Xia Xi went back with a feeling of sadness, printed out two forms at a printing shop in front of the school, stuffed them into her bag, and took a taxi to the Huaixi Pedestrian Street.
Sitting in the car, Xia Xi's phone sounded a low-battery reminder. She rummaged through her bag, luckily she'd brought a power bank with her. She plugged her phone in, and a message popped up in the dormitory group chat.
Wu Qinglu: "It seems like it's going to rain outside, Xixi, why haven't you come back yet? @Xia Xi"
Zhao Lei: "Didn't we say we were just going to practice golf for two hours? What time is it now?"
Wang Qiuyu: “@Xia Xi”
Xia Xi's arms ached, and she didn't want to type. She held the voice button with her fingers and said weakly, "Comrades, you were right. Our minister is trying to make things difficult for me. He wants me to go to Huaixi Pedestrian Street to solicit sponsorship. I'm on my way there now."
The group exploded.
Wang Qiuyu: "I knew this little bitch wouldn't give up. She'd definitely take any chance she got to get revenge on you. You're such a fool. Why did you listen to her? Why not go tomorrow? Look at these dark clouds. How creepy."
Xia Xi: "If I don't do it, she'll let someone else do it, and then go back to Xu Yanfeng and report me. Xu Yanfeng might use this as an excuse to stop me from harassing him and make me quit the student union. Then I'll lose more than I gain."
Zhao Lei: "Alas, it's all because of Xu Yanfeng. Men are a disaster!"
Xia Xi: "You can scold me, but you can't scold him. It's none of his business."
Zhao Lei: “…”
Wu Qinglu: "Do you want us to go over and accompany you?"
Xia Xi: "I'm almost there, you guys stay in the dormitory and rest. I'll go to a few houses and then go back."
Wang Qiuyu: "Then be careful and keep in touch at all times."
Xia Xi: "OK."
Xia Xi put her phone in her bag and turned to look out the window at the sky. It had been a grayish, slightly bright light just a moment ago, but now it was as dark as spilled ink. She muttered to herself, "Is it really going to rain? I don't have an umbrella with me."
Arriving at Huaixi Pedestrian Street, Xia Xi was stunned. The scene Zhou Xiaoyu had described, "crowded even after midnight," was nowhere to be found. It wasn't even seven o'clock yet, and the number of people on the street was pitifully small.
She was deceived by Zhou Xiaoyu.
Sure enough, she shouldn't have believed anything Zhou Xiaoyu said.
Xia Xi muttered to herself, "Now that I'm here, I might as well make the best of it." She zipped up her coat and walked into a sports brand store on the street. She raised the corners of her mouth and smiled, "Hello, is your store manager here?"
"I am." One of the older sisters stepped forward. "What can I do for you?"
The store manager noticed that Xia Xi didn't seem to be here to buy anything.
Xia Xi introduced herself first and briefly explained her purpose. The store manager seemed reluctant to sponsor and was about to politely decline, but Xia Xi saw what she meant and didn't give her time to speak. "Look, this is what's going on. Our school is hosting a large-scale debate competition, with teams from several well-known universities in North City. We'll publish related articles on our official account and broadcast the entire event on major social media platforms. This will definitely be positive and effective publicity for you. Please consider it, sister. You see, the coats I'm wearing today are all from your brand, and I will personally help you promote it in the future."
Xia Xi went out today mainly to learn golf, so her outfit was naturally sporty. She wore a silver-gray jacket over a white T-shirt and paired it with white cropped sweatpants. Coincidentally, the jacket was from this brand.
When she spoke, her eyes were curved with a smile and she deliberately pinched her throat. Her voice sounded sweet and made people feel soft-hearted. It was difficult to refuse her request.
The store manager looked at her and hesitated for a few seconds, then finally changed his mind: "Okay. Since you are so sincere, I agree."
"Thank you so much!"
Xia Xi had never done this before, and successfully opening her first store gave her a lot of confidence.
She filled out the form and went to the second, third, and fourth stores. Of course, not every store was as successful; some agreed, others declined. She wanted to finish the job quickly, so she went to seven or eight stores in a row, exhausted.
After coming out of an eyewear store, Xia Xi was about to buy a bottle of water when suddenly there was a rumbling thunder in the sky and the rain started to fall.
Bean-sized raindrops fell to the ground, splashing dust, and in the blink of an eye the ground was all wet.
Xia Xi stood in the corridor outside the store, staring blankly at the rain curtain that connected the sky and the earth, and sighed inwardly, "What bad luck, it didn't rain earlier or later, but at this time."
The convenience store was across the street. With the intensity of the rain, rushing over there would be like taking a shower. Xia Xi gave up the idea of buying a bottle of water and an umbrella. She walked down the corridor and into the next store.
She held on to a beautiful fantasy, thinking that maybe the rain would stop after a while.
Xia Xi went to a few more stores. It was already past nine o'clock and the rain showed no sign of slowing down, let alone stopping.
The sky seemed to have a hole in it, and the temperature dropped.
Xia Xi crossed her arms and rubbed them, then stood in the back of the corridor to avoid getting her trouser legs wet by the splashing water. The street was deserted, not even a passing taxi. She just waited helplessly.
Zhou Xiaoyu caused her a lot of trouble.
Her cell phone rang several times. It was a message from the dormitory group. Her roommates were very worried about her and asked her where she was.
Xia Xi replied: "Nothing, I'm waiting for the bus."
*
Huaixi Pedestrian Street isn't a bustling area, but there's a famous hot pot restaurant that's been open for over 30 years and is incredibly popular. The members of Dormitory 503 are celebrating Chen Mian's birthday there tonight.
Xu Yanfeng drove a Mercedes-Benz GLS, which was low-key and inconspicuous, almost blending in with the heavy rain night.
Several people in the car were chatting animatedly about a football game being projected on the hot pot restaurant's screen, as if they were actually there. Xu Yanfeng, always silent, rested his hands on the steering wheel, maneuvering effortlessly through the wet streets.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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