I was approached by a cat-eared girl.

I'm putting this out there, and everyone can be a witness.

"Chen Shuo!"

Bai Xiaoqi was so angry by his irritating tone and manner that she gritted her teeth and refused to go downstairs. Instead, she chased after him on the rooftop and beat him up.

Chen Shuo ran around in his hands, clutching his head, saying, "Stop it, stop it, let's go out and buy you a book."

.....

It was just past noon. The two went out and had a quick lunch. Then they turned right along the food street and walked for about ten minutes until they arrived at the gate of a fairly large middle school, Yangcheng No. 2 Experimental Middle School.

Next to the middle school, there is a small alley with a sign at the entrance that reads "Dog Market Street".

More than a hundred years ago, this place was a place for buying and selling dogs, but the dogs traded were not meat dogs, but large fighting dogs.

In those days, wealthy young men did not engage in productive work. Besides visiting brothels, they spent their days walking their birds in cages, raising hawks and dogs. Activities like cricket fighting, cockfighting, and dog fighting were commonplace.

Therefore, places like dog markets came into being, not only handling buying and selling, but also building special venues for wealthy young men to use for dog fighting.

But as time passed, all the places and buildings disappeared with the passage of time, and the only thing that remained was the name of the dog market.

Such a strange name naturally aroused Bai Xiaoqi's curiosity. The afternoon sun was a bit scorching, so she raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sunlight, squinted at the road sign in front of her, and listened to Chen Shuo explain the origin of the name.

"Now you understand, this used to be a dog-selling area, but it has long been converted into a middle school."

"Then why not change your name?"

"It's a common practice, everyone calls it that. Even if you change it, the locals will still call this place Dog Market, just like other cities have Mule and Horse Market, Chicken Market, or Cattle Market Street. Now we don't actually sell chickens, cattle, or horses, but we still call it that."

After explaining, Chen Shuo took her hand and continued walking forward, saying, "Let's go, let's go ahead."

I came all this way not specifically to discuss the origin of the name "dog market," but to buy books.

Walking a few steps along the alley called Dog Market Street, we came across an old bookstore, and the two of us stepped inside.

It was deserted; there wasn't a single customer. Only the owner sat behind the counter reading a newspaper. When someone came in, he adjusted his reading glasses and greeted them, "Buying a book or borrowing a book?"

"Let's buy some books and take a look first."

As Chen Shuo spoke, he stared at the boss for a few more moments. Although the boss looked old, he was still recognizable from his younger days. However, the other party could no longer recognize him.

When he was in junior high school, entertainment options were limited, and the internet was not as developed as it is now, unlike the ubiquitous smartphones. Besides, schools didn't allow students to bring cell phones.

Many students in the school borrow books from this small bookstore. For just one or two yuan, they can borrow a thick pirated book, which is then passed around among the whole class.

Even if you don't have money, you can stand in the store and watch. The owner never kicks you out and sometimes even lends money to students for free.

But now the store is deserted and has nothing like its former bustling self.

In this era, there are more and more interesting forms of entertainment. In their spare time, students and children nowadays are all playing with their mobile phones, which have everything. Few people are willing to read books. Even if they want to read, they can just search on their phones. Who would go to a bookstore to borrow books?

Chen Shuo pulled Bai Xiaoqi around the small bookstore, which mostly contained old books and pirated books, the kind of pirated online novels that were as thick as bricks.

There are also many tutoring books, such as "Five Years of Middle School Entrance Exams and Three Years of Simulations" and "Teach You to Learn English".

Although there were no customers, it was clear that the owner still took good care of the place. The bookshelves were neatly arranged, and the books on them were also neatly categorized and arranged.

Chen Shuo picked up a once-popular online fantasy novel, an old pirated copy. The yellowed pages held memories for countless people, including his.

One of the pages still bears the creases from a bookmark he made when he read it years ago.

He tucked the book under his arm and said to Bai Xiaoqi, "Let's see if there are any we like. We'll pick a few more to take back and fill up our bookshelves."

"Hmm..." Bai Xiaoqi responded and began to browse the bookshelves. Bookstores are places where you can always feel overwhelmed by the choices.

Ordinary people buy books they can understand or are interested in, but she is not an ordinary person, so her criteria for buying books are naturally different; she looks at the title.

The book title was sophisticated and impressive, clearly indicating it was a high-end book, so she picked it out.

In no time, they had picked out more than a dozen books, including titles such as "How to Win Friends and Influence People," "On the Entanglement of Finance and Economics," "How to Do Business," "The Art of Speaking," and "Genius on the Left, Madman on the Right."

Seeing how quickly she was picking out books, Chen Shuo couldn't help but glance at her. She was carrying a large stack of books, the top one with a very long title: "Teaching You to See Through Men from a Man's Perspective"...

Upon seeing the book, Chen Shuo's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, there was a traitor within the organization.

Chapter 250 What do you think?

The books Bai Xiaoqi chose were mostly marketing books. Take "The Weaknesses of Human Nature" as an example. They were full of plain language, repeating the same things over and over again. To put it bluntly, they were just talking about common sense and big principles.

At first glance, it seems to make a lot of sense, and it is indeed true, but it doesn't have much effect.

However, these books are worth buying; at least reading them won't do any harm. As for that book about seeing through men from a man's perspective, Chen Shuo picked it up and glanced at it. It was the same type of book, but just by looking at the table of contents, he had already sentenced it to death.

What are three details that can help you see through what a man is thinking, and where men habitually hide their secret stash of money after marriage?

Damn it, how did this lousy book even pass censorship? Why do we have to be so ruthless?

"As a man, I can tell you with absolute certainty that this book was written by those people. Reading it will mislead you, so don't buy it." Chen Shuo said with a serious expression, holding the book.

"is it?"

"Oh, that's for sure. There are so many men in the world, each with their own personality. Trying to understand all men with just one book is complete nonsense, and buying it would be a waste of money."

"Then let's not buy this one." Bai Xiaoqi nodded. She wanted to buy the book because she thought the title was intimidating, but after hearing what Chen Shuo said, she also felt that the book was probably useless. Besides, she had already seen through this bad guy.

Children can be taught.

Chen Shuo put the books back with satisfaction. The two of them browsed for a while longer before heading to the front desk to pay for the large pile of books.

The shopkeeper was surprised to see so many books. He adjusted his reading glasses and said, "Can you read all these books? Why don't you put some back and come back to buy more after you've finished reading them?"

“I can finish reading them, and…” Chen Shuo gently stroked the yellowed books in his hand, “and I’ve wanted to buy these books for a long time.”

.......

The boss found a large cardboard box in the storeroom, and it fit a huge pile of books perfectly. Then the two of them carried the large cardboard box out together. It was very heavy; it was the weight of knowledge.

After taking a taxi home, I put all the books on the bookshelf in my study. The dozens of books didn't fill the bookshelf completely; there were still many empty spaces. But at least it looked like a study now.

As Bai Xiaoqi read through the books one by one, she felt that this was probably what a scholarly family was all about.

"I'm going to start studying."

She pulled out the book that teaches you English, slipped on her slippers, and rushed out of the study, heading straight for the master bedroom balcony.

Chen Shuo noticed that she was holding this book and followed behind her, saying, "I think you'll give up on studying very soon."

"...No way. From now on, you're not allowed to talk or disturb my studies."

Bai Xiaoqi was already sitting in the hammock chair. The master bedroom balcony had floor-to-ceiling windows, letting in plenty of natural light. Through the glass, she could see the small park below, a pleasant sight, and the hammock chair swayed gently.

She opened the book and began to read it very seriously.

With her delicate features, wearing a beige dress, and her snow-white little feet overlapping in the air, swaying gently with the swing chair, she looked like an artistic young woman, and the scene was beautiful.

In this scene, as long as she doesn't speak, anyone who sees her would think she's a literary goddess. The sunlight shining on her figure as she reads a book highlights a sense of tranquility and peace.

But as soon as she speaks, her idiotic nature is exposed.

Chen Shuo made a bet to himself that this guy would definitely give up in no more than ten minutes.

He turned on his computer and prepared to start typing. It was too hot on the rooftop at this time; it was more comfortable on the balcony with air conditioning.

The typing software had just started, and before a single line had been typed, Bai Xiaoqi slammed the book shut beside her, saying, "I can't understand this book."

Unlike math, which is mentally taxing but at least understandable, English... is like scribbles; she doesn't know which is which.

She forced herself to watch for just a short while, and her head was already spinning.

Chen Shuo glanced at the time; only six minutes had passed. He then turned to look at her. "Aren't you supposed to have an exam? How will you pass if you don't study this?"

"Why does this have to be on the exam? It's useless, and I've never even seen a living foreigner, nor do I know how to talk to them. Can't we just skip the English exam?"

"It's no use telling me this. I don't want to take the English exam either, but my opinion doesn't count."

"Then who decides?"

"The people who make the decisions are beyond our reach; they're on a much higher level, from a different world than us."

Chen Shuo also had a headache with English back then. He couldn't understand why Chinese people had to learn such a stupid thing, especially since it was a core subject. Even when students were divided into science and humanities tracks in high school, they still had to learn it. The score of 150 was there, take it or leave it.

Why do you need to take the CET-4 and CET-6 exams after you go to university?

Even with my own intelligence, I think this thing is awful.

Making her learn English is just bullying the little kitten, isn't it?

Bai Xiaoqi glanced at the English book on her lap, her eyes flickering slightly. People's thoughts change over time, but hers changed relatively quickly. After hesitating for a moment, she asked, "How much does it cost to buy a vocational school diploma?"

Originally, he planned to study hard, get into a vocational school based on his own abilities, and then impress Chen Shuo.

But now it seems that vocational school exams have no place for them anymore.

If that's the case...

It's better not to take the exam for this vocational school!

"Five or six thousand, have you decided to buy it?" Chen Shuo looked at her with a smile. He already knew that this girl wouldn't pass the exam. No, let alone pass it, she gave up before she even started.

"I...haven't decided yet, I need to think about it some more."

Bai Xiaoqi was still a little conflicted. Five or six thousand was too expensive. Her small online store had been open for more than a year and she only earned four thousand a month.

Buying a vocational school diploma costs money, but no, now is not the time to be stingy.

Bai Xiaoqi, how can you be so stingy? Do you want to be laughed at by Chen Shuo for being illiterate for the rest of your life?

You clearly have the abilities of an elementary school student, but your household registration says you're illiterate. Are you content with that?

"I want to buy it."

Bai Xiaoqi jumped down from the hanging chair, went to the study to put her English book back. Studying hard to get into a vocational school was unrealistic; buying a certificate was a more reliable option.

English is such a terrible thing that it's not meant for humans to learn.

When she returned, she had an ice cream in her hand, and she was sucking on the cream on top.

"Here, I got one for you too."

Chen Shuo reached out and took it, tore open the packaging, and took a big bite. He couldn't bear to watch her sip the ice cream so delicately.

"Why don't you just take a big, satisfying bite like I do, sucking and licking it? Will the ice cream taste even better that way?"

"will not."

"Then why do you still eat like that?"