Chapter Thirty-Nine: Like a Beautiful Little Deer

As the need for personnel arose, Lin Cheng made a phone call to look into Tao Lu’s background. Tao Lu had graduated from high school without attending college and had headed to Guangdong Province. Cherry Media required a mobile liaison, essentially an assistant’s role. Chen Yan tailored a work schedule for her based on her lifestyle, explained the salary and responsibilities, and the decision was made quickly.

During the startup phase of Cherry Media, many things couldn't follow conventional rules. At the very least, as a high school senior, Lin Cheng still had his studies, and Chen Yan had not yet finished his resignation process; many things had to adapt to their pace.

On a Sunday afternoon, amidst a thunderous roar of engines, a graceful woman rode a fiery red heavy motorcycle right up to the entrance of the Cherry Media office. The two bosses were stunned by her dashing entrance. The bike was an Indian Roadmaster—incredibly famous, with a V-twin engine and a displacement of 1890cc. To put it simply, the bike was massive and eye-catching; it would look right at home with Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger. One could easily imagine Tao Lu weaving through ancient streets and canal scenery, looking as cool as a female version of 007.

Tao Lu’s Mandarin was impeccable. Later, it was discovered that her Hakka and Cantonese were equally standard, allowing her to communicate seamlessly with locals from all walks of life. Originally, they had planned to hire others to clear out the office and the utility room, but it turned out that Tao Lu wasn't just cool in appearance—she was also incredibly capable. She hauled filing cabinets, desks, and computers on her own, assembling and moving everything by herself. By the end of the afternoon, the office was basically ready for use.

Chen Yan had submitted his resignation to the school, but the principal, considering his situation, granted him a period of suspension without pay as a buffer. Several senior teachers also tried to persuade Chen Yan not to be impulsive. When the news spread, the mood in Class 5 grew somber, and some of the girls even teared up. As a result, his students kept pulling him aside for heart-to-hearts, demanding that he see them through to the end.

After a month of back-and-forth, the class average in the monthly exam dropped from third to tenth in the school. Principal Huang Yi was instantly rattled; this was supposed to be a key class. He sternly criticized Chen Yan, telling him to get his act together. As an excellent young teacher, Chen Yan ultimately promised his students he would not abandon them. However, he resigned from all his concurrent positions in the school, the Youth League Committee, and the magazine office to devote all his energy to seeing the students through their senior year. This piece of history didn't change much; in the future, Chen Yan would also go to Shanghai after sending off his senior class.

Cherry Media continued to develop quietly while both bosses were away. With Lin Cheng guaranteeing salaries and social insurance, the staff quite enjoyed the flexible working system. However, Lin Cheng’s seven million in pocket money was flowing away like a stream. During the preparation phase of the DM magazine, the staff for each section, at Lin Cheng’s request, began scouring sites like Tianya, Mop, and Tiexue, downloading a massive amount of trending posts.

Because these legendary websites would soon disappear, ten years later, the content of some of these classic threads would be sold at high prices on major forums, and many high-quality, long-form posts would even be published as books. Sometimes, the power of money feels wonderful. Cherry Media was bustling every day, a good time spent under bright lights. In this quiet period of dormancy, everyone was improving and progressing, which was quite a pleasant state of affairs.

Wuzhou Middle School wasn't always that exciting or memorable, but looking back years later, the memories were bittersweet—beyond the hot summer, the dense camphor trees, and the sight of charming girls walking by. Take Su Xiang, for instance. Between classes, she always gave people a sense of relaxed relief. Many students from other classes would linger in the hallways just to catch a glimpse of her; for many, seeing Su Xiang made their day.

She was the center of attention at Wuzhou Middle School, frequently representing the school in various networking events, meetings for outstanding students, music festivals, and even touring abroad as a lead performer for the Youth Art Troupe. In short, her schedule was packed. These nostalgic days flowed on with such calm. Recently, when the school was exchanging ideas with four European and American schools, they considered sending a group of outstanding students to study in the UK, the US, and Australia, and they specifically consulted her about it. Su Xiang’s mother had considered letting her study abroad, which made her feel a bit conflicted. She didn't want to be separated by an ocean too soon and lose the beauty of being seventeen. Lin Cheng was added to the list of students going abroad, along with Zhou Luoyao and Chen Zishi—all matters at the school level.

For most students, the annual sports meet was the real source of joy. Due to the heavy rain this year, it had been delayed repeatedly, but it was finally set for the end of the month. The entire school, and even the city’s educational system, attached great importance to it. This kept Zhao Guangtao, the sports representative, incredibly busy. He spent all day with a small notebook, confirming events and analyzing opponents.

Each person could sign up for three events. Lin Cheng signed up for the 100m, 200m, and 400m. After some research, Zhao Guangtao crossed out Lin Cheng’s 100m and 200m and took the liberty of adding him to the 4x400m relay. Lin Cheng asked unhappily, "Why?" Zhao Guangtao chuckled and said, "You can't beat those guys from Class 14 in the sprints, so you’re better off running the 400m—that’s a guaranteed first place."

"Looking down on me?"

Dou Guangpeng chimed in gloomily, "Those guys are real beasts; you really can't handle them!"

"..." I am a second-tier athlete, for heaven's sake! My level isn't enough to place in the Wuzhou senior sprints? Lin Cheng recalled, and realized, wait, he was right! Later on, in an attempt to get some bonus points for the college entrance exam, because he couldn't make the top three in the city for sprints, he had spent some time on the soccer team instead.

No girls wanted to run the 1500m, so Zhao Guangtao forcibly signed up Zhuang Sijing! This infuriated her, and she chased him around, hitting him. "Zhao the Dead! Zhao the Shit... you come here! Zhao the Shit..." Well, "Zhou Jielun," your new nickname is going to spread for miles!

On the last study session of the afternoon, some students with events went to the track to practice. Calling it practice was really just an excuse to get out and goof off. Zhao Guangtao draped an arm around Lin Cheng’s neck and whispered, "I think I like that girl." Lin Cheng laughed and scolded, "Damn you, you like who?"

Zhao Guangtao gestured with his eyes, and following his gaze, Lin Cheng saw Zhuang Sijing and Yang Yiyi jogging slowly. Zhuang Sijing was wearing a rare little pink sports top and blue shorts; the two girls moved with light steps, like two bouncing elves under the sun, seeming to possess endless energy. Lin Cheng thought to himself: *I didn't expect Zhuang Sijing to have such a figure. With that innocent baby face and a round, perky bottom, she’s both pure and alluring.*

Lin Cheng teased, "Not bad, I didn't think you liked the pure type. I thought you were into Zhang Wenqian." Zhang Wenqian was the class beauty of Class 8 and the leader of the broadcasting station. Lin Cheng continued, "Alright, you don't have to keep bragging about being some kind of master anymore; if you win over Zhuang Sijing, I'll take my hat off to you."

The "Zhao the Shit" version of Zhou Jielun scurried toward Zhuang Sijing like a weasel. Whatever he said, Zhuang Sijing just turned and ran like a puff of smoke straight to Lin Cheng. "Black-faced God! Come teach me how to run long distance!"

This infuriated Zhao Guangtao, who rolled his eyes at Lin Cheng. Zhuang Sijing was like a beautiful little deer, and one could faintly smell the fragrance of a young girl... As Lin Cheng ran alongside her, he kept his eyes on her figure... The heat in his gaze made it hard for Zhuang Sijing to pretend she didn't notice.