"Name your price, and I swear, as soon as I have money, I'll pay you every cent."
Wang Li looked at his foolish expression, feeling both exasperated and amused.
"Are you genuinely clueless or pretending? Who cares about your money? I want you, the person."
"Let's put it this way, Peng Fei. I'll give you another year. If you still can't find her within a year, I'll be your girlfriend, okay?"
Peng Fei hadn't even started searching yet. He was too afraid to look in his current state, and he didn't know if Zhan Jingchun would be willing to see him and give him a chance to atone if he did find her in the future.
However, he was certain he couldn't forget her and didn't want to start anything with anyone else.
Aside from repaying Wang Li with money, he couldn't think of any other way.
Since Wang Li hadn't mentioned it, he set a goal for himself.
One hundred thousand yuan. He had to work hard to repay her help as quickly as possible.
Having made up his mind, Peng Fei took action immediately. The next day, he resigned from his factory job.
His master was very regretful, and even the workshop director came to persuade him to stay. It was truly a loss for the factory to lose someone as dependable as him.
Peng Fei refused everyone's pleas and began to study while systematically participating in training.
The season changed to November in Southern City, and the competition officially began. He walked into the massive broadcasting hall and met many young, handsome, and beautiful people.
His horizons were once again broadened.
He realized there were so many diverse people in the world, and their thoughts were so open-minded. He once again recognized how provincial he had been.
Poverty and a lack of exposure had fostered Peng Fei's insecurity, but it had also contributed to his composure.
He didn't have much in common with others, so he remained silent. The time he wasn't competing was entirely dedicated to studying.
During breaks from their performances, everyone engaged in various flirtations and gossip, which had nothing to do with him.
Each participant had a dedicated camera following them, capturing their lives outside of performances, preparing for highlights to be edited for broadcast.
Every time he was filmed, he was either reading or studying. Even his agent found it boring.
He was urged to create some drama to generate show buzz and leave a deep impression on viewers.
But Peng Fei knew nothing about that, nor did he want to.
His agent reconsidered. Fewer dramatic incidents, while not leading to fame, wouldn't result in blunders or online criticism, which was also good. He didn't force him.
A little over a month passed this way, and Peng Fei surprisingly progressed from the first round to the final.
By the middle of the twelfth lunar month, the final recording of the program arrived. The results for the top three were about to be announced.
The judges' challenge was to test their understanding and on-the-spot reactions to three vastly different fashion styles.
Peng Fei didn't know much about fashion design, and his mind was simple. He performed solely from his heart, and the result was slightly satisfactory, earning him only third place.
But it was already very good.
As a completely pure newcomer and an ordinary person, his ability to defeat so many professional models and advance this far had already exceeded his agent's expectations.
After the program was recorded, his agent invited him for a meal. Seeing him so calm even after winning third place, he vaguely felt that Peng Fei would achieve something in the future.
Because of Peng Fei, he was filled with confidence about the future.
He asked Peng Fei if he was going home for the New Year. If not, he offered to take him out to socialize and expand his network.
Peng Fei said he wasn't going home, but he didn't want to expand his network. He hadn't sent money home for over a month, and his mother and Fangfang were waiting for him to send money for the New Year.
He wanted to find work during these few days off.
His agent knew he came from a small town with a difficult family background and wanted him to earn as much as possible. But what kind of work could he find?
It would likely be low-paying, tiring, and menial jobs like delivering food, packing, or distributing flyers.
"You're in such a hurry to make money? You don't want to rest even for a day?"
Peng Fei didn't say it out loud, but he had been anxious for the past month.
"Yes. I can't sit still. My family has debts."
"You keep talking about family debts. How much do you owe?"
Peng Fei roughly calculated, "Around forty thousand."
Forty thousand yuan was nothing to his agent, who had seen much greater wealth.
Such a small debt had caused him so much worry?
He couldn't help but pat Peng Fei's shoulder with a laugh.
"Brother, it's not that I'm saying this, but you are still too naive."
"I didn't intend to become brothers with you before, so I didn't explain many things to you in detail. Since we've reached this point now..."
"Let's put it this way, you want to make money, and you want to pay off debts, right? Brother will show you a shortcut, the kind that makes you rich overnight. Wanna do it?"
Peng Fei didn't know what could make him rich overnight, but he knew that nothing good came for free. It was certainly not a good thing.
"No. Brother, I can't do what you're talking about."
His agent almost choked with laughter, then looked at him with renewed respect.
"I haven't even said anything, and you already know you can't do it? Kid, you know quite a lot. So, do you have someone you like?"
Peng Fei didn't hide it. "Yes."
His agent laughed, "Oh, I thought you were a blockhead and didn't understand these things. I didn't expect..."
"Could it be someone you've just met recently? Let me tell you, there's no sincerity in this industry, especially with women. They've seen all sorts of men. They're young and beautiful, with capital, and proud. You can't handle them. Don't think about these unrealistic things."
Peng Fei knew his agent was overthinking. He explained, "It's not someone from the modeling team."
His agent paused, "Oh? Then where are they from? Are you talking about Wang Li? Are you two a couple?"
Peng Fei said no, "Don't guess, you don't know her."
But his agent was curious. "Who is it? It must be a great blessing for the girl to be liked by a blockhead like you. Tell me, is it your childhood sweetheart? Or someone from your previous factory?"
Peng Fei refused to say, his eyes gazing out the window.
Coincidentally, a giant billboard outside the window glowed brightly in the night sky. The words "Zhan Group" illuminated Peng Fei's eyes.
Zhan Group?
He had heard this name from Chun Chun before.
She said the chairman of Zhan Group was her father, and their family was very wealthy, capable of giving as much money as needed.
Peng Fei had been so foolish back then, his mind occupied only by his own small world.
When Zhan Jingchun said those things, he had thought she was just making excuses to escape.
After arriving here, his days were consumed by making money, and he hadn't thought to inquire about Zhan Group.
It wasn't until this moment, as if struck by lightning, that he truly realized the existence of this conglomerate.
He felt as if he had seen something incredible, his blood suddenly freezing. He stared at the billboard for a long time before snapping back to reality at his agent's call.
"What's wrong? Your face looks so pale! What did you see that scared you like this? Don't freak me out."
Peng Fei dazedly patted his face and shifted his gaze.
"Nothing. Brother, do you know Zhan Group?"
His agent looked at him strangely, "Of course, I do. Living in Southern City, let alone Southern City, who in the entire country doesn't know Zhan Group? You don't? Why are you suddenly asking about this?"