If you cut in, you will get hit. Do you call this a driving school instructor?

Good morning...

This is really early today.

After finishing his business and leaving the hospital, Gu Yin took out his phone to check the time. It was 11:30. He had just woken up around 7:00 and hadn't even had breakfast before accompanying Yu Jie back to her hometown to get some documents. After delivering the documents, they had planned to have breakfast together around 8:00, but then this incident happened. They had spent ages waiting for the police and the ambulance, and then followed the ambulance to the hospital to watch his aunt's "performance." Before he knew it, it was noon.

"I'm sorry for delaying your move," Gu Yin said to Yu Jie after getting into the car.

"I'm fine, it's mainly you," Yu Jie said, tidying her hair slightly. "I've ruined your weekend, and you didn't even get to eat breakfast..."

Her tone carried a hint of apology, which touched Gu Yin. He simply smiled and said, "Then how about we change breakfast to lunch? My mom might not cook for me, and if I go back now, I might not have anything to eat."

This sounds a bit like he's trying to gain sympathy. If Gu's mother or Gu Yue were here, they would definitely scold this guy for being heartless. Gu's mother is steaming buns at home. It's only a half-hour drive from the county hospital to home. By the time she gets home, the buns might just be fresh out of the steamer. Even if they're cold, just put them in the microwave for a minute or two and they'll be piping hot again.
In a home with Mom around, when will you ever go hungry?

You heartless bastard...

“Okay,” Yu Jie nodded readily, “What would you like to eat?”

"Whatever you want to eat, it's on me," Gu Yin said. "Otherwise, you'll be going over budget."

Although he said it in jest, he didn't mean to look down on anyone. Even if Yu Jie, who had just started working, didn't have any savings, she could still afford to treat someone to a meal. It was just that Gu Yin felt embarrassed.

Sometimes, that's just how "human relationships" are...

When the Gu family first moved into their new house after the renovations were completed, they asked some elderly relatives, uncles, and other family members to help with the move...

Moving is a complicated matter. No matter how little you have, if you have furniture or appliances, it's not something you can do in one or two trips. You might ask a relative to help you without asking for money, but if you hire someone to move, can you expect them to treat you to a meal?

Eating out at a restaurant will easily cost three to five hundred yuan. If you accidentally break something, you'd feel bad saying anything to the restaurant. Adding that amount to the cost of moving the items would be enough for the moving company to cover the expenses. And if the moving company breaks anything, you can even make them compensate you...

This is "human relationships," a kind of shackle that binds people at the bottom of society.

It's like when Yu Jie asked Gu Yin to drive her home...

Even with extra money, a taxi ride from Gu Yin's Lishan Xinyuan to her hometown would only cost fifty or sixty yuan at most. But if she were to treat Gu Yin to a meal, breakfast would be fine; a simple meal would cost around fifty or sixty yuan and be enough to fill her up. But lunch…

You can't just treat someone to noodles, rice noodles, or spicy hot pot and call them a day, can you?

Whether it's hot pot, barbecue, or stir-fry, it will cost at least one or two hundred yuan for two people.

That "favor" is a bit pricey...

Sometimes, it's not that people want to eat something from you, but rather that they've helped you and you're inviting them to dinner. If they refuse, it would seem like they're being unreasonable.

A so-called "face" made everyone uncomfortable. Gu Yin hated this kind of thing the most, and he never wanted to owe anyone anything. Therefore, he really didn't want Yu Jie to treat him to this meal.

“No, let’s keep things separate,” Yu Jie waved her hand and refused, saying, “I promised to treat you, so I’m treating you. I can’t possibly not afford to treat you to a meal. Don’t look down on me.”

"...Do I look like I'm looking down on people?" Gu Yin rolled her eyes and said, "I'm the one who dragged you into this with that Honda owner. If it weren't for me, you would have gone back long ago. I'm the one who dragged you into this. Can you accept that now?"

A grown man shouldn't expect a woman to pay when he goes out to eat.
These two are really stubborn. After arguing back and forth for a long time, Gu Yin finally couldn't persuade Yu Jie and agreed to treat her to a meal.

As for what to eat...

On his way home, Gu Yin passed by the university town and simply turned around and went to the nearby Aegean Shopping Mall. He often came to this area and was quite familiar with the restaurants there.

Of course, not the stuff in shopping malls. Shopping malls all over the country basically have the same stuff, all chain stores, all pre-made food, nothing good. Gu Yin was going to the nearby pedestrian street, which is a new pedestrian street in the city. Because it is backed by several universities, the foot traffic is still good.

It's worth mentioning that when they arrived near the mall, Yu Jie muttered to herself, "I studied at this institution before my interview, and I stayed there for quite a while."

“I see…” Gu Yin had been casually agreeing, but then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he asked Yu Jie, “It’s not that new educational institution that opened on the top floor last November, is it?”

"How did you know?" Yu Jie frowned, feeling that Gu Yin didn't seem like the type to be involved in civil service exams.

"I...emmm..." Gu Yin didn't know how to explain for a moment.

He knew about that educational institution because he had gone out to use the restroom when he was eating barbecue with Xia Qianyi. His floor was under repair, so he went upstairs and happened to see it.

I really didn't expect that we would have such a coincidence...

Speaking of this shopping mall, Gu Yin has a special connection with it, after all, the infamous "forklift wall-slamming Audi" scene also happened here.

I don't know if it was because it was the weekend, but the mall was quite crowded. There was even a queue to get into the parking lot, which is really rare in a small county town...

It's worth mentioning that Gu Yin is now truly a "VIP" at this shopping mall. As soon as he parked his car and before he even entered the elevator, a manager-looking person came up to him from the mall entrance, calling him "Teacher Gu" repeatedly, which was incredibly friendly.

Liu Si, the manager of the Aegean Shopping Mall, wasn't exactly someone Gu Yin knew well. It was just that this guy would occasionally call Gu Yin, asking if she would cooperate with the mall in shooting some advertisements, offering her advertising fees. Gu Yin thought it was unreliable and worried he was trying to scam her, so she didn't agree. And then…

Then this guy bombarded Gu Yin with phone calls for several days, which made Gu Yin so angry that she blocked him.

Gu Yin was also surprised. How come this person came downstairs to "greet" him before he even showed up in the mall?

"Are you alright?" Gu Yin's forehead was covered in black lines. He said, "If you're not alright, go away. We still need to go eat."

"What would you like to eat, Teacher Gu? It's on me..." Manager Liu Si said enthusiastically, holding her phone. "I have some shopping mall vouchers here. You can scan this QR code to claim them. It's an internal benefit. And you should know that parking here is free forever, right?"

"...Could you please not be so enthusiastic towards me?" Gu Yin felt that this person's reaction gave her the feeling of "a weasel paying respects to a chicken," which was particularly strange.

Hearing this, Yu Jie, who was not far away, couldn't help but chuckle. She couldn't understand why the manager was flattering Gu Yin so much. "Oh my, aren't you our distinguished guest, Teacher Gu..." Manager Liu Si, dressed in a suit, was so funny as he bowed and scraped.

"How did I become such a distinguished guest here..." Gu Yin couldn't help but smile wryly and asked.

You wouldn't believe it until you asked, and what I found out was truly shocking...

After the "forklift wall-slamming Audi" incident, didn't a lot of college students, internet celebrities, and the like go to the scene to take photos and check in?
Although the matter was resolved quickly, many people still came to "check in" because of the influence of those videos.

The mall's executives are also a group of talented people. They immediately spotted this "business opportunity" and placed an order for the same Audi and the same forklift!

They used a forklift to lift the Audi, "recreating" the famous scene from that time!
Then they invested a bit more in Douyin (TikTok) on the short video platform next door and promoted it heavily, turning the underground parking garage into a "popular photo spot"!
"...So, that's why there are so many people in your mall's parking garage?" Gu Yin was speechless, her lips twitching.

No wonder there were so many people when I entered the underground parking garage, and I even had to queue. It turns out it was my "influence" that was at work!
The people in this mall are really something... Sigh, they deserve to make that money!

They really know how to seize business opportunities!
“You’re really popular now,” Yu Jie said, tugging at Gu Yin’s sleeve. “Artificial internet celebrity hotspots don’t usually stay popular for long. It’s probably all thanks to your hype.”

"I didn't expect this either..." Gu Yin smiled wryly and whispered to Yu Jie, "If that's the case, then I'll take the vouchers. You should scan a couple too, don't refuse them if they're free."

Previously, I was afraid that the mall manager, Liu Si, was up to no good, and I also felt that I was "unworthy of the reward I had not done".

But now it seems that's not the case at all...

It now seems that Gu Yinke has made considerable contributions to their shopping mall.

It's been so long since this happened. If they maintain this level of foot traffic, just the increased spending alone would be enough to make Gu Yin happy to accept a car from the mall.

Manager Liu Si would readily accept being called "Teacher Gu" or even "Dad" by Gu Yin.

"Pfft..." Yu Jie couldn't help but laugh when she heard this, and whispered to Gu Yin, "You really have to take advantage of this little bit."

Although she was saying things to complain, Yu Jie actually had a newfound respect for Gu Yin.

how to say……

Although they were old classmates, they had hardly had any contact before. Yu Jie only knew Gu Yin through Su Nuan's words and online channels. In Yu Jie's mind, he was probably a relatively successful, wealthy, and capable person now.
My impression of such a person was that they wouldn't care about money and would spend it lavishly, but now it seems...

Quite the opposite.

He gives people a very "down-to-earth" feeling.

This made Yu Jie feel very comfortable.

At Gu Yin's instruction, the two of them scanned the vouchers. Gu Yin didn't stand on ceremony with them when it came to parking. He even asked Yu Jie if she needed to have her license plate number recorded so she could park anywhere she wanted. Unfortunately, Yu Jie said that she hadn't bought a car yet and would only drive the police car occasionally. It wouldn't be appropriate to have the police car's license plate number recorded, would it?
Even shopping malls might not dare to charge parking fees for police cars...

After receiving the vouchers, Gu Yin consulted Yu Jie and decided to eat at the mall. Although most of the malls here are chain brands, there are also shops run by local friends. After all, rent in a small county town is not high.

The Sichuan restaurant was on the spicy side, and Gu Yin wasn't picky about food. Surprisingly, Yu Jie seemed to enjoy it, which made Gu Yin remember her taste...

It's worth mentioning that during the meal, people would occasionally come up to Gu Yin to say hello and ask if they could take a photo with her or something...

This made Gu Yin quite embarrassed.

But how should I put it, I guess I've gotten used to it.

Since before the Lunar New Year, people have started recognizing him whenever he goes out shopping. The place he's most afraid to go now is the university town near his home. He used to go to the night market whenever he had free time, but now he doesn't even dare to drive there, let alone go there in person...

There's no way around it, you get instantly killed as soon as you show your face!

His person, his car—those trend-following college students can spot them instantly. Nowadays, people are almost more obsessed with internet celebrities than with real stars; it's really scary.

Gu Yin would occasionally bring up this matter at the dinner table, making Yu Jie giggle. The distance between the two was drastically shortened in this day, and they really did get to know each other a lot more.

It's worth mentioning that during the meal, not only did passersby recognize Gu Yin and ask for photos with him, but the mall manager Liu Si also came over to bother him quite a bit. Liu Si, carrying a large pile of "gifts," also brought a bottle of good wine, seemingly wanting to toast Gu Yin...

Ugh, that kind of thing at Shandong drinking parties, you know it all, it's disgusting!
Gu Yin used to hate this kind of thing when he worked at Chuanda Driving School, where the driving instructors would have dinner together. Now he's even less interested and just told him, "Don't drink and drive," to skip the toasting and just say what he really thinks.

The mall manager, Liu Si, wasn't polite at all. She subtly hinted to Gu Yin that she could film an advertisement for their mall. She didn't need anything too elaborate, just a promotional video.

Of course, he wasn't the type to get something for nothing. He said he could pay Gu Yin for the advertising, according to his standards.

"What are my standards?" Gu Yin scratched his head, genuinely unsure of what standards he should have.

After hesitating for a moment, I called Xia Qianyi. She's a celebrity; she should know more than I do…

Xia Qianyi's reply nearly scared him so much he dropped his phone.

The female celebrity on the phone said: "Right now, you'd need at least 20 to 30 yuan for an advertisement, right? I'm not too sure about the exact amount, but I can ask Mengmeng for you."

Fatty Mengmeng is an assistant. Assistants and agents are in charge of these things, and she knows them very well.

“No…” Gu Yinze asked, his lips twitching, “The twenty…thirty you mentioned, is it W?”

Are you sure you mean RMB, not Happy Beans?

If making money is so easy, then what the hell am I working myself to the bone all year round for?!
...(End of chapter)