Chapter 61: The Executioner and Milk Tea

Thanks to the extraordinary search system at his disposal, Lin Yu finished the first subject, Chinese, in less than an hour and a half. The invigilator, Li Qingdong, was satisfied with his efficiency, since at this time, most of the top students in other exam rooms were still bent over their essays. The official college entrance exam required at least eight hundred words for the essay, and the seasoned seniors from the top class naturally mastered this skill. They would not take risks like Lin Yu, who boldly handed in a half-baked essay of just two hundred words.

After submitting his paper, Lin Yu went downstairs to the restroom to smoke. When he came out, he bumped into Qi Yue and Yang Zhilin. The three chatted about this and that, agreed to have lunch together at noon, and then returned to their respective exam rooms. The wide gap in their exam room numbers spoke volumes about the differences in their academic performance.

The next subject was mathematics.

Mathematics had always been Lin Yu’s Achilles’ heel. Even with the search system, it offered little help. So, like the other students, he handed in his paper after just half an hour, waved his sleeve, and left the exam room without taking a single scrap of draft paper. As for his score, he could only leave it to fate.

After the math exam came the lunch break. Many students, after handing in their papers, either went home to eat, headed to restaurants, internet cafes, or arcades, while those brimming with energy sweated it out on the basketball court.

Having promised to meet the two beauties, Lin Yu sat on a bench beneath the camphor tree at the school gate, legs crossed, smoking. Now that he was outside the school, he no longer hid his habit.

The camphor tree was a symbol of resilience, and its language spoke of a serene state—sitting like a lotus, watching clouds roll by, flowers bloom and fade. Some also associated it with love, its unique fragrance evoking a sense of romance.

Lin Yu, smoking and gazing up at the camphor tree’s fruit, felt a strange emotion stirring within him. Unconsciously, he recalled stories and legends of love.

He waited for about twenty minutes, until Qi Yue, dressed in a white tracksuit and radiating vitality, came out of the school gate humming a tune.

At Qi Yue’s suggestion, the two sat back-to-back on the bench, chatting softly as they waited for Yang Zhilin, the academic star.

But this tranquil bliss lasted only a few minutes. Watching other students walk in groups, discussing answers, Qi Yue suddenly laughed and asked Lin Yu to tell her a story.

Pressed, Lin Yu thought for a moment and began to recount the tale of "Zhu Xian."

In 2002, online novels were rare, and stories of immortals and martial arts were even more unheard of. The campus was swept up in popular works like "No Princess in the Castle" or Hai Yan’s "What Can I Do to Save You, My Lover."

So when Lin Yu began describing this fantastical, ethereal world that transcended reality, Qi Yue listened, mesmerized, her eyes shining like crystal.

She especially loved Xiao Hui and Da Huang.

When Lin Yu reached the part where Bi Yao recited, "Nine Nethers, gods and demons. With my blood and body, I offer myself as sacrifice. Three lives and seven worlds, forever lost to hell. Only for love, I regret nothing even in death," and activated the Harmony Bell to save Zhang Xiaofan, Qi Yue, sensitive as she was, tilted her head back. Even so, tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks.

Her gesture was reminiscent of Guo Jingming's image of gazing at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, tears flowing.

This made Lin Yu smile, and as he laughed more and more exaggeratedly, Qi Yue, annoyed, pinched the soft flesh on his waist several times to vent her feelings.

After a bout of playful banter, the shameless girl demanded Lin Yu continue, and the gentle girl, as emotional as water, alternately cried and laughed, eventually resembling a flower in the rain. Many students and teachers passing by thought Lin Yu was bullying her, and unwittingly, he gained the reputation of a modern Chen Shimei.

Even an hour later, when the school beauty Yang Zhilin walked out alone on light, graceful steps and saw Qi Yue’s tear-stained face, she couldn’t help but chide Lin Yu.

Seeing this, Qi Yue burst out laughing, though she offered no further explanation.

Lin Yu, feeling misunderstood, exaggeratedly sighed and said, "I won’t spoil the ending. I’ll tell you some other day. Let’s go eat first."

"Yes, we have more exams this afternoon. Let’s just find a nearby restaurant for a quick meal," replied Yang Zhilin, seeing Qi Yue’s reddened cheeks and eyes, still sobbing.

Last time, Lin Yu had suggested eating at Sheng Fangyuan with his buddies, which ended in disaster. So this time, he kept silent, and Qi Yue chose their destination.

She sniffled and suggested, "Let’s go to KFC. It’s close and convenient."

The other two had no objections, so Lin Yu, looking quite dashing, led the two beautiful girls straight to KFC, attracting countless envious glances along the way.

Their high profile meant they didn’t notice students with mobile phones contacting each other and reporting their whereabouts to someone.

The presence of the two youthful beauties instantly brightened the KFC at the school gate, though it wasn’t quite like the novels, where a crowd would flock in and fill all the seats.

They quickly found a vacant table, and Lin Yu naturally took on the task of ordering food. Qi Yue and Yang Zhilin didn’t stand on ceremony, nor did they attempt to split the bill, but sat together chatting and laughing. Soon, Qi Yue began telling the story of "Zhu Xian" in her own way.

This time, Yang Zhilin, who had previously teased Qi Yue for being too emotional, found her eyes reddening as Bi Yao resisted the Zhu Xian Sword. But she was more composed than Qi Yue, managing not to cry.

Not long after, Lin Yu returned with a tray full of burgers, cola, chicken wings, fries, sweet corn, and other treats. He thought these Western foods paled in comparison to authentic Chinese cuisine, but since the girls liked them, he ordered extra.

“How did you do in the exams?” Yang Zhilin asked suddenly, taking elegant bites of her chicken wing as she regained her composure.

“I’d like to express my feelings to the person who made the test…” Qi Yue, back to her lively self, shook her head, clearly dissatisfied with her answers.

“How did you do?” Lin Yu replied with a smile, “Not bad, definitely better than last time.”

“So, did you look at the materials I gave you?” Yang Zhilin pressed, her tone carrying a hint of coldness despite her concern.

“Of course he did! This guy’s working really hard now!” Qi Yue, munching on sweet corn, answered before Lin Yu could.

“That’s good!” Yang Zhilin adopted the manner of a parent checking homework.

Seeing her like this, Lin Yu felt a weight lift from his heart and, as he bit into his Orleans chicken burger, found it no longer tasteless. Likely, it was because he was new to studying and still felt anxious about such matters.

Later, under Qi Yue’s insistence, Lin Yu had to retell the story of "Zhu Xian" with vivid narration, though once again he didn’t reveal the ending.

After their KFC meal, Lin Yu, who in his previous life loved bubble tea, suggested they go for some. This earned him surprised looks from Qi Yue and Yang Zhilin. Only after their explanations did he realize there were no milk tea shops or street vendors near the school at that time.

“This is a small business opportunity!”

Thinking of how a cup of bubble tea cost less than twenty cents to make but could easily sell for three or four yuan, Lin Yu felt enlightened. He could almost see students lining up for bubble tea.

The Talmud, the Jewish guide for business and life, says, “Business opportunities are everywhere on the street, but only those with keen eyes will discover them.”

Lin Yu felt he had truly found something this time.

A milk tea shop, while not as lucrative as some high-profit industries, had extremely low startup costs and great potential for chain development!

It would be perfect for Lin Yu’s mother and the families of his friends to run.