Movie: Get Alpha Dog at the start

Chapter 1571 is one month old.

As night deepened, the noise in the dormitory building gradually subsided, and the streetlights outside the window cast a dim yellow light, drawing a thin line of light on the cement ground through the gap in the curtains.

In the boys' dormitory, Xiao Ran was lying on his bed reading. Liu Yuan, Chen Qiming, and Wang Meng were sitting around Wang Meng's bed, with a deck of cards spread out in the middle. A few peanut shells and sunflower seed shells were scattered on the floor, and several enamel mugs were on the table, filled with strong tea, the tea stains already forming a brown ring.

"A pair of twos, how many cards do I have left?" Chen Qiming threw down two cards and raised his eyebrows triumphantly.

"Two cards." Wang Meng looked at the cards in his hand, frowned, and shook his head. "Pass."

Liu Yuan suddenly glanced at his watch, put down his cards, turned to look at Qin Hao's empty bed, and said, "Speaking of which, the school gates should be closed by now. I wonder if Qin Hao isn't coming back tonight?"

Chen Qiming curled his lip and impatiently urged, "Hurry up and play your card. They're probably busy making big money right now. It's none of your business to worry about them."

"Chen Qiming, that's not right of you." Wang Meng put his cards back together. "We've been roommates for four years, and we've always had a good relationship. What's wrong with Liu Yuan showing concern? Why are you being so sarcastic?"

Chen Qiming was extremely frustrated, wondering what was going on lately. Sun Yumei was becoming more and more attached to Qin Hao, and now even her roommates were starting to fawn over him. Every word he said was met with a sarcastic retort, making it unbearable for her.

"Okay, okay, I won't say anything more, alright?" Chen Qiming threw the cards on the bed, crossed his arms, leaned against the wall, and turned his face to the side.

The atmosphere became somewhat tense for a moment.

Just as they were talking, the dormitory door was pushed open. A gust of cold wind rushed in, making the papers on the table rustle.

Qin Hao walked in carrying a bulging plastic bag.

"Qin Hao's back." Liu Yuan slammed the cards on the table. "Why are you so late today? Have you had dinner?"

Qin Hao put the plastic bag on the bed: "Not yet. If any of you have food, I'll give you double portions later."

Without saying a word, Liu Yuan turned around and pulled out a plastic bag from under his pillow. Inside were two steamed buns, which were already a bit hard and had several cracks on the surface. "I have two more steamed buns here, they're just a bit hard. You can eat them if you don't mind."

"At a time like this, it's good enough to have something to eat, what's there to complain about?" Qin Hao took the plastic bag, took out the steamed bun, broke it into pieces, and put it into the enamel mug. Wang Meng, with great foresight, picked up the thermos and poured hot water for Qin Hao. The steamed bun pieces soaked in the hot water, slowly softening and emitting wisps of steam. Qin Hao picked up his chopsticks and began to eat heartily.

Liu Yuan stood to the side, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards the plastic bag. The bag was tied tightly shut, obscuring its contents: "What did you bring back? A whole bag of that. It's not roses again, is it?"

Liu Yuan's constant support for Qin Hao stemmed from a desire to benefit from his connections. He had been pursuing Han Ling for four years, covering most of her expenses: movies, meals, shopping, gifts—all cost money. His meager allowance from home quickly dwindled by the end of the month. If Qin Hao had some way to make money and could lend him a hand, that would be fantastic.

Wang Meng and Xiao Ran also looked at the plastic bag with curiosity. Although Xiao Ran was still reading, his gaze kept drifting past the edges of the pages and towards the plastic bag.

Although Chen Qiming pretended not to care, he crossed his legs and leaned back on the bed, humming some song, but his eyes kept sneaking glances.

Qin Hao swallowed the last piece of steamed bun in one gulp, rinsed his mouth with hot water, and casually said, "Why don't we just open it and see?"

Liu Yuan didn't think much of it, walked over, untied the knot at the top of the plastic bag, and peeked inside.

One glance was enough to leave me completely stunned.

His hand froze in mid-air, his eyes fixed on the inside of the plastic bag, his mouth slightly open, as if he had been frozen in place, completely motionless.

Wang Meng, who was behind him, waited for a long time without getting any response and became a little impatient: "What's with that expression? What's going on in your face? Just say it, you're driving me crazy."

Liu Yuan ignored him and subconsciously turned to look at Qin Hao, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief. He asked cautiously, "These things can't all be true, can they?"

"What do you mean, real or fake? Liu Yuan, what are you playing at? Just open it up!" Wang Meng was so anxious that he stood up from the bed, took a few steps over, and reached out to pull Liu Yuan away.

"Hey, what do you mean by this? Is there some kind of human head inside?" Wang Meng's words startled everyone. He himself shrank back, his outstretched hand frozen in mid-air, too afraid to move forward.

Chen Qiming's voice trembled, and half of the color drained from his face. He shrank back and said, "Wang Meng, you've been reading too many ghost stories late at night. Stop scaring people."

"Chen Qiming, look at you, you coward." Wang Meng laughed when he saw Chen Qiming's behavior: "If it were a head, wouldn't there be blood? Look at this plastic bag, it's clean, where's the blood?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Meng pried Liu Yuan's hand away, and the plastic bag immediately opened. The light from the streetlamp shone through the window, illuminating the opening of the plastic bag and revealing its contents.

Everyone in the dormitory was stunned.

The plastic bag was stuffed full of money. And all of it were hundred-yuan bills, stacked neatly in piles, tied with rubber bands, making the bag bulge. Under the dim light, the banknotes gleamed with the dull sheen of old paper, but that didn't diminish their visual impact.

“Money…so much money…” Wang Meng’s nonchalant demeanor vanished instantly. His lips trembled as he pointed at the plastic bag, uttering each word as if his tongue were tied in knots.

Liu Yuan took a deep breath, squatted down, took out a stack of bills from the plastic bag, rubbed the edge of the banknotes between his thumb and forefinger, feeling the unique texture of the paper, and then brought them to his nose to smell the ink. He looked up, his voice trembling: "Real money, it's real money!"

Even Xiao Ran couldn't sit still anymore. He threw the book on the bedside table, got off the bed, and shuffled over without even putting on his shoes properly. He stood in front of the plastic bag, looked down at the stacks of banknotes, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, and he couldn't hide the shock in his eyes.

The dormitory was quiet for a few seconds, with only the sound of the wind outside the window.

"Qin Hao, you haven't done anything illegal, have you?" Xiao Ran looked up.

Qin Hao chuckled, a nonchalant laugh on his face, and leaned against the bedpost: "Look at your pathetic self, is such a small amount of money worth breaking the law for?"

"That's all?" Liu Yuan and Wang Meng exchanged glances, then simultaneously looked at the plastic bag. Inside were stacks of banknotes; a cursory glance suggested at least tens of thousands of yuan. Tens of thousands of yuan! In 1992, an ordinary worker couldn't save that much even if they didn't eat or drink their entire life. But coming from Qin Hao's mouth, it sounded like just a few cents.

"Qin Hao, don't tell me you earned all this money in a single day." Xiao Ran swallowed, his voice a little hoarse.

Qin Hao said casually, "No, it's for a month."

"Oh, you scared me..." Liu Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest, but then his expression froze, his eyes widened like saucers, and his mouth opened wide enough to fit two large steamed buns: "Wait, a month?"

Tens of thousands a month.

Xiao Ran's breathing became rapid. He simply couldn't imagine how an orphan like himself, a college student who hadn't even graduated yet, could earn tens of thousands a month.

Chen Qiming opened his mouth, wanting to say something to deny it all, but the words wouldn't come out. The stacks of cash were right in front of him, leaving him with no room for argument.

"Qin Hao, how did you earn this money?" Liu Yuan's voice was somewhat unsteady, as if he were walking on cotton.

This question echoed the thoughts of all the roommates. Wang Meng, Xiao Ran, Chen Qiming, and even Zhang Wei, who had remained silent, all stared at Qin Hao, waiting for his answer.

Qin Hao smiled mysteriously: "This is a trade secret, I can't tell you. But this money is absolutely legitimate, don't worry, I won't risk my future."

Xiao Ran and his group were greatly disappointed.

Liu Yuan didn't give up. He smiled and approached Qin Hao, rubbing his hands together: "Qin Hao, do you need any help with your business? As long as it's not illegal, I'll do anything you ask me to do."

Qin Hao looked at Liu Yuan with a half-smile: "You really intend to work with me?"

“Absolutely,” Liu Yuan replied without hesitation. “Not to mention anything else, in our school alone, which college student who hasn’t graduated yet can earn that much a month? Working for you will definitely be a promising career.”

Wang Meng and Chen Qiming exchanged a glance, both looking at each other with disbelief, and then shook their heads simultaneously. Liu Yuan, however, didn't care at all. As long as he could make money, what did a little face matter? Could face put food on the table? Could it be spent like money?

Xiao Ran was also somewhat tempted. His fingers unconsciously clenched the bedsheet, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something. But his strong sense of pride prevented him from doing what Liu Yuan had done. In his eyes, Qin Hao was a student who hadn't graduated yet, just like him. They had lived in the same dormitory for more than three years. Asking him to work for his roommate would make him feel inferior, and he simply couldn't do it.

Qin Hao hesitated for a moment, then said, "Alright, let's make this clear beforehand: working for me will be tough. But don't worry, you won't be shortchanged on wages." He paused, then held up two fingers: "Two thousand a month, plus a year-end bonus. How about that?"

Zhongguancun Yellow Pages' business was just starting out, and Qin Hao definitely needed to recruit more people. Liu Yuan was quite capable; he was eloquent and quick-witted.

Upon hearing that the monthly salary was two thousand, Wang Meng and Chen Qiming were both tempted.

Two thousand yuan—more than his parents' combined monthly salary. Wang Meng's eyes lit up, and his lips moved, but in the end, he was too embarrassed to speak. Like Xiao Ran, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Chen Qiming was the same; his lips were pursed tightly, his fingers unconsciously digging into the edges of the bed sheet, his mind in turmoil.

The atmosphere in the dormitory became somewhat strange for a moment. Xiao Ran and the others looked at Liu Yuan with a mixture of envy and disdain, while their gazes towards Qin Hao were filled with expectation mixed with a hint of unease.

Liu Yuan didn't care about the stares; his mind was filled with his 2,000 yuan monthly salary. 2,000 yuan a month, that's 24,000 yuan a year, plus a year-end bonus, almost 30,000 yuan. 30,000 yuan! How many gifts could he buy for Han Ling?

"Okay, I'll do it with you!"

"Then come with me to Zhongguancun first thing tomorrow morning." Qin Hao nodded, yawned, and started taking off his coat to prepare for bed.

Just then, the dormitory lights suddenly went out, plunging the entire room into darkness. Only the dim yellow light from the streetlights outside the window shone through, barely enough to make out shadows.

Using the dim light of the streetlights, Xiao Ran and the others discovered that Qin Hao had already taken off his clothes and crawled into bed. The plastic bag of money was casually placed next to his pillow, without even pressing it down, as if it were not tens of thousands of yuan, but a bag of clean clothes.

This is a night destined to be sleepless.

……

The next day, early in the morning, Qin Hao opened his eyes, turned over, and found Liu Yuan lying on the opposite bed, staring straight in the direction of his bed, his eye sockets were sunken, his eyes were dark circles, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Qin Hao sat up, stretched, and looked at Liu Yuan's miserable state, unable to resist teasing, "Don't tell me you didn't sleep all night?"

Before Liu Yuan could speak, Wang Meng, Chen Qiming, Xiao Ran, and Zhang Wei all sat up in bed and said almost in unison, "None of us slept."

The group looked at each other, all sporting panda eyes.

Wang Meng rubbed his sore eyes and complained, "Only you can sleep like that. So much money, aren't you afraid of losing it? I tossed and turned all night, not daring to close my eyes, afraid that the money would disappear if I closed them."

“You’re absolutely right.” Zhang Wei also had dark circles under his eyes and his voice was hoarse. “Qin Hao, you’re really carefree. When I was a freshman, I was afraid that someone would steal my few hundred yuan tuition fee. I saw everyone as a thief and I didn’t dare to close my eyes when I was on the bus. But you, you have tens of thousands of yuan and you can still sleep soundly. I’m really impressed.”

Liu Yuan spoke softly, his voice hollow as if it came from a great distance: "Last night I didn't even dare to go to the toilet. From the time the lights went out at 9:30 until now, my bladder is about to burst." He paused, glancing at everyone: "I was afraid that if any of you couldn't control yourselves, you would do something you'd regret for the rest of your lives."

Chen Qiming felt a little embarrassed upon hearing this. In fact, he had indeed had that thought last night. Just one stack of cash would be enough for him to treat Sun Yumei to food, drinks, and entertainment for an entire semester. He had even mentally rehearsed the whole process—getting out of bed in the dark, quietly walking to Qin Hao's bedside, pulling out a stack of cash from the plastic bag, stuffing it under his pillow, and pretending nothing had happened tomorrow.

But in the dim light of the streetlamp, several pairs of eyes were fixed on Qin Hao's bed, like the gleaming eyes of wolves in the darkness. Chen Qiming felt a chill run down his spine and forced himself to close his eyes, but his mind was filled with the image of that stack of money, and he couldn't fall asleep.

After Liu Yuan said that, everyone felt like their bladders were about to burst. They hadn't felt it before, but now that it was mentioned, the bloating and pain surged up all at once, making everyone feel more uncomfortable than the last.

Wang Meng was the first to jump out of bed, slipping on his slippers and running towards the door; Chen Qiming followed closely behind, not even bothering to put on his coat; Xiao Ran and Zhang Wei were not to be outdone, and the four of them rushed to the public restroom at the end of the corridor.

When Xiao Ran and the others returned from the bathroom, they found that Qin Hao and Liu Yuan were gone. Qin Hao's bed was neatly made, and the plastic bag beside his pillow was missing, leaving only a faint crease on the bed frame. Liu Yuan's bed was the same; the blankets were folded squarely, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Wang Meng walked to the table and saw a note left on it. It was written by Liu Yuan to Chen Qiming: "I'll answer for you. I'll treat you to dinner later."

Chen Qiming held the note, his expression indescribable.

……

Inside the cafeteria, steaming bamboo steamers emitted white mist, and the air was filled with the aroma of steamed buns, fried dough sticks, and soy milk. Students sat in twos and threes at long tables, some engrossed in eating, some chatting, and some flipping through textbooks. The cafeteria was noisy and lively.

Chen Qiming solicitously queued up to buy Sun Yumei a limited-edition large meat bun. The plump, white bun was steaming hot, with a thin skin and a generous filling; one bite and your mouth would be filled with juicy goodness. He placed the bun in front of Sun Yumei, then sat down opposite her with a fawning smile on his face.

Sun Yumei picked up a steamed bun, took a bite, chewed it a couple of times, then suddenly looked up, her gaze sweeping around the cafeteria before turning to Han Ling: "Hey, Han Ling, you're acting strange today. Why didn't Liu Yuan buy you any meat buns?"

Han Ling also felt a little strange. Holding a vegetarian bun she'd bought from the cafeteria window, she took a bite. The taste was bland, completely different from the limited-edition large meat bun. She glanced towards the cafeteria entrance, but Liu Yuan wasn't there. From the day she started university, Liu Yuan had been buying her breakfast, rain or shine, for four years without fail. This was the first time he'd missed it. She felt a vague unease, but didn't show it on her face, simply saying, "He probably has something to do."

Chen Qiming kept his head down, focused on eating his steamed bun, pretending not to hear. After all, this matter involved Qin Hao, and what he hated most right now was mentioning Qin Hao in front of Sun Yumei.

Unfortunately, he didn't say it, but others did.

With half a steamed bun stuffed in his mouth, Wang Meng mumbled, "That kid Liu Yuan, he's gone off to make big money with Qin Hao."

Upon hearing this, Sun Yumei immediately became interested. She put down the steamed bun in her hand, leaned forward, and asked, "What do you mean? Liu Yuan skipped class to work for Qin Hao? How much is Qin Hao paying him? Is it really necessary to skip classes?"

"How could it not be?" Wang Meng swallowed the bun in his mouth, wiped his mouth, and held up two fingers: "A monthly salary of two thousand! Not to mention Liu Yuan, I'm tempted too."

Han Ling was also full of surprise. The steamed bun in her hand stopped in mid-air, and she forgot to take a bite: "Two thousand? What can cost two thousand? Is it illegal?"

Wang Meng spread his hands: "Qin Hao said it was a trade secret and wouldn't say what exactly he did, but he said it was absolutely legal and told Liu Yuan to follow along without worry." He paused, lowered his voice, and his eyes gleamed with excitement: "You guys don't know what Qin Hao did last night."

"What is it?" Sun Yumei's eyes were full of curiosity, and she leaned forward a few more times.

Wang Meng rubbed his hands together, his eyes glancing at the large, unfinished meat bun in front of Sun Yumei, his meaning all too clear.

Sun Yumei rolled her eyes at him, picked up a steamed bun and stuffed it into Wang Meng's hand: "Look at you, so pathetic. Here, can you talk now?"

Wang Meng took the steamed bun with satisfaction, took a big bite, and immediately felt the fragrance linger on his lips and teeth, his mouth full of oil. While chewing, he mumbled, "Qin Hao carried a whole plastic bag of money back to the dormitory last night, neatly stacked, it must have been at least tens of thousands of yuan. When he put that plastic bag on the bed, we were all dumbfounded."

He swallowed the steamed bun, took a sip of soy milk, and continued, "You guys didn't see what happened. A plastic bag full of money was just left open next to his pillow. A few of us didn't dare to sleep all night, not daring to blink, afraid that the money would disappear if we closed our eyes. But this guy was fine, he just fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, sleeping like a log."

Sun Yumei listened to Wang Meng's complaints with disbelief. Tens of thousands of yuan, just left like that by the pillow? This guy is incredibly audacious! She instinctively looked at Chen Qiming for confirmation.

Although Chen Qiming was unwilling, he nodded heavily after their eyes met.

After her suspicions were confirmed, Sun Yumei secretly made a decision… (End of Chapter)