Chapter 16: There is hope

　　Jasper Lee stayed home a few more days, but not for long. He had to finish teaching his students.

And he still had debts to pay.

When Jasper Lee returned to Seoul in early July and paid the last of his debts, Cherry Adams checked the balance on her card. "320,000 won," she said with satisfaction. "Not bad. If nothing goes wrong, this will be the most I've ever saved in the next four years.

　　Jasper Lee: "Is there a problem?"

Cherry Adams: "No, I'm going back to school."

Yes, Cherry Adams is finally going back to school.

A whole new beginning, a whole new school life.

Every day I'm either driving for deliveries or babysitting, I feel like I'm getting old," Cherry Adams rubs her taut face, "so much has happened this year, when I look back, I'm only twenty, I should enjoy my youth!"

　　Jasper Lee said, "Yes," and then remembered that Cherry Adams was only four years older than he was. Very often, Cherry Adams gave the impression of an adult, omnipotent and indestructible. Only on rare occasions could one see the feminine, tender and gentle moments that belonged to her.

Jasper Lee asked, "What university did you transfer to?"

"Just Binjiang University, and I was assigned to the Engineering Management major."

　　Jasper Lee chose his words carefully: "Binjiang University has a good reputation locally, and it is also relatively easy to get a job in management."

Cherry Adams was amused, "Hey, I can't say Jasper Lee, you're not tall, but you know a lot.

"I've been teaching a junior high school student lately, and he's got a good plan for himself, so I took the opportunity to learn about it."

"Junior high school student? Cherry Adams was surprised, "But aren't you a junior high school student yourself?"

　　Jasper Lee is naturally modest: "Actually, there is no such thing as elementary or junior high school mathematics. Many modules are interrelated, so as long as you understand it, it's okay.

"If only your brother were half as modest as you!" Cherry Adams shrugged and leaned in closer, "He got second in his class on the final exam, and it kills me that he's so smug about it!"

"He's been working really hard these days."

"Of course, it's not like I don't watch him every day."

　　The siblings talked about many things.

In the end, they came back to the subject of money.

"Your brother's tuition will be due again in the second half of the year..." Cherry Adams sighed, "This school is like a money-hungry mother. In the blink of an eye, the card is swiped, and voila, 15,000 yuan is gone. Have you ever calculated that your brother's annual tuition is enough to pay for my four years of university?"

　　Jasper Lee did not argue because he knew what Cherry Adams was trying to say. She just didn't want him to start working too early in life because of the high tuition.

"It's okay, just wait until Pascal Lee goes to junior high school. He already has a school in mind, a public school, and the tuition shouldn't be too expensive... Then we'll see."

"It's not a matter of seeing," Cherry Adams said, passing on her values to her younger brother, "when it's time to study, you should still study hard.

　　Jasper Lee looked at his brother unexpectedly and tiredly.

"Let's save enough money first. Pascal still doesn't have tuition for next year, and he needs money for food and clothing."

Cherry Adams half-closed her eyes and looked at the young and precocious child in front of her. Her mouth tightened, and in the end she said nothing, just reached out and patted him gently on the back.

"It will get better, your life."

She tried to lift the weight from his shoulders.

　　"It will." Jasper Lee nodded.

At the end of July, Coach Gao came to Wuhan.

Cherry Adams invited him to dinner at the Copper Pot Restaurant.

"I still have the same idea as before, to open in Wuchang University Town," Cherry Adams poured him a glass of wine, "Coach Zhang and I both think the prospects there are good, we can make money from college students during the off-season and from office workers during the summer and winter vacations, and the rent is not expensive."

　　Coach Gao said, "You make it sound easy. Do you know it's hard to get through to the driving test center there? We're all from out of town."

"So what?" Cherry Adams didn't think it was a problem. "You're from out of town, but I'm not. A friend of mine used to be an agent for the driving school there, and he could get more than 50 college students in a day during the school season! He was making five figures a month!"

Cherry Adams asked, "Shall I introduce you?"

　　"Sure. Let Lao Zhang go see what the market is like."

Cherry Adams was just waiting for good news, but she didn't expect to actually open a business in the university town. Coach Gao said he wanted to do business with college students and asked if she was interested in doing business with him. Cherry Adams jumped at the business opportunity and said yes, but I want to be a partner. Coach Gao said, "Okay, how much are you willing to invest?

　　To open a driving school, you need money for the venue, the instructor car, and the training staff, not to mention the need to cultivate relationships everywhere when you are just starting a driving school. From the time you open until the school year starts in September, you definitely won't recoup your investment. Cherry Adams took advantage of the fact that Coach Gao was currently short of funds.

"Three hundred thousand! I'll invest three hundred thousand!"

Cherry Adams was also feeling the effects of alcohol.

　　"Are you kidding me? Where did a poor student like you get so much money?" He thought she would only invest ten thousand.

"I really think this will make money!" Cherry Adams thought and thought, even reaching for her phone. "No, I'll borrow some from so-and-so, I need to invest a bit more."

"Don't do that, you make me feel bad! Three hundred thousand, if you're not afraid of losing it, then go ahead."

　　"Okay, send me your bank card number, and I'll transfer the money to your account."

Coach Gao said, "What if you lose money? They don't offer refunds."

"Unlimited joint liability means you just lose money. What's there to talk about? At the very least, you'll just go out and drive for a taxi company for a few more years to pay off the debt." Cherry Adams knew her business: "One risk, one reward!"

Coach Gao didn't take her seriously: "I think you're still drunk and impulsive. Let's talk about it tomorrow when you're sober."

　　The next day, Cherry Adams sobered up.

She decided to invest 300,000 yuan after all.

Coach Gao said it was okay and asked Cherry Adams to come to the driving school. A partnership agreement was quickly drawn up. "You young people are so easy to do business with. Before, it was difficult to ask for investment.

Cherry Adams was convinced the project would make money: "Forget those people with no vision, they will be sorry in the future!"

　　Only 300,000 yuan was transferred, and the remaining 18,000 yuan in the account was a bit embarrassing. Only then did Cherry Adams have a real sense of investment - she was really excited.

Cherry Adams did not tell anyone about the driving school, firstly because you have to keep quiet when you make a lot of money, and secondly because she was afraid that she had missed the boat and would lose money and face humiliation.

　　School started at the end of August, and Cherry Adams mingled with the returning students beforehand to inquire about the driving school market. It was better not to ask, but the more she asked, the more interested she became. When she returned, she discussed with Coach Gao how to recruit new students.

"You have invested money and have a different attitude to work," Coach Gao scolded with a smile, "unlike that lazy bastard Zhang, who just muddles through!"

　　Cherry Adams said, "Of course!" and used the afternoon to print flyers and coupons. On the first day of school, Cherry Adams stood at the orientation table with a flyer in one hand and a megaphone in the other. She didn't look like a freshman at all, but like a veteran who had been around the world for many years.

　　Even the senior who was gathering the people was embarrassed: "Little sister, you're amazing, you were born to sell."

"What is the problem? Shameless people enjoy life first!" Cherry Adams wiped the sweat from her brow with a piece of paper. She had just picked up her food and eaten a few bites when she saw a freshman coming over, so she quickly put down her bowl and chopsticks: "Classmate, come have a look, we can practice at Honglong Driving School after class!"

　　Honglong, the name also has its own meaning.

A rainbow all the way, business is booming.

So for the first two months of the semester, Cherry Adams had no interest in her studies at all, and all she thought about every day was recruiting people to do business. Fortunately, military training was something you could escape, and there were no exams in the first year. She practically ran to the driving school as soon as classes were over, and rarely came home on weekends.

　　She was so busy that she rarely had time to chat with Pascal Lee, let alone Jasper Lee who was far away. WeChat was full of messages from students asking for advice, and as she scrolled through them, Jasper Lee's chat box gradually moved to the bottom, with his simple nickname and pale, primitive avatar.

Cherry Adams later reflected that there was a reason why Jasper Lee's emotions had suddenly become unbalanced.

　　He had sent her a few messages in the middle of the night, but he had withdrawn them in time, and Cherry Adams had not read them.

She dialed nonchalantly: "What's wrong?"

He said it was nothing and asked her again why she was still up.

"I'm busy, busy making a lot of money," Cherry Adams beamed, "just wait for my good news!"

Jasper Lee's tone softened a bit and he said okay, telling her not to work too hard and to rest.

　　Cherry Adams gave a cursory reply and quickly hung up.

Kidding, can money wait for anyone?

There was something else that happened during this time, something strange, but Cherry Adams didn't pay much attention to it. One day a phone call came in, and Cherry Adams thought it was an inquiry about the driving school, so she chatted with the caller for a long time. It turned out to be something else. He said he was a relative of the Lee family and wanted to meet the Lee children.

　　"Hey, friend, you can talk nonsense...no, you can eat nonsense, but you can't talk nonsense." Cherry Adams' attitude suddenly turned sour. "You say you're a relative of the Lee family, and I'm supposed to believe that? If you really are, what were you doing when the Lee family went bankrupt?"

　　The person on the other end of the line stammered, but could not find the words.

"Nuts," Cherry Adams hung up.

It was only after the child died that she realized the importance of family.

She had raised them obediently, so who was so reckless as to cause trouble? Cherry Adams was no saint, and she would not say something like, "If you can live a better life, you can leave. Are you kidding?

She was still counting on those two children to support her in her old age.

　　After October, there was a new batch of trainees. The driving school was running smoothly. Cherry Adams' bonus was still pending, but her salary was paid first. Coach Gao gave her the commission from the students' registrations.

"You still had the best performance this month."

In September, the school year started, and she earned a net profit of 15,000 yuan. October was the National Day holiday, and the market was even better, with a performance of over 20,000 yuan.

Cherry's savings card was immediately replenished.

　　She now felt that life was full of hope.

At the end of November, Jasper Lee came back for a visit, and Cherry Adams took him for another haircut. "You should change those clothes too, you wore them last year and they are all falling apart.

As she said this, Cherry Adams had just been paid, and with a wave of her hand, she took the brothers to Jianghan Road to buy clothes.

"Just pick what you like, take what you want."

　　She smiled and handed a cigarette to a clerk of the same age.

Pascal Lee froze for a moment and looked at her curiously:

"Sister, when did you learn to smoke?"

Cherry Adams bit the filter between her teeth and couldn't help but fall into deep thought when she heard this. Yes, when did she learn to smoke? She couldn't remember.

　　Was it when she was being recruited and someone casually handed her a cigarette; or when she was running errands with Coach Gao and the person in charge of the driving test center shook a cigarette out of a box; or was it when she was worried about her performance and took a cigarette in the cool breeze? From "I don't smoke," to "I can't smoke," to the first time she accepted one, to now.

"When don't you smoke when you're in business?"

　　Cherry Adams snapped back to reality and just smiled.

Pascal Lee was stunned and asked what kind of business she was talking about. Cherry Adams mysteriously shook her head and simply told him not to worry about it and to concentrate on his studies.

　　Jasper Lee, as usual, was calm and gentle, only interjecting a word or two when appropriate.

Cherry Adams actually sensed that there was something different about him, but she had to admit that she had been too busy making money and had not paid enough attention to her two brothers.

As a result, she had failed to notice the fresh, bright red cut on Jasper Lee's wrist while he was changing.