Chapter 17: A code of collaboration

(A code of collaboration)

The competition concluded, and Emily had no intention of lingering. Sneaking around when nobody was watching, she left a note and made preparations to head home. As she approached her motorcycle, a young man suddenly exclaimed, "Wait!"

Pausing in her steps, Emily turned to face the mid-20s man wearing a cap. In the dim light, his face remained unclear, prompting her to stay vigilant.

"What do you want?" Emily asked the young man.

"I saw your performance, and I really admire you!" the guy said to Emily.

"Thanks!" Emily replied, continuing to walk towards her motorcycle. She didn't want to waste any more time, needing to think about how to convince Dr. Turner and find a client for her company.

"Wait! Don't go!" the young man stopped Emily. She started to get irritated, looking fiercely at him.

"Make sure you say something that is worth my time," Emily threatened.

The young man smiled and said, "Well, I have a business opportunity for you. I saw how you handled your code and created security for yourself earlier. The moment I saw your work, I knew you're the best for this job."

"What kind of business opportunity?" Emily asked skeptically, her gaze fixed on the young man. Lifting her eyebrow in doubt, she also felt a glimmer of hope, anticipating that this might be the opportunity to secure a client for her company.

"It's about a phone game. My company is good at producing games, but when it comes to security, we're not that strong. I'm hoping you could help us," he answered, smiling gently at Emily, hoping she would assist them.

Emily was speechless, unable to believe that she had found her first client. "Finally!" she excitedly thought to herself.

She smiled, grabbing his hand. "You're really good at finding the perfect person for this job," Emily exclaimed to the young man.

The young man, startled by Emily's sudden touch, laughs awkwardly. He's not adept at handling such situations, but beneath the awkwardness, he's relieved to have found someone who could assist him. Stress has been building up for months about the security of their game. Their game will launch in a month. He came to the competition hoping to find someone to help them, but he was afraid that nobody would want to work with a start-up company.

Being a computer nerd himself, with a focus on game production, he was captivated by Emily's skills during the competition. Witnessing her swift and precise counterattack and making a security plan for herself really impressed him.

He was intently watching Emily, afraid to lose his only hope, so he followed her as she started to leave the venue.

Initiating a conversation, he expressed his concerns and hopes, and he is eagerly anticipating that she will agree to help him.

Emily is thrilled to have found a client; she feels lucky to be here. Glancing at the young man and recognizing the need for a private discussion about the business opportunity, she decides to invite him to a nearby coffee shop.

The young man agrees, and Emily rides her motorcycle while he follows in his car. After five minutes of driving, they find a coffee shop. Opting for an upstairs table with fewer people, they order drinks and begin their conversation.

The young man is a little nervous because he is not good at talking to girls, especially to someone as famous as Iris; everyone knows who Iris is in the digital world. As Emily observed the young man wearing a long-sleeve top, denim pants, and white sneakers, holding papers and a notebook, possibly from his car, she appreciated that he had prepared something for their meeting. However, she couldn't help but notice his nervous demeanor.

She then removes her mask and cap, hoping to ease the young man's nervousness. As she reveals her face, the young man looks at her in disbelief. He couldn't fathom that the famous Iris was a beautiful young lady. She appears innocent and young, yet she proved to be a formidable competitor earlier. "You really can't judge a book by its cover," the young man thought to himself, realizing there's more to Iris than meets the eye.

"What's your name?" Emily asked the young man, smiling.

The young man forgot to introduce himself earlier, and he became shy because of his rudeness. "Im sorry, I forgot to introduce my name; my name is Josh Wang." Josh introduced himself to Emily while giving her calling card.

"Our company is a startup business, but we believe in our games. We've put our sweat, time, and effort into building this company and, of course, the games as well. I hope you won't be discouraged after hearing that our company is a startup," Josh politely said to Emily.

Emily smiled and took the calling card from his hand. She had a good feeling about the man in front of her—polite and confident in his work—which is exactly what Emily looks for in a collaboration.

"Well, you know my other name, which is Iris. My real name is Emily Sy," Emily introduced herself to the young man. The revelation left him shocked again, as the Sy family was incredibly influential and one of the wealthiest in the city. He couldn't believe that the Iris who competed earlier was a princess in the Sy family.

She gives him many surprises today, and she doesn't fail to impress him; he admires her more.