Volume 1 Chapter 77 Returning to School * The Plot Thickens

  Song Shuwei let out a cold laugh: "Zhao Yanran, others may not understand you, but I do?"

  You're speaking as if you're trying to force a new phrase, if you want to find someone nostalgic, haha, I'm afraid there are too many people eager to help you with your worries to count!

  Zhaoyanran heard him rarely make a joke and couldn't help but laugh along with him. Did he also know that her market value was so good?

  She gazed at the man with a mixture of emotions, her eyes lingering on his rugged and unyielding face. She stomped her foot in frustration, wanting to ask him a question - "Are you included in that lineup?"

  She pursed her lips to hold back such unmaidenly words, and instead smiled playfully: "Big Brother Song, you just know how to tease me. Alright, I won't waste any more words on you. Let's just say I caught you off guard this time. With so many people eating together, how could us girls possibly eat our fill? Look, it's already nightfall, and my stomach is growling," she said, pouting, "Now you have to take me out for dinner."

  Song Shuwei looked up at the brightening stars, thought for a moment, nodded and said: "Let's go, I also need to go to the city, just take you with me, and we can have lunch together."

  Zhao Yanran sat in the driver's cabin with a happy smile, staring straight ahead without blinking.

  They rarely had the chance to be alone together, and in such moments, the confined space was filled with his captivating aura. Even if they didn't say a word, she felt an overwhelming sense of happiness deep within her heart.

  "Where do you want to go for dinner?"

  "There's a new restaurant in the city called Time Flows with Gold, I heard it tastes good." Zhao Yanran casually mentioned this restaurant she had set up long ago.

  "Oh."

  Song Shuyu was worried that she would misunderstand, so for the past two years, he had been very careful to keep his distance from her. Recently, his relationship with Sang Hong seemed to have stabilized, and he no longer had such worries. Since she had spoken up, his upbringing and the friendship between their two families made it impossible for him to refuse.

  Besides, he had already told Sang Hong that they couldn't meet this Sunday, and she was probably having a great time with her classmates anyway. He didn't want to disturb her so early.

  It's been over ten days since I last saw her, and I'm missing her terribly. Thinking that I might be able to squeeze out some time tonight, I thought I'd come to the city to see her. But then Zhao Yanyan caught up with me, so we'll talk about it later. If I don't get to see her, I'll just have to wait until tomorrow.

  Under Zhao Yanran's command, the two arrived at the parking lot in front of Huaguang Nianhua.

  The car stopped steadily, and Song Shuyu got out of the car at a moderate pace, walked to the other side, and opened the door for her with a standard posture. Zhao Yanran's smile on her face became more radiant, after all, it was a gentlemanly demeanor that made people infatuated, especially for someone who had just returned from abroad.

  As soon as the two got off the car, the little brother who was parking came over and carefully drove the car away.

  "You're saying less and less." Zhao Yanran asked as they walked side by side.

  Looking back from the moment he got on the car, this guy didn't say more than ten words, which was a bad omen. She at least understood that a man in front of a woman he liked would probably not be stingy with his words.

  "Habit." Song Shuoye's response made her involuntarily nod in agreement, indeed concise and clear.

  "Hehe, people say that a man who is frugal with words is like a precious gem, every word is a pearl, indeed he cannot speak excessively."

  Zhao Yanran couldn't help but tease him.

  Song Shuyu pursed his lips without saying yes or no.

  Two people entered the door and were immediately greeted by someone. The female manager said with a warm smile, "Ms. Zhao, hello, it's been a long time since we've seen you."

  "Is there a table available? I'd like a private room."

  Zhaoyanran said and walked in familiarly.

  Song Shuwei carelessly glanced at the decorations inside, the carved beams and painted pillars were all decorated to perfection, but there was a hint of Jiangnan style, this setting, hopefully the dishes can match it. He had seen too many gold-plated, superficially elegant, yet empty shells.

  The manager led the two of them into a private room on the second floor and respectfully handed over the menu.

  Zhao Yanran winked at her and said: "This gentleman is paying the bill today."

  Song Shuyu nodded, roughly flipped through the menu a couple of times, and ordered several dishes. Zhao Yanran listened and couldn't help but close the menu in her hand: "You're quite familiar with Central Plains' specialty dishes, hidden among Southern cuisine, you can pick them out."

  "My girlfriend is from Henan province, I'm used to her taste, by the way, I'll introduce you guys when I have time."

  Song Shu has a calm and natural demeanor, with a relaxed tone of voice, and even a hint of a smile at the corner of his lips.

  Zhaoyanran could only smile and lower her eyes, the jealousy and resentment in her heart surging like molten lava as she slowly said a few words:

  "Alright, when did you have a girlfriend and reached the point of meeting her parents?"

  "Almost." Song Shu Yu's words were as concise as ever.

  "May I ask what wine you'd like, sir? We have a famous wine from Jiangnan called 'Floating Life Three Whites' that our guests highly recommend."

  The female manager asked diligently.

  "Floating Life Three Whites? This name has a poetic ring to it, but since it's a famous wine, why haven't I ever heard of it?"

  Song Shuyu showed a bit more interest, apparently he never thought himself to be ignorant about wine.

  "Hehe, sir, if it's your first time here, you must try this. This is the cooperation opportunity our boss got when he helped an old man while traveling in the south many years ago. It's a folk handicraft workshop, with a secret recipe for wine that's over 100 years old. It's a type of rice wine that aids digestion and lifts spirits, very effective."

  It is said to be a famous wine, because during the Ming Dynasty it was listed as a tribute wine for the palace, due to its scarcity, only provided for the concubines in the imperial harem to drink. It is said that this wine occasionally circulates among the alleys of Jiangnan's water towns.

  The female manager spoke eloquently and fluently.

  Zhao Yanran was in high spirits and said: "I heard it's also good for beauty and skin care. I've tried it, it's pretty good."

  "Hehe, just for this name and such an interesting origin, we should try it. How about we order some?"

  Song Shuyu was not greedy for wine, but he had some research on wine. Listening to the woman's interesting words, he also knew that adding rice wine was very thin. His alcohol capacity was similar to drinking beverages. With Zhao Yanran's attitude, he immediately sought opinions and asked for a bottle.

  No banquet is complete without wine, and when treating guests, one must be sincere. Song Shuyu has always been serious about his work.

  The dishes came up quickly, and Song Shuyu's attention was focused on the food.

  Zhaoyanran ate a few mouthfuls, made an excuse to go out for a circle, and when she came back, she was holding a rough red earthenware jar with a soft wooden plug on top. The jar had beautiful calligraphy "Floating Life Three Whites" on it, which looked elegant and pleasing to the eye.

  Song Shuyu looked up to see that it was Zhao Yanran who had come in, and saw the bottle in her hand. He immediately put down his chopsticks, wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, stretched out his hand to take it, and said casually:

  "How can I get you to fetch wine, the service staff here are not very good."

  "Hehe, I'm just anxious, isn't this wine looking good? Does it have a bit of an antique flavor?"

  Zhao Yanran saw his attention stayed on the jar, and she smiled sweetly.

  "It's only when the wine enters your mouth that you know its flavor, but this one doesn't even have a scent of wine. Just looking at the packaging would deceive you." Song Shuyu narrowed his eyes and looked for a while, then tapped the bottom of the jar with his right hand, and the cork "peng" sounded as it opened.

  A faint scent of wine wafted out from the bottle mouth.

  Song Shuwei closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then smiled quickly and said: "Not bad, it's really good wine."

  After finishing speaking, he picked up the small white ceramic cup that was upside down on the table and filled it up.

  He stood up and handed a cup to Zhao Yanran: "This cup is for you, thank you for bringing so many wonderful programs to our troops. Come on, let's have a drink."

  Zhao Yanran got up and took it over, clinking glasses with him and drinking it down in one gulp.

  "Song, we're not strangers, let's just drink and forget about the formalities, it's too much trouble!"

  Zhao Yanran's face flushed with a light pink hue, her eyes sparkling with tears as she coquettishly batted at him.

  "Since it's a thank-you drink you asked me to, the purpose of drinking should be clear, haha, next we'll eat and drink together, listen to whatever you want."

  Song Shuwei took a light sip, feeling the fragrance lingering between his teeth and gums, then tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

  Zhao Yanran was best at socializing, speaking with skill. On one side, she ate dishes, on the other side, she drank wine, and before she knew it, a jin of wine had been drunk, only then did she stop.

  Song Shuyu saw that she seemed to have had enough fun, so he rang the bell and asked someone to bring another bottle. Before long, the female manager was already holding it and sent it over.

  Zhao Yanran waved her hand, signaling the female manager who was waiting attentively beside her to retreat. She smiled at Song Shuyu and said: "It's rare that I've caught you, this stingy ghost, treating me to a meal. Although I'd like to get drunk and not leave, after all, it's not good for girls to get completely drunk. Let's just drink up to here."

  Song Shuyu heard her say so and didn't say anything else, diligently recommending dishes.

  She lowered her head and looked at the vegetables on the table, followed his suggestion, picked up a few mouthfuls, and found that she couldn't get used to the light taste no matter what.

  He could only work hard to uphold his motto of "eating without speaking", chewing slowly and savoring the flavor, but in reality, he was eating without knowing the taste.

  "How did you guys meet? I've never heard of it." Zhao Yanran finally couldn't help but ask, pretending to be drunk.

  "It's been more than half a year now, I've been busy and haven't had the chance to introduce you all." Song Shuyu replied casually, this was the truth, not that it was anything that couldn't be said.

  The female manager brought up a stewed dish and used a ladle to scoop it into small bowls for them.

  Receiving Zhao Yanran's gaze, the female manager nodded and withdrew, her heart was unable to conceal her puzzlement. What's with this young lady being so mysterious today, and becoming so obedient?

  But looking at Song Shuyu beside her, who was full of charm and elegance, one could naturally understand the subtleties involved.

  Zhaoyan took a sip, and really lost her appetite. She put down the white porcelain gold-rimmed small bowl in her hand, and her fingers pinched the delicate round soup spoon to draw circles in the soup.

  She seemed to be annoyed and opened her mouth: "Song brother, why did you suddenly like that little girl who has nothing? The one you love is Mei Xiaonan. I'm thinking, does that little girl look very much like her?"

  The tone of the voice seemed to be saying something insignificant, but across from him, Song Shuyu's spoon in his hand made a "ting" sound and fell into the small bowl.

  His gloomy eyes locked tightly onto Zhao Yanran's face, his gaze complex and sinister, pondering her intentions.

  He quietly perceived his heartbeat, so many years had passed, for the first time someone mentioned this name in front of him, his heartbeat was calm, and there was no longer a hollow pain of fragmentation.

  "Song Dage, don't think I'm making a fuss over nothing," Zhao Yanran said, raising her head, with fine and delicate lights in her eyes, bravely looking back at him.

  Turned and walked to the window, "rustle" sound opened, looking out the window, pointing at those high-rise buildings surrounded by lights:

  "So many lights, one by one lit up, as numerous as the years of our future, countless; I once thought that this life was still long, those words I wanted to say, those things I wanted to do, would eventually have the chance, so I patiently waited;"

  But now I really can't wait even a day. If I don't say these words, I'll choke to death. Please, you must listen on.

  Song Shu Yu stood up with a sigh, walked to her side, gazed out the window, and stood tall, understanding that tonight there was no turning back. His mouth still unwilling to give up: "Many words reached the tip of his tongue, thinking clearly about the consequences of saying it or not before speaking."

  "No! I want to say - you must not know, from the time you hid under my bed to escape your family's pursuit, I liked you. You wandered the world following Mei Xiaonan, I don't know what happened between you two, but all these years, weren't you alone waiting for her?"

  You're tired of waiting, why can't you see that behind your back, I'm always gazing at you with ardent and eager eyes?

  If you just need a substitute, why not choose me? At least I'm more like the person you like, and there's no generation gap in our communication.

  Zhaoyanran's voice slowly became choked, her tone was full of despair and sorrow. How much courage did she need to present her love to him? So humbly treating herself as a substitute, just so he could see her bitter love.

  Song Shu Yu was taken aback by her tears and confession, he awkwardly chose his words to say:

  "My feelings for Sang Hong are not what you think they are."

  Mei Xiaonan was just my first love, belonging to the distant past. Now I can't even remember her face. Besides, who says that first loves must last a lifetime?

  I've been single for so many years, but it's not the unrequited love you think it is. Every year has had its share of women, and if I had to give a reason, it's just that I was waiting to meet Xiang Hong all along.

  "You deceived people, for that Mei Xiaonan you struggled desperately and fiercely for many years, I don't believe you've already forgotten her?"

  Tears streamed down Zhao Yanran's face.

  Song Shuwei sighed and said, "Look at your tears, are you really crying because you like me? You're clearly angry that I forgot about Mei Xiaonan."

  I lived for her with all the passion and energy I had, and now that's just a topic of conversation for others over tea and dinner!

  I don't want to force myself into being the protagonist of a tragic play and waste this short life.

  You loved not the real me, but the man you've always imagined in your heart, a romantic who lives and dies for love.

  That man who would live and die for you exists, perhaps in a turn of your head, but absolutely - it's not me.

  "Why can't it be you? We were originally the same kind of people, both yearning for our own ideal scenery. It's just that you chose to give up halfway, while I will keep striving!"

  Zhao Yanran's words were filled with a crazy obsession.

  "Smile, love is not something that can be obtained by striving for it, nor is it something that can be begged for. You are yourself, not a substitute for anyone else; don't make things difficult for yourself."

  I appeared in your life just because we happened to have a chance encounter, and that's all. If there were really sparks between us, why would you wait until now?

  "So you say, what does Mei Xiaonan's appearance in your life mean?"

  Zhao Yanran was chilled by his words and knew exactly where to strike with her verbal knife to be more satisfying.

  Song Shuyu lit a cigarette and looked at her distorted face due to anger, feeling somewhat heartbroken, but more helpless. He fell silent for a moment before saying:

  She once brought a positive energy into my life, helping me to perfect my understanding of life and the world. Without her, there wouldn't be the current me.

  Her appearance also made me more aware of myself and understand that emotional matters are not something that can be achieved by making oneself excellent enough.

  If possible, I even wish I had never met her in this life.

  He extinguished his cigarette and sighed wearily:

  "Let's stop talking about this topic between us, and you shouldn't have such thoughts anymore;"

  I once planned to spend a lifetime waiting for someone's appearance, or use a lifetime of light and shadow to wait for the perfection of a memory, waited for people - waited for things - waited through the most beautiful years of youth.

  When everyone thought she had hurt and wronged me, wasn't my obsession with her also a heavy injury to her?

  So I don't want you to go through that hopeless wait, how many years can a girl's youth last?

  True lovers, all yearn for worldly happiness, no one wants to go through so much hardship just to become an immortal legend of love, so I hope you can put down and have a ordinary love.

  Zhao Yanran looked at him in shock, unable to understand how someone could so thoroughly deny the emotions they had invested years in, but she couldn't help being moved by his words, which were spoken with a desolate gaze.

  He was clearly and word by word extinguishing her thoughts.

  You're still so young, there are many men who like you, shifting your attention will bring surprises.

  When I had been through more than a year of experiences and no longer held any illusions about love, I met a girl with eyes as clear as mine used to be, full of shyness.

  It feels like a lifetime ago, but her face is still vaguely in my mind, along with the familiar pattern on her fingernails.

  I don't know how to express the excitement and shock of that moment;

  But I know that such an opportunity is absolutely rare, so I took the initiative to get close to her, hoping to give her a complete and perfect love, together managing the worldly marriage, accompanying her until old age.

  Zhao Yanran stared at the man who spoke of that little woman with a tender expression, her eyes wide with shock and her tongue tied.

  Is he that cold and taciturn guy?

  Look at the radiance between his eyebrows, all because of that woman in his words.

  His mouth, which is as precious as gold, has expressed so many views on love like a poet!

  And then, after noticing her astonished gaze, a hint of shyness slipped from his eyes, and for the first time, she discovered that this cool and heroic man had such vivid and endearing qualities.

  At this moment, she clearly knew that she had lost him forever before she even got him.

  Zhao Yanran's self-esteem could not allow her to be hurt and struck like this, yet she was full of admiration for his new charm.

  "You hurt me and still show off your love in front of me, that's too cruel."

  She burst into tears and made an accusation.

  Song Shuyu turned around with a sullen face and picked up the military uniform coat hanging on one side:

  "Zhao Yanran, stop crying. This appearance doesn't suit you. Obviously, your heart has had the answer for a long time. I patiently accompanied you to vent and didn't even get thanked, but instead got scolded!"

  Don't deny it, you're clearly relieved that the stone in your heart has finally landed, and you're just feeling a little lost, so there's no need to be so tearfully wronged by me.

  Zhao Yanran's face suddenly turned red, this damn bad guy shouldn't understand her so well!

  She grabbed the teacup beside her and threw it at him fiercely, abandoning all elegance. With a hoarse voice, she yelled: "Get out! Don't ruin my appetite!"

  Song Shuwei easily caught the teacup and placed it on the low tea table by the door, bowed and retreated: "I'm leaving, you can go crazy with whoever you want."

  As soon as the door was closed, there was an uncontrollable smile on her face, and she couldn't help but worry about her appetite for food. The injury Miss Zhao suffered was probably similar to his estimate.

  The wind blew, and a dizziness suddenly swept over his mind. He felt dizzy, the aftertaste of this wine was really strong, and he had never seen himself drunk like this before.

  So, Zhao Yanran should be really drunk.

  He reached out to touch his mobile phone, intending to call Zhao Qiankun to send her back home. He opened the address book and searched for it, but before he could dial, the phone was out of power.

  This is strange, and this phone also happens to be out of power.

  He patted his forehead and suddenly remembered that he had talked to Sang Hong on the phone for a long time last night, knowing that he needed to charge it, but still forgot before going to bed. Today's calls were many, and unexpectedly, it was turned off by now.

  He turned around with a sullen expression and twisted open the door of the package room. Zhao Yanran was already squatting on the soft stool under the window, sleeping with her body tilted to one side.

  "Yan Ran... Yan Ran?" He called out to her.

  She turned over, waved her hand impatiently and curled up with her back to him.

  He rang the bell on the table and called out for someone, and sure enough, the female manager arrived instantly.

  Seeing the situation inside the room, I was stunned.

  "Check, please." Song Shuwei said steadily as he sat in the chair, but actually he was dizzy and regretful at heart. This unfamiliar liquor was still not to be drunk too much, half a kilogram of wine could make him like this, wasn't it a joke?

  Song Shuwei supported his forehead with one hand, trying to sober himself up, took out his wallet to pay the bill, and muttered in confusion: "I only drank half a bottle of Fu Sheng San Bai, but my head is spinning, how can the aftertaste of this appetizer wine be so strong?"

  "How is that possible?" The female manager said while taking the money and tearing the ticket, still puzzled when handing it to him. Where did Miss Zhao go? I didn't see her leave.

  "Where is Miss Zhao?" the female manager asked cautiously.

  Song Shuyu pointed to the sofa by the window: "My phone is out of power, help me find her phone and contact her family to come and pick her up."

  The female manager was shocked: "It's impossible for one person to drink a bottle and get drunk so quickly!"

  She hastily ran over in small steps, squatted down beside Zhao Yanran and shook her body.

  Song Shuwei made an effort to grasp the astonishment in her words, as if he had understood something.

  He usually even if drunk, still walked steadily, just talked more, tonight was strange, this dizzy appearance, not only the mind was confused, but also the body began to lose strength.

  Isn't something wrong?

  His mind flashed back to the bottle of wine that Zhao Yanran had brought in, and his brain went black like a computer screen.

  "Miss Zhao——Miss Zhao——"

  Suddenly, Zhao Yanran's eyes flashed a cold light from between her dense eyelashes, and that gaze was a sober expression, no matter how you looked at it, it was impossible to be drunk.

  The female manager was startled and looked up at Song Shuyu again, only to find that the guy had already climbed onto the table and fallen asleep.

  "Little miss, where is your phone? I can help you contact your family." He said carefully pushing her again, hinting for her to look at Song Shuyu.

  Zhao Yanran took one look at her gaze and sat up with a start.

  "Uh - I don't know where my phone is, maybe I left it in the car." Zhao Yanran said, observing Song Shuyu's movements.

  I think the sedative in the wine is starting to take effect.

  "Isn't there a VIP suite here? Call someone to help him rest there, I'm going soft in the legs and don't have the strength to send him back."

  Zhaoyanran ordered clearly and calmly.

  The female manager nodded and turned around to call for help.

  ……

  To say that on Sunday, Sang Hong and Zhao Yi Bo practiced in school for almost a day. The people in the class had all gone out to relax or go shopping, and it was already deserted. They two were practicing but really didn't have the energy.

  Later, unable to withstand Zhao Yibo's repeated reminders, he had no choice but to go shopping with him in the afternoon.

  Xiang Hong has never been accustomed to strolling around, buying things has always been straightforward, buy and go, seeing the crowded shopping mall, she is puzzled, why so many people have nothing to do, wandering around for no reason!

  However, her nail polish has run out and she can take the opportunity to replenish a few common colors.

  The nail beauty area in the mall was crowded, many women were lounging lazily on soft chairs, closing their eyes and waiting for the nail technician to care for their nails and paint colorful designs.

  "What's wrong, you want to repair your nails? Okay, I'll accompany you. What snack do you want to eat, I'll go buy it for you." Zhao Yibo saw her gaze darting there and smiled diligently.

  Xiang Hong shook her head and said disdainfully: "I'm much better at painting than they are. I was also a hardworking nail artist when I first started practicing nail art for myself."

  "I believe, but going in there to rest and giving others a chance to work isn't a win-win situation? I look at you with eyes that are searching for something, it's as if I'm accompanying you on a desolate and empty journey."

  Zhao Yibo tried his best to amuse her, but couldn't understand why the normally cheerful girl would look so gloomy when she was alone with him.

  Xiang Hong stopped in her tracks, her heart secretly missing Song Shuyu. Without him, all leisure time was so dull; without him, all training was so exhausting.

  "Walking in the desolate wilderness? Your description is great, I really feel that way."

  "What do you like to do, I'll accompany you. There's only one Sunday in seven days, can't you be a little kinder to yourself? I think you're like an ascetic monk, busy running around with your faith in mind, without any time to take care of anything else."

  Zhao Yibo couldn't help but smile wryly, he really failed, even taking a girl shopping couldn't make her happy.

  "Faith? What faith do I have! It's just that my obsession is too heavy. " Xiang Hong said with a self-deprecating smile, then changed the subject and said, "What do you like? Or should I take you to the gym today and we can work out some more?"

  "Want to practice? Okay, after you're done practicing, can I treat you to a meal?"

  Zhao Yibo carefully sought her opinion.

  "Okay, you accompanied me to practice and had fun, only then will our appetite be good at meal time."

  Xiang Hong finally thought of a good place to kill time, and her mood improved a lot.

  "Wait for me for a moment, I'm going to buy some nail polish."

  "I'll accompany you." Zhao Yibo caught up.

  "Hey, no way, there's a boy following us, and it's said that everything will be doubled in price." Shan Hong's reason for refusing was quite reasonable.

  "My pocket money is a lot, let it double, the boy follows, not paying will affect his mood." Zhao Yibo said with confidence.

  Xiang Hong thought that no matter how expensive the nail polish was, it wouldn't be too expensive, so she nodded and let him follow her.

  Standing in front of the counter displaying nail polish, I saw a wide variety of colors. The salesgirl enthusiastically greeted me: "Hey handsome, are you here with your girlfriend to buy nail polish?"

  Zhao Yibo glanced at Sang Hong, but Sang Hong didn't even bat an eyelid, automatically ignoring that classic greeting.

  He nodded slightly: "Take out the color she chose and pack it up, thank you."

  Xiang Hong directly pointed to what she wanted, and the little girl happily took them out one by one. Although she was puzzled in her heart, how could such a refined and elegant boy have an ugly girlfriend with acne all over her face?

  Especially since this girl still has a proud and careless expression like a queen, it's really surprising where her confidence comes from.

  Well, now she understands where this ugly girl's confidence comes from.

  Just by looking at the way he looks at her, you can tell how much he likes her. When someone likes you, it's only natural to feel proud.

  Xiang Hong didn't know that the little girl was staring at her, with a rich fantasy in her mind. She looked at the colors she needed and had picked out, then said: "How much does it all add up to?"

  "I'll check." The little girl smiled sweetly and counted again, "A total of 200 yuan."

  Zhao Yibo quickly took out two red tickets from his wallet and handed them over. The little girl reached out to take them, but Sang Hong snatched the money halfway.

  "What's going on?" The little girl saw a windfall and thought it was flying away, so she couldn't help but ask.

  "It's expensive! All kinds of counters have discounts on weekends. How many discounts do you have here?" San Hong asked slowly, with her fingers pinching the money.

  "Eighty percent off." The little girl said shyly.

  "Why didn't you tell us in advance?"

  "When settling accounts, you will naturally find more of yours." The little girl cleverly argued with her sharp teeth.

  "Does this 20% discount include the service charge for the hand-painted artwork here?" Xiang Hong continued to ask, seemingly unwilling to pay.

  "Uh-huh... I brought it." The little girl's voice dropped down.

  "This is obviously something I'm taking away, and you don't even want the free service provided once. How do you know I'll come back for after-sales service?"

  Sang Hong's voice was neither fast nor slow.

  "When I give you the service card, I will naturally tell you." The little girl's face turned red.

  "I've made it clear now, no service, just buy things, how much does it cost." San Hong was very gentle.

  "A bottle is twenty yuan, minus ten yuan service fee, leaving ten yuan. You picked ten, with a discount of 80%, and paid eighty." The little girl was well-behaved this time.

  "Hehe, I'll take it for 40 bucks." Xiang Hong took back one ticket and handed over the other.

  "I'm sorry, miss. At that price, we can't even cover our costs, so we can't sell."

  The little girl looked somewhat embarrassed.

  "That stuff is still yours, and the money is still mine." Sang Hong said, pulling out the money from her hand, grabbing Zhao Yibo, and turning to leave.

  Zhao Yibo muttered: "Eighty isn't a lot less either, why not buy it."

  "Wait a minute." Xiang Hong winked at him, and indeed they had only taken three steps back when the little girl's voice came over, "You two come back, it's a deal."

  Xiang Hong smiled complacently and raised an eyebrow at Zhao Yibo, then turned around and said to the little girl: "Eh, I've changed my mind, I can only take out 20 yuan."

  The little girl looked annoyed and her face turned red as she said: "Twenty bucks, why didn't you grab it?"

  "Is it worth fighting for such a small thing?" Xiang Hong smiled and said.

  The guy next to her, obviously the boss's wife, laughed heartily and said to Sang Hong:

  "The young man is willing to spend money on you, proving that he's good to you. Now you're even helping him save, bargaining the price down to cost, who's the lucky one? Listen to me, only foolish people have great blessings!"

  Xiang Hong was stunned for a moment.

  Zhaoyi Bo leaned forward and handed over another bill, smiling and saying: "That's it."

  Xiang Hong also smiled: "Sister said it makes sense, this sentence is worth the price, besides from childhood to adulthood, how much money has been taken away by people, it's all ordinary people, earning hard-earned money."

  The little girl hastily took over to find change, and the boss's wife had neatly wrapped up the box.

  Xiang Hong handed over the sixty yuan she had found and the original two hundred yuan to Zhao Yibo: "Don't you think I'm being too excessive?"

  Zhao Yibo smiled foolishly and said: "Your strong bargaining skills just now, and your usual fist style are almost the same. It seems gentle and reserved, but in fact it's airtight and doesn't let anyone off."

  "I'm also sick of this, I'm used to being meticulous and observing people's words and expressions, but I don't know how to enjoy life. From childhood to adulthood, I've been in contact with too many grassroots occupations, and I'm familiar with many business processes and secrets. When shopping, as soon as I think about the cost, I feel like a fool who's being taken advantage of."

  Xiang Hong felt somewhat stifled, the survival skills she once took pride in had become a burden that revealed her weaknesses as her living environment improved, and she was powerless to shake them off.

  "This can't be the reason you don't like going shopping?"

  "Uh, I look at the goods in the stores on the street and feel that they are all traps waiting for people to fall into. Brand-name stores, I calculate how much it costs me to buy clothes and how much extra I'm paying for advertising; food stores, I imagine the process of making those foods into commodities, which makes me lose my appetite altogether; these things quickly convert into numbers in my mind, making me understand my losses."

  Sang Hong said weakly.

  "With eyesight as sharp as yours, it's a waste if you don't go into business. How did you suddenly think of enrolling in military school and becoming a special forces soldier?"

  "There are things I've never done, and I'm curious about them. Of course, choosing these also has to do with the desire for honor and respect."

  Xiang Hong thought about her humble motives for attending military school, and felt that this less-than-two-months' school life had brought about many good changes in her spirit and temperament. This was probably a byproduct of love.

  "Let's not talk about those unhappy things anymore, now go to the gym and have some fun, let's go."

  Xiang Hong hailed a taxi and Zhao Yibo rushed forward to open the door for her, holding onto the roof of the car, afraid she would bump her head.

  She watched him sit down properly before closing the car door and sitting beside the driver, telling him the address.

  Xiang Hong was dazzled by his thoughtful and meticulous behavior, and for the first time, she discovered that this young man was so gentlemanly. Immediately, she thought to herself, "I've taken so many rides with Song Shuyu before, but he's never opened the car door for me." She couldn't help feeling a little downhearted.

  He and Zhao Yibo had a great time playing together, their cooperation was very tacit, and what surprised Sang Hong even more was that Master Lin actually found the key to her mistake in mobile target shooting.

  "According to the data displayed on the electronic screen, all your bullets hit within three centimeters of the upper right corner of the moving target, with consistent distance and direction. The feedback information also shows that when using different guns, the distance from the bullet to the upper right corner of the moving target varies slightly. The computer displays that these distances are closely related to the type of gun used and the speed of the bullets fired, which can be said to be proportionally increasing."

  Lin Lao held a complex set of data and patiently explained it to Sang Hong.

  "What does this mean?" San Hong was completely bewildered.

  Zhao Yibo furrowed his brow and looked at it for a while, silently calculating before saying to Sang Hong: "This might mean that your estimate of the target's movement speed is consistent with the bullet speed."

  Lin Xuan Yu nodded in approval and glanced at Zhao Yi Bo, saying: "Right, you're too tense. After seeing the target, you start subconsciously looking for its movement frequency or speed, and instinctively, you've unconsciously used the shooting speed of the gun in your hand."

  Xiang Hong suddenly realized, was it really like this? The problem that she herself had not been aware of was actually analyzed by the computer.

  "What's the difference between those two rates?" Xiang Hong asked curiously.

  "This data can't be calculated, take it and have a good look, you figure out a way to solve it yourself." Lin Xuan Yu folded the paper neatly, solemnly put it back in the envelope, and handed it over to her.

  Xiang Hong respectfully accepted and thanked him, then bid farewell with Zhao Yibo.

  Lin Xuan Yu looked at them with a puzzled expression, what's going on here? How did this girl get mixed up with the grandson of Old Zhao's family? And what about Song Shu Yun?

  Of course, he felt that he didn't have the standing to ask questions for the time being.

  Zhao Yibo took Sang Hong directly to his newly opened restaurant at home. The two of them were busy for a day, and their appetites were naturally very good.

  When they were about to leave after finishing their meal, Sang Hong went to the restroom.

  She was facing the faucet washing her hands, when she heard a series of anxious voices behind her: "How can so many young men not be able to move one person? Be gentle, you're supporting someone's arm, if you use too much force it will dislocate..."

  That voice was clearly imprinted in her mind, and by the time she finished speaking, that group of people had already flashed past her, rushing towards the elevator.

  She took three steps back, leaned forward to take a look, and found that the nagging woman was none other than Zhao Yanran, who made her feel extremely uneasy.

  Her mind was ringing loudly, and she hastily followed up two steps to see who the man surrounded by several people was. However, several blurry figures blocked her view, and although she couldn't see clearly, she distinctly felt a strong sense of familiarity.

  In the blink of an eye, the group of people entered the elevator.