Originally, Yu Zi was still planning to take his time and consider the matter of running the shop for a while. But the next day, early in the morning, the two of them encountered a rare hailstorm in North City. This year’s weather was really strange, everything seemed to be happening at once.

This time, the two of them remembered their lesson and brought raincoats. However, there was a fundamental difference between hail storms and heavy rain, and they were completely unprepared.

Several cars parked on the side of the road, unable to move, and Yu Zi glanced up from under his raincoat. The car windows were smashed with many large holes.

It was pitch black outside, pedestrians were trapped on the crowded streets, looking no different from the end of the world.

Yu Zi couldn’t guarantee that his head was harder than the car windows.

As the hailstorm grew more fierce, the wind felt like blades slashing through. Their small scooter had difficulty even accelerating. After only riding about a hundred or so meters, the two hurriedly found shelter under an awning.

Giant hailstones continued to rapidly fall from the sky, hitting the ground like glass marbles. Yu Zi quickly took two steps back under the awning.

“Yesterday’s weather forecast didn’t say it would be this severe, did it?” Xie Dongcheng frowned.

Yu Zi looked up at the sky and sighed, “This job is really impossible to do.”

A change in livelihood was imperative. If this continued for a long time, either people will be worn out or they’ll end up spending all their money on hospital bills due to accidents.

That afternoon, Yu Zi began posting online to sell his business. Unexpectedly, someone quickly replied asking for his contact information.

After Yu Zi made the call, a woman answered. She was a full-time mom who wanted to do some small business to earn extra income while her child was at school during the day. She also had a small Polo car that could be used for transporting goods. It seemed that her conditions were much better than theirs.

The woman was straightforward, and after a brief negotiation, they quickly agreed on the price, and she readily agreed to continue supplying alcohol for Yu Zi and his partner.

The money from selling the business, combined with their previous savings, amounted to less than eighty thousand yuan.

Eighty thousand yuan was naturally not enough to open a shop. Just the rent for the storefront would cost thirty thousand yuan per quarter. Yu Zi negotiated with the landlord for three days and finally managed to bring it down to five thousand yuan. Not to mention the expenses for renovation, hiring staff, and stocking up on inventory, which would require additional funds.

They needed to find more startup capital to successfully launch this new plan.

Fortunately, the shop they were taking over already had basic furnishings, so they only needed to tidy up the kitchen, repaint the interior, and purchase some soft furnishings.

They couldn’t wait too long for the rented storefront. The landlord gave Yu Zi a final deadline. They had to start renting by the end of the month, or else he couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t rent it to someone else next month.

Yu Zi had less than a month left. He had to raise the initial capital, gather all the necessary materials, and then hire a kitchen staff and a waiter.

He drew up a plan on the calendar in the living room, marking each milestone with a big red circle.

Originally, Yu Zi’s family had a professional financial center managing billions of yuan in financial transactions. All the major banks considered them perfect partners and offered them unused credit lines every year.

But now, Yu Zi was starting from scratch, without a fancy background. He had to beg for every penny himself. He went to three banks on weekdays, but returned empty-handed.

The customer managers’ excuses were all very plausible. Sometimes they said it was almost the end of the year, and approvals were complicated; other times they said the credit lines had tightened, and it was difficult for them as well. They advised him to come back after the New Year. When Yu Zi asked specifically which month after the New Year, they beat around the bush and used official jargon to dodge his questions.

Yu Zi wasn’t naive. It was only November, far from the banks’ fiscal year-end. Their rhetoric implied that they didn’t consider him qualified and wanted him to give up early.

Having no hope for the big banks, Yu Zi could only search for luck in nearby small banks.

Little did he know, he would encounter Sheng Chuan there.

On the day before the beginning of winter, Xie Dongcheng drove him to the bank. Just as they parked under a large camphor tree at the entrance of the bank, Yu Zi was about to take off his helmet and walk in when the electric door of the bank opened, and a man walked out. He held a car key in his hand, and the headlights of a pure black sports car parked by the roadside turned on.

“Yu Zi?” The man saw him first, calling his name with some incredulity.

Yu Zi turned to look, seeing a man dressed in a smart black cashmere coat. He looked much more mature, but his face hadn’t changed much over the years.

“Sheng Chuan?” Yu Zi furrowed his brows, steadying himself.

“Damn, it’s really you.” The man called Sheng Chuan walked over to him.

“What are you doing here?” Yu Zi asked.

“What about you?”

The two almost simultaneously asked the same question.

Yu Zi placed his helmet on the back seat of the scooter, unsure of how to respond.

Sheng Chuan took the initiative to explain his purpose: “I’m here to see a client.”

“Are you settling down here?” Yu Zi followed up.

“No, I just came for a visit these days. I’ll have to go back in a couple of days.” Sheng Chuan shook his head.

Xie Dongcheng leaned against the scooter, listening to their conversation without saying a word.

Sheng Chuan glanced at Yu Zi and asked, “And you?”

Yu Zi smiled indifferently, spreading his hands, “What you see is what you get. Everything you’ve heard is true.”

He knew that the news about his family had long spread within the wealthy circle, and he didn’t hesitate to be frank with Sheng Chuan.

Sheng Chuan and Yu Zi had grown up together like brothers. Unlike those spoiled rich kids, Sheng Chuan was truly a rare true friend in Yu Zi’s life.

They lived very close to each other at the time, and almost spent every day together before they turned fifteen. Since Sheng Chuan’s parents were busy with their business, Yu Zi often invited Sheng Chuan over for dinner, and occasionally both families would charter a plane to go on island vacations together.

Both were mischievous characters since childhood, from playing with cats and dogs to skipping classes, they had always shared similar interests.

Like Yu Zi’s family, Sheng Chuan’s family also made their fortune from the hotel business. However, Sheng Chuan’s parents sold the hotel business early on and ventured into real estate for two years, accumulating a huge fortune. Later, Yu Zi didn’t pay much attention to the industry of the Sheng family. Occasionally, he would see their family members in the news.

Their relationship faded when they turned eighteen. After graduating from high school, Sheng Chuan went to study abroad in Australia for a few years before returning to China. However, he didn’t stay in North City after returning, but went to other cities to start a company.

The change in their life trajectories reduced their common language, and they met only a few times over the years. Later, Yu Zi only occasionally contacted him, and they never got as close as they used to be.

Yu Zi didn’t expect to unexpectedly meet him again in such an autumn without any warning.

The conversation then shifted back to Yu Zi.

Sheng Chuan didn’t bother with pleasantries and directly asked, “Are you here for a loan?”

“Are you a mind reader?” Yu Zi retorted with a smile.

Sheng Chuan chuckled along with him, but didn’t say anything else. He simply handed him a business card.

“Contact this manager and tell him I referred you.”

“Thanks.” Yu Zi took the business card, waving his hand at him with his index and middle fingers pinching the card.

“Are you kidding me? Why are you being polite with me?” Sheng Chuan patted his shoulder with his hand, just like when they were fifteen.

Sheng Chuan continued, “I saw that your family’s signboard had changed when I came back that day.”

Yu Zi thought for a moment, understanding that he was referring to the villa in the western suburbs. That villa had changed ownership long ago, and the new owner was probably renovating it.

Yu Zi chuckled lightly, seemingly indifferent. But just three seconds later, he suddenly looked up and asked Sheng Chuan, “Is that tree still there?”

“Which one?”

“The camphor tree in the yard.”

Sheng Chuan recalled for a few seconds. “It seems to still be there.”

Yu Zi breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression appeared more natural.

The two chatted about some past matters. Seeing that Yu Zi’s mood wasn’t particularly good, Sheng Chuan didn’t mention the suburban villa anymore.

Before long, Sheng Chuan’s phone rang. He waved to Yu Zi, “Got some other business to attend to. I haven’t changed my number.”

Yu Zi quickly patted his shoulder, urging him to leave with a smile, “Off you go.”

Soon, Sheng Chuan disappeared at the end of the driveway in his black sports car, leaving behind a trail of exhaust fumes.

Under the tree, there were only Yu Zi and Xie Dongcheng.

“Who was that person just now?” Xie Dongcheng, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up.

Yu Zi put the business card in his pocket and turned to look at him, “What’s up?”

Xie Dongcheng: “Just asking.”

Yu Zi didn’t answer and went straight into the bank.

Whether it was because of Sheng Chuan’s influence or not, when Yu Zi found the manager and explained his purpose, the manager took him seriously. He filled out several forms for him and then carefully asked about their business plan. In short, the attitude was completely different from the previous few banks.

After finishing up with everything, Yu Zi came out, but Xie Dongcheng was still standing under the big tree, leaning against the scooter with his hands in his pockets, his gaze seemingly unfocused.

A gust of wind blew down two dry leaves, landing on top of his head. Surprisingly, Xie Dongcheng didn’t brush them away.

“What are you thinking?” Yu Zi waved his hand in front of him.

Only then did Xie Dongcheng snap out of it, shaking his body and shaking off the two leaves, “Oh, nothing. Are you done?”

“Yeah, let’s go.” Yu Zi hopped into the back seat.

Throughout the journey home, Xie Dongcheng didn’t say much.

Yu Zi casually asked, “What’s wrong with you? Not feeling well?”

Xie Dongcheng sighed and said, “Probably caught a chill from the wind.”

“Headache?”

“A little.”

Yu Zi didn’t ask further questions. After they arrived home, Xie Dongcheng took a hot shower, put on some clothes, and lay down on the couch.

The house was quiet, and even the fish in the fish tank seemed to be asleep, not moving at all.

Yu Zi looked at Xie Dongcheng, who was frowning with closed eyes, and reached out to touch his forehead. He didn’t have a fever. What was wrong with him?

He’s a strange person.