After they added each other as friends, Jiang Yixia transferred 500 to Lu Fan.

Then, she asked, "What’s the landlord’s contact information? Send it to me. From now on, I’ll be the one paying the shop’s rent."

Lu Fan sent her Chen He’s contact info directly, saying, "This is the landlord’s son. You can just transfer the rent to him every month from now on."

"Okay." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Seeing that Lu Fan still wasn’t leaving, Jiang Yixia said calmly, "Thank you for everything these past couple of days, but I hope we can maintain a proper distance between us. Now that our shops are so far apart, you shouldn’t come here unless you have a reason."

"No way. What if some thugs come and bully you again? I have to be here to protect you at all times," Lu Fan explained.

"It’s a win as long as you’re not the one bullying me," Jiang Yixia said, exasperated.

Seeing that he was still lingering, she prompted, "Alright, you can go now. I have a business to run."

"In that case, I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll be back tomorrow," Lu Fan said with a smile.

Jiang Yixia felt helpless at how clingy he was being.

’Oh, whatever. As long as I stand firm, someone with his personality will give up in a few days.’

She firmly believed that if she kept rejecting a playboy like Lu Fan, he would just move on to other women.

At this thought, Jiang Yixia suddenly cursed under her breath, "Womanizing bastard."

Just as he stepped out of the flower shop, Lu Fan let out a sudden sneeze.

"Hmph. The moment I leave, Yixia starts missing me."

He then looked at Chen He. "Accept Yixia’s friend request in a bit. From now on, she’ll be transferring the monthly rent to you."

Chen He’s face lit up when he heard this. "Thank you, Boss!"

"You have to save up all the rent money she gives you. We’ll return it all to her later," Lu Fan said with a laugh.

Chen He sighed. "Alright. And here I thought it was a bonus from you, Boss."

"What do you even spend money on besides eating luosifen every day?" Lu Fan teased. "No matter how much money I give you, you just end up saving it."

Then, he turned to Jiali, who was standing to the side. "Jiali, see if there are any suitable storefronts for sale across from the flower shop. If there are, buy one. We’re moving the pastry shop right across from her."

"Understood. I’ll get right on it."

Lu Fan then looked back at Chen He. "Let’s go. We’re heading back to Jinling to see Silu."

...

Meanwhile.

Jiang Sifan had been waiting at the entrance of the women’s dormitory since eight in the morning.

Before long, Wen Wan appeared.

She wore a light gray, long-sleeved cotton shirt. Though the material was soft and hung loosely, it managed to accentuate her slender waist.

A pair of tight, light-colored jeans, their slightly-too-long cuffs bunching up over her white sneakers, hugged the perfect curve of her hips and highlighted her long, straight legs.

Her hair was casually tied back in a low ponytail, and she wore no jewelry. As she walked quietly toward Jiang Sifan, she looked like the very picture of the sweet, wholesome girl from every college guy’s dreams.

It was only then that Jiang Sifan suddenly noticed just how beautiful Wen Wan was.

Even more so than his own girlfriend, Huang Hui.

’But why hadn’t he paid any special attention to her before?’

Jiang Sifan couldn’t understand it himself.

He quickly smiled and greeted her, "Wen Wan, good morning."

Wen Wan gave him a small smile, her face flushing slightly. "Good morning, Class President."

"Come on, let’s go get some breakfast."

With that, Jiang Sifan started leading Wen Wan toward the cafeteria.

Since it was still early, there weren’t many people out yet.

As the two walked side-by-side along the campus paths, their combined good looks inevitably drew the attention of a few students.

Of course, it was mostly the boys looking at Wen Wan, while the girls’ eyes were all fixed on Jiang Sifan.

Jiang Sifan, however, didn’t notice any of this. He was busy talking to Wen Wan about their startup venture.

"Wen Wan, are you free after class today? I was thinking we could go off-campus and scout the local businesses," Jiang Sifan asked.

Wen Wan nodded. "I’m free."

"That’s great."

He added happily, "Once our business is a success, you’ll be a founding partner. We’ll split the profits fifty-fifty."

"No." Wen Wan immediately shook her head. "Class President, I told you yesterday, I don’t need to be paid."

"How could I do that? If word got out, people would say I, the class president, am exploiting student labor," Jiang Sifan said intentionally. "You wouldn’t want my reputation to be ruined, would you? So, if we make money, you have to take your fair share. And don’t worry, even if we don’t make a profit, I’ll still pay you for your time."

Hearing this, Wen Wan stopped insisting and quietly accepted Jiang Sifan’s proposal.

Soon, they arrived at the cafeteria.

Jiang Sifan asked, "What do you want to eat?"

"I’m fine with anything," Wen Wan replied.

"How about I get you a bowl of preserved egg and pork congee, a cup of soy milk, and an egg?" Jiang Sifan suggested.

Wen Wan said in a low voice, "Class President, that’s too much. I’ll just have an egg."

"No way! Look how skinny you are." Jiang Sifan sounded almost like her father. "Your waist is so thin, and so are your arms. That won’t do. You need to eat more. This startup journey is going to be tough."

With that, he went to get in line and order breakfast just as he’d planned.

A blush crept onto Wen Wan’s cheeks as she watched his retreating back.

She felt a familial warmth and concern from Jiang Sifan.

Growing up, her parents had only ever paid attention to her younger brother.

At this thought, a warmth spread through Wen Wan’s heart.

Before long, Jiang Sifan returned with the breakfast. "Here," he said to Wen Wan. "This is for you."

"Thank you, Class President." Wen Wan hadn’t expected him to actually buy so much food for her.

"Hurry and eat. Eat more, you’re too skinny," Jiang Sifan said, stuffing a steamed bun into his own mouth.

Wen Wan smiled as she watched him.

"I think you weigh about the same as my girlfriend, but she looks a bit heavier than you. Her arms are thicker than yours, haha," Jiang Sifan remarked.

The moment he said that, the smile that had just graced Wen Wan’s lips slowly vanished.

...

「The Xingnong Building, Jinling University」

Jiang Silu reached the office door and knocked. "Teacher Chen, you were looking for me?"

When Teacher Chen heard her, she immediately stood up and waved her over. "Silu, you’re here! Quick, come in, come in."

"Teacher, was there something you needed me for?" Jiang Silu asked with a smile as she walked up to her.

The previous evening, she had received a message from Teacher Chen.

It told her to come to the office first thing in the morning.

Jiang Silu had assumed it must be for something important, which was why she had arrived so early.

Teacher Chen, however, just pulled a small cake out of her drawer. "It’s nothing serious. I passed by a cake shop yesterday and figured you must be exhausted from working on the Garden Cup design competition, so I bought you a little something. Go on, try it."

Jiang Silu was instantly touched by the gesture. "Thank you, Teacher Chen. Thank you so much."

"It’s nothing, really. Just a little cake," Teacher Chen said with a smile.

Then, she asked probingly, "By the way, has Teacher Meng given you any ideas for your design these past couple of days?"

"He has!" Jiang Silu nodded excitedly. "Elder Meng is the best! He was still coaching me at ten o’clock last night. I was worried I was keeping him from his rest."

"Haha, so you and Elder Meng must have known each other from before, then."

"Huh?"

Jiang Silu froze.