Chapter 3: 002 Materialized Rose

Yu Xing had no answer for a while and could only sit in the lab and think silently.

When Zhong Zhiling returned from dinner in the cafeteria, he was startled by the Senior Brother sitting quietly as soon as he turned on the light, and couldn't help but complain: "Senior Brother, what are you doing? Not even turning on the light?"

"Thinking," Yu Xing answered seriously.

Zhong Zhiling asked: "Thinking about what? Does Teacher Liu have any new tasks?"

"Thinking about the me of tomorrow, the me of today, and the me of the past—which one is the real me?" Yu Xing thought thoughtfully. "Thought of the Ship of Theseus, thought of Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly."

One was a question from the 1st century AD: If the wood on the Ship of Theseus was gradually replaced until all the wood was no longer the original wood, was it still the original ship?

One was from Zhuangzi's "Discussion on Making All Things Equal": Did Zhou dream of being a butterfly, or did the butterfly dream of being Zhou?

It was hard for Yu Xing not to think about the dream, and it was hard not to notice his own mentality and changes. If he were still the first-year graduate student, even if he knew about the financial explosion in advance, he would likely be panicked.

Zhong Zhiling, however, had no interest in discussing philosophy with his Senior Brother. He just sat on his chair with a look of distress, his mood completely different from before dinner, and muttered: "No matter what me, what ship, what butterfly, sigh, being able to solve the problem between me and my girlfriend is a good ship and a good butterfly."

Yu Xing turned his head to look at the unlucky guy beside him, and his mood suddenly cleared up. Whatever me, whatever ship, whatever butterfly—my dad is my dad, I am my dad's son, my mom is my mom, I am my mom's cub...

He let out a breath, looked at Zhong Zhiling, who was still ignorant of the bigger problem, and asked: "What's wrong with your girlfriend?"

"Sigh, I want to go to graduate school, she didn't pass the graduate entrance exam. We originally agreed on a second attempt, but now her family wants her to go back to her hometown to find a job. We clearly agreed!" Zhong Zhiling sighed, "We had another big argument while eating just now. She could take the exam, what does going back now count for? How can a long-distance relationship work? If she listens to her family and goes back now, will she be forced to go on blind dates later? What do I count for?"

The unlucky guy rambled on, not expecting to suddenly encounter the sorrow of the breakup season.

Yu Xing listened while considering his own affairs, but his heart suddenly turned back to Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly—Did Zhou dream of being a butterfly, or did the butterfly dream of being Zhou? Zhou and the butterfly, there must be a distinction. This is called materialization.

But this time it wasn't philosophical thinking, but a consideration superimposed on the sorrow in his ears—materialization.

There was no hope in the US for the time being, and the hole in front of him still needed to be filled. He didn't want to see history repeat itself in the slightest, even if falling into a slump for a few years and enduring for a few years could turn things around this time.

Endured for five years, worked like an ox and horse for ten years, suffered for fifteen years...

A spark jumped up in Yu Xing's heart, and in the blink of an eye, it had a raging momentum. He really didn't want to endure it at all now!

He interrupted the unlucky guy and tried to say: "All she wants is an attitude."

Zhong Zhiling said blankly: "What attitude? We agreed to struggle together!"

"You've been recommended for graduate school, you continue to be in school. What if she still doesn't pass the second attempt? There are so many opportunities on campus, will you change your heart?" Yu Xing sighed, "You keep saying you love her, how exactly do you prove you love her?"

"I, I..." Zhong Zhiling thought about how to answer.

Yu Xing continued to ask: "You say you love her, you say you will go to the end, but regardless of whether she goes back or not, regardless of whether you are long-distance or not, I think you won't end up together in the end."

"Impossible!" Zhong Zhiling was in his first love, had been in love for 3 years, and was particularly firm about the future, "I said I would marry her, so I will definitely marry her!"

Yu Xing shook his head: "I don't believe it. There aren't that many people who go from college romance to marriage."

Zhong Zhiling said decisively: "We are different!"

Yu Xing still shook his head and said plainly: "I don't believe it."

Zhong Zhiling almost jumped up, ignoring this fellow apprentice, and glared: "Does it matter if you believe it?!!"

"I've seen too many of you like this," Yu Xing's tone carried some disdain. "Do you know how many college students break up after graduation? Do you know how many can't survive two years? Do you know how many realistic problems you need to face after graduation? You don't know!"

His speech accelerated, not giving the unlucky guy time to think carefully, and he stated a hypothesis he had considered: "Do you dare to bet with me? Not betting on anything else, just betting on whether you can get married in three years!"

"Bet on what??" Zhong Zhiling, harboring the firmness of first love, asked almost furiously.

"Simple, you take out 500 yuan now. If you break up within three years, this money is mine!" Yu Xing stared tightly at the Junior Brother in front of him and stated the conditions.

Zhong Zhiling agreed without hesitation: "Good! If we don't break up, you double the gift money!"

"If you can get married in three years, I will directly give you 999 roses as a gift!" Yu Xing pulled three sheets of A4 paper from the drawer and quickly drafted a contract.

In just five minutes, Zhong Zhiling took the three copies of the contract that had already been signed by Yu Xing, was instructed to sign in the "Party A" spot, and then was asked to take out money in a somewhat confused state.

He held the two copies of the contract, looked at the Senior Brother who had put away the other copy, and was somewhat dazed.

What's going on?

How did his relationship end up being bet on with his Senior Brother?

Zhong Zhiling felt something was not quite right, but couldn't say it. After thinking for a while, he finally found a question: "What if we get married, what if you renege and don't give the roses?"

One rose counts as 5 yuan, 999 roses is about 5000 yuan, and he only took out 500 yuan now, which is exactly one-tenth.

"The contract is in triplicate, with my personal signature. We are fellow apprentices. If I can't even fulfill this small bet, you can ruin my reputation at Nanjing Medical University," Yu Xing promised. "Besides, it's only a few thousand yuan. If my Junior Brother can really get married, what's wrong with me happily taking out a few thousand?"

Zhong Zhiling heard this, and it seemed about right.

Yu Xing saw he still had hesitation and added: "If I even cheat you on this, let me not finish graduate school, let me not even be a doctor! I swear to the light!"

Zhong Zhiling finally nodded.

Yu Xing saw that the most critical step wasn't completed and reached out: "Take out the money!"

Zhong Zhiling took out his wallet, took out half of his living expenses, and still handed it over, feeling something was not quite right.

"Junior Brother, it seems you really have confidence in your love and are really firm about your future," Yu Xing put away the money and praised, "I can't wait to give you roses."

Zhong Zhiling heard this, his mood calmed down a little, looked at the contract in his hand, pondered slightly, and said: "I'll go show her my attitude, let her see my confidence in our future!"

"Uh." Yu Xing looked at the Junior Brother who left the lab excitedly, reached out to stop him, but stopped. Forget it, love always has to experience wind and rain.

The Junior Brother was a small test subject for inspiration.

It was the graduation and breakup season, and many student couples faced severe realistic problems. Perhaps he could start from this aspect.

One couple is 500, finding 100 couples willing to take out money is 50,000.

It might be difficult to find so many target customers in Nanjing Medical University alone, but what if the scope was expanded to the whole of Jin Ling? 1000 couples? 10000 couples?

What if the region was expanded to East China or even the whole country?

What if the customer attributes were expanded from campus to society?

Yu Xing's brain turned. Perhaps he could try to take a small bite. Young people always have to suffer the bitterness of love, so why not use this bitterness to help himself solve some realistic difficulties?

The funds the whole family invested in financial management this time accumulated to about 5 million, which meant 10,000 target customers were needed.

It seemed very difficult, and it was indeed...

Not that easy, right?

Also need to consider operating costs, company taxes, and a series of problems. The customer target actually needed more.

Yu Xing had one explosion after another, only wanting to work hard to make money, and had never started a business. But from the dream waking up this afternoon until now, he couldn't think of any way to make money quickly.

Why not... try it?

"Think about what Jia the Accountant would do."

Yu Xing muttered to himself, calling out to a true body who was good at drawing ecological big cakes, feeling that if it were this former boss, he might be able to talk eloquently, might be able to organize tens of thousands of couple sessions, and could draw a round big cake without changing his face.

He remembered the Senior Brother's mockery on the phone again—still need to practice.

Yu Xing sat in the lab and thought silently. If it's not prohibited by law, it can be done. If it's in the form of commercial services or gift packages, it might rely on ordinary commercial contract law or relevant regulations, at least ensuring the compliance of operations for a period of time.

If it could be operated, it wasn't necessary to find so many customers in three months. The financial crisis exploded, as long as there was a part of the money in hand, the situation could be eased, instead of being helpless like before.

Having 500,000 in hand is like sweet rain after a long drought.

Having 1 million in hand is like sweet rain after a long drought and the wedding night.

Having 1.5 million in hand is like sweet rain after a long drought, the wedding night, the wedding night, and the wedding night.

Yu Xing didn't expect to solve the problem at once. As long as this stage could be eased, as long as the relatives could have hope, and at most endure for a few more years, it would eventually be solved at once.

It's just that he hadn't started a business after all. Even if he had experience leading people in the company, it was two different ways after all.

Yu Xing pulled out a notebook, picked up a pen to draft the ideas for the startup project, and pondered whether there were potential resources that could help. If starting a business to make money, he couldn't do it alone...

The lab was very quiet, and the water pen slid across the paper with a rustle, leaving lines of thinking.

But this quiet was soon broken by Zhong Zhiling, who returned.

He rushed into the lab with two copies of the contract and shouted: "Yu Xing, Yu Xing! Broke up, we broke up!"

Yu Xing was interrupted, put down his pen, looked at the Junior Brother carefully—oh no, looked at the potential human resources carefully—and asked with concern: "What's going on? Didn't you give her an attitude?"

"She said, she said I provided a guarantee with some bullshit contract for no reason, said my brain had a problem!" Zhong Zhiling said excitedly, "She said I'm unreliable! Broke up with me!"

Yu Xing said strangely: "How can it be unreliable? It's in black and white, in triplicate, everyone signed it."

Zhong Zhiling looked at his Senior Brother angrily: "No, it's not this! It's that this thing can't prove, can't prove..."

He couldn't find the right words for a while.

Yu Xing helped with the wording: "The current thing can't prove that you can go on smoothly, right? Can't solve the realistic problem of whether she goes back to her hometown, right?"

"Right! Yes!!" Zhong Zhiling confirmed.

Yu Xing nodded. Indeed, it made sense.

Zhong Zhiling looked at his Senior Brother, seeking help powerlessly: "What to do? Senior Brother, how to solve it?"

"No need to solve it," Yu Xing pondered, "Didn't you break up? The problem doesn't even exist."

Zhong Zhiling: "..."

Tears were almost coming out.

He was originally excited to share his confidence and attitude with his girlfriend, but instead, it triggered a bigger argument, and then it pulled into the problem of long-distance relationships, followed by a breakup.

It didn't have to be like this... could have calmed down and communicated again...

He said painfully: "I don't want to break up!!"

"I think, she might also be angry, talk again when you meet tomorrow," Yu Xing comforted, then changed the subject, "But the main problem is not in the contract signed, nor in the argument you had just now, it's in your work, school, long-distance—these are the problems."

Zhong Zhiling thought about the argument, breakup, and future with his first love, and tears really flowed out.

He sat in his seat and wept silently, feeling incomparably sorrowful, painful, and sad.

"Sigh." Yu Xing saw this and sighed, "Junior Brother, this situation..."

Zhong Zhiling looked up with hope: "Senior Brother, do you have any way? Any suggestions?"

"This problem of yours... I broke up at this time last year," Yu Xing had experienced this stage and shook his head, "Love is a matter of two people after all, I can't give a good way."

Zhong Zhiling wiped his tears sadly again. After a while, he got up and said: "Senior Brother, let's go, let's go drink!"

"Wait." Yu Xing considered, "You are so sad, I have a method."

Zhong Zhiling raised a glimmer of expectation, hoping for the Senior's guidance. The problem his first love suddenly raised today made him completely panicked, and the breakup just now made his whole heart churn.

Yu Xing looked at the Junior Brother in front of him, confirmed that he was ready to listen, and announced gloomily: "The money you invested in Yu Xuhui is gone."

Zhong Zhiling:?

He looked at his Senior Brother in confusion, didn't react for a moment, but understood the meaning the next moment. The daze that hadn't faded from his face and the sudden fear were intertwined, and the expression was extraordinarily wonderful.

The sadness brought by love receded instantly, but what followed was more stimulating panic.

Zhong Zhiling stood up instantly and lost his voice: "What? Senior Brother, what money is gone? Wait, how do you know I invested money? Yu Xing, speak clearly!"

Yu Xing signaled the Junior Brother to sit down, and seeing he didn't sit, didn't force him, clicked the recording on his phone, and played the call between himself and the Senior Brother.

The content of the call was very clear, and the meaning behind both sides was extremely obvious.

Zhong Zhiling couldn't believe it when he heard it the first time, grabbed the phone, and continued to listen to the second, third, fourth time...

Restless!

Sweating profusely!

Truly soul-flying and scattered!

Zhong Zhiling couldn't care about asking his Senior Brother. After listening to the recording a few times, he reacted and used his own phone to call Yu Xuhui in the US, but he dialed once, twice, three times, all turned off.

He stayed for a long while before turning to ask his Senior Brother, his face pale and his lips trembling: "Se, Senior Brother, is, is this true?"

Yu Xing sighed and asked: "How much did you invest?"

"430,000!!" Zhong Zhiling's voice also trembled.

"That's okay," Yu Xing nodded and said again, "I have 5 million."

The glimmer of hope that Zhong Zhiling had because of the first half of the sentence was completely shattered. He smiled miserably in despair: "What does this count as okay... my money, my money..."

This was the money his parents had saved for half their lives.

He had wanted to see how to buy a house after graduating and working in a hospital.

It was all gone, he couldn't explain it anywhere!

No need to consider long-distance or not, there was no guarantee at all...

Now he really wasn't sad about love, now it was...

Zhong Zhiling only felt life was loveless!