He was thinner than before, looked much more energetic, and had started paying attention to his outfits and hairstyle. Plus, he had these kinds of connections.

More importantly, Jinxiu Trading was about to complete its financing and transition online.

As the department’s technical genius and the actual developer of the SCM system, Tang Song would definitely be the top key player under President Chen in the future.

To say the least, a middle-management position was within reach, and his salary would certainly exceed ten thousand.

Thinking about it this way, it seemed Brother Song wasn’t as bad as she had thought.

If he could lose a bit more weight, he would actually be a very qualified partner.

She looked at Wang Yubo again.

Although he was tall, thin, and had good taste in clothes, his looks were just average.

Moreover, he was in sales, his income was unstable, and it was hard to say how his performance would hold up after the company’s business restructuring.

After much deliberation, Zhao Yue sent another message to Tang Song: “Discovered a new merit of Brother Song! You can chat and laugh with successful people older than you—so impressive! I’m learning from you, Brother Song!”

……

“Xiao Song! Are you alright?” Xie Shuyu looked at the somewhat distracted Tang Song and tapped the table lightly.

“I’m fine.”

Wang Yunping chuckled, “Mr. Tang, seeing you so excited, could it be that you still hold stock options in your company?”

Tang Song shook his head, his lips pressed into a thin line, his gaze flickering.

The sudden surprise had caused him to lose control of his emotions.

And it seemed the intersection of the game and reality wasn’t as simple and crude as he had imagined.

He had many questions that needed to be unraveled, bit by bit.

After chatting with Xie Shuyu for a while longer, Wang Yunping checked the time on his wrist, stood up, and said, “President Xie, I have to visit a client this afternoon, so let’s talk privately another day. I still have many things I’d like to discuss with you regarding the future direction of the coffee industry.”

Today’s goal had been achieved, and the process had gone smoothly enough, so Wang Yunping didn’t intend to overstay his welcome.

Pursuing a woman of Xie Shuyu’s type required knowing when to stop, proceeding step-by-step, and exuding charm.

Excessive intrusion would only provoke resentment.

Xie Shuyu stood up and said politely, “Goodbye.”

“Goodbye!” Wang Yunping picked up his clutch, his gaze sweeping over the preoccupied Tang Song, and said politely, “Mr. Tang, excellent technical personnel also need excellent communication skills; that can broaden your career prospects. When you have time, try to interact with more people outside and read more books. It can both improve your cognition and enrich your character.”

Watching Wang Yunping leave, Xie Shuyu said to Tang Song, “Wang Yunping is a senior manager at Yunjing Consulting and has dealt with many technical experts. His words actually make sense.”

“I understand, thank you, Sister Shuyu.” Tang Song let out a long breath and said with a complex tone, “Sister Shuyu, do you know Jin Meixiao?”

“Hehe, of course I do.” Xie Shuyu chuckled, “I’m afraid even ordinary people have heard that name to some extent.”

The founder of Smile Holdings, 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year, Fortune 40 Under 40, Time 100 Most Influential People of 2022, Forbes cover star…

The halo around her was too bright—so bright that no one dared to look directly at it.

As a workaholic with a strong sense of career ambition, Jin Meixiao was also the direction and goal she strove toward.

…

Walking out of the Yanbin Building, Tang Song watched as Xie Shuyu’s BMW disappeared around the street corner.

Tang Song lowered his head and muttered, “Smile Holdings, Jin Meixiao, Secretary Jin.”

He had already checked on his phone.

These terms, which should have only existed in the game, had actually appeared in the real world.

He opened the system interface to check the main plot description.

[Note 1: Perhaps your achievements in the game are not ethereal; continuing to complete system tasks and improving yourself will yield the rewards you dream of.]

So that was it.

Stock market, futures, entrepreneurship, investment…

His struggles in the game were not ethereal; everything had a traceable path, and everything was solid and firm.

As long as he could truly continue to grow and unlock rewards, he could turn everything from the game into reality.

Not just the assets, but also the characters he had cultivated with his own hands.

In the game’s plot, from 2016 to 2023, it was a span of seven years.

In his eyes, characters like [Secretary Jin] no longer carried mere data, but contained emotions, a past, and experiences.

For a moment, Tang Song felt a whirlwind of emotions.

Scenes from the game flashed through his mind continuously.

There was ambition for the future, and melancholy for the present.

……

Returning to Qingxin Garden, Tang Song’s restless heart could not calm down.

He simply changed into sportswear and started jogging along the road outside the residential complex, walking when he got tired.

Only when he was too tired to walk did he return to his rental apartment.

He collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

After waking up, he spent a long time in a daze before his mindset gradually recovered.

At present, essentially, he was still that ordinary employee, Tang Song.

An unremarkable appearance, a mediocre core.

Although Wang Yunping was a bit arrogant, what he said was correct.

He should interact with more people, read more books, and improve his horizons and knowledge.

Only by truly growing up and approaching the [God-tier Tang Song] from the game would it be possible to meet Secretary Jin and take over his vast assets.

Having figured this out, Tang Song felt much lighter, and his goals for the future became clearer.

Just then, a crisp system notification sounded again.

“Ding! You have triggered the branch task [Cognitive Awakening]. Please go to the [Task Center] to view it.”

He checked the task information.

[Task Content: A person’s cognition hides the books they have read and the paths they have walked. Please select 10 classic works that are helpful to your growth for effective reading.]

[Task Reward: Intelligence +1; Ginkgo Bookmark *1]

[Task Progress: 0%]

He checked the item details.

[Ginkgo Bookmark]: Carefully crafted from ginkgo leaves that fell in autumn. Clip it into the books, documents, or other texts you are reading to effectively increase memory retention by 30% while reading.

[Note: You, who love to read, are just like this fallen autumn leaf; even if soaked in the wind and frost of time, there is no trace of decay in your posture.]

After reading the task introduction and rewards, Tang Song’s eyes glowed with excitement.

As expected of a branch task, the rewards were truly rich.

Intelligence, as one of the four basic attributes, was also the most important one.

Physique, Agility, and Stamina could all be acquired through acquired effort, but Intelligence was very, very difficult to improve.

It mainly refers to the ability to understand and analyze things, and its upper limit depends on your talent.

Even in “God-tier Growth Plan,” there were very few tasks that could increase Intelligence.

And the [Ginkgo Bookmark] went without saying—an item that could increase memory.

With it, he could greatly improve efficiency and save time in his future studies.