Su Yu went back downstairs and immediately spotted Chen Xi'er sitting there, gently playing with the small, light-bodied Ralts in her arms. For a brief moment, Su Yu was stunned. Seeing a Ralts here was already unexpected, let alone one that seemed so close to her. It was obvious that Chen Xi'er herself was also quite surprised to have such a Pokémon by her side. However, when Su Yu appeared in the hall, the first thing that caught his attention wasn't Chen Xi'er at all—it was the Ralts.
The little Pokémon stretched lazily and then looked straight at Su Yu with wide, sparkling eyes. What an overwhelmingly powerful Psychic aura. In Ralts' perception, Su Yu felt like an existence overflowing with mental energy, almost as if he were some legendary Psychic Pokémon that had taken human form. For a moment, Ralts' gaze was filled with pure admiration. Su Yu noticed this and froze slightly, sensing that inexplicable goodwill coming from the little guy. It left him more amused than anything else.
Chen Xi'er soon realized that something was off. Following Ralts' gaze, she noticed Su Yu and quickly stood up. Walking over, she asked politely, "Su Yu senior, are you done?" The way she addressed him made Su Yu pause for a second. Senior? Were they from the same university? He didn't remember her at all. Still, he didn't dwell on it and nodded calmly.
"I'm done. Let's talk," he said, taking out the documents in his hand. "These are my patent certificates, and here are the detailed formulas. You can have a look."
Chen Xi'er nodded, gently placing Ralts on the ground before taking the documents and flipping through them seriously. She then gestured toward the seating area she had been using earlier, suggesting they talk there. Su Yu followed, but before he could take more than a step, Ralts suddenly tugged at his trousers. The little Pokémon looked up at him with an expression that was practically begging for a hug. Unable to resist, Su Yu bent down and picked it up, and Ralts immediately rubbed against him affectionately, clearly enjoying the contact.
When Chen Xi'er turned back and saw this scene, she was stunned. "Ralts~!" she exclaimed softly. Even at home, the little guy was usually resistant when her parents tried to hold it, yet now it had willingly thrown itself into Su Yu's arms and looked incredibly happy. The contrast was shocking. Su Yu casually rubbed Ralts' antennae and followed Chen Xi'er to sit down. With a faint smile, she said, "Ralts seems to like you a lot." There was a hint of envy in her eyes—this was the first time she had seen Ralts act this way.
Su Yu smiled lightly. "Maybe it's because I'm also a Psychic," he said. Those words made Chen Xi'er freeze for a moment. She looked at him in surprise before suddenly understanding. No wonder. Ralts were Psychic-type Pokémon, after all—it made sense that it would naturally feel close to someone with strong Psychic abilities. Satisfied with this explanation, she refocused on the documents in her hands.
As a breeder herself, Chen Xi'er quickly confirmed that there were no issues with the formulas. What truly caught her attention were the materials listed. They were all extremely common, things that could be found almost anywhere. Yet with these ingredients, Su Yu had created intermediate-level energy cubes. That realization made her eyes light up. After reading through everything carefully, she looked up and said decisively, "Su Yu senior, I want all of your patents. Let's talk about the price."
Su Yu nodded calmly. "That's exactly what I had in mind," he replied. "The intermediate energy cube patents can be licensed to you, but I want seventy percent of the net profit—pure profit, after deducting costs and labor."
Chen Xi'er was completely stunned. She set the documents down, staring at him in disbelief. "That's impossible," she said firmly. "There's no such deal. Seventy percent of net profit? We still have to bear operational costs, channel maintenance, branding, and risks. At most, we can offer ten percent."
"Seventy percent," Su Yu repeated indifferently. "Pure profit means after all of that. Did you misunderstand? If there's risk, we share it. If sales are bad, my earnings drop too."
Even so, Chen Xi'er frowned deeply. From her perspective, it felt as though her company would be working for Su Yu instead. After a moment of silence, she sighed. "I need to make a call," she said, adding with a helpless smile, "It's a pity you're not a capitalist, Su Yu senior."
Su Yu chuckled. "If I were a capitalist, you wouldn't even get thirty percent. At best, I'd dump all the risk on you." That remark left Chen Xi'er speechless. Shooting him a glare, she stood up and walked aside to make her call.
Watching her leave, Su Yu smiled faintly. He wasn't worried at all—thirty percent of net profit was already extremely generous. In truth, he had initially been aiming for a fifty-fifty split, considering the need to use the other party's brand and channels. Still, it was obvious that Chen Xi'er lacked experience in negotiation. She had been completely thrown off balance.
Lowering his gaze, Su Yu looked at the Ralts still nestled in his arms and smiled. "You're really amazing, little one. You're making me want to raise a Ralts too." He gently rubbed its head. Ralts tilted its head in confusion, then seemed to think of its two sisters, its eyes sparkling with excitement—as if silently offering to help. If Su Yu could hear that thought, he'd probably be even more confused. Being this popular was starting to feel a bit dangerous.