Forcing Me to Be Reborn?!

Chapter 114: Chapter 99 A Grand Introduction

Time flew by, and just like that, three days had passed.

Cheng Zhu and Lin Lu chatted casually every day.

Each of them had their own studies and work to attend to, so they didn’t chat from morning to night without stopping.

But whenever they had some free time, they’d exchange a few words.

Besides, they were both in the same WeChat group, which hadn’t had a quiet day since its creation.

All thanks to Jiang Wanzhou and Shen Minglang, the duo who always livened up the atmosphere!

The off-campus arcade store was starting to bring in equipment.

The renovation that Cheng Zhu handled was indeed simple and didn’t take much effort.

In some areas, he even took inspiration from “Claw Machine,” a chain that had stores all over the country.

For instance, making the claw machines more flashy and decorating them cutely.

Or creating a so-called “plush wall” inside the store, where a multitude of stuffed toys were densely piled up and stuck to the wall. He aimed to cover the entire wall, with toys of varying sizes and designs stacked in an irregular fashion.

These designs, along with the neon lights he’d previously acquired, were actually for use as photo spots for a trendy store.

Simply put, he wanted customers to take photos at various spots in the store and then share them on social platforms.

Designing photo check-in spots is one of the fundamental operations for a trendy store.

This morning, the dance machine had arrived and was placed in its reserved spot.

And by the afternoon, the claw machines were being set up one after another.

Not to mention, just the transit of these machines drew many passing students to stop and watch.

Girls, naturally, were somewhat interested in these gadgets.

Consider that once TikTok became popular, live streams by claw machine masters could easily attract thousands or even tens of thousands of viewers concurrently.

This showed that there was always an audience for claw machines.

At four o’clock in the afternoon, a large number of claw machines were finally all moved inside the store.

Two entire shops were filled with claw machines.

Which meant that even the giant video arcades probably didn’t have as many claw machines as this place.

From a distance, it was quite a visual impact.

And the name of the store had already been decided by Cheng Zhu.

Both the arcade store and the milk tea shop were Little Youzi’s dream shops.

So, he decisively integrated his sister’s name into the store’s name and added a playful twist, naming it—”Youu Come to Play.”

Thinking about it, if it weren’t for doting on his sister, Cheng Zhu might have considered some more down-to-earth name.

“The trend is changing, huh. People used to like trendy store names, but now, ironically, it’s the down-to-earth names that seem to become trendy spots more easily.”

At four-thirty, Lin Lu and Shen Qingning came together.

Both of them were quite concerned about the store, yet their focuses were different.

Shen Qingning’s interest was because she was the landlord; her good friend Cheng Zhu had rented her shop to set up this business.

Lin Lu’s concern was because she was the supervisor of the store, having watched it transform bit by bit, investing time and energy into it, and naturally feeling a different kind of connection.

“If this store does well, I can claim some credit, huh!” Lin Lu arrogantly thought to herself.

At this moment, Cheng Zhu was outside the store handing out cigarettes to the movers who had been busy all afternoon.

He spotted Lin Lu waving at him from afar.

“Cheng Zhu! Hello! Hello there!”

He smiled and put out his cigarette.

“Here I am,” he said to the two women.

The female landlord looked from outside into the shop and commented, “It’s starting to look like something.”

“Yeah, wait until all the plush toys are in, and it’ll give you a more direct impression,” Cheng Zhu replied.

“Right? Didn’t I tell you on the way here that our ‘Youu Come to Play’ is really eye-catching? Right? Right?” Lin Lu kept prompting for a response from Shen Qingning, her “right?” incessantly uttered.

“Our ‘Youu Come to Play’?” Shen Qingning’s thoughts lingered on these words.

Amidst Lin Lu’s barrage of “rights,” Shen Qingning eventually just nodded faintly.

Just then, a voice called out from behind.

“Hey, Shen Qingning, Lin Lu, what a coincidence!”

They turned around to see a figure in a white shirt, its hem tucked neatly into black trousers.

This person was none other than Pei Yan, the Vice Chairman of the Student Council, who had met Cheng Zhu on the day of orientation.

Pei Yan was thrilled to bump into Shen Qingning on the street… if only Cheng Zhu wasn’t also there.

“Damn it, why is he here too!” Pei Yan thought indignantly to himself.

Shen Qingning, the esteemed beauty of Technology University, didn’t have many who dared to pursue her openly. Most were intimidated by her aloof demeanor and powerful presence.

This Vice Chairman of the Student Council was one of the few brave ones at Technology University, obviously thinking highly of himself.

As for Cheng Zhu, well, he was indeed a bit taller and perhaps a smidge handsomer than himself.

But I’m the Vice Chairman of the Student Council, with abilities ranking among the top students at Technology University; my family is also not lacking.

In strict terms, people who served in the student council tended to be confident in their character.

Moreover, just like high schoolers think middle schoolers are foolish, and middle schoolers think the same of elementary students, as a senior, he saw freshmen as naively foolish and mostly immature.

He was different; he interacted with school leaders, handled various school affairs, and received school scholarships.

His main selling points were maturity, stability, and exceptional abilities!

He always felt Shen Qingning wasn’t one for superficiality.

However, among those who enjoyed reading romance novels, quite a few, in fact, do judge by appearances.

Pei Yan approached and chatted with Shen Qingning and Lin Lu before turning his gaze to Cheng Zhu, “Hmm… Cheng Zhu, right?”

Cheng Zhu nodded.

Pei Yan, curious, asked the two women, “What are you doing here?”

Lin Lu casually replied, “Just checking out this store.”

Hearing this, Pei Yan glanced inside and, seeing their interest, immediately catered to it by saying, “All claw machines, huh? Quite interesting.”

“Thanks,” Cheng Zhu unexpectedly chimed in.

“Hm?” Pei Yan was momentarily puzzled. “Were you speaking to me just now?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Err, why are you thanking me?” Pei Yan was utterly confused.

“Thanks for complimenting it,” Cheng Zhu gestured casually towards the interior, saying, “I proudly introduce to you, this store is mine.”

…

…

Outside the doors of “Youu Come to Play,” Pei Yan’s composure unraveled in the autumn breeze.

Isn’t he crazy?

It’s the first time I’ve heard someone use “I proudly introduce” in this way.

Aren’t those words usually directed at others?

It felt as if we were two chivalrous wanderers who met for the first time. I say to you, “I am Pei Yan!”

And then you hit me with, “I am Cheng Zhu, above!”

Here he was, showing off in front of me, joking around, huh?

But honestly, Pei Yan was genuinely eager to try when he first noticed that Shen Qingning, an icy goddess, seemed to be interested in claw machines.

He was planning to delve deeper into the topic of the store and see if he might have a chance to invite her out here to spend some time.

Now he could forget it!

Damn it, so you’re standing at the storefront because you’re the boss?

Nevertheless, Pei Yan really began to reassess Cheng Zhu.

“I’ve always felt that he didn’t seem like a kid from an ordinary family, let alone a poor one.”

“But opening a shop off-campus in freshman year, if his family didn’t have some clout, he wouldn’t do this. Looks like he really does have some money.”

But the conversation had reached this point, and he had just praised the shop, so there was nothing to be done.

Real life isn’t like online chat; there’s no undo button.

Thus, Pei Yan had to maintain his grace with a smile, saying, “I see. I’ll help promote it at the Student Council, top-down. It should have some promotional effect throughout the school.”

Cheng Zhu heard this with a chuckle.

“Top-down? Interesting, Vice Chairman Pei,” he thought to himself.

He knew of this man from his past life, now understanding why the man nicknamed “Elegance Monster” would later get beaten up by lower-grade students outside of school.

Cheng Zhu nodded at Pei Yan, without much intention of further conversation.

This annoyed Pei Yan even more, feeling like he was getting the cold shoulder.

Even though he never really intended to promote for Cheng Zhu, people are like that; if he says one thing and does another, just for show, but the other person doesn’t even feign courtesy, then it gets to him first.

Seeing that sticking around to force a chat wasn’t getting anywhere, Pei Yan eventually had no choice but to conjure up what he believed to be a very gentlemanly smile and say, “Junior Brother and Sisters, I will be leaving now.”

This time, Cheng Zhu was quick to respond: “Uh-huh!”

Get going already, you Elegance Monster.

Before Pei Yan left, he glanced inside the shop one last time.

He knew of an off-campus video arcade that had closed down; the incident had stirred quite a controversy, with several wealthy students making a fuss.

Hence, he was skeptical about “Youu Come to Play.”

Indeed, youngsters without any real-world experience just jump into things headfirst.

Still proudly introducing! I think your shop won’t last long before it fails!

“But before it closes, maybe I can get those guys from the external relations department to look him up,” Pei Yan thought.

At this moment, at the doorway of “Youu Come to Play,” Cheng Zhu glanced in the direction Pei Yan had left.

Then he turned to Shen Qingning and deliberately asked, “That guy’s one of your suitors, right?”

…

(ps: Third update, the last day of the month, seeking monthly votes!)