TL: Etude

“Siqi, why are you crying?”

“Jiang Qin has changed. He would never have treated me like this before. I didn’t want him to leave, but he insisted on going, just to annoy me!”

Chu Siqi bit her lip, her eyes brimming with tears, and her chest heaving with emotion. The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt.

She had always been the apple of everyone’s eye since childhood. Pampered by her parents, adored by her teachers, and the center of attention among her peers. However, she had just sensed a hint of annoyance in Jiang Qin’s eyes, which deeply hurt her.

Chu Siqi considered herself a kind girl. Even though she had rejected Jiang Qin, she hadn’t completely shut him down and had encouraged him to keep trying, offering him warmth and hope.

But him?

He showed no gratitude and even looked at her with disdain. Did he not realize how excessive he was being?

He used to seek her out for chats every day, and she would respond casually, making him happy. Now, even when she took the initiative to talk to him, he was still unsatisfied!

“Huiru, although I rejected him, isn’t it too much for him to just give up? I clearly gave him hope!”

“Ah, this…”

Wang Huiru didn’t know how to respond.

Logically speaking, it was normal for Jiang Qin to stop pursuing her after being rejected.

But Chu Siqi kept talking about ‘giving hope.’ What exactly did she mean by that?

“Do you already like Jiang Qin? Are you just testing his determination, thinking that if he persists, you might accept him?”

Chu Siqi immediately interrupted her: “How could that be possible? I admit I have some fondness for him, but it’s not to that extent. At the very least, he needs to pursue me for a longer time!”

Wang Huiru fell silent for a while before asking, “How much longer exactly?”

“I don’t know, but he definitely needs to show me his utmost sincerity until I’m deeply moved to consider him.”

“Siqi, it’s fine for you to want him to keep trying, but have you ever thought about what if you meet someone you like more in the future?”

“I would obviously choose to be with the person I like more.”

“And what about Jiang Qin?”

Chu Siqi pondered for a while before saying, “Then it would just mean we were fated but not destined to be together. It wouldn’t be my fault.”

After hearing this, Wang Huiru felt a chill down her spine: “Don’t you think Jiang Qin would be very pitiful if that day comes? After persisting for so long, only to see you with someone else.”

“What can be done about that? I can’t just give up the person I like just because he persisted.”

Wang Huiru was utterly confused. Chu Siqi’s words seemed reasonable at first, but the more she thought about it, the more problematic they seemed. This was simply leading someone on.

But as Chu Siqi’s close friend, she couldn’t speak in favor of Jiang Qin. She had to firmly support her friend.

“Siqi, don’t worry. I think Jiang Qin is just pretending.”

“Pretending?”

“He’s probably just feeling lost and embarrassed after your rejection, so he’s pretending to be indifferent. But I guess he won’t last long before he comes to you again.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Siqi stopped crying, her pride resurfacing: “Even if he does regret it, I definitely won’t give him another chance!”

Wang Huiru nodded vigorously: “Right, you should definitely not give him another chance!”

“When will he regret it?”

“Do you really want to see him regretful?” Wang Huiru couldn’t help but ask.

Chu Siqi thought for a moment, then nodded seriously. She felt that Jiang Qin had wronged her by playing with her feelings and pride. Only when he regretted his actions and sought her out again, to be firmly rejected by her, would she feel vindicated.

Wang Huiru sighed inwardly, unsure of how to continue the conversation.

She thought it best for Jiang Qin not to look back and to make a clean break now. Otherwise, who knew what mess might ensue.

But she couldn’t have imagined that Jiang Qin had seen the end result, witnessing firsthand his youthful joy being cast aside like worn-out shoes. That was why he had no feelings for Chu Siqi.

Love is just like that, it defies all reason.

You might love someone for many years, cater to their every whim, attend to them in every detail, yet never even hold their hand. Then, suddenly someone else appears, winning all her affection with just a few sweet words.

Can you reason with love?

Love would only slap you in the face.

Meanwhile, Jiang Qin returned to his residential complex, parked his car, and sat on a stone bench in the garden, lost in thought.

His thoughts had nothing to do with Chu Siqi, because he simply didn’t care about her. What he was pondering was the matter of earning his first pot of gold.

The summer vacation is neither too long nor too short. In theory, there’s ample time to take things slow and not panic.

But when it comes to starting a business, it’s better to start early than late. Therefore, the issue of his first pot of gold was urgent. He had to explore all possibilities.

After much thought, he decided to ask his parents for help, thinking it might be easier. So, he went upstairs to find his mother, Yuan Youqin, enjoying her weekend.

“Mom, how much savings do we have? Can you lend me some? A few tens of thousands would do, more would be better.”

Yuan Youqin reached under the table and handed him two mahjong tiles, an eight and a nine of bamboos: “Spend it wisely.”

Jiang Qin’s mouth twitched: “Mom, you can’t even spare me two nine of bamboos?”

“Get out of here, our family has savings? Even selling you wouldn’t fetch that much.”

Jiang Zhenghong looked up at Jiang Qin, wanting to say something but hesitating, his breathing slightly heavier. Seeing this, Jiang Qin’s eyes lit up.

Indeed, as the saying goes, the older, the wiser. Looking at his father’s expression, he must have some private savings, hesitating whether to lend it to him.

“Dad, is there something you want to say to me?”

“Forget it, it’s nothing. Go play.”

“It’s okay, Dad, stop pretending, I’m prepared.”

“That… son, could you pour me a cup of tea?”

“?????”

Three minutes later, after pouring the tea, Jiang Qin returned to his room, his spirit sinking back into despair.

He felt foolish for having any hope in his father.

Mr. Jiang Zhenghong was notoriously stingy. He wouldn’t be able to sleep if his private savings exceeded five yuan, so how could he possibly lend his son tens of thousands?

But if he couldn’t undertake a big business, he still had to do something smaller. After all, small money is still money, and accumulating little by little can amount to much. Moreover, starting a business is always the hardest at the beginning. Relying on others was indeed a bit unrealistic.

Borrow money?

Everyone around him was a high school student, carrying maybe five yuan in their pockets. There wasn’t much he could borrow.

A loan?

That was an option, but the procedures were too complicated. Besides, in his previous life, he was so burdened by a mortgage that he developed an innate resistance to loans.

Jiang Qin undressed and got into bed, deciding to get a good night’s sleep first. Tomorrow, he would look elsewhere for business opportunities, at least doubling the seven hundred yuan in his hand.

Starting a business after rebirth sounds easy, but it’s not as simple as one might think.

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