"Where are you?" Qianqian took the phone and asked.

"Uh..." Jiang Nian originally wanted to ask why they weren't resting, but he stopped himself before the words came out.

"Go left from downstairs, about one kilometer."

Qianqian: "...Is the coke that far away?"

"I was looking for the sugar-free kind."

Qianqian: "..."

She wasn't in the mood to bicker with Jiang Nian, so she said, "Just come back quickly, and stop by here too."

"What's up?"

"Something important."

"Oh, okay." Jiang Nian hung up the phone, feeling a bit uneasy. What good could come of anything in the middle of the night?

A home run.

He had fantasized about it, but it's not realistic.

Last time, they were just a thin layer of window paper away from breaking through; if it had collapsed, to be honest, it's nice to still be able to travel together now.

Of course, Jiang Nian wasn't satisfied with just that. First, he didn't want to stop now, and second, he couldn't.

Either way, it's a dead end, so he could only keep moving forward. Deal with problems as they come, take one step at a time.

Upstairs, he knocked on the door.

As usual, it was Song Xiyun who opened the door, her face couldn't hide the fatigue. After all, travel is exhausting, but she smiled at him anyway.

Hmm?

Jiang Nian didn't pay much attention, wobbling inside. Walking further in, the air conditioner was set very low in the room.

Stepping inside, he got goosebumps, finally understanding what Xiao Song was smiling about at the door.

"Really boring, who set this?"

"I did." Qianqian huddled under the covers, yawning, "Where's the coke you bought?"

"Drank it on the way."

"Tch." Qianqian knew it was an excuse but didn't expose him, "By the way, aren't you cold?"

Song Xiyun also returned, wearing a jacket. She casually found Jiang Nian's jacket and handed it over.

"Your jacket."

Jiang Nian: "..."

A little prank.

"No, I'm not cold."

He really wasn't cold, with double the physique. If he easily caught a cold, he might have played up the sympathy card.

Xiao Song couldn't take it either and simply crawled into bed.

Thus, the scene became weirder. Two girls sleeping on the big bed, with only Jiang Nian sitting at the edge in a daze.

Hmm... just very... something.

He didn't ask what the important matter was and just found some topics to talk about, sharing some future business plans.

"Over in Yuhang, selling clothes makes a bit of money. The risk isn't too high, plus there's a network there."

Jiang Nian didn't have much experience, but he had a good head on his shoulders. Instinctively, he felt he shouldn't get tangled up in emotions.

Too abstract, can't sort it out.

Yes, many things will happen in the future. But they haven't happened yet, and the future is always ever-changing.

His current advantage was that last thin layer of window paper and the progressing future.

People aren't solely emotional creatures; they also have to consider college and other needs.

Sure enough, Qianqian listened intently.

"Is there money to be made?"

"Generally, it depends on vision," Jiang Nian said, "You can ask Song Xiyun, it also takes some luck."

"Yeah," Song Xiyun was a bit embarrassed, "Even my mom occasionally makes mistakes and sometimes loses a bit."

Jiang Nian chuckled, adding,

"In the early years, it was easy to do because demand exceeded supply. As long as you seized the opportunity, you could earn easily."

"What about now?" Qianqian asked.

"It's all right, but more people have joined," he said, "If you know how to do it, it's still quite lucrative."

For Qianqian and Song Xiyun, these topics were both novel and not completely foreign.

After all, there were relatives around them engaged in this field.

The three continued this conversation intermittently for ten minutes, then fell into a silence.

It's not that there wasn't anything to say, but they were all digesting their thoughts.

Suddenly, Jiang Nian spoke first.

"Since you called me here, let's have a good time in the next couple of days. Anyway, grades will be out soon."

"Summer vacation is still quite long, and there's actually a lot to do."

The two girls exchanged a glance, clearly not quite agreeing. Or perhaps they had other thoughts, in any case, they were silent for a moment.

"We... find it hard without anyone," Qianqian said softly, "But we don't know what to do in the future."

"Yeah," Song Xiyun's face was also clouded with worry, "After all these years, actually I..."

"What will I do if you're gone?" Qianqian's face darkened, "You'll surely avoid us."

She knew Jiang Nian too well and also understood Song Xiyun. These two had opposite personalities, one tough and the other persistent.

If one was really gone, it'd be a matter for a lifetime.

"I can't just be with him," Song Xiyun said, "I'm just a bit used to it."

To say she didn't like it would be a lie.

All the excitement converged into a torrent of emotions. It just got covered by a layer of soil, not daring to see the light.

Jiang Nian's emotions were stable, without much fluctuation. That last layer of window paper was broken clearly and plainly.

For others, they might have been excited and promised a commitment by now.

From an operational perspective, this was a blatant emotional trap, one step and you'd trigger a disaster.

Because he hadn't done anything. Yet, he was the practical beneficiary, the only beneficiary.

The good fortune of having everyone, you're really quite pleased, aren't you?

The only ones feeling hurt are us!!

Jiang Nian thought for a moment, then held their hands, "Let's just enjoy these few days and finish the things at hand."

He paused and said, "If I don't even have the ability to take care of you, there's no point in talking about anything else."

Qianqian turned her head away, her eyes slightly red. No matter how much she had mentally prepared, there were still some grievances.

Her heart felt like a thin layer of ice had formed, freezing the blood inside.

"Yeah."

Song Xiyun looked down, trying to extricate herself but unable to, years of feelings turning desolate, overgrown with weeds.

"Most likely, I won't end up at the same school as you both."

She said it like that, and she thought it too. As long as they didn't attend the same school, she'd naturally withdraw.

As her words fell, the two of them looked at her.

"Don't say those things."

"Let's wait and see."

.....

After two consecutive days.

Jiang Nian and the two girls toured sites, ate, and drank, not mentioning anything else, genuinely enjoying themselves.

"Hey, why am I the only one taking photos all the time?"

"Tch, who told you to take good photos." Qianqian hugged Song Xiyun, "Stop dawdling, hurry up!"

"No way, I want to take some too later."

Hearing this, the two girls exchanged a glance. Their expressions became a bit unnatural; whoever went to take photos would feel uncomfortable.

After all, watching the other two hug.

But the next moment, Jiang Nian pulled over a passerby from the side of the road. He asked them to take a photo and then jogged back.

"Make room!! Give me a spot."

"What are you doing!"

Jiang Nian stood in the middle, stretched out his hands to hug the shoulders of the two girls. The three of them were together, captured in the frame.

Passerby: "....."

Damn!

With complex emotions of envy and jealousy, the passerby pressed down the camera shutter, immortalizing the three of them.

"Okay, all done."

"Who told you to hold on so tightly!!" Qianqian blushed with embarrassment, yet couldn't say much, resorting instead to thumping him.

"You pinched me!"

"Nonsense, I didn't even touch you," Jiang Nian said helplessly, "Just barely rested my hand, what are you talking about?"

"There is, I have fragile bones, okay?"

Song Xiyun pursed her lips and laughed from the side; just a moment ago when he put his arm over her shoulders, her heart was also racing fast.

A bit embarrassed, and yet a little... Anyway, the way passersby looked at their group was a bit odd.

On the twenty-fifth.

The three of them were on the train back to Zhen Nan; having toured around, Qianqian and the two girls were tired and wanted to stay at home.

Meanwhile, they also had to digest the fluctuating emotions.

Jiang Nian was headed to Yuhang; the two girls would have some peace and quiet at home, resting for a while before making further plans.

Suddenly, a phone rang.

"Whose call is it."

"His."

"It's not mine, maybe Song Xiyun's." Jiang Nian also had a headache; their phones hadn't stopped ringing since yesterday.

Even though grades weren't out yet, teachers were already calling.

"It's a happy sort of trouble," Qianqian sighed, "Xiyun probably did well too."

"Pretty well, otherwise they wouldn't be taking turns calling."

On the other side, Old Liu's hand was shaking.

He had been stationed in the office since yesterday, not going home all night, constantly answering and making phone calls.

"Sigh, how big is a teacher's position exactly?"