"Xu Changqing, if you come home this time without a girlfriend, don't call me your mom anymore!""Kids your age are already out doing grown-up things — tell me, what are you thinking?""Your father says he can't even hold his head up at the construction site. The other day his coworker's son got married, and they didn't even invite us!""Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? You don't need to worry about my affairs!""Your father isn't well. While you're back home, help take care of him. And he shouldn't be going to the construction site!"
Xu Changqing felt a pang of guilt. He'd only graduated just over a year ago and hadn't even had time to sort out things at home, yet his parents were already talking about arranging a wedding for him. Besides, he was only twenty-seven. Sure, some people his age were married, but many of them hadn't gone to university — how could they compare to him, a Su University graduate with a bachelor's degree?
"Your father said if you don't get married this year, we'll pick someone out for you. Just someone suitable will do!""Don't be too picky. We even bought a place in the city — your father hasn't had a chance to tell you yet!" Their mother, Dai Lanlan, spoke to Xu Changqing with earnest concern.
"I'm serious, Mom. Why would you and Dad buy a house? I haven't even decided where I'll work yet!" Xu wasn't upset about the house itself so much as about the money his parents had been scrimping to save. If he couldn't find a wife, how could he face them?
"Your father said if you don't bring a girlfriend home this week, the two of us are going to the provincial capital to find you one!""All right, that's enough. Your cousin will be home from school any minute! The rice cooker's still on with soup!"Beep beep beep. The call ended and Xu Changqing stared at his phone with a helpless look.
"Sigh. Finally a day off that's actually mine, and now there's a million things to deal with." He closed his eyes and braced himself for the miserable life he was about to face. Money — it was all about money. Everything cost money. This was a hardship he'd never really felt back in school.
"If only there were a way to make money… at least I wouldn't worry about going hungry every day." And if his parents came to visit, they'd need a place to stay — the place he rented wasn't great.
He opened his eyes and looked around, feeling like something was missing. The sun had just started hitting his backside when his mother's call jolted him awake; he had no choice but to grit his teeth and get moving.
"These people are really heartless — this quilt is so thin and they want over a hundred for it!" Xu Chungqing sighed. Under someone else's roof, you had to keep your head down. "Well, you can dodge the first of the month but you can't dodge the fifteenth — gotta figure out a way to make money first."
With that in mind, he set out to find stable work before his parents came to visit. He tidied himself up a little; he wasn't handsome, but at least he had some presence. His 180 cm height came from his father, but his temper came from his mother.
"God, all that stuff they taught us at school — what a waste if it doesn't get me anywhere. Who said knowledge changes your fate? What a joke!" he muttered as he walked the streets of SZ City, watching the crowds.
"A stall? No way. I have no experience — what if I lose money?" He shook his head and dismissed the idea of setting up a street stall. He patted his pockets; his wallet was as flat as it could be.
"In this heat, who's hiring a programmer right now?" "The job market's closed, ah…" He glanced at his secondhand watch and fell silent. He had no choice but to ask his good friend Huahua for a favor. Luckily Huahua was a local — without him, Xu probably couldn't have made such connections.
"Hey, where are you? I need a favor!" Xu called Xiao Ran."I just got out of the shower. What? Got cheated again?" Xiao Ran indeed had just gotten out of the bath."No, I just wanted to ask you to help me find a job — something decent." Xu felt embarrassed. After being penniless and conned recently, there was no reason to ask for his things back — if not for Xiao Ran getting a couple of local toughs involved, Xu might not have a place to live now.
"Okay, five minutes. Meet me at the Starbucks on Guanqian Street." Xiao Ran hung up decisively. "It's good to have a brother. When I get rich, I'll treat him well." Xiao Ran was the only close friend Xu had from his Su University dorm — the other roommates were from other cities (XZ, HA, YC, LYG), though they were all in Jiangsu province. After graduation, Xu naturally kept closest with Xiao Ran, the local boy.
Because he respected punctuality, Xu was always on time — after all, he needed a job. "Huahua, you're right on time! It's almost two." Xu pointed at his watch.
"Being here proves I consider you a brother. Tell me — do you want something in your field or not?" Xiao Ran's family was fairly well off, though not nearly as rich as some of the elite kids at school. Red-blooded privileged kids were rare in SZ City, and Xiao Ran hadn't told Xu about his background.
"Computer networking? These days a specialized degree doesn't get you much. The country doesn't value it. And a programmer — do you think anyone would hire someone who looks like me?" Xu meant he felt ashamed to call himself a programmer unless he had the right look — apparently at some point programmers had come to be judged by their hair.
"Okay, I won't keep you in suspense. I've got a public company contact that deals with Penguin Group. Let's see if you can handle it." Given Xiao Ran's family connections, he had access to companies that fit. Otherwise, how could he have such freedom?
"Really? You're sure it's connected to Penguin Group?" Xu perked up — getting into Penguin Group would certainly make people envious.
"Don't get excited. Opportunities are for those who are prepared. I know your personality." "Penguin Group requires a minimum of a bachelor's degree to enter, and your thesis needs to be an A+." Xiao Ran frowned; he knew Xu's technical skills but had no idea about his thesis. After all, a thesis could shape a student's future, so Xiao Ran wasn't rejecting him — he was just stating the facts.
"Don't worry about my thesis. I've been writing stories since freshman year — how do you think my writing is?" Xu had spent all four years of university without a single relationship, always the third wheel next to Xiao Ran more often than studying.
"It's okay — at least you have some achievements. I've only had a few girlfriends myself." Xiao Ran sounded a little down, as if mocking himself.
"Ha! Brother, women are like clothes; brothers are like limbs." "Your exes wasted a lot of money on you. Aren't you a bit of a pretty boy?" Xu actually envied Xiao Ran: handsome, and the student union president at Su University. As his constant third wheel, Xu received some secret glances from the girls, but he knew his poor background made him out of reach for those girls who spent their youth frivolously. To put it bluntly, Xiao Ran was a charming ladies' man; Xu was a solitary guardian of his little kingdom.
During those four years at Su University, every time Xiao Ran changed girlfriends he'd drag Xu out drinking. As Xiao Ran put it, "out with the old, in with the new." Over time, Xiao Ran's reputation as student union president had grown, and Xu became his trusty drinking shield — no one dared to say Xu was better at drinking.
"If this works out, remember to bring me along. When you're rich, I expect to eat and drink well." Xu trusted Xiao Ran's abilities and didn't mind going along for the ride.
"You said that — and there's really a get-together tonight. We need you there to hold the place down!" Xiao Ran squinted, clearly setting a trap."God, man, you're kidding! You'd set me up?" Xu was embarrassed — had Xiao Ran planned this all along?"There'll be beauties, curvy ones — your type!" Xiao Ran grinned wickedly.
"You snooped into my private thoughts?" Xu shivered. How had Xiao Ran discovered such private desires?
"Come on, you may be a pure little virgin, but who hasn't watched stuff? Besides, we've been together four years — I know what you're thinking." "By the way, if this works out, there might be a beauty willing to be your girlfriend!" Xiao Ran knew Xu didn't not want a girlfriend — he just couldn't afford one. Think about SZ: a prosperous place where everything costs money, and Xu had everything except money. So his university life had mostly been between the dorm and the library. As his loyal friend, Xiao Ran naturally wanted to use the 'girlfriend' angle to help him see a bit more of the world.
"Is that for real? If someone is actually willing to be my girlfriend, that would be great news!"