TYAM Chapter 84

The first day of the Lunar New Year was the perfect time for New Year’s visits. Peng Xingwang had even gone ahead and opened a new bank card early—a special limited edition printed with Ultraman Gauss.  

Jiang Wang had stayed up late playing games the night before and originally planned to sleep in as long as he wanted. Yet, by eight in the morning, he was still groggily accompanying the kid from house to house.  

At times like these, Peng Xingwang was particularly well-behaved. He didn’t throw tantrums or make a fuss—just crouched by the bed like a little puppy, staring at him with big, expectant eyes. It was impossible to say no.  

Jiang Wang first tried to hide under the covers, then turned over, pretending not to see. But he could still feel that burning, sincere, and utterly innocent gaze on him.  

…Forget it. It’s time to get up.  

Receiving red envelopes was a holiday privilege to Chinese children. In western countries, kids might get small toys in their Christmas stockings  — but in China, Lunar New Year red envelopes were real cash.  

In Yuhan, it was customary to give a few hundred yuan per envelope. After visiting a few families on both sides of the street, Xingwang’s small pouch was already too full to hold everything, so he had to stash some in his backup backpack in the car.  

Jiang Wang was just there to catch up with old clients and friends, but when visiting families with children, the hosts were always happy to hand out red envelopes.  

He chatted idly while secretly observing the kid’s well-practiced tactics—hesitating, pretending to push the envelope back, acting shy, but ultimately accepting it without hesitation. The whole performance was smooth and polished.  

Watching him, Jiang Wang couldn’t help but laugh.  

Peng Xingwang is exactly like him. He would do the same. 

Meanwhile, Du Wenjuan was at home frying egg dumplings and lotus root meatballs, humming a tune, in high spirits.  

Her phone rang. She glanced at the bubbling oil in the pan and answered the call offhandedly. “Chang Hua?”  

“Yinyin is having a great time at her grandmother’s place. She’s already collected several red envelopes,” Chang Hua said, signaling someone to take the child further away before asking about Du Wenjuan’s situation.  

Long-distance calls were expensive, so their conversation was brief and formal, almost like reading from a script.  

Just as they were about to hang up, Du Wenjuan carefully placed the fried meatballs into a woven basket and said softly, “I want to bring Xingwang over.”  

There was a brief silence on the other end before a delayed response came.  

“Why are we talking about this again?”  

“I knew you’d say that… But Wenjuan, Yinyin is not even a year old yet. We have to help her pick lucky charms, teach her to talk, take her out to explore—where would we even find time to take care of your son?”  

Du Wenjuan frowned. “I can afford it, and there’s a place for him to stay.”  

“If you shut me down like this right away, then maybe I should start considering moving to Yuhan with Yinyin. Xingwang is only nine.”  

The person on the other end sounded like he rolled his eyes. After a second, his tone became oddly defensive.  

“You only told me about your son one or two months before we got married.”  

“Wenjuan, I’ve never blamed you for that, but you also have to understand my position.”  

Du Wenjuan felt a tightness in her chest. Thinking about how much her son still clung to her and then about Yinyin on the other end of the line, she felt like she was standing at a crossroads, unsure of which way to go.  

She turned off the stove, held the phone, and asked slowly, “My bank account had 1,500 yuan missing last month. What happened?”  

The other side hesitated for a second before quickly replying, “1,500 yuan? How would I know? You must have remembered wrong.”  

“I already changed the password.” Du Wenjuan’s voice was calm. “Chang Hua, I just got promoted, but if you cross the line again, I will take Yinyin and leave.”  

She had never had the courage to say something like this before—not even dared to think about it.  

But now, even though Yinyin was barely a year old, she found herself stating it outright, even confronting him directly.  

So people really can keep growing stronger.  

Chang Hua was caught off guard, stumbling over his words before abruptly hanging up.  

Du Wenjuan stared at the phone, checked her remaining call balance, and after a long moment, popped a lotus root meatball into her mouth, chewing as she scoffed.  

What’s the point of getting married? They’re all just trouble.

---

Meanwhile, Jiang Wang had been making so many New Year visits that his throat was dry. He took Xingwang back to his bookstore for some Hong Kong-style milk tea.  

By now, he owned four bookstores in Hongcheng and had opened two large bookstores in Yuhan. His tutoring centers weren’t just spread across the three major districts of the provincial capital; they were thriving, drawing in wave after wave of students.  

If he had been content with just being comfortably well-off, he could have stopped expanding and just coasted along.  

But he was always cautious.  

There was no such thing as guaranteed profit.  

As long as you were in a competitive market, there would always be rivals, comparisons, and crises.  

That’s why he had to keep pushing forward, always staying ahead of the curve, running faster than everyone else.  

Because of the rapid success of Buwang Bookstore and Buwang Education, Yuhan was now seeing the same phenomenon as Hongcheng—  

New bookstores, milk tea shops, and tutoring centers were springing up like bamboo shoots after the rain. Some were even opening right next to his businesses, blatantly copying his business model. They didn’t just mimic his layout – they even stole his menu names.  

Before his employees could get angry, loyal customers, gold-card members, and dedicated parents from his tutoring centers were already speaking up.  

“Look at that milk tea shop—they named it Yaowang Milk Tea! They even copied your lychee milk tea, didn’t even bother changing the name!”  

“Hey, that tutoring center over at Guangjiakou is shameless! They secretly photocopied your teaching materials and used them in their classes! Do they have no shame?!”  

Jiang Wang swiftly filed for all necessary patents and turned around to sincerely thank these enthusiastic supporters.  

How could they eliminate cockroaches and rats, those filthy things hiding in the gutters?  

If they wanted to steal ideas and ruin their own karma, they could deal with the consequences themselves.  

He had more important matters to handle.

The New Year is the perfect time for marketing and promotions, making it easy to attract new customers and boost sales.  

Jiang Wang had planned his strategy three months in advance, launching a New Year blind box event while the crowds were bustling.  

— Anyone who spent at least 66 yuan at the bookstore or signed up for a membership could draw one of the twelve zodiac bookmarks. Collecting a full set allowed them to exchange it for grand prizes such as digital cameras or laptops.  

The bookmarks were crafted with intricate cut-out designs, featuring silver tassels and beaded ornaments. Each of the twelve designs showcased an adorable animal, with slight differences in color and material.  

Kids who weren’t aiming to collect the whole set would get a free bookmark with their book purchase, while those looking to maximize their chances could buy multiple to get a full box. If they got duplicates, they could trade with friends.  

The front desk staff had been well-trained, assuring customers that if they didn’t want to buy that many books, they could also enroll in tutoring or language classes. All of Jiang Wang’s stores were collaborating, and purchases at any location counted toward the blind box promotion.  

Sure enough, every day, at least one or two kids managed to collect all twelve designs and happily redeemed their prizes in front of everyone, walking away triumphantly with limited-edition figurines.  

Others were skeptical but couldn’t resist trying their luck.  

What started as just drawing one to see what was inside quickly escalated into a ten-pack pull, and before they knew it, they had already signed up for phonics classes and physics competition prep courses.  

“Wait… I came here just to buy a dictionary, didn’t I?”  

“Where did my lucky money go?? How did I spend all of it?? Impossible!!”  

“I just need one more dragon bookmark to complete the set—offering a high price for a trade! Anyone got a dragon?!”  

The same promotion was running in both Yuhan and Hongcheng, with sales skyrocketing to the point where the accountants had to work overtime just to keep up.  

Boss Jiang was incredibly pleased with the results.  

After all, lucky money was best spent on knowledge and academic success—it was the most valuable investment.  

Employees, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of red envelopes they received, found themselves working overtime every day. They couldn’t help but think that while their boss’s smile made him seem like a genuinely good person, when he got cunning, he was utterly ruthless.  

…really awesome. 

Still, the New Year from the first to the seventh should be properly celebrated. Jiang Wang didn’t push his employees too hard—most people just dropped by in the afternoons to work a bit before heading home for dinner. HR had no mandatory requirements, but anyone who came in received a red envelope, making overtime feel rewarding.  

The only one who showed up every day, without fail, from 10 AM to 8 PM was Fu Er.  

She was practically one step away from moving her bedding, recliner, toothbrush, and pillow into the office.  

Her parents, after a picturesque vacation in France, were now planning to join a tour group for another trip. This time to the land of free, United States.  

Fu Er pushed up her glasses and simply said, “Go wherever you want—I only care about making money. My sole goal in life is to work hard and earn more every day.”  

She was perfectly content being alone in the empty office, blasting rock music without anyone to stop her.  

On the third day of the New Year, while preparing competition materials, she heard someone at the front door.  

“Excuse me, is anyone here?”  

Fu Er immediately looked up, thinking it was a colleague from another branch. Still in her fuzzy bunny slippers, she walked over to greet the visitor.  

Standing outside was a woman with sharp brows and bright eyes, dressed in a workwear jacket and deep brown jeans. She had a strong presence and was impressively tall—Fu Er had to tilt her head up to look at her.  

“Hello…” Fu Er sized her up and noticed she wasn’t wearing an employee badge. “May I ask who you are?”  

Tao Yingqi, Peng Xingwang’s elementary school homeroom teacher, had nothing to do over the break and decided to take a walk to see if the kid was around.  

She had a good relationship with Ji Linqiu and often stopped by the bookstore or tutoring center.  

“Is Xingwang here at the office, or did he go to the bookstore?”  

Fu Er hesitated for a moment. “You’re his…? Do you want me to call and check?”  

“Oh, I’m his Chinese teacher and homeroom teacher,” Tao Yingqi realized she might have come across a bit too assertive—or maybe it was just that the petite girl in front of her was so short that talking to her felt like an imposition. She smiled and waved her hand dismissively. “I was just passing by and wanted to see him. Sorry to bother you.”  

“No, no trouble at all,” Fu Er quickly pulled the door open. “Would you like to come in for a look? I’ll be your guide.”  

She was always extra enthusiastic about visitors who weren’t part of their company—after all, management had made it clear that bringing in new talent came with referral bonuses.  

Who knew? Maybe she could recruit someone.  

This was a golden opportunity to prove herself to Boss Jiang and maybe even negotiate for annual bonuses or extra vacation time.  

Come join our company and shine! A bright future awaits!  

As Tao Yingqi followed Fu Er inside, she noticed a sudden change in the girl’s mood. It’s like she had just discovered a fantastic opportunity.  

Since Tao Yingqi lived alone in Yuhan and didn’t bother going home for the holidays, she casually observed Fu Er for a moment before asking, “Did Boss Jiang force you to stay behind, or did you choose to work overtime?”  

Fu Er, now in high spirits, hummed a tune as she followed company protocol, introducing the latest teaching equipment and curriculum materials.  

“I love solving problems and teaching. Working overtime during the holidays makes me happy.”  

“In schools, teachers also can’t avoid working overtime,” Tao Yingqi chuckled. “But even when we have to work during winter and summer breaks, we don’t always get extra pay.”  

Fu Er glanced at her for a few seconds before suddenly saying, “You have great potential.”  

She was well-mannered, articulate, and spoke clearly—definitely a solid, experienced teacher.  

Why don’t she… join them?