We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

Xu Man turned to look at Professor Zhou.

"Professor Zhou, we can't just open this door like that."

"They didn't say it would open now."

Professor Zhou patted the file bag in his hand.

"Submit the test report, flexible learning application, and entrepreneurship certificate to the college for discussion."

"The college can arrange additional assessments, or set a trial period. Whether to grant them, and to what extent, is up to the college leadership to decide."

Xu Man remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.

"Regular classes will continue as usual until the official results are released."

She turned to look at Ye Chen.

"Homework, experiments, and periodic assessments—none of them can be omitted."

"Also, you are not allowed to disappear without a reason again."

Ye Chen agreed readily.

"Understood, I will cooperate."

Xu Man was still not entirely at ease.

"Please don't always keep your phone on silent. Try to answer calls whenever possible, okay?"

"no problem."

Ye Chen thought for a moment and then added:

"I really missed your call, I'll get back to you as soon as I see it."

Xu Man glanced at him.

"Just don't let me lose track of you."

"Don't worry, just call me anytime if you need anything."

Professor Zhou, who was standing nearby, laughed as he listened.

"Don't worry, this kid may seem unreliable at times, but when it comes to serious matters, he's actually quite capable."

Xu Man's expression softened slightly.

"Remember what you said today."

"I promise I'll never forget it."

Professor Zhou stood up and tucked the document bag under his arm.

"Don't rush to modify the program in the next couple of days."

"The college still needs to hold a meeting, and we'll discuss it again once the specific requirements are finalized."

Ye Chen slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"Okay, contact me again once you've finalized your requirements."

Professor Zhou glanced at the time and waved to him.

"Hurry back to class. Don't let the punishment be lifted and then you be late again."

"Okay."

Ye Chen responded and quickly slipped out of the experimental center with his bag on his back.

Xu Man watched his retreating figure, then looked down and flipped through the attendance book.

"Do you really believe his story about starting a business?"

Professor Zhou patted the file bag beside him and pondered for a moment.

I'm more inclined to believe.

"After all, he is quite different from other freshmen."

He paused for a moment at this point.

"However, Ye Chen is probably not as easy to manage as he seems on the surface."

Xu Man sighed softly.

Whether it saves trouble or not is another matter.

"I just hope that he won't be always nowhere to be seen and impossible to reach by phone in the future."

"If it really takes four years to find him and then come up empty-handed every time, that would be a real headache."

At this time, the second period of the morning had already begun.

Ye Chen quietly slipped into the classroom through the back door, first nodding apologetically to the teacher on the podium, before crouching down and sitting down next to the group of students in dormitory 417.

Sun Haoyu immediately came over.

"Brother Chen, how did the punishment go?"

Ye Chen lowered his voice.

"The rescue was successful; there's no need for a banquet for now."

Chen Zhiqiang immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu Wenbo, however, looked suspicious.

"The counselor was already blocking the classroom door, and they just let you back like that?"

"The main reason is that I had a good attitude in admitting my mistakes."

Ye Chen opened his textbook, his expression calm.

"In addition, I am sunny, cheerful, sincere and motivated, so the teachers couldn't bear to punish me."

Sun Haoyu stared at him for two seconds.

"Have you no shame?"

Ye Chen reached out and touched his face.

"My face is still intact."

He paused for a moment, then added earnestly:

"And he's quite handsome."

Sun Haoyu was completely speechless.

However, this matter only concerns Ye Chen.

If it were someone else who skipped class for a week straight, it wouldn't be so easy to get away with it; they'd probably have to write a three-thousand-word self-criticism.

Fortunately, the teacher had already turned around to write on the blackboard and didn't see the students in the back row who were trying so hard not to laugh so hard their shoulders were shaking.

Otherwise, Ye Chen's truancy scandal, which he had finally managed to clear up, would inevitably be brought up again and discussed.

When the bell rang, the four of them put away their textbooks and walked out of the classroom arm in arm.

Ye Chen took out his phone and glanced at the date.

September 27th.

There are only three days left until National Day.

My mother has asked about train tickets twice in the past few days.

My father said there was no rush, but last night he sent me a text message reminding me that train tickets for the National Day holiday were hard to buy and that I should make arrangements as soon as possible.

Ye Chen walked to the end of the corridor and dialed Zhao Peng's number.

The phone rang only twice before it was answered on the other end.

"Boss Ye actually remembered to call me?"

Zhao Peng's tone was resentful.

"I thought that once you got into Jiaotong University, you would look down on me, a guy from a second-tier university."

"Don't worry, I never look at academic qualifications when making friends."

"real?"

"Um."

Ye Chen was very serious.

"After all you've come to this, it would be a bit unfair of me to complain about you."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Ye Chen, go to hell!"

Ye Chen leaned against the windowsill and laughed.

After Zhao Peng finished cursing, he asked:

When do you get your holiday?

"I can leave after class on September 30th at noon."

"What a coincidence, we're about the same."

Zhao Peng immediately perked up.

"Really? You've already bought the tickets?"

"Not yet, I'm just about to go buy it."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

Zhao Peng knew all too well how difficult it was to get tickets to return home for the National Day holiday.

"If you really can't buy it, then forget it and don't bother."

"I can buy a standing ticket and go back. It's only ten hours, I can handle it."

"Alright, stop worrying about it."

Ye Chen interrupted him directly.

"I'll take care of the tickets. I'll pick you up from your school on the afternoon of the 30th."

Zhao Peng was stunned for a moment.

"Did you drive here?"

"Um."

Ye Chen smiled and said:

"But let's make it clear first, you have to treat me to a barbecue when we get back to the county town."

Zhao Peng couldn't help but laugh and scold:

"Good heavens, they really pluck feathers from every passing goose."

"Too expensive?"

Ye Chen deliberately said:

"Then you should buy your own ticket."

"No, no, no!"

Zhao Peng immediately backed down, fearing that he might change his mind.

"It's just a barbecue, there's plenty to go around!"

"Forget grilled skewers, we'll even get you kidneys!"

"That's more like it."

Ye Chen smiled and hung up the phone.

After going downstairs, he rode his mountain bike out of the school gate.

The train ticket agency is hidden in a small street on the east side of the university town.

The store wasn't big, but the line outside had already turned a corner.

Most of the people in line were students.

Some people repeatedly checked the train information, while others complained to their families over the phone.

"Are there no hard-seat trains to Jiangcheng?"

"Would you like a standing ticket?"

"Standing for eight hours straight?"

"Don't buy the next one."

The ticket seller at the window didn't even look up.

The line moved forward little by little.

After waiting for a full half hour, it was finally Ye Chen's turn.

"September 30th afternoon, from Shanghai to Huaicheng County, two photos."

The ticket seller tapped a few times on the keyboard.

"Only two hard sleeper tickets are left on the direct route."

"I'll take it."

"Don't rush."

The ticket seller reminded:

"One is an upper bunk, and the other is a lower bunk; they're not next to each other."

"The same train is fine."

The ticket seller looked up at him.

The students in line behind couldn't help but peek out.

Someone muttered under their breath:

"I can still buy a sleeper berth during the National Day holiday? That's incredibly lucky!"

Now, let alone the fact that the berths aren't next to each other.

Getting a sleeper berth is practically like finding a bargain.

Ye Chen handed over the information and documents he had prepared in advance and paid on the spot.

After receiving the ticket, he casually took a photo and sent it to Zhao Peng.

In less than five seconds, the phone started vibrating repeatedly.

Holy crap!

"Still a sleeper berth!"

"Order whatever you like for barbecue when we get back!"

"Let's go to whichever restaurant in town has the best food!"

Ye Chen's lips curled slightly, and he slowly replied with two sentences:

"I took a screenshot."

"If you dare to renege on your promise, I'll post the chat history in the class group."

Zhao Peng immediately sent three kitchen knife emojis.

Ye Chen smiled, and just as he put his phone in his pocket, a message notification sounded again.