The Young Men of Wuling at the Eastern Golden Market, Silver Saddles and White Horses Riding the Spring Breeze Chapter 116: Rules and Laws

Seeing the girl’s bewildered expression, Fang Yu grew interested as well. He simply sat up. With this beautiful girl, he would have to guide her patiently.

“Let me put it this way. A lot of the time, you don’t necessarily have to rely on your own hard work to make money. Understand?”

Xia Churan shook her head blankly.

“But haven’t people always said that only those who endure the bitterest hardships can rise above others?”

He burst out laughing and waved his hand cheerfully.

“If you endure hardship upon hardship, then you’ll have an endless supply of hardship waiting for you later.”

The girl laughed at his teasing.

“What are you talking about? Fang Yu, that’s sophistry.”

He suddenly became serious.

“I’m not being sophistical. That’s simply how the world works. Children from poor families rarely hear words like freedom, art, happiness, equality, enjoyment, or even love. From childhood to adulthood, what they hear instead is: stay safe, earn respect, don’t be looked down on, work hard, be honest, be obedient, endure. Isn’t that true?”

Xia Churan fell silent, her long black hair dropping over half of her pretty face.

Fang Yu brushed the stray strands aside for her and comforted her.

“From an early age, their grades are always compared with the best, while their food and clothing are compared with the worst. How could families like that raise outstanding children? They’re born with an inferiority complex woven into their very bones. People say that children from poor families mature early and take charge of the household. That isn’t really taking charge. It’s merely learning how to stay alive.”

“Those who truly understand society’s rules never work too hard. They only hone themselves carefully in a few particular areas.”

“They sleep when it’s time to sleep, seek amusement when it’s time for amusement, and exert themselves when the moment calls for it. Then they go back to sleeping and having fun.”

“But those who can’t see through the rules have no heart for sleep or enjoyment when they can afford them. They bury their heads in hard work, never managing to settle their minds. When the time finally comes for them to exert themselves, they’ve already exhausted themselves through all that effort and have no strength left.”

“So, the real experts are the ones who lazily conserve their energy in ordinary times, then deliver a fatal blow at the critical moment.”

Fang Yu spoke in one uninterrupted stream.

For a while, Xia Churan found it difficult to digest so many seemingly unreasonable theories. She could only stare at him blankly.

“But even if you’re right, experts still have to work hard, don’t they? Success doesn’t just fall from the sky, does it?”

He shook his head.

“Churan, have you ever played Monopoly?”

The girl had no idea why he had suddenly asked that.

“Huh? Oh, you mean the computer game? Of course I have.”

“Good. It’s clearly a fair game where everyone rolls the dice and relies on luck, right?”

“Mm-hmm. I like Mimi best, though she’s not very lucky. She always ends up landing on other people’s properties.”

When it came to games, the girl spoke with great authority.

“Heh. Have you ever used a cheat? If you change your starting money to three times that of the other players, you’ll find it very difficult to lose. And if your starting money is ten times theirs, you can win forever!”

“Not only that, you can bankrupt the other three players at lightning speed. In the early stages, you can upgrade your facilities without worrying about the cost, seize all the resources, and even plunder theirs.”

“After that, you just wait for them to keep handing you their money while growing poorer and poorer, until they finally go bankrupt.”

“Do you think that’s because of your intelligence or technical ability? Wrong. That’s capital. At that point, do you even need any skill? No. As long as you have a hand capable of clicking a mouse, you’re fine.”

“As for your three opponents, are they stupid? Are they incompetent? No. They simply don’t even have the ability to fight back.”

Fang Yu’s barrage of words sent Xia Churan’s mind straight into shutdown. Seeing the girl’s dazed expression, he began laughing again.

“All right, I’ve said enough for today. Come on, let’s go to the internet café.”

“Okay.”

The girl obediently nodded. Her eyes were still somewhat confused, but there was more laughter lurking in their depths.

After Xia Churan had taken a lap around the townhouse, however, she returned to her usual lively self. She happily hooked her arm around his.

“Hehe, I’ve decided to move in and live with you. Will you come help me get my luggage later?”

Fang Yu was startled and hurriedly waved both hands.

“What are you talking about? Don’t they check whether you’re in the dormitory? Besides, wouldn’t it be inconvenient for Cheng Chen and me to live here with you?”

The girl puffed out her cheeks angrily.

“Hmph, I think you just don’t want to see me, don’t you? Li Jing can live with Cheng Chen, so why can’t I? Besides, I’m already in the second semester of my sophomore year. They stopped checking dorm attendance ages ago.”

Fang Yu grimaced and swallowed the words, “You and I aren’t even boyfriend and girlfriend.” In the end, he could only nod reluctantly.

“All right. If you don’t mind Cheng Chen and Li Jing making a racket, you can stay on the second floor.”

“I don’t want the second floor. I’m sleeping in this master bedroom!”

Xia Churan took advantage of the opportunity to sit down on the bed.

“No. This is my bedroom. Go sleep downstairs!”

“Waaah, you don’t love me anymore. I don’t care. I’m sleeping here, and you have to tell me a story tonight!”

The girl simply began acting shamelessly.

Fang Yu had no choice but to swallow his anger. Rolling his eyes, he took a deep breath.

“Fine, fine, do whatever you want. At worst, I’ll move upstairs. Come on, let’s go to the internet café first.”

The neighborhood was conveniently located less than a ten-minute drive from the snack street. It had probably just been opened for sale, since few people had moved in yet, leaving the surroundings somewhat desolate.

The moment they entered Seven Stars Internet Café, Cheng Chen stood up from behind the cashier.

“Hehe, I’ve got something to do in a couple of days. You two cover my shifts, all right?”

“Huh? What are you going to do?”

“It’s Valentine’s Day! Don’t I have to celebrate properly with Li Jing?”

Cheng Chen wore a roguish grin.

Fang Yu’s heart sank. The pretty girl beside him was watching him expectantly, while his idealized first love was probably waiting for him to invite her out as well.

“Uh, well, you should go ahead.”

He nodded vaguely.

Yan Hua quickly declared his loyalty.

“Brother Cheng, just go. I’ve only just started working and I’m full of energy. Besides, I love playing games online.”

During dinner, Xia Churan quietly moved closer to him and asked cautiously,

“Hey, Fang Yu, are you going to spend Valentine’s Day with Qin Lu?”

“Of course.”

He swallowed with difficulty, forcing down another mouthful of gutter oil.

“Hmph. Got it.”

The girl drew back glumly, her face filled with disappointment.

Until the two girls finished work at nine and returned to their dormitory, he didn’t dare speak to Xia Churan again. She stormed off with Li Jing, and even Cheng Chen received nothing but a sour look from her.

Since it was still early, Fang Yu quickly called Qin Lu.

“Lu Lu, are you back at school?”

“Mm-hmm. I just got back today. You’re there too, Fang Yu?”

“Yeah. Valentine’s Day is the day after tomorrow. Where would you like to go?”

Qin Lu sounded a little aggrieved.

“Waaah, we’ve only just started the semester and there’s already so much to do. A professor from another university is coming to give a lecture soon too. I might not have any time.”

“No matter how busy you are, you must at least have time to eat dinner, right?”

“All right, then. I’ll try to make time on the evening of the fourteenth.”

Qin Lu didn’t want to miss such an opportunity either. If her boyfriend didn’t spend the day with her, who knew which department beauty he might choose instead?