novelraw Chapter 799: Postgrad Entrance Exam, Vast Seas
Chapter 799: Postgrad Entrance Exam, Vast Seas
Sister Wen and Sister Meng froze for a moment, then their gazes simultaneously landed on Tang Song’s face.
They tried to find in that young, handsome pair of brows and eyes some trace of the aloof authority a big boss should have, but all they saw was the same mild smile he’d had while chatting earlier.
Still gentle as ever.
The owner of Lan Feng International... a five-star hotel?!
That phrase hit them like a thunderclap. For two ordinary white-collar workers who’d been earning forty to fifty a month and constantly worrying about rent and commuting, it was almost unimaginable.
What was Lan Feng International?
It was the landmark standing in Yancheng’s prime downtown. The highest-end, largest luxury foreign-style five-star hotel in the area. They’d occasionally see friends check in for afternoon tea or weddings, and it showed up constantly on Douyin and Xiaohongshu. The grand glass façade, the dazzling lobby, the luxury cars lined up at the entrance... to them, it was the clearest symbol of “top-tier wealth” and “high society.”
That’s why they had envied their former colleague Li Juan so much when she got a job there.
And now, the owner of that hotel was sitting in their tiny shop—still smelling faintly of fresh renovation, under forty square meters, filled with spicy oil and smoke—wearing a plain sweatshirt.
Using disposable bamboo chopsticks, eating the skewers they sold for one yuan fifty a stick.He had just been calmly discussing investing tens of thousands to “expand the business” and even volunteered to help optimize their food supply chain.
It all felt... absurdly unreal.
Meng Qin was better at keeping it together; it was her first time meeting Tang Song, and she’d simply thought the young man was handsome and had a clean, standout temperament, like he’d stepped out of a drama.
The shock mostly came from his identity.
But Sister Wen was different.
She and Tang Song were old acquaintances. Last summer, when Qian Lele sold food at the night market, Tang Song often hung around beside her stall. Their stalls were close, and Wen had teased the “young couple” a lot, making jokes. As he started dressing better, she assumed he was just a rich second-generation guy courting Lele.
She never expected that the guy she once jokingly called “Little Tang,” whom she thought was kind and doting toward Lele, would transform into the helm of that cloud-top hotel.
A genuine billionaire!
That extreme contrast in identity made even the usually outgoing Sister Wen’s scalp tingle; she didn’t know where to put her hands. Her mouth opened, and she forgot how to react.
Qian Lele glanced at the slightly stiff Sister Wen, then at her brother, pressing her lips together. A complex look of comprehension passed over her face, but it quickly settled back into calm.
She had mentally prepared for this.
She wasn’t too surprised by another shocking layer of her brother’s identity being revealed. She had always known Tang Song was formidable, wealthy, and mysterious. The invisible gulf between them constantly reminded her of certain boundaries.
“Ahem...”
A soft cough broke the brief silence.
Tang Song picked up his teacup and took a sip, then looked up at Sister Wen, his eyes curved as he joked, “Sister Wen, don’t stare like that. You make me feel like I didn’t come to eat, but to collect rent as a landlord.”
His light, teasing tone instantly eased much of the invisible pressure his status had created.
Sister Wen jolted at the remark and snapped back to herself.
Her habitual bright smile returned, though slightly restrained now, threaded with embarrassment and residual shock. “Oh my... I was just so surprised, Tang... President Tang.”
“Just call me Tang Song, really no need for that.” Tang Song glanced at the two still standing by the door, stood up and waved them over, naturally inviting, “Come on, Youguang, Li Juan, don’t just stand there. Sister Wen’s skewers taste authentic. My sister and I were just talking about investing in this place to help make it better. You can help with advice on optimizing things too.”
Sun Youguang and Li Juan both responded in unison.
As employees under Tang Song with key financial roles, they knew exactly the magnitude of their boss’s assets. President Tang wanting to invest in this roadside skewer shop was beyond anyone’s expectation.
They did not hesitate or question; they quickly nodded, took off their coats to hang on the simple rack, and walked over briskly.
To them, Tang Song was not only a boss but also someone who had extended a helping hand at their life’s low point, giving them steady work and hope. It was only natural for them to trust and follow him.
Hearing Tang Song explicitly mention “investment” again made Sister Wen and Meng Qin’s dulled brains suddenly spin back to life.
They belatedly realized what those two words could mean.
They had vaguely guessed before that Tang Song’s casual mention of “supply chain connections” might be more than empty talk. But now, factoring in his identity as the Lan Feng International owner, the true value shot up to a level they hadn’t imagined.
What were their current sourcing channels?
Getting up before dawn to haggle at noisy wholesale markets, worrying about freshness and pesticide residue, fretting over a few jiao difference in price, transporting goods on a small electric tricycle, storing everything in an old secondhand freezer in the shop...
If Tang Song could solve their ingredient supply, it could mean stable, high-quality, cheaper direct sources; reliable cold-chain logistics delivering on time; standardized quality control so they wouldn’t have to worry anymore.
These resources were a fantasy to them, but perhaps for him they were just a matter of a single call.
All the vague, distant daydreams they’d had—“if we expand,” “if we open another branch,” “if we can make big money”—suddenly felt illuminated by a spotlight. They sharpened into something concrete, even tangible.
Sister Wen looked at Tang Song’s still-gentle profile, then at Lele beside him.
She suddenly understood clearly that tonight’s meal would completely change her fate.
“Li Juan, Youguang, hurry, come sit here!” Sister Wen snapped back, her voice half a notch higher than usual, overflowing with excitement she could hardly contain.
She moved tables with quick hands, pushing two square tables together. “The clay pot we kept warm for you is ready; the next batch of potato noodles will be served soon! Meng Qin, go skewer some more. Li Juan likes beef, right? Youguang, what do you want?”
“I’ll eat anything, not picky!” Sun Youguang said with a simple grin, pulling Li Juan to sit at the long table they had set up.
Their posture was still slightly awkward, but their eyes shone bright.
...
After a short stagnation, the shop’s air began to circulate again.
The stove flared, the soup pot boiled anew, and the spicy, savory aroma filled the place, painting everyone’s faces rosy.
They ate and chatted, starting from the bubbling pot of red oil skewers, the satisfying chew of the ingredients, and the diverse selections, before naturally drifting into each other’s lives.
Sun Youguang and Li Juan, the little couple, were doing better lately. They had both prepared for the intermediate accounting certification in September last year and had received the certificates just after New Year. Under company rules, Sun Youguang’s base salary got a big raise this month. Li Juan had been formally transferred to Lan Feng International Hotel.
Both now paid full social insurance and housing funds, and their monthly contributions already added up to a considerable sum. They planned to go back to their hometown to formally get engaged this Spring Festival. They had saved enough for a down payment and were using spare time to view apartments, targeting Yuhua District for a two-bedroom so their commutes would be shorter and they could save on transport.
Facing the man who had given them this change, Sun Youguang and Li Juan were a little tongue-tied but full of gratitude and hope.
They were ordinary kids from rural northern families with no connections. Last New Year’s, they were still doing part-time deliveries and counting every cent. Their biggest dream had been to save 150,000 to buy a house in their county. Buying a home in Yancheng had once been an unattainable luxury; now, that heavy desire was finally about to take root.
“Congratulations.” Tang Song looked at the light in their eyes and patted Sun Youguang firmly on the shoulder, teasing, “But won’t a two-bedroom be a bit cramped if you want a second child? Lan Feng International has an internal emergency loan policy for employees, interest-free. Li Juan, you can apply and buy a three-bedroom directly.”
Sun Youguang immediately waved his hands anxiously, “No, no, President Tang! We have enough savings now. And we don’t need too big a place; it’s too much pressure.”
Li Juan shook her head vehemently, earnest and resolute: “A two-bedroom is perfect! Even if we have a child later, we can do a bunk bed. When we earn more, we’ll upgrade. The company will keep getting better; we have faith in ourselves!”
Seeing them flustered but determined, Tang Song smiled and easily conceded, “Alright then, forget the loan. But buying a house is important; don’t shortchange yourselves. Li Juan, I’ll tell our GM Qiao Anji to have him contact Yunxi Real Estate’s sales and see if we can find a reasonably priced small three-bedroom. I’ll get them the best discount. Consider it my engagement gift to you.”
At Tang Song’s words, their eyes instantly filled with tears.
They knew Lan Feng International belonged to Yunxi Real Estate’s portfolio, and Qiao Anji was a senior manager over there. With a word from the big boss, an “internal discount” could save them a fortune, maybe years’ worth of wages.
After hesitating a long time, they finally accepted and stood to bow to Tang Song.
...
8:50 p.m.
After bidding farewell to Sun Youguang and Li Juan, the two of them walked side by side into the harsh winter wind.
Approaching the familiar outline of the South Gate of Teachers’ College, students began to appear in greater numbers, and Qian Lele unconsciously slowed her steps.
Her heart, however, beat faster and faster, like a rebellious little rabbit thumping against her ribs.
“What’s wrong?” Tang Song noticed her pause and asked gently.
In the bleak evening breeze, Qian Lele stopped and suddenly turned to look up at him, staring without blinking.
“Brother!” she exclaimed, louder than usual.
“Mm, I’m here.” He replied patiently, watching her.
“I...” she took a breath and her voice dropped, trembling slightly, “I want to stay at Yanjing Tiancheng tonight. Is that okay?”
Tang Song’s eyes softened into a smile as warm as sunmelt. “Of course. I’ve already told you—there’s always a room kept for you there. Your pajamas are in the closet, your toiletries are in the bathroom; everything’s just as you left it, waiting for you.”
Qian Lele bit her lip. “Thanks, brother. There’s so much I want to tell you, so that’s why...”
“I know. Come on, it’s windy outside. We’ll talk in the car.” Naturally, Tang Song reached for her hand, fingers slightly cold, and guided her toward the curb.
Liu Jiayi was standing by the car and opened the rear door efficiently as they approached.
They got in.
The door shut.
The cold and noise of the outside world was sealed away.
Settled in the luxurious, quiet cabin, the familiar presence beside her let Qian Lele’s racing heart gradually find a steadier beat.
She exhaled softly, barely daring to breathe loudly, and leaned obediently into the soft leather seat.
She knew she’d been greedy tonight—not only had she used Sister Wen’s business as a pretext to see him and have him accompany her for dinner and conversation, but now she wanted to stay in his world and not leave. She wanted to sit by the wide floor-to-ceiling window with him, listen to him talk about the future and the world, or simply be quietly near him, breathing the same air.
That was her truest longing.
She only wanted to be a little closer.
The trip home was short.
When Tang Song led Qian Lele back into that magnificent, dreamlike large flat, a complex wave of feelings rose in her chest.
Everything there remained quietly luxurious, the air perfumed with a faint, elegant scent. It didn’t fit with the world she came from, yet it oddly filled her with a homely steadiness.
“Phew...”
Tang Song took off his coat, sniffed the cuff and smiled at her, then said, “We both sat in that little shop for a long time, and now we smell like skewers. Go shower and change, relax. I’ll wait for you in the study.”
“Okay! Thanks, brother.” Qian Lele nodded obediently, cheeks flushed, shouldering her small canvas bag as she walked toward the bedroom that belonged to her with practiced ease.
Click.
She pushed open the door.
The soft motion-sensing light came on automatically.
The room was still tidy, the air faintly scented with high-end fragrance.
Everything was almost exactly as she had left it—neat bed, clean desk, even the pillow she’d left on the bedside was still where she’d put it.
Clearly the place was regularly and carefully cleaned, yet intentionally preserved traces of her presence.
The realization made her eyes sting.
She shut the door softly and let out a long breath.
Then she quickly took a hot shower, letting the warm water wash away the smoky scent from her hair and skin. She chose a cotton loungewear set from the wardrobe and changed.
Afterward, she flopped backward onto the longed-for soft bed, burying her face in the plush quilt that smelled faintly of sunlight, breathing deeply until her chest filled with security.
After daydreaming for a while, she suddenly remembered her brother waiting in the study.
She scrambled up, roughly tidied her slightly messy long hair, hesitated for a moment, then applied some lip balm to moisturize her dry lips until they looked healthier and rosier. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
She padded quietly to the study.
The door was half open, warm yellow light spilling out.
“Come in, Lele.” Tang Song’s mild voice came from inside as if he had already heard her steps.
Qian Lele blushed and pushed the door open.
The study was quiet.
Tang Song sat behind the wide desk. He had just finished showering; his hair was still damp, casually falling on his forehead. A pair of rectangular glasses perched on his nose, softening his usual sharpness and lending him a scholarly air. He wore a loose plain T-shirt with a slightly stretched neckline, revealing a sliver of his long neck and delicate clavicle—an unpronounceable mix of lazy charm and handsome looks.
Qian Lele’s heart skipped a beat and she dropped her lashes, not daring to look up.
“Brother.”
Tang Song closed his laptop, rose and walked around the desk to her. He looked at Cinderella, pure to the extreme.
Under his gaze Qian Lele’s cheeks warmed; she instinctively touched her face. “Brother... is there something on my face?”
“No.” Tang Song smiled softly, low and pleasant. “I just think you look clean and neat. It’s really pretty. I can’t help but look more.”
“Ah...” Her face reddened even more and she hung her head, flustered.
Tang Song reached out and patted her cheek, smiling as he turned back to the matter at hand. “Remember what I told you before I went abroad? To help supervise Professor Jiang’s special training. I said there’d be a reward if you did it well.”
Qian Lele nodded and said softly, “Yes, I remember... but I don’t need a reward. Helping you is my duty.”
“Bones are bones. I promised and I don’t break promises. You did well. Professor Jiang will have a reward, and you’re my sister. We’re family—how could I let family lose out?”
Those three words, “we’re family,” were like a sweet drop thrown into the lake of her heart, dissolving silently and spreading warmth through her body.
She stammered for a while, cheeks flushed, and finally only gave a soft “mm,” not refusing anymore.
“Here, look at your reward.” Tang Song pointed to a deep-blue gift box on the corner of the desk.
Qian Lele walked over curiously and opened the lid.
Inside was a sealed phone box—a brand-new vivo X100 Pro. Beside it were matching high-fidelity Bluetooth earphones from the same brand, several official protective cases in different styles, and even a screen protector. Thoughtfulness to the last detail.
“This is... too expensive.” Qian Lele waved her hands hurriedly. “Brother, you don’t have to. I have a job and money now; I can buy one myself.”
“This is a reward I picked out for you.” Tang Song took the phone and placed it into her hands without arguing. “It’s already bought. It’s not too expensive. You can’t refuse.”
“But...”
Seeing her still trying to decline, Tang Song continued, “You’re now one of the core front-end developers on the Weiguang Coffee mini-program reconstruction project. Your old phone not only lags during debugging, its color accuracy is off and that directly affects your assessment of the final product’s look. This is a productivity tool.”
Holding the new phone, Qian Lele pursed her lips, unsure what to say.
She wasn’t naive; she understood her brother was protecting her pride, just like when he bought her that secondhand MacBook Pro before. The phone she used now was the cheap vivo she’d bought in freshman year and had been dutifully using for over two years; it was long past its prime. Real-device debugging took forever and color rendering differed from design drafts.
She had planned to wait until the year-end bonus from Weiguang Coffee to replace it after buying winter necessities for the family.
After a while, she looked up and met Tang Song’s gentle gaze. “Thank you, brother. I’ll use it well and not waste it.”
“That’s right.” A smile rose in Tang Song’s eyes. “Open it and put in your SIM. Transfer your data. Don’t lose anything important from your old phone.”
“Okay.”
They sat on the large, soft sofa. Qian Lele carefully unboxed the phone, inserted the SIM, powered it on, connected to Wi-Fi, and logged in. She concentrated on the setup while Tang Song sat beside her, occasionally pointing out migration details.
The warm floor lamp bathed them in gentle light; the atmosphere was quiet and cozy.
The silky smooth experience of a flagship phone excited Qian Lele. She examined macro photography, tested app launch speeds, and had a blast.
Before they noticed, night had deepened.
Tang Song grabbed two bottles of fresh-squeezed orange juice from the fridge, and they moved to the floor-to-ceiling window.
Outside, Yancheng glittered with a thousand lights and the flowing traffic looked like rivers of light. Inside it felt like spring, with a faint citrus scent.
Qian Lele sipped the cold juice and listened to Tang Song chat about industry anecdotes and tech trends, replying shyly but earnestly, a satisfied smile always on her face.
Between topics, Tang Song suddenly turned to her and casually asked, “By the way, Lele, excluding living expenses, how much cash can you freely access right now?”
“Fifteen thousand three hundred yuan.” She quickly calculated in her head and gave a precise number.
“Good.” Tang Song nodded, his tone turning slightly more businesslike. “We’ll each put in 15,000, combine to 30,000 as the first formal investment for Sister Wen’s little shop. Tomorrow’s Sunday; I’ll transfer the money to you and you’ll take the funds to Sister Wen and Sister Meng to finalize this thing.”
He raised a finger and listed clearly: “Remember, make sure to sign a proper Partnership Agreement. It should state the total investment amount, each party’s contribution and share, how profits will be distributed, and the decision-making mechanism. This is the basis of commercial cooperation and protection for both sides.”
“This matter is fully entrusted to you. It’s a rare hands-on business practice opportunity. Confident you can do it?”
“Yes!” Qian Lele sat up straight, eyes shining with the trust placed in her. “I’ll do it! I’ll look up how a partnership agreement is written!”
“No need to overcomplicate it. I’ll send you a basic template; you can modify it with Sister Wen and the others,” Tang Song smiled and relaxed his tone again. “You should be about to start winter break, right?”
“Yes, classes end on the 15th of this month, about a week away.”
“That’s perfect. During the break, besides continuing the Weiguang Coffee development, you can devote time to getting this shop running. Help them set up operations and an online delivery channel. There are not only students nearby but mature residential neighborhoods too. Build the reputation and service ahead of peak season, and business will boom when school resumes.”
He turned to her and gave a teasing wink: “If you run it well, by next spring, Lele, you might become a little rich lady and earn your first pot of gold.”
The image he painted, wrapped in the current warm atmosphere, made the future feel within reach.
A dazzling smile spread across Qian Lele’s face as she clinked her glass bottle with his: “Then I’ll take my brother’s blessing! Cheers!”
Ding~~
After taking a big sip, her smile softened and she shifted into a more serious expression, the one she wore when asking important questions.
“Brother, actually... I’ve been thinking about something and I can’t decide. I want your opinion.”
“Hmm? Go ahead.”
“I’m feeling more and more that focusing purely on front-end development might narrow my path in the future. AI tools are evolving so fast; many basic slicing, layout, and even logic code can be generated in seconds.”
Holding her cup, anxiety leaking into her voice, she continued, “So I’m wondering if I should pivot early to learn AI application or model fine-tuning—more foundational, core tech. But I know my limits. I’m not some genius, my math is average, and my bachelor’s degree is ordinary. If I enter such a competitive field, can I succeed? Will I risk losing both paths and end up with nothing?”
Tang Song listened quietly without answering immediately. He turned the bottle in his hand, eyes tracing the lights outside, and thought for a moment.
Slowly he said, “I have one piece of advice—take the graduate entrance exam and go to one of the top domestic universities for a master’s in computer science. Don’t chase pure algorithms; choose the intersection between front-end engineering and AI applications—for example, intelligent human-computer interaction (HCI) and similar areas...”
When she heard the words “postgrad entrance exam,” Qian Lele visibly froze, eyes widening slightly.
That option had never been on, nor dared to be on, her life plan. It wasn’t that she believed she couldn’t pass or didn’t desire the halo of those institutions; it was harsh reality that deprived her of the choice. From the moment she finished high school, her primary, even sole, clear goal had been to make money—quickly and with all her might. She had chosen computer science without hesitation because she’d heard it had high starting salaries and easy employment.
For three years at university, every effort, every part-time job, every penny saved revolved around survival.
Graduate school?
It meant at least another two to three years without full-time work or steady income. Preparing for the exams would require half a year of full-time study. It was a period of investment with no immediate return—an indulgence her fragile family finances might not permit.
But then another voice budded quietly within her.
In high school, because she had to care for her family she had been distracted and underperformed in the college entrance exam, missing her ideal school. That regret had never left her.
Going to a top university to complete the dream she hadn’t finished... that desire had always smoldered under the ashes.
And now... things seemed different.
She glanced down at her hands, which were no longer callused and rough. She was no longer a college kid who had to hand out flyers in the cold and survive on low-cost labor. She had a stable, manageable tech part-time job at Weiguang Coffee. She received research stipends from Professor Jiang’s lab and could study openly. She even now held a small share in a promising shop that was about to open.
Her family’s financial burden, which once suffocated her, was being lifted piece by piece.
Perhaps she truly had the right to pursue her own life now.
Postgrad was no longer an unattainable luxury, but a broad avenue that could both improve her skills and give her future breathing room.
Slowly, she turned her gaze to Tang Song.
He stared at the city lights; the side of his face looked soft and deep under the illumination. Seeing him, her mind drifted back to that feverish summer, to the time they shared a teacher’s apartment: millet porridge, five-spice cakes, radish pickles, code, plans, discounted tiramisu, the Cinderella who made a wish, the prince who carried her onto the pumpkin carriage...
That’s why she wanted so badly to live in Yanjing Tiancheng—not for the fancy decor, but because there she could recapture that feeling.
She wasn’t one to delude herself. She was lucid and quick-witted, even more mature than many of her peers. She knew herself better than anyone, including the feelings she harbored for Tang Song. But knowing her family’s heavy burden and the gap between them, she deliberately avoided indulging in such thoughts, channeling feelings into admiration and dependence toward an elder brother. Calling him “brother” had been brazenly daring at the time, a way to preserve future opportunities for closeness.
Her circumstances were changing.
If she could, by her own efforts, fully solve her family’s financial problems, then not only could she resume the shelved dream of further study, but perhaps the buried longing she barely dared name could also be acknowledged and pursued.
She was practical and took life one step at a time, but she also had the stubborn courage to press forward when she set her sights on something. Growing up, she never wished for things beyond her capability—except for him.
Once you’ve seen the vast sea, ordinary waters no longer suffice.