Chapter 410: Every Day Sweets

The next morning the sun rose from the horizon and the thin morning light spilled over, making the lake below the terrace sparkle against the golden autumn leaves.

The college students who had stayed up all night were all wooden, some outright claiming they were dying and wanted to go back to school to catch up on sleep, and nothing could stop them.

But another group, partnered up, insisted on going to the amusement park, almost recklessly so.

After all, which man would admit he couldn’t handle it?

Especially those in secret crushes, boys and girls alike, getting a chance to go out was rare and they didn’t want to go back so soon.

They planned to make the most of the Mid-Autumn Festival, ride the drop tower and maybe even get a chance for some physical touch when the girls lost their shoes. Once there’s physical touch, many things naturally move towards intimacy.

Jiang Qin wasn’t so desperate, and the little rich girl wasn’t fond of amusement parks, so he left his car at the Entrepreneur’s Club and took a cab with Feng Nanshu back to school.

“Go back and sleep well.”

“Got it, brother.”

Having stayed up all night, the little rich girl was quite drowsy. After seeing Jiang Qin off, she hurried back to her dorm but didn’t go straight to bed. Instead, she changed clothes and sat at her desk, resting her chin on her arm looking at the items in the corner of the room.

There was a rainbow-colored milk tea cup with Jiang Qin’s name, a thermos labeled ‘wife’s drink’, a retractable pen in the pencil holder like a little cat, a Xitian milk tea card featuring two little figures, and a group-buy flyer with two cartoon friends.

Her eyelashes quivered slightly and her eyes gradually lost focus, only the image of a big teddy bear roaming her thoughts.

Jiang Qin, Jiang Qin, Jiang Qin…

Feng Nanshu pushed down on the retractable pen, the little cat head clicked down and then sprung up with a pop.

Just then, Gao Wenhui pushed the door open and returned to the dorm carrying a huge load of stuff.

Her aunt lived in the neighboring city, and she had just returned from visiting over Mid-Autumn, struggling because she brought back too many things.

However, she was unaware she had just missed a pivotal sweet moment.

“Nanshu, I ate this amazing mooncake at my aunt’s, so soft and sticky, it felt like melting in my mouth, totally changed my fixed impression of mooncakes.”

Feng Nanshu gave her a blank look before resting her head back on her arms. “Me too.”

“Huh, you ate this kind of mooncake too? I heard it’s hard to find in the mainland.” Gao Wenhui was surprised.

“Anyway, I ate it, it was sweet. I want to eat it every day from now.”

Feng Nanshu murmured, patting her pocket where last night’s uneaten mooncake still was.

Gao Wenhui squinted at Feng Nanshu for a long while before pouting, convinced that the mooncake must have been given by Jiang Qin, because everything from him, even if not tasty, was the best to her since Feng Nanshu worshiped her husband.

Sugar-loving Huihui deciphered the source from one-sided information but did not anticipate that the “mooncake” Feng Nanshu ate was not only sweet but could also “speak dog.”

For example: You just lost your salary!

Meanwhile, Jiang Qin yawned his way back to the dorm, stripped, and caught up on sleep until the afternoon.

The autumn light streamed through the window, creating a dreamy half-light that confused Jiang about whether it was morning or afternoon.

“Haven’t stayed up like this in ages, I even saw my great-grandma…”

Jiang Qin slapped his head, washed up on the balcony, and cracked the window to freshen up before logging into the management system to check his tasks.

He discovered a file submitted by Tan Qing with an invitation for a Group Buying Industry Conference scheduled for September 24, 2010, in Shanghai.

The scant information suggested the conference was hosted by Lashou Network, with an unknown expo company handling the details, set for three days and two nights, all expenses covered.

The so-called conference wasn’t really about exchanging ideas, making a show was the real deal.

LaShou probably aimed to demonstrate its influence and vision with this public meeting, securing its place atop the group-buy sector and setting a strong foundation for substantial future funding.

Of course, doing business quietly was no fun, conferences were also about showing off.

Jiang Qin thought for a while then called Tan Qing saying he would head to Shanghai tomorrow to see what exactly this conference intended to “exchange.”

“Business calls, time to take a leave!”

After a quick wash, Jiang Qin left for Dean Zhang Boiqing’s office at a brisk pace.

Hearing Jiang ask for leave, Zhang showed surprise: “You skip classes and now you ask for leave?”

“Skipping classes and asking for a vacation are different. I remember I’m a proud Linchuan University student. Anything goes on campus, but to go out, I must follow the school rules.”

Zhang was bemused: “Had you been born thirty years earlier, I doubt I’d be the vice-chancellor.”

Jiang Qin shook his head: “Being a principal doesn’t make money. Had I been born earlier, I’d deal in cans and planes, that’s real fun.”

“What do you need the leave for?”

Jiang Qin saw no need for secrets since the group-buy food festival was already public, “I’m heading to Shanghai for a Group Buying Industry Conference.”

Zhang paused, then smiled: “I knew you couldn’t sit still. The golden scales aren’t meant for the pond. Once stormy winds arise, a dragon emerges!”

“Stop with the rhymes, Dean, just approve it already. Got to pack too.”

“How many days?”

Jiang Qin calculated: “The conference is three days, plus travel, about five days in total.”

Zhang stamped and handed over the approval slip: “Wear a suit, tie a nice tie, and take lots of photos for promotional material.”

“Mission accepted.”

After leaving Zhang’s office, Jiang called his counselor, Lü Guangrong, to inform him of his impending business trip.

As he had explained to Zhang, not attending classes was one thing but leaving campus was another; Lü was his advisor after all, and stating his five-day leave was necessary.

Lü was tidying his office, papers strewn across the desk. After excavating through old newspapers, he found his phone.

Upon hearing of the five-day leave, Lü simply nodded, advising Jiang to be cautious and measure his actions according to his abilities.

After the call, the other teachers turned towards Lü, eyes wide with surprise.

“Isn’t Jiang Qin a bigshot in the city now? Even shows up in news with city leaders, and he still reports to you for leaves?”

“Yes, no matter what, Jiang is still my student and knows the importance of respect and propriety.”

Lü collected his papers with aplomb, garnering admiring glances.

Jiang’s business savvy aside, it’s the care in the details that impressed.

With his status now, the faculty hardly had a say over him. Even if the university planned something, it had to be the higher-ups.

Just like this call, not even mentioning leave meant Jiang’s leave was already settled. Calling was just his way of showing regard.

Compared to two years ago, Jiang’s approach felt more natural, inconspicuous, and genuinely warming.

Lü couldn’t help but remember a story about fishermen who’d never eat crabs, a reminder of such innate talent that elevated Jiang to director in less than two years at the school, enviable skills Lü lacked.

Lü packed his stuff into a box, feeling nostalgic: “Fellow teachers, I’m off first.”

“Director Lü, congratulations on the promotion.”

“Thank you all, don’t forget, dinner at Juxian Building at nine tonight, my treat.”

Lü left the office with a slight smile: time to step into the director’s shoes!

Meanwhile, Jiang returned to his dorm from the admin office, quickly packed up, and went to have dinner with Feng Nanshu.

Gao Wenhui had also just got back and was hungry, joining Feng for a meal.

“Jiang, I heard you gave Feng a very tasty mooncake, sweet and soft?”

“Nonsense, that mooncake is harder than concrete, it’d survive the apocalypse.”

Gao Wenhui didn’t believe it: “Can I try it?”

Jiang looked at her incredulously: “What? You want a promotion too?”

“How does eating a mooncake relate to a raise?”

Gao mumbled, then realization dawned, her eyes widening.

No, no, influenced by habitual thinking, she always assumed eating mooncakes was just that. But the dynamics between Feng and Jiang couldn’t be interpreted conventionally.

For instance, dating is just being friends, love is just friendship. Oh Huihui, their mooncake wasn’t just about eating.

“What exactly did you eat?”

“Mooncake.”

Gao looked skeptically at Jiang, about to press further when Feng returned with a small iron plate.

The cafeteria’s leftover mooncakes were cut into pieces and transformed into chili-fried mooncakes. The little rich girl had spotted them and even complimented the chef.

Seeing this, Gao hesitated, wondering if it really was just a mooncake they were talking about.

“Little rich girl.”

“Hmm?”

Jiang showed her the leave slip: “I’ve taken five days off, I’ll be in Shanghai. Be good in school.”

Feng looked up at him, her mouth covered in mooncake crumbs.