Chapter 951: Acceptance

I got you a foldable army cot—our shop’s small, so you can fold it up during the day and sleep on it at night without taking up much space. Blanket, mattress, pillow, towel, toiletries—all right here. You sort it out yourself.

Xiong Qingchun came back in a taxi, opened the trunk, called out Wang Yan, and pointed at the items, explaining everything. Then she picked up the lighter things like blankets and walked into the shop.

Wang Yan took the army cot and other items from the taxi’s trunk, nodded politely to the driver beside him, and followed Xiong Qingchun into the shop.

Like in the drama, the shop was divided into front and back sections by a sliding door. The front had been simply decorated for reception; the back was less refined. Though the walls had been freshly whitewashed, some stains remained in the corners—clearly, this had once been a small shop with a kitchen in the back.

Wang Yan piled all the items into the corner and didn’t bother unpacking them yet; after all, it wasn’t permanent—he’d sort it out tonight.

Xiong Qingchun sat behind the desk, staring at Wang Yan’s laptop: “Oh, programming? What are you trying to develop?”

“A human resources database. We’re in this business, so we need to accumulate positions—and people too. Whether or not we currently have jobs our applicants need, storing them first is definitely better than nothing. Who knows when a position might open up? Once we’ve gathered enough, the software can match candidates and recommend them specifically.”

“That’s like using a cannon to swat a fly—we’ve got how many people? Not worth developing software for.” Xiong Qingchun laughed bitterly. “But if your software works well, you could sell it to small headhunting firms or labor agencies—they’d probably buy it.”

“Too narrow-minded. You’re crushing your own spirit before you even start. That habit’s bad—you need to watch it.” Wang Yan wandered to the front and lay down on the old, worn-out sofa. “Nanning’s grown decently these past two years, but conditions are still poor compared to big cities. Just look at the jobs we’re offering—they’re miles behind.”

“Then where’s good? Beijing? Shanghai?”

“Only three places: the Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta, and Beijing—radiation range matters. The Yangtze River Delta covers Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. The Pearl River Delta covers Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and more. Beijing’s the political center; every world-famous company has branches or offices there, all doing business, so its reach is huge too. Tell me, where can Nanning radiate to?”

“So you plan to develop in one of those places?”

“It’s not about what I want—it’s that if we have any ambition, if we want to make big money, aim high, or experience something more exciting, that’s inevitable once we reach a certain point. It’s purely a personal choice.”

“But talking about that now is too far off. At least here we can scrape together two decent meals. If we go somewhere else, it’ll be hard—couldn’t even afford rent, let alone do anything else.”

“I don’t have grand ambitions—I just want to make money, as much as possible. You said I’m not the type to fall into consumption traps? Let me tell you, I really want to fall into one—I just want to buy, buy, buy. Only expensive stuff, never the right stuff.”

“Shouldn’t you be sending money to your boyfriend so he can properly experience the gentleness of capitalism? Then you take a pile of cash, stand in front of his mom who looks down on you, and slap it in her face—make her beg you, make her fear losing you, her rich, wealthy girlfriend…”

“Ugh, that’s so annoying.”

Watching Wang Yan lying on the sofa, hands behind his head, smirking and mocking, Xiong Qingchun gritted her teeth and cut him off. She casually twisted the laptop screen toward her, staring at the white apple with a bite taken out.

She asked in surprise: “An Apple computer? And it’s new? I remember these cost over ten thousand?”

“Mm.”

“Bro, you’re talking about me? At least I don’t have money and still save every penny. You? No money but use such a good computer?”

“When did I say I had no money?”

“Didn’t you break someone’s thing and have to pay compensation?”

“Paying compensation is one thing—does that mean I’m left with nothing? I don’t have much money, not big money, but I still have some spending power. We’re all ordinary people—we can’t just sit and eat our savings. I got tired, exhausted from being inside, so I came out to work. It’s already afternoon—time to prepare dinner. I’m eating meat tonight. Make plenty. If you make too little, it won’t be enough.”

Xiong Qingchun rolled her eyes and didn’t answer—that was tacit approval…

Business at Qingchun Job Agency was poor. Wang Yan stayed the whole morning until five p.m., when they closed the shop, and not a single person walked in looking for work.

For dinner, Xiong Qingchun made three dishes and a big pot of bone stew—started simmering in the afternoon, bubbling for hours until tender and flavorful. To Wang Yan, it was just “edible”—far from delicious.

Wang Yan drank two bottles of cold beer. Xiong Qingchun didn’t drink, acting like a virtuous wife, cleaned up after the meal, gave Wang Yan a few instructions, then drove off, escaping him—ending a day she couldn’t understand and found hard to accept.

Sitting on the steps by the door, Wang Yan chewed on a Huazhi cigarette, smiling as he watched Xiong Qingchun drive away neatly. He sat there aimlessly, watching people pass by.

Few people walked down this street now—mostly passersby. After all, no one comes out at night looking for work…

For Wang Yan, today was just another ordinary day. Though he shamelessly acted like a brat, got close to Xiong Qingchun, and now worked in her shop—what did it matter? The trouble was hers, not his.

He could guarantee: Xiong Qingchun would have a sleepless night. She’d think about Wang Yan, and especially about what he said regarding her boyfriend. Some things can’t be overthought—especially firm yet fragile emotions, especially in this era.

In relationships between men and women, someone always has to break the ice and close the distance. After being shaped by the internet age, people habitually simplify complex behaviors into easy labels.

It’s worth restating the definition of a “licking dog”: someone who, knowing the other person doesn’t like them, repeatedly clings without dignity or boundaries, offering warm affection to a cold, indifferent backside.

But unquestionably, Wang Yan would never cling without dignity. If “licking” is a broad term, then yes—Wang Yan’s persistent pursuit of Xiong Qingchun could be called licking. But if he didn’t lick, how else would he break the ice?

He and Xiong Qingchun had no social connection, no mutual contacts. To establish a link with her—and he had clear intent—he had to be the one to move first. He could find where she lived, fake a few chance encounters, make the process less abrupt, inch closer slowly. But clearly, that would be useless overkill for him.

To some extent, Wang Yan is self-centered. That’s why he’s shameless—and why he immediately said those shameless things to Xiong Qingchun, directly breaking the ice and establishing a connection.

Being shameless is the simplest, most direct way to connect with a stranger woman. Of course, other men aren’t Wang Yan—even if shameless, they still need to be careful with methods, or they’re just harassers.

Of course, this isn’t limited to romantic relationships—it shows up in all aspects of life. Being shameless lets you gain advantages. As long as you stay within moral boundaries, it’s better to be a little shameless.

But in reality, people are always reserved, always concerned with face.

The shameless Wang Yan, after developing the HR system a bit longer, fell asleep on the foldable army cot—too short for him, his ankles sticking out the edge…

Nanning’s summer is a furnace. Daytime temperatures hover above thirty degrees, and even at night, it’s humid and stifling. But luckily, Wang Yan’s adaptability is extreme—he’s impervious to heat and cold—and slept reasonably well.

Early in the morning, Wang Yan woke up as usual, got ready, and headed out to maintain his thousand-year-old morning exercise habit.

Nanning is crossed by the Yongjiang River. Any city with a river or stream spends money maintaining it, building scenic walkways for citizens to stroll and enjoy—and Nanning is no exception.

Fortunately, the job agency isn’t far from the riverbank, so he headed over.

The riverside was lively in the morning—always some early exercisers, elderly folks taking walks, dog owners strolling their pets, and tourists from elsewhere enjoying the cool morning air by the water.

Wang Yan ran over ten kilometers, practiced two sets of fists. He’d planned to head straight back to the shop, but remembered there was no shower—he couldn’t rinse off—so he stopped at a breakfast stall, ate his fill, then found a nearby hot spring bathhouse, washed up, and returned feeling refreshed.

As he told Xiong Qingchun, he didn’t have big money, but he had some small cash—he still had fifty thousand, enough to last a while. Of course, money was never an issue for him, and he didn’t care. As he acted, money always came. Even if he did nothing, just studied the stock market, he could make some. He was a retail investor, sure—but definitely not a Jiucai .

When he returned, Xiong Qingchun had already arrived and was eating breakfast at the desk.

Seeing Wang Yan come back, she asked: “Where’d you run off to so early? I brought you breakfast—I didn’t know what you liked, so I bought a bit of everything.”

“Went for a run, stretched out. No need to buy me breakfast anymore—I’ll eat on the way.”

“I went out of my way to wake up early for you…”

“I’m not a three-year-old. If you don’t come, I won’t eat? But since you bought it, I won’t waste your kindness—I can eat, and I can eat a lot.”

“Don’t pretend if you can’t finish.”

“Do I look like someone who pretends?”

“Then how’d you get in?”

Wang Yan grinned and raised an eyebrow: “You’re getting into character fast, Boss Lady.”

“I figured it out—I don’t believe you’d dare do anything to me.”

“Didn’t you say that yesterday?”

“I figured it out even more clearly now. So what?”

Wang Yan smiled and sat down, eating his breakfast heartily.

Xiong Qingchun was, relatively speaking, generous, carefree, open-minded, and able to enjoy life—she adapted quickly, very much like a free-spirited person from the martial world. And indeed, she’d lost both parents, struggled on her own for years—if she weren’t resilient and had a strong heart, she couldn’t have stayed happy.

“Did you really eat breakfast?” Xiong Qingchun asked, uncertain as she watched Wang Yan devour his food.

“I told you—I’ve got a good appetite, big stomach.”

“That’s too good—I’m jealous. It’s so hot this morning, I can’t even eat.” Xiong Qingchun sighed, then asked, “Are you going out today to find job openings? How do you plan to do it?”

“How else? Just ask directly. We’re dealing with manual labor jobs—just go around asking. What’s there to plan?”

“It’s September now, October’s coming—aren’t there car shows, real estate expos? They’ll need short-term staff, or maybe some paid shills. Logistics will ramp up too—they’ll need hourly workers. October’s tourism peak season—lots of tourists coming, every industry busy—don’t they all need temporary workers?”

“Bro, you just ask and they’ll give you the jobs? They’ll just hand them over?”

“What else am I supposed to do? If one place says no, try another. The job market’s competitive now, but service industries never lack openings or workers. With enough patience—even without sharp communication skills—you can still find jobs.”

“It’s like anything—first time’s awkward, second time’s easy. Once you’ve had your first cooperation, and your service isn’t terrible, next time they need help, they’ll likely come back to you. And once you’ve worked with enough companies and referred enough people, word of mouth spreads, your reputation grows, and you enter a virtuous cycle.”

“Even if it’s hard to find, I can go to the building materials market—they all have signs up, waiting for work. I’ll find plumbers, waterproofers, plasterers, bricklayers, form a renovation team, spend some money to get a list of homeowners, subcontract renovation jobs, and still make money—still providing human resources services.”

Wang Yan wasn’t bluffing—this was highly feasible. Especially now, with the housing market improving and prices still rising, renovation work is plentiful—it’s just a matter of finding it. For Wang Yan, that was nothing.

It really was providing human resources services—he was integrating isolated, independent renovation professionals and connecting them with homeowners. The renovation fees he earned, minus the workers’ share, were essentially commissions—same thing.

“You’re just rationalizing. Why not just open a renovation company instead of a job agency?”

“I’m telling you—people won’t die from holding their urine. There’s always a way to make money. You haven’t seen what I can do—how do you know I’m not impressive? I tell you, if we work together, becoming rich and reaching a well-off life is just a matter of time.”

“Get lost, you’re not serious. We’ve only known each other one day—stop talking nonsense.”

“Blushing?”

“Your skin’s so thick—I believe you’ll have a lucky start today.”

“Thanks for the good wishes. Let’s take our first step toward wealth. Make extra lunch—I’ll be back to eat.”

“Here, take the car keys—easier to drive out. I filled the tank this morning. You have a license, right?”

“Not expired.”

“Then I’ll wait for your triumphant return.”

“You’re too eager—it’s not even time for work yet. Wait for what?”

“Just eat your food,” Xiong Qingchun snapped.

After eating, Wang Yan chatted with Xiong Qingchun a bit, then finally drove off to look for job openings.

Xiong Qingchun stood at the shop door, watching the car disappear, and unconsciously smiled.

After resisting, then trying to accept, she found Wang Yan easy to talk to and surprisingly interesting—very different from her earlier imagined version of him.

But his skin really was thick—he says anything…

She shook her head, swung her arms, and walked back into the shop, starting to make calls diligently—she needed to find job openings too, and job seekers, since she still had a few positions to fill—she had to earn money…