It was September the ninth.

Monkey King finished its run with a total box office of 956 million yuan. By Lü Cheng's reckoning, the return on the investment came to six hundred percent.

He was in touch with the distributor about when the money could be paid into the company's account.

The week passed quietly. Xu Ye went the same round every day, killing time between the dorm, the classroom and the company.

Zhang Xinzhou and Li Tongwen were much the same, the only difference being that neither of them skipped as many classes as Xu Ye did.

As for Yang Fei, he was out doing who knew what, day after day, and sometimes actually got back to the dorm later than the rest of them. Xu Ye asked and found out he had joined the student union so he could be around Li Lulu. Yang Fei didn't seem to be well liked in it, though — he came back from its events with a long face more often than not.

Xu Ye didn't step in. Whatever cause you plant, that's the fruit you get; this was his own fate to make.

It was Friday.

Xu Ye was up early, and a call came in from Zhao Ming.

He answered, wedged the phone between his ear and his shoulder, and asked while he brushed his teeth, "Boss Zhao, what's got into you, calling me this early?"

"Are you going to see your girlfriend tonight?"

"Yes."

"Great. Then dinner's on you tonight and karaoke's on me."

"You can sing?"

Zhao Ming chuckled. "It's been a long time since I've been to a KTV. I feel like singing."

Xu Ye swore at him, laughing. "I'm almost too embarrassed to call you on it. You want to sing? You damn well want to chase a girl."

"Don't put it so crudely. I think she's a good person and I'd like to get to know her a bit…"

"Weren't you the one giving me the big speech? Life is precious, love is dearer still, but for freedom's sake both may be cast away. And…