033 Yan Li: If you regret it, just use the gun.

The days that followed brought a sense of regularity to Yan Li’s life.

He spent his mornings at home memorizing scripts and his afternoons studying books he had purchased on the stock market. He even went to a brokerage firm to open a few accounts, primarily to gain some hands-on experience and, incidentally, to integrate himself into circles of local investors to broaden his sources of information. In the evenings, Yan Li focused on refining his braised meat recipe, experimenting with ways to make it taste even better.

From time to time, Yan Li would accept Dong Xuan’s invitations to grab a meal, catch a movie, or head back to her place to discuss the meaning of life. It couldn't be helped—Yin Xu was away on a job, and Guan Yue and Tong Dawei were inseparable, leaving early and returning late, which always left Dong Xuan feeling lonely.

They had broken up, but they were still friends. Yan Li was a warm-hearted person, and fearing that a young woman like Dong Xuan might not be safe on her own, he offered a helping hand out of a sense of protection.

*Slap.*

The door creaked, and Dong Xuan gave Yan Li a swat. The latter reluctantly pulled his hand out from under her shirt. Dong Xuan smoothed her clothes and rose to open the door. It was Zhou Yiwei, who walked in with a mischievous wink.

"Brother Li, I’m not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Cut the nonsense." Yan Li chuckled and scolded him, then went to the refrigerator to grab a soda. "How did the paperwork go?"

Zhou Yiwei was thirsty; he took the soda, downed more than half in one go, and let out a satisfying burp. "It’s just about done. Since the weekend is coming up, I’ll pick it up as soon as they open on Monday."

Yan Li had been busy during this time, but Zhou Yiwei hadn't been idle either. He was the one who went out to buy the tricycle, thermal buckets, digital scales, and packaging materials, and he was also the one handling the red tape for the food business. In this day and age, nobody really checked on street vendors, and the worst-case scenario was just dodging the urban management officers. Still, Yan Li believed in being cautious, and since Zhou Yiwei was free anyway, he figured it was better to be safe.

"Good. The recipe is about set. Let’s start selling tomorrow."

"You got it." Zhou Yiwei rubbed his hands together in excitement. He had helped Yan Li sell the meat twice before, just to test the market, and it had sold out almost instantly. Because of that, Zhou Yiwei had absolute confidence in Yan Li’s braised meat. He had even invested some money into the venture; although it was a smaller share, he hoped it would at least be enough to stop him from having to ask his family for money.

...

Zhou Yiwei stayed for a meal, helped with the dishes, and then took his leave with a knowing look.

The cable television, recently installed, was playing the hit show *Liu Laogen*, where Uncle Benshan played a farmer-turned-entrepreneur leading his fellow villagers to prosperity. Yan Li quite liked the show and made it a point to be in front of the TV every night. Dong Xuan cozied up to him, nuzzling into his chest.

"It’s hot."

"I don't mind."

Yan Li had no choice but to hold her. Dong Xuan leaned against him, playing with his large hands as she asked curiously, "Since you have the recipe, why not just give it to your family? Why do you need to do this yourself?"

"Giving it to my family is one thing, but I’m an adult now. It’s not right to keep asking them for money. Setting up a little stall to earn my own makes it easier to manage my expenses."

Yan Li had already passed the recipe on to his family, but judging by their reaction, his father, old Mr. Yan, didn't seem to take it very seriously. It made sense; his father had started as a dishwasher in a commune canteen when he was a teenager and spent over a decade as a chef before opening his own restaurant. He had been standing in front of a stove for nearly thirty years. Yan Li’s own culinary skills were taught by him, so his father knew exactly what he was capable of. Now that his son had handed him a "braised meat recipe" and bragged about it, his father likely didn't believe a word of it, probably thinking the boy was just full of hot air. Yan Li had called twice to urge him, but it hadn't done much, and he’d even been scolded for wasting money on long-distance calls. So, Yan Li stopped calling. If they wouldn't use it, fine. When he went home and braised a pot himself, that would settle the score. Thinking of this, Yan Li felt a bit of anticipation; he had been beaten plenty as a child, and it was about time he "settled the bill."

As they were talking, Yan Li’s phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, he got up and went to the side to answer.

"...I’m just helping out a little, it’s nothing worth mentioning... Alright, I’ll wait for your call..."

Dong Xuan pretended to watch TV, but in reality, she was listening intently. When Yan Li returned, she asked, seemingly casually, "Who was that?"

"A friend."

"Ahem... a man or a woman?"

"A woman."

Seeing Dong Xuan’s expression change, Yan Li ruffled her hair and laughed. "I’m kidding. Didn't you hear me call him Brother Cheng? He’s a producer I met at Hengdian. I did him a small favor, and now that things are settled, he’s heading back to Zhejiang and wanted to treat me to a meal before he left."

"A producer? And he’s treating *you* to dinner?" Dong Xuan found it hard to believe. For fledgling actors like them, producers and directors were big shots; usually, they couldn't even get them to agree to a meal, let alone be invited by one.

"That just goes to show how impressive I am. How does it feel now? Does dumping me feel like you’ve lost a great treasure?"

"Yes, yes, I regret it so much."

Dong Xuan was increasingly convinced that Yan Li wasn't getting back together with her because he was still harboring resentment from the breakup. So, whenever moments like these arose, she would be especially gentle and coaxing, hoping to soothe his bitterness.

"If you regret it, prove it with your mouth."

Dong Xuan rolled her eyes at him and draped her hands around his neck. Just as she was about to take things further, Yan Li stopped her. He looked at her with a wicked grin and repeated himself.

"If you regret it, prove it with your mouth."

"Huh?" Dong Xuan was stunned. Yan Li whispered something into her ear, and her face flushed crimson. She shook her head like a rattle.

"No way."

Yan Li held up a finger. "Just once."

Dong Xuan was adamant, but Yan Li kept coaxing her. "Just try it. Wasn't that in the movie we watched last time?"

"Pfft, so that’s why you took me to see those movies."

Dong Xuan spat out, rising to run, but Yan Li wouldn't let her go. He held her in his arms, refusing to release her, and after a few more minutes of coaxing and trickery, Dong Xuan finally, hesitantly, crouched down...

————

Yan Li and Zhou Yiwei’s braised meat business was going quite smoothly. Because the flavor was excellent, it sold well despite the high price. A single batch of dozens of pounds of meat could bring in hundreds of yuan after costs were deducted. In 2002, this was definitely a high income. Zhou Yiwei was all smiles as he counted the money every day, even joking about considering a career change.

However, Yan Li was still not entirely satisfied. Through his information system, he had researched the market. The popular deli shops in Beijing were high-volume and high-margin; some could make tens of thousands a month, and there were even those with monthly revenues in the millions. Yan Li had never imagined that these unassuming street-side deli shops could be so incredibly lucrative. It just went to show that in this era, with the economy booming, Beijing—the heart of the country—was paved with gold; as long as you had the guts and the skill, you could pick it up anywhere.

Compared to the promising braised meat business, Yan Li’s foray into the stock market wasn't going as well. His research time was too short, he was still unfamiliar with the market and certain operations, and the information system hadn't yet found a reliable pattern, producing more useless data than helpful advice. After a few days of trying, he was down a few hundred yuan in capital.

Still, Yan Li wasn't discouraged. It was just a test run, after all. Besides, the system was slowly adjusting, and the relevant information it triggered was becoming increasingly useful. He believed that in time, he would transform into a "little stock god"...