“Calm down first.”

Xu Ye kept riding the scooter, laughing as he talked. “You just do this one thing for me, and once it’s sorted, I’ll give you a manager title at my company.”

“Why do you need to know about the logistics director at my school?”

“I’m getting into vending machines. To place units on campus, you have to work through the school’s logistics department. I need you to look into him so I know how to approach him properly — read the situation before I go in. Make sense?”

Qin Zhiwei nodded. “More or less.”

Xu Ye rode back to the fruit shop with Zhiwei in tow. Xu Wanying had just finished cutting a half watermelon. Xu Ye handed a piece to Qin Zhiwei and squatted at the entrance with his own slice. “If this works out, I’ll need to hire a few part-timers at your school to handle stocking. You’d be running them. Once the operation scales, you’d be the head of the whole Xuhui District territory.”

“Have you been running a pyramid scheme? You’ve gotten suspiciously good at recruiting people since university started.”

Xu Ye knocked his hip against Zhiwei’s. “I’m bringing you along on the way up. If you don’t want in, plenty of others will.”

“I’m in. I didn’t say I wasn’t.”

Xu Ye immediately threw an arm around his shoulders. “That’s my guy. Let me take you somewhere good for lunch.”

“You’re buying?”

“Let’s go halves. I’ve got a lot of capital expenditures right now. Once the money starts flowing, I’ll pick up every tab.”

Qin Zhiwei knew Xu Ye’s family background was nothing special — even with Zhang Xinzhou as a partner, Xu Ye had clearly put in his own money somewhere along the way. Going halves seemed completely reasonable.

At noon, Xu Ye rode his scooter with Qin Zhiwei to Baolong Plaza and walked into the same steakhouse he’d been to the night before.

Qin Zhiwei looked around at the decor and muttered, “This place looks expensive.”

“It’s not. Grand opening special.”

Xu Ye steered him inside and they found seats. The server came over with menus; Xu Ye waved them away. “No need — two of the 199-yuan sets, please.”

“Of course. One moment.”

Qin Zhiwei said immediately, “We said halves coming in. Don’t try to make me pay the whole bill.”

“You’ll be fine.”

They talked about various things. The food came quickly. Neither of them was entirely sure how to use the cutlery, and both privately wished they’d been given chopsticks instead. In under fifteen minutes, both sets were cleared.

When Qin Zhiwei had finished wiping his mouth with a satisfied expression, Xu Ye asked, “Full?”

“Very.”

“Ready to settle up?”

“Sure, each pay our half.”

Xu Ye raised a hand and called the server over. “We’ll take the check.”

“Two hundred and ninety-eight yuan total, please.” [TL: two 199-yuan sets]

“Wei-bro, put in 199 first.”

Qin Zhiwei paid without argument.

Then Xu Ye produced a slip of paper from his pocket — the discount voucher the server had given him last night — and handed it over. “This is the fifty-percent-off coupon you gave me last night.”

“Of course, sir.”

Qin Zhiwei looked at that coupon and felt the distinct urge to commit murder.

Are you kidding me.

We said halves. I paid a hundred and ninety-nine yuan. You paid a COUPON?!

“Xu Ye. Are you even human?”

“Why are you looking at me like that? The total was three hundred and ninety-eight. Didn’t you pay exactly half?”

…

To release some of his grievance, Qin Zhiwei walked out of the fruit shop with a substantial quantity of fruit, which Xu Ye made no move to stop. The seasonal produce cost almost nothing at wholesale anyway.

Once he’d seen Qin Zhiwei off, Xu Ye didn’t go back to school. He rode the scooter straight to the bank to ask about student loan programs. When he heard that the maximum amount under the standard scheme was eight thousand yuan, he lost interest immediately. On his way out, he asked one more question: “Are there any business support programs specifically for university students?”

“There are, actually. The Shanghai University Student Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Fund and the Shanghai SME Credit Guarantee Center have jointly established a startup credit guarantee fund for university students in Shanghai. [TL: these are real programs that existed in Shanghai during this period, part of broader national efforts to encourage graduate-level entrepreneurship] The maximum single loan is five hundred thousand yuan, structured as a working capital loan with a term under one year.”

Xu Ye perked up. “What do I need to apply?”

“Student identification, business license, operating permit. The applicant needs to demonstrate some existing personal capital, as well as stable income and repayment capacity. And the most important thing is—”

“What?”

“You need a guarantor.”

“What kind of guarantor?”

“A senior school administrator, a business owner, or someone within the banking sector. In short, someone with recognized social standing.”

Xu Ye nodded slowly. “Understood. Thank you.”

Five hundred thousand yuan would solve a lot of problems, and he very much wanted it. But senior school administrators and established businesspeople — he didn’t know any. As for someone in banking: he knew exactly one person, and that person was Chen Qingqing’s father.

Every time they’d been in the same space, Chen Hansong’s eyes had communicated a fairly clear desire to skin him alive. Asking him for help wasn’t remotely realistic.

“Looks like I’m pulling from the stock account then.”

He left the bank and rode off.

Since the vending machine idea had taken root, the fruit shop barely occupied his thinking anymore. Business had stabilized; with Xu Wanying, Li Tongwen, and Yang Fei holding things together, it ran on its own.

That evening, he sent Jiang Wei a message: “Check with your uncle — when can we do the installation?”

She replied quickly: “Already asked. Thursday and Friday.”

Jiang Wei: Meet me at Cafeteria One at noon tomorrow.

Xu Ye: What for?

Jiang Wei: I’m giving you my investment.

Xu Ye: Got it. I’ll be at the cafeteria entrance.

Jiang Wei: Okay~

After sending that, he showered. Coming out, he found two unread messages from Jiang Meilin.

Jiang Meilin: Xiao Xu, something to tell you.

Jiang Meilin: I’ll be in Shanghai next Friday.

He replied: “Auntie, I was just in the shower. Are you coming to see Qingqing?”

She came back quickly. “I have a cosmetics expo to attend, and I’m visiting Qingqing while I’m there. You’re in Pudong, right?”

Xu Ye: That’s right.

Jiang Meilin: I’m flying into Pudong Airport. Be my guide — come take me to Qingqing’s school.

Xu Ye: Happy to. I was planning to go see her next week anyway.

Jiang Meilin: Settled then. I’ll come straight to your school next Friday.

Jiang Meilin: Don’t tell Qingqing.

Xu Ye: Understood.

He closed the chat with Jiang Meilin and opened the one with Qingqing. Last night’s voice call had lasted over five hours — it only ended because his phone died.

Xu Ye: What are you up to?

Chen Qingqing: Reading manga.

Xu Ye: Any good?

Chen Qingqing: Mediocre. A bit boring.

Xu Ye: I’m coming to see you next week.

Chen Qingqing: Which day?

Xu Ye: Either Friday evening or Saturday morning.

Chen Qingqing: Don’t bring flowers.

Chen Qingqing: No gifts either.

Chen Qingqing: Wait for me somewhere a bit further off.

Xu Ye: Starting to feel like you’re embarrassed by me.

Chen Qingqing: Correct.

Chen Qingqing: Just a little bit embarrassed.

Xu Ye: Then next week I’ll bring a banner. It’ll say: “Qingqing of Room 205 — focus on your studies. I’ll raise our child alone.”

Chen Qingqing: You wouldn’t dare.

Chen Qingqing: You absolute menace.

Xu Ye: Joking. I’m alone in the dorm right now. Want to do a video call?

Chen Qingqing: Video call for what?

Xu Ye: To see your legs.

(End of Chapter 98)