Great Power Reclamation

In October in London, Yang Chenglong's life became more regular.

I attend classes from Monday to Friday, spend my evenings in the library, and on weekends I go to that restaurant to sit and read some French books.

The Little Prince was so worn out from his frequent reading that some pages were folded and marked with words he couldn't understand.

Lin Wanwan would occasionally send him messages to ask what he was doing, how his studies were going, and how his French was progressing.

Yang Chenglong always replied very seriously, reporting on his recent situation in detail, and always adding at the end, "You should take good care of yourself too."

Once, Lin Wanwan asked him, "You study French every day, what if I don't go to France in the future?"

Yang Chenglong looked at the message, scratched his head for a while, and replied, "Then what I've learned won't go to waste; I can teach you."

Lin Wanwan replied with a smiley face.

Yang Chenglong looked at that smiling face many times.

In early November, Ye Guigen came to see him.

Are you free this weekend? I'll take you somewhere.

Yang Chenglong asked, "Where to?"

“A friend’s company does cross-border e-commerce,” Ye Guigen said. “Didn’t you want to study business? Go and see how real businesses are run.”

Yang Chenglong's eyes lit up: "Go!"

The company was located in the East End; it wasn't big, with about twenty people, but it was doing quite well. The owner was a Chinese man in his thirties surnamed Zhou who had previously worked in e-commerce in China before starting his own business in the UK.

He took Yang Chenglong on a tour and explained their business model—importing goods from China, selling them on Amazon, and then shipping them throughout Europe via logistics.

Yang Chenglong listened intently, asking questions incessantly. How to select products? How to price them? How to handle returns? How to deal with competition?

Mr. Zhou answered them one by one, and finally said with a smile:
"Young man, you're asking a lot of questions. Are you thinking of starting your own business?"

Yang Chenglong scratched his head: "I do want to, but there's so much I don't understand."

“If you don’t understand, learn,” Boss Zhou said. “I also started from scratch. You’re young, you have plenty of time.”

On the way back, Yang Chenglong remained silent.

Ye Guigen asked, "What are you thinking about?"

“Brother,” Yang Chenglong suddenly said, “I want to do something on my own.”

Ye Guigen looked at him: "What is it?"

"I haven't decided yet," Yang Chenglong said, scratching his head. "But after seeing Boss Zhou's company, I have some ideas. My grandfather has a horse farm, and there are many local specialties in Junken City, such as mutton, dairy products, and handicrafts. Could we sell them here?"

Ye Guigen thought for a moment and said, "We can give it a try. But it's not that simple. There are a lot of things to do, such as logistics, customs clearance, and certification."

“I know,” Yang Chenglong said, “that’s why I want to learn slowly.”

Ye Guigen looked at him with a hint of relief in his eyes.

“Okay,” he said, “I’ll ask around to see if anyone knows anything about this.”

After that, Yang Chenglong became even busier.

I attend classes during the day, study cross-border e-commerce at night, and visit markets on weekends to see what sells well and what doesn't.

He joined several industry groups, watching other people chat every day, and asking questions whenever he didn't understand something. Sometimes he would stay up until two or three in the morning, and go to class the next day with dark circles under his eyes.

When Ye Guigen came to visit him, he noticed that Ye had lost weight, but his eyes were brighter.

"Are you trying to kill yourself?"

Yang Chenglong grinned: "Brother, this is the first time in my life I've been so determined to accomplish something."

Ye Guigen didn't say anything more, he just patted him on the shoulder.

In early December, Yang Chenglong achieved his first result.

He sourced a batch of cashmere scarves from the military reclamation city; Yang Geyong had asked someone to find the supplier, and the quality was excellent. He opened an online store, listed several products, and was waiting for his first order.

After waiting for three days, it finally arrived.

It's one order with three items, and the address is in Germany.

Yang Chenglong was so excited that he spun around in his dormitory, then hurriedly packed, labeled, and shipped the goods.

After shipping the goods, he sat on the bed, panting, staring at the "shipped" mark on the computer screen, and grinned foolishly for a long time.

That night, he sent Lin Wanwan a message: "I sold my first scarf."

Lin Wanwan quickly replied: "Congratulations! What scarf?"

"The cashmere scarves from Junken City were sourced by my grandfather."

"Wow, impressive! You've even got the business acumen."

Yang Chenglong looked at the message and felt a surge of joy.

He sent another message: "I'll treat you to a meal when I make money in the future."

Lin Wanwan replied with a smiley face: "Then I'll wait."

The days continued in this uneventful yet hopeful way, and every interaction between the two became a surprise. Even a simple greeting would make them happy for half a day.

By the end of the year, Yang Chenglong's online store had started to improve.

In three months, he sold more than 200 scarves. Although the profit was not much, it was enough to pay part of his tuition fees.

He told Yang Geyong about the result, and Yang Geyong laughed heartily on the other end of the phone:

"Good! Better than your dad! When he started his business, he lost 10,000 in the first month! If it weren't for Ye Feng, he probably would have lost all the money Grandpa had earned!"

Yang Chenglong scratched his head: "Grandpa, are you praising me or insulting me?"

"Great!" Yang Geyong said, "Losing money isn't scary, what's scary is not daring to do it. If you dare to do it, you're already better than many people."

In early January, Lin Wanwan suddenly sent a message: "I'm coming to London."

Yang Chenglong stared at the message, stunned for several seconds. Then he suddenly jumped up and hurriedly asked:
"When?"

"Next week. There's an exchange program at school that I'm participating in. I'll also be taking care of some things."

Yang Chenglong didn't ask what it was about, or perhaps he hadn't even looked at it; he simply replied with one word in his excitement: "Okay."

Then he started to get nervous.

Should I get a haircut? Should I buy new clothes? Which restaurant should we book? What does she like to eat again?

Seeing his expression, Ye Guigen couldn't help but laugh: "Is it really that serious?"

Yang Chenglong scratched his head anxiously: "Brother, you don't understand, this is a big deal!"

Ye Guigen smiled but didn't say anything. Of course he understood, he just didn't want to discourage him.

A week later, Yang Chenglong went to the airport to pick up Lin Wanwan.

She had lost a little weight, but was in good spirits, and smiled when she saw him. Her smile was as radiant as a blooming jasmine.

"Yang Chenglong, it's been a long time."

Yang Chenglong scratched his head: "Long time no see."

Hugging is a British custom. Although they are Chinese, Yang Chenglong wasn't so foolish as to not know how to adapt to local customs at this point.

Their bodies were warm, and there was a slight shiver. It is said that two people in love will have a kind of bioelectricity between them.

Although this news has not been confirmed, Yang Chenglong agrees with this statement; otherwise, why would he be trembling?

On the way back to the city, Lin Wanwan looked at the scenery outside the window and occasionally said a few words. Yang Chenglong, sitting next to her, was so nervous that his palms were sweating and his mind was blank.

"Why are you so nervous?" Lin Wanwan suddenly asked.

Yang Chenglong honestly admitted, "I was nervous."

Lin Wanwan laughed: "I don't eat people."

Yang Chenglong laughed too: "But your smile makes me even more nervous."

Lin Wanwan was stunned for a moment, then laughed even more happily.

Lin Wanwan came to London to deal with some unresolved issues with her ex-boyfriend—she still had some things left in the apartment she had rented before, and she also needed to close her bank account.

Yang Chenglong volunteered to be her guide and accompanied her for several days.

One day, they passed by that restaurant, and Yang Chenglong pointed and said, "This is it. I used to come here every day."

Lin Wanwan looked at the small shop and remained silent for a while.

“I know,” she said. “The landlady told me that there’s a curly-haired young man who comes every day, orders the cheapest coffee, and sits there all afternoon just to see me.”

Yang Chenglong blushed and scratched his head: "The landlady really speaks fast."

Lin Wanwan looked at him, her gaze softening considerably.

“Yang Chenglong,” she said, “you know, that was the hardest time for me. Even though you didn’t say anything, I knew you were there for me.”

Yang Chenglong didn't know what to say, he just scratched his head.

"Thank you," Lin Wanwan said.

Yang Chenglong shook his head: "You're welcome." Lin Wanwan stayed in London for a week.

The night before she left, she treated Yang Chenglong to dinner at the same small restaurant.

“It’s my treat,” she said. “Thank you for spending time with me.”

Yang Chenglong nodded: "Okay."

After dinner, the two took a walk along the Thames. The winter night was cold, and a thin mist hung over the river.

"Yang Chenglong," Lin Wanwan suddenly asked, "how's your online store going?"

Yang Chenglong scratched his head: "It's alright, I can sell dozens of scarves a month. I don't earn much, but it's enough for me to live on."

Lin Wanwan nodded: "Pretty impressive."

Yang Chenglong smiled sheepishly: "It's still a long way off."

After walking for a while, Lin Wanwan stopped and turned to look at him.

"There's actually another reason I'm here."

Yang Chenglong's heart was racing.

“It’s completely over between us,” Lin Wanwan said. “A while ago, he came to Hangzhou to see me, wanting to get back together. I didn’t agree.”

Yang Chenglong was stunned.

"Why won't you agree?" he asked.

Lin Wanwan looked at him: "Because I've thought it through. Some people, once missed, are missed forever. Four years of relationship can't withstand a few months in a foreign country. He wants to come back, but I don't want to go back."

Yang Chenglong didn't know what to say.

Lin Wanwan continued, "I've thought a lot these past few months. I've thought about where I'll go in the future, what kind of job I'll do, and I've also thought about... you."

Yang Chenglong's heart started beating even faster.

“You’re a good person, Yang Chenglong,” Lin Wanwan said, “but I like you not because you’re good, but because of the way you do things.”

She paused for a moment: "You don't pressure me, you don't rush me, you don't bother me. You just stay there and let me know that someone is there. I can come to you when I'm sad, I can come to you when I'm happy, and I can come to you when I don't want to do anything."

Yang Chenglong scratched his head, his palms were sweaty.

“So,” Lin Wanwan looked at him, “I want to ask you a question.”

Yang Chenglong nodded.

Why do you like me?

Yang Chenglong thought for a moment and said, "Because you're good-looking."

Lin Wanwan was stunned.

“It’s not the kind of beauty that’s attractive,” Yang Chenglong quickly explained. “It’s the kind of beauty that’s pleasing to the eye. The way you flip through a book, the way you drink coffee, the way you frown—all of these are beautiful. Also, when you reject me, you’re so decisive and straightforward. I like that about you.”

Lin Wanwan smiled.

"anything else?"

“And…” Yang Chenglong scratched his head, “You make me want to become a better person. Before, I just drifted through life, it didn’t matter. After meeting you, I want to study, I want to learn French, I want to do business. Because you are worth it.”

Lin Wanwan looked at him, her eyes a little red.

“Yang Chenglong,” she said, “I may need more time.”

Yang Chenglong nodded: "I'll wait."

"It might take a long time."

"I'll wait."

"Maybe in the end I still won't like you."

Yang Chenglong thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll wait. Until I don't like it anymore."

Lin Wanwan laughed, and tears streamed down her face.

“You’re so silly,” she said.

Yang Chenglong scratched his head: "My grandfather said the same thing."

That night, Yang Chenglong escorted Lin Wanwan back to her hotel.

At the door, Lin Wanwan suddenly stood on tiptoe and gently kissed him on the cheek.

Goodnight, Yang Chenglong.

Then he ran inside.

Yang Chenglong stood there, touching his face, stunned for a long time.

He kept smiling on the way back.

He was laughing like a fool.

The next day, Yang Chenglong took Lin Wanwan to the airport.

Before parting, Lin Wanwan said, "Go back and study hard, and do well in business. Next time I come, I want to see you even more amazing."

Yang Chenglong nodded: "Okay."

"I will continue to learn French."

"it is good."

“Also,” Lin Wanwan looked at him, “don’t miss me too much.”

Yang Chenglong scratched his head: "This might not be possible."

Lin Wanwan smiled, then turned and left.

Watching her figure disappear through the security checkpoint, Yang Chenglong stood there, motionless for a long time.

On his way back, he received a message.

It was sent by Lin Wanwan: "Yang Chenglong, wait for me."

Yang Chenglong's heart raced as he looked at those three words.

Then he replied with a single word: "Okay."

Spring has arrived in London in March.

Yang Chenglong's online store grew bigger and bigger, expanding from scarves to dairy products and handicrafts, earning him several thousand pounds a month.

He hired two part-time workers to help him with packaging, so he could focus on product selection and marketing.

When Ye Guigen came to visit him, he found that his dormitory was filled with goods, like a warehouse.

"Are you becoming an entrepreneur?" Ye Guigen asked.

Yang Chenglong scratched his head: "It's still early, it's still early."

Ye Guigen smiled: "Does your grandfather know?"

“I know, he was overjoyed,” Yang Chenglong said. “Last month he even sent me a new batch of goods, saying it was the best cashmere from Junken City.”

Ye Guigen nodded: "Okay, you've got potential."

That evening, the two took a walk along the river.

"Brother," Yang Chenglong suddenly asked, "Do you think she will come back?"

Ye Guigen knew who he was talking about.

“I don’t know,” he said, “but you can wait for her.”

Yang Chenglong nodded, looking at the river.

“Actually, it’s okay if I don’t wait,” he said. “I just want to become a better person. Whether she comes or not, I will become better.”

Ye Guigen looked at him with satisfaction in his eyes.

“You’ve grown up,” he said.

Yang Chenglong scratched his head: "Really? I still feel like that idiot who jumped off the second floor?"

Ye Guigen laughed: "Fools grow up. You're not that fool anymore."

In the distance, the lights of the London Eye slowly rotate.

The Thames flows quietly.

Two young people stood by the river, talking and dreaming, just like their grandfather had done sixty years ago.

Yang Chenglong suddenly remembered what Lin Wanwan had said: "Yang Chenglong, wait for me."

He didn't know how long he would have to wait.

But he knew he would wait.

Because that girl deserves it. (End of Chapter)