I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

Three days later, in the morning

On the commercial streets of the North Lu university town, the flow of people is much less than usual because several schools have already started their holidays, and the area is becoming sparse.

Several students leaving school today are walking along the commercial street, dragging their suitcases, intending to cross the street to catch a direct bus.

A bicycle drove into the commercial street, involuntarily attracting everyone's attention.

It wasn't that the bicycle was particularly cool—it was just an ordinary women's bicycle—but rather that the girl riding it was so beautiful that she was breathtakingly gorgeous.

She wore a short white down jacket, light blue jeans, and white canvas shoes. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail, with a few stray strands blowing against her face in the wind.

Her face was small, her skin was fair and her hair was shiny, her lips were slightly pursed, and she was focused on the road ahead as she rode along, panting heavily.

Then everyone saw the person she was carrying behind her.

It was a tall boy sitting on the back seat with his legs bent, his feet barely touching the footrests on either side of the rear wheel, his knees almost touching his chest.

He curled up into a ball, gripping the steel pipe under the seat tightly with both hands, his face expressionless.

Every time the bicycle went over a speed bump, he was bounced up and down hard on his buttocks, landing back on the back seat.

Two boys on the commercial street were dragging their suitcases toward the bus stop.

One of them saw the girl riding the bike ahead first, and stopped on the spot. The wheels of the suitcase were still rolling forward due to inertia, causing him to stumble.

His eyes were fixed on the figure approaching from afar, and after two seconds he finally managed to squeeze out a "Fuck!"

Another boy followed his gaze and froze.

"She's so beautiful," the first boy murmured, his eyes never leaving the girl's face. "Which school is she from? Are there any girls like her in our university town?"

"I don't know. But take a look at the one behind it."

"I saw it."

The two were silent for a second.

"Is that guy her boyfriend?"

"No. Look at that expression, it's like he's being escorted."

"Escorting?"

"Yes. Don't you feel it? It's that feeling of having given up struggling, just doing whatever you're told, and only wanting it to end quickly."

The bicycles passed by them.

They could see it more clearly now—the boy in the back seat truly looked utterly hopeless. The hem of his coat hung down, fluttering backward in the wind, making him look like a human flag stuck to the seat.

The girl on the bike seemed to be in a good mood, even humming a tune softly. She didn't slow down much when going over speed bumps, and the boy on the back of the bike was jolted like a bag of potatoes being tossed around.

"I also want to be driven by her," the first boy said enviously.

"So, if you sit on it, will she pedal?"

"I can lose weight."

"Too late, didn't you see there was a man in the back seat?"

"I think that guy is just average."

"I think so too."

The bicycle turned a corner and headed towards the university. The two boys stood there, watching it go for a long time.

……

Shen Kang sat in the back seat, gripping the steel pipe under the seat with both hands; his knuckles were almost frozen.

He didn't want to look up, nor did he dare to.

Although there weren't many people on the commercial street, every gaze seemed to hook across his face and then back. He didn't need to look to feel the meaning in those gazes—what made this man so special?

On what grounds?

He wanted to know too.

This morning, he told He Qiuzhu that he was going to visit the University of Science and Technology of China today. After that, all the matters at Yangke University would be finished, and they would return to Shenlan Waterfront in the High-tech Zone.

He Qiuzhu then suggested that they ride their bikes to the Polytechnic University.

Shen Kang agreed and prepared to take He Qiuzhu on his bicycle, but He Qiuzhu said no, she wanted to give him a ride.

Of course he refused. Shen Kang, a man over 1.8 meters tall, riding on the back of a woman's car through the entire commercial street—what kind of talk was that?

He Qiuzhu didn't argue with him, she just called out "brother" in a soft and sweet voice.

Then he sat in the back seat.

What's wrong with this guy? How come she seems so gentle and weak, but sometimes she's so assertive? Shen Kang's mind wandered.

The bicycle went over another speed bump, and he was jolted upwards, almost hitting the back of He Qiuzhu's head.

He stopped thinking about it, quickly steadied his feet, and gripped the ground even tighter.

He Qiuzhu said "We're almost there" from the front, her voice light and cheerful like that of a primary school student on a spring outing.

Shen Kang shrank his face into his coat collar, with only one thought in his mind.

"Let's finish this quickly..."

As the car turned into the gate of the university, Shen Kang finally looked up.

There were more people at the school gate than on the commercial street, with people dragging suitcases and carrying backpacks, walking out in twos and threes.

As usual, their gazes were first drawn to He Qiuzhu, and then all fell on Shen Kang.

Shen Kang turned his face away expressionlessly, facing the guardhouse next to the school gate, pretending that he was a piece of wood blown by the wind.

He Qiuzhu continued riding, and with Shen Kang's directions, they finally arrived near the canteen.

She parked the car in the open space next to the cafeteria, put one foot on the ground, looked back at him, her ponytail brushing against her shoulder, and said with a hint of satisfaction, "We're here."

Shen Kang got out of the back seat, his legs feeling numb as if they had been tied up with ropes all night.

He stretched his ankles, straightened his wind-blown coat, and then glanced at He Qiuzhu.

She was wiping the car seat with her sleeve, still excited, as if she had done something extraordinary.

Shen Kang swallowed back the words he was about to say, only managing to squeeze out, "I'll come next time."

"Okay. I'll definitely do it next time."

"..."

Shen Kang had no idea who she had learned such rubbish from, nor did he know.

So he stopped thinking about it and stretched his neck to look towards the cafeteria entrance.

In the distance, a stall can already be seen at the entrance of the cafeteria.

Three boys were standing behind the stall, one of whom was Jiang Yateng.

……

Jiang Yateng stood behind the long table and pressed the last piece of transparent tape onto the corner of the banner.

A gust of wind blew from the direction of the cafeteria, causing the banner to bulge in the middle before settling down. The red background and white lettering stood out starkly in the gray light of the day. He stepped back, examined the effect, and then bent down to rearrange the sample books on the table, spines facing outwards, stacked one on top of the other, like a bookstore window display.

"Brother Teng, that's about enough."

The round-faced boy pulled the last power strip out of the cardboard box and wiped the sweat from the tip of his nose.

His name is Liu Yang. He is a student in the Computer Science Department of the University of Science and Technology. He is the cousin of Jiang Yateng's high school classmate. They are the same age, so he also went to university.

The tall, thin guy next to him, testing the color of a pen, was named Chen Zhuo; he had also been brought in through this connection. Both of them were temporary recruits brought in by Jiang Yateng; one was in charge of money, and the other was in charge of registration.

"Okay, I'll have a smoke." Jiang Yateng took out a half-pack of cigarettes from the inner pocket of his vest, took two steps behind a pillar at the entrance of the cafeteria, turned his back, and lit one.

He doesn't smoke often, but he wanted to today.

He inhaled the smoke into his lungs, leaned against the pillar, and looked up at the stall in front of him.

Shen Kang did not specify when the "offline counterattack against online" would take place, but only asked Jiang Yateng to complete the plan before the end of the winter break.

Jiang Yateng's enthusiasm clearly exceeded Shen Kang's expectations. Not only did he come up with a rough plan in just one day, but he also actively suggested that they could start working on it in the next couple of days by collecting books from other schools.

In their plan, the offline stalls are just an offline entrance to the Beiming community, so whether it's selling books or collecting books, the actual effect is pretty much the same.

The holidays at different schools are not the same. Yangko University of Science and Technology has started its holiday, but other schools, such as the University of Science and Technology of China, are still holding exams.

"...So, I think we can start trying to collect books in the next couple of days. On the one hand, we can collect more books, and on the other hand, it will be a pilot program for selling books next semester."

Jiang Yateng explained his ideas in detail, his enthusiasm was so high, he was just like the most diligent ox or horse.

Shen Kang had no reason to refuse such a conscientious employee, so he readily agreed.

And now, Jiang Yateng has set up a stall at the university to collect books.

"hiss……"

Jiang Yateng took a deep drag of his cigarette, slowly exhaled, and raised his eyes slightly to look at the banner above.

The banner was made by GG store at Shen Kang's request, so it didn't cost him a penny.

Those sample books were picked out yesterday from Yangke University. It took more than half an hour to choose them, specifically those with sturdy spines and almost new condition. Even the small tin box for holding change was bought with Shen Kang's money.

Everything is ready; now it's up to you.

Jiang Yateng took the cigarette down and stubbed it out on the pillar. His heart was beating a little fast, but he didn't show it on his face. He just walked back behind the stall.

When the stall was first set up, it was windy and there were few people around.

Occasionally, students coming out of the cafeteria would glance over, but most of them were focused on the words on the banner.

A boy carrying a suitcase walked past the door, glanced at the "high-price book buying" sign, curled his lip, muttered "another group of scrap collectors," and walked away without looking back.

Another girl leaned over to the table and asked, "Do you buy comics?" Jiang Yateng replied that he mainly buys textbooks and supplementary materials, but he can also buy comics as long as they are in good condition.

The girl took out her phone, found a photo on it, and showed it to Jiang Yateng.

Jiang Yateng glanced at the photo and saw that it contained several comic books. The girl pointed to one of them, "Detective Conan," and said it was this one. Jiang Yateng estimated it and said it would cost about three yuan, but he would have to bring it over to check the price. The girl hesitated for half a minute, then said, "Never mind, it's only two yuan," and left.

Such incidents have happened several times...

"I have a feeling today is going to be a disaster."

After another student shook his head and left, Chen Zhuo couldn't help but say this.

Jiang Yateng ignored him and simply glanced around at his surroundings.

Four or five people were already standing five steps away, pretending to be waiting for someone, but they were actually watching them.

One of the boys, wearing a gray cotton-padded jacket, stood next to the pile of sample books for a long time, wanting to pick them up and flip through them, but then pulled his hand back.

Jiang Yateng gave Liu Yang a wink, and Liu Yang understood. He took two plastic chairs out from under the table and placed them in front of the table.

Jiang Yateng said to the boy in the gray cotton-padded jacket, "Hey, feel free to flip through these. Books are for people to read."

The boy in the gray cotton-padded jacket glanced at him, hesitated, picked up a book on advanced mathematics, flipped through a couple of pages, and put it back. Finally, he asked, "Is that all?" Jiang Yateng replied, "I didn't bring much, so I'm collecting it now. Once it's collected, it'll be right here; there will be more later." The boy in the gray cotton-padded jacket said "Oh," and left.

The number of people didn't increase; in fact, it became even more dispersed than before.

Chen Zhuo unscrewed his thermos, took a sip of water, and said, "Brother Teng, how about we grab a megaphone and shout something?"

Jiang Yateng said no need.

He stared at the people coming in and out of the cafeteria, waiting a second longer if anyone's gaze seemed off.

Not everyone will become a customer; in fact, if you could actually pull out a book to sell today, you'd be lucky to get ten or twenty. But if one comes along, there will be a second. As long as you open, the stall is alive…

Jiang Yateng's eyes settled on one person.

The man came out of the cafeteria carrying a cup of soy milk, his pockets bulging with something, and he shuffled along the ground as he walked.

He didn't look at the banner; he first looked at Jiang Yateng and the other two people, glanced at them for two seconds, then looked at the sample book on the table, and then slowly walked over.

Jiang Yateng didn't move. He simply straightened up from the pillar, returned behind the long table, took out a few small bills from the iron box, and placed them on the table.

The boy walked to the table, didn't say anything, and first took out what was in his pocket—a few books.

Jiang Yateng took it, and half a draft paper fell out of the book.

He flipped through two books and quoted a price.

The boy hesitated again, pointing to one of the books and saying, "This one is practically brand new, can't you ask for a higher price?"

Jiang Yateng stood the book up and pointed to the signature on the title page: "You signed your name. With your signature, the market price will be a little lower." But then, he immediately changed the subject, "However, if you register an account on our Beiming Community, it will be a little higher."

As she spoke, she took out some materials, showed them to the boy, and explained them to him.

This is also part of Jiang Yateng's plan: if it's just about selling books, they will buy them, at around 20% of the original price. However, if you register an account on the Beiming Community, the purchase price will be higher, around 30%.

"...The Beiming Community account is also valid on Huanhuan.com. If you want to buy any books next semester, you can look them up directly on Huanhuan.com, which will definitely be much cheaper than buying new books..."

The boy didn't pay much attention to the others, but he was concerned about one thing—if he registered on the Beiming Community before selling the books, he could sell these books for eight yuan more.

Two lunches, or three breakfasts, or two meat dishes for dinner, or three bottles of cola.

The male student calculated the price using the university student's pricing system and immediately stopped hesitating.

If you don't take advantage of freebies, are you even a college student?

"register."……

The registration process was easier than the boy had imagined. The staff next to him taught him how to register step by step, and he completed it quickly.

Jiang Yateng took the books, registered them, counted out the corresponding amount of money, and gave it to the boy. The books cost a total of thirty-three yuan and fifty cents.

The boy counted the bills himself, folded them up, stuffed them into his pocket, and left with the soy milk.

After the boy left, Chen Zhuo breathed a sigh of relief: "We're open for business."

Liu Yang grinned, about to say something, when Jiang Yateng had already stood back at the table.

He saw two more people under the old locust tree diagonally opposite him: one was Shen Kang, whose coat collar was turned up to his ears, covering most of his face, and the other was He Qiuzhu, who was tilting her head and looking in his direction.

Jiang Yateng gave a barely perceptible nod in that direction before turning his gaze away.

Just after that transaction, a boy wearing a black cotton jacket squeezed through the crowd to the front, carrying a plastic bag with a supermarket logo printed on it. The bag was torn, revealing the corner of a blue-covered book inside.

He placed the bag on the table, remaining silent for a moment. His eyes swept over Jiang Yateng and the pile of sample books before he spoke, "First, may I ask if you only accept books, or can we also buy them?"

"Yes, all of them are possible," Jiang Yateng said.

"What if I sell my books and then have to retake the exam next semester?" he asked hesitantly, but several people around him perked up their ears. The atmosphere that had just started to heat up seemed to have been paused abruptly.

Jiang Yateng looked at him and said, "I'll accept the books and pay you as usual. You can come back anytime to get the books you need for the retake exam, and return them after you finish the exam."

He took the boy's books and flipped through them one by one, carefully examining each one. Then he said, "I'll take these for now, and the price will be the same as we agreed. If you're worried about the notes inside, you can take a picture. If you find a page missing when you take them back later, I'll compensate you at the original price."

The boy didn't reply; his hand was still on the book, not letting go.

The onlookers also realized what was going on—it sounded good, but once the book was handed over and the money was received, the person would pack up and run away, and where would you find them?

The claims of "take it back to use" or "return it after the exam" are nothing but empty words and no proof.

Jiang Yateng seemed to know what they were thinking, and without offering much explanation, he simply said, "We can't just take your books today and disappear tomorrow. This setup is something we did with students from your school, and we'll be here for the next three days. After three days, we'll go back to Yangko University of Science and Technology. I've written down the address for you. If you need to retake the exam, come to Yangko University of Science and Technology and find us. You can use the books for free; we won't charge you a penny. If you still don't believe me, write down this phone number."

As he spoke, he took the registration book from Chen Zhuo, flipped to the inside cover, where a number was already written in ballpoint pen. He pointed it out to the boy: "This is my personal number, it's on 24/7. Call this number before the make-up exam. If I don't return your book, you can post about me on the Beiming Community forum."

The boy looked down at the string of numbers but didn't move.

A boy wearing a beanie suddenly chimed in, "Bro, don't believe that. Phone numbers can be changed. A friend of mine sells phone cards for five yuan each."

Upon hearing this, some people in the crowd laughed, while others nodded in agreement, clearly still not entirely convinced.

Jiang Yateng wasn't annoyed; instead, he went along with his words, saying, "You're right, phone numbers can be changed. So we didn't plan to rely solely on a phone number."

After he finished speaking, he gestured with his chin toward the back of the crowd.

Everyone followed his gaze.

Then, I saw a person.

There's a girl wearing a beige thick sweater over there; she's quite pretty, and she's walking this way.

People looked at his face but didn't recognize him; they didn't think they knew him.

My gaze then shifted downwards and fell on her chest.

They suddenly realized what was going on.

I recognized him.

It was her.

A celebrity who has recently become a hot topic on Yangbei Forum.