Lin Feng closed his laptop after finishing his daily lesson.
He leaned back in his chair and stretched.
At that moment, his phone buzzed.
[Personal account has been credited with ¥85.00 from account ending in ...]
He stared at the notification for a moment, confused.
Then recognition dawned.
Yu Shen.
It seemed Yu Shen had finalized their trading system and put it online.
Lin Feng did some quick mental math. If he had received 85 yuan, that meant their total earnings were around 340 yuan. The profits from day trading were split evenly between him and Yu Shen. Then each of their shares was split again - half for reinvesting, half for daily expenses.
Well, if you wanted the daily expenses portion, that is.
Yu Shen, for example, was reinvesting everything back in. At this rate, his percentage of the pool would gradually grow larger than Lin Feng's.
Not that Lin Feng cared.
He just needed the money so his system balance could grow rapidly. The actual trading profits were secondary.
He made a mental note to withdraw some money weekly and reinvest it into the trading pool. That way, it would compound even faster.
As he was thinking about this, another notification appeared.
A message.
He tapped it open.
[Teacher Liu]: Thanks for everything.
His eyes widened.
He quickly typed a reply and hit send.
Message failed to deliver.
He frowned and tried again.
Same result.
He pulled up her contact and pressed the call button.
A cold, automated voice answered.
"The number you have dialed is not in service."
He lowered the phone slowly.
That's weird.
He sat there for a moment, staring at the screen.
Then he stood up and began packing his things into his backpack.
He would pay her a visit on his way back.
…
Lin Feng stood outside Teacher Liu's apartment.
He knocked on the door.
No response.
He knocked again, harder this time.
Still nothing.
He reached for the handle and gave it a slight push.
The door swung open.
His brow furrowed.
"Teacher?" he called out. "I'm coming in."
He stepped inside slowly, his eyes scanning the space.
The apartment was quiet. Too quiet.
He looked around.
The living room was nearly empty. The couch was still there, but the decorations, the books, the little personal touches - all gone. Only bare walls and dust remained.
He moved further in, his footsteps echoing slightly.
The kitchen was the same. Cabinets left open, shelves cleared out.
He made his way to the bedroom.
The bed was stripped of its sheets. The closet doors hung open, revealing empty hangers.
Then he noticed something on the bedside table.
A letter.
He picked it up and unfolded it.
His eyes moved across the handwriting.
When he finished, he let out a long sigh.
Why did the teacher have to be so dramatic?
He had been genuinely scared for a second there.
That being said, he felt a little sad.
She had quit her job and left. Just as she had said she would.
He wondered why she hadn't at least met him in person.
The letter explained it. With the stunt the school had pulled, many eyes would be on her now. And apparently, her family was closing in. She had decided to move quickly before they could find her.
Lin Feng folded the letter and slipped it into his pocket.
What kind of family did she have anyway?
He stood there for a moment longer, taking one last look at the empty room.
Then he turned and walked out.
Well... until we meet again, I suppose.
…
Tuesday, October 20th.
Lin Feng sat at the back of the classroom next to Su Yue, just as usual.
He glanced around.
Something felt off.
People seemed to be paying more attention to them than normal. Glances from the corners of eyes. Whispers hidden behind hands.
Did something happen?
He wondered if it was because of yesterday's ceremony.
No. Looking more closely, he noticed that the gazes weren't directed at him.
They were directed at Su Yue.
He turned to her.
"Did something happen?" he asked.
"Well... yeah."
She pulled out her phone and showed him the screen.
His eyes went wide.
It was a clip of Su Yue dancing in the bunny outfit.
He facepalmed.
Well, he supposed he shouldn't be shocked. This kind of thing was bound to happen sooner or later.
"Congrats on getting your first viral clip," he said.
"But this kind of clip..."
She reached over and pinched his arm.
He winced.
"It's all your fault," she muttered.
"But the comments are all positive," he said, pulling up the clip on his own phone. He scrolled through the engagement. "You've received a lot of followers too. Aren't you happy?"
She didn't respond.
He looked at her more carefully.
His expression grew serious.
"Does it bother you?"
She had just been going along with everything until now. Maybe she...
Su Yue let out a sigh.
"Not really," she said. "It's not like I did it without knowing what I was getting myself into."
She paused.
"The money was tempting. I suppose I was just surprised it happened this soon."
Lin Feng studied her for a moment.
"If you want," he said, "how about we take a break? You can think it through. If you're uncomfortable, we can call off the whole thing altogether."
She shook her head.
"I was surprised at first when I got recognized," she admitted. "But I don't think it bothers me. Well... it does, but not enough for me to give up."
She straightened in her seat.
"I'll get used to it."
Lin Feng looked at her.
Maybe there's another way...
"Actually," he said, "I have my own thoughts on the matter."
She turned to face him.
"You can keep doing this for another week or so to build up more fans," he continued. "Then I'll have you rebrand."
"Rebrand?" she asked, tilting her head.
He smiled.
"It's a secret."
"Tell me," she demanded.
He shook his head.
"Tell me."
"No."
"Lin Feng…"
At that moment, the classroom door opened and a teacher walked in.
The chatter died down immediately.
Su Yue shot him a look that clearly said this isn't over.
Lin Feng just smiled and turned to face the front.
…
Later that day.
Lin Feng stepped into a commercial building in the city center.
The lobby was clean and modern, with polished floors and glass-paneled walls. A directory stood near the entrance, listing various offices and rental agencies.
He made his way toward one of them.
A salesman in a crisp shirt noticed him immediately and approached with a practiced smile.
"Good afternoon! Looking for something specific today?"
"A studio apartment," Lin Feng said. "Something simple. Doesn't need to be big."
The salesman nodded and gestured for Lin Feng to follow.
"We have several options available. What's your budget?"
"Around 1,500 yuan a month."
"Excellent. Right this way."
…
After viewing a few options, Lin Feng settled on a small studio not far from campus.
It was modest - a single room with a small kitchenette and a bathroom - but it was clean, quiet, and most importantly, private.
"1,500 yuan monthly," the salesman confirmed. "Two months' deposit required upfront, plus the first month's rent and processing fees. Comes to 5,000 yuan total."
Lin Feng nodded and completed the paperwork.
Once everything was signed, he stood in the empty studio, looking around.
This should work.
He pulled out his phone and made a call.