Chapter 124
This hot spring town was completely man-made but artistic and well-designed.
Pavilions, towers, flying eaves — full of antique charm.
At the town’s center was the famous hot spring pool.
No one was sure if the water was artificially heated or truly mineral water.
As they walked, Feng Siruo tugged Jiang Zhou’s hand.
He turned around. “What’s up?”
“Ding Yue is over there.”
“Oh, I see her. Xu Haodong’s there too.”
At the hot spring entrance, Ding Yue and Xu Haodong sat apart.
Xu Haodong guarded the women’s side; Ding Yue guarded the men’s.
Neither spoke, their eyes scanning passersby.
They looked like two stone lions guarding the pools.
Some visitors asked about tickets, which didn’t include extra hot spring fees.
Ding Yue snapped, “Did I ask you for money?”
Guests grumbled, saying the ticket ladies looked fierce.
Xu Haodong laughed so hard he nearly fell over.
Ding Yue almost really wanted to bite someone.
Ding Yue also noticed something interesting.
Xu Haodong frequently disappeared mysteriously, about every 30-40 minutes, only to come back looking relaxed.
At that moment, Jiang Zhou held Feng Siruo’s hand and approached.
They saw Ding Yue and Xu Haodong stand up but ignored each other.
“What are you two doing?”
“Looking for partners.”
Feng Siruo was a little surprised. “Here?”
Ding Yue nodded fiercely. “If you dare to soak in the hot springs in public, you’ve gotta have a good figure. Those potbellied guys don’t dare come here.”
“Makes sense…”
“Yeah, right!” Jiang Zhou couldn’t help but want to complain.
This hot spring town mostly had old men and women visitors, especially in the off-season.
Anyone coming now was likely elderly.
Good figures? More like wrinkly skin.
“Oh, by the way, the class monitor said there’s a bonfire party tonight. You guys know?”
Jiang Zhou nodded. “I saw the messages in the group.”
Ding Yue looked sad. “If I don’t find a partner, I’m not going. How can a single dog join a party?”
“I don’t have a partner either.”
Feng Siruo nodded in agreement. “Me neither.”
Ding Yue sneered. “Do you think I’m stupid?”
“I’m just friends with Siruo, right?” Hearing Jiang Zhou’s words, Feng Siruo nodded obediently.
She hadn’t promised to be his girlfriend.
Not girlfriend means just friends.
Naive Feng Siruo was always tricked by Jiang Zhou like this, but Ding Yue couldn’t help rolling her eyes.
Look at your hands tightly held together, look at the couple’s outfits you’re wearing, and read the words on them: “If deep feelings can’t be mutual, then let me be the one who loves more”
“You call that not having a partner? What a joke!”
Feng Siruo was easy to please.
She didn’t stop to think. If they weren’t a couple, why would they hold hands?
But Jiang Zhou stubbornly gave an example, saying there’s a song that goes:
“Hand in hand, walking together, lifelong good friends.” Then shamelessly asked Feng Siruo if she wanted to be good friends with him.
What else could she say?
The silly girl could only nod.
So whenever she saw Jiang Zhou, her small hand never left his palm.
Even their matching outfits — clearly couple’s clothes — she insisted they were “classmate outfits only we have.”
If she had half Jiang Zhou’s nerve, she wouldn’t still be single by now.
Just then, Jiang Zhou’s phone in his pocket vibrated suddenly.
He looked, and it was a QQ message from Yin Shuya.
They had added each other the day they talked about collaborating.
Although Jiang Zhou told her to shoot freely, he still worried she might mess up the film.
So he added her on QQ to stay in touch and keep track of the shooting progress.
“Can you not let the blond guy die? Please!”
“Man, you all have the same problem.”
Yin Shuya sent a crying emoji. “So sad, I cried watching it. He’s only sixteen. He just wants to live. What crime is that?”
Jiang Zhou’s fingers flew across the keyboard. “Find the actors and start shooting immediately.”
“I’m going to change your script. He lives!”
“If you dare change it, we’ll never work together again!”
Yin Shuya sent a head-tapping emoji. “Got it. Also, I’ve transferred the company shares to you.”
“Hmm, a bit of conscience after all.”
“What are you doing now?”
“None of your business. Don’t bother me if you have nothing to do.”
Jiang Zhou shut off his phone and chatted with Ding Yue and Xu Haodong for a while.
Then he took Feng Siruo for a walk to the back mountain.
Suddenly, a low rumble of thunder came from the horizon.
Looks like the weather forecast wasn’t completely wrong.
At least there was a chance of rain today.
If it did rain, Xu Haodong and Zhang Guangfa would probably cry over not bringing gear.
Just then, Jiang Zhou felt an itch on his wrist.
He looked down and saw Feng Siruo had woven him a bracelet out of wild grass.
“Oh, quite skillful.”
Feng Siruo smiled without shyness. “Yiyi taught me.”
—
Soon, night fell.
The rain did not pour as expected, so the bonfire party went ahead as planned.
The students from Class 3 all gathered on the flat hill behind the town.
They set up grills and started burning charcoal.
As night deepened and silence spread, the bonfire crackled and blazed.
Some boys volunteered to grill skewers and showed off their cooking skills with pots and pans.
The girls around gleamed and applauded.
Jiang Zhou looked around but found no suitable task, so he grabbed a beer and sat down with three roommates.
After this weekend, the venture capital meeting was on Wednesday.
With the University of Technology food delivery app project secured, it should be the brightest project, then investment would come in.
With ample funding, the app could expand nationwide.
Jiang Zhou planned to fill Shangjing with ads as fast as possible.
Smartphones were becoming widely available.
He wanted to improve the app’s ordering system during this window.
But he wasn’t just working on the food app.
He planned to register a tech company, merge the app under it, and make it the company’s main project with a dedicated department.
Then he’d gather all financial power to develop other industries.
Next year was destined to be extraordinary.
He wanted to soar in the shortest time possible.
However, in his business plans, Yin Shuya was a surprise.
She was wealthy, resourceful, and held shares in over a hundred companies.
Maybe when he really reached other fields, she could help.
Just then, a gentle fragrance wafted over.
Feng Siruo came up holding a roasted chicken wing.
Her cheeks glowed red in the firelight.
“This is for you.”
Jiang Zhou took the wing and wiped some charcoal off her nose. “How did you get yourself so dirty?”
Feng Siruo copied him and wiped her nose. “First time grilling.”
“Fun?”
“Yeah, fun.”
Jiang Zhou raised his beer. “Here, drink a sip. You’ll sleep well tonight.”
“Oh.” Feng Siruo opened her mouth dumbly, but Ding Yue stopped her.
“Be careful, if you get drunk you’ll be at everyone’s mercy tonight!”
Feng Siruo was startled and looked at Jiang Zhou. “You’re bullying me.”
Jiang Zhou laughed. “What if I’m not by your side?”
At that, Feng Siruo’s face flushed with worry. “You… where would you go?”
“It’s a metaphor, you know? Just an example, not real.”
“Oh.” Feng Siruo relaxed, left the chicken wing, and ran back to continue grilling.
Meanwhile, the three roommates shot Jiang Zhou envious, jealous, and hateful looks.
“Beast!”
“Wolf in sheep’s clothing!”
“Worse than animals!”
Across from the bonfire sat a girl.
Watching the scene earlier, her mood suddenly turned heavy.
Jiang Zhou really liked Feng Siruo.
How could she ever have a chance?
Maybe only if Feng Siruo voluntarily stepped back. That might be the easiest way.
“Class monitor, have a skewer.”
Qu Xiaoya snapped back to reality. “Oh, thanks.”
“What were you thinking about, so distracted?”
“Nothing. Could you tell Feng Siruo to wait by the little river in front in half an hour?”
“For what?”
“I have something to say to her.”