When Cen Huaian returned from military training, he was noticeably thinner and darker.

Chuxia, who had come to pick him up, barely recognized him.

“Did you not use the sunscreen cream I gave you?” Chuxia asked, her heart aching as she saw his sunburned, peeling nose.

Chuxia had previously sent a batch of sunscreen cream to Jiang Zhishu’s company, which was very effective against sunburn.

Later, after several rounds of research and development by the company’s scientific team, combined with Chuxia’s sun protection concepts, they created a new sunscreen cream that could prevent both sunburn and tanning.

Though it wasn’t as advanced as modern sunscreens, it was already one of the best products of the time, offering protection without making the skin look overly pale.

“I used it,” Cen Huaian replied. “But with the amount of sweating we did every day during training, I didn’t have time to reapply, especially during the three-day long march. Plus, my roommates used it too.”

Chuxia understood and handed him the sunburn ointment she carried in her bag. “Apply this now, and you’ll be better in a few days.”

On the way home, Chuxia asked if anything significant had happened during his military training.

Cen Huaian thought hard but didn’t recall anything particularly difficult.

Even after being appointed as the platoon leader by the instructor, none of the students caused any trouble.

It wasn’t that there were no challenges, but Cen Huaian had easily resolved them.

For instance, when some students from other platoons suffered heatstroke, Cen Huaian shared the herbal tea Chuxia had prepared for him, helping his weaker classmates stay healthy.

His platoon was the only one where no one suffered from heatstroke.

During the long march, some students developed blisters on their feet, and Cen Huaian used the medicine he had brought to help them push through.

After a moment, Cen Huaian finally remembered something. “Mom, some of my classmates want to buy sunscreen and sunburn cream, and others are interested in buying the medicinal ointment from Uncle’s company.”

It seemed like Cen Huaian had come up with a business idea for Bangzi to sell things at school.

The skincare products his mom and uncle had developed would likely be very popular with students.

While driving, Chuxia kept her eyes on the road and said, “Your uncle’s products are branded. Just tell your classmates where to buy them.”

“But the sunscreen isn’t,” Cen Huaian reminded her.

The sunscreen had just passed safety checks and was approved for sale, but it hadn’t been marketed yet.

Cen Huaian shared his business idea with Chuxia, who glanced at him with a smile. “That’s one way to make money. You don’t want to give it a try? You used to love money.”

“I have more important things to focus on,” Cen Huaian replied.

Chuxia respected his decision, knowing what his priorities were. “Okay. If Bangzi wants to work with your uncle’s company, I can help him out. He won’t need to meet the usual minimum order requirements, but I can’t adjust the wholesale price for him.”

“I haven’t spoken to Brother Bangzi about it yet,” Cen Huaian said.

“If he wants to do it, I’ll make it easier for him. If not, let me know if there’s anything else I can help with.”

“Okay.”

Bangzi had already figured out his target market and had even rented a small store in the basement below the student dormitory.

The space had been abandoned for a while, previously used by dorm staff to store random items.

No one knew how Bangzi managed it, but he got the place rented out.

The basement was now almost ready, with lights constantly on due to the lack of windows, and shelves were set up for merchandise.

When Bangzi showed Cen Huaian around, he explained, “Besides this shop, I’ve also rented another one between our two universities. I’ll be running this one with Chopsticks, Then Kitty(Maozhi) and Grey Hair will manage the other one.”

Since the shop was targeting students, Bangzi planned to sell whatever they needed.

Getting supplies was easy—he could just visit the wholesale market and pick everything up in one trip.

Having been in the student business for a long time, Bangzi was skilled at it.

The only thing left was to promote the store.

“We’ll have to rely on word of mouth among the students,” Bangzi said.

“We could print flyers,” Cen Huaian suggested.

When Yun Mengze opened its doors, Jiang Zhida had hired a lot of people to hand out flyers, bought advertising space on the department store, and organized performances and raffles on the opening day.

The grand opening had been a big success, drawing in lots of customers.

Although they didn’t have the budget for big advertising or events, they could afford to print some simple flyers.

Bangzi’s eyes lit up. “You always have good ideas.”

“It wasn’t my idea,” Cen Huaian replied.

Leaning against the counter with a smile, Bangzi said, “It was definitely worth coming to the capital. If nothing else, being here broadens your horizons.”

Cen Huaian suggested, “If you get the chance, you should visit Guangzhou or Shenzhen. You might get even more ideas.”

Bangzi raised an eyebrow and clapped Cen Huaian on the shoulder. “How did you know I was already planning that?”

Ever since Cen Huaian had written to Bangzi about his experiences in Guangzhou, Bangzi had been itching to visit.

Cen Huaian looked at him calmly. “It wasn’t hard to guess.”

As they were talking, some students from the dorm came down to buy things.

Bangzi’s shop was located under the boys’ dormitory, and although girls couldn’t access it directly, Bangzi had plans to deliver to them.

At night, he also set up a stall outside the dorms.

He had hoped to open a store under the girls’ dormitory too, but the administration didn’t approve.

Still, getting even one location was a lucky break.

The guy bought cigarettes, drinks, and alcohol before leaving.

Bangzi then said to Cen Huai’an, “I used to think college students wouldn’t touch cigarettes or alcohol, but after coming to college, I realized these are the best-selling items.”

Bangzi didn’t sell hard liquor, and the cigarettes he sold were just the regular kind.

In college, students rely on their own self-control.

Unlike when he was younger, Bangzi didn’t sell things that would easily make kids addicted.

Cen Huai’an nodded.

Even if Bangzi didn’t sell them, there were plenty of places outside that did.

When the chopsticks arrived, Bangzi first took Cen Huai’an to see another shop nearby.

That store mostly sold items that were popular with girls.

“This store does really well,” Bangzi said as he lifted the pearl curtain to reveal a group of girls inside, picking out accessories.

The items weren’t expensive, but they were carefully selected by Bangzi—delicate, beautiful, and of good quality.

Cen Huai’an didn’t go inside, as the shop was small, and two boys would make it feel cramped.

“Let’s go, we’ll head to my cousin’s company,” Bangzi said.

They greeted the shopkeeper’s cat before hailing a taxi to Jiang Zhishu’s company.

After all, they were going there to talk business, and taking the bus didn’t feel formal enough.

Bangzi always believed that no matter how small or big the business was, you should take it seriously.

Bangzi had heard of Jiang Zhishu’s pharmaceutical brand back in Liangzhou.

It was known for being effective and reasonably priced.

His grandma had bought some common medicine from that brand for their home.

When Bangzi saw the skincare products displayed alongside the medicine, he couldn’t take his eyes off them. “I never knew that this ‘Bencao’ brand also made skincare products.”

Jiang Zhishu’s pharmaceutical products all shared the same “Bencao” trademark, which was also used for a whole range of other products.

“It hasn’t been promoted yet,” Cen Huai’an explained as he showed Bangzi around the company using the visitor pass from his mother.

After they had seen all the products, Cen Huai’an asked, “So, what do you think?”

Bangzi raised his eyebrows, looking even more confident. “You brought me here to make me fall for these products, didn’t you?”

Cen Huai’an didn’t say anything, just nodded.

Bangzi adjusted his tight suit. “Alright, I’m interested. So, how do we partner with ‘Bencao’?”

Without saying much, Cen Huai’an replied, “Come with me.”

He didn’t listen in on how Bangzi and Jiang Zhishu discussed the business deal.

Instead, he sat outside the meeting room, watching the fish in the tank move as his eyes followed them.

When Bangzi came out, his expression was the same as when he had gone in.

Cen Huai’an gave him a questioning look.

At that moment, Jiang Zhishu stepped out too and asked, “An’an, want to come home with me for dinner?”

Cen Huai’an politely declined. “Thanks, Uncle, but I’ve been out all day, and if I don’t go home soon, my mom will worry.”

Jiang Zhishu didn’t push further, and Cen Huai’an left with Bangzi.

As they walked out, Bangzi pulled out the contract from his bag and gave it a light tap. “It’s done!”

Cen Huai’an smiled. “Congrats.”

After Bangzi got his supply of products from Jiang Zhishu’s company, Cen Huai’an told his classmates that the creams and ointments they needed could be bought from Bangzi’s store.

Soon, business boomed at Bangzi’s shop, and it was packed with girls every day.

The products weren’t too expensive.

Even those who couldn’t afford a full set of skincare products would save up to buy one item.

There were also wealthier students who would buy several sets at once to give to their family or friends, knowing how good the products were.

After Bangzi started selling the products, the “Bencao” skincare line began advertising on national TV, with one of the most popular actors as the spokesperson.

Some well-off women who received the products from their daughters were hesitant to use them at first, thinking they were just random items from a small college shop.

But after seeing the ad, they realized they were from Jiang Zhishu’s company, a brand known for quality, and immediately asked their daughters to buy more.

The demand grew rapidly after the ad aired, and Bangzi’s store quickly sold out of stock.

Even the company had limited supplies, so customers had to wait.

Many were willing to wait, and they left their names and contact details with Bangzi so they could be notified as soon as new stock arrived.

After bringing Bangzi to Jiang Zhishu’s company, Cen Huai’an didn’t pay much attention to the matter anymore.

He only found out how successful Bangzi’s business had become when the girls in his class started talking about it.

Satisfied with how things had turned out, Cen Huai’an shifted his focus back to his studies.

The workload in the Semiconductor major within the Radio Department was heavy.

There was a lot of theory to learn, and they often had to visit labs.

The teachers assigned many books to read and homework to complete.

Most students were so immersed in their studies that they didn’t have time to complain.

Only a few slackers grumbled about how much they had to learn and how difficult it was.