Chapter 182: Chapter 105: Came for Nothing If I Can’t See the Child?
After their driving lesson, Zhou Jianye dropped the two of them off at University City, right in front of a Starbucks.
"Alright, let’s get down to business."
"Why did we come here?" Song Jianye whispered. "Starbucks is so expensive."
"How can you say that when you’re carrying a Hermès bag?"
"But aren’t we trying to be a little more frugal? I think it tastes about the same as Luckin, but a cup here costs over thirty."
"The taste isn’t what’s important. We’re buying the one that costs over thirty," Chen Yuan said.
"What do you want?"
"I’ll have a Vanilla Frappuccino, then."
Song Jianye didn’t really understand why, but since Chen Yuan was buying, she decided she might as well enjoy it.
"A cold brew, a caramel latte, and a Vanilla Frappuccino."
"Okay, one moment please."
After a short wait, their order was ready.
"I want to taste yours," Song Jianye said.
Chen Yuan passed it over, and Song Jianye took a sip.
"I want to try the cold brew, too."
"This one’s for someone else. You can’t have any."
"Okay, fine. You can try my Vanilla Frappuccino." Song Jianye passed hers over too.
"This one’s pretty good."
"See? That’s why I like it."
A few minutes’ walk brought them to the Agricultural University campus, where they immediately noticed a distinctly different atmosphere.
The female-to-male ratio was three to seven—with the running joke being "one straight couple for every gay one"—yet the suffocating, male-heavy atmosphere of the Science and Technology university was completely absent here.
Song Jianye’s arrival drew the attention of quite a few male students. Even the girls couldn’t help but sneak a few glances.
Chen Yuan didn’t rush to make the call, deciding to wait until they reached the School of Food Science.
"Are we here to source some products?"
"Yep. We’re here to negotiate with them."
"Good luck."
"What do you mean, ’good luck’? This is your job. I’m just here as your backup."
"But I’m too scared to haggle. I’m worried they’ll say something mean," Song Jianye said timidly.
"Just treat it like a normal conversation. Talk to them the same way you talk to me."
"But how can I compare them to you? You’d never criticize me."
"They won’t either. Be brave. Just think of it as talking with another student."
"Oh... okay, I’ll try..."
Following the campus signs, they quickly found the School of Food Science.
The moment they stepped through the main entrance, they were hit by a rich, milky aroma. It wasn’t like Jiang Wanyi’s scent, though; this was the smell of fresh cream.
Once they arrived, Chen Yuan called Cheng Yu.
She was very polite, telling Chen Yuan to wait a few minutes as she was just upstairs.
The school building’s lobby was a little empty, but it had a refrigerated display case filled with products from the School of Food Science. The person at the counter was likely a student on a work-study program.
The two of them walked over to take a look. There was a pretty wide variety of items.
Yogurt, milk, small cakes, bread, and even beef and pork jerky. All the things he had bought for Jiang Wanyi before were here, too.
Chen Yuan’s attention was on the price tags. The prices were a little cheaper than at outside stores, and the products didn’t look as fancy, all coming in simple, plain packaging.
But the real advantage was the clean ingredients and reliable quality—none of that other junk.
After all, the school made and sold these products themselves. If someone actually got sick, a whole batch of administrators would probably lose their jobs.
Seeing that he had customers, the work-study student put down his phone. He seemed a bit shy, speaking softly and not even daring to meet Song Jianye’s gaze.
Her beauty was her greatest weapon; even when she just stood there silently, few people dared to approach her.
Most people’s first reaction was that a girl like her was destined to be out of their league; sneaking a glance was good enough.
After all, most people were normal. Pretentious assholes like Li Dongyang were a rarity in everyday life.
"Hi, can I help you with something?"
Song Jianye’s eyes darted around. She tiptoed and whispered to Chen Yuan:
"I want to buy one of everything. Can I?"
"Sure."
Chen Yuan agreed without a second thought. If they were going to stock up here to resell, they needed to pick out the best-tasting items first.
"Is this everything the school makes? Is this the full range? I’d like to buy one of each," Song Jianye asked.
"We’re out of the hawthorn strips and ice cream, but everything else is in stock."
"Then we’ll take one of everything else."
"I’ll start bagging them up for you."
As the student was bagging their items, Chen Yuan saw a girl with glasses coming down the stairs.
The girl’s hair wasn’t particularly long, but it was dark and glossy. She had a slightly round face, giving her a girl-next-door kind of vibe.
Cheng Yu was on her phone, and at that moment, Chen Yuan’s phone rang.
"Are you Chen Yuan?"
"That’s me."
Chen Yuan walked over. "Here, have some coffee."
Cheng Yu smiled and accepted the Starbucks cup from him.
"You’re too kind. But you know, you look a little familiar..."
Song Jianye, who was still by the display case, peeked over discreetly.
"Familiar? Have you been over to the Science and Technology campus?"
"I go over sometimes, but I don’t think I’ve seen you on campus..."
Cheng Yu studied Chen Yuan, pondering, when her eyes suddenly lit up.
"I remember now! The Top Ten Campus Singers at the Science and Technology university! You’re the one who sang ’Butter-Fly,’ right?"
"That video made it all the way to the Agricultural University?"
"We came across it that very night. Our campuses are neighbors, so it showed up in our ’nearby’ feeds. I never thought I’d get to see you in person," Cheng Yu said with a laugh.
"I was just singing for fun. I didn’t expect the video to blow up like that."
’He’s tall, handsome, and he can sing? It’d be strange if he *didn’t* get famous!’
"It’s mainly because you’re a good singer," Cheng Yu said.
"Anyway, let’s talk business. You’re looking to source some of our products to resell, is that right?"
"Yeah."
Chen Yuan nodded and gestured toward Song Jianye.
"We’re buying one of everything to take back and try. We plan to pick a few items to carry. Would you be able to give us a wholesale price?"