After Rebirth, I Married My Rival - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Knew You Didn’t Have the Guts

School-affiliated processes really are faster, as expected.

Xu Yuan looked at the various permits in hand—the convenience store matter was officially sorted.

I thought it would take at least a month, but everything was settled right after the military training ended.

« Boss Xu, I’ll leave this shop in your hands from now on. » Wu Huijuan looked at the reopened convenience store, its shelves fully stocked again, and couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

If she hadn’t been in urgent need of money, she truly wouldn’t have wanted to transfer it out.

Jobs are hard to come by these days, and she doesn’t have much education. After buying a house for her son, she lost the capital to start a business. Life won’t be easy for her from now on.

« Sister Wu, what are your plans for the future? » Xu Yuan shifted his gaze and asked tentatively.

« My husband found me a job at an electronics factory. I should be able to earn four or five thousand a month, » Wu Huijuan replied with a bitter smile, shaking her head.

The income that used to be fifty or sixty thousand a month has now dropped drastically.

« Ms. Wu, how about this—you stay here… I’ll pay you eight thousand a month, okay? » Xu Yuan couldn’t be bothered to look for another shop assistant.

The storefront is quite spacious. Adding another checkout counter and hiring Li Xinran should make it manageable to handle the workload.

« Eight thousand? Boss Xu, are you serious? » Wu Huijuan was dumbfounded. An eight-thousand-yuan monthly salary wasn’t low even in the capital. Besides, hiring a salesclerk usually only cost three or four thousand.

Xu Yuan looked at her incredulous expression and said with a smile, « I was able to take over this shop thanks to your generosity, Sister Wu. »

If you don’t mind the change and don’t feel the落差 is too big, you can continue working here. If you find a better opportunity in the future, I won’t stand in your way.

I’m planning to add another cash register to our store. There might be a young girl joining us later, so I’d appreciate it if you could look out for her.

« That’s wonderful! Thank you so much, Boss Xu! I really can’t thank you enough! » Wu Huijuan genuinely didn’t expect Xu Yuan to be so generous.

At her age and without much education, if she lost this job, finding one that paid four or five thousand would already be considered good. Xu Yuan was essentially going out of his way to take care of and give back to her.

« You’re welcome, Sister Wu. You’re a straightforward person, only charging me the rent. You even gave me the supplier channels for free. »

« I’m not ungrateful, and since I can help you in some ways, I certainly won’t hold back. »

Xu Yuan smiled and waved his hand dismissively. He simply thought Wu Huijuan was reliable, and since she had always been the one liaising with suppliers, he didn’t want to get directly involved. Finding a proxy was more convenient.

……

……

« How should I break it to that girl? » Xu Yuan stared blankly at his phone.

Ding-ding-ding…

The group chat kept buzzing with messages. When Xu Yuan opened it to check…

Zhou Yuntao was organizing a class gathering for this weekend.

Zhou Yuntao was indeed leadership material, but Xu Yuan vaguely recalled that their university class monitor back then wasn’t him.

He couldn’t quite remember who it actually was – those memories had faded with time.

[How about renting a villa in the suburbs?]

[Camping would work too!]

【Raise your hand if you’re in for the bar!】

……

The discussion in the group was quite lively, but since it was just a weekend, they couldn’t go anywhere too far.

College student gatherings usually just involve eating, drinking, and watching movies.

Xu Yuan glanced at the group chat for a while before closing it. He had no interest in deciding where to hold the gathering.

This weekend happens to be the 20th, the day Xu Yuan and Zhang Chao agreed upon, so there’s no way he can make it to the gathering.

…

« Xu Yuan! »

Xu Yuan had just returned to his dormitory entrance when he saw Shen Yueshu waving at him from afar.

Today, Shen Yueshu’s outfit made her look much more innocent—her previously golden hair had now turned to raven-black tresses.

Xu Yuan almost didn’t recognize her at first glance.

« Senior, were you looking for me? » Xu Yuan instinctively touched his nose.

« What? Can’t I look for you without a reason? Are you free this weekend? How about I treat you to a movie? » Shen Yueshu said with a playful grin, even taking the initiative to grab Xu Yuan’s hand.

Xu Yuan was utterly confused—what did this girl mean? Did Shen Yueshu see him as prey?

« What’s wrong? A beauty invites you, and you’re really not tempted at all? » Shen Yueshu batted her big, watery eyes and shook Xu Yuan’s hand, even going so far as to act coquettish.

Xu Yuan felt goosebumps rise all over his body and took a deep breath.

A glint of cunning flashed in Shen Yueshu’s beautiful eyes—she refused to believe any man could resist her. Xu Yuan’s attitude that night had ignited her competitive spirit.

« Senior, I already have someone I like. Maybe you should try flirting with someone else? » Xu Yuan was utterly helpless.

Seeing Xu Yuan seemingly begging for mercy, Shen Yueshu felt extremely pleased with herself. She took the opportunity to wrap her arms around Xu Yuan’s and pressed her entire body against him: « I don’t mind! Who knew my junior could be so old-fashioned. »

Xu Yuan frowned deeply, trying to pull his arm away, but the resistance was too strong. What did Shen Yueshu eat growing up? She’s no less strong than Li Xinran!

So this is how you want to play? Xu Yuan realized the other party seemed to be enjoying his awkwardness.

Like taking the initiative? Xu Yuan looked at the other party’s smug expression while silently calculating in his heart.

Shen Yue Shu’s moment of triumph lasted less than three seconds before Xu Yuan suddenly exerted force, pinning her against the wall in a classic kabedon!

Shen Yueshu was pressed against the wall, her toes instinctively rising as she stared in disbelief at Xu Yuan, who was now mere inches away. Her small hands clenched tightly, all traces of her earlier bravado completely gone.

Watching Shen Yueshu’s slightly flustered expression, Xu Yuan couldn’t help but let a smug smile tug at the corners of his lips. It seemed his guess had been right.

Having steadied her nerves, Shen Yueshu calmed the fluttering in her chest and forced a faint smile as she looped her arms around Xu Yuan’s neck.

The two of them were now in a rather intimate position.

Senior… I’m a normal man too. How about we find a secluded spot to chat about life and discuss ideals?

Xu Yuan’s eyes were slightly dazed as he slowly leaned his face closer.

Shen Yueshu couldn’t help but swallow hard, her heart pounding wildly.

The warm breath brushed past Shen Yueshu’s slightly reddened ears.

My self-control isn’t that strong. If senior really has that intention…

Feeling the increasingly warm breath by her ear, Shen Yueshu instantly panicked and could no longer keep up the act, hurriedly pushing Xu Yuan away.

Watching Shen Yueshu flee in disarray, Xu Yuan couldn’t help but sneer: « Little brat, knew you didn’t have the guts! »

It seems Shen Yueshu’s personality was just as he remembered. She appeared bold and outgoing, but it seemed she only enjoyed the thrill of taking the initiative. The moment the situation reversed, she’d immediately revert to that shy girl again.

Xu Yuan was about to enter the dormitory when he suddenly noticed two faces pressed against the window not far away.

Li Rui and Zhang Long were staring at Xu Yuan like a pair of love-struck fools!

..

Shen Yueshu didn’t stop until she was completely out of the boys’ dormitory area. Turning back to confirm no one was chasing after her, she patted her heaving chest, her face already flushed crimson.

« That Xu Yuan! I actually lost my composure to him. » Shen Yueshu found it unbelievable—how could she not tell Xu Yuan was doing it on purpose?

How does this guy understand her so well? She, the undisputed top-ranked « unconventional campus belle » Shen Yueshu, actually got played by a freshman.

Stamping her foot in frustration, Shen Yueshu vowed never to lose her nerve first next time.

……

« Yuan, you coming to the weekend gathering? Two weeks of military training left us all starved for decent food. How about a good meal? » Zhang Long glanced at his phone’s group chat and asked Xu Yuan.

« Not going. I’ve got plans this weekend. » Xu Yuan shook his head. What fun could he possibly have with a bunch of kids?

Seriously not going? I heard Zhou Yuntao’s organizing a joint meetup with Capital Finance this time.

There are plenty of beauties at our finance university, but the students at Imperial Capital Finance are all top academic achievers. They’ve got both looks and brains. » Zhang Long said, practically drooling as he spoke.

Hearing « Imperial Capital Finance, » Xu Yuan froze for a moment. Lin Wan’er and Xia Ke were studying there, but he didn’t think it would be such a coincidence that those two were among the people Zhou Yuntao had recruited.

« Long Ge, where’d you get this info? No one mentioned it in the group chat. » Li Rui perked up at the news. Even though he had a girlfriend, that didn’t stop him from appreciating beauty.

The world is so vast—you’ve got to have an eye for appreciating beauty.

« Rumor has it that Zhou Yuntao happened to find my classmate from the finance program in the capital.

I heard their class has a campus belle-level goddess. During military training, their class never ran out of water, and they didn’t spend a single cent.

Crazy, right?? » Zhang Long said with an air of mystery.

……

« Xinran, it’s up another 7% today! In just two weeks, it’s almost tripled! » Ye Sisi’s dark circles were pronounced, but her spirits were unusually high.

She had been practically glued to Qíyè’s stock movements day and night these past weeks, nearly to the point of obsession.

Ye Sisi had always dreamed of becoming a female investor, and this was her first attempt—it didn’t seem difficult at all.

At this moment, her mindset mirrored that of any stock market novice: she thought buying stocks was like picking up free money. Unaware that beneath the seemingly calm surface, turbulent undercurrents were already churning.

« Sisi, that’s enough. Should we sell them? » Li Xinran always felt uneasy inside. Though she didn’t understand stocks, she knew there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

She had been searching online these days for news related to Qiyue Foods.

The company’s financial statements were publicly available last time. With sharp intuition, Li Xinran noticed that some of Qiye Foods’ businesses had been operating at minor losses for nearly a year and a half. Despite overall profitability, there was no reason for the stock to rise so rapidly under such circumstances.

Moreover, Li Xinran discovered that Qiyue seemed to be undergoing a management buyout. Though she didn’t understand what a management buyout meant, she knew it was problematic for a company about to be acquired to experience such frenzied stock growth.

If Xu Yuan knew that Li Xinran had spotted the issues with Qiyue, he would surely be amazed. This girl had only just started learning about these things, yet she already displayed a talent far beyond ordinary people.

« Xinran, don’t worry. I’ve got a mole by my dad’s side. I also know Qiyue’s stock surge isn’t normal. »

« But to maximize our gains, we need to wait for him to make the first move. » Ye Sisi confidently patted her chest, reassuring Li Xinran.

..

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