Xu Ye and Qin Zhiwei had gone.
But Zhang Xinzhou, Yang Fei, and Wang Shiyu were still at the eatery.
Wang Shiyu asked, out of casual curiosity, “Do you guys know where Xu Ye’s from?”
“Jiangzhou.”
“Oh.”
Zhang Xinzhou noticed the look on her face — like she was turning something over — then glanced at Yang Fei, and deliberately added, “He and his girlfriend are both from Jiangzhou, I think.”
“Girlfriend?”
There it was. Wang Shiyu’s expression shifted immediately. “He already has a girlfriend?”
“Yeah.”
She didn’t quite believe it at first, so she checked with Yang Fei — and got the same answer. After that, a trace of unmistakable disappointment settled into her eyes.
Any observant person watching Wang Shiyu’s face at that moment would have been able to tell she had feelings for Xu Ye.
And yet Yang Fei was sitting right there, completely oblivious.
This was the guy who’d declared himself a seasoned veteran of romance at the start of the semester. If Wang Shiyu hadn’t been sitting right beside him, Zhang Xinzhou would have called him an idiot to his face.
Wang Shiyu went quiet after that, and didn’t even wait for Xu Ye to return before making an excuse and slipping away.
“Idiot. She’s gone.”
“Zhang Xinzhou, do you have to talk like that? Stop picking up Xu Ye’s bad habits.”
“I didn’t say anything wrong. You are an idiot.”
“Oh, come on—”
Wang Shiyu walked back to her dorm feeling deeply unsatisfied.
How did Xu Ye already have a girlfriend?
She’d finally met someone genuinely impressive, and he already had someone. How was that fair?
Dejected, she flopped down at her desk the moment she got to her room, head full of Xu Ye — and in her ears, the line from Friday night’s performance kept replaying: I looked into your eyes and found the one who was meant for me.
She’d actually thought, in that moment, that the “one” he was singing about might have been her.
Was she really just going to give up?
She sat with that thought for a while, then pulled out her phone, opened Baidu, and typed into the search bar: “I like someone who already has a girlfriend — can I still go after him?”
…
By the time Xu Ye got back to the shop, Zhang Xinzhou had already taped the hiring notice to the door.
Xu Ye had forgotten to give all the details, so he grabbed a marker and added one line at the bottom: Senior-year students preferred. Women preferred.
Zhang Xinzhou looked at it. “Why seniors?”
“Seniors have fewer classes and more free time.”
“And why women?”
“The shop’s already heavy on guys. Hire another one and this place turns into a monastery.”
Xu Ye crossed his arms, thinking it over. “I’m debating whether to add ‘attractive candidates preferred.'”
Zhang Xinzhou laughed despite himself. “Are you hiring a part-timer or a personal assistant?”
“Never mind, that line makes it too obvious.”
Zhang Xinzhou had asked the eatery to box up a portion of food before leaving, and Li Tongwen was eating it now.
Xu Ye opened his phone, checked the balances on both his WeChat Pay and Alipay, then slid open the cash drawer and started counting.
“Sales through right now are about four thousand three hundred yuan. It’s inflated because it’s opening day, but hitting that in a single day is already really good.”
Yang Fei checked the time, yawned, and said, “Once Li Tongwen’s done eating, can we head back to the dorm?”
“Head back? Are you joking? The second half is just getting started.”
“???”
All three of them — Yang Fei, Zhang Xinzhou, Li Tongwen — stared at him. It was past nine, the peak rush was long over. What second half?
Xu Ye pulled out his phone, opened the customer group — nearly three hundred members now — and started typing.
Zhang Xinzhou and Yang Fei crowded in to look.
@Everyone — Today’s mangoes, green grapes, peaches, and cucumbers didn’t sell out. Clearing them at 40% off. Order now and spend over thirty yuan — delivered to your door before 10:30 p.m.! (Women’s dorms: delivery to the building entrance only)
Zhang Xinzhou stared.
This guy.
Fruit had a short shelf life — once it went bad, you didn’t just lose the cost, you lost your reputation too if a customer got rotten produce. On the surface Xu Ye was running a clearance sale. What he was actually broadcasting to three hundred people was: we only sell fresh fruit here.
Fresh was always better when it came to food, and the message hit exactly the right nerve. Within moments, people were tagging him in the group.
“Boss, I want two jin of mango and a jin of peaches — can you deliver to Building 2?”
“Of course!”
“Boss, our dorm wants four jin of cucumbers and two jin of mango, also Building 2.”
“…”
Xu Ye stood up. “What are you two idiots standing around for? Start packing and get going.”
“You want us to deliver it?!”
“Just for now — once I get a couple of electric scooters sorted out, I’ll have proper delivery riders. Just push through these first few days.”
Zhang Xinzhou patted Yang Fei on the shoulder. “Come on. He’s the boss.”
Yang Fei: “He’s not paying me, though.”
Zhang Xinzhou laughed. “I’ll pay you. Stop complaining, let’s go.”
The two of them grabbed two large bags and sprinted off toward the women’s dorms. They were barely back before Xu Ye had two more bags already packed and waiting.
“Hard work, I know — I appreciate it. We close at ten-thirty, so push through. You’ve got this.”
“You absolute—!”
Off they went again at a trot.
This went on until ten-thirty, by which point almost everything was sold. Xu Ye closed the till cheerfully. “All right, that’s it for tonight. We pick it back up tomorrow.”
The campus at ten-thirty was nearly deserted.
Streetlights stretched the four of them into long shadows on the path back.
Yang Fei kept staring at his step count, complaining that he’d crossed twenty thousand steps for the day.
Zhang Xinzhou didn’t feel it as much. If anything, he felt satisfied — tired, sure, but the kind of tired that comes with learning things no textbook had ever taught him.
Li Tongwen wasn’t tired at all. Compared to harvesting wheat under a blazing summer sun back home, this was nothing — and this came with a paycheck. He thought about that for a moment, glanced quietly over at Xu Ye, and felt a complicated mix of gratitude and something that looked a lot like admiration.
“Hey, Uncle Chen~”
“It’s me, Xu Ye.”
“Any chance you can bring another load over tomorrow afternoon?”
“Yeah, today’s stock is almost all gone.”
“Right, right — noon delivery is fine. I’ve got classes morning and afternoon tomorrow, so lunch is the window.”
“Perfect. Tonight I’ll line things up with the vendors — you just pick up and bring it straight over.”
“Great. Talk tomorrow. Bye.”
…
Back at the dorm, the first thing Xu Ye did was message Chen Qingqing.
It was late enough that he was worried she might already be asleep.
Xu Ye: Just closed up shop.
Chen Qingqing: This late?
Xu Ye: Good business, it was busy.
Chen Qingqing: How much did you make?
Xu Ye: Didn’t tally it exactly. Rough gross revenue around five thousand for the day.
Chen Qingqing: That’s a lot.
Xu Ye: And it’s only day one.
Chen Qingqing: Mm.
Xu Ye: Are you a little unhappy right now?
Chen Qingqing: No.
Xu Ye: I can tell that you are.
Xu Ye: Is it because I took this long to message you?
Chen Qingqing: No.
Xu Ye: These first few days are the hardest stretch. Once things settle down, I’ll have more time.
Xu Ye: And besides, I’m making money for you too, you know.
Chen Qingqing: ?
Xu Ye: If I don’t make money, how am I supposed to take care of you?
(End of Chapter)