With the ringing of the final bell.
The final exams were finally over.
The students all breathed a sigh of relief.
Their moods became joyful.
The long-awaited winter break was finally here!
But for the miserable third-year high school students, this break only lasted until the third day of the Lunar New Year.
This meant returning to school for boarding life on the third day after the New Year.
However, before that, there was still nearly ten days of vacation.
After finishing his exams, Wang Yue rode his bike towards the city plaza.
He planned to open his third branch here.
The foot traffic here was enormous, making it one of the busiest places in the small town.
But finding a shop here was not easy.
"Wang Yue, what a coincidence."
Not long after Wang Yue had walked away, a girl's voice called out from behind him.
Wang Yue turned his head and saw it was An Ran, riding her little pink bike and catching up.
"Why are you tailing me again?"
Wang Yue said.
"How am I tailing you? I just happened to run into you. Fate brought us together, you know?"
An Ran said with a smile.
"Alright."
Wang Yue casually asked, "How were your exams?"
An Ran thought for a moment and then said, "Just so-so."
"Usually, students who say that do quite well,"
Wang Yue remarked.
An Ran smiled and didn't reply. Then she asked, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to the city plaza to see if there are any suitable shop spaces,"
Wang Yue replied.
"You're opening another branch?"
An Ran asked.
"I'm just looking for now,"
Wang Yue replied.
"Sigh."
An Ran sighed. "We're both high school students, yet the gap between people is so vast."
"People's physiques are different. For example, when I was extremely angry once, I ate five steamed buns in one go,"
Wang Yue said.
"Pfft."
An Ran laughed. "You're so funny, I like you even more."
Facing An Ran's boldness, Wang Yue just smiled and didn't respond.
An Ran suddenly said again, "If one day I suddenly stop bothering you, will you miss me?"
"No."
Wang Yue replied bluntly.
"You heartless man!"
An Ran showed a hint of displeasure on her face. "I'm serious, will you really not miss me? I might not be at Er Zhong next semester."
Wang Yue recalled things from his past life.
An Ran had suddenly transferred away back then. There were many speculations, but no one knew the real reason.
Wang Yue realized this was a good opportunity to uncover the truth, especially since he was a bit of a gossip.
So Wang Yue asked, "You're transferring? Why?"
"Because of you."
An Ran put on a teary-eyed expression. "Because my efforts are not reciprocated, I'm heartbroken and can't eat or sleep. I fear that if I don't get your love, I'll go crazy, so I can only stay away from you, not see you, so I can study with peace of mind."
"You should become an actress in the future."
Wang Yue rolled his eyes.
An Ran huffed, "You unromantic fellow. Fine, I'll tell you the truth. My parents think Er Zhong's teaching quality can't compare to Yi Zhong. Plus, Yi Zhong has also extended a warm invitation for me to return, so I might be going back to Yi Zhong."
"So that's how it is."
Wang Yue nodded.
Often, the truth people imagine is vastly different from reality.
It wasn't as outlandish as the rumors suggested.
An Ran's transfer was simply a normal move to pursue better academic results.
"But I don't want to transfer."
An Ran sighed and said.
"Why?"
Wang Yue asked again.
"Because of you."
"Don't start."
An Ran suddenly said seriously, "This time it's real. The reason I don't want to transfer is indeed because of you. There's nothing at Er Zhong worth my nostalgia, except for you, Wang Yue."
"Then you should go back to Yi Zhong."
Wang Yue stated he wasn't buying it.
Although he didn't know why An Ran was so persistent.
It didn't change the fact that he had no feelings for her.
When it came to relationships, Wang Yue always went by feelings. His liking was the most important thing.
"I knew you'd have this attitude, but the way you act indifferent to me is truly captivating, man."
An Ran had an inexplicable smile on her face.
When they reached the city plaza, An Ran left, seemingly just heading in the same direction as Wang Yue.
Wang Yue wandered around the city plaza and indeed found no shops for rent.
"I wonder if I can find any shops for sale?"
Wang Yue looked around. If he found a shop for sale, he would buy it immediately.
In this area of the city plaza, Wang Yue clearly remembered that in his previous life, it became increasingly prosperous, and rents became more and more expensive.
If he could secure a shop here, it would be a stable, appreciating asset.
Unfortunately, Wang Yue didn't find anything.
So he went to the real estate agency in the city plaza.
When it came to buying shop spaces, Wang Yue didn't have much energy to focus on it. Using an agent was the best option at this time.
After registering his information with the agent, Wang Yue went home.
Time passed quickly.
Only three days were left until Lunar New Year's Eve.
Every year around this time, Wang Yue's family would start selling couplets and lanterns, and so on.
This year was no exception.
There were newly arrived goods and also some stock from previous years.
Pan Huiying's intention was to stop selling after this year and enjoy their retirement.
Wang Jianguo felt the same way.
Since both parents were of the same mind, Wang Yue naturally had no objections.
To be honest, he even missed the days when he helped his parents sell couplets.
Normally, they would set up two stalls.
One at the Wang Yue family's shop, and another downstairs in his residential complex.
Wang Yue was responsible for the stall downstairs in the complex.
Back then, Wang Yue was not eloquent. When selling couplets, he was too lazy to introduce them unless asked. Even so, he sold quite a few.
This showed the great demand for these items during the Spring Festival.
Wang Yue set up his stall early, then brought a stool and sat down, officially starting to sell couplets.
Whenever someone passed by, Wang Yue would greet them and invite them to come and buy couplets.
This also significantly increased the closing rate.
It was the twelfth lunar month, and the wind was biting cold.
When Wang Yue was free, he took out his phone to slack off for a bit.
He saw that Qiao Zixuan had sent him a message. Wang Yue smiled and replied, "I'm selling couplets. Boss Qiao, do you want to come and join the fun?"
Qiao Zixuan, who was comfortably by the fire watching TV at home.
Upon seeing Wang Yue's message.
Without a word, she put on her down jacket and was ready to go out.
She was wearing the pink down jacket that Wang Yue had given her.
"Xuanxuan, where are you going?"
Qiao's mother asked.
"Going out to play with classmates."
Qiao Zixuan felt too embarrassed to say she was going to see Wang Yue, so as not to make Qiao's mother overthink.
"Dress warmly when you go out, and come back early for dinner,"
Qiao's mother cautioned.
"Okay, okay, I know."
Qiao Zixuan went out, feeling a little excited.
Selling couplets was something she had never experienced before.