Yunzhong City, sunny day, the azure sky is cloudless.

At the entrance of Yunzhong University, Qin Ziyang and his roommate Zhang Xianglin stood under the shade of a tree with their suitcases.

"Ziyang, is your older brother ready?" Zhang Xianglin wiped the sweat from his forehead and exhaled a breath of hot air.

He glanced at his phone and cursed at the heavens, "Damn this weather! It's already 39°C! Are they trying to turn us into hot dogs?"

Qin Ziyang disagreed, replying with the first part, "It should be soon."

Qin Zihao messaged him saying that about an hour later, he estimated that it was about time before leaving the school gate to wait.

However, he was unaware that a torrential downpour in Jiangbei City had delayed Qin Zihao's arrival, causing them to wait at the school gate for quite some time.

"By the way, Xiang Lin, have you found a job yet? It seems like you're the only one in our dorm without an offer. I remember the others all have several."

Qin Ziyang suddenly remembered that among the three of them in the dormitory, it seemed that only Zhang Xianglin hadn't gone to the campus recruitment interviews much.

Zhang Xianglin shook his head and sighed, "Making money is hard and getting by is tough. There are only two or three companies hiring photographers, and they all require you to be on call 24/7. They provide three meals a day during the internship, but there's no salary."

He also described the true colors of those HR professionals: "They even had the audacity to say: 'You've learned the most important photography skills here for free. These skills and experience are the most valuable assets. Young people should focus on accumulating experience so they can move up in the future!'"

After saying that, Zhang Xianglin laughed at himself in anger.

These people, recruiting free laborers with such high-sounding words, are so shameless, I wonder if a power drill could even break through those layers of skin.

I don't feel ashamed at all.

"That's not even the most outrageous part. After all, they provide three meals a day. Some companies are even more outrageous, paying employees to work there."

Qin Ziyang recalled a popular post he'd seen on the campus website: "Family members, have you ever seen paid work?" and chuckled to himself.

"So what are your plans for the future? Starting your own business or continuing to look for a job?"

Zhang Xianglin sighed, "The industry is saturated now, unlike ten or twenty years ago when it was a golden age. Without capital, it's not easy to start a business. I'll try my hand at self-media while looking for a job, and see if I can make a living."

Qin Ziyang nodded. That's true. Times have changed. In the past, university graduates were guaranteed job placement. Now, university graduates are guaranteed factory jobs.

"By the way, how are things going between you and Yang Xue? Are you ready to meet my parents?" Zhang Xianglin asked curiously, his tone filled with undisguised envy.

Yang Xue, one of the four most beautiful girls in the school, has taken a liking to her best friend, and Zhang Xianglin is envious and jealous of Qin Ziyang's good fortune.

"Uh, not yet." Qin Ziyang remembered Wang Man's request, and his interest waned, so he fell silent.

Seeing Qin Zihao's reaction, Zhang Xianglin could guess what was going on, so he didn't continue the topic.

Someone as beautiful as Yang Xue must come from a good family, so her standards would naturally be much higher.

He had also looked into Qin Ziyang's family; they were a very ordinary family. The two were somewhat mismatched in terms of social standing.

There aren't many girls who are willing to stay with the person they like from beginning to end, let alone girls from well-off families. Who would want to send their daughter to suffer with a poor guy?

"Hey? Isn't that Qin Ziyang?"

A mocking voice came from behind Qin Ziyang.

"What's wrong? Are you waiting for a ride or a taxi? Why didn't you call your family to pick you up? Don't you have a car? Really? Are there still families who can't afford a car these days?"

The newcomer was a blond man wearing a light yellow summer beach shorts and a short-sleeved shirt with large flower petals tattooed on it, a style favored by middle-aged and elderly people.

The blond guy's real name is Liu Kun. He's in the same college as Qin Ziyang, but they're in different majors.

Liu Kun had previously pursued Yang Xue, but without success.

After learning that Qin Ziyang and Yang Xue were together, he couldn't understand where he had gone wrong.

His family runs a used car dealership and is considered to have some money. As far as he knew, Qin Ziyang's family was poor; his parents ran a small restaurant and earned very little money year-round.

When it comes to family, he wins.

As for his clothes, aren't all the trendy items he's wearing costing several hundred dollars?

And what is Qin Zihao wearing? Two pieces for 9.9 yuan with free shipping, garbage.

In terms of clothing, he wins.

Looking at his appearance, he wasn't bad-looking either. He was 1.72 meters tall and quite handsome and dashing.

Both 1.72 meters and 1.78 meters are counted as 1.7 meters, so it seems he still wins.

But Yang Xue would rather date a poor, penniless guy than accept him.

Liu Kun harbored jealousy and resentment. Whenever he encountered Qin Zihao, he would speak sarcastically and bitterly, wishing he could trample the other underfoot and prove to Yang Xue that he was superior.

"What's it to you?" Qin Ziyang didn't even look up, and just snorted coldly.

Liu Kun stepped forward, looking down at Qin Ziyang with an increasingly arrogant tone: "What does this have to do with me? Qin Ziyang, why don't you take a good look at yourself? A poor, pathetic guy like you dares to act all high and mighty with me?"

He pointed at Qin Ziyang's chest, his contempt undisguised: "Your parents run a run-down little restaurant and can't even afford a decent car. If I were you, I'd be ashamed enough to ride a shared bike home, not have the nerve to hail a taxi here!"

"See that Mercedes over there? 500,000! You couldn't afford it even if you sold everything you own! You poor wretch!"

Zhang Xianglin couldn't stand it any longer and stepped forward to block Qin Ziyang. "Liu Kun, watch your mouth! His parents earn their money honestly and diligently, isn't that better than you asking your family for money?"

"Hey, isn't this that loser who can't find a job and wants to make a living as a self-media creator?"

Liu Kun scoffed, his eyes full of disdain as he looked at Zhang Xianglin. "With your hopeless outlook, you can't even rely on your family, yet you dare to tell me what to do? Any apprentice at my family's used car dealership earns more than you'll make as a self-media creator. You think you're worthy of lecturing me?"

Zhang Xianglin's face turned bright red, and he trembled with anger, but he was speechless for a moment.

His family is just an ordinary family; they can't even afford a car.

He didn't even have the confidence to refute it.

Liu Kun looked at Qin Ziyang again, his questioning tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible resentment.

"Qin Ziyang, what makes you so special? Why does Yang Xue look down on me but fall for a poor kid like you?"

"Your family is poor and powerless, and you haven't even found a job yet. What can you give Yang Xue? Can you buy her designer bags or drive her luxury cars? Let me tell you, a girl like Yang Xue deserves someone like me! A poor loser like you will be dumped by her sooner or later, and then you won't even have anyone to cry to!"

He repeated those words that broke Qin Ziyang's resolve: "If you know what's good for you, get away from Yang Xue right now! Only I can give Yang Xue happiness!"

Qin Ziyang was enraged. He clenched his fists tightly and retorted loudly:

"I may not be able to give her anything right now, but I won't be like you, flaunting your family's money. Aside from family, what do you have that I can compare to?"

"Yang Xue chose me because she believes I can give her happiness in the future. And someone like you with your blond hair, besides trendy young women, who would even want you?"

"Yellow Hair?" Liu Kun, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, shoved Qin Ziyang hard and said angrily:

"Do you even know what fashion is? You loser have no taste."

"You think you can give Yang Xue happiness in the future? In reality, if you don't have money, you're nobody! Your parents have struggled at the bottom their whole lives, and so will you. You'll never be able to hold your head up high! What are you going to give Yang Xue for happiness in the future? Is this just a pipe dream?"

He then looked at Zhang Xianglin, his tone becoming increasingly sarcastic: "And you, you like hanging out with that good-for-nothing Qin Ziyang. Sooner or later you'll end up like him, a good-for-nothing who won't even have a full meal!"

Zhang Xianglin gritted his teeth, wishing he could go up and punch Liu Kun.

Qin Ziyang's eyes were icy as he warned, "Liu Kun, don't go too far."

"Excessive? So what if I'm excessive?" Liu Kun puffed out his chest, looked smug, and patted his short-sleeved shirt.

"I wear trendy clothes that cost hundreds of dollars, I own a car and a house, and I can easily find a better job than you. I look down on you and laugh at you, so what can you do about it?"

He taunted again, "What, you're not happy? Go ahead and hit me? Let me tell you, if Yang Xue follows a good-for-nothing like you, she'll never eat four dishes in her entire life!"

As more and more people gathered around to watch the play, the security guard at the entrance asked the students to make way and not block the driveway.

Fearing that Qin Ziyang might act rashly and put them at a disadvantage, Zhang Xianglin quickly advised, "Ziyang, don't be impulsive. He's provoking you to do it!"

Qin Ziyang clenched his fists tighter and tighter, his arm veins bulging, his eyes fixed fiercely on Liu Kun.

Liu Kun, on the other hand, looked completely confident and even showed a provocative smile.

He knew that a poor man like Qin Ziyang wouldn't dare to touch him and could only let him insult him.

Just then, a row of luxury cars broke through the distorted space of the hot surface and slowly came to a stop at the school gate.

After two honks, the car window rolled down, and a steady voice came through:

"Ziyang, what happened?"

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