Rejected by the Campus Belle, I Find My True Love-Chapter 204 - 202: King Crab is a Crab, Hermit Crab is also a Crab
Unexpectedly, Xue Yang said he would invest.
Yang Xiaozhi smoked skillfully, the smoke swirling around him. Xue Yang sat across from him, and it seemed as if the smoke consciously avoided drifting in his direction.
Xue Xing didn’t understand, so he chose to remain silent.
As for Chen Fang, she was with Yang Xiaozhi. Naturally, she would be happy if he made money, so she also said nothing, only stepping in to refill everyone’s teacup whenever it was empty. Compared to sitting with the old matriarch, she preferred being here. Among peers, conversation was much less restricted.
"How about it?" Xue Yang said. "Since ancient times, it’s always the first person to eat the crab who savors the best bite. Now, even though that first crab has been eaten, the scraps that fall off are still massive. After all, a king crab is a crab, and a hermit crab is also a crab. And if that hermit crab happens to be a king crab, then the scraps alone would be enough to feed many people for a lifetime."
Yang Xiaozhi thoughtfully pondered Xue Yang’s words.
He’s right. If I can’t be the first one to eat the crab, what right do I have to talk about starting my own business if I don’t even have the guts to eat the leftovers?
After a long moment, as if he’d had an epiphany, Yang Xiaozhi declared, "If you dare to invest, I dare to do it!"
Xue Yang raised his teacup. "To a successful partnership!"
Yang Xiaozhi raised his teacup as well. "To a successful partnership!"
Who could have imagined that, just before this, I was still thinking about surpassing Xue Yang? Just a few days ago, he was the reason I was so depressed for so long. And now, he’s become my biggest shareholder. Life truly is unpredictable.
"Xiao Zhi, Xiao Fang, Ah Xing, come back for lunch!" Xue Yuanxia yelled loudly through the wall.
The trio quickly got up and bid farewell to Xue Yang. "Cousin, we’ll talk in detail after we eat."
"Sure."
Watching Yang Xiaozhi’s departing figure, who could imagine that just after securing a major project with Xue Yang, his mother would call him home for lunch?
Indeed, Mom is always the final boss, no matter the situation.
After they left, Xue Yang also prepared to eat. Lunch was relatively simple. The real feast—the New Year’s Eve dinner—would be served in the evening.
Every New Year’s Eve, Zhong Hailan would cook Xue Yang’s favorite dishes, like Mantis Shrimp, spicy crab, and salt-baked chicken. Xue Yang could hardly wait.
In reality, if Xue Yang truly wanted to eat something, he just had to say the word. Forget Mantis Shrimp, spicy crab, or salt-baked chicken; even if he said he wanted to eat the moon, Ms. Zhong Hailan would eagerly conjure up a mooncake for him. Of course, the maternal love baked into that mooncake would be so heavy it had a flavor all its own.
After lunch, there was no more time to sit down and discuss the project because Xue Yang had to prepare to put up the couplets. Yang Xiaozhi’s family also needed to go home to do the same, so they hurried back, planning to find another chance to talk in detail.
"Cousin, I’ll come find you after I’m done," Yang Xiaozhi said.
"Go ahead. It’s the New Year. What serious person talks business?"
"..."
What does he mean by that? He isn’t having second thoughts, is he? Please, no. My fighting spirit is soaring right now; Xue Yang can’t back out on me.
Yang Xiaozhi made a decision. This New Year, he would give Xue Yang an extra-large red envelope. Although unmarried people are still considered children and don’t need to give out red envelopes, he had a girlfriend and had even brought her home. That made him half an adult, so giving a red envelope was perfectly justifiable.
It seemed our friend Yang Xiaozhi had yet to suffer the brutal reality of handing out red envelopes. While the individual amounts in the South might not be large, the sheer quantity was overwhelming. Besides, being unmarried and without kids of his own meant he had no source of red envelope income. This feeling of only giving and not receiving was unbearable, as anyone who had experienced it knew.
Yang Xiaozhi’s real regret was not seeking out Xue Yang sooner.
After just a few minutes of conversation today, he solved a problem that has been plaguing me for years. It’s just incredible. A university education really does give you a different perspective. If I had gone to university, would I be like Xue Yang? I’m not so sure. Not everyone is Xue Yang. Not everyone has his courage.
At this moment, he deeply felt the gap between them. It seemed pointless to compare anymore.
Just do my best, right? But still, I can’t help but think about the ’what ifs’. If I were Xue Yang right now, I’d definitely be able to hold my head high in the family. Even when Mom yelled from across the yard, ’Come home and eat!’, I could yell right back, ’Can’t you see I’m busy with a business deal? Have some awareness! We’ll eat after I’m done with this.’ That scenario—where they can’t start dinner until I’m at the table—is just too tempting. I have to work hard to achieve that goal.
If Xue Yang knew what he was thinking, he would probably scoff. Making your own family wait for you? What’s the big deal? It’s been like that for me since I was a kid. What you should aim for is to have everyone, no matter where you go, wait for you to arrive before they can start eating. That’s what makes you the real deal.
...
The couplets at Xue Yang’s home were the same every year. According to his dad, this particular set best matched their family’s "temperament." Just a set of couplets, yet they had to have the right temperament. But then again, Xue Yang felt that if they did change them, it really would feel off.
Putting up the couplets was something Xue Yang was happy to do, but tearing the old ones off was a real pain. It wasn’t enough to just pull them down; the surface had to be cleaned thoroughly. Otherwise, the new couplets would fall off soon after being stuck on. After all, out with the old, in with the new. This was giving Xue Yang quite a headache.
Just then, Xue Xing trotted over. "Bro, let me give you a hand."
"Alright. Here, tear off the old couplets on the door. Make sure you get them completely clean."
"Got it!"
Xue Xing was still young and hadn’t yet been hardened by the blows of society. Upon receiving his orders, he immediately climbed the ladder and went to work on the old couplets.
Xue Yang steadied the ladder with one of his long legs, then pulled out his phone to reply to messages. His phone had been buzzing nonstop since lunch began. Since he didn’t have the habit of texting during meals, he was now replying to everyone at once.
His replies were very simple. Regardless of the matter, big or small, he had just three words: "Happy New Year!"
Simple and brusque. The three words were also highly effective; his phone immediately fell silent.
He looked up at Xue Xing, who was tearing away with great effort, diligently scraping off even the smallest corner pieces. Xue Yang was very satisfied. He decided to entrust this task entirely to his brother from now on.
"Bro, look! Did I get it clean?"
"Very clean. Excellent job!"
"I want to put up the new ones too. Can I?"
"Of course you can."
