The True White Moonlight

The next morning, dawn spread across the sky.

Jiang Qin slipped out of the house, rode his bicycle around the City Area for a while, then entered Jizhou City Zoo.

With Sunday and Summer Vacation overlapping, the zoo entrance was packed with a surging crowd, more crowded than a temple fair.

An hour later, Jiang Qin squeezed his way out of the zoo, and his shoes were nearly trampled off.

Once outside, he squatted by the entrance and gulped down some water, then pulled out his Nokia and called Guo Zihang, telling him to come over.

Guo Zihang lived nearby. After receiving Jiang Qin's call, he immediately pedaled over, huffing and puffing all the way. Though drenched in sweat, he was in an excellent mood.

These days, he looked forward to being summoned by Jiang Ge every day, always feeling that another chance to make money might come at any moment. But when he found Jiang Qin, he could not help freezing on the spot.

Jiang Qin was squatting on the ground, holding a plucked chicken in each hand.

"Jiang Ge, what are you doing?"

Jiang Qin shook the chickens in his hands. "I bought two chickens for ten yuan. One's for you—take it home and have your mom stew it for you."

Guo Zihang looked at the zoo sign. He did not understand, but he was deeply shaken. "Why did you bring animals with you when you came to the zoo?"

"I didn't bring them. I bought them. They're for feeding the tigers in the zoo. A chicken costs eleven yuan at the market, but if you buy their chickens to feed their tigers, they're half price."

"Then... why didn't you feed the tigers?"

Jiang Qin's gaze sharpened. "I bought these half-price chickens fair and square. Why the hell should I feed them to tigers?"

Guo Zihang opened his mouth, hesitated for a long while, then finally spoke. "You're fleecing the zoo."

"Quit talking nonsense. Do you want it or not?"

"Yes! I love chicken!"

Guo Zihang took the chicken Jiang Qin handed him. After gripping its neck and looking it over, his expression suddenly became extremely complicated.

He could already imagine the zoo's tiger and keeper going over the accounts, only to find that nothing added up no matter how they checked.

The tiger said, "I didn't eat it, so don't you fucking accuse me!"

The keeper said, "Quit your bullshit. You ate it."

The tiger said, "You stole my chicken and you've got the nerve to say that? I didn't eat it!"

The keeper said, "If you didn't eat it, did a dog eat it?"

"Jiang Ge, why did you come all the way to the zoo to buy chickens?"

"I was planning to buy half-price chickens in bulk, secretly haul them out, and sell them at the market for ten yuan each. One flip and I'd double my money."

"Then why did you only buy two?"

"I sized him up. The security guard at the zoo entrance looks pretty tough, and I don't think I can beat him. So I called you here to be the vanguard and test his combat strength."

"Don't do this, Jiang Ge. I'm a total coward. Forget fighting—I even stutter when I curse at people!"

"You useless glutton. All you know is how to eat!"

Jiang Qin stuffed the chicken in his own hand into a plastic bag, then unscrewed his bottle of mineral water and took another drink.

Speculation and profiteering did make money quickly, but he could not keep doing it. He did not want trouble; he only wanted to earn money honestly. Besides, this kind of petty hustle was far too far removed from the goal he had set after returning to the past.

Jiang Qin stood up and handed his own chicken to Guo Zihang as well, asking him to take it home. Then he rode to his next stop, Jizhou City Library.

The matter of his first pot of gold was giving him a headache, but every method he had considered had gone nowhere.

Damn it, without a system, every step was a struggle.

Still, even without any ideas, he had no intention of sitting at home. Once people got lazy, they only became lazier—a truth he had learned in his previous life. So he decided to come to the library and look for some books, to see whether there might be a Golden House hidden inside them. Maybe they could give him some inspiration.

"How to Become the Charming Man Rich Women Love"

"Effective Opening Lines After Meeting a Rich Woman"

"Fifteen Gentlemanly Details to Win Over Rich Women"

"The Magnificent Transformation of the Third-Generation Tang Sanzang"

"Successful Cases of Living off Rich Women"

Jiang Qin selected several books from the humanities and social sciences section, intending to study them carefully.

Honestly, given his current circumstances, he felt that the only shortcut to his first pot of gold was living off a rich woman. A young man was strong and healthy; earning money through hard work was nothing shameful.

Jiang Qin carried a stack of books to the reading area, but before he could sit down, his eyes were suddenly drawn to a corner in the southeast.

A young girl sat there in a fitted long dress. The small section of arm resting on the table was white as snow, her eyes beneath thick lashes lively as water. Her red lips were soft and full, and her silky long hair draped over her shoulders, sparkling like pearls beneath the sunlight.

She was holding a thick book and reading it intently, her gaze flickering as she turned the pages. She looked quiet and well-behaved.

Jiang Qin froze for a moment, as though a related memory had been stirred awake in his mind.

Feng Nanshu, the academic genius of Class One, Grade Three. A quiet, aloof flower on a high peak. The true White Moonlight of Chengnan High School.

It was said that a winged luxury car picked her up and dropped her off every day, accompanied by a dedicated driver and bodyguards. Her family background was exceptionally mysterious.

Some said her father was a wealthy businessman involved in international trade. Some said she was a princess exiled from Beijing's elite circle. Others said she was an illegitimate daughter who could not be seen in public. There were all kinds of rumors, but none of them were very credible.

Still, Feng Nanshu truly had the air of a wealthy young lady. She was cold by nature and had no friends. Other than answering questions in class, she had never said a single word to anyone.

It was precisely because of her icy, unapproachable demeanor, coupled with the intimidation of her burly bodyguards, that although she had countless admirers, no one had ever dared confess to her.

Chu Siqi was already many people's youth, but she still paled considerably beside Feng Nanshu.

After entering university, Jiang Qin had met many girls capable of matching Chu Siqi, but Feng Nanshu remained someone who still left him amazed whenever he thought of her.

Lu Xun had not lied. Books truly did contain Jade Beauties.

But had Lu Xun actually said that? Jiang Qin thought about it and decided it did not matter. Any famous quote whose author he could not remember was something Lu Xun had said.

At the same time, Feng Nanshu seemed to notice someone watching her, and she swept her eyes over with a slight lift of her brow.

The instant her gaze met Jiang Qin's, her lashes trembled faintly, and she quickly refocused on the book in her hands.

She really was aloof.

Jiang Qin gave her a fair assessment, then walked over and sat at the table opposite her.

Reading was boring. When he could not keep reading, lifting his eyes to admire a beautiful girl was not a bad option. He read to make money, and he looked at beautiful girls so he could read. In the end, they were both tools, and neither violated his money-first principle.

Jiang Qin took out a book and placed it before him. His gaze casually swept over the book in Feng Nanshu's hands, The Magic Eye Girl Peggy Sue.

Hmm? Shouldn't a girl with such an aloof temperament be reading an artsy novel like Kafka on the Shore? Why was she reading a fantasy adventure novel aimed at younger readers? Just as Jiang Qin was slightly stunned, the novel in front of her suddenly rose.

The half of her face that had been visible was completely covered, leaving him not even her beautiful brows and eyes to look at.

Jiang Qin came back to his senses and could not help raising his eyebrows.

She would not even let him see half her face? Aloof. Truly aloof.

Jiang Qin did not mind. He simply reached out and opened the book in front of him.