Chapter 169: Chapter 98: Don’t Make Me Think About You
After PE class, I had messages on my phone from Jiang Wanyi and Jiang Shuyi.
Jiang Wanyi: "What do you want to eat tonight?"
The two of them had developed an unspoken understanding. Every Friday, she would send him a message asking what he wanted to eat.
Jiang Wanyi always spared no effort when it came to improving his meals.
Chen Yuan: "Anything you make is fine, but don’t try to fob me off with takeout."
Jiang Wanyi: "We’ll see what mood I’m in. :P"
After their chat, I saw a message from Jiang Shuyi.
Jiang Shuyi: "It’s been a few days since we finished filming the video. After analyzing the data, it’s performing much better than other accounts of the same type. We can go ask the owner for our money now."
Chen Yuan: "I just finished PE. I’m going to head back and change. Let’s meet at the school gate in 20 minutes."
Jiang Shuyi: "OK."
I went back to my dorm, changed my clothes, washed my face, and then went to find Jiang Shuyi.
When I got to the school gate, Jiang Shuyi was already there. She was looking down at her phone, her hands typing so fast they were practically creating sparks.
"Found another ’little puppy’ to chat with recently?"
"Nah, this time it’s a ’little wolf dog.’ The way he’s been flattering me feels amazing."
"Wolf dogs have more bite."
"Hahaha... why do our conversations always end up on the topic of human reproduction?"
"Isn’t that just the default setting for college students?" Chen Yuan said.
"I ran into Li Weihao during lunch. He talked to me for a bit about what happened on Wednesday."
Chen Yuan explained the details to Jiang Shuyi.
"To put it bluntly, he still wants us to be the ones to pay up. But you’ve really got some good ideas, actually starting to get a project up and running."
Jiang Shuyi was being serious, her praise for Chen Yuan genuine.
If he had already been knocked around in the real world, having ideas like this wouldn’t be anything special.
But he was only a freshman and could already see these things so clearly. It was really impressive, completely different from the other idiot college students.
"I was just spitballing. We have an existing account and a fan base. We can film some stuff around campus, suck up to the school leaders, and maybe the championship will be ours."
"That’s a real ’one stone, four birds’ idea you’ve got there," Jiang Shuyi said.
"The school administration would be thrilled, Teacher Xiao from the Youth League Committee would probably be thrilled too, Brother Hao would get some tangible benefits, and we might even win the championship."
’Hmm...’
’I just didn’t want to pay for it myself and wanted the Youth League teacher to approve the event. I really hadn’t thought that far ahead.’
"You’re right! That was my idea from the very beginning."
"Keep up the good work. The future department head position is definitely yours," Jiang Shuyi said.
"But first, we have to take care of business."
"What business?"
Jiang Shuyi pulled a stack of A4 paper from her bag. "This is the data analysis and comparison report they wrote up. If the owner tries to stiff us, we’ll show him this."
"You actually printed it all out? Isn’t that a bit too professional?"
"That’s what they’ve been working on these past few days. This is our first real gig, so everyone’s taking it seriously."
"No wonder they didn’t come to the meeting on Wednesday. So the workload was this big."
"Tell me about it."
"Let’s hold onto it for now. I don’t think it’ll get to the point where we have a falling out."
"Let’s see how it goes first. Better to be prepared."
"Yeah."
Following the familiar path, the two of them arrived at the pet cafe.
Before they even reached the entrance, they saw a delivery driver coming out with two cups of coffee.
Peeking through the glass window, they saw several parents with their children inside, looking at the small animals.
"Business is a lot better than when we were last here. Now we just have to see if he’ll honor the agreement," Jiang Shuyi said.
"We’ll know once we go inside."
The two entered the shop. The busy owner saw them and immediately greeted them with a smile.
"Come on in, find a place to sit."
Chen Yuan and Jiang Shuyi weren’t in a hurry. They walked up to the counter.
"Business seems to have picked up quite a bit."
"It really has. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you every last cent. As soon as I’m done here, I’ll transfer it to you."
Hearing the owner say this, Jiang Shuyi breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t expected him to be so straightforward, as 2,000 yuan wasn’t a small sum.
The owner left to tend to the customers in the shop. Jiang Shuyi leaned in and whispered:
"Is this what you call a flying start? I never thought he’d be so agreeable."
"If he was unwilling to part with even this little bit of money, his business would never go anywhere. While it’s said that no one in business is a saint, a stingy person can never succeed."
"You’re right!"
After a moment, the owner came over with two cups of coffee, placed them in front of the pair, and said cheerfully:
"Give me your QR code. I’ll transfer the money to you."
Chen Yuan didn’t move, sipping his coffee. Collecting the money was Jiang Shuyi’s job.
But Jiang Shuyi wasn’t in a hurry either. Instead, she took out the data analysis report.
"You can take a look at this first. It’s the data analysis we did, comparing our performance to other accounts of the same type. We did much better than them."
Jiang Shuyi was very earnest, presenting her case with sincerity.
In the end, she was only a year older than Chen Yuan. Her parents were ordinary people, and her upbringing hadn’t exposed her to the ways of the world. When dealing with outsiders, all she had was her sincerity.
"Whoa, you guys actually did an analysis?"
"Yes, you can take a look."
Looking at the dozen or so pages, the owner didn’t really understand it, but he admired their professional attitude. He instantly felt the money was well spent.
"I’ll keep the data and look at it later. For now, give me your code so I can transfer the money."
"Okay."
Jiang Shuyi brought up her payment QR code. The owner scanned it and transferred 2,000 yuan, completing the transaction.
"You’re still the man. You bought a few cups of coffee from me, and in the end, the money went right back into your hands."
"You can’t handle having too much money, so I’m helping you spend some of it," Chen Yuan said with a smile.
He had other things to do later, so Chen Yuan didn’t want to linger.
"I have to get going. If you hear of any gigs around here, connect them with us. It’s 1,500 per video."
"Didn’t you just say 1,000 per video? You’re raising the price in the blink of an eye."
Chen Yuan gave a meaningful smile. "The extra 500 is for you."
The owner was stunned. Jiang Shuyi was stunned too. Neither of them had expected Chen Yuan to pull a move like this.
"You know the going rate for these promotional videos. Our price of 1,000 per video is definitely not expensive. You can develop your own downline. It’s a no-cost business for you either way, right?"
"Dude, you’ve really got a mind for business. This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone develop a downline for promotional videos."
"Gotta keep up with the times. I’m off."
"Come by when you’re free. Coffee’s on me."
"Alrighty."
Chen Yuan and Jiang Shuyi left. Looking at the 2,000 yuan on her phone, Jiang Shuyi felt it was a bit surreal.
"This is our first real pot of gold. All our work recently wasn’t for nothing. But your mind is really sharp, getting the owner to find new clients for you."
"It’s all about using available resources. I still have something to do, so I’m not heading back to campus."
"Go ahead. I’ll transfer your share of the money to you in a bit."
"No rush."
After leaving the area near the school, Chen Yuan went to Jiang Wanyi’s place.
Just like on Monday, the two of them were taking a walk in the residential complex.
The mother and daughter were standing there by the flowerbed near the entrance.
Jiang Wanyi was wearing a pair of figure-hugging jeans. She pushed Mili’s stroller while looking at the flowers and plants in the complex.
"Ba... baba~~~"
Mili was the first to spot Chen Yuan, bouncing up and down in her stroller.
Jiang Wanyi turned her head and saw Chen Yuan too. Seeing how excited Mili was, a gentle smile graced her lips.
"Come here, come here, let Daddy hold you."
Chen Yuan lifted Mili out and snuggled her against his face.
"Giggle giggle..."
Mili laughed happily. The more she laughed, the more Chen Yuan wanted to nuzzle her.
"Keep your voice down. We need to be careful in the complex."
"What’s there to be careful about? I’m an adult; it’s not illegal."
"Who’s talking about that?" Jiang Wanyi couldn’t help but laugh, her ample chest bouncing.
"People have misunderstood our relationship before. I’ve always told them you’re my younger brother. A few neighbors who recognize us think we’re siblings. If you come up and say ’let Daddy hold you’ in front of everyone, my reputation in this complex will be ruined."
Chen Yuan thought about it and realized she had a point.
"I still remember that one female neighbor."
"It’s not just her. Other people also think you’re my brother. So when we’re in the complex, you need to be a bit more restrained. Don’t let her call you Daddy, and you can’t call me the baby’s mom."
"It’s a bit like a high school romance. All passion and fire in private, but pretending to be just friends in public."
"The way you say it makes it sound so twisted."
Jiang Wanyi laughed with a feminine charm, a hint of shyness in her eyes.
"You can be casual at other times, but we have to be careful in the complex."
"Actually... in this day and age, it’s not a big deal."
"How is it not a big deal?"
"In society today, isn’t it pretty normal for a woman to get to know a ’younger brother’?"
"What kind of person would they think I am? My reputation would be shot."
"It’s fine. Just say I pursued you, and we fell in love on our own terms."
"Go on, get out of here. You’re talking more and more nonsense. I’m gonna pinch you."
The two of them whispered for a while, completely unaware that to the neighbors passing by, they looked no different from a normal married couple.
"It’s getting late. Come with me to the market to buy some groceries."
"Let’s go."
Chen Yuan pushed the stroller as the two of them headed toward the small market at the east gate.
Although the weather was turning cooler, the temperature wasn’t yet unbearable, so there were still plenty of people out and about in the complex.
As he pushed Mili’s stroller, he saw a brown poodle staring at him menacingly.
Next to it was an old woman in her fifties or sixties, whose gaze was just as malevolent.
Chen Yuan glanced at her and realized it was the same old woman who had thrown herself on the ground and rolled around last time.
It was truly a case of enemies crossing paths on a narrow road.
Seeing Chen Yuan, the old woman started whispering to the person next to her, glancing at him from time to time.
Just from the look in her eyes, he knew she wasn’t saying anything nice.
’Crazy old bat,’ he thought.
Seeing the change in Chen Yuan’s expression, Jiang Wanyi looked over and also spotted the old woman they’d had a conflict with before. From her expression, it was clear she wasn’t saying anything nice.
"Alright, alright, just ignore them."
Jiang Wanyi pulled on Chen Yuan’s arm. "Be good. Don’t sink to their level."
"Yeah."
Chen Yuan pushed Mili’s stroller and walked away, his mood unaffected.
"Next time you see them, don’t stoop to their level. It’s not worth it."
"I’m not mad. Besides, I already got a jab in."
"Also, at school, you need to keep your temper in check. Sometimes, taking a small loss is a long-term gain. Don’t make me worry about you."
"Okay!"
Strolling leisurely, the two of them brought Mili to the east gate.
In the evening, the place was still bustling. This was Jiang Wanyi’s home turf.
For the same item, she could even tell which vendor sold good quality and which sold poor quality, which saved a lot of time when choosing.
"I’ll make some pork rib soup for you later, how does that sound?"
"Isn’t that too much trouble?"
"It’s no trouble. I’ll use the pressure cooker; it’ll be ready in no time. What else do you want to eat?"
"Braised pork belly?"
"Won’t that be too greasy?"
Jiang Wanyi looked at Chen Yuan, her expression turning innocent. Her look seemed to say, ’We’re going out for barbecue tomorrow, so that would be too greasy. I don’t really want to make it for you. Can we have it in a few days instead?’
"Then how about hot and sour shredded potatoes? I love those too."
"Okay, we still have potatoes at home, so we don’t need to buy any."
They walked from one end of the market to the other, buying some pork ribs and other green vegetables, then prepared to head back the way they came.
But when they reached the entrance of a flower shop, Jiang Wanyi stopped.
There were many flowers displayed at the entrance, all in bud. If she bought some to take home, they would last for several more days.
"What do you think of these flowers? I’m thinking of buying a few stems to put on the dining table."
...
There’s been a lot going on at home recently, and my writing time has been severely compressed. I will do my best to update more often and not let everyone down.
I may not be as meticulous with proofreading for typos. I don’t have the face to ask for your tolerance, because after all, you are paying to read and deserve to enjoy a high-quality service.
If you circle any typos you find, I will correct them as soon as possible. I will also try my best to check my work more thoroughly.
I can’t say anything grandiloquent, so in short, thank you all for your support. Thank you, thank you.