Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 340: Jinling Love Story

Around January 20th, the students in the University Town had essentially finished their final exams.These were some of the coldest days of the year.

After spending Four Months together, the classmates felt a sense of reluctance as they prepared to part ways.

The majority of students chose to gather for a meal on their final day before leaving campus.

Chang Hao's Dormitory was no exception. Chang Hao himself took the initiative, offering to treat everyone to a meal before they left.

Li Qiang asked, "Should we invite Brother Zhou?"

Chang Hao replied, "Even if you ask him, he probably won't come."

"He's incredibly busy right now. He won't show up even if you invite him."

Li Qiang insisted, "We should still try, shouldn't we?"

In truth, Li Qiang had his own selfish motives.

Originally, he had planned to casually find a job at the University and not return home for the New Year.

But later, the wages for the Winter Break Job that Zhou Yuwen was recruiting for were simply too high. Li Qiang's Heart Stirred, and he wanted to contact Zhou Yuwen to ask about it.

In reality, he could have successfully signed up on his own; after all, it wasn't exactly a highly coveted position.

However, Li Qiang was accustomed to relying on Connections.

Seeing Li Qiang's insistence, Chang Hao said, "Then give it a try."

"Hey! Thanks, Brother Hao. You're the best, Brother Hao!"

Li Qiang agreed with Grinning, then proceeded to make a Phone Call to Zhou Yuwen.

Naturally, Zhou Yuwen did not have the time to hang out with them.

Although only one semester had passed, they were already people from two completely different worlds.

The basic needs—food, clothing, housing, and transportation—for over four thousand people had to be tallied up within a single week. Even if he had the time, Zhou Yuwen wouldn't waste it dining with Chang Hao and the others.

When Li Qiang called, Zhou Yuwen was still working overtime in the Office. He had hired quite a few people over the past few days. The originally spacious Office was now feeling cramped; it seemed they would need to find a new location soon.

"Hello, Brother Zhou? It's Qiangzi. Well, it's the end of the semester, and we were thinking the brothers in the Dormitory should get together," Li Qiang's voice on the Phone sounded extremely humble.

"Oh, is that so?"

Sitting in his heated Office with the Heater blasting, Zhou Yuwen looked over a contract sent by a factory. After a moment of thought, he replied, "Qiangzi, I'll pass on the gathering. I'm just too busy on my end right now. Let's do it another time."

"Oh, I see."

Li Qiang felt somewhat Disappointed.

Just as Zhou Yuwen was about to hang up the Phone, Li Qiang hastily stopped him. "Wait, Brother Zhou."

"Hmm?"

"I, uh, well... Brother Zhou, are you still short on people for that Winter Break Job?"

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen instantly understood Li Qiang's intention. He confirmed that they were still hiring and asked if he wanted to work.

"Then, Brother Zhou, can you set me up with a good position?" Li Qiang said with A Grin.

Zhou Yuwen assured him that it absolutely wouldn't be a problem. Coincidentally, a factory had temporarily set up a new production line, so he could arrange for him to be the Team Leader.

Li Qiang's heart leaped with joy. "Really?! How much does that pay?"

"You should be able to make an extra eight hundred yuan a month!"

"Brother Zhou, you're so good to me!" Li Qiang was instantly overjoyed. Seeing that he could help out his old classmate, Zhou Yuwen also felt quite gratified. He told him that he would speak to Human Resources in a bit, and Li Qiang could contact her directly.

"Mhm! Thank you, Brother Zhou!"

Li Qiang was completely satisfied now.

A short while later, Zhou Yuwen sent Li Qiang a phone number, instructing him to get in touch with Human Resources.

Li Qiang was giddy with delight.

Chang Hao couldn't understand Li Qiang's reaction. He remarked that it was only an extra eight hundred yuan a month and not worth getting so worked up over.

"My dear brother! That's eight hundred bucks! That's my living expenses for an entire month! And it's not just eight hundred; it's an extra eight hundred. Hehe, my Brother Zhou really treats me well!"

Li Qiang was Grinning broadly.

Chang Hao refrained from commenting on this. Coming from Jingcheng, he naturally looked down on such a small amount.

After finishing their meal, Li Qiang accompanied Chang Hao on the Balcony for a cigarette.

Afterward, Chang Hao went into the Room.

Li Qiang dialed the number Zhou Yuwen had provided.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring!

The call connected, and a familiar voice came from the other end: "Hello, this is Lu Hui, the labor manager at Xianlin. How can I help you?"

Beep!

The call was abruptly disconnected.

On the other end, Lu Hui, who was having dinner with Liu Shuo, glanced at her Phone, feeling completely baffled.

Liu Shuo asked her who it was.

"I don't know. They hung up without saying a word."

After saying this, Lu Hui couldn't help but complain, "I really don't know what your big brother is thinking. There's already too much work to handle. He could have assigned me to do anything else, but he made me Human Resources. Now I have to answer so many calls from strangers every single day!"

Hearing this, Liu Shuo couldn't help Grinning. "Didn't he give you a raise?!"

"What good is the salary?!" Lu Hui pouted, complaining, "Zhou Yuwen just doesn't trust me. That Jiang Xinyi doesn't know how to deal with people at all, yet he actually let her handle procurement while forcing me to manage Human Resources."

Liu Shuo explained that it was different; Sister Xinyi's family had Connections, so she could get cheaper prices for procurement.

"We're all in the same company. Why is it always about Connections everywhere you go? Hmph, I have Connections too. You're my connection, but you don't even try to help me out."

Hearing this, Liu Shuo merely responded with A Grin and buried his head in his food.

He wasn't an idiot. He had heard from his subordinates that Lu Hui liked to play petty Mind games, but she was his woman after all. What could Liu Shuo say?

Boys like Liu Shuo might talk a big game and appear clear-headed, but back in high school, no Girls had ever paid him any attention. Having had zero romantic life in University, he ended up with Lu Hui by pure chance.

Deep down, Liu Shuo thought: 'Even though Sister Hui is a bit older, she's the first woman who was willing to give her body to me.'

'Since she was willing to give something so important to me, it shows she must have feelings for me.'

'And I'm not like my brother—handsome and capable. I should just content myself with living a peaceful life with Sister Hui.'

'Besides, no matter who you end up with, it all comes down to a brief moment of pleasure anyway.'

These were Liu Shuo's genuine thoughts.

So, while Lu Hui certainly had numerous flaws, Liu Shuo didn't take them to heart. After all, he could afford to support Lu Hui now.

He told Lu Hui, "Why do you insist on doing a Thankless Task? It's not like you're lacking food or Clothes."

Lu Hui pouted but didn't say anything further.

Meanwhile, Li Qiang, who had just hung up the Phone, suddenly let out a massive sigh of relief.

When he returned to the Dormitory from the Balcony, all the color had drained from Li Qiang's face.

Seeing this, Chang Hao curiously asked him what was wrong.

"N-nothing. It's nothing," Li Qiang stammered.

In truth, Li Qiang was filled with Hesitation at this moment. In his wildest Dreams, he never expected that Zhou Yuwen's Human Resources manager would turn out to be the beloved online wife he had been pining for.

The moment he heard Lu Hui's voice, Li Qiang hadn't shown any Hesitation at all; he hung up the Phone instantly.

There was no room to hope for a lucky break. Lu Hui would definitely recognize his voice. After all, they played Werewolf together every single day.

On one hand, there was a monthly salary of five thousand yuan.

On the other hand, there was Lu Hui, the woman he was already affectionately calling his baby wife online.

In that moment, Li Qiang was paralyzed by Hesitation.

He desperately wanted to focus on Making Money. The goal wasn't just to improve his own life, but also so he could buy more gifts for Lu Hui and make her happy.

But if Lu Hui found out that he wasn't from Jingcheng, but rather a Poor Loser who didn't even have money for living expenses, would she still stay with him?

"What's wrong with you? Were you Arguing with your girlfriend?"

Seeing Li Qiang's pale face, Chang Hao grew incredibly curious.

It was no secret that Li Qiang was in an online relationship with a Fair, Rich, and Beautiful girl.

Sometimes, Li Qiang would even beg Chang Hao to lend him his Jingcheng phone number so he could call Lu Hui. Chang Hao naturally despised such behavior.

But Li Qiang would plead endlessly, begging, "Brother, it was so hard for your little brother to find a girlfriend I can connect with. Just consider it a huge favor and help me out, please!"

"I'll just use your Phone to make one call and tell her it's my Jingcheng number, but I don't use it often. She definitely won't harass you! Brother, help your little brother out!" Li Qiang had clung to Chang Hao's hand, practically ready to bang his head against the floor in desperation.

Softhearted in the end, Chang Hao lent his Phone to Li Qiang.

As a result, Lu Hui, who had initially harbored some doubts about whether Li Qiang was truly from Jingcheng—given his incredibly strange accent and the fact that his way of speaking didn't resemble a wealthy person's—had her fears assuaged.

However, upon seeing that the phone number originated from Jingcheng, Lu Hui let her guard down. After all, a phone number couldn't possibly be fake, right?

Thus, the two progressed from merely playing Werewolf at the start, to a certain night when Li Qiang finally mustered the courage to call her baby.

Lu Hui hadn't rejected him, nor had she explicitly accepted. She had simply replied, 'I'm Sleeping now (Playful).'

Seeing this message, Li Qiang had been absolutely thrilled: 'Mhm, rest early, baby. I'm going to sleep too (Kiss) (Kiss)'

Just like that, the two began dating.

In reality, it couldn't really be called dating.

After all, they had never even met face-to-face.

It could only be described as seeking mutual comfort online.

At the very least, that was how Lu Hui viewed it.

Li Qiang, however, took it completely seriously.

He didn't know when it started, but Lu Lin's figure vanished from Li Qiang's heart, entirely replaced by images of Lu Hui during every sleepless night.

Li Qiang's mind was constantly flooded with the photos Lu Hui had posted on her Werewolf feed—the ones of her wearing a Miniskirt and Flesh-Colored Stockings. Although Lu Hui's legs weren't particularly spectacular, wrapped in Flesh-Colored Stockings, they exuded the alluring charm of a Mature Woman.

And this was exactly the most lethal weapon against a young man.

Li Qiang lost sleep every night thinking about Lu Hui. Holding the photo of her in Flesh-Colored Stockings as the moon hid behind the clouds, he would indulge in a slow, rhythmic motion with his hands.

Li Qiang truly adored his Sister Hui way too much.

He even thought about her in his Dreams.

If he said it out loud, people might not believe him.

But the first time Li Qiang called Lu Hui baby over voice chat, he actually had a physiological reaction.

And Lu Hui's soft, "Hmm?"

made him feel as if Immortal Music Temporarily Clears the Ear.

Recalling all of this, Li Qiang finally decided to let it go.

Although five thousand yuan a month was incredibly tempting, he couldn't lose his Sister Hui over a mere five thousand yuan.

He believed that Lu Hui loved him, but now was not the time to confess the truth.

It wouldn't be too late to come clean in the future, once he had made more money.

And so, Li Qiang ultimately chose not to work as a Winter Break worker for Zhou Yuwen. Instead, he found a Winter Break Job in the external Labor Market.

This year, due to Zhou Yuwen's presence, other Labor Companies encountered Difficulties in recruiting. In the past, they could hire someone for 11 yuan an hour, but now the absolute minimum was 13 yuan.

It was a bit on the low side, but it was far better than being discovered by Lu Hui.

Thus, Li Qiang submitted a copy of his Identity Card and entered a factory.

In truth, Li Qiang had always wanted to join Zhou Yuwen's Xuhuai Association.

But now, after learning that Lu Hui was in the Xuhuai Association, that desire naturally vanished.

The Xuhuai Association had now become a legendary existence within Jinling City. Many students would brag at their end-of-semester dinner tables, endlessly boasting about how Badass the Xuhuai Association was.

Even the students at Nanjing University had heard some rumors about the Xuhuai Association.

As a premier higher education institution, Nanjing University naturally wouldn't lower its standards to exclaim how Badass the Xuhuai Association was. Upon hearing such legends, their reaction was at most a face full of doubt, questioning, "How is that even possible?"

However, this time, the actions taken by the Xuhuai Association truly earned rounds of applause and praise.

Describing the Xuhuai Association as a gang-like entity was actually unreasonable.

Because the Xuhuai Association genuinely worked for the students' benefit from the bottom of its heart. These Naive University Students didn't know how lucrative the labor industry was, but what they could plainly see was that Zhou Yuwen had truly raised the hourly wage from 11 yuan to 18 yuan. Previously, students might toil for an entire month and only earn 3,000 yuan, but now they could pull in 5,000.

Furthermore, the Xuhuai Association sincerely reimbursed travel tickets for out-of-town students, distributed Bedding, and even handed out extra winter Clothes to keep them warm.

It should be noted that all these items were distributed before the students had even started working. As long as they possessed a student ID, they could collect these winter supplies at the Xuhuai Association.

It was precisely these actions by Zhou Yuwen that won everyone's trust. Some people might still argue that Zhou Yuwen was definitely Making Money off of it.

But the majority of people with half a brain would respond, "So what if he makes a little money?"

"All I know is that before the Xuhuai Association came along, I slaved away for a mere 11 yuan an hour, and I had to spend 200 yuan on Bedding before I even made a dime."

"The Xuhuai Association not only doesn't take my money, but they also buy these things for me in advance."

"Doesn't he deserve to make a little profit?"

"Without the Xuhuai Association, you'd still be bitterly grinding away for 11 bucks an hour right now!"

Rumor had it that for this batch of Winter Break Jobs, Zhou Yuwen even planned to purchase insurance for the workers.

A company like this truly deserved to be called an enterprise with a conscience.

Therefore, despite Nanjing University holding somewhat of a transcendent status, the members of the Student Union held discussions after hearing of Zhou Yuwen's deeds, wondering if they should get in touch with him.

"Our school also has some students facing financial Difficulties. If we could cooperate with him and obtain some Part-time job information, that would be wonderful."

This proposal received unanimous approval. Most of the Student Union executives were filled with curiosity and admiration for Zhou Yuwen.

"But who can actually get in contact with this Zhou Yuwen?"

At that moment, a freshman girl raised her hand. "Shiqi and Zhou Yuwen are High School Classmates!"

Beside her, Li Shiqi hastily tugged at her roommate's sleeve.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

Everyone's gaze converged on Li Shiqi.

Li Shiqi felt somewhat bashful and lowered her head.

The president of the Student Union, a fair-faced and gentle-looking junior, said, "Oh? If that's the case, then Shiqi, could I trouble you to contact your High School Classmate? Our school would very much like to establish a partnership with him for student Part-time jobs."

"I... I'm not really that close to him," Li Shiqi stammered, afraid that this matter would bring trouble to Zhou Yuwen.