Chapter 10: Shopping and Buying Things

Some are happy while others are sad; this saying captures the myriad states of human life.

Those students who received their admission letters were full of high spirits and ambition. The unsuccessful candidates, however, wept in secret; some, after their sorrow, gathered their spirits to prepare for another attempt the following year, while others were filled with regret, helplessly embarking on an endless journey of working for others.

Of course, none of this had anything to do with Shen Yan. Under the arrangements of Shen Nainai, there was a succession of celebration banquets for his admission, and amidst the constant flattery from relatives and friends, Shen Yan only felt that it was all insipid and dull.

Flattering the high and trampling the low has always been the habitual trick of these people; how many in this world are truly good to him?

Time is like sand that cannot be held; inadvertently, it slips away quietly through one's fingers.

In the blink of an eye, the summer vacation was already nearing its end.

At 9:00 PM on September 1st, after the courier took away the last batch of packages, Shen Yan couldn't help but let out a soft sigh of relief.

With this, his nearly two-month-long career of running an online shop during the summer vacation had come to an end.

Opening Alipay, the string of numbers in the balance column seemed to be flashing with golden light, shining brilliantly.

RMB

After deducting the 150,000 returned to Shen Nainai and adding the amount from orders not yet received, a rough calculation showed a total profit of about 350,000 for the two months; the earnings could be described as quite gratifying.

Upon learning this news, even though she had been mentally prepared, Shen Nainai still couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.

Good heavens! Her precious grandson had earned nearly ten years' worth of an ordinary person's wages in just two months at home, directly shattering the limits of her perception.

So, making money could be this simple!

"Xiao Yan, since running an online shop is so profitable, why don't we hire someone to keep doing it? You just go to school, and Grandma will watch over it here for you." Shen Nainai was somewhat reluctant to miss out on such a great business opportunity.

Shen Yan smiled slightly and explained, "Grandma, don't you worry about this; just enjoy your life. Once I get settled in Hangzhou, the online shop will definitely continue to operate."

Hearing this, Shen Nainai did not insist, only urging Shen Yan that while making money was fine, he must never neglect his studies, to which Shen Yan naturally agreed wholeheartedly.

"Beep beep beep!"

A QQ notification sound came from the computer.

Opening it, he saw a message sent by Yu Youwei.

"Shen Yan, school is about to start, when will the wages be paid? 【Emoji: Angry】"

"Transferred to your Alipay, please check."

"Wow! Boss is mighty, Boss is generous."

Having grown up, this was the first time Yu Youwei had received a wage, and she couldn't help but jump around in her room, her eyes full of little stars.

In her excitement, she didn't forget to edit a message: "You still owe me a piece of clothing. Let's go shopping tomorrow morning; I need to buy a new phone, and also..."

Between the lines, one could see Yu Youwei's infinite longing for university life.

Shen Yan: "Let's make it the evening; I have to take the Subject Four test during the day."

???

Yu Youwei's head was full of question marks. Although she had known Shen Yan was taking his driver's license test, this speed was just too fast. In half a month, you already finished taking the driver's license test?

"Talent, it's just that unreasonable 【Emoji: Smug】" Shen Yan replied mischievously.

"Shameless! 【Emoji: Tongue sticking out】"

In her room, Yu Youwei's mouth was filled with a smile. This childhood sweetheart seemed to have changed quite a bit; he was practically reborn, as it would have been impossible for him to speak in this tone before.

But it felt pretty good.

At 7:00 PM the next day, the sky was as dark as high-quality obsidian hanging in the firmament, with countless stars dotted in between, like broken light, like feather-glow, emitting a gentle and brilliant radiance, flickering here and there, beautiful beyond compare.

On the small path next to Zhongxinyuan, Shen Yan rode his e-scooter heading west, various night-view neon lights coming into view, the breeze brushing his face, feeling indescribably comfortable.

Yu Youwei, sitting in the back seat of the e-scooter, was singing happily.

Singing this song for you~

With no particular style~

It only represents~

That I want to give you happiness~

Thawing the glaciers for you~

Being a moth flying into the fire for you~

There is nothing that is not worth it~

Yu Youwei's singing voice was very beautiful, ethereal yet full of emotion. She had once been invited to sing on stage at a school gala, and after singing Xu Song's "Why Not," the cheerful melody made Shen Yan feel encouraged and joyful.

"Youwei's singing is still so good; sing a few more."

Yu Youwei was so flattered that she felt like she was floating on air; hugging Shen Yan's waist, she sang three more songs in a row.

"Hey, hey, hey! You can sing, but don't touch randomly."

Noticing the unruly little hand at his lower abdomen, Shen Yan couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Yu Youwei chuckled. There was no helping it; Shen Yan's long-term persistence in fitness had excellent results—a 'dog waist' and eight-pack abs that made one want to touch them more.

"Shen Yan, your physique is just too good!"

To be honest, if it had been this Shen Yan who confessed to her back then, she felt she might not have been able to hold back.

No, during university, studies come first; she absolutely must not fall in love.

Yu Youwei shook her head, casting aside this thought that shouldn't exist in her mind.

"I'm driving, don't move around!" Shen Yan slapped the back of Yu Youwei's hand, signaling her to behave.

"Tch! So stingy."

Ten minutes later, the two arrived at the bustling Fanhua Street, where people came and went in an endless stream, the neon lights flickering, and the dazzling array of goods making one's eyes dizzy and unable to take it all in.

There were constant street vendors at the shop entrances, the sound of hawking rising one after another, and the wafting fragrance was even more lingering and memorable.

Shen Yan first bought two cups of milk tea, then was dragged by Yu Youwei to linger in various clothing stores.

"Shen Yan, what do you think of this dress?"

"It looks good."

"How about this one?"

"It looks good."

"Why do you say everything looks good? Asking you is a waste of time."

Shen Yan rubbed his nose; sure enough, accompanying a girl shopping was the most annoying thing ever.

The female sales clerk beside them trembled slightly, signaling that she usually didn't laugh, unless she couldn't help it.

Men don't have it easy either.

In the end, Yu Youwei chose two dresses, a T-shirt, and a pair of denim shorts; as promised, Shen Yan paid for one of the dresses, which cost 158, a result of Yu Youwei exhausting her eloquence to haggle the price down.

Afterward, Shen Yan bought himself three sets of Adidas menswear and a pair of sneakers, spending two thousand, which made Yu Youwei click her tongue in astonishment as she kept pestering him about how much his cousin had given him as a cut.

Shen Yan casually replied that he had been given fifteen thousand.

"That's not fair! Why do I get two thousand a month while you get so much?" Yu Youwei instantly bristled, puffing out her cheeks with a face full of indignation.

"Pfft! I'm the one running around busy, coordinating the whole operation, okay? You're just a customer service representative who works while binge-watching shows; you should be happy just to have a two-thousand-dollar salary."

"You..." Yu Youwei's small face flushed red, yet she was left speechless.

At this moment, she couldn't help but miss that quiet person from before; at the very least, he wouldn't use his words to needle people.