Chapter 45: Selling Dreams on Both Sides Is Enough

The early autumn in Chang'an had a hint of chill, but the sunlight shining on one's body cast a layer of warmth; the sky was high and the clouds were thin, tranquil and cozy.

On an afternoon with no classes, Yang Tianxing took He Yulin and Liu Jiaoyue to find Sun Nan, the deputy secretary of the school's Youth League Committee.

Liu Jiaoyue was there to express her gratitude, He Yulin was there to apologize for her previous impulsiveness, and Yang Tianxing was there for support for his startup project.

"You're always wearing old clothes; aren't you cold?"

Seeing that Liu Jiaoyue was wearing her loose high school uniform again, Yang Tianxing was wondering when to go buy her some clothes.

"I'm not."

Liu Jiaoyue shook her head, thought for a moment, and added, "Chuan-Yu is even colder than Chang'an, and I'm not afraid of it."

He Yulin glanced at Liu Jiaoyue with some surprise; according to her impression, Liu Jiaoyue shouldn't be talking to Yang Tianxing like this.

Sun Nan was writing materials in his office when he suddenly saw three students appear at the door; he certainly remembered Yang Tianxing, and he also had some impression of He Yulin, who had slammed the table.

"No classes this afternoon?"

Sun Nan said to Yang Tianxing.

"Our class doesn't have any this afternoon."

Yang Tianxing answered with a smile, then explained the reason for He Yulin and Liu Jiaoyue's arrival.

"Classmate He Yulin realized that it was wrong to argue in your office last time, and she came here specifically to apologize."

He Yulin said with a sincere face, "Secretary Sun, I didn't understand the situation last time, so I lost my temper here. After Yang Tianxing's explanation, I finally understood that the work of the Youth League Committee has a global and overall perspective. I apologize for my recklessness that day."

Sun Nan was stunned for a moment, then said to He Yulin, "It's fine. You are all freshmen; sometimes losing your temper is something we teachers can be tolerant of."

After finishing, he said to Yang Tianxing, "It was a small matter I had long forgotten; you still had someone come over so solemnly to apologize."

Yang Tianxing smiled and pointed to the folder in He Yulin's hand, saying, "This is a small token of appreciation prepared by our Public Administration Class 2, to thank Secretary Sun for the support you have given us in your busy schedule."

Sun Nan initially wanted to refuse: "No need to be so polite; I haven't even taken care of your class."

"Classmate Liu Jiaoyue's financial aid for impoverished students has already been granted; this is the care you have shown our class," Yang Tianxing said.

Finally, Sun Nan looked at the folders, estimating they weren't worth much money, and since his cabinet was missing such things anyway, he accepted them.

Yang Tianxing introduced Liu Jiaoyue again: "This is classmate Liu Jiaoyue. She came this time to bring Secretary Sun some mustard greens and chili sauce, a specialty from her hometown. The chili is from Chuan-Yu, and the mustard greens are from our school; you could say it's wool taken from the sheep itself."

Liu Jiaoyue took the bottle of mustard greens and chili sauce out of the bag; she had no experience with such occasions, and her hands were trembling.

Sun Nan sized up Liu Jiaoyue. The most obvious thing was the old school uniform she was wearing; judging by the style, it was still a high school uniform from before 2000. Some parts had already faded from washing, and the soles of her little cloth shoes should have been white, but because they had been worn for too long, they had turned a milky gray.

She kept her head down shyly; Sun Nan understood that this was a common trait of impoverished students, where a sense of inferiority affected normal social interaction.

Therefore, Sun Nan had long ago judged that Yang Tianxing's family conditions were likely quite good; he had felt no restraint the first time he came to the Youth League office, and now he was even more familiar with the place.

Yang Tianxing also noticed Liu Jiaoyue's trembling arms; he leaned over, took the glass bottle, and whispered, "Don't panic, I'm here."

Sun Nan smiled; this kid Yang Tianxing was thick-skinned enough, but he seemed to treat his classmates well—no wonder he could become the class monitor.

"You two go organize the bookcase together."

Yang Tianxing gave instructions to the two girls, then took out a cigarette to help Sun Nan light it.

Sun Nan was in a very good mood. There is a meaning to existence called "being needed." Although the folders and the side dish cost less than 10 yuan, the grateful attitude of Public Administration Class 2 made Sun Nan feel satisfied.

Sun Nan's style was a bit bureaucratic, but Yang Tianxing had already left a very good impression on him.

"Secretary Sun, there must be quite a few impoverished students in the school, right?"

Yang Tianxing chatted while smoking.

Sun Nan did not hide it: "Normally, the amount of funding is less than the number of impoverished students, so every year there are quite a few who are left out."

"The school is under a lot of pressure too. Actually, it could provide more channels for them to earn their own living expenses," Yang Tianxing suggested.

Sun Nan thought he was talking about work-study programs: "We have opened part-time positions in the cafeteria, library, and the University Student Activity Center, but not many students do them."

Yang Tianxing helped Sun Nan relight his cigarette before saying, "I mean we could provide more channels."

"Little Yang, if you have any opinions, you can just say them."

Sun Nan realized that Yang Tianxing must have some ideas.

"I really can't hide anything from Secretary Sun."

Yang Tianxing chuckled: "Ever since I saw that 'University Student Startup Support Plan,' I've been keeping an eye on it. I just happened to hear that the person in charge of the Chang'an district for Shentong Express is preparing to develop campus business, so I was wondering if it could be combined with the University Student Startup Support Plan."

Yang Tianxing was "selling a dream" again, because Zhang Liye had no intention of developing campus business at all.

Sun Nan thought for a moment: "I explained that day too; the school doesn't have many resources to support it for the time being. At most, I can provide those abandoned utility rooms on the first floor of the teaching building."

"That's enough, Secretary Sun."

Yang Tianxing said modestly: "How big is our operation? We don't need the attention of school leaders; the pressure would be too great. We only need you, Secretary Sun, to occasionally take the time to guide us."

Sun Nan laughed after hearing this: "You kid, don't feed me sweet talk. Other students have wanted to use those empty rooms before, but I rejected them because they didn't meet the rules."

Sun Nan touched his fleshy chin and said while thinking: "If it's used in the name of the University Student Startup Support Project, then it basically stands on firm ground. If you hire one or two impoverished students then, there won't be any problems with public opinion either. If there are real economic benefits, the school leaders will also approve."

"An expert, this is an expert at solving campus problems."

Yang Tianxing thought to himself. Sun Nan had been in the school's Youth League Committee for so many years that he had long since mastered all the ins and outs, and could even predict what difficulties might be encountered in advance.

Now, it all depended on Sun Nan's thoughts.

Sun Nan leaned back in his office chair, looked at the mustard greens and chili sauce on the table, looked at He Yulin and Liu Jiaoyue, who were earnestly helping him organize the file cabinet, and then looked at Yang Tianxing, who treated the Youth League office like "home," thinking about the possible risks of approving this project.

Actually, for the Finance Institute, this document was just to appease the superiors. So far, no university student had come to the Youth League Committee to discuss startup support. For one thing, the school didn't have many resources, and for another, very few students paid attention to these things.

Since there were no resources, there were no benefits, so whether to pass it or not was just a matter of a single thought for Sun Nan.

If it were other students, Sun Nan, who hated trouble, would have long since ignored them, but this was Yang Tianxing, and he had just accepted the goodwill of Public Administration Class 2.

Sun Nan hesitated for a moment: "I've heard of Shentong Express too. It would be great if I could meet that person in charge of the Chang'an district."