Returning to my senior year of high school before college, I became addicted to dating.

At 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Tiger, dressed in a dark blue suit, stood at the entrance of the Black Gate Internet Cafe waiting for Lin Feng.

The suit was clearly a size too big; the shoulders were loose, and the sleeves covered half of the back of his hand.

He also wore a red tie, which was tied crookedly, with the knot bulging like a fist.

I have no idea where he got this suit.

Lin Feng parked his car in front of him, rolled down the window, and looked him up and down for three seconds.

"Are you dressed like that for your wedding?"

Tiger loosened his tie, a smug look on his face:

"Damn! I'm dressed like a successful person! Shouldn't I dress formally when discussing business?"

"What kind of business are you talking about? You're just looking at the storefront."

"That's still negotiating!"

Tiger climbed into the passenger seat, but couldn't fasten the seatbelt for a long time—his tie was stuck.

Lin Feng glanced at him, sighed, and reached out to tug at him.

Tiger rubbed his hands together: "Hehe... Feng, you're getting better and better at driving. When can I drive it a couple of times?"

"We'll talk about it after you get your driver's license."

"Getting a driver's license is such a hassle, can you help me get one? The kind you can handle."

"I can drive, so I just did it. Can you drive? If I crash, you'll have to pay for it, right?"

Tiger shrank back and remained silent.

The two went to three places.

The first one was in the south of the county town. It used to be an appliance store. It was a two-story building with a considerable area, but the location was a bit out of the way. The road in front of the store was full of potholes, and you could raise fish on rainy days.

Lin Feng looked around and shook his head: "No, it's too remote, no one wants to come."

The second one is located on the east side of the county town, in a decent location, but it's only one story and not big enough.

Tiger was a little discouraged: "There's only one left. What if it still doesn't work?"

Lin Feng didn't say anything and drove the car towards the center of the county town.

The third storefront is on the busiest street in Huanan County, opposite a department store and next to a KFC.

The first KFC that opened in Huanan County in 2006 had long queues every day.

It's a three-story building that used to be a restaurant, but it closed down. The glass door has a sign that says "Shop for Rent" in big letters.

Lin Feng got out of the car, looked at the location, then went around to the back for another look, and nodded: "This one's fine."

The landlord was a fat man in his fifties surnamed Zhao. He had a gold chain around his neck and a bag in his hand. He looked like a seasoned veteran who had been in the county town for many years.

"Brother, you can see this location for yourself. It's the best location in the entire county, bar none." Boss Zhao held up one finger. "Two hundred thousand a year, no bargaining."

Tiger almost bit his tongue: "Two hundred thousand? Why don't you just rob someone?"

Boss Zhao glanced at him sideways:

"Brother, this is a three-story building, over 2,000 square meters, and this is already a very reasonable price. Go ask the KFC next door how much their store costs per year?"

Lin Feng didn't reply, and went inside the building for a walk.

The lobby on the first floor has white floor tiles, which are a bit dirty, but the foundation is good.

The second floor has several private rooms, but the wallpaper is peeling and needs to be redone. The third floor is a large open space.

He stood at the window on the third floor, watching the flow of people coming and going at the entrance of the department store across the street, and he had a plan in mind.

Downstairs, Boss Zhao was bragging to Brother Tiger:

"Let me tell you, several owners are eyeing this shop. If you don't place an order today, you might not get one tomorrow..."

"Eighty thousand," Lin Feng interrupted him.

Boss Zhao was stunned for a moment: "What?"

Raymond Lam repeated, "80,000 a year. I'll sign a 5-year contract with no price increase. Tenfold compensation for breach of contract."

Boss Zhao's face turned green: "Brother, you're not bargaining, you're robbing me of my life! I spent so much money just buying this shop..."

"How long has your shop been empty?" Lin Feng asked.

Boss Zhao opened his mouth.

Raymond Lam quickly added, "The 'Shop for Rent' sign at the entrance is faded; it's been up for at least a year."

"If no one rents it for a year, you won't earn a single penny. I'll rent it for five years and give you 400,000 yuan upfront; you'll make a clean profit."

Boss Zhao wanted to refute, but his lips trembled twice, and he couldn't find the words.

Lin Feng continued, "Besides, this shop used to be a restaurant. The lobby on the first floor is covered in grease stains. I'll have to spend a lot of money to renovate it. If you find another tenant, they might not be willing to take it over."

Boss Zhao gritted his teeth: "One hundred thousand, that's the lowest I can go. Any lower and I really won't rent it."

Lin Feng continued, "Huanan County is such a small place, how could it possibly need two thousand square meters? If I don't rent it, you'll probably have to wait another two years for this shop."

The boss scratched his head: "Ninety thousand is fine, isn't it?"

Lin Feng continued, "400,000 yuan is enough to buy two large three-bedroom apartments in downtown Jiamusi."

"Fine. Since you don't want it, I'll give it to someone else. Come on, let's go check it out across the street."

After saying that, he grabbed Tiger and started to leave.

Boss Zhao sighed and pulled a bunch of keys from his bag: "Come back, come back, 80,000 it is. You must have worked in demolition in your past life, kid? You haggle like you're killing someone."

Tiger stood there, completely stunned.

Lin Feng signed a five-year contract with Boss Zhao on the spot, and also asked for a three-month renovation period, which totaled five years and three months.

Eighty thousand a year, to be paid in one lump sum. He took out ten thousand in cash from his bag—a deposit, the rest to be paid next week.

After receiving the money, Boss Zhao handed him the keys and patted Lin Feng on the shoulder as he left: "Brother, you've got guts. You've got guts."

Lin Feng stood in the empty lobby on the first floor, sunlight streaming in through the glass doors and casting a large patch of light and shadow on the floor.

Tiger leaned closer and whispered, "Brother Feng, 80,000 a year, where do you get so much money?"

"Why do you care where it came from? It's definitely not stolen or robbed. Just follow along, and you'll make money."

Lin Feng took out a cigarette from his pocket, handed one to Tiger, and lit one for himself.

Smoke slowly rose in the empty lobby.

"Brother Tiger."

"Um?"

"I want to turn this place into the most awesome online entertainment center in Huanan County, and make it a landmark building."

Tiger looked around, then looked at Raymond Lam:

"Brother Feng, did the Koreans beat you up and make you sick? This place is just a run-down restaurant now."

That's why it needs to be changed.

Lin Feng exhaled a puff of smoke and smiled.

----

At 2 PM, Lin Feng dropped Tiger off at the internet cafe and drove to his grandmother's house.

My phone vibrated. It was a text message from Liu Jiaqi: "Tomorrow morning at nine o'clock, in front of Xinhua Bookstore. Don't be late."

Lin Feng glanced at it and replied with a single word: "Okay."

After finishing, he leaned back in his seat, rolled down the car window, and the wind blew in, carrying the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes.

My phone vibrated again; this time it was Song Yan.

Lin Feng hesitated for a moment, then accepted.

"Lin Feng." Song Yan's voice was very calm, so calm that it was unlike her usual self.

"Um?"

"You like Liu Jiaqi, right?"

Lin Feng didn't say anything, but gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Song Yan didn't wait for his answer and continued:

"You don't need to answer. I just want to tell you that if you like her, go after her. But don't lie to me."

"daughter in law………"

"I'm tired, I'm hanging up now."

Beep beep beep...!

Lin Feng held his phone, listening to the busy tone, and sat in the car for a long time.

The car wasn't turned off; the engine was vibrating slightly.

He thought of his past life, of the people he couldn't keep, and of the words he couldn't say.

He didn't want to have any more regrets in this life.

But some things, you can't avoid having regrets just because you don't want to.

My phone vibrated again.

He glanced down at Liu Jiaqi's text message, which contained only four words: "Don't be late."

Lin Feng stared at the screen for a few seconds, his lips twitched, and he tossed his phone onto the center console. The Audi slowly slid out of the car.

The sky was overcast in Huanan County, and there weren't many cars on the road, so he drove slowly.

My mind kept replaying Song Yan's words—"Don't lie to me."

He sighed. The Audi's taillights were extremely bright in the twilight as the car turned into the alley where his grandmother lived.