Wang Baoming truthfully relayed Zhou Yuwen's words to Su Qianqian.
"Did he really say that?" Su Qianqian furrowed her pretty brows, asking earnestly.
Feeling awkward and afraid of upsetting Su Qianqian, Wang Baoming nodded reluctantly. He added, "Qianqian, don't be mad. Zhou Yuwen was just upset momentarily after you turned him down. He'll get over it in a few days."
Upon hearing this, Su Qianqian couldn't help but say, "Why would I be mad? His future is his own business, not mine. Since he's ignoring me, then so be it. I even planned for us to go to Jinling together and have my dad see him off. Hmph! He doesn't appreciate kindness!"
"Ah-choo!"
Zhou Yuwen sneezed at home, probably from the excessive air conditioning. Most of the high school seniors, having graduated, were idle and engaged in various gatherings, dinners, and karaoke sessions.
Then at the KTV, he cried bitterly, lamenting that this parting might be forever.
Zhou Yuwen had never experienced such emotions from childhood, possibly due to significant harm from his original family, leaving him with a lack of security since childhood, naturally not developing feelings for classmates in his class.
This is probably why, while other time travelers have a chubby buddy by their side, Zhou Yuwen is all alone, with no help even when he wants to start a business.
In August, classmates gathered for various dinners and parties, some even planned trips. Meanwhile, Zhou Yuwen stayed home alone, secluded in his room for two months. His skin became pale to the point of a three-degree change, and his hair noticeably grew longer.
After two months of consistent exercise, Zhou Yuwen's features became more defined, and his charisma more prominent. He casually went to a barber shop and got a crew cut for five yuan, refusing all offers for perms or dyes.
Only handsome guys could truly pull off a crew cut. Take Zhou Yuwen, for instance: standing tall at 1.80 meters, with a large and slender figure. As he prepared to start his studies, Zhou Yuwen decided it was time to buy some decent clothes.
He doesn't need anything too luxurious, like Givenchy or London Boy, all those flashy brands.
Just a few Adidas T-shirts, sportswear sets. Buy two pairs of clean Nike sneakers.
Young bodies wear clean sportswear. Standing in front of the full-length mirror, Zhou Yuwen was satisfied with how he looked. If he had enough money, Zhou Yuwen even wanted to buy a car, but unfortunately, money wasn't enough.
In the first month, Zhou Yuwen barely earned around 60,000 yuan in royalties. He spent 10,000 yuan on an Apple laptop and 5,000 yuan on an iPhone 4.
He used the remaining 5,000 yuan to buy clothes and spent the rest on miscellaneous items. Now he has 40,000 yuan left.
His royalties for August totaled 70,000 yuan, which will be paid out in September. Currently, Zhou Yuwen has a total of 40,000 yuan. He decided to go all-in on stocks. However, the stock market in September 2010 wasn't favorable.
Zhou Yuwen vaguely remembered a stock called Shalonda A, which had been consistently stable in its fluctuations, maintaining a 30% return recently. Now, this stock was at the bottom of its fluctuation.
Without any hesitation, Zhou Yuwen invested all his money into it.
After everything was settled, Zhou Yuwen passed his driving test in early September and officially obtained his driver's license on September 10th.
That evening, Su Qianqian's mother called, starting with pleasantries before saying, "Qianqian mentioned that Yuwen from your family is also studying in Jinling? Would you like to travel together? Qianqian's father can drive us there."
Zhou's mother asked for Zhou Yuwen's opinion.
Zhou Yuwen said, "I don't start school until the 15th, why go so early? I'm not going." Zhou's mother conveyed his words exactly.
Then suddenly, Su Qianqian's voice came through the phone, "Zhou Yuwen! Don't expect me to reach out to you first from now on!"
Well, even from five meters away, you could hear Su Qianqian's stubborn and willful tone. Then the call ended abruptly.
Feeling somewhat helpless about Zhou Yuwen, who had been typing away at his computer, his mother remarked, "Qianqian is a good girl."
Zhou Yuwen responded, "Her personality is problematic. She can only be kept as a lover, not as a wife."
His mother frowned upon hearing this and said, "Why would you have such thoughts? Are you trying to emulate your father?"
"Um…" Zhou Yuwen felt awkward. Since childhood, his mother had taught him to live honorably, find a girlfriend steadily, treat her well, and after marriage, manage their small family diligently with traditional roles of husband as the provider and wife as the homemaker.
He sighed inwardly, recognizing his mother's traditional values, even though he had a broader perspective. However, this was not something he could discuss with his mother.
That evening, Zhou Yuwen's mother had a chat with him about future plans. She mentioned that Su Qianqian was a good girl but also knew her well.
Zhou Yuwen remarked, "She has to like our family for anything to happen."
"Do you think she likes our family?" Zhou's mother sighed and then complained, "It's partly my fault too. If I had endured a bit more back then, I wouldn't have let you grow up in such an environment."
"Alright, alright, Mom. You've raised me well enough. As for other matters, I'll handle them myself. Let me tell you this: in this lifetime, I can't promise much else, but I can guarantee you won't lack for daughters-in-law, and they'll all be prettier than Su Qianqian—long-legged, busty, all sorts!"
"Get lost!"