Chapter 107

Zhu Hongyu spoke earnestly, “Even if your foundation is good, you still need to review. Don’t be too confident; a careless mistake may cost you dearly.”

Though Song Haowen didn’t entirely agree, he appreciated their concern. “Thank you both for caring. In fact, you don’t know, I study and work hard every night until dawn. There’s no such thing as a genius who knows without studying; success comes from hard work.”

Zhu Hongyu sighed in relief. “Younger brother, hearing you say that makes me somewhat reassured. But with your busy daytime schedule – attending classes, performances, shooting movies – and the challenge of the postgraduate entrance exam, you really need to buckle down.”

Ren Hua walked up to Song Haowen, shook his head mockingly, and said, “Sis, in my opinion, he’s probably lying about studying hard. His little brain might be filled with the smiles of beauty queens. Where would he have space for academic studies? But, it’s better if he doesn’t pass; otherwise, as your sisters, where would we hide our faces?”

Zhu Hongyu joined in the banter. “Brother, maybe you should reconsider taking the exam. Just be the classmates of your older sisters.”

Song Haowen looked disgusted. “I don’t think you’re really concerned about me; it’s pure jealousy, unable to stand seeing others succeed. Just because you say so, I must pass the exam! When you have your bachelor’s degree, I’ll have my master’s, and then you’ll see how proud I can be.”

“Go to hell!” Ren Hua kicked Song Haowen’s backside fiercely. Zhu Hongyu also grabbed one of Song Haowen’s ears. “I’ll make you be proud!”

“Sisters, dear sisters, I dare not be proud. Help!”

Taking advantage of a free afternoon at the branch, Song Haowen went to the bank, divided the one million yuan check into ten, put them in his pocket, and returned to the store.

Thinking it had been a while since he had dinner with Zhu Hongyu and the others, he took Zhu Hongyu, along with the money, to a high-end restaurant that evening.

During the meal, Song Haowen asked Qian Youlai about his martial arts practice. Qian Youlai proudly said, “Thanks for your guidance, Master. My skills have greatly improved. Just the day before yesterday, three or five troublemakers came to our store, and I defeated them all.”

This was the first time Song Haowen heard about this incident, and he immediately became interested, asking Qian Youlai for details.

Qian Youlai promptly explained the situation. Starting from last week, three to five troublemakers had been coming to the store regularly during the day. They didn’t buy anything or cause trouble; instead, they wandered around the store.

After driving them away, Wang Li found that they returned after a while. Eventually, she couldn’t handle it alone and had to endure, pretending not to notice them.

Though these individuals didn’t bother customers directly, their menacing appearance made customers uncomfortable, causing a negative impact on the store’s business.

Three days ago at noon, these troublemakers came again. Qian Youlai, who was having a quick meal in the store, knew from Wang Li that these people were up to no good. Filled with dissatisfaction, he confronted them and asked about their purpose. Ignoring him, they continued wandering around the store.

Qian Youlai couldn’t tolerate it anymore and asked them to leave. However, they lined up at the store entrance, blocking the door and making it difficult for customers to enter.

Qian Youlai, fed up, ordered them to leave or face the police. In response, one of the troublemakers with a crooked neck suddenly slapped Qian Youlai, shouting, “Kid, you’re too annoying! Watch as I tear down this store of yours!”

Qian Youlai refused to endure the insult and retaliated with a slap. This led to a scuffle at the store entrance. After a few rounds, the one with the crooked neck admitted defeat. The remaining four rushed to attack together.

Qian Youlai endured several punches and kicks, nearly fainting from the pain. However, he didn’t surrender and, with sheer determination, resisted fiercely. After overcoming the initial chaos, he found a strategy to counter them and eventually subdued the five troublemakers. After they swore not to cause trouble again, Qian Youlai let them go.

As the incident occurred during the day and was already resolved, Wang Li and Qian Youlai didn’t inform Zhu Hongyu and Ren Hua. Therefore, Song Haowen hadn’t heard about it until now.

Song Haowen frowned and thought for a moment before asking, “Brother Qian, you did well in handling this situation, and I commend you. Did you ask them why they were causing trouble?”

Qian Youlai replied, “I did. They said they wanted protection money from us.”

Wang Li expressed her disdain, saying, “These thugs are idle all day, not working, and still trying to profit without effort. It’s truly hateful.”

Zhu Hongyu exclaimed, “I can’t believe such things happen! Why didn’t you tell us, Wang Li?”

Ren Hua added, “Yeah, we had no idea about this.”

Wang Li explained, “I wanted to tell you, but Little Qian said not to, so you wouldn’t get scared.”

Song Haowen sighed and said, “In the capital city, how can it tolerate these troublemakers and riffraff? The last dispute between the music studio and the black bear almost turned fatal. Let’s hope this ends here, and no more trouble arises.”

The mood of Qian Youlai and the others, who had been cheerful, instantly sank upon hearing Song Haowen’s words. They didn’t know how to respond.

Seeing everyone’s low spirits, Song Haowen quickly reassured them with a smile, “Maybe I’m overthinking. But even if they cause trouble again, we’re not afraid. With me and Brother Qian, even ten or twenty ruffians wouldn’t be a match for us.”

Ren Hua slapped the table and said, “In my opinion, these little ruffians don’t know who our boss is. If they knew it’s Little Songzi, they’d probably be scared out of their wits, crying for their parents.”

Zhu Hongyu playfully hit Ren Hua on the backside and teased, “How about I give your butt a beating first?”

Ren Hua blushed and retorted, “Sis, I was just saying. Why are you taking it so seriously?”

Song Haowen chuckled, “What’s going on here? We haven’t even faced the enemy, and we’re already fighting among ourselves.”

Qian Youlai rolled up his sleeves and said confidently, “For fights like this, you’ll have to rely on us men. You ladies can cheer us on from the sidelines.”

Wang Li, displeased with his comment, grabbed his arm and twisted it hard. “Just you? With your mediocre skills, let’s see how you handle two more attackers.”

Song Haowen lightly tapped his fingers on the table, and seeing everyone quiet, he calmly said, “This matter may not be a big deal, but we shouldn’t take it lightly. After all, having a few flies buzzing around you all day is uncomfortable. So, for the next few days, Qian Youlai will stay at the store during the day.

This way, if those people come to cause trouble, the store won’t be left with just Wang Li to handle it. I’ll try to come back early in the evenings, so Zhu Jie and Ren Jie can be at ease.

Additionally, let’s move valuable items from the store to the rooms or courtyard to prevent any damage. After we’ve taken precautions, if they don’t come, great. But if they dare to try anything again, we won’t let them off easily!”

Seeing Song Haowen brimming with confidence, everyone felt reassured. By now, the dishes were served, and they started feasting.

Song Haowen and Qian Youlai opened a bottle of Maotai, while the three girls opened a bottle of red wine. Laughter and cheers filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.

As the alcohol flowed, Song Haowen took a sip of tea, suddenly remembering something. He asked Qian Youlai, “You and Sister Wang have been together for so many years. Any progress?”

Qian Youlai, caught off guard, was about to respond when Ren Hua interjected, “Yeah, have you two started living together?” This statement not only turned Qian Youlai and Wang Li’s faces red, but it also left Zhu Hongyu shocked, and even Song Haowen choked on the tea he had just sipped.

“No… I was just telling the truth. Why such a big reaction?” Ren Hua innocently remarked.

Zhu Hongyu, infuriated, gave Ren Hua a hard smack on the backside. “Why are you hitting my butt again?”

Song Haowen, finally recovering from his tea-induced fit of laughter, couldn’t help but burst into laughter again. Qian Youlai and Wang Li were left with a dose of awkwardness, not knowing how to respond.

Once Song Haowen composed himself, he said, “What I meant was, Sister Wang is twenty-one this year, and Brother Qian is in his early twenties. If it weren’t for the amendment to the marriage law last year, which raised the marriage age to twenty-two for men and twenty for women, they could have gotten their marriage certificates by now. So, what I said earlier was that they should consider the issue of marriage, not what you were imagining, Ren Hua.”

Ren Hua blushed, stuck out her tongue, and chose not to speak.

Blushing, Wang Li glanced at Qian Youlai and then lowered her head, playing with her clothes.

Coughing, Qian Youlai composed himself and said, “Master, according to the new law, I haven’t reached the legal age yet. Considering this, wouldn’t it be too early to think about marriage?”

Unconvinced, Zhu Hongyu said, “Even if you haven’t, Wang Li has.”

Continuing, Song Haowen said, “What I wanted to say today is that even though you haven’t reached the legal marriage age, you can still get engaged. This way, your relationship will be legitimate.”

Excitedly, Qian Youlai grabbed Wang Li’s hand and said, “Your mom said to wait until I have a stable job before considering marriage, but she didn’t say we couldn’t get engaged.”

Sighing, Wang Li said softly, “I’m afraid it won’t work. My mom has very traditional views.”

Song Haowen knew that people in this era still highly valued the concept of a “stable job.” In reality, many of them were unaware that, apart from government departments and some public institutions, the majority of so-called “secure jobs” were not reliable. When companies went through restructuring and layoffs, many regretted their choices. This limitation in perspective was something he couldn’t change, just like in his past life.

Skeptical, Zhu Hongyu asked, “Xiao Li, what if Xiao Qian can’t find a job at a unit? Are you two going to keep waiting?”

Wang Li kept her head down, refusing to speak. Qian Youlai chuckled and said, “It’s okay; I’m still young. We can wait for another two years.”