Chapter 2 Saving a Wayward Young Man!

A ring of tiny bubbles rose from the bottom of the kettle, the water was about to boil. Xu Weisheng shifted his gaze from the bubbles to Jiang Yuan's hand, and then from Jiang Yuan's hand to his face.

"Do I look much older?" Dean Jiang asked his former beloved student with a smile.

They were all people who were extremely sensitive to lines, so when faced with the deep and shallow lines on the teacher's face, Xu Weisheng couldn't bring himself to say "where" against his will.

Four years ago, when Xu Weisheng dropped out of school, Jiang Xinghe was a vibrant middle-aged man. How come in the blink of an eye, the title "Teacher Jiang" has changed to "Dean Jiang," and Dean Jiang's eyes now show signs of aging? Xu Weisheng was silent for a moment, then he understood. In these four years, he went from being highly sought-after to being virtually unknown. The ups and downs he experienced seemed even more bizarre to outsiders.

He twitched the corner of his mouth, shook his head slightly, and gave a self-deprecating smile.

Looking at his smile, Dean Jiang felt a pang of sadness for no reason. She said quietly, "There are too many administrative affairs. Sometimes I really wish I could turn back time and give myself another chance. I want to go back and just be an art teacher."

"Unfortunately, there's no turning back in this world," Xu Weisheng shrugged and said helplessly, looking down.

"Even if I did, it wouldn't make a difference. The decisions a person makes at forty are not the same as the decisions a person makes at twenty. I made the wrong choice, but you didn't have a choice, Weisheng. Do you believe that if you were allowed to go back to twenty, you would still drop out of school halfway and resolutely go to work at Qili?"

Xu Weisheng looked at the wooden rings beneath the varnish on the table, frowned, and said, "At the time, I didn't feel like I was going to work; I felt like I was... chasing a dream."

Jiang Yuan picked up where he left off in a second: "When your dream is shattered, you will still give up the job that everyone envies, grab a few unlucky guys who don't know their own limitations, and dare to start your own business. Now that your business is about to collapse, you come to me."

Xu Weisheng was speechless, because what Jiang Yuan said was true. Even if the wheel of fate turned a thousand times, ten thousand times, he would still be sitting in this office four years later, asking his former mentor for help in expanding industry resources and saving his animation studio from bankruptcy.

Dean Jiang sighed, bent down and picked up the boxes of exquisitely packaged cigarettes, alcohol, and tea from under the table, placing them on the table. "These are all good things. If you were to return home in wealth and honor, I would still be happy to enjoy them. It's a pity... Weisheng, I told you before, artists serve the market. The animation industry already has a narrow market, and 2D has even less of a future compared to 3D. Even if I shamelessly try to get some money for you, it won't last more than a few years. We'll still end up in dire straits. I'll be scolded by investors, and you'll be scolded by your partners. What's the point? Listen to your teacher, don't be so stubborn."

Xu Weisheng's chin twitched, as if he wanted to say something, but he didn't speak. It didn't matter that he didn't speak; his eyes spoke volumes. Confusion, grievance, resentment, concession, and relief all flowed through his eyes. After a while, he lowered his eyes, let out a long breath, relaxed his tense shoulders, raised his head, and smiled, "Alright."

Jiang Yuan looked at him and breathed a sigh of relief, then reached out and pushed the exquisite gift boxes over: "Take these things back. Your teacher was just joking with you. Even if you return home rich and powerful, I can't accept them. That would be against organizational discipline. Come to my house sometime when you've figured it out. Your teacher's wife has been talking about you a lot these past few years."

“Okay.” Xu Weisheng agreed readily. When it comes to dinner invitations, most people are more likely to break their promises if they agree to something quickly. But for him, it’s the opposite. The quicker he agrees to something, the more likely he is to do it.

"Knowledge and action are one, and simplicity does not impurity"—Jiang Yuan looked at him with deep emotion. His temperament was exactly the same as it was four years ago. He had been adrift in the sea of ​​people for four years, so how come he hadn't changed at all?

Dean Jiang couldn't understand it at first, but then he realized it was Xu Weisheng, and suddenly it dawned on him. The two, master and apprentice, looked at each other, and the older one couldn't help but laugh.

Xu Weisheng also smiled and asked, "Does my teacher's wife still make mung bean cakes?"

"Sure! Whenever you want to eat, just give me a call, and I'll make sure you get your money's worth."

Xu Weisheng smiled and nodded. It was time to leave. He stood up and hooked the ropes holding the gift boxes together. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he paused, looked up at the other person seriously, and said, "Teacher, may I ask you for something else?"

A minute later, he came out of the dean's office carrying large bags and small packages, thinking with satisfaction: It was worth the trip, it really was worth the trip.

In the office, Dean Jiang plopped back into his chair, his gaze vaguely focused on the health-preserving kettle on the table. He was puzzled, wondering if he had fallen for the kid's feint. Unfortunately, he had already made the promise, and as the dean, he couldn't very well go back on his word.

"Hiss—" Jiang Yuan pinched his brow, his blurry vision gradually clearing. The bubbles at the bottom of the health pot were bubbling up. The moment they surfaced, Jian Zhen emerged from underwater.

She reached onto the shore with one hand, nimbly turned her body 180 degrees in the water, then stood firmly against the pool wall, supporting herself with her left elbow on the shore, and took off her swimming goggles with her right hand to gasp for breath.

"I thought you were breathing through your cheeks!" joked the girl who was about two meters behind her.

Jian Zhen glanced at the other person and gave a short laugh.

"You didn't breathe for half the 50-meter lane? What, are you trying to kill yourself?"

Jian Zhen wiped her face, her breathing had calmed down, and she shook her head, saying, "I don't know, maybe I'm sick."

She had never felt this way before, seeing someone from afar and being bewitched, unable to erase him from her mind—it wasn't that she didn't completely believe in love at first sight, but to fall in love at first sight with a wayward young man was just too absurd!

Jian Zhen couldn't understand it more and more, and the more she couldn't understand it, the more she had to examine her own heart. In the end, she was in a complete mess, which made her feel a bellyful of anger that had nowhere to go.

At that time, she didn't understand that when someone who has been single for a long time is suddenly attracted to someone they like, hormones and reason really do fight each other. Reason refuses to admit its wavering, so it forcefully suppresses the hormones, tramples them into the mud, and arrogantly declares: "Being attracted is the weakest thing in the world!"

As for Jian Zhen, she rationally declared that her chaotic thoughts over the past hour were simply due to her inability to bear seeing the rich being lewd and the poor being lowly, and her cynicism.

She turned around, braced herself on the tiles, and with a burst of strength, leaped out of the water and landed on the ground. As she took off her swimming cap, she angrily walked toward the shower room. One of her hands, which was hanging by her side, was quietly clenched. See? She could even overcome the gravity when she was getting out of the water, let alone the attraction of a chance encounter.

Of course, on the other hand, the attraction of a chance encounter is easy to overcome, but two chance encounters are more troublesome.

Jian Zhen never imagined she would see that wayward young man again in the billiards room. She was only there because You Yu called her to save the day.

Saying "one phone call" might not be accurate, because when You Yu called her for the first time, she hung up as soon as she realized his intentions. So You Yu called again and again... until the sixth call, when Jian Zhen finally answered angrily and immediately launched into a tirade into the phone.

After she vented her anger, the person opposite her said quietly, "Beautiful lady, are you still going to care about your friend's debts?"

That's not You Yu's voice. That guy, his phone was confiscated.

Jian Zhen tossed aside her paintbrush, leaned back heavily in her chair, her chest heaving for a moment, and coldly said while holding her phone, "Address."

The billiards room was located on the top floor of an old shopping mall, some distance from their school. Since Jian Zhen didn't have a bicycle, she had to take a taxi there, which made her even angrier. Everyone else thought that someone from a family like hers would never have any financial worries, but in reality, You Yu, her childhood friend who had grown up with her, knew very well that Jian Zhen never had much pocket money.

Her father, who held an important position, paid great attention to cultivating his children's qualities of diligence, thrift, self-reliance, and self-improvement. Therefore, he spared no expense in Jian Zhen's education, but only provided her with necessary financial assistance in her daily life.

During her adolescence, Jian Zhen developed many hobbies that required money to maintain, most of which were not approved by her elders, let alone financially supported. She had no choice but to find ways to earn money herself.

For Jian Zhen at the time, the fastest way to make money was to go to the billiards hall with You Yu to watch people gamble. The two of them were poor students, and their pockets were empty, so naturally no one would let them sit at the table. However, they weren't there to gamble. They went to join in the fun mainly to earn some money by performing. When one side was about to lose, they volunteered, saying, "Brother, how about I take a couple of shots for you?"

In informal matches on the basketball court, it's not uncommon for players to be substituted midway through the game. You can substitute, and so can I. Especially when the team that's about to win sees that the opposing team's substitutes are two young kids, they don't take it seriously and laugh and say, "Kids, go ahead and try. If you win, it's yours; if you lose, it's on me."

With her youthful face, Jian Zhen calmly said while wiping the golf clubhead, "Okay, thank you, Uncle."

Then, she pressed her thin back against the edge of the table, and after one round, she handed the cue to You Yu, who was taking over. Amidst the sounds of clinking and pocketing, the cue was constantly exchanged between her and You Yu.

One year, two years... they lost some times, but most of the time they won.

Their winning streak has made them legendary figures in various billiard halls, their former arrogant rivals have begun to take these two growing teenagers seriously, and... the secrets of these billiard halls have spread like wildfire, reaching the ears of both sets of parents.

You Yu received a very good beating.

Jian Zhen was punished with a three-month home confinement, forbidden from going anywhere except school and home. Fortunately, she had already changed her hobbies and started to take an interest in drawing. She didn't feel stifled by the confinement; on the contrary, she felt that she had turned misfortune into blessing, having plenty of peaceful time to immerse herself in the world of lines and colors.

After the incident, when You Yu saw Jian Zhen again, they checked their accounts and found that their parents had given them a little more pocket money. Overjoyed, they splurged into an ice cream shop, only to roll out looking disheveled – it still wasn't enough.

Yu Yu stared at the sky dejectedly, reminiscing about the glorious days in the billiards room. Jian Zhen, however, gave him a mature look and warned him, "Gamblers never end well. You should give up on that idea!"

For many years, Yu Yu had always followed Chien Chen's teachings and stayed far away from billiard halls. But this year, for some reason, he has become a hothead again and almost messed up on the billiard table several times, forcing him to ask Chien Chen to save the day.

This is absolutely the last time. Once Jian Zhen is determined to get him out, she will immediately hand him over to Uncle You's house. Do whatever you want with him.

However, the moment Jian Zhen climbed the dilapidated escalator to the top floor and stepped into the billiard room, she realized that this time was very unusual.