Term started properly the next day.

On the first day everyone turned out in force.

By the time Xu Ye had ambled up the stairs and walked into the classroom, every seat was taken.

“Director Xu is here! Give him a hand!”

Some troublemaker or other led off with that, and the whole class actually did applaud.

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Xu Ye went up to the lectern and waved a hand. “Stop, stop, stop. Don’t you start messing around on me. Keep it low profile, all of you.”

In fact he had noticed something was off at breakfast in the cafeteria that morning.

The moment he walked in there were people staring at him, and several fellow students he had never laid eyes on before greeted him first.

People fear fame the way pigs fear getting fat.

Xu Ye really wasn’t used to the feeling of being watched.

After the two morning classes, predictably enough, his counselor Su Tong called him to her office.

He had assumed she would be going over the same old ground. Instead, the moment he came through the door, she joked, “Director Xu has arrived, has he?”

“Su-jie, don’t join in with the rest of them and make fun of me.”

Su Tong laughed. “Thanks to you, at least seven or eight teachers have come to me asking about you this morning. Even I’m getting a little reflected glory.”

“Hah.”

“All right. Let’s get to business.”

She sat up straight and got to why she had called him in. “Nine tomorrow morning, go over to the administration building. The school president wants to see you.”

“The president?!!!”

“That’s right. Word about you has gotten around the school, and the notice came down to me from above. My guess is he only wants a casual chat. It’s rare for our school to produce a student who’s succeeded at starting a business, and what you represent out there now isn’t only yourself — it’s part of the school too. If there had been more time, the school would probably have used your story over the summer for publicity, to help with recruitment.”

Xu Ye’s face fell. “This is all Zhang Xinzhou’s damn fault. He just had to post the interview video to Moments. Now look — everyone around me knows about it.”

“Don’t take the benefit and then act put upon. The school isn’t going to put you out there for publicity for nothing. If there’s anything you need the school to support you with, as long as it isn’t outrageous they should do it. By the time you’re a senior they might even offer you a graduate place without the entrance exam.”

“Please don’t.”

Xu Ye said at once, “Four years of college is long enough. I’ve never had any intention of doing a master’s.”

That was Xu Ye’s own view, and Su Tong was hardly going to interfere with it.

She just said it again. “Remember — nine tomorrow morning, the president’s office in the administration building.”

“Right. Got it.”

……

Xu Ye simply skipped the afternoon’s Ideological and Political Studies elective.

What Su Tong had said that morning had given him an idea.

Every university was now encouraging students to start businesses, and they all had support policies to match. Wang Xing of Meituan, Chen Ou of Jumei Youpin, Huang Kai who created Legends of the Three Kingdoms, and so on and so on — all of them had started their companies while still at university.

And most people starting a business at that age ran into a shortage of capital. That was exactly where he could go in — put out an investment program aimed specifically at funding student startups. Do that, and the problem of no deals coming his way would be solved completely.

Xu Ye gathered some material online first. As soon as Li Tongwen and Zhang Xinzhou had finished class and got over there, he called a meeting.

To his surprise, when he put the idea to them it met with unanimous approval, Lü Cheng and Tang Bowen included.

Lü Cheng offered a suggestion. “Then we’ll need an official website of our own. For one thing it lets founders get a better sense of us, and for another it gives them a platform for getting in touch with us.”

Xu Ye nodded. “We definitely need an official site. That shouldn’t cost much, should it?”

Tang Bowen laughed. “There are firms like that all over Shanghai. I’d guess somewhere over a hundred thousand would get the site built, and after that we just hire someone to maintain it.”

“Fine. Then we’ll give this one to… Zhang Xinzhou.”

“Me?”

“What, you’re not happy about being the client?”

“All right.”

“Monkey King comes out of theaters any day now. Lü Cheng, push them on the money. Try to get it into the account after National Day, or the thing I’ve just described can’t get started.”

“Don’t worry. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

The meeting broke up.

Jiang Wei deliberately stayed behind. Seeing this, Xu Ye knew she had something to say to him, so he stayed in his seat too. Once everyone else was out of the conference room, he spoke first. “Go on. What is it?”

Jiang Wei didn’t circle around. “I’ve found a new head for the trading company. It’s our class’s League branch secretary. Do you want to meet her?”

“No need.”

Xu Ye shook his head. “The vending machine business is basically settled now and there’s no room to expand it further. Apart from purchasing, restocking and payroll, nothing else needs doing. Just have people do what they’re supposed to do.”

Jiang Wei said, “Don’t worry. There isn’t much going on at this end either, and I’ll go through her books every month.”

“Mm. Whatever you decide.”

Hearing him put that much faith in her, Jiang Wei suddenly laughed. “Trusting me this much — aren’t you afraid I’ll cook the books?”

“Not a chance. Miss Jiang the campus belle may love money like life itself, but she’d never do a thing like that.”

“How is that both a dig at me and a compliment at the same time?”

“Oh, right.” Xu Ye laughed. “Every year at the start of term the school forum and the message boards start up a vote for campus belle and department belle without anyone organizing it. Do you think somebody’s going to take the title off you this year?”

“Ha.”

Jiang Wei stood up and gave a cold laugh. “Nothing would please me more.”

……

That was the first day of term.

It had been a full one for Xu Ye.

He had sat two long lectures in the morning, spent the whole afternoon at the company, and in the evening taken a video call from Pei Youwei that ran close to an hour, all of it about expanding the business.

It was already eight in the evening by the time he got back to the dorm.

He had barely sat down at his desk when a WeChat message came in from his cousin Wang Manning.

“Cousin, what are you up to?”

“Just finished work.”

“Oh, okay.” Wang Manning pressed on. “There’s no evening study period at college, right?”

“Some schools have it, some don’t. Hold on — shouldn’t you be in evening study right now?”

Wang Manning replied at once, “Yes. I’m in evening study.”

Xu Ye: “And you’re messaging me?”

“I’m so bored.”

“You get back to your books. I’m going to shower.”

Xu Ye sent that, put the phone down and went to shower.

Wang Manning sent a few more messages, and when he didn’t reply she quietly fired one off to Chen Qingqing under the desk instead. “Sister-in-law, what are you up to~”

Xu Ye came out of the shower, dried his hair and climbed into bed.

He had just got his earphones in, ready to video-call Chen Qingqing, when a message arrived from Zhang Ruowei. “Xu Ye, are you coming over this weekend?”

Xu Ye: “Yes.”

Zhang Ruowei: “So…”

Xu Ye: “I know you’re in a hurry, but hold your horses.”

Xu Ye: “I’ll set it up with him.”

Xu Ye: “One more piece of advice.”

Xu Ye: “Keep it simple when you get dressed. Don’t try too hard. Which kind of girl makes a girlfriend and which kind makes a wife — he’ll be able to tell the difference.”

Zhang Ruowei: “Good man!”

Zhang Ruowei: “Solid!”

Zhang Ruowei: “Hang on. Qingqing’s putting on body lotion. I’ll sneak a few photos and send them to you.”

(End of Chapter 290)