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Su Yan smiled. If it had been any other adult, they would probably have been wondering whether they were being scammed, whether they would have to take responsibility if something went wrong, or how to deceive Su Yan, a child, and swallow the shop's profits.

"Auntie, think it over carefully. My fruit will sell better than vegetables, especially with the New Year coming up. Business will definitely boom. Actually, I may need to trouble you with my vegetable stall after the New Year too. I took over that stall from a third party and exploited a loophole. I'll need to sign a new contract next year, or I can only close it down."

"Ah, how could this happen...?"

"Don't worry, Auntie. Get some rest and give me your answer once you've thought it through."

Applying for a business license was different from signing a contract. A sixteen-year-old could sign a contract, but the Bureau of Industry and Commerce would never approve an application from someone under eighteen unless a guardian stepped forward.

Su Yan had never planned to contact the guardian who had run off to who knew which city.

Su Yan entered the space to play with War God. They said Tibetan Mastiffs were not very obedient by nature; their ferocity made them impossible to train as military dogs, and they were not as intelligent as military dogs either. But perhaps because of its living environment, War God was exceptionally smart. Su Yan deliberately trained it like a military dog, and War God never slacked off. It could understand everything Su Yan said. Su Yan knew this was an advantage the space had given War God. Having such an intelligent Tibetan Mastiff was naturally even better.

"War God doesn't seem to have grown any bigger lately. Is he an adult now?"

"Hehehe, this is his limit. An imitation lion is still not a lion. If he were a lion, I could make him even more imposing and massive. With proper nurturing, he might even become a divine beast."

"Keep bragging. If you were that capable, why not grow cabbages into jade cabbages and turn me into Sun Wukong?"

"Hehehehe, Yan Yan, you're so dumb. How could cabbage possibly grow into jade cabbage, dumbass!"

"...Fuck, you don't learn anything good, only swear words."

"Hehe, don't you insult people like that when you chat online? So what if I'm insulting you?"

"So what? Evil force!"

"If you want to become Sun Wukong, you can't count on me. You have to rely on your own efforts. I can give you the opportunity and the conditions, but you don't seem very self-disciplined. You've barely practiced the incantation I taught you at the beginning."

"Only an idiot would practice it. If I keep practicing, I'll end up becoming you. I despise you." Su Yan raised his middle finger at the faceless, shapeless Red Mist, the corners of his mouth curling up arrogantly. The Red Mist churned violently in fury. "Yan Yan! I shall punish you in the name of the moon!"

"You don't believe me when I say you're dumb. All you learn is meaningless nonsense. I can't be bothered talking to you. I'm going to sleep."

Once the lively Christmas passed, New Year's Day made its shining debut.

For students who were not dating, New Year's Day was far more interesting than Christmas. There was no holiday for Christmas, but New Year's Day came with an evening party—and three days off afterward.

The entire school was busily preparing for the New Year's Day party. At Pear Blossom High School, each class held its own party. It was only a few hours one evening; the fun was all in the atmosphere.

On the morning of the New Year's Day party, the arts committee member cornered Su Yan. "Su Yan, handsome guy, have you decided on your performance yet? You few troublemakers are the only ones left in the whole class." She pointed at several blank names in her exercise book, including Su Yan's, Chen Yan's, and those of several very shy girls.

Su Yan glanced at the list and saw that Liang Kui's performance was Beyond's "I Like You." That had not changed; it was exactly the same as in his previous life. The difference was that Su Yan had not performed at all in his previous life. This time, he was somewhat tempted.

Not long after, the arts committee member left contentedly with her exercise book. As for Chen Yan, no one expected her to perform anyway. It was better not to ask; one less person made no difference.

That afternoon, the entire class was busy decorating the classroom while waiting for nightfall. The class monitor, Lin Qiang, took the class funds and dragged Su Yan out to buy things. They needed fruit, sunflower seeds, candy, and other snacks. The class funds were limited, really. At the party, each person could get one tangerine, a handful of sunflower seeds, and a few candies. Most of the rest was brought by the students themselves to contribute. They were simply there for the lively atmosphere.

Lin Qiang had brought Su Yan along, as well as two other boys. If they bought too much, the others would be the laborers. Lin Qiang was good at pinching pennies. He asked about the price of tangerines at stall after stall, and after more than an hour of wandering around, none had met his standards.

Su Yan said impatiently, "Are you buying or not? It's getting dark."

"Buying! Of course I'm buying!" Lin Qiang said helplessly. He had no choice but to pick the cheapest stall so far. Only after picking through the fruit and confirming there were no rotten tangerines did he relax. "We'll take these. How much?"

The fruit stall owner said, "Fifty-eight yuan altogether."

Lin Qiang's heart ached. He reached into his pocket and turned his pants pockets inside out, but the money was nowhere to be found. His eyes widened in alarm. "Where's my money?"

The other two classmates panicked and hurriedly helped Lin Qiang search, but not only was the class fund gone, even Lin Qiang's own spending money had disappeared. Cold sweat immediately poured down Lin Qiang's face. He said mournfully, "All the money is gone! What do we do? We're finished—the party is about to start."

"How could you be so careless?" one classmate said anxiously.

"No money? Then I can't sell you the tangerines." The fruit stall owner sighed regretfully.