After Wang Yue's confession, he saw the pride in his parents' eyes and felt a surge of joy. After all, who wouldn't want to be able to make their parents' lives easier? However, his parents still reminded him not to let the minor overshadow the major, and that studies were paramount. In the eyes of the older generation, getting into university was the only way to turn things around, and having a university student in the family was a cause for grand celebrations and immense pride. Even when Wang Yue only got into a third-tier university in his previous life, his parents were very happy.
And so, the days went by. Wang Yue was now juggling three things: attending school, managing the branch store, and scouting for suitable locations to open internet cafes. There wasn't much to say about school. Wang Yue felt like he was enjoying his student days every day. Problems that were once incomprehensible and unlearnable were now child's play. When the teacher called on him, he could always answer fluently. Gradually, Wang Yue became the universally acknowledged "campus heartthrob" of No. 2 High School. He was good at basketball, calligraphy, and academics. Most importantly, he was handsome. The former campus heartthrob, Pan Xing, was gradually forgotten. Pan Xing was furious but helpless. He used to be the center of attention wherever he went. Now it was different; wherever Wang Yue appeared, that was the focal point. Even students from other schools started asking about Wang Yue. Various legends circulated within the school, and Wang Yue became a legendary figure in the students' eyes.
Time flew by, and it was December. The cold front arrived. The temperature plummeted, dropping to freezing point, and sometimes even below zero. Wang Yue walked out of a shop. The internet cafe he had opened for Wang Hu was more than halfway renovated and was expected to officially open in January. Wang Yue hadn't told Wang Hu about this yet; he planned to surprise him then. The second milk tea shop had opened successfully, and he was now earning a staggering eight to nine thousand in pure profit daily, sometimes exceeding ten thousand. Earning 300,000 a month was not a dream. In their small county town, this already surpassed 90% of households.
"A cold winter, just as I remember." Wang Yue exhaled a cloud of white mist. Winters were truly cold back then. He recalled that winters became less cold as time went on, perhaps due to global warming or him becoming more resilient to the cold. Just then, his phone rang. Wang Yue looked at it; it was Qiao Zixuan.
"Hello, what's up?" Wang Yue asked.
"Wang Yue, it's snowing heavily here!" Qiao Zixuan's excited voice came from the other end of the line. Children from the south rarely saw snow and had a special sentiment for it. In Wang Yue's memory, his hometown had only seen snow twice, and it was a light dusting.
"How heavy is it?" Wang Yue asked with a smile. It was the weekend, and Qiao Zixuan was traveling to Western Sichuan with her parents. It was common for it to snow in that region. There were also continuous snow-capped mountains, which were breathtaking just to look at.
"I'll take pictures and send them to you later!" Qiao Zixuan said excitedly. "I've also built a really big snowman."
"Then be sure to take lots of beautiful photos and let us envy you when you get back," Wang Yue said with a smile.
"Okay!" Qiao Zixuan quickly agreed.
After a while of casual chat, the phone line fell silent. Listening to each other's breathing, the atmosphere became somewhat delicate.
"Wang Yue, let's go to Daocheng together after we graduate," Qiao Zixuan suddenly said.
"Okay," Wang Yue replied. Daocheng was a place he had always yearned to visit but had never had the chance to. It held unparalleled scenic beauty.
"Wang Yue, don't you think I'm boring?" Qiao Zixuan asked again.
"Why do you say that?" Wang Yue asked.
"Because I always share trivial little things with you every day. When I think about it, they aren't things that absolutely need to be said. I always bother you, and I'm afraid you'll find me annoying," Qiao Zixuan said shyly. "But for some reason, I just want to tell you these things, I want you to know who I meet every day, what happens to me, the scenery I see..."
Listening to Qiao Zixuan's gentle narration, Wang Yue was suddenly moved. He chuckled twice.
"What are you laughing at?" On the other end of the line, Qiao Zixuan said a little indignantly, "I'm serious!"
"I know," Wang Yue chuckled again, then said, "Qiao La... Zixuan."
"Ah?" Qiao Zixuan was a bit taken aback. Wang Yue rarely called her by her full name; he usually called her Boss Qiao.
"Have you ever heard a saying?" Wang Yue asked.
"What saying?" Qiao Zixuan asked.
"The desire to share is the most romantic thing." Wang Yue said with a smile. Qiao Zixuan's heart trembled. She looked down at her shoes, speckled with snow. "I haven't, but I really like this saying."
"If you like it, then I'll give it to you," Wang Yue said with a smile.
"Wang Yue..."
"By the way!" At this moment, Wang Yue interrupted Qiao Zixuan. "When you come back, bring me some local air-dried beef. I think it's delicious."
"..."
"Okay!"
...
After Wang Yue hung up the phone, he walked aimlessly down the street. He enjoyed this leisurely life, unlike his previous life where he was busy as a dog and had almost no time for himself. As he walked, Wang Yue arrived at the bustling plaza. Even in winter, it was crowded. As Wang Yue passed a clothing store, he suddenly saw a pink down jacket. For some reason, he felt that this down jacket would perfectly suit Qiao Zixuan. "It seems Qiao Zixuan has never worn pink clothes before?" Wang Yue thought carefully; she hadn't. Qiao Zixuan usually wore white or black clothes and rarely wore brightly colored ones.
"Boss, how much is this jacket?" Wang Yue pointed at the down jacket and asked.
"Handsome young man, you have great taste. This is this year's new model, made with goose down. It's light and warm. Are you buying it for your girlfriend?" The shop owner, a middle-aged woman, walked over with a smile.
"A very good friend," Wang Yue said with a smile.
"Oh, then just buy it with your eyes closed. Perhaps after giving her this jacket, she'll go from being a very good friend to a girlfriend," the owner said, acting like she knew everything.
"You haven't told me the price yet," Wang Yue said with a smile.
"999! It symbolizes everlasting love," the owner said.
"Pack it up," Wang Yue said. For him now, 999 was a drop in the bucket, and the owner also spoke very well. She deserved to make money.
"Alright, handsome young man." The owner happily took down the jacket. She had quoted a slightly inflated price, but she didn't expect Wang Yue to agree without haggling at all. Shop owners loved such generous customers.