Seeing Qiao Yinyin say this, Huang Yao, who was beside them, focused and serious, wearing disposable gloves and happily eating a pink crab.
Only then did she seem to wake up from a dream, slowly raising her head and looking in Qiao Yinyin's direction.
"Huh??"
Huang Yao's large eyes were filled with confusion and doubt; she was clearly clueless about the topic just discussed, seemingly having never considered the question at all.
Seeing Huang Yao's expression, Jiang Cheng found it amusing, and the corner of his mouth curled up, inspired to tease her.
He teased, "Right, I forgot that you and Yinyin are roommates and in the same major."
Seeing Qiao Yinyin and Jiang Cheng exchange a knowing smile, An Xin followed up, "You two go to different schools, how did you meet??"
Hearing this, Qiao Yinyin first glanced at Jiang Cheng, then a faint blush appeared on her face as she softly and shyly explained.
"We met through Designated Driver work. At the time, I was a Designated Driver Streamer arranged by my guild, and I happened to take his order."
Hearing this, An Xin was visibly surprised, and continued, "Designated Driver Streamer?? Streaming??"
After speaking, An Xin scooped a bowl of seafood congee and placed it in front of Anni, signaling her to drink it quickly.
Anni, however, seemed uninterested in the bowl of seafood congee in front of her. She frowned slightly, and her cute little mouth pouted high up.
Looking extremely reluctant, she slowly reached out, leisurely picked up the spoon, and then looked at Jiang Cheng.
Seeing this, Jiang Cheng didn't indulge her at all: "Eat quickly, I ordered this specifically for you."
"Oh~~"
Seeing Anni's adorable appearance, Qiao Yinyin couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.
She then continued without hiding anything: "That's right, but I don't do Designated Driver work anymore. Now I mainly work as a food Streamer."
"A food Streamer is also very good. This is the internet age, and streaming is a major trend."
Hearing this, Huang Yao wiped the corner of her mouth, unable to suppress the doubt in her heart.
She asked Qiao Yinyin, "Yinyin, isn't the employment rate for our major quite high?? Why did you just say it was useless?? Materials science and engineering can create so many things, isn't the job market wide??"
Seeing Huang Yao look slightly panicked, Qiao Yinyin immediately reassured her: "I'm not saying the employment is bad; I just feel that the ceiling for this major is a bit low."
An Xin, who had been busy helping Anni drink her congee, slowly raised her head upon hearing this and looked toward Qiao Yinyin.
When her gaze met Qiao Yinyin's, a hint of subtle appreciation flashed in her eyes again.
This was mainly because the vast majority of university students were still in a confused and naive state during their campus life.
Few people were able to have clear and deep thoughts and understanding about the future development prospects of their chosen major so early on.
Most only started considering whether the major they chose in university was good or bad after graduation and employment.
She hadn't expected Qiao Yinyin to already understand this in advance.
Originally, she didn't want to say too much about this topic, as it might make her seem like she was showing off or being critical.
But since Qiao Yinyin herself had this awareness, the topic could now be naturally discussed.
An Xin said, "Indeed, most people think that getting into university means they've secured their future, but that's not the case. Your major determines your future career path; choosing it is just as important as choosing a good university. Some majors have a fixed ceiling upon graduation, making it very difficult if you want upward mobility. It's already very impressive that you thought of this a step ahead of most people."
Hearing this, Qiao Yinyin gave a bitter smile.
"Sister An is right. I only started realizing these things after sophomore year, but it was too late. I originally thought that getting into university would change my fate. However, after staying in this city for a while, I suddenly realized that sometimes, academic qualifications can't change your entire life."
Hearing this, Jiang Cheng, who was sitting beside her, glanced at her.
Jiang Cheng had never proactively asked about Qiao Yinyin's family affairs.
Jiang Cheng picked up a piece of foie gras that Qiao Yinyin liked and placed it on the plate in front of her.
"This foie gras is perfectly pan-fried, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Try it."
Seeing the extra piece of foie gras in her bowl, Qiao Yinyin's heart instantly felt struck by a warm current, and her previously tense heartstrings slowly relaxed at that moment.
Although Jiang Cheng hadn't offered verbal comfort, Qiao Yinyin understood.
Jiang Cheng was telling her that he was there for her.
Qiao Yinyin immediately recalled what they had said after she decided to be with Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng had clearly told her that besides the word 'monogamy,' anything else he had, he could give her.
Although those words were said, she found them bittersweet.
However, as time went by, Qiao Yinyin realized more deeply that every word Jiang Cheng spoke was genuine and heartfelt, not just temporary sweet talk to make her happy.
Apart from sharing him with other women, Qiao Yinyin truly couldn't find a single fault in Jiang Cheng's actions.
She wondered how many women in this world who didn't have to share their husbands with other women after marriage,
could receive this level of respect, emotional connection, and material satisfaction from their partners.
These three things were probably unattainable luxuries for the vast majority of women.
Not only that, but while lacking these wonderful things, they also had to constantly worry about their husbands cheating.
Therefore, the worldly concepts of monogamy and ownership sometimes seemed ridiculous upon closer examination.
Jiang Cheng's thoughtful gesture of proactively serving food to comfort Qiao Yinyin happened to fall into An Xin's eyes.
At that moment, there seemed to be a subtle fluctuation deep within her eyes, and her gaze flickered slightly.
However, in just an instant, An Xin quickly turned her head away, as if unwilling for others to notice the change in her inner emotions.
She focused her attention on Anni beside her.
After taking a deep breath, she changed the topic and continued speaking.
"I have a classmate who had excellent grades and eventually got into Tsinghua University, but later chose to major in Liberal Arts. After graduation, he applied to become a teacher outside. Although he graduated from Tsinghua University and was quickly hired, the salary ceiling for teachers is fixed. He even complained on moments about it, saying that years of diligent study ultimately couldn't compare to classmates who had worse grades than him."
After An Xin finished speaking, the three people present couldn't help but look regretful.
Huang Yao slightly furrowed her delicate brows and said with a hint of confusion in her tone, "I've never thought about this issue. Generally speaking, Tsinghua University and Peking University are the most prestigious academic institutions."
Seeing Huang Yao's naive look, Jiang Cheng shook his head.
"In certain specialized fields, salary standards have long been relatively stable. Your salary won't be higher than employees from other schools just because you graduated from Tsinghua University, unless he continues his studies, pursues a master's, then a doctoral degree, and finally strives to stay and work at Tsinghua University."
"Furthermore, getting into Tsinghua University or Peking University is just stepping over the threshold of success. You must choose the right industry. Think about it, both are graduates from top-tier universities, but if you go build planes, make missiles, or even research aerospace, compared to becoming an ordinary teacher, which job has a higher ceiling??"
After hearing Jiang Cheng's profound yet easy-to-understand analysis, a thoughtful expression appeared on Huang Yao's face.
She nodded as if understanding but not quite, and replied: "Naturally, building planes and missiles—those are high-tech technical positions."
After saying this, Huang Yao's expression immediately turned a little bitter.
"Our major, actually, also has the potential to develop into the aerospace field."
Huang Yao said slowly, with a touch of reluctance in her voice, "But after four years of undergraduate study, it seems we still need further education and postgraduate entrance exams to truly get such opportunities. Otherwise, in most cases, we can only be stuck in steel factories researching new materials..."
Saying this, she softly sighed.
Qiao Yinyin nodded: "Yes, although we don't have trouble finding work in this major, we have to start from the grassroots level and accumulate experience. Most importantly, the salary ceiling is essentially fixed. If you want a job earning over ten thousand, or even more than twenty thousand a month, you have to pursue a master's or even a doctoral degree..."
The words deep inside Qiao Yinyin's heart were still unspoken.
In this era, working hard for twenty thousand a month still couldn't compare to a single live stream by a Female Streamer.
Only after realizing this did Qiao Yinyin start getting involved in the Female Streamer industry.
She wanted to use her time in school to see if she could find another path to make money.
She was never the kind of person with grand ambitions or lofty aspirations.
The kind who could shine for love without caring about money, all for the progress of humanity.
In this complex world, she was just one of many ordinary people, quietly striving for her own happiness and that of her family.
For her, contributing to the progress of humanity was certainly great, but it was not the top priority in her life.
In her view, for someone from an ordinary family like her, the first thing to solve was the financial problem.
Earning money to improve her living conditions, and even providing better living conditions for her parents, was what someone from an ordinary family like hers should prioritize.
Only when the material foundation was satisfied could one be qualified to pursue those so-called noble ideals and dreams.
Otherwise, everything was just empty talk.
Hearing Qiao Yinyin's words, the expression on Huang Yao's face instantly drooped.
It was still the same old saying: many things are only felt when comparisons are made.
Comparing the income bracket of over ten thousand a month to that of ordinary wage earners certainly brings a strong sense of happiness.
An income reaching twenty thousand is indeed considered middle-class income by most people.
But yesterday, Huang Yao had personally witnessed Jiang Cheng directly gifting Qiao Yinyin fifty Super Rockets.
Compared to that, a salary of just over ten thousand suddenly didn't feel appealing anymore.
"Yinyin, I never thought about these things. Now that you mention it, why do I suddenly feel so miserable?"
This conversation analyzing their future prospects struck Huang Yao's heart like a heavy hammer, causing her pre-existing feelings of confusion and anxiety to surge out like a tide.
Hearing this, Qiao Yinyin suddenly didn't know how to respond.
After all, she had also gone through a similar emotional journey.
Recalling when her Streamer career first faced setbacks, Qiao Yinyin also felt that the future was bleak.
Fortunately, she had now met Jiang Cheng, and her life had gradually taken a turn for the better.
After speaking, Huang Yao sighed wistfully again: "Is there any job where you can just lie flat and make money without working like a dog? I..."
Hearing Huang Yao's complaint, Jiang Cheng immediately interjected: "Hey, don't say that, there really is."
Hearing this, Huang Yao instantly perked up like a lit firecracker.
She quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and then asked expectantly, "Really? What kind of job is it??"
Seeing Huang Yao's eagerness, Jiang Cheng deliberately kept her in suspense.
He first leisurely looked Huang Yao up and down, and then slowly began to speak.
"Start streaming, lie straight down on the bed, and then just sleep. Judging by your posture, you must snore loud enough to shake the heavens when you sleep. Once you snore, the effect will be maximized, and the tips will definitely pour in."
Hearing this, Qiao Yinyin and An Xin, who were sitting nearby, could no longer hold back and burst out laughing.
Huang Yao, meanwhile, was so angry her face turned green, and she instinctively moved to stand up and rush over to settle the score with Jiang Cheng.
Given her personality, if Qiao Yinyin hadn't been blocking the space between them, she definitely would have pounced on Jiang Cheng and given him a couple of punches.
"Big Boss... you're the one who snores when you sleep!" Huang Yao retorted coquettishly.
"Hehe, Yaoyao, you really do snore when you sleep~" Yinyin chimed in with a playful smile.
"Ah~~~ Yinyin, you're ganging up on me too." Huang Yao pouted in mock anger.
"Alright, alright, but Jiang Cheng is telling the truth! Sleep Streamers are really popular lately, lots of people are doing that job," Yinyin said, blinking.
Hearing this, Huang Yao's mouth dropped open: "Ah~~ Really? Forget it, I wouldn't be able to sleep with so many people watching me~~~ That's too miserable. It looks like my wish to get rich right after graduation is destined not to come true."
An Xin asked, "Most industries are like this. Your major isn't bad, but the working environment is indeed not ideal for girls. Why did you decide to choose this major at the time??? Did your parents choose it for you or..."
Qiao Yinyin shook her head and replied, "My parents are ordinary working-class citizens. Since childhood, they only told me to study hard and get into a good university. But after I got into university, they were completely clueless about majors and just told me to choose for myself. I was confused at the time, and I didn't have an elder nearby to ask, so I chose the school myself."
"Do you blame them?" An Xin asked.