OBS Chapter 1572 When did you two get together?
Chapter 1572 When did you two get together?
At the entrance of a printing shop near Zhongguancun, Liu Yuan squatted on the ground, tied the burlap sack tightly, then hoisted it onto his shoulder with a burst of strength, staggering a couple of steps before regaining his balance.
"Let's go." Qin Hao took the lead and walked towards the Zhongguancun intersection.
Liu Yuan followed behind, carrying a sack, his breath condensing into a cloud in the cold air.
The two had just arrived at the entrance of Zhongguancun Street and hadn't even had a chance to put down their sacks when they were surrounded by a group of business owners.
"Boss Qin is here! Quick, quick, let me see this year's brochure." The fat boss was the first to squeeze to the front and reach out to grab the sack.
Not to be outdone, the leather jacket shop owner squeezed through from the other side to help Liu Yuan put the sack on the ground. Several shop owners hurriedly untied the ropes binding the sack, eagerly tearing it open and flipping through the brochures inside.
The portly boss picked up a booklet, flipped through a few pages, and his eyes lit up: "Wow, this brochure is printed much better than yesterday's. The paper is better, the text is clearer, and there are even pictures?"
"Yes, this money was well spent." The leather jacket shop owner nodded in approval, flipping through the brochure several times: "Young Master Qin is reliable. He changes things as soon as he wants and prints them as soon as he wants. He's very efficient."
Some people are satisfied, while others are not.
The tall, thin shop owner flipped through a few pages, his face darkening. Holding up the brochure, he questioned in a sharp voice, "Mr. Qin, why is my shop so far back? With such a thick brochure, how can customers even see my shop?"
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Another shop owner, wearing glasses, chimed in, pointing to a page in the brochure with a displeased expression. “We all pay the same amount of money, so why is our shop in the back and theirs in the front? That’s not fair!”
"Yes, it's unfair! Either arrange them according to the order of payment or by the pinyin of the store name. Why are some stores listed first and others last?"
The bosses chatted amongst themselves, their voices growing louder and louder, attracting a growing crowd. Liu Yuan stood beside the sack, nervously unsure what to do. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead despite the freezing winter weather, and his fingers unconsciously clenched the sack's opening.
Qin Hao calmly gestured for everyone to be quiet, and only spoke after all the noise had subsided.
"Please be patient and listen to me first."
"The placement on the brochure is not fixed; it rotates every week. Those that are later this time will appear earlier next time to ensure fairness."
Upon hearing this, several bosses' expressions visibly softened. However, the tall, thin boss was still dissatisfied, frowning as he pressed, "Then why is mine at the back this time? You need to have some sorting standard, right?"
Qin Hao smiled and patiently explained, "The first sorting was based on the first letter of the shop's name in pinyin, completely random, without any human intervention. You can rest assured that the order of each rotation will be confirmed with you in advance, and there will be absolutely no underhanded dealings."
The tall, thin boss opened his mouth, still not entirely satisfied, but Qin Hao's explanation was reasonable, so he didn't press the matter further.
The portly boss suddenly looked up: "Young Master Qin, I have a suggestion for you. Isn't it a bit too inefficient for just the two of you to hand out these brochures?"
Qin Hao nodded and patiently explained, "Don't worry, everyone. I will have someone distribute brochures to ensure that every customer who enters Zhongguancun gets one. Just wait in the store for business to come to you."
"Mr. Qin is very thoughtful. We'll go back and wait for good news."
The shopkeepers dispersed, and the street corner gradually returned to calm. Liu Yuan stood there, having witnessed everything that had just happened, his heart filled with mixed emotions. After a long silence, he finally spoke, his tone revealing an indescribable feeling.
"Last night I thought you were just lucky to make so much money, but now I'm convinced."
Qin Hao glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Alright, stop flattering me. I'll hire two people to hand out flyers later, and you'll be in charge of managing them."
Liu Yuan scratched his head, looking puzzled: "Do we need to manage just two people?"
Qin Hao glared at him irritably: "Nonsense, if no one is watching, they might just take the flyers and sell them as waste paper."
Liu Yuan smiled sheepishly.
Qin Hao pulled out a piece of cardboard he had prepared beforehand, on which several lines of large characters were written in marker: "Hiring flyer distributors, daily wage of thirty yuan, paid daily, female only." He handed the cardboard to Liu Yuan: "Hold it up, hold it higher."
Liu Yuan took the cardboard, held it high above his head, and stood in the most conspicuous position at the street corner.
Within five minutes, it attracted a lot of people who came over to inquire. Most of those who gathered around were middle-aged women who sold pirated CDs in the surrounding area. They were wearing drab cotton-padded coats, worn-out gloves, and their faces were red from the cold wind.
They had been working in Zhongguancun for several years and knew which jobs were profitable and which weren't. Their daily wage was thirty yuan, which was definitely considered high in 1992.
"Young boss, you really give me thirty-one days?" A woman squeezed to the front, her eyes shining, her voice filled with disbelief.
"How long can this job last? Do you think I'm up to it?" Another woman came over and looked Qin Hao and Liu Yuan up and down, as if judging whether the two young men were swindlers.
"Me, me, me! I've worked handing out flyers before, I have experience!"
"I'm strong, I can carry it!"
A group of middle-aged women were talking all at once, their voices louder and louder than the last, leaving Liu Yuan completely bewildered. He opened his mouth, unable to utter a single word, and the cardboard in his hand was squeezed crooked.
Qin Hao stepped forward again, cleared his throat, and said, "Those who are interested, line up here. Those who are not in line, please do not apply!"
The women immediately quieted down and lined up hastily. Some even shoved each other to get a better spot, but Qin Hao glared at them and they immediately quieted down. Soon, a long line of more than a dozen people formed behind them, each with a look of anticipation and nervousness on their face.
Qin Hao stood at the front of the line and conducted brief interviews with each person one by one.
"What is your name?"
"Zhang Cuihua".
What did you do before?
"I've sold CDs, distributed flyers, and worked in a garment factory for two years."
How many people are in your family?
"The three of us: me, my husband, and our child who is in elementary school."
Qin Hao asked very detailed questions, not only about work experience, but also about family situation, how far away they lived, and whether they could guarantee to arrive at work on time every day. Some of these questions seemed completely unnecessary to Liu Yuan, but he didn't dare to interrupt.
After interviewing more than a dozen people, Qin Hao selected two middle-aged women. One was named Zhang Cuihua, in her forties. Her husband had broken his leg while working on a construction site, and she was the sole breadwinner for the family. The other was named Li Xiulan, in her mid-forties. Her husband had passed away, and she was raising two children on her own, the older one in junior high school and the younger one in elementary school.
Qin Hao called the two of them aside, explained their work content and working hours, and then turned to Liu Yuan: "These two are yours. You are responsible for leading and managing them."
Looking at the two middle-aged women dressed in a dowdy manner, Liu Yuan quietly pulled Qin Hao aside and asked in a low voice, "There were so many people just now, some were pretty, and some were young and strong, why did you choose these two?"
Qin Hao glanced at him and said indifferently, "Because their families have the heaviest burdens."
A warm feeling welled up in Liu Yuan's chest as he realized that although Qin Hao was sharp-tongued, he was kind-hearted. Just as he was about to give Qin Hao a thumbs-up and praise him, Qin Hao added expressionlessly.
"Such people can withstand exploitation."
Liu Yuan's hand froze in mid-air, his expression hardened, his lips twitched twice, and he couldn't utter a single word.
"Alright, you keep an eye on things here. Once the brochures are all distributed, go to the print shop to pick them up. I've already spoken to them. I have something to take care of." After instructing Liu Yuan, Qin Hao left without looking back.
Liu Yuan called out from behind, "Where are you going?"
Qin Hao didn't turn around, he just waved his hand.
Liu Yuan sighed, turned around to face Zhang Cuihua and Li Xiulan, cleared his throat, and tried to look like a leader: "Um... you two, each take a stack of brochures, stand on both sides of the street corner, and give one to everyone who enters Zhongguancun."
Zhang Cuihua and Li Xiulan nodded repeatedly, picked up the brochures, and stood on either side of the street corner to begin distributing them.
After leaving the street corner, Qin Hao walked south along Baiyi Road for about ten minutes and arrived at an inconspicuous office building. The sign at the entrance read "Haidian Supply and Marketing Cooperative" in large characters; the lettering was somewhat faded, but still clearly legible.
He pushed open the door and went inside. The first floor was a large hall with several desks and staff members working on documents. Qin Hao walked to the front desk and tapped on the table.
"Hello, I'd like to rent an office."
The receptionist looked up. She was a middle-aged woman in her forties, wearing reading glasses. She sized Qin Hao up and down, her gaze lingering on his dark gray suit for a few seconds before asking in a cool tone, "Rent an office? Which company are you from?"
"I own my own company and I'd like to rent an office here."
The middle-aged woman sized up Qin Hao a few times: "Wait a moment, I'll go call our director."
Half an hour later, a bald man in his fifties led Qin Hao back to a three-story building in Zhongguancun. Pushing open a door, they found an empty room of about thirty square meters with whitewashed walls, cement floors, and south-facing windows that provided decent natural light.
"How about this one? It's 34 square meters, with good natural light and ventilation."
Qin Hao looked around the room: "Okay, how much?"
"It costs 20,000 a year, and you have to pay a year's rent upfront."
Without hesitation, Qin Hao took out two stacks of money from his canvas bag and handed them over: "This is 20,000, please count it."
Director Zhou was taken aback, clearly not expecting the young man to be so agreeable. He took the money, counted it, and after confirming it was correct, he took out a rental contract from his briefcase, filled in the amount and date, and handed it to Qin Hao to sign.
Qin Hao rented such an expensive office primarily to save time on processing various certificates. Renting an office elsewhere would require pulling strings and the process would be slow, potentially taking three to five months. But the supply and marketing cooperative was different. As one of the earliest "landlords" in Zhongguancun, they had excellent relationships with departments like industry and commerce, taxation, and science and technology. Renting an office with them meant they could help coordinate the certificate processing, and everything could be completed in as little as a month.
This is the advantage of key projects.
Time is money, and what Qin Hao lacks right now is precisely time.
After renting the office, Qin Hao immediately went to find a contractor. The contractor, surnamed Sun, was introduced by the fat boss. He was in his forties, had been in the decoration business for more than ten years, and was quite well-known in the Zhongguancun area.
Qin Hao met Foreman Sun at the fat boss's shop, chatted briefly, and then took him to the newly rented office.
Qin Hao took out a piece of paper with a simple sketch drawn on it.
"We'll partition off a small office here, just enough for a table and a chair. This is the main office area, with four desks and a row of filing cabinets against the wall. The wiring should be concealed, and we need to install plenty of outlets, at least six, in different locations. We'll plaster and paint the walls white, lay composite flooring, replace the windows with aluminum alloy ones, and add another layer of curtains."
As he listened, Foreman Sun nodded, occasionally jotting down notes in his notebook. When Qin Hao finished speaking, he looked up, his expression somewhat troubled.
"Boss, everything else is fine, but the timeframe... isn't half a month too tight?"
Qin Hao held up his finger, his tone leaving no room for negotiation: "Get it done within half a month. Eighty percent of the payment will be settled immediately upon completion, and the remainder will be settled within three months."
Foreman Sun's eyes lit up, and the embarrassment on his face vanished. He patted his chest and said, "Alright, we've met an expert today. What else is there to say? I guarantee I'll do a great job for you."
"Okay, it's settled then." Qin Hao shook hands with Foreman Sun and paid a deposit of one thousand yuan on the spot.
For the next two weeks, Qin Hao and Liu Yuan went out early and returned late every day. They relied on Wang Meng and others to help them answer questions in class. With their internships starting next semester, the professors didn't make things difficult for them and turned a blind eye.
Liu Yuan was in charge of overseeing Zhang Cuihua and Li Xiulan distributing promotional brochures, ensuring that every customer entering Zhongguancun received one. Qin Hao, on the other hand, was busy running around to the Industry and Commerce Bureau, the Tax Bureau, and the Science and Technology Commission, handling various certificates and procedures. With the endorsement of the supply and marketing cooperative, the process went much more smoothly than he had expected; the business license, tax registration certificate, and high-tech enterprise certification were obtained one after another.
The renovation was progressing smoothly. When Qin Hao went to inspect it, Foreman Sun was leading the workers in the final cleaning. After confirming there were no major problems, he readily paid 80% of the wages.
"The remaining amount will be settled within the next three months. Don't worry, you won't be shortchanged." Qin Hao patted Foreman Sun on the shoulder.
Foreman Sun grinned from ear to ear: "Boss Qin is a straightforward person. If you need any work in the future, just come to me."
That evening, Liu Yuangang was dragged to the balcony by Chen Qiming as soon as he returned to his dormitory. Chen Qiming had a lewd smile on his face, his eyes were narrowed into slits, and his mouth was stretched almost to his ears.
Liu Yuan said with a look of disgust, "Get to the point, stop being so disgusting."
Chen Qiming blushed, covered his mouth, and lowered his voice as if afraid of being overheard: "Liu Yuan, I have something to tell you, but don't tell anyone else."
Liu Yuan rolled his eyes: "Spit it out."
Chen Qiming took a deep breath, his expression changing from shyness to smugness: "I'll be able to win over Sun Yumei soon."
Liu Yuan looked surprised: "Sun Yumei agreed to be with you?"
Chen Qiming covered his mouth sheepishly, afraid that he would burst out laughing. His shoulders shrugged, like a cat that had stolen some cream: "Although it wasn't said explicitly, I could tell."
Liu Yuan rolled his eyes: "Where did you get that idea? I didn't see it."
“That’s just jealousy,” Chen Qiming said righteously. “Liu Yuan, let me tell you, this is not good. As my brother, you should be wishing me well.”
"You have no idea, Sun Yumei cut off all contact with all the boys who were pursuing her because of me. She also told me to wait for her in the dorm tonight, because she has something to tell me."
As Chen Qiming spoke, his eyes shone even brighter, and his whole body trembled slightly with excitement: "Do you think she's going to confess her feelings to me?"
Liu Yuan was quite surprised. He actually didn't think highly of Chen Qiming pursuing Sun Yumei. After all, Chen Qiming's appearance was so ordinary that he could be lost in a crowd; his family's financial situation was also average, with his parents being ordinary workers.
What about Sun Yumei? She has a top-notch figure and looks, and has had no shortage of suitors since her freshman year. Each one of them is better than the last, including rich kids, children of officials, handsome guys, and high achievers. Chen Qiming probably wouldn't even make the cut.
Liu Yuan was silent for a few seconds, then looked at Chen Qiming seriously: "Brother, tell me the truth, when did Sun Yumei go blind?"
Chen Qiming angrily slapped away Liu Yuan's hand that was on his shoulder: "That's not nice of you. You can't even get Han Ling, so you won't let me have happiness? How can you be like this?"
"Get lost, you believe me?" Liu Yuan's smile froze when Chen Qiming mentioned Han Ling. He had been pursuing Han Ling for almost four years, four years! From freshman year to senior year, and the most they'd ever done was hold hands, and even that was through gloves. He hadn't even kissed her. Every time he tried to take things further, Han Ling would find all sorts of excuses to avoid it, either saying "it's too fast" or "I'm not ready yet."
Just then, the dormitory supervisor downstairs suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, "Chen Qiming! Someone's looking for you!"
Chen Qiming immediately rushed downstairs like a rabbit, so fast that Liu Yuan didn't even have time to react.
Liu Yuan stood on the balcony, watching Chen Qiming's retreating figure, shook his head, and turned back to his dormitory.
However, half an hour passed, and Chen Qiming still hadn't returned. Liu Yuan couldn't help but feel puzzled. He walked to the window and looked down, but the area below was deserted; there wasn't a soul in sight.
"Is this kid going to go into the woods with Sun Yumei?" Liu Yuan muttered to himself.
Wang Meng was lying in bed reading a novel when he heard this. Without even looking up, he said, "Him? Going into the woods? He hasn't even held Sun Yumei's hand, has he?"
The moment the words were spoken, the dormitory door was pushed open.
Chen Qiming is back. When he left, he was full of energy, as if he were walking on clouds; now he looks like a wilted eggplant, his head drooping, his shoulders slumped, and his steps are as heavy as if they were filled with lead.
"Chen Qiming, what's wrong?" Liu Yuan went over and patted him on the shoulder.
Chen Qiming didn't say anything, but plopped down on the bed, lowered his head, and began to shrug his shoulders.
As soon as Liu Yuan finished speaking, Chen Qiming burst into tears, his cries so loud that the entire floor could hear them.
“Sun Yumei said…she said…” Chen Qiming sobbed, unable to speak clearly: “She told me not to contact her anymore, because she was afraid people would misunderstand.”
A moment of silence fell over the dorm room, then Wang Meng's voice rang out softly: "Hey, it's nothing, just a breakup. Actually, it's not really a breakup, Sun Yumei never agreed to date you, you two never even dated, so what's this breakup—"
“Wang Meng, if you don’t speak, no one will think you’re mute.” Liu Yuan quickly interrupted him, glaring at him.
Wang Meng shrugged and shut his mouth.
All night long, the sound of Chen Qiming sobbing filled the dormitory. His cries were so mournful, it was like a scene from a ghost story. He would cry for a while, then stop, then start crying again, like a leaky faucet, dripping and nagging, which was very unsettling.
At seven o'clock the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Liu Yuan was still half asleep when he was suddenly awakened by a noise. He opened his eyes and, in the dim light from the window, saw Chen Qiming abruptly sit up in bed, his movements as swift as if he were on springs.
Liu Yuan rubbed his eyes, glanced at his watch, then at Chen Qiming's swollen eyes, and said weakly, "Didn't you have no classes this morning? Why are you up so early?"
Chen Qiming said firmly, "I'll go buy breakfast for Sun Yumei."
Wang Meng poked his head out from under the covers and added insult to injury: "Didn't Sun Yumei dump you? Why are you still buying her breakfast?"
Chen Qiming gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with anger: "I'd rather die knowing why she dumped me. I have to ask her face to face."
Liu Yuan was speechless for a moment: "Isn't it obvious? She must have a boyfriend, and she's afraid he'll overthink things, so she's cutting ties with people like you."
"Impossible, I don't believe it." Chen Qiming rolled off the bed and spent another ten minutes fussing over himself in front of the mirror. He chose what he thought was the coolest leather jacket, put it on, and finally, as if going into battle, pushed open the door and left.
Wang Meng yawned and rolled over: "Luckily I don't have class this morning. I didn't sleep a wink last night because of that kid, and I'm so sleepy now."
“Who says otherwise?” Zhang Wei chimed in, his voice muffled. “It’s just a relationship, is it really that big of a deal? Crying all night and making a scene all morning, like someone’s died.”
Liu Yuan was taken aback by these words. He imagined what would happen if Han Ling dumped him; he might end up the same way, perhaps even worse off than Chen Qiming. He had pursued Han Ling for four years, investing far more time, energy, and money than Chen Qiming. If one day Han Ling told him "we're not right for each other," would he also break down in tears?
However, not long after Wang Meng and the others fell asleep again, the dormitory door was kicked open with a "bang".
Wang Meng was so angry he wanted to curse. He jumped out of bed, about to yell at someone, but when he saw Chen Qiming's expression, he swallowed his words.
Chen Qiming stood at the door, his face ashen, his eyes red like a rabbit's, his lips trembling, looking like a volcano about to erupt.
"Chen Qiming, what's wrong?" Wang Meng asked cautiously.
Chen Qiming did not answer, but walked straight to Qin Hao's bedside. His breathing became heavier and heavier, and his chest heaved violently, as if a wild beast was locked in his chest.
"Qin Hao!" Chen Qiming roared, his voice so loud it made the windows rattle. "You've gone too far! You stole my girlfriend!"
Qin Hao didn't even lift his eyelids, too lazy to pay him any attention.
"Girlfriend? Sun Yumei?" Upon hearing this, Liu Yuan jumped out of bed and stared at Qin Hao with a gossipy look on his face: "When did you secretly get together with Sun Yumei behind my back?"
Qin Hao glared at Liu Yuan, annoyed: "Which eye of yours saw me getting together with Sun Yumei?"
Liu Yuan thought about it and realized it made sense. These past few days, Qin Hao had been spending all his time in Zhongguancun with him, leaving early and returning late, not even having time to go to class. How could he have time to be with Sun Yumei? He quickly looked at Chen Qiming, trying to mediate: "Are you mistaken? Qin Hao has been with me in Zhongguancun these past few days. We haven't even been to school much. How could he have time to date Sun Yumei?"
Chen Qiming wouldn't listen at all, pointing at the back of Qin Hao's head, his voice trembling: "Then why did Sun Yumei say you were her boyfriend?"
Qin Hao said impatiently, "Go find whoever said that. What business is it of mine? You're sick in the head."
Chen Qiming was so angry that his face turned red and his chest heaved violently.
Seeing this, Liu Yuan quickly got off the bed and stood between the two, trying to mediate: "Alright, alright, we're all brothers, it's not worth it for a girl. Let's calm down and talk it out—"
Before he could even finish speaking, Chen Qiming suddenly turned around, pointed at his nose, and cursed, "Who said we're buddies! Look at you now, groveling for a mere two thousand yuan, acting as Qin Hao's lackey and lackey. I despise you!"
Liu Yuan's expression changed instantly: "Chen Qiming, who are you calling servile? Say it again!"
"I'm talking about you!" Chen Qiming retorted without backing down. "Liu Yuan, do you know what you're like now? You're like a dog next to Qin Hao. He tells you to go east and you don't dare to go west; he tells you to stand and you don't dare to sit. Two thousand yuan a month is enough to buy you off. Don't you have any backbone at all? Bah!"
"Go to hell!"
Enraged, Liu Yuan punched Chen Qiming squarely in the nose. The fist slammed into the bridge of his nose with a dull thud, and Chen Qiming screamed in pain, staggering back two steps as blood streamed from his nostrils, dripping onto his clothes.
Chen Qiming was stunned for a moment, touched his nose, and saw that his hand was covered in blood. His anger burned even brighter. He came to his senses, let out a howl, and pounced on Liu Yuan. The two of them started fighting. The enamel mug on the table was knocked over, water spilled all over the floor, and playing cards flew everywhere.
Seeing this, Wang Meng and Xiao Ran rushed over and separated the two. Wang Meng grabbed Liu Yuan's waist and dragged him back; Xiao Ran and Zhang Wei each grabbed one of Chen Qiming's arms and pressed him onto the bed.
Just when Xiao Ran and his friends thought the situation had begun to calm down, the dormitory supervisor downstairs suddenly shouted again: "Is Qin Hao here? Come down quickly, someone is looking for him!"
Chen Qiming glanced out the window subconsciously, and after just one look, he froze, as if struck by lightning.
Downstairs in the dormitory building, Sun Yumei, wearing a red down jacket, stood in the cold wind, looking up at the building. Her long hair was slightly disheveled by the wind, and her face was red from the cold, but it still couldn't hide her charm and radiance.
"Holy crap, it's Sun Yumei."
"Qin Hao, you didn't actually get together with her, did you?" (End of Chapter)