Chapter 321

The wind brushed past the night market outside the Normal University.

Carrying the fragrance of various snacks, it wove through the crowd.

The flags and cloth strips on the stalls fluttered in the wind, making a rustling sound.

"Iced lemon tea, sour plum soup, anyone want some? Refreshing and delicious, very good to drink."

Qian Lele was still squatting in her own corner, holding a rechargeable light bulb.

In front of her was a small blue cart with an insulated foam box on it, inside which were beverage bottles surrounded by ice packs.

Handmade tea drinks, a price of 6 yuan per cup, a clean and tidy stall, a simple and beautiful female college student.

The competitiveness in this night market was quite good.

From time to time, passing pedestrians would come up to buy a cup. She even had repeat customers.

Following Tang Song's suggestion, switching from bracelets to iced tea drinks, her side hustle had also ushered in a highlight moment.

Making 25 cups every day after work, the average profit per cup was 4 yuan, and after selling out, the daily net income was 100 yuan.

Of course, it wasn't possible to sell out every day; the leftovers were considered loss.

However, such a profit was also quite considerable.

At this rate, by the time the summer vacation ended, she should be able to earn more than 4,000 yuan from this side hustle.

The computer originally planned at 1,900 yuan could also have its budget raised a bit.

Thinking of this, a satisfied and happy smile appeared on Qian Lele's face.

She had hands and feet, and so many classmates, friends, and teachers willing to help her; life wasn't that hard.

As long as she persisted until graduation, she could start earning money wholeheartedly.

It's just that she heard the current employment situation in the computer industry was very grim, and she didn't know if she could find an ideal job by then.

But it didn't matter; there would be a way when the car reached the mountain, and she had survived the hardest days.

Just as she was imagining the future, Zhang Wen beside her suddenly screamed.

"What's wrong, Sister Wen? Did you get burned? I have ice packs here!" Qian Lele quickly stood up.

Previously, Zhang Wen had been burned by a plate of grilled sausages, and that was the reaction she had at the time.

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Zhang Wen shook her head vigorously, holding her phone, her face flushed red, "Bei Yuwei! It's Bei Yuwei! She really appeared on the streets of Yancheng! It's a pity it's not in our area, otherwise, I would run over to block her right now!"

She had recently become addicted to watching "Leisurely Listening to the Falling Rain" and was obsessed with Bei Yuwei; she even bought merchandise and stuck it on her camping car stall.

Hearing this, Qian Lele finally felt relieved.

The boss selling jelly noodles on the other side asked in surprise, "Zhang Wen, the Bei Yuwei you're talking about, is it that Chu Ruolin in 'Leisurely Listening to the Falling Rain'?"

"Mm-hmm! Yes! Brother Liang, you'll know if you look at Douyin. Bei Yuwei air-dropped into a women's clothing live-streaming room at Yunsheng Plaza in Yancheng." Zhang Wen said loudly and excitedly, "That female streamer was scared silly on the spot; it's really super interesting. Now that live-streaming clip is already on the hot search; Douyin, Weibo, official accounts, the whole internet is discussing it."

Brother Liang opened his phone to take a look and couldn't help but sigh, "It's truly a heaven-sent fortune; that female streamer named He Yiyi is really on fire."

"Yeah, 200,000 fans in half an hour! Now there are 100,000+ in the live-streaming room, and the gifts haven't stopped; this is the influence of a top celebrity!"

Brother Liang was full of envy and joked, "I'll have to study live-streaming to sell jelly noodles later; what if I can also run into such a big opportunity?"

Listening to the conversation between the two, Qian Lele just smiled and didn't have much of a reaction.

These were all too far away from her, too unreal.

It was as if she had heard that someone had won a 5 million grand prize.

"Lele! Lele!" A shout suddenly came from afar.

Qian Lele looked up, smiled, stood up, and waved.

Immediately after, Ding Yao, wearing a champagne-colored sleeveless dress, walked over quickly and hugged her hard, "Good evening, my dear Lele, I've missed you to death!"

"Yaoyao, you're back from abroad? When?"

Qian Lele had seen on her Moments before that Ding Yao had gone to South Korea with her parents.

"Arrived in Yancheng this afternoon, slept at home for half a day, and I'm just back at school to pick up something, so I stopped by to see you." Ding Yao adjusted the glasses on the bridge of her nose, "I guessed you would be here; you're really a hardworking little bee."

The two chatted warmly for a while.

Ding Yao glanced at the small stall in front of her and smiled, "You still have 14 cups left, right? I'll take them all!"

Qian Lele was stunned and quickly waved her hand, "No need, no need. Today is Friday, this kind of iced drink sells very well; it will be sold out in at most 1 hour."

"That's not what I meant." Ding Yao held her hand and said, "My friends are having a terrace barbecue at home and asked me to go over and eat together. I was already thinking of buying drinks, and it just so happens you have them here, and I trust them, so it saves us from running around everywhere else."

"Oh, oh, I see." Qian Lele's face turned a bit red, "Then that's okay."

What she feared most was others pitying her, especially since this person was her own friend.

"Let's go, let's go, my car is over there, follow me!"

Qian Lele covered the lid of the insulated box, said goodbye to Sister Wen, and quickly followed.

Ding Yao was wearing a gorgeous and beautiful dress, stepping on bling-bling sandals.

The summer wind blew, and the pleasant scent of perfume drifted into Qian Lele's nasal cavity.

She gripped the handle of the small cart tightly, her head drooping slightly.

Walking out of the pedestrian street, she made a left turn.

Ding Yao stopped beside a Mercedes-Benz GLC on the side of the road.

The car lights flashed, and the vehicle unlocked.

"Lele, just put it in the trunk."

"Mm, okay." Qian Lele put the small cart behind the car, opened the insulated foam box, and was just about to put the drinks in, but stopped again.

Inside, besides an exquisite and beautiful storage box, there were some fruits, shopping bags, and gift boxes placed casually.

She was afraid that these drinks of hers would get crushed.

"Oh, right!" Noticing her reaction, Ding Yao smiled and leaned over, picked up a shopping bag from inside and took it out, "This is a gift I brought back for you from South Korea, a pair of Adidas sneakers, clearance sale, much cheaper than in the country. There's also chocolate and facial masks, all bought on special offer; I can't use them all myself, so I'm giving them to you.

Also, you're not allowed to say no; the shoes were bought according to your size, and they can't be returned anyway."

As she spoke, Ding Yao stuffed the shopping bag into her hand.

Then she put the entire foam box and the small cart into the trunk.

"It's quite hot today, and everyone likes to drink iced drinks. Why don't you come with me? Eat some skewers there, chat, rest a bit, and I'll send you back to school at night."

She knew this friend of hers, Qian Lele, worked day and night to earn money and still had to find time to study, so she must be very tired.

Yet her heart was particularly sensitive and inferior, so she did this to avoid hurting her.

That was why she specifically found an excuse to bring her over, just wanting her to relax.

Looking at the white shopping bag in her hand and listening to Ding Yao's words, Qian Lele pursed her lips tightly.

After being silent for a good while, she nodded, "Thank you, Yaoyao."

"Let's go, get in the car."

"Mm."

The engine sound started, and the car's headlights lit up.

Qian Lele sat on the comfortable and soft leather seat, twisting her body somewhat uneasily.

She understood the other party's good intentions, but her heart was even more uneasy and embarrassed.

Next weekend was Ding Yao's birthday, and she had been thinking about what kind of gift to buy.

When she had her own birthday last year, besides sending a cake, she had also given her a very expensive down jacket.

She also wanted to return an expensive and beautiful gift to express her feelings.

But now she really couldn't come up with much money.

The car stopped outside Huajing Oasis in the Yuhua District.

Ding Yao pulled a plastic shopping bag from the storage box, packed the lemon tea and sour plum soup into it, locked the car, and led Qian Lele into the residential quarter's gate.

Beautiful landscaping, high-end facilities, just like a park.

The buildings in the quarter were not very high, and the light-colored building bodies were very beautiful.

Qian Lele carried the plastic bag, following closely behind Ding Yao.

Made a phone call downstairs and successfully arrived at the destination by elevator.

"Ding-dong~ Ding-dong~" Ding Yao pressed the doorbell, and the brown anti-theft door was quickly pushed open.

A sunny and handsome boy walked out from inside, wearing casual shorts and an oversized T-shirt, with a very trendy hedgehog hairstyle.

"Hello, Haoyu." Ding Yao smiled and patted his shoulder, "Have Meiqi and the others arrived?"

"They've all arrived, just waiting for you. Yaoyao, you're really something, having to run back to school." The boy complained; he might have had a cold, as his voice sounded a bit nasal.

Immediately, his expression froze, and he said in surprise, "Is this the Qian Lele you were talking about? Damn, she's so beautiful?"

Walking into the room, Ding Yao smiled and introduced, "His name is Zhang Haoyu, my high school classmate, and this is his house."

"Hello." Qian Lele smiled somewhat embarrassedly.

Zhang Haoyu looked at Qian Lele's beautiful face and beamed, "Nice to meet you, classmate Lele. I've always asked Yaoyao to introduce a beautiful best friend to me; this guy has finally done a good deed today."

"Alright, alright, Lele is thin-skinned; you'll scare the little girl like that."

With a "bang," the door was closed casually.

Ding Yao pushed Zhang Haoyu's back and walked inside.

Qian Lele gripped the plastic bag slightly harder, observing the surrounding environment.

This was a duplex, and the area looked very large.

The interior decoration was exquisite and high-end, much better than that apartment of Teacher Jiang's.

The three of them went up to the second floor along the stairs and pushed open the small door in the southeast corner.

A top-floor terrace of more than 40 square meters appeared in front of them, brightly lit.

The ground was paved with wooden strips, and flowers and plants were dotted around.

At the edge of the terrace, there was a grill, and bursts of fragrance drifted over.

Several young men and women were sitting on casual chairs under an umbrella, holding beer and drinks, and various skewers, snacks, and cakes were placed on the table.

"Yaoyao is here?" "Yaoyao."...

"Isn't this our Normal University's Cinderella? Is she finally brought out by Yaoyao? Haha."

Ding Yao said unhappily, "What Cinderella, her name is Qian Lele, Yujiao, watch your mouth."

"Good evening." Qian Lele nodded somewhat awkwardly.

She knew the person who called her "Cinderella"; her name was Du Jiao, and she was also a member of the Normal University's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Club, but she was a year older than her.

As for the others, she didn't know them.

Regarding the nickname "Cinderella," she was actually already used to it.

Her photos had been posted on the school forum before, attracting quite a bit of attention.

Because she was frugal and worked part-time every day, she didn't know who started it, but somehow she got this nickname.

After greeting each other, everyone sat around the center of the terrace.

Ding Yao touched the bag in Qian Lele's hand and smiled, "Brought you some iced drinks to drink, no need to thank me."

Qian Lele quickly opened the bag, took out the drinks one by one, and placed them on the table, "This is the tea drink I made myself; the light yellow one is lemon tea, and the black one is sour plum soup."

Hearing her words, Du Jiao picked up a can of sour plum soup, looked up, and asked, "Lele, is this what you sell at your stall? How much is it per bottle?"

"6 yuan." Qian Lele explained somewhat awkwardly, "This sour plum soup uses relatively good sour plum paste, and I also put dried osmanthus in it; it's quite delicious. The black tea bags used for the lemon tea were also purchased by me at the market, and the lemons are also very fresh."

From the way these people were dressed, it could be seen that they were all children from wealthy families.

And the drinks and beer on the table looked expensive; she was worried that they would look down on them.

"Then I must try it." Zhang Haoyu smiled, picked up a can of lemon tea, inserted a straw, took a big sip, and gave a thumbs up, "Nice! It's really good! Come, come, come, let's add each other on WeChat; you send me the address of your stall, and I'll go directly when I want to drink it later."

As he spoke, he directly picked up his phone, opened the WeChat QR code, and handed it to Qian Lele.

Qian Lele was stunned, quickly took out her phone from her pocket, opened WeChat, and scanned the code to add a friend.

The people around immediately laughed "haha" and began to tease.

"Is this because you want to drink lemon tea? I don't even bother to expose you."

"You must have taken a fancy to her!"

"Lele, you have to be careful."

Listening to the teasing sounds around her, Qian Lele's face immediately turned red, and she subconsciously looked at Ding Yao beside her.

Ding Yao leaned into her ear and smiled, "What are you afraid of? Getting to know each other doesn't mean you'll lose anything, haha."

She brought Qian Lele here today with this intention as well.

Zhang Haoyu's family conditions were very good, and he was considered reliable; in her opinion, he was quite suitable for Qian Lele.

"I..." Qian Lele opened her mouth, then fell silent again.

The people present were all a bit unfamiliar to her, so she was very uncomfortable, and some things were hard to say.

Because of her family, she had never thought about things like falling in love.

Du Jiao looked at the two people being teased, and her face gradually became ugly.

Her gaze flickered, she clapped her hands hard, and said with a smile, "Hey, hey, hey, haven't you noticed that Lele is already unhappy?

Cinderella's goal is the prince holding the crystal shoe; I'm afraid Haoyu can't even catch her eye.

Isn't that right? Lele!"

Qian Lele said somewhat awkwardly, "No, I'm not unhappy."

"Oh?" Du Jiao leaned forward, looked into the other party's eyes, and teased with a face full of jokes, "Then you mean... you've taken a fancy to Haoyu?"

"No, I didn't mean that." Qian Lele bit her teeth lightly, her face showing urgency.

Ding Yao immediately waved her hand to interrupt, "Stop, stop, stop, all of you, cut it out!"

"Alright, alright, just joking, look at you two." Du Jiao shrugged helplessly.

She was also a member of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Club and knew Qian Lele's personality very well, knowing what method would best stimulate the other party.

After her interruption, the previous ambiguous teasing atmosphere disappeared.

Today happened to be a cloudy day, and the temperature was neither high nor low, which was indeed very suitable for outdoor barbecue.

Everyone grilled various marinated skewers while drinking beer and chatting.

They were all college students, and besides school, they talked about summer vacation life.

Qian Lele sat beside Ding Yao, occasionally eating two skewers handed over by others, appearing very quiet.

Although Ding Yao would chat with her from time to time, she still felt awkward and embarrassed in her heart.

The daily life they talked about was fashion clothing, bars, concerts, private restaurants, traveling abroad, private clubs...

Occasionally, they would talk about their respective families, all of whom were executives of some company, or simply the bosses.

The lemon tea and sour plum soup she brought were rarely asked about.

They were more keen on craft beer, freshly squeezed fruit juice, and cocktails.

Qian Lele sighed helplessly in her heart.

The wind on the terrace became stronger and stronger, the sky was covered with dark clouds, and the air was stained with the damp scent of soil.

Qian Lele said somewhat embarrassedly, "Yaoyao, it's very late, and there might be a thunderstorm later, and I have to go to work tomorrow, so I must go back."

Ding Yao raised her wrist to check the time; it was already 9:40.

She knew this friend's routine was very regular, so she nodded, "Alright then, I'll send you back."

"Why don't I send her?" Zhang Haoyu suddenly stood up and said, "Yaoyao, you seem to have drunk Meiqi's cocktail just now, so you'd better not drive."

"Uh..." Ding Yao was stunned, then said with a look of realization, "Oh, oh, right, then I'll trouble you to make a trip, Haoyu. It's just at the south gate of the Normal University, just a few minutes by car."

As she spoke, she opened her bag, took out the car keys, and threw them over, "The car is on your left hand side at the east gate; it's very easy to find."

"OK, leave it to me!" Zhang Haoyu smiled, turned his head, and said, "Let's go, classmate Lele, I'm still in a cold state, but I haven't touched a drop of alcohol."

Qian Lele stood there and hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Then I'll trouble you."

Although she knew what Zhang Haoyu meant, her insulated box and small cart were still in Ding Yao's car, so it was hard to refuse.

After saying goodbye, the two got up and walked out.

Behind them, teasing and joking sounds rang out again.

Went out, went downstairs, and walked out of the residential quarter.

Along the way, Zhang Haoyu was chatting with Qian Lele about her part-time job at the cafe.

Qian Lele behaved very politely and also deliberately kept a distance from the other party.

"Pat—pat—" Raindrops fell from the sky and hit her exposed skin.

When the wind blew, it was still a bit cold.

"Wow, it's raining! Finally, it's cool." Zhang Haoyu pressed the car key, opened the passenger door of the Mercedes-Benz GLC, and smiled very gentlemanly, "Princess, please get in the car."

The expression on Qian Lele's face paused, and she sat in somewhat awkwardly.

"Bang!" The car door closed.

Zhang Haoyu sat in the driver's seat, skillfully started the car, and without navigation, drove directly toward the Normal University.

"I studied at university in Rongcheng, just like Ding Yao, and I'll be a senior when school starts. I'll come to Yancheng to work and intern by then, and the unit has already been found; it's right here in the Yuhua District."

"This house in Huajing Oasis was rewarded to me by my family after I got into university; it can also be considered a small house for me and my girlfriend in the future."

In the car, Zhang Haoyu spoke about his situation in a relaxed tone.

The rain gradually connected into lines, and the sensor wipers began to slide.

Qian Lele gripped her hands tightly, looked ahead, and didn't speak, only saying "mm" from time to time.

Her heart was still silently worrying about what clothes to wear and what gift to buy on the day of Ding Yao's birthday on the 30th.

"Cinderella!" Zhang Haoyu suddenly called her.

Qian Lele turned her head to look at him in surprise.

"Finally, there's some reaction." Zhang Haoyu's fingers on the steering wheel jumped lightly, and the corners of his mouth turned up, "Actually, I think this nickname is quite good. In fairy tales, Cinderella got into a pumpkin carriage, put on a gorgeous dress, stepped on crystal shoes, attended the prince's ball, and finally lived happily ever after."

Speaking of this, he turned his head and met Qian Lele's gaze, "Very beautiful, isn't it?"

"Thank you." Qian Lele nodded, and her gaze looked ahead again.

The car stopped at the intersection.

The two got out of the car and took the insulated box and the small cart out of the trunk.

"I'll send you over." Zhang Haoyu pulled the small cart and smiled, "Walking in the rain is also quite interesting."

"No need, I live in the teacher's apartment next door, it's very close."

"Don't be so polite with me, let's go."

Qian Lele was just about to say something when the expression on her face suddenly froze, looking at a tall and straight figure in front.

He was wearing a solid-colored T-shirt and jeans, holding an umbrella in his left hand and an umbrella in his right hand.

He walked toward this side through layers of night.

The dim streetlights shone on him, and under the refraction of the rain and mist, he was plated with a layer of hazy halo, very beautiful.

Did Tang Song see that it was raining outside and specifically go to the night market to pick me up?

Qian Lele's mouth felt a bit dry, and her heart was wrapped in a warm current.

"Brother Song!" She waved and shouted, ran over quickly, and ducked under his umbrella.

Feeling the warm heat on him, her whole person settled down.

"Seeing that you hadn't come back and it happened to be raining, I went over to take a look." Tang Song looked up toward Zhang Haoyu, "Did you go out to play with friends?"

"Mm." Qian Lele nodded and said with a smile, "But my drinks were all sold out. Thank you, Brother Song, for specifically coming to pick me up!"

Tang Song smiled and handed the umbrella in his hand over, "Let's go."

"Mm-hmm."

Qian Lele opened the umbrella, quickly came to Zhang Haoyu's side, "Brother Zhang, my roommate came to pick me up, so I won't trouble you anymore. Bye~, take care on your way back!"

After speaking, she took the small cart and looked toward Tang Song.

Hearing her words, Zhang Haoyu's gaze paused, observing the boy who was walking over.

He was very handsome, had a good figure, wore black-rimmed glasses, and looked steady and focused.

It's just that his clothes were very ordinary, and his hair was messy.

Just as simple as Qian Lele.

Their gazes met, and Tang Song nodded at him calmly.

Immediately after, he walked side by side with Qian Lele toward the apartment gate.

Watching their figures disappear, Zhang Haoyu shook his head and smiled, and then freely slipped into the driver's seat of the GLC.

He felt that he was not bad in all aspects, so since he met a girl he liked, he would chase her boldly.

Time would prove that he was the winner.

"Brother Song, today my friend Ding Yao came to the night market to see me, and it just so happened that she wanted to eat barbecue with friends, so she bought all these drinks of mine. I went over to deliver the goods and ate a few bites along the way..."

"The boy just now is named Zhang Haoyu, he's a high school classmate of my friend..."

"Have you heard? Bei Yuwei suddenly appeared on the streets of Yancheng and happened to be run into by a female streamer; that scene was super interesting..."

Raindrops fell one after another, weaving countless fine threads under the dim lights, as if putting a mysterious veil on the world.

Occasionally, rainwater wet her hair and the corners of her clothes, but Qian Lele didn't care, just kept talking about what she encountered today.

Whether she thought it was interesting or not, she told Tang Song about it.

She didn't know why, but she suddenly had an endless desire to share.

The plane landed slowly at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport.

A group of 6 people got off the plane and sat in the waiting business car.

Leaning on the zero-gravity seat, Su Yu closed her eyes with some fatigue.

The assistant Cheng Xiaoxi, sitting in the passenger seat, whispered, "Sister Yu, the Songmei Apparel you asked me to pay attention to had some things happen tonight, and it's related to our company."

"Mm? Speak." Su Yu's eyes opened instantly, her amber pupils clean and pure.

"The artist Bei Yuwei under our company appeared in the live-streaming room of Songmei Apparel's streamer He Yiyi as a lucky passerby at around 7 PM, and took the initiative to show her face and greet the audience. Because her current heat is relatively high, it also made the streamer He Yiyi get on the hot search, gaining nearly a million fans..."

Cheng Xiaoxi was still talking, expressing the subsequent influence of this sudden event in detail.

Su Yu thought for a moment in confusion, then her eyebrows gradually relaxed, and her slender, glossy fingers tapped the armrest rhythmically.

She said indifferently, "I know. Arrange some high-quality endorsements and film and television resources for Bei Yuwei."

"Okay, Sister Yu!"

Su Yu pursed her red lips, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

Before, without Tang Song's instructions, they didn't dare to interfere with his operations through influence.

Now, a small artist under her company had accidentally helped his company, and it didn't cause any negative reaction from Tang Song.

That proved that this matter was not wrong.

The only pity was that this company was called "Songmei," not "Songyu."

"Oh, right." Su Yu opened her eyes again, "What has Liu Qingning from Zhijue Technology been doing lately?"

Cheng Xiaoxi picked up her phone to take a look and whispered, "She applied for a loan from the company; I heard she wants to buy a house in Yancheng and happened to run into a suitable property."

Su Yu looked up at the bright moonlight outside the window and sighed with a complex gaze.