Store preparations required all tasks to move forward simultaneously.
After New Year’s Day, the atmosphere at school suddenly became tense, with students spending increasingly more time in study halls. Most maintained their good study habits from high school – getting into Huaqing didn’t mean everything was settled. When everyone around was working hard, who dared to slack off?
The academic workload was heavy, and no one wanted to fail the first semester’s final exams.
Xia Xiaolan was now grateful that she hadn’t wasted time, hadn’t daydreamed in class, and hadn’t been lazy during study sessions – otherwise, she would be suffering more now. While others were reviewing, she had to review too, plus attend special English competition tutoring!
The finals coincided with Huaqing’s final exams, and all major universities’ final exam schedules were within days of each other. She wondered how out-of-town students would manage, as they still had to travel to Beijing for the finals.
Thinking about this made her slight fatigue disappear.
Kang Wei had been gone for several days with no news – what was happening with Zhou Cheng’s situation?
Xia Xiaolan’s mind wandered.
“Little Six, you’re seriously sleep-deprived – look at those dark circles!”
Su Jing said this while yawning herself.
Xia Xiaolan splashed some cold water on her face, instantly feeling more energetic.
“Aren’t you all the same? Who was reading with a flashlight last night? Aren’t you worried about ruining your eyes!”
An invisible whip drove the young women of Room 307 or rather all ambitious youth of the 1980s. Wasting time was despicable – ambitious youth were busy improving themselves. It wasn’t just Room 307’s residents working hard; everyone at Huaqing and beyond was striving.
An author once said, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
Xia Xiaolan strongly agreed, especially regarding the 1980s – people who worked hard enough would reap rewards and change their lives. No computer games corrupted college students’ willpower; regardless of gender, students only went to classrooms, libraries, study rooms, and sports fields. Various clubs and cultural activities were healthy and positive, discussing poetry and distant dreams, and harboring aspirations.
The social atmosphere was good, seemingly with fewer depression cases than in later years.
In such an environment, Xia Xiaolan couldn’t justify not working hard. Even Beijing’s air was pleasant – spring sandstorms weren’t a big deal, and winter mornings had only white fog, no smog!
Xia Xiaolan smiled at her thoughts. Su Jing and Zhou Limin exchanged secret glances – classmate Xiaolan was quite unusual, the English competition pressure must be immense!
“Little Six, take care of your health.”
“Yes, yes, don’t push yourself too hard…”
Xia Xiaolan was puzzled, “Isn’t everyone pushing this hard?”
Not at all – nobody else alternated between worrying and silly laughing.
Perhaps this was common among those in relationships. In Room 307, except for Xia Xiaolan, all seven others were single, curious about dating but hesitant to try.
There were certainly admiring male classmates. First-year students were still green, but upper-class seniors were bolder. In Huaqing’s male-dominated environment, seniors pursuing juniors was quite normal.
A third-year senior was intensely pursuing the soft-spoken Chen Yiyi from their dorm.
The senior said he disliked loud, boisterous girls and preferred gentle ones like Chen Yiyi. Gentle girls might not catch the attention like outgoing ones at first glance, but they were like clear springs – increasingly attractive with time.
Chen Yiyi naturally hadn’t agreed, but this became Room 307’s only entertainment during the tense atmosphere.
The pressure was intense – without some jokes, the dorm’s atmosphere would be too heavy.
Xia Xiaolan was even more tired than them and had more concerns. Tang Hong’en said she didn’t think purely like a student, and Xia Xiaolan admitted she couldn’t focus like Su Jing and others.
Wanting to be more outstanding than others, live better than others, and surpass those who looked down on her, Xia Xiaolan faced an endless mountain – life ongoing, struggle continuous!
Now, Liu Yong had brought Gong Yang to Beijing.
Both stores were connected to Xia Xiaolan, so Liu Yong naturally prioritized their renovation.
As Gong Yang had become ‘Yuan Hui’s’ designer, who else could come?
Interior decoration work was satisfying, and this market was still blank. However Gong Yang designed it, and clients never disliked it. With abundant praise, work was naturally energizing! Moreover, Liu Yong paid generously – one design, one fee. Gong Yang was excited just to hear about the project.
Xia Xiaolan had met her uncle in Pengcheng before and still missed him.
Liu Yong was hardworking and still thin despite being a small business owner. Coming to renovate Xia Xiaolan’s shops, he dressed casually, unconcerned with boss appearances.
Xia Xiaolan gave Liu Yong the addresses and both store keys. Liu Yong took Gong Yang to measure the dimensions themselves. Having done many projects, their workflow was well-coordinated.
Xia Xiaolan showed her rough sketches to Gong Yang, leaving details for him to perfect.
Gong Yang marveled:
“The finished effect will be like the jewelry store that captivated the protagonist in ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’.”
“It’ll be far from Tiffany’s window display – that’s luxury incarnate… but you’re not wrong. That’s the effect I want – female customers passing by will stop to admire the fashionable clothes inside.”
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” was a 1961 film, certainly not publicly shown in China. For art students like Gong Yang, secretly watching such films was normal. Art has universality, and films are visual feasts closely related to aesthetics.
With a renovation budget of only tens of thousands of yuan, not dollars, Xia Xiaolan knew she couldn’t create Tiffany’s luxury feel. She didn’t need it that high-end – just mimicking that feeling to make people stop and look was enough.
Tiffany’s was something even high-class escort Holly could only admire through windows.
‘Luna’ was positioned as China’s mid-to-high-end women’s wear. It needed to feel upscale without scaring customers away. The renovation budget was just right – truly renovating to luxury store standards would cost tens of thousands of dollars, far beyond Xia Xiaolan’s budget.
The renderings were Gong Yang’s work; Liu Yong only provided quotes:
“Two months, definitely finished, both stores starting simultaneously. Now that our business discussion is done, I need to discuss personal matters. The Shangdu store can go to your aunt, but for us to accept comfortably, you must agree to my solution. How much is the Shangdu clothing store worth? Someone would buy it for 200,000 yuan, but I can’t provide that cash now. This winter’s store dividends – take your aunt’s share first!”
The dividends were several tens of thousands, and Liu Yong would make up any shortfall from elsewhere.