Free Web NovelChapter 189: Chapter 189: Escape
"Thank you, Qu An," several of the girls said, pleasantly surprised.
"I’ve never had this before, but I’ve seen other people drink it. I hear it’s pretty expensive," Chang E whispered to Su Li. "It looks like Qu An’s family is just as rich as everyone says." frёewebnoѵēl.com
During military training, Qu An had also treated the class to drinks one day.
His sophisticated way of speaking and his generosity had convinced everyone that he was the richest person in their class.
It wasn’t as obvious when they were all wearing military training uniforms, but now that everyone was in their regular clothes, Qu An’s wealth would probably be even more apparent.
The girls chattered away, asking Qu An a bunch of questions. freewebnøvel.com
Qu An patiently answered each one. He was cheerful and enthusiastic, acting like a perfect gentleman as he looked after the girls.
When they commented on how rich his family was, a hint of pleasure crossed his face, but he remained very modest.
"...It’s just a small factory. Nothing compared to the truly wealthy."
As Qu An spoke, his gaze habitually drifted toward Su Li, and he saw that she seemed to have taken an interest.
"Does your family’s factory mainly produce buttons?" Su Li asked, reminded of Pinjun Clothing.
"Yes, and zippers and things like that—all the accessories. We have lots of beautiful buttons."
Seeing Su Li’s interest, Qu An’s spirits lifted. "If you... if you girls are interested, I can bring some for you to play with. Some girls even like to make necklaces and bracelets out of the glass buttons."
Su Li had no talent for making necklaces and bracelets out of buttons, nor was she interested.
Her classmates, however, were interested and immediately started chattering with questions.
Qu An answered them with good-natured patience. Su Li listened to them talk and laugh, and the meal passed quite pleasantly.
"Let us walk you back." It was customary for the boys to escort the girls home after a meal.
"Thank you," the girls replied.
When they reached the dormitory entrance, Chang E didn’t want to go back inside yet. "Su Li, let’s go check out the book kiosk by the gate."
Su Li nodded without a second thought. "Okay."
"We want to go too. Let’s all go together," Qu An said, his eyes instantly lighting up.
The four of them went to the "Work-Study" book kiosk outside the main gate together.
At this time, "work-study" was a trendy and impressive term on campus.
The "Work-Study" book kiosk, run by the students themselves on campus, was supported by the university.
Since it was student-run, the university didn’t charge them any management fees, so the books at the kiosk were much cheaper than those outside.
On the first day of the semester, the kiosk’s opening had been a chaotic scene. Within a fifty-meter radius, it was a sea of people, with everyone holding up their money and desperately pushing forward just to buy the books they coveted.
When Su Li first saw it, she had been deeply struck by the sight.
The expressions on everyone’s faces showed that they truly loved to read and learn. They had a genuine thirst for knowledge.
Most of the money they saved by scrimping on food and other expenses was spent on books.
After that moving experience, an idea had begun to form in Su Li’s mind.
The idea had been fermenting for the past few days and was now nearly mature.
Chang E’s suggestion to visit was exactly what she wanted. She also wanted to see what kinds of books the kiosk had.
"It’s so great that there are so many books."
They were in luck; the people in front of them had just left. Chang E stared at the books inside with a look of fascination.
Su Li glanced over and couldn’t help but chuckle.
’How many books could a tiny kiosk like this possibly hold? It paled in comparison to the massive libraries of the future.’
But Chang E still looked completely content.
"Su Li, are there any books you want to buy?" Qu An said from the side. "If you girls see any books you like, just pick them out. I’ll get them for you."
Chang E’s eyes lit up for a moment, then dimmed again.
Su Li shook her head. "No, I’m just browsing."
The upperclasswoman inside the kiosk heard this and smiled. "Tell me what books you want to see, and I’ll get them for you. You can look at one for five minutes."
"I want that one," Chang E said immediately.
Five minutes was a short time, and it passed quickly. Chang E reluctantly returned the book to the upperclasswoman before dragging Su Li away, unwilling to leave.
"I come here every day to get a free five-minute read. In another half-month, I’ll be able to finish that book," Chang E whispered to Su Li.
"You like reading that much, huh?" Su Li asked.
"Yeah. When I get a job and have money, I’m going to buy lots and lots of books and fill my whole house with them. That’s my dream," Chang E said immediately.
"That dream will definitely come true," Su Li said with a smile.
They had a two-day break after military training ended. Su Li was supposed to go home, but after touching the watch and ring on her hand, she decided not to go back just yet.
Su Li and Chang E returned to the dormitory building together, thanking Qu An for walking them back.
"Is this how guys and girls normally interact nowadays?" Su Li asked Chang E on the stairs back to their dorm.
Chang E nodded. "Mostly. They say it’s just being polite and gentlemanly, but some people aren’t like that. It depends on the person."
Su Li nodded in understanding.
Back in the dorm, everyone was busy chatting. Su Li chimed in half-heartedly while her hands moved nonstop, writing out a plan.
Su Li rarely stayed at the school, so she wasn’t particularly close with everyone. The person she knew best was Chang E. However, Su Li had a gentle personality and was always smiling, and she would occasionally bring snacks to share, so her relationships with her roommates were still pretty good.
There weren’t any major conflicts among them, and the overall atmosphere was very pleasant.
Su Li quite liked this relaxed university dorm culture of casual chats and gossip.
"Su Li, what are you writing?" Chang E asked curiously, noticing that Su Li had been writing nonstop.
"Just some plans," Su Li answered casually.
She was writing a business plan.
The night ended with everyone sharing amusing stories about life in their hometowns.
The next morning, Su Li woke up, washed up, and had breakfast with everyone at the cafeteria before leaving the university.
She walked out the main gate, passing by the book kiosk and seeing that it was once again crowded with people.
Some of them were like Chang E, there to get their free five minutes of reading. Others were there to actually buy books. In any case, there were always groups of two or three people around; it was never empty.
Su Li stood to the side, watching the book kiosk for a moment before strolling away.
She walked slowly to a storefront a few dozen meters from the school gate.
The shop was on a corner. Its layout was poor, but the space itself was quite large. Su Li’s lips curved into a smile as she looked at the "For Rent" sign.
She had happened to see it was for rent a couple of days ago, and an idea had formed in her mind back then. Now... she decided to put that idea into action.
Su Li tapped her finger on the "For Rent" sign. ’You’re the one!’
Afterward, Su Li found a real estate agent she knew and rented the storefront, along with the second floor above it.
"Are you renting this commercial space to start a business?" the agent asked curiously.
"You could say that. I plan to open a bookstore," Su Li replied with a smile.
Her bookstore would sell books, but more importantly, it would also rent them out.
In her past life, Su Li had loved to read, but her income was limited. When she could no longer afford to buy books, she started renting them.
She could adapt the book rental business model from the future, implementing a membership card system. The rental fees would be low; for the price of one new book, you could rent and read several, allowing people to read much more.
Su Li believed that for people like Chang E, a business model like this would be a paradise.
