Back to the teenage years

Chapter 592 Green Hat (Please Subscribe)
Yuelu Mountain is absolutely beautiful in late spring and early summer.

Before the morning mist had completely dissipated, Zhang Yunqi went out through the back gate as usual, followed the Yuelu Ancient Road, passed the Aiwan Pavilion surrounded by maple trees by the lake, and ran along the bluestone path wet with morning dew until he reached the ancient Lushan Temple before stopping.

The ancient Lushan Temple is magnificent and surrounded by towering trees.

Bathed in the rising sun, the mountain gate, fresh from the rain, gleamed brightly. A breeze blew, and the bells on the eaves rang out with a series of quiet, melancholic sounds.

Zhang Yunqi stood in front of the mountain gate, silently gazing at the city of Lijin slowly awakening in the morning light for a while. Feeling relaxed, he turned and descended the mountain.

When he got home, he called Yang Jin.

Yang Jin has been sent to the Jiangchuan Aihua Electronics Base for almost a month now. He doesn't expect her to learn how to solder circuit boards; the key is for her to learn more about management issues.

He found this secretary very useful, and most importantly, she was loyal. But keeping her with him wouldn't fully unleash her potential; she needed to be sent out to take charge on her own eventually.

As for Zhang Yunqi, the bigger the company gets, the less he can afford to do everything himself. His priority right now is figuring out how to find talent, train them, and place them in suitable positions. If he tries to do everything himself, his company will soon be finished.

Zhang Yunqi asked Yang Jin to return to Lijin next week.

He planned to send her to Yanjing to work as the legal representative and chairman of the newly established media company, Lianhua Yunjing Media.

This should be considered as the office director being transferred to a remote region.

Yang Jin doesn't need to be a business expert in the media industry; what's important is ensuring the ship doesn't deviate from the course he set, overseeing the financial situation, and deciding on personnel appointments and dismissals.

As long as money remains in order and people stay together, the overall situation will remain stable!

Around noon, Zhao Yihan arrived at the East Gate Villa carrying a pink Nike backpack.

Zhang Yunqi was sitting in a wicker chair in the front garden, drinking Longjing tea, and asked with a smile, "get out of class is over?"

"Just finished class." Zhao Yihan's voice was melodious and clear. She skipped over to him, casually tossed her schoolbag onto the wicker chair next to her, slumped in, and took a couple of comfortable breaths before tilting her head to look at Zhang Yunqi: "Brother, how long has it been since you went to school?"

Zhang Yunqi really couldn't answer this question.

He couldn't remember the last time he sat in a classroom, and he was no longer the student who could simply sit in a classroom and listen to a lecture. He said, "I've been busy lately."

Zhao Yihan pursed her lips but didn't press the matter.

She was already used to Zhang Yunqi's unpredictable appearances: "What do you want to eat for lunch?"

Zhang Yunqi said, "Just make something simple, I'll eat anything you make."

Zhao Yihan took to the kitchen and skillfully stir-fried a small dish of beef with yellow peppers, braised eggplant, and loofah soup.

The meal was served: a simple two dishes and a soup.

The beef is tender and smooth, the chili peppers are fresh and fragrant, the braised eggplant is coated with sauce, soft, savory and delicious, and the loofah soup is clear with only a few drops of oil and scallions. It looks sweet and refreshing, full of home-style flavor.

Zhang Yunqi hadn't experienced this feeling in a long time. He picked up his chopsticks and casually asked, "Has anything happened at school lately?"

Zhao Yihan picked up a large piece of loofah and stuffed it into her rosy little mouth. Hearing this, she looked up and her eyes curved into a smile: "Yes! Our department has a new professor who returned from overseas, named Li Weimin. His lectures are particularly interesting."

Zhang Yunqi laughed: "What's so interesting about it?"

Zhao Yihan put down her milk glass, her eyes sparkling: "Last week, when he talked about capital operation cases, he was actually analyzing the battle where you integrated Jiangchuan Hongxing Electronics Factory and reshaped Jiangchuan's investment and financing model!"

She put down her chopsticks and gestured as she said, "He spoke eloquently on stage, describing how daring and ingenious your moves in the reform of the state-owned enterprise at Hongxing Electronics Factory were. He said that the Jiangchuan model you created through this move provided two important ideas for the reform of state-owned enterprises in China. One was that you solved the balance between preventing the loss of state-owned assets and the 'privatization' of state-owned property rights. The second was that you proposed the underlying logic for establishing land finance under the fiscal and tax system reform. In the next twenty years, countless local governments will explore and verify your logic. At that time, all the students below were captivated. They could hardly believe that their classmate was so amazing that she was being used as a teaching case in their lectures."

As she spoke, a hint of unconscious pride crept into her voice, as if she were taking pride in it. But then she felt that this was giving Zhang Yunqi too much face, so she deliberately put on a stern face and quickly added, "But don't get too cocky. Professor Li also said that you took a lot of risks in the restructuring of Hongxing Electronics Factory. It was only due to the special historical context and good luck that it was not a regular occurrence."

Looking at her feigned seriousness, which was full of girlish charm, Zhang Yunqi picked up a piece of beef for her and said, "Professor Li is right. I'm lucky. I'll find an opportunity to attend his class and learn from him."

"Then you'd better get there early to grab a seat!" Seeing that he didn't object but instead agreed, Zhao Yihan immediately regained her interest and chattered on, "His classes are so popular now, if you go late, even the steps are full of people! My roommates and I don't even have time to eat breakfast in order to get a front seat..."

"It's okay, my little sister has a big butt, she can take up two seats."

"Zhang Yunqi!"

"This is a compliment to your composure."

Are you going to call me fat again?

Are there any chubby, beautiful female students in university departments across China?

"Then why are you talking about someone's butt..."

"That's the radiation area. A pretty girl like you naturally has a unique strategic depth. Wherever you sit, two seats will automatically become available next to you."

"You're the only one who can make things up!" Zhao Yihan pouted, then suddenly burst out laughing, her voice clear and sweet.

The sunlight was perfect then.

Light filters through the vines of the front garden and shines through the bright glass, casting warm dappled patterns on the dining table, making time seem to slow down.

******
After lunch, the two went to Xiangnan University. The sky was clear after the rain, and the air was filled with the refreshing scent of camphor trees.

Zhang Yunqi and Zhao Yihan strolled along Lushan South Road, passing through Dongfanghong Square. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the camphor tree leaves, casting dappled, shimmering spots of light on the ground. In the distance, Yuelu Academy was shrouded in mist and forest, from which the faint sound of recitation drifted, clear and melodious.

After escorting Zhao Yihan to the Northwest Building, Zhang Yunqi turned around and went back to his dormitory alone.

He pushed open the door to room 301, and a familiar smell of instant noodles mixed with the smell of feet wafted out.

Zhou Dingchuan isn't here; he must have gone to the library.

This kid is really out of touch. He studies with more enthusiasm than he did in his senior year of high school. In order to outdo all the top students at Hunan University, he plunges headlong into the sea of ​​knowledge without knowing when to turn back.

Ma Rulong is currently engrossed in studying an English book.

At the end of last year, out of the six guys in the dorm, he was the only one who failed the CET-4 (College English Test Band 4), which was quite embarrassing. Now that he has to retake the test, this dejected guy has to get his act together.

He Lin leaned against the headboard of the upper bunk, holding a yellowed copy of "Collected Annotations on the Book of Changes" in his hands, looking like he was studying some difficult problem, resembling a complete charlatan. In fact, with this guy's talent, if he had the same dedication to studying the I Ching as he did to studying, Harvard would be begging him to get in.

Hearing the door open, Ma Rulong looked up and exclaimed, "Oh, what a rare guest! Boss Zhang has finally deigned to return to our humble abode to inspect our work?"

Zhang Yunqi sat down on the edge of his bed, which was surprisingly clean, indicating that someone regularly cleaned it for him: "If I hadn't come back soon, you might have torn my bed up and used it as firewood. By the way, where's Song Junxian?"

Jin Shengze said, "He went out this morning; someone was looking for him."

He Lin suddenly put down his book and pushed up his glasses: "The person looking for him seems to be his ex-girlfriend, Lin Lin."

Zhang Yunqi paused for a moment, then pulled up a chair and sat down, saying, "Hey guys, how have you been lately?"

Ma Rulong, utterly despondent, put down his English study materials: "Class, eat, poop, sleep. All is emptiness, all senses are purified, Amitabha."

Jin Shengze peeled an apple and said, "Old Ma, you're exaggerating. It's like you're some kind of monk on Mount Wutai. Didn't you say last week that you were going to pursue that girl from the Foreign Languages ​​Department? I remember that girl's name was quite unique, what was it again? Oh, right! Cao Ni, how's it going now?"

These words seemed to make Ma Rulong lose face: "Life is too short, and I'm too lazy. Chasing girls is too tiring."

Jin Shengze asked, "Didn't they catch up?"

“I didn’t even try to pursue her.” Ma Rulong felt extremely humiliated and said with his neck stiff, “After my meticulous market research and cost accounting at school, I found that the return on investment for pursuing girls is fucking low! Time, money, and emotional value are all easily wasted. Even a dog wouldn’t do this business.”

Jin Shengze smiled and shook his head, then cut the apple into wedges and tossed them to Zhang Yunqi and He Lin: "Don't say that. Take it easy. If you can't catch up, just find another one."

He Lin took a bite of his apple and replied, "I think when it comes to this kind of thing, you shouldn't force it if it's not meant to be. Forcing it will only make you balder."

"Come on, Master, you've said everything." Ma Rulong curled his lip in disdain: "Last time, you did a fortune telling for me, saying I had a good chance, that my love luck would definitely be booming, but what happened? Where did it go? I was so lucky that I was like a sunflower, swaying gracefully behind her, and she still complained that my smile wasn't sincere enough!"

"Sincerity brings results, while insincerity brings no results." He Lin thought Ma Rulong was hopeless. This guy was like a courtship dog, his mind was full of thoughts about picking up girls, but he had no patience at all. He had been messing around at school for half a year and hadn't bought a single girl. Instead, he had ruined his reputation in the department.

He Lin ignored him and glanced at Zhang Yunqi. Suddenly, as if he had caught something, he asked abruptly, "Mr. Zhang, have you encountered any difficulties lately?"

Zhang Yunqi had just taken out a cigarette when he paused, "What do you mean?"

He Lin pulled out three polished copper coins from under his pillow, his tone mystical: "Judging from your face, there's a bluish tinge between your eyebrows, your spirit is hidden and your mind is stagnant. Things are about to succeed but haven't, it's the sign of encountering a villain. Simply put, it's like someone threw firecrackers at the fishpond you were supposed to blast. Do you want me to cast a divination for you?"

Zhang Yunqi was amused by this half-baked charlatan. In the 90s, qigong, fortune telling, and special abilities were very popular and welcomed by ordinary people, so it was not surprising that such an oddball came out of their dormitory.

He said, "Brother, don't make me laugh."

He Lin shook his head, said nothing more, and continued reading his "I Ching".

Zhang Yun lit a cigarette, took a puff, stood up and said, "Are you guys free this afternoon? How about we go to my place and do some fun? Call Zhou Dingchuan and Song Junxian, I'll treat you to dinner tonight."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ma Rulong jumped up from his chair: "We've been waiting for you to say that, Boss Zhang! We've been eyeing your big villa, big swimming pool, and big barbecue terrace for ages."

Jin Shengze placed the guitar against the wall and said, "I'm fine."

He Lin closed the Book of Changes and jumped off the bed: "Go! Go! Go!"

The group got up, chatting and laughing, and were about to leave when the dormitory door was suddenly pushed open from the outside with a loud bang. Song Junxian was leaning against the doorway, looking unsteady.

The handsome guy from Xiangtan University reeked of alcohol, his long hair was a mess, and his eyes had an unusual lack of focus. He paused when he saw his friends about to leave, then his gaze finally settled on Zhang Yunqi: "I was just looking for you."

Zhang Yunqi glanced at him: "What's wrong?"

Song Junxian walked over with unsteady steps, his voice low: "I... have something to say..."

Zhang Yunqi had never seen Song Junxian be so polite to him before. When he bought a cell phone for his ex-girlfriend Lin Lin, Song Junxian lent him several thousand yuan without hesitation.

He said, "Speak your mind."

Song Junxian must have drunk a lot; his mind was clouded, and he was having trouble speaking. Leaning against the doorframe, his Adam's apple bobbed several times before he managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth: "Please help me with that, that, that, Liu Mingde..."

Zhang Yunqi's hand trembled slightly as he burned himself on the cigarette butt. He stubbed it out and said, "Have you been wearing a green hat for too long and made your brain rot?"

******