This time, when Mr. Zhong rubbed her head, the gesture no longer felt like the comforting pat of an elder.

 

Instead, it was more like the affectionate closeness of an older brother toward a younger sister.

 

Yao Jiayin immediately obeyed, picking up her down jacket and carefully smoothing it—touching it, tugging it straight, and putting it on neatly.

 

The man’s gaze followed her unconsciously, his thoughts drifting to the fact that the jacket had been bought by Qi Xuan’s boyfriend…

 

“This is my phone number,” Zhong Xianzhi said, taking out a business card and handing it to her.

 

Yao Jiayin accepted the card, her expression a mix of surprise and confusion.

 

She was still young and didn’t understand the deeper meaning behind this gesture. All she could do was look at him with watery, bright eyes.

 

The low-key, dignified tycoon met her gaze directly.

 

With a gentleness that carried an undeniable pressure—one that made refusal difficult—he asked:

 

“I’ll have my assistant send you a phone this afternoon so it’s easier to stay in touch. When I have time, I’ll take you to buy some clothes. Alright?”

 

Under the scrutiny of those deep, dark eyes, Yao Jiayin felt, for the first time, an inescapable sense of intrusion.

 

Her heart trembled with excitement, quietly pushing past the limits of her still-immature reason.

 

Her eyelashes quickly grew damp, and her innocent almond-shaped eyes looked at him with pitiful vulnerability.

 

She wanted to reach out—and in the next moment, she actually did.

 

But halfway through the motion, she suddenly snapped back to reality, startled by her own impulsive thought, and sharply withdrew her hand.

 

A mature man with rich life experience saw through the girl’s brief reactions in just a few seconds.

 

Zhong Xianzhi took out another tissue. This time, his movements as he wiped her tears were no longer clumsy.

 

He comforted her skillfully. “It’s just a phone. Why are you crying again?”

 

Yao Jiayin looked at the mature, handsome man. She nodded—then shook her head.

 

Finally, choking back sobs, she still forced a smile.

 

“You’ve already been so good to me. You’ve taken such good care of me… You’re the best person I’ve met in my eighteen years of life!”

 

“But phones are really expensive. So expensive. I… I can’t accept it, Mr. Zhong.”

 

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to.

 

It was that she couldn’t.

 

Zhong Xianzhi saw clearly the girl’s unease and longing, her insecurity and gratitude.

 

He wiped her tears clean, then casually pinched her delicate, fair cheek.

 

“That’s twice you’ve cried now, classmate Jiayin.”

 

“A phone is just something I use to make a kid happy. Don’t feel burdened by it. Consider it a return gift for those egg tarts.”

 

Yao Jiayin froze when he pinched her cheek, then her face flushed bright red and she hurriedly lowered her head.

 

Just as Zhong Xianzhi curved his lips slightly, the girl suddenly gathered her courage and did what she hadn’t dared to do earlier—

 

She reached out and held Zhong Xianzhi’s hand, her voice shy yet brave.

 

“I don’t usually cry… Mr. Zhong. I feel so happy right now.”

 

Seeing that he didn’t pull his hand away, Yao Jiayin grew even bolder, carefully hooking her little finger around his.

 

“Let’s make a pinky promise. You have to stay healthy, drink less alcohol, and rest more.”

 

Zhong Xianzhi lowered his gaze to their entwined little fingers.

 

The soft, delicate touch made his expression look strangely unsettling.

 

But the next moment, he naturally held the girl’s small hand.

 

A gentle squeeze—firm yet warm—comforting, then he let go.

 

As if it were nothing more than playful closeness with a child, without the slightest hint of impropriety.

 

“Alright. You focus on your studies too. If you have any difficulties, you can come to me anytime.”

 

Yao Jiayin stepped out of the car feeling lightheaded.

 

Even after walking far away, she kept turning back to look.

 

An eighteen-year-old student, her heart full of girlish thoughts, her eyes bright, her expression filled with reluctance.

 

She looked at the black sedan she had ridden in. On the front was a triangular emblem she didn’t recognize.

 

She didn’t know the brand, but just from the metallic texture and elegant design, she could tell it was very expensive.

 

The car didn’t drive away immediately, drawing frequent glances from male students nearby, who excitedly discussed it among themselves.

 

“So badass—”

 

“Fully imported… must be a few million, right?”

 

“Damn, 6.0T… is that the Berlin edition? That’s ten million! My whole family would have to start working back in the Ming dynasty—”

 

As Yao Jiayin passed by and heard that, her heart suddenly trembled.

 

Ten million?

 

No wonder the car was so comfortable and spacious, with refined fragrance, and complete silence once the door was closed…

 

The seats were so comfortable that she later fell asleep without feeling any bumps at all.

 

The unit “ten thousand” was something Yao Jiayin had never truly encountered—let alone millions or tens of millions.

 

Those were just Arabic numerals in textbooks to her.

 

For a rural girl like Yao Jiayin, no matter how many magazines or extracurricular books she had read, she had no real concept of millions.

 

Just like her first winter in the capital.

 

Textbooks said northern winters reached below minus ten degrees—extremely cold. But how cold, really?

 

As a girl from the south, she could only imagine wearing three extra layers.

 

Only after experiencing it herself did she realize that without heating, without coal stoves, northern winters were cold enough to “leave frozen corpses along the road.”

 

Now, even five thousand yuan in her backpack made Yao Jiayin feel warm all over, her heart soaring.

 

What about ten thousand? A hundred thousand? A million?

 

That wouldn’t fit in a backpack anymore—you’d have to go to the bank and open an account.

 

Yao Jiayin couldn’t help but turn around again, but unfortunately, the luxury car parked by the roadside had already driven away.

 

She withdrew her gaze, her heart still racing.

 

The girl unconsciously reached up to touch her cheek, still remembering the warm sensation of the man’s gentle pinch.

 

“At least—” Yao Jiayin murmured softly,

 

“He doesn’t reject my closeness.”

 

—

 

Before returning to the dormitory, Yao Jiayin took a detour to a shop to make a phone call.

 

“Hello, Xiaohua? Yeah, I haven’t called you in half a month~ I really miss you…”

 

“Yes, that restaurant was great. The coworkers were nice, and the boss was even nicer… I got paid, so I called you right away~”

 

“Okay, go get him. I won’t hang up…”

 

“Hello, Junfeng… mm-hmm, I’m doing really well… really! My salary is high, and I get lots of tips…”

 

“You’ll be taking the college entrance exam in less than half a year… you need to memorize vocabulary properly. Don’t secretly play arcade games on Sundays anymore…”

 

With the start of the spring semester, youthful vitality once again filled the campus.

 

After finishing her calls, Yao Jiayin returned to the dormitory.

 

Only Chen Juanhui from Shanhe Province had arrived early.

 

They hugged happily the moment they met, then chatted excitedly about fun things that had happened over the New Year.

 

Busy until a little after three in the afternoon, someone suddenly knocked on the door and called out:

 

“Yao Jiayin~~ Is Yao Jiayin here? There’s a man in a suit downstairs waiting for you. He says his name is Chen Feng and he’s delivering something.”

 

Yao Jiayin immediately stuffed her backpack into the cabinet, her eyes lighting up.

 

“I’m coming~ Thank you!”

 

Chen Juanhui watched as her roommate dashed out like the wind—and less than ten minutes later, came panting back.

 

Yao Jiayin was holding an exquisite box, breathing hard. Chen Juanhui asked curiously,

 

“What is it? I’ve never seen you smile this brightly.”

 

Yao Jiayin’s heart was pounding as she opened the box and took out a berry-red phone.

 

It was delicate, compact, and gleaming beautifully.

 

She lovingly stroked the metal casing, her eyes brimming with unconcealed joy.

 

Chen Juanhui leaned in to look—and gasped the next second.

 

“That Korean brand? Wow, and it’s the new model… You can take photos, and when you close it, it works as a music player…”

 

Seeing Yao Jiayin’s shy expression, her gossip instincts ignited.

 

“Who gave this to you? Beauty Yao, this is way more expensive than your down jacket! It’s definitely not Senior Zhao—so which wealthy man is it?”

 

Yao Jiayin gently caressed the most expensive gift she had ever received in her life.

 

“My boss gave it to me as an employee reward. He’s really a very warm, kind person.”

 

Chen Juanhui pulled over a chair and sat down, disbelief written all over her face.

 

“The retail price is five thousand. That’s several months’ salary for ordinary people… Your boss gives winter break workers gifts this expensive?”

 

She clearly didn’t believe such a charitable boss existed in the world.

 

“You don’t know how dangerous society can be. Sister, be more cautious—can you really get something this expensive without giving anything in return?”

 

Chen Juanhui’s parents were both working professionals. Her family wasn’t poor, but not wealthy either.

 

With younger siblings at home, she had unconsciously treated the gentle, obedient Yao Jiayin like a younger sister over time.

 

“You’re just a temporary winter worker. If he were giving gifts, it would be to managers or outstanding long-term employees… How would it be your turn?”

 

“Jiayin, I don’t mean you’re not good—you’re definitely hardworking, but—”

 

“Sigh… I’m just worried you’re being set up by a rich man…”

 

Yao Jiayin looked at her roommate, who was sincerely worried for her. She set the phone aside and hugged Chen Juanhui’s arm.

 

“I know Huihui cares about me. You’re the best~”

 

She rested her head on her roommate’s shoulder, her eyes curved into crescents, and said something seemingly unrelated:

 

“Some people are good at doing business and making money. Some people are good at being themselves. I know what I want…”