Who Would Fall in Love After Being Reborn?-Chapter 222: Kissing?

TL: Etude

On the forum, the unanimous response was “no,” which silenced Jiang Qin.

Could it really be impossible for good friends to try kissing each other? No, he thought, maybe there just weren’t enough responses yet.

Perhaps the real gentlemen were still on their way.

After all, it was broad daylight and just after lunch. Who, if they were decent, would respond to every post in the forum like it was their home? Except maybe those despondent otakus.

They might not even have a good friend, so how could they know if friends could kiss or not? Jiang Qin leaned back with his legs crossed, casually flicking an ornament on the table, unfazed.

With over 30,000 students at Linchuan University, he reasoned, at least 10,000 must say it’s impossible to be conclusive. Otherwise, he believed the conclusion could be due to insufficient sample size.

Moreover, all the responses so far were from males, representing only one gender’s opinion. Female opinions were equally important, especially since the friend he wanted to kiss was a girl.

He decided to wait, to expand the sample size and ensure the accuracy of the results.

Jiang Qin considered pinning the post to increase exposure, using his admin privileges to get more comments.

But that would be risky.

Others might not know, but people in Room 208 would surely guess who used the pinning rights, possibly undermining his authority as the boss.

Like with Su Nai, who lost respect for him after discovering his fondness for silk stockings.

Ah, such a big boss, yet wanting to kiss a friend.

No, it was too socially suicidal and bad for business management.

“Let the bullet fly for a while,” he thought. “No rush.”

“Come on, let’s continue the card game.”

Jiang Qin moved back to the card table, resuming with a cool demeanor. He was aggressive in the game, and after three rounds, each of the three opponents had a paper note on their face.

“Damn, Jiang, why are you so fierce in these rounds?” Cao Guangyu exclaimed, annoyed after losing a round.

“If you don’t pursue victory in cards, what’s the point?” Jiang Qin replied coldly, shuffling the deck. “Cao, why haven’t you been dating Ding Xue lately? Did you have a fight?”

“Ding Xue’s busy with her postgraduate exams. She says she gets annoyed seeing me and told me to stay away,” Cao Guangyu said, sulking.

“How far have you two progressed?”

“Hehe.”

Jiang Qin glanced at him irritably. “What’s with the smirk?”

Cao Guangyu, grinning from ear to ear, replied, “We’re practically sick of kissing each other, but sadly, there’s never a chance to stay out.”

Ren Ziqiang and Zhou Chao, envious to the point of tears, asked, “Bro Cao, what does kissing feel like? Can you describe it for us?”

“It’s fragrant, soft, and sweet. What do you think, Jiang?”

“…”

Jiang Qin was silenced by Cao Guangyu’s comment and responded by fiercely playing his cards, relentlessly attacking him.

Cao Guangyu’s attempts were consistently thwarted by Jiang Qin.

After three rounds, Cao Guangyu had three more paper notes on his face, eight in total, looking like a curtain.

“Jiang, do you have a grudge against me? Why are you always targeting me?!” Cao Guangyu asked, puzzled, unaware that he had just triumphed over Jiang Qin, achieving a long-desired accomplishment.

“That’s just your illusion,” Jiang Qin replied coolly. “This feels pointless. How about a new rule? Whoever gets ten paper notes on their face first has to pay for dinner.”

Cao Guangyu glanced at Ren Ziqiang and Zhou Chao, who together only had four notes: “Isn’t this new rule just targeting me?”

Zhou Chao raised his hand in agreement: “I support Jiang’s decision. Playing cards without stakes is boring.”

“No, no, I disagree,” Cao Guangyu vehemently shook his head. “I’m not stupid.”

“Cao, don’t worry, I think someone as smart as you can definitely make a comeback even with little health left.” Ren Ziqiang’s words were flattering to the extreme.

“Really?”

“Absolutely. Why not give it a try?”

So, two rounds later, a frustrated Cao Guangyu, having collected ten paper notes, left with his meal card in hand.

What a setup for failure instead of a comeback! He vowed to remember never to engage in Jiang Qin’s conversations.

…

In the evening, as the light drizzle stopped and the sky brightened, the scene outside the window resembled a beautiful early morning rather than dusk.

The F4 of the Finance Department arrived at the cafeteria and collectively spent forty yuan from Cao’s meal card.

Zhou Chao was ecstatic. Since the semester started, he had no idea where his own meal card was and had been mooching off others every day. 𝒻𝓻𝘦𝑒𝓌𝑒𝓫𝓷𝑜𝓋𝘦𝓵.𝓬𝘰𝓂

Living expenses? Not needed at all! Zhou Chao happily carried his tray around, looking for a seat, and then he saw many familiar faces in the corner near the window.

There were the three beauties from Jiang Tian’s dormitory, along with Pan Xiu and Liu Xiaojuan, and their next-door neighbors Nie Rong and Sun Na.

Not just girls, but also guys from the 303 male dormitory like Zhuang Chen, Zuo Baiqiang, Zhang Guangxu, and from 304, Wei Dong and Mao Ning. (TL: I recommend not trying to remember all them names)

“Jiang, it looks like Class 3 of Finance is having a gathering. Are we being excluded?”

“?”

Jiang Qin looked up and saw Jiang Tian waving and calling his name.

Room 302 was considered the least grounded dormitory in Class 3 of Finance, mainly because Jiang Qin’s interests were different, and Cao Guangyu was obsessed with his romance.

Ren Ziqiang, initially close to them due to Pan Xiu, gradually drifted away after his “awakening.” Zhou Chao was more practical, staying in the dorm unless there was a meal invite.

Jiang Qin believed that sharing classes in university was a kind of fate and one shouldn’t be too aloof, so he joined them with F3.

But he soon regretted it. The pretentiousness was too strong.

Zhuang Chen’s bragging was non-stop. Jiang Qin gradually understood the purpose of this boastful gathering.

Zhuang Chen, Zuo Baiqiang, and Zhang Guangxu recently earned three thousand yuan in a month by working with an outside boss on a crash course for college entrance exams. This dinner was their treat.

It felt like they were showing off to the world how impressive they were.

People usually flatter those who treat them, and the group didn’t skimp on praising Zhuang and his friends.

But what made Zhuang happiest was Jian Chun’s compliment: “You’re really great.”

“Three thousand is just a start…”

“Right, our boss values us a lot. He even treated us to a meal after the part-time job ended.”

“We might need to find more people to help with the increasing workload in the future. We’ll bring you along to make money.”

Cao Guangyu, irked by the boasting, urged Jiang Qin: “Old Jiang, show off something big and shut him up. I’m sick of his nonsense!”

Jiang Qin shook his head after a few bites of rice: “Forget it, I don’t like showing off.”

“?”

But then, he thought of something: “Song Qingsong, I have something to discuss with you.”

“What is it, my idol?” Song Qingsong’s eyes sparkled with joy at being singled out.

Jiang Qin put down his chopsticks: “Last summer, I invested in a restaurant. It’s doing well, and we’ve opened our fifth branch. We’re working on brand operation.”

The surrounding people exchanged glances, their expressions odd.

Why mention your business out of the blue? It seemed like a forced attempt to impress.

It would be fine if it was just bragging, but what did this have to do with Song Qingsong? Calling her out specifically seemed far-fetched.

Cao Guangyu frowned, feeling that Jiang Qin’s attempt to impress was too forced and lacked the smoothness of his previous efforts.

At least he should have mentioned something relevant to Song Qingsong.

However, Song Qingsong was delighted: “Idol, you’re so amazing, managing websites and restaurants. I wouldn’t even dare to think about such things.”

“Don’t rush, I haven’t finished yet.”

“Ah?”

Jiang Qin continued, “Before the winter vacation, didn’t you give me a family dumpling recipe? Remember?”

Song Qingsong nodded blankly, “Yeah, you said you liked it, right?”

“I packaged it during the winter break and tested it in the restaurant I invested in. The results were surprisingly good, so I took the liberty of making you a technical shareholder.”

The room fell silent at this revelation.

Students of finance understood the term “technical shareholder,” but they hadn’t yet grasped its significance and started listening intently.

“Technical shareholder?”

Jiang Qin nodded, “But I haven’t had you sign a contract yet, so you still have other options, like a buyout. I’ll give you fifty thousand yuan in one go. If you choose to share profits, I’ll give you a percentage of the monthly turnover, about three to four hundred yuan.”

Song Qingsong’s eyes widened, “Just for that dumpling recipe, you’ll give me three to four hundred every month?!”

“Or a one-time fifty thousand. It’s up to you.”

After finishing, Jiang Qin added, “I suggest you choose profit-sharing, as our sixth branch is in preparation. The future turnover will increase, and so will your share.”

The entire room held their breath, their eyes wider than bells.

A simple dumpling recipe had been transformed by Jiang Qin into a stake in a restaurant chain. A buyout for fifty thousand or a monthly profit of three to four hundred yuan. The best part was Song Qingsong didn’t have to do anything; she could just lie back and earn money.

If she chose the buyout, she would become wealthy instantly. If she opted for profit-sharing, as long as Jiang Qin’s business thrived, she would continuously earn those three to four hundred yuan. And with more branches opening, this initial amount could potentially multiply.

Compared to the hard-earned money others made, what Jiang Qin offered seemed like a dream.

The point wasn’t how delicious Song Qingsong’s family dumplings were, but that giving the recipe to Jiang Qin turned it into a money tree.

Only he could do this, right? He was investing in industries. Who else at Linchuan University could access such opportunities?

Others could only comment on how tasty the dumplings were.

Zhuang Chen swallowed hard, noticing Jian Chun’s admiring gaze, along with the other girls, some even fanatical.

Shocked, Song Qingsong finally regained her composure, “I–I choose profit-sharing!”

“A wise choice, but I suggest you discuss it with your family and give me a definite answer.”

“Okay, I’ll call my mom as soon as I get back to the dorm!”

Jiang Qin nodded, stood up, and left the cafeteria with his dorm mates from F3.

Cao Guangyu was ecstatic, “Old Jiang, the way you showed off just now was mesmerizing, completely shutting up those from the neighboring dormitory.”

“?” Jiang Qin paused, “You misunderstood, I wasn’t showing off.”

TL: Btw, I’m sure everyone’s aware by now, but monthly tickets are like monthly subscription tips for the author. More than just buying the chapters themselves.

AN: The computer was left in the shop for repairs, so this chapter was written on a phone, which was terribly slow. I need some monthly ticket comfort.

Liked it? Extra chapters at /premium/ via Patreon!