Zhao Shaoyang looked at the piles of tote bags and small fans in front of him and already regretted it.
He thought to himself,
"I'm such a glutton for punishment. Wouldn't it be better to just happily go online? Why did I have to come here to do manual labor?"
He wasn't short on money and didn't need to do work-study at all.
The last time he collected old military training uniforms was purely out of curiosity and fun.
Only after doing it once did he realize how tiring it was, and he felt very embarrassed.
He didn't expect to get himself into trouble again this time.
Chen Pingjiang glanced at his struggling expression and smiled,
"If you can't do it, don't force yourself. You still have a chance to choose now."
Zhao Shaoyang cared about his reputation.
No matter how unwilling he was, he didn't want Chen Pingjiang to laugh at him.
"What's the big deal?"
"I'll say this upfront: fifty yuan a day, and you must ensure that every dorm room receives one."
Zhao Shaoyang was stunned.
"Wasn't it three hundred last time? Why is it fifty today?"
Chen Pingjiang explained,
"Last time it was all our own people. Today there's a bunch of other students. This is the going rate for part-time jobs now."
"Alright, alright."
Chen Pingjiang felt bad seeing Zhao Shaoyang like this, clearly unwilling but biting the bullet and doing it out of fear of losing face.
Truly a young person.
...
The emergence of the set meal model was undoubtedly a game-changer for the current catering industry, especially near the university town.
The publicity effect was better than expected.
"This new BBQ place has a really cheap two-person set meal. Let's go try it."
"Damn, I've always wanted to eat crawfish but couldn't bring myself to. This new BBQ place has such cheap set meals."
"I saw it too. It officially opens tomorrow."
...
Doing business near a university city, price and taste are the top two priorities.
As long as it's not too far from the campus, students don't mind walking a couple of extra steps.
It was already ten o'clock at night when Zhao Shaoyang dragged his tired body back to the dorm.
Going through all the dorms at Dongjiang University of Finance and Economics, even with many groups, was incredibly exhausting.
Climbing onto his bed, he fell back, and Zhao Shaoyang didn't want to move a muscle.
"Didn't you go to the internet cafe to surf the web? Why are you dead tired?"
Dong Tinghui asked curiously.
With a faint voice, Zhao Shaoyang weakly said,
"Don't even mention it. Old Chen tricked me into promoting his new store; my legs are about to break from all the running."
"What?"
A chorus of questions rose in the dorm, as they turned to look at Zhao Shaoyang.
"Old Chen opened a store?"
He didn't know why, even though it wasn't his own store, hearing everyone's surprised exclamations gave Zhao Shaoyang a subtle sense of gratification.
"Hmm, didn't anyone come by today to hand out those fans?"
Guo Dewen suddenly realized, nodding repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, they came around eight. I was the only one in the dorm then, so I didn't pay much attention."
Dong Tinghui took the plastic fan and looked at it.
"Damn, Old Chen kept it really quiet. It's opening tomorrow, and he didn't even tell us."
"Opening a BBQ place must cost a lot of money, right? Brother Chen is really rich."
"I feel like Brother Chen came to school solely to do business. It's only been a few days since he collected old military training uniforms, and he's already opened a BBQ place."
"Does that mean we won't have to pay when we go eat there in the future?"
"You think Brother Chen will pull you in for unpaid labor to pay him back?"
A freshman opening a BBQ place on the very first day of class—it's impossible not to be surprised.
Dong Tinghui swept his gaze across everyone in the dorm, suddenly thinking with a slight sense of amusement,
"The disparities in life must have already begun now."
Some people have already started their own businesses, some are studying diligently, some are obsessed with dating, and some are sprawled on their beds immersed in novels.
Dong Tinghui pulled out his phone and sent a message to Wang Liwen:
"Chen Pingjiang opened a BBQ place at the school gate; it opens tomorrow. We're all classmates, so should we go show our support?"
Not long after, Wang Liwen replied:
"Is it called Little Chen BBQ? Our dorm has already received flyers."
Chen Pingjiang was eating skewers with the counselor Zhu Guangtong in the store when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
He pulled it out and glanced at QQ.
In the class QQ group.
"Exclusive news: our class monitor has opened a BBQ place at the school gate."
"Really?"
"Our dorm received tote bags today, saying something about Little Chen BBQ. Could it be this one?"
"Holy crap, awesome! The class monitor opened a store on the very first day of class."
"So rich! Class monitor, please take care of us!"
"We should all go support the class monitor's business later."
...
Chen Pingjiang twitched the corner of his mouth speechlessly, thinking to himself that Zhao Shaoyang really couldn't keep a secret; he hadn't wronged him at all.
The whole class was stirred up discussing this topic.
He couldn't pretend not to see it, so he thought for a moment and edited a message:
"Thanks for your support, classmates. When you come to the store to dine, mention your class name, and each table will get a complimentary dish."
"Yes! Class monitor, you're awesome!"
"Haha, so if I go eat there every day and just order a smashed cucumber salad, and then they give me a free spicy crawfish, wouldn't I be making a huge profit?"
"Aren't you afraid of eating the class monitor into poverty?"
Zhu Guangtong also noticed the messages in the QQ group, glanced at them, then closed the app, tossed his phone aside, and continued eating and drinking.
Chen Pingjiang had called him to eat this afternoon, and hearing that he had opened a BBQ place truly surprised Zhu Guangtong immensely.
He thought he already held Chen Pingjiang in high regard, but he unexpectedly still underestimated him.
It's truly uncommon these days to be able to come up with tens of thousands to open a BBQ place, especially for a college student starting from scratch.
He originally thought Chen Pingjiang probably didn't have much experience and might just be acting on a whim, but after sitting down and observing for a while, he realized this store was very different and might actually make money.
Chen Pingjiang raised his cup for a toast.
"Teacher Zhu, could you help me spread the word among the school's teachers later?"
"That's a small matter. Even if you didn't ask, I would highly recommend it. I've eaten at those other two places too; their taste isn't as good as yours."
Zhu Guangtong originally intended to say a few polite words about focusing on studies, but in the end, he swallowed them back.
Students like this couldn't be guided or restricted by conventional methods.
...
In girls' dorm 403, there was a lively chatter at this moment.
Yu Tingting held the flyer and looked at it again and again.
The tempting spicy crawfish pictured on it almost made her mouth water.
"Wenwen, let's go eat together tomorrow! I haven't had crawfish since I came to Dongjiang."
"Going is fine, but most of our classmates will be going, and with the opening tomorrow, won't it cause trouble for Chen Pingjiang?"
Wang Liwen was more thoughtful.
Cong Nini, who hadn't spoken for a while, glanced at the pink mosquito net on the opposite bunk and said,
"Of course we have to go! We should also order a flower basket to send over. And if they need help, we can lend a hand."
Chen Pingjiang quietly opened a BBQ place, which greatly shocked Cong Nini.
Chen Pingjiang dressed so ordinarily, not like someone with money.
How could he...
Of course, while shocked, her family's financial situation was also quite good.
Chen Pingjiang merely opened a BBQ place; it wasn't enough to cause such a big fuss.
The reason for her elaborate speech was actually for Zhang Xinyue's benefit.
Seeing that Zhang Xinyue hadn't spoken for a while, Wang Liwen specifically asked,
"Xinyue, want to come with us tomorrow?"
Zhang Xinyue hid inside her pink mosquito net, remaining silent.
In reality, she was very agitated.
Firstly, because she wasn't in the same class as Chen Pingjiang, she was one of the last to know the news, which indicated she wasn't important in Chen Pingjiang's mind.
Secondly, she felt Chen Pingjiang had become very unfamiliar since starting university.
She heard he collected old military training uniforms a few days ago, and now he's opened a restaurant.
This was very different from the Chen Pingjiang she remembered, giving her both a sense of unfamiliarity and a feeling of powerlessness from being left far behind.
The old Chen Pingjiang was very playful and a 'bad student' in class.
How did he suddenly become so motivated now?
Now, she didn't know how to respond to Wang Liwen's invitation.
If she went, she'd feel a bit like an uninvited guest, but if she didn't...
She was caught in mental turmoil.
"Ugh, this is so annoying!"
"Okay!"
After hesitating for a long time before answering with those two words, Zhang Xinyue felt as if all the strength had been drained from her body.
Her face flushed, and somewhat angrily, she took out her phone, found Chen Pingjiang's QQ number, typed out a string of words, kept her finger on "Send" for a long time, but in the end, she didn't send it and deleted everything.
She vented her frustration by tossing her phone onto the bedside table, burying her entire delicate little face deep into a doll.
(End of Chapter)
---------------------
Support me on P@treon
[email protected]/charaz
$3 -> 15 chapters in advance
$5 -> 30 chapters in advance
$10 -> 60 chapters in advance
Check my pinned post on P@treon