NABC Chapter 182 Kiss me
Chapter 182 Kiss me
Recently, Jiangcheng is preparing a high-profile reunion for outstanding graduates, and Lu Yuan, who achieved excellent results in his exams, is naturally among those invited.
This meeting, spearheaded by the municipal government, is quite different from the township-level commendations. It has extremely high requirements and is specifically set up for outstanding graduates who have been admitted to top universities.
Students like Gao Zhe and Wang Qingyu, who only attended second-tier universities, naturally missed out on this grand event.
However, they don't need to be disappointed. Townships or neighborhood committees also organize similar activities, and as long as they are undergraduates, they can get a share.
Returning to this city-level meeting, those invited included not only most of Jiangcheng's business tycoons and celebrities, but also many heavyweight figures from the political sphere.
On the surface, this was to celebrate and reward students from the same hometown who had achieved academic success.
But everyone knows perfectly well that this is actually a "matchmaking event" where bigwigs from all walks of life select talent and make long-term plans.
Ye Yixian worked at the Lu family's garment factory all summer, earning only his daily pocket money.
As for university tuition and miscellaneous fees, she didn't need to worry about them at all.
Because as long as she shows her face at this meeting, a lot of bosses will line up to "fund" her.
Of course, it shouldn't be called a grant; it should be called an "award for future talents" or "support for local education."
The math is simple: the tuition and miscellaneous fees for a year at a top-tier university are only around ten thousand yuan, and at most, four years would cost less than one hundred thousand yuan.
For big bosses, this is just a drop in the ocean.
But with such a small amount of money, you can secure a favor with a top student in advance, making her give priority to your company in the future. It's definitely a win-win situation.
This is why Ye Yixian was so determined to get into a top university.
If she doesn't pass the exam, she might have to drop out of school and work.
Reality is often more plausible than fiction. Good schools actually have lower tuition fees, and you'll never see the mindless scenario of someone getting into Tsinghua or Peking University but having to attend a vocational college because they can't afford the tuition.
Take Xia Anqi and Zhang Xueling as examples. The two of them, along with another liberal arts boy from No. 1 High School, were admitted to Tsinghua and Peking Universities. Although they kept a low profile, anyone with a little bit of influence knew that big bosses had long since worn down their doorsteps.
Conservative estimates suggest that they will receive at least 500,000 yuan, or even over a million yuan, in "scholarships" this summer.
Keep in mind that 500,000 yuan is enough for them to study at Tsinghua or Peking University for 50 years.
On the day of the meeting, Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian went together, and Lu's parents were also invited as family members.
The venue was packed with people, from high-ranking officials to rural farmers, a truly spectacular sight.
The meeting proceeded smoothly. After the leader finished his polite remarks about "the land being blessed with outstanding people and talents, and the younger generation being formidable," he announced the generous bonuses and gifts.
This shows how much importance the higher authorities attach to education. It's as if they're willing to reward you if you dare to take the exam. They're not afraid of you doing well, they're just afraid you won't be able to take the reward.
Then they went up on stage in batches to receive their awards.
This is actually an opportunity for the students to show their faces and let the eager entrepreneurs in the audience get to know them.
Leading the way were three top students from Tsinghua and Peking Universities, followed by students from 985 and 211 key universities, and so on.
A rough estimate suggests that more than 300 students went on stage, and those who couldn't attend had their prize money delivered to their homes by a designated person.
During the free exchange session, several business owners who were familiar with Lu's father took the initiative to come over and chat with Lu Yuan and Ye Yixian over tea.
They knew Lu Yuan's background very well and had visited the Lu family many times in the past few days; but Ye Yixian's background was a mystery, and everyone knew very little about it.
The only thing they knew was that she was Lu Yuan's girlfriend, and she was highly regarded by Lu's parents.
The Lu family all knew that Ye Yixian's father was still serving his sentence. It was inconvenient to say this openly, but they couldn't lie either, since a little investigation would reveal the truth.
Therefore, everyone tacitly chose to remain silent about the matter, and would never bring it up unless asked.
Fortunately, the merchants didn't care about these things. Instead, they felt some pity for Ye Yixian because she lost her mother at birth and had a difficult life.
The business owners immediately agreed to fully cover her university tuition fees as a bonus.
Ye Yixian was overjoyed; this was the first time she had truly experienced the benefits of "good grades."
The bonus she recently received alone is a huge sum of money that she never dared to dream of before.
After settling Ye Yixian in, Lu Yuan had his parents stay with her, while he made an excuse to quietly take Xia Anqi out of the venue.
You should know that Xia Anqi is the most sought-after person today, with countless people lining up to talk to her.
Lu Yuan is indeed quite capable of "luring" her out.
"What are you doing?" Xia Anqi stopped and stared at Lu Yuan with a puzzled look in her bright eyes.
Lu Yuan smiled, wanting to say something, but found it difficult to speak, and could only awkwardly scratch his head.
Seeing his bashful appearance, Xia Anqi immediately lost her patience: "Seriously, Lu Yuan, you can be shy?"
"I'm also an eighteen-year-old boy, why can't I be shy?" Lu Yuan retorted confidently.
Actually, he wasn't shy at all; he was shamelessly asking for help, but he couldn't offer any substantial reward, so he was really embarrassed to say it.
"Tch." Xia Anqi curled her lip in disdain, then a sly smile flashed in her eyes. "Lu Yuan, don't tell me you've changed your mind and are planning to date me?"
"That's not the case," Lu Yuan denied without hesitation.
His resolute attitude earned him a big eye roll from Xia Anqi.
"So what? If you're not here to talk about love, what else could it be?" Xia Anqi asked, puzzled.
Logically speaking, Lu Yuan shouldn't have gotten too close to her to avoid suspicion.
Lu Yuan carefully considered his words: "Xia Anqi, look at you..."
"We're not that distant, are we? Can't you just call me Angie?" Xia Angie interrupted him, hands on her hips, clearly annoyed. "'Angie' means angel in English, which perfectly matches my intelligent, beautiful, and noble temperament."
"You're really shameless, praising yourself like that." Lu Yuan couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Did I say something wrong?" Xia Anqi shrugged matter-of-factly.
Lu Yuan was speechless.
To be fair, Xia Anqi truly deserves the title of "Beautiful Angel".
"Alright, Angie." Lu Yuan shamelessly cut to the chase, "Since you think we're not strangers, and you're so popular right now, could you do me a favor?"
Xia Anqi immediately became alert, took half a step back, and created a safe distance.
In her opinion, Lu Yuan asking her for a favor was definitely not a good thing, and he might even suffer a loss.
She stared at Lu Yuan suspiciously: "What help do you need? Let me tell you, my appearance fee is very high."
"I just... wanted to ask you to post a few updates on QQ Space and Weibo, praising your new clothes or something."
"Wait a minute." Before he could finish speaking, Xia Anqi, with an air of knowing everything, raised an eyebrow smugly. "Lu Yuan, you're not planning to ask me to help promote your new clothing store in the mall, are you?"
"Hehe, as expected of the smartest top student." Lu Yuan blushed, feeling embarrassed as if his underwear had been exposed. "The new store has just opened and we urgently need to attract customers. Looking at the entire Jiangcheng, you are definitely the most talked-about person right now. As long as you casually promote it, the effect will definitely be extraordinary."
"And what about my reward?" Xia Anqi didn't refuse, but instead readily extended her hand.
Lu Yuan pursed his lips: "We were classmates, and you..."
"Even close brothers keep clear accounts," Xia Anqi interrupted him dismissively. "Besides, our relationship is so special. The whole school knows I pursued you and you rejected me. And then I turn around and promote your clothing store. What will people think of me? What about my status and dignity as a young lady?"
"Well... what you said makes sense." Lu Yuan was even more embarrassed, and tentatively asked, "So how much compensation do you want?"
"One million!"
"Pfft!" Lu Yuan almost spat out a mouthful of blood. "Do you think you're a big star? Your appearance fee is so high?"
The combined net worth of Lu Yuan, Lin Kai, and Gao Ya is less than one million. How could they possibly spend a million to hire someone who is neither an internet celebrity nor a star to do publicity?
"You think it's too expensive? Well, there's nothing I can do about it then." Xia Anqi looked at him with a half-smile. "You don't have money, and you certainly can't afford anything. What are we going to do?"
"What do you suggest we do?" Lu Yuan took a deep breath.
He knew that Xia Anqi's lack of direct rejection meant there was still room for negotiation.
At this stage, she is indeed the most influential living advertisement; as long as she is willing to step forward, she can solve many problems.
Therefore, Lu Yuan wanted to try his best.
That's how business is; you have to be flexible and adaptable.
Xia Anqi's heart stirred, and she suddenly took a step closer, tilting her head slightly. Her long, slender, white fingers lightly touched her pink lips, a mischievous smile appearing in her eyes. She said softly:
Kiss me!