Chapter 58: Little Black Gourd

In Hai City, Jun Nanye had spent several days combing through every name remotely connected to “Cheng Yuan,” but none matched the girl he was searching for.

After countless sleepless nights, his frustration mounted.

“Yuanyuan…” he muttered, the name looping obsessively in his mind. What am I missing?

Tao An had been avoiding him, sensing the dark cloud looming over Jun Nanye’s temper.

“Sheng… Brother Sheng?” Tao An rubbed his eyes in disbelief as he stared at Sheng Nan, who was supposed to be in Africa.

“Xiao Anzi,” Sheng Nan greeted lazily, lounging in a chair with his legs crossed. His fiery red suit, while formal, radiated an unruly flair only he could pull off.

“What, cat got your tongue?” he teased. “Where’s Little Black Gourd?”

He’d nicknamed Jun Nanye “Little Black Gourd” because of his ever-present dark circles.

“He’s in his room,” Tao An replied, quickly running off to fetch him.

“Don’t come in unless it’s important!” Jun Nanye’s irritable voice rang out from behind the door.

“The world’s too beautiful for such a foul mood,” Sheng Nan drawled, leaning against the doorframe with the swagger of someone who could be mistaken for a playboy.

“Big Brother?” Jun Nanye was just as surprised to see him as Tao An had been. “When did you get back? You’re too late—Sister Xia left Hai City just yesterday.”

“I didn’t come to see her.” Sheng Nan’s eyes briefly dimmed before his usual carefree attitude returned. He looked Jun Nanye up and down. “Your dark circles look lighter. What’s changed?”

Jun Nanye deflected the question. “Big Brother, how do you even begin searching for someone?”

Sheng Nan raised an eyebrow. “Who are you looking for?”

“I don’t know her name or what she looks like.”

Sheng Nan laughed. “You’re joking, right? You don’t even know what she looks like? Have you even met her? Are you chasing some dream girl?”

“Or maybe a dream fairy?” he added, his peach blossom eyes gleaming with mischief, making Jun Nanye feel embarrassed.

I’ve only ever seen her in dreams… so maybe she really is a dream fairy, Jun Nanye thought, before shaking the idea off. Or maybe she’s just a clown in disguise.

“Brother Nan, if I can only contact someone occasionally, how can I track their movements?” he asked, growing desperate. He’d been trying to find Classmate Cheng for half a year with no success. For a student, she was unusually private.

“Easy,” Sheng Nan replied. “My people just developed a new tracking device. Stick this on someone and we can trace them anywhere.”

“Big brother, can you give me one?” Jun Nanye asked shamelessly, turning to Sheng Nan.

Sheng Nan didn’t answer. He stared at Jun Nanye with an unreadable smile. “Wait—do you actually have a dream girl?”

Jun Nanye didn’t know how to explain. The whole thing was absurd. He reluctantly admitted, “I guess so. Big brother, just help me out. Give me one, and when I find her, I’ll definitely help you win over Sister Xia.”

Sheng Nan scoffed. “Why would I need to chase her? I’ve got money. Do I look like someone who needs to chase women?”

Jun Nanye gave him a look. Big Brother’s definitely into Sister Xia. He’s just too stubborn to admit it.

“Right, right, big brother doesn’t need to chase her. But can you give me a tracker now?” Jun Nanye was desperate to get the device. How could I have been so stupid not to realize big brother would have something like this?

“Depends on my mood,” Sheng Nan replied coolly, brushing invisible lint off his suit.

“Sister Xia went to Jiang City yesterday to shoot a movie,” Jun Nanye said, catching on.

“Perfect. I’ve got business there too.” Sheng Nan stood up and headed for the door.

Jun Nanye quickly chased after him. “Hey! You can’t just ditch me after I helped you!”

“That device is still being refined. I’ll give it to you when it’s ready,” Sheng Nan said, waving without looking back as he disappeared down the hall.

Jun Nanye: “……”

Are you serious?

“Brother Nan,” Tao An chimed in, trying to redeem himself, “precise tracking devices are rare, but basic ones are easy to get. I can ask a friend.”

Jun Nanye glared at him. “Why didn’t you say that earlier?”

Tao An looked aggrieved. “You never asked…”

Yixian No. 1 High School

The monthly exams were coming up, and Bei Xiaolin had made a solemn vow to score at least 300.

After two grueling days of testing, she slumped over her desk and groaned, “Yuanyuan, if I don’t make 300 this time, please don’t hit me.”

“I won’t hit you,” Cheng Yuan replied with a grin, “but I will confiscate your posters and tapes.”

She was confident in Bei Xiaolin—this was just the beginning. Her real goal for her was a score of 450 and above.

If Bei Xiaolin reached that, along with her art exam results, she might finally be accepted into the Hai City Performing Arts Academy.

“Nooo, Yuanyuan! I swear I’ll get it next time!” Bei Xiaolin clung to her hopefully.

Cheng Yuan shoved a math test in front of her. “Then start with this.”

“Why is my life so tragic? What did I ever do to deserve this?” Bei Xiaolin wailed at the paper, her head pounding already.

Cheng Yuan smiled quietly. Bei Xiaolin was the kind of person who needed constant pushing—and she was more than happy to be that push.

That Night

After finishing her dumplings, Cheng Yuan noticed her father, Cheng Huaien, grinning like a fool.

“Dad, what’s up with you today? Did something good happen?”

“Yuanyuan,” he said, pulling out a folded piece of paper.

Cheng Yuan glanced at it—and nearly spat out her water.

Cough!

She choked and coughed violently.

Cheng Huaien quickly shielded the paper and patted her back. “Even drinking water, you’re so careless. Take it slow, no rush.”

“Dad! Why’d you show me that while I was drinking?” Their relationship had completely changed. These days, they bantered more like siblings than father and daughter.

“Dad, did you really buy a house? Did you actually make that much money?” Cheng Yuan asked in disbelief, staring at the property deed in his hand. It felt like a dream.

After all, their family only ran a tiny business.

Aunt Yu sold tea eggs, and her father sold fried noodles in the morning, skewers in the evening. Could that really be enough to buy a house?