20. The Beginning of the Journey (Please add to your favorites and vote for recommendations)

After listening to Bu Chunsheng share a few more stories from his days in the army, Chen Ling washed up and lay down on his bed.

No sooner had he pulled out his phone than a message arrived—it was Liu Xinyue’s reply: “I just went to take a shower, so I’m replying late. How about you? Are you done with your work?”

“How did you know I was busy?”

“I’m in your group chat too, you know! There are multiple groups, each with thousands of members—how could you not be busy? I have to force myself not to message you, afraid I’ll disturb you.”

“It’s been pretty hectic, but whenever it’s a message from you, I’ll always reply when I see it.”

“Too bad you don’t see them! Hmph~”

“Uh~ Sorry, that’s my fault. Don’t be mad, okay? I’ll dare to do better next time!”

“??? Were you sent to torment me by the heavens?”

“Don’t blame the heavens. If you have any complaints, bring them to me. Actually, I was sent by the Buddha.”

“Why does the Buddha have it out for me?”

“He’s got it out for me, that’s why he sent me to endure your torment!”

“So being with me is torment, is that it?”

“Every second I don’t see you is like a knife twisting in my heart. Isn’t that the cruelest torment of all?”

“...Be honest—how many girls have you said these words to? You’re so practiced, I’m at a loss.”

“Are you counting yourself?”

“Wait, you’re actually counting? T-T If you include me, then what?”

“So does that mean we’re official now?”

“What, you’ve hugged me and kissed me, and now that you’ve gotten your fill, you want to back out?”

“How is that enough? Hugging and kissing... there’s still a final step.”

“You scoundrel!”

“The last step is marrying you...”

After Chen Ling sent that message, he waited a long time before Liu Xinyue replied: “You’re going to kill me with exasperation! Hmph~ Good night, sweet dreams! ^-^”

Chen Ling smiled when he saw it, plugged in his phone to charge, and tossed it aside without replying.

...

“To dream of you is a good dream; not to dream of you is a nightmare.”

“Could you not run around in my dreams?”

“Let’s have lunch together tomorrow. You pick the place, just as long as it’s not in a dream.”

Liu Xinyue lay there, endlessly guessing what Chen Ling’s reply might be, clutching her phone and waiting for what felt like an eternity, but deep into the night, the awaited message never came...

Her feelings, so sweet at first, gradually turned anxious and uncertain, until in the end, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep the whole night.

...

But Liu Xinyue was not the only one sleepless that night. At the same time, Feng Lifang sat lost in her thoughts, Chen Ling’s gentle “teacher” and that faint smile replaying over and over in her mind...

“Was he using that address to tell me there can’t be anything between us?”

“Or was it entirely unintentional? But then why did he deliberately come after me?”

“He must secretly laugh at me for being so rigid and inflexible, right?”

“If he did have feelings for me, why not say so directly? And if not, then why do things and say things that are so easily misunderstood?”

Feng Lifang’s confusion gradually gave way to a sense of grievance...

Beneath the night sky, on the quiet campus, the crescent moon shone on the lake, where the occasional breeze stirred gentle ripples—just as her emotions swayed within her heart.

...

After several days of smooth operations, the reputation of their prepaid phone credit group had become stellar. The most tangible evidence was that many clients no longer waited online; they would simply leave a note and transfer money, greatly improving efficiency.

Thus, for a while, life in Dorm 310 became remarkably orderly—Zhang Peng, Bao Zhenhai, and Bu Chunsheng all got up early every day, to sort out the overnight orders and send them to the service center. The whole production line ran like clockwork.

The only exception was Chen Ling. Even though everyone else was up at the crack of dawn, he was always nowhere to be seen when they woke. Even the daily task of delivering cash to the shop, thanks to Chen Ling’s arrangements, was handled by Zhang Peng.

As for what Chen Ling was actually up to, he never said, and the others didn’t ask. After all, by now they had processed over ten thousand orders—far surpassing their expectations. With such impressive profits, whatever Chen Ling did, Zhang Peng and the others simply assumed he had his reasons.

That morning, before dawn, Chen Ling got up quietly. In fact, he was the busiest and most exhausted of them all these days, but to ensure the steady profits from the phone credit business, and to lay the groundwork for his next plan, these preparations had to be done by him alone.

After washing up in the communal bathroom, he left the dorm building and headed for the campus gate. He had barely walked a few steps when Feng Lifang came jogging up.

She had a habit of morning runs, so lately she and Chen Ling often crossed paths. But after their last encounter, she had no idea how to face him, so now, every time they met in passing, she would simply nod “good morning,” then deliberately quicken her pace and run on.

Chen Ling, on the other hand, found this rather amusing. After all, seeing the tall, graceful Feng Lifang jog past him in her athletic wear every morning was a pleasure in itself.

He hadn’t noticed, however, that on the first day she wore long track pants, but by the second, she had switched to shorts that couldn’t be any shorter...

When Chen Ling stepped out of the campus gate, dawn was barely breaking, but Liu Xinyue was already waiting for him at the bus stop. Lately, whenever she had no classes in the morning, she would accompany Chen Ling on his errands, and together they had wandered through almost every corner of the city...

“Where to today?” Liu Xinyue asked, handing him a freshly made egg pancake—the only people up earlier than them were the breakfast vendors.

Taking it, Chen Ling glanced at her slightly weary face and asked with concern, “Are you tired? You don’t have to keep me company like this. Lack of sleep will ruin your complexion, you know~”

“I don’t care!” Liu Xinyue huffed. “I want to be the woman who witnesses you building your empire. That way, even if I become an old hag, even if you end up marrying someone else, you’ll never forget me—you’ll always remember the girl who was with you when you had nothing, who walked this path with you...”

“Tsk~” Chen Ling laughed awkwardly. “Didn’t we agree not to get sentimental? You’re making it hard for me not to be moved.”

With a proud toss of her head, Liu Xinyue declared, “This is called genuine emotion, not sentimentality.”

“You really are impossible!” Just then the bus arrived, and Chen Ling took her hand and led her on board.

There were only a few passengers on the early bus, all curled up in their seats, catching up on sleep. Sitting together, Liu Xinyue rested her head on Chen Ling’s shoulder and soon drifted off, while Chen Ling leaned against the window, silently watching the city awakening outside...

It was a strange feeling—a city of millions, each person living their own unique story.

The breakfast vendor would help the late-night snack seller clean up, then, in the same spot, feed a different group of people with different food;

Taxi drivers changing shifts would gather at a wide intersection, sharing the joy of a good fare or complaining about difficult passengers;

Sanitation workers had already started adding color and brightness to the city’s canvas with their own small brushes;

But above all, there were more and more pedestrians, most in a hurry, truly chasing the stars and the moon, who knows if they were out early or returning late, each rushing through life—some gritting their teeth, some finding joy in it, some... perhaps not even knowing where they were headed.

“Lazy cat, wake up, we’re here~” At their stop, Chen Ling gently woke Liu Xinyue.

“Mmm... We’re here?” The sleepy girl lifted her head just as the first rays of sunlight streamed through the window onto her beloved’s face, and she couldn’t help but kiss him, then wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, “With you and the sunshine both here, it’s perfect!”

Moved, Chen Ling sighed, “Ah~ we missed our stop again!”

“That’s even better!” Liu Xinyue buried her face against his shoulder. “The longer it takes, the more of your time is mine...”

But just ten minutes later, as Chen Ling tugged her along on the walk back, she pouted in complaint, “Why is one bus stop so far away?”

At last, they arrived. Liu Xinyue glanced around, puzzled, “Maple Green Estates? I think I’ve heard my dad mention this place before…”

“It was the hottest-selling neighborhood a couple of years ago, very well-known,” Chen Ling replied, pulling out his phone to make a call.

Before long, a middle-aged woman emerged from the estate, holding a poodle that started barking madly at them from ten meters away.

“Bubbles, Bubbles, stop barking! Keep it up and I’ll have you neutered!” The woman came up to them. “You must be Xiao Chen?”

Chen Ling nodded. Seeing the dog still yapping, he stamped his foot, startling it into silence; the dog immediately darted behind its owner, whimpering.

“Sorry, he’s not great with strangers.” The woman scooped up the dog, then unlocked the rolling shutter of a nearby shop and led them inside.

She added, “You have a good eye—my shop is in the best spot around here, right by the estate entrance and facing the sales offices for phases three and four. When I bought it, I had to pull some strings to deal with the developer directly! If you rent it, you’ll do great business—money will roll in!”

“Madam,” Chen Ling said after a quick look around to confirm everything was in order, “the price is as we discussed, right?”

“Yes, thirty-six hundred a month.” She nodded. “You’re straightforward, and so am I. That’ll be the price, and I’ll cover the property fees for you, okay?”

Chen Ling knew full well that these shops had five years of property fees bundled in as a discount when sold, but he smiled politely. “Thank you so much, ma’am! I’ll be counting on you in the future!”

“No problem!” The woman waved off the thanks, then, spotting Liu Xinyue, added with a smile, “Young lady, you’re so lucky! Your boyfriend is starting his own business at such a young age—he’s got a bright future ahead!”

Liu Xinyue ignored the empty pleasantries. She had realized by now that Chen Ling was here to rent a shop. “So you’re renting a shop to...?”

“To start a company!” Chen Ling grinned, turning to her. “Let’s sign the contract.”

The woman, well aware of her role as landlord, promptly produced the prepared contract.

Chen Ling read it over, filled in the necessary details, and with a flourish of his pen and a press of his thumbprint, the true beginning of his career was finally set!

In this city, many people have no idea where they’re headed—but Chen Ling was different.

He knew exactly what he wanted, and his journey had only just begun…