Chapter 98: How to “Cover One’s Ears to Steal a Bell”? |
Professor Wu genuinely felt sorry for Qi Yun.
It was Qi Yun who refused. Unlikely for Lian Qingxue to have agreed in the first place!
Looking at Lian Zhongyong, Profesfresor Wu wisely swallowed his words and asked, “Old Lian, what are you doing? You’re getting old but still so timid. We can just directly reveal our identities to Lian Qingxue.”
“I… I’m just afraid,” Lian Zhongyong sighed. “What if Lian Qingxue blames me? Moreover, it was because of me that her mother left home…”
After listening, Professor Wu sighed lightly.
Lian Zhongyong was not hesitant. On the contrary, he was always decisive.
He had often clashed with the school authorities for the sake of his students, unafraid of anyone. He was a tough person.
Even the school leaders found him troublesome. However, at this moment, he was extremely afraid.
Professor Wu understood that Lian Zhongyong had lived alone and lonely for twenty years, suddenly discovering that he still had a close relative. Naturally, he attached great importance to it. The more he cared, the more cautious he became.
Now, he was afraid that Lian Qingxue would resent him. He could fully understand his state of mind.
“So… you’re planning not to tell Lian Qingxue?” Professor Wu asked, looking at Lian Zhongyong.
Lian Zhongyong’s face revealed a trace of bitterness. “I thought of fostering a relationship with her first. When the time is ripe, I’ll reveal my identity. Otherwise, if I say it too early, she might be angry with me and avoid me.”
“What if the timing is not right?” Professor Wu inquired.
“If it’s not right? Old Wu, let me tell you the truth. Since my daughter left, I have lived like a walking corpse, waiting for death. Now, Qingxue is in front of me, and I can talk to her. I feel alive again. The heavens have been kind to me. If she doesn’t know, she doesn’t need to know. How many more years can I live? If I can care for her for a few more years, I’ll be satisfied.” Lian Zhongyong replied.
After hearing this, Professor Wu patted his shoulder, unable to speak.
……
Qi Yun and Li Qingxue left the two of them and started talking.
“Qi Yun, I always feel that Professor Lian looked at me strangely,” Lian Qingxue, who was sensitive to people’s emotions, said.
She felt that Professor Lian’s gaze towards her was particularly complicated but without any ill intent. It left her puzzled.
Qi Yun patted her little head. “Who made my little Qingxue so likable?” Qi Yun asked.
He also noticed that Professor Lian seemed to be looking at Lian Qingxue as if she were a junior. There was no malicious intent, but he seemed to have opinions about Qi Yun. It was hard to understand.
However, the two quickly put this matter aside. They were too busy.
The month before the start of classes at Beijing University was relatively free of teaching activities. The first two weeks were for class activities organized by the counselors to help classmates get acquainted with each other. The following two weeks were dedicated to military training.
First-year students had it easy, but Lian Qingxue and Qi Yun were busy. They not only had to be students but also bosses.
Most importantly, they needed to find a location for their Jingcheng Snow Tea Shop.
Lian Qingxue and Qi Yun believed it should be located near the University.
The advantages of being near Jincheng University were obvious.
Many young people were the target customers of the snow tea shop. Being close to Lian Qingxue and Qi Yun meant they could quickly handle any issues that arose.
Nearby, there were Jingcheng University, Shuimu University, and several prestigious universities.
The graduates from these universities also attracted a group of high-tech companies to settle nearby.
In short, the people here had money!
Opening the shop nearby was the best choice for a snow tea shop. For the past two weeks, the two had been searching nearby. They had almost scoured every street. Unfortunately, they didn’t find a suitable place.
The first Jingcheng store was intended to become the flagship store to build fame, so the area had to be spacious.
Jingcheng University was undoubtedly not lacking such storefronts. The problem was that others weren’t fools. The rent was exorbitant. Most of the storefronts were extremely popular, and Lian Qingxue and Qi Yun had no chance at all.
“How about finding another location?” After a few days of fruitless searching, Lian Qingxue was getting a bit desperate.
“If there’s no other choice, we’ll have to,” Qi Yun agreed.
Unlike in Yizhong, Old Xu could help there. In Jingcheng, they were practically strangers. Money wasn’t useful in this place.
Not to mention, Qi Yun was just a millionaire, barely a big shot in Jingcheng. He couldn’t even squeeze into the ranks of the wealthy.
Qi Yun wasn’t stubborn either. While they were discussing giving up and finding another large shopping mall, Qi Yun suddenly received a phone call.
“Hello? Yes, it’s me.”
“Yes, the one who was looking for a storefront just now.”
“What? You said there’s a storefront available for rent?”
“Alright, I’ll go take a look now.”
After hanging up the phone, Qi Yun had a puzzled expression on his face.
“What happened?” Lian Qingxue tugged at his sleeve. Qi Yun knew that she also found it strange.
“I received a call from the person we inquired about a few days ago.”
“Ah? Are you talking about the small two-story building behind our school?”
“Yes, the landlord just called me and said that the storefront suddenly became available for rent.”
Qi Yun frowned. He felt that something was off. They had asked the landlord before, and he had told them that the storefront had already been rented out, and they had no plans to rent it again.
Now, the landlord called on his initiative. It seemed odd.
It consisted of two floors totaling around 150 square meters. It was much larger than the previous snow tea shop. Qi Yun wanted to open a flagship store to build a reputation, so this size was right.
The storefront’s location was also excellent, very close to Jingcheng University with a high volume of people.
It was almost one of their most preferred storefronts. But the problem was, when they inquired about it, the landlord told them that the space had already been rented out and wasn’t available for lease. Now, suddenly, the landlord called them proactively. It felt very strange.
When they arrived at the storefront, the landlord they had seen a few days ago was waiting for them.
The landlord’s expression, especially how he looked at Qi Yun’s, seemed resentful.
“You two came? Do you still find this storefront satisfactory?” Asked the landlord.
The two had already seen it and had no complaints.
“That’s good, then. Let’s sign the contract!” Unexpectedly, the landlord was even more anxious than Qi Yun.
Sign the contract?
The two exchanged glances and felt that something was amiss. Looking at the contract, they were truly astonished.
Was this a business deal or charity?
The rent stated in the contract was 50,000 yuan per month, totaling 600,000 yuan per year.
Was it too high?
Compared to the shop in Spring City, it was six times higher. However, the area of this storefront was about three times that of the Spring City store.
Moreover, in Jingcheng, the average housing price had already exceeded 10,000 per square meter. In Spring City, it was less than 3,000 yuan.
This storefront was also located near Jingcheng University!
Similar storefronts nearby would easily cost 100,000 yuan per month, and even that wouldn’t be considered expensive.
“The rent… is wrong?” Qi Yun asked the landlord.
“Wrong? How can it be wrong? It’s completely right! This storefront is worth this price!” The landlord was unusually committed as if he believed his storefront was worthless. Renting it out was a great favor.
Qi Yun became even more hesitant upon hearing this. How could such a good deal fall from the sky?
Lian Qingxue tugged at his sleeve. Qi Yun knew she also found it strange.
“I think we should go back and discuss it again,” Qi Yun suggested politely. Hearing Qi Yun’s words, the landlord became anxious.
“This…”
He wanted to say something, but Qi Yun and Lian Qingxue weren’t foolish. They both felt that something was amiss. The two made a decision and politely bid farewell to the landlord.
Watching their figures leave, the landlord stretched out his hands with reluctance.
“Doing good deeds without asking for anything in return is either a cheat or a thief!” Lian Qingxue concluded as they walked out.
This situation seemed like they were taking advantage, but they didn’t feel at ease. Who knew what problems might be hidden inside?
After another round of searching, they realized no other good options were nearby. They also hadn’t considered going back to the storefront they had just visited.
After discussing it, they decided to give up on opening near Jingcheng University and find a place in a large shopping mall instead.
Just as they were about to give up, Qi Yun’s eyes suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure. Wasn’t that the landlord we met earlier?
He was a bit chubby and stood out in the crowd.
Without noticing Qi Yun and Lian Qingxue, he walked into an ancient-style teahouse on the side of the street.
The teahouse had no windows, and Qi Yun saw him go up to the second floor, sitting at a table by the window, speaking with a person with a gloomy expression — Lian Zhongyong.
Qi Yun’s eyes widened as he looked upstairs.
Wasn’t that Professor Lian?
Lian Zhongyong seemed a little angry as he spoke to the landlord.
Inadvertently, he turned his gaze…
And saw Qi Yun and Li Qingxue.
The three of them locked eyes through the window.
Lian Zhongyong slowly, slowly retreated behind the window.
Qi Yun: …
How to “Cover One’s Ears to Steal a Bell”? Does an esteemed professor from Jingcheng University not know?
