The weekend air was still thick with summer's edge, cicadas buzzing somewhere between the silence. In their modest apartment, the clock struck 6:00 a.m., but Gu Ning had already been up for an hour.
She leaned over the table with a pencil between her fingers, sketching figures into a notebook that looked far too worn to be new. Her handwriting was neat, refined—each digit in her plan marked with intention.
Target: 5,000 RMB startup capital in 10 days.
Method: Campus resale. High-margin products. Micro-volume to start.
Step One: Source discounted accessories.
Step Two: Build WeChat catalog.
Step Three: Find initial foot soldiers.
She closed the book and opened her old phone. It was slow, nearly obsolete, but she knew it would do for now. A folder of saved group chats blinked at her, leftovers from her previous life—she had remembered many of the handles by heart. Now she just had to rebuild.
She tapped a contact.
[User: "Xiao Tan - Wholesale Goods Dragonfly Mall"]
> Gu Ning: "Do you still have stock for the braided crystal pendants? 2.5 RMB each if I take 100?"
The response came in seconds.
> Xiao Tan: "Who's this? Do I know you?"
> Gu Ning: "Let's say I have a good memory. You'll want to remember me, too."
---
At School – Monday Morning
The smell of fried dough and soy milk hung in the air as students milled around the school gate. Gu Ning walked straight past the gossiping crowd, her pace quick, purposeful.
She spotted him near the cafeteria—just as she predicted.
"Lin Yuhan," she said.
He was alone, sitting on a bench with his laptop out, screen flickering with code.
He looked up, surprised. "You remembered my name."
"I need your help." Gu Ning didn't hesitate. "I'll handle sales and marketing. You handle technical backend. I'll give you ten percent of every profit we make."
Lin blinked. "You're joking."
"I never joke about money."
She sat beside him. "I want to build a private ordering site. Very basic. Link-based. One landing page, one catalog. Payment goes through WeChat QR."
"You're... serious?" he asked, brows furrowed.
Gu Ning nodded. "I already sourced the products. I know the trends. I know what sells. I just need the platform."
"Why not use an existing one?"
"Because the platform will be mine. And when we scale, I don't want to be at anyone else's mercy."
Lin stared at her.
There was something different about her now. Like the air around her moved cleaner, sharper. Like she saw things others didn't.
He closed the laptop. "Give me a day."
---
Later That Night
Back in her bedroom, Gu Ning received Xiao Tan's message.
> "Got your 100 pendants. Payment upfront. 2.5 RMB each, shipping 20."
She checked the balance in her student account: 430 RMB.
Just enough.
Gu Ning wired the amount, then began typing feverishly.
She opened three WeChat student groups from different schools in the district. She began to post:
> "Limited Drop! Handmade Braided Crystal Pendants – only 9.99 each! Free delivery on campus. 10 colors. DM for the catalog."
Attached was a photo she remembered would go viral within days in her past life. A close-up of a pendant glinting on a girl's collarbone, perfectly edited under sunlight. She still had the file stored in her recycled cloud account.
Then she waited.
Five minutes. Nothing.
Ten.
Ping.
> [Jenny_Li21]: "Are these real crystal or glass?"
[Student_KK]: "Can you do purple? I want two."
Another ping.
Then three more.
Gu Ning's screen lit up like fireflies in motion.
By midnight, she had 42 pre-orders.
---
The Next Morning
Lin Yuhan found her outside the school store.
"I did it," he said, holding out his phone. "Catalog page. Mobile-first. And I added a contact form so you can track orders."
Gu Ning took the phone and tested it. Smooth transitions. Clear layout. A single elegant line at the bottom:
> G.N. Studio – Simplicity Sells.
She gave him a genuine nod. "You're good."
He flushed.
Then she handed him something unexpected: a wrapped lunch box.
"You skipped lunch yesterday. Don't do it again. A good partner takes care of their brain."
Lin didn't reply. Just took the box like it weighed more than gold.
---
Afternoon: Gymnasium Event
The school had invited a motivational speaker. Students fidgeted on bleachers while teachers tried to hush them.
Gu Ning, seated in the second row, opened her notebook and began sketching again. This time: expansion paths.
Two girls behind her noticed her screen earlier that morning.
"That's the girl selling crystal necklaces."
"Isn't that expensive?"
"No—it's aesthetic, and she delivers them free."
Gu Ning kept writing. She didn't need to eavesdrop. She'd already planted the seeds.
And as the speaker rambled about passion and purpose, Gu Ning focused on building her own.
---
Wednesday: Fulfillment Day
The courier dropped off a taped box during break. Gu Ning hid it inside her backpack, headed to the rooftop, and began packing.
Each order was wrapped in paper, tied with string, and labeled by hand. She'd learned packaging mattered. Experience mattered. Reputation built empires.
By 3:30 p.m., she'd completed 43 deliveries with help from Lin and a girl from the Art Club she'd casually offered 2 RMB per order.
First sale complete.
She opened her ledger.
Income: 43 x 9.99 = 429.57 RMB
Expenses: Stock = 270 RMB, Shipping = 20 RMB, Payment cuts = 6.44 RMB
Profit: 133.13 RMB (2 days)
A tiny grin touched her lips.
On target.
---
Night – Family Apartment
Her mother returned late from work.
Gu Ning had already set the table, laid out eggplant stir-fry and hot soup.
Zhao Meilin sat down, exhausted. "Where'd this come from?"
"I made it."
She blinked. "You?"
"I wanted to learn," Gu Ning said simply. "Thought I should."
Her mother paused, then smiled. "You're really growing up."
Gu Ning didn't reply.
No, Mom. I'm not growing up. I've come back. For you. For everything they stole from us.
---
Final Scene – Thursday
A message appeared from an unfamiliar contact.
> [Phoenix_Green]: "I heard you sell custom pendants. Can you supply for our school festival booth? 100 units?"
Gu Ning stared at it for a moment, then tapped reply.
> "What's your price point?"
> "We resell at 18. We'll pay you 10 per unit. Deal?"
Gu Ning's eyes glinted.
> "Let's meet. I don't do blind deals."
> "Where?"
> "Back gate. 5 p.m. Come alone."
She stood up, brushed dust from her skirt, and glanced at the skyline turning orange.
The real game was just beginning.
---