Making money by any means necessary

Ever since his dorm-room shop opened, Wang Xiaoliang's life had become fuller than ever.

By day, he was the "boss," shuttling between the dorm building and the little wholesale shop.

At noon and in the evenings, he was a student buried in his books.

His life was divided into two distinct halves: one for survival, the other for his future. Strangely enough, rather than clashing, the two complemented each other.

Between sales, he would read for a while. And whenever studying wore him out, one look at his growing WeChat balance made his fatigue vanish.

He was no longer the boy who drifted through his days, lost about his future.

Every day, he had clear goals and kept moving.

What delighted him even more was that the ancient book had brought him more than luck. While reviewing his coursework, he discovered that he was astonishingly efficient.

He no longer limited himself to the key points marked in his study materials. He had enough energy to go over every topic several times. The theories that had once seemed obscure and incomprehensible now became clear.

That evening, Wang Xiaoliang had just finished tallying the day's earnings when Li Jun returned, reeking of alcohol.

Instead of turning on his computer to play games as usual, he sat in his seat for a long time without a word.

"What's wrong?" Wang Xiaoliang sensed that something was off.

"The hearing was today."

Li Jun suddenly spoke, his voice muffled.

Wang Xiaoliang stopped what he was doing.

He knew what Li Jun meant.

"How did it go?"

Li Jun pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his drawer, took one out, and lit it. He inhaled deeply, then broke into a violent coughing fit.

Through the drifting smoke, Li Jun's face looked indistinct.

"The university paid Old Third's parents fifty percent more in compensation."

"Well... that's good." Wang Xiaoliang didn't know what to say. For Old Third's parents, perhaps this was the best outcome they could hope for.

"Good?" Li Jun gave a self-mocking laugh. "I could never figure it out before. Old Third's parents were such a meek, honest couple from the countryside. How did they dare sue something as powerful as the university? Today, I finally understood."

He paused and flicked his ash into an empty Coke can on the desk.

"I saw Fourth Brother's dad."

Something stirred in Wang Xiaoliang.

"He kept giving Old Third's parents instructions, like some kind of strategist." Li Jun spoke calmly, but beneath that calm, turbulent emotions surged. "I bet he's getting a share of the compensation. He was the one who urged Old Third's parents to sue, and he taught them how to make a fuss and negotiate."

Silence fell over the dorm room again.

Moonlight spilled through the window, cool and clear as water.

"They said I committed perjury!" Li Jun closed his eyes, his expression pained.

"You didn't! You just didn't tell the whole story." Startled, Wang Xiaoliang instinctively defended him.

"They unlocked Old Third's phone. He'd left a final message for his parents. One line said, 'The university announced my expulsion in front of my roommate. I was so ashamed I could die.'"

"What happened after that?" Wang Xiaoliang hadn't expected things to turn around so quickly.

"The court gave me a warning. Then both sides agreed to court mediation, and that led to this settlement."

"Second Brother." Li Jun suddenly turned and stared at Wang Xiaoliang. "You were right. A person has to find every possible way to make money. Even... make money by any means necessary!"

"Look at Fourth Brother's dad. He even managed to seize an opportunity like this. He's definitely getting a cut of that extra compensation."

"In this world, money is the most useful 'solution' there is!"

Li Jun took another hard drag, then crushed the remaining half of his cigarette inside the Coke can.

"Selling drinks won't cut it. You can't make much from that. You need to learn from Fourth Brother's dad and seize opportunities. If you're going to make money, make it big."

The six characters from the book instantly surfaced in Wang Xiaoliang's mind.

[Walking in Accord with the Dao].

Making money by any means necessary was certainly wrong. It went against the Dao.

Earlier, when Li Jun had testified in the university's favor, that, too, had gone against the Dao.

What he had done betrayed the truth, and it betrayed Old Third.

That was why his failure had been inevitable.

But Wang Xiaoliang didn't say any of this aloud.

He could sense Li Jun's disappointment and pain. In this lawsuit tangled up in relationships and worldly maneuvering, Li Jun had ended up hurting the university's case instead of helping it. Perhaps Feng Yuan's promise would now come to nothing.

Li Jun's hopes of securing a job were probably shattered.

Meanwhile, Wang Xiaoliang's drink business was growing rapidly along a path even he had never anticipated.

In less than half a month, selling drinks for two yuan fifty or three yuan a bottle, he had somehow earned over two thousand yuan in net profit.

Two thousand yuan!

That was already more than his monthly living allowance.

The immense satisfaction and sense of accomplishment filled him with energy every day.

The results proved that he had made the right choice.

Budget-conscious students were always the majority on a university campus. Saving fifty cents without even having to go downstairs was irresistibly appealing to many "lazy people" and "broke students."

Before he knew it, a seamless sales routine had naturally taken shape.

Every day at noon and in the early evening, when the Library was busiest, people would place advance orders through WeChat.

"Boss Xiaoliang, put me down for two bottles of Iced Black Tea. Deliver them to section B of the third-floor reading room at five thirty."

"Do you still have coffee? I'm on the fourth floor."

Wang Xiaoliang discovered that the Library's advance orders alone were enough to send him on two round trips between his dorm and the wholesale market every day.

Business in the dorm building mostly came after seven in the evening, when the gamers and binge-watchers needed their "energy replenishment."

The timing lined up perfectly, allowing him to handle everything on his own.

That afternoon, just after he finished delivering drinks to several students who had ordered from the Library, his phone vibrated again.

Thinking it was another order, he took it out to look.

He opened the message. It contained just one sentence.

"I want a bottle of coffee."

It was Wei Zijin.

Wang Xiaoliang's heart began to race.

He quickly replied, "Where are you?"

Soon, she sent him a location: the Library, fourth floor, social sciences section, the seat beside bookshelf row H3.

Wang Xiaoliang hurried toward the fourth floor.

The Library's fourth floor was much quieter than the floors below. Rows of tall bookshelves stood there, and the air held a mingled scent of old books and printing ink.

Following her directions, he soon found bookshelf row H3.

At the end of the shelves, beside the window, a girl in a yellow T-shirt sat quietly reading. In the afternoon sunlight, her profile looked almost unreal in its beauty.

It was Wei Zijin.

In front of her, besides an open book and a laptop, was an empty seat with a thick dictionary on it, clearly placed there to reserve it.

Wang Xiaoliang walked over, set his bag on the floor, and took out a bottle of coffee.

"Your coffee."

Wei Zijin looked up. Seeing him, she moved the dictionary off the reserved seat and pointed to the space beside her.

"Sit."

Wang Xiaoliang was a little surprised, but he didn't refuse. He pulled out the chair and sat beside her.

A faint, pleasant fragrance reached him. It wasn't perfume; it smelled more like shampoo.

Wei Zijin closed her book and turned to look at him.

Her gaze was clear and direct. She simply watched him in silence, making Wang Xiaoliang feel a little uncomfortable.

"Are you free the evening after tomorrow?" she asked.

Wang Xiaoliang froze for a moment, instinctively running through his "schedule" in his head. Every evening should be peak sales time in the dorm building.

But, as if some unseen impulse had taken over, he answered, "Yes."

Wei Zijin seemed very pleased with his answer.

She asked no unnecessary questions, nor did she explain why she had asked.

She simply continued looking at him with that same calm, direct gaze, then spoke clearly, word by word.

"Pretend to be my boyfriend, and I'll treat you to a feast."