Chapter 579: The Budding Takeout Industry

Jiang Qin was quite the orator, not even sipping his milk tea while speaking passionately.

Feng Nanshu warmed the tea inside her clothes, waiting till he needed a drink, slight irritation creasing her eyes from her brother’s false accusations of milk tea theft.

Receiving the milk tea from her, Jiang Qin glimpsed Feng Nanshu’s chilly demeanor, stirring pure friendship within.

She had once pocketed a baked sweet potato for him, a trick she now used on him.

Using my few tricks on me…

“Let’s go, the boss and his wife are making friends. Excuse us, bystanders!”

“?”

At the sound of Dong Wenhao’s voice, everyone abruptly stood and dashed toward the maple woods.

Wei Lanlan and Tan Qing raced to the snowy grounds, snapping photos with their phones, while Dong Wenhao and Lu Feiyu hurried to Wangyue Lake with a pile of stones to shatter the ice.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qin sipped the milk tea, suddenly feeling it tasting better than ever.

No surprise there—it was the real deal.

Just unsure if she wore it today…

Feng Nanshu seemed to guess his thoughts, suddenly blushing.

On New Year’s Eve, she nearly got squashed by her brother in the gym building corridor, coming home feverish.

She was so naive, just an embrace weakened her.

Gao Wenhui thought she had caught a cold after feeling her forehead.

Only the little rich girl knew she was pampered to such state by her brother.

“Tastes good, is it new?”

“Weird, why does it taste so good? I didn’t even like milk tea before…”

Overhearing Jiang Qin’s muttering, the little rich girl slowly turned away, her cheeks reddening.

When the milk tea was gone, she found herself dragged to a secluded corner by Jiang Qin to check her clothing.

As Jiang predicted, she wasn’t properly dressed.

“If last time wasn’t on purpose, this definitely was, right?”

“?”

“This time it was an accident. An intentional accident.”

Adopting a cool air, Feng Nanshu squinted, fiercely messing up Jiang Qin’s hair while being held.

But the next second, like hitting a switch, she melted into his arms, punching him softly twice, then clung tightly to him.

The scenery at Linchuan University was particularly nice post-snowfall, with warming sunlight.

Holding Feng Nanshu on the deserted path, Jiang understood, they’d never leave each other.

Making friends with the right person can be such a joyful experience.

Seeing the little rich girl frown cutely on his shoulder made Jiang grasp a deeper appreciation for peaceful moments.

With winter break looming, exams unexpectedly arrived first.

The freer the past days, the more painful the cramming.

Young master Cao and the others crammed daily, even while eating at the canteen or heading to classes.

“If you ask me, you should demand a tuition refund from the school.”

“Damn, why pay tuition for self-study in the dorms?”

“And me, I don’t even study but still pay tuition. Isn’t that lawless? Just a lodging fee would suffice, and do we have to buy these incomprehensible textbooks?”

Cao Guangyu, Ren Ziqiang, and Zhou Chao turned a deaf ear as if hearing none of it.

They were clear, any textbook looked like an arcane tome to Jiang, yet he passed every year. Believable?

Damn, the school must be cutting him slack.

His complaining surely matched Eason Chan’s “Red Rose”.

Those who can’t learn remain restless, the favored ones are fearless.

Biting his teeth, young master Cao mentally blocked Jiang’s voice, studying amidst the chaos.

After a silent ten seconds, the dorm finally quieted down.

Cao Guangyu and the others breathed a sigh of relief, thankful for the peace.

But just then, Jiang grabbed a mouse and started “Armor Hero Xt” on his laptop…

“For the dream in heart, battle through bloodshed, like a gust of wind.”

“Darkness will unleash light!”

“Undefeated heroes, scars are seeds of courage, aiming for the distant sky…”

The silent trio listened to the laptop’s sound, holding their breath, wide-eyed, wanting yet not daring to look.

Enduring about two minutes, as Cao considered sneaking a peek and cursing Jiang, he turned to find Jiang had left, only the laptop remained, playing “Armor Hero Xt”.

Cao Guangyu was stunned: “Damn, he left it playing for us?”

Chao gasped deeply: “Damn, that’s sly!”

“I’m telling you, Jiang’s surely favored, passes without writing a word. We’re not the same.”

“Jiang must think this disrupts our study.”

“Brothers, let’s watch this episode and then study hard, aiming for the top rank in college!”

The other two agreed and then focused intently on “Armor Hero Xt”.

Such shows may seem juvenile to primary students, but they captivated these university students completely.

As they watched, they suddenly heard Jiang’s voice coming from the next room, Zhang Guangfa’s dorm.

“You should ask for a tuition refund…”

“Just pay the lodging fee, right?”

“…”

“For the dream in heart, battle through bloodshed, like a gust of wind…”

Young master Cao turned to Zhou: “Seems Jiang got the next room too.”

Zhou nodded: “That’s Jiang, using the same trick over and over!”

Ren Ziqiang smacked his lips: “The next room’s watching too. Watching two episodes won’t hurt, right? It’s not just our dorm that’ll fail.”

“Let’s watch two, but can’t fail. Just two, then study seriously!”

Meanwhile, Jiang, in high spirits, left the dorm and messaged Feng Nanshu about dining out.

Unexpectedly, the little rich girl outright refused.

“I’m not going, Wen Hui is taking me to the study room.”

“Then I’ll swing by after dinner.”

“Don’t. You’re all on my mind, can’t focus. I need a two-day break.”

Feng Nanshu replied then leaned on the desk, humming as sunlight washed over her long lashes.

They say relationships distract from studies, and she just realized friendships do too.

Her head filled with thoughts of Jiang all day, even in dreams, especially lately as he liked to pinch, leaving her dazed and unable to absorb any study material.

Hence, Feng planned a two-day break from him to focus on exams.

Yet, she really wanted to see him.

The little rich girl kicked around, then noticed supervisor Gao Wenhui squinting nearby.

They had a bet—if Feng managed a day without thinking of Jiang, Gao wouldn’t let slip her brother’s smarts.

Feng sat upright, feigning serious study.

“Thinking of Jiang?”

“No, I’m studying.”

Gao Wenhui flipped her study material to a page Feng just turned: “This says otherwise.”

Feng squinted at the page, covered in mentions of Jiang.

Meanwhile, Jiang stood at the cafeteria door, contemplating Feng’s message to cut him off, then pushed through the curtain with a curse, only to walk back out.

Every spot was taken by students cramming for exams, some even brought dorm heaters.

Jiang wondered if any other students dared to face exams without studying like him.

The takeout platform was still nascent and wouldn’t grow soon; most tasks were queued for after the New Year.

Group-buy business flourished without much intervention.

Zhihu’s campus beauty contest moved to provincial level with professional help from Hua Ying Entertainment, bustling along.

Tonight’s Headlines thrived, soon overtaking other platforms without even considering UC.

His boast of ‘heroic loneliness’ at the annual party might have been pretentious, but now he really felt lonely.

Leaving the cafeteria, Jiang enjoyed a spicy hot pot and dropped by the administration office to play chess with Dean Zhang.

“Kid, too busy for special promos but free to wander?”

“Running a business, keeping up with friends, I’m always busy, but still find time for you, Dean.”

“Aren’t you preparing for finals?”

“I’m smart, I pass without studying. Unlike Feng Nanshu, who needs to study all day, shattering her genius image for me.”

Dean Zhang paused: “Oh, no wonder you’re visiting. Girlfriend thinks you’re distracting?”

Jiang twirled a chess piece on the board: “No, I never disturb anyone’s study.”

“Stop pondering, your first move needs no study!”

“The opening is crucial, though.”

Hearing ‘opening,’ Zhang’s eyes shimmered with nostalgia: “Back when I first met you at entrepreneurship base 208, that dimly lit tiny office. Blink, and now you’re a senior, and group-buy is a national enterprise.”

Jiang looked up after the mention of the dim bulb and gruffed, eventually bursting into laughter.

“?”

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, just figured out the next move.”

Jiang placed his piece boldly at the center: “Brilliant move.”

Watching his unfazed demeanor, Zhang marveled at how this guy managed such a big business.

After leaving the office, Jiang returned to Room 302, just as Cao and the others huddled together, inspired by their dreams, battling through challenges like a tempest…