Chapter 38: Frenzied Quest for Knowledge, Frenzied Pursuit of Wealth

The next morning, the beautiful woman awoke to find herself lying on a stranger’s bed. As she reached for her clothes, she let out a startled scream, “Where are my clothes?” She checked the rest of her body and, finding nothing amiss, saw He Zhixing sitting nearby, toying with the wooden sculpture of a beauty in one hand, while his other arm was wrapped around Yufang. He looked at her with a playful smile. “Oh, your clothes? I took them off for you, and I also helped you put on your pajamas afterward.”

He Zhixing wanted to tease her, curious to see how she would react. To his surprise, the girl said nothing at first, and he thought perhaps he had frightened her. But soon, she began to recall the events of the previous night. “You helped me sober up last night, didn’t you? You scoundrel! You took advantage of me and touched me all over!”

Yufang, unable to hide her glee, chimed in, “He almost didn’t restrain himself, you know. Luckily, I managed to talk him down...”

“Ah!” The girl grew even more enraged upon hearing this. Without caring that she was still on the bed, she leapt up and sank her teeth into his shoulder. “I’ll bite you to death!”

Now He Zhixing had two beautiful women in his arms—his left arm holding Yufang, his right arm, which had been handling the wooden sculpture, now encircling the girl who’d flown at him in a rage. He put on a pained expression and cried, “Ow! That hurts… Ow, I promise, I won’t do it again! Goddess, please, let me go!”

At last, the girl couldn’t keep a straight face and burst out laughing. “Hmph! Let’s see if you dare touch me again!” She glanced at the deep bite marks on his shoulder—some even bleeding—and hurried to lick the wound, pressing her small hand over it to staunch the bleeding.

He Zhixing felt quite pleased; even a fiery woman could show a gentle side.

Afterward, the girl stayed for breakfast, and that was how he came to know her. Her name was Zhang Qing, the daughter of a private business owner and a university student.

After He Zhixing escorted her home, he and Yufang resumed their usual routine: attending classes, studying, running to the library, and seeking guidance from professors. Yufang would teach him what she had learned, and he would share his knowledge with her. They often studied and exchanged ideas together.

Beyond their coursework, they immersed themselves in all things related to the fine arts, learning by any means possible and seizing every opportunity to pick up new skills. Whenever they had spare time, they would visit various lottery outlets to try their luck. Their diligence paid off—quietly amassing winnings from the lottery, He Zhixing’s wealth had grown to several million.

In addition, he had yet to touch the treasures he kept at home—rare gems, ancient artifacts, and jewelry, which, if sold, could fetch tens or even hundreds of millions. Priceless treasures and rare materials couldn’t be measured in mere monetary terms; some were truly beyond value.

With just over a year left until graduation, they began to implement their pre-graduation work plans, which they called their “advance employment internship program.”

He Zhixing did not follow the crowd in searching for job or internship opportunities. Instead, he took the advice of his professor in traditional landscape and figure painting, seeking inspiration and a breakthrough by visiting monks at ancient temples. There remained a bottleneck in his landscape and figure painting that he needed to overcome.

Yufang did not accompany him; He Zhixing wanted her to seize the chance to intern in the city, so she could showcase her fashion design talents early.

Leaving the provincial capital of G City, He Zhixing traveled to K City and arrived at a little-known ancient temple called Yuanling Temple. The temple housed an elderly monk and two young novices. The two young monks were burning incense and praying, while the old monk sat beneath the golden Buddha, chanting sutras. Suspended above the golden Buddha’s head was a plaque that read, “Be ever mindful of danger in times of peace.”

He Zhixing felt a sense of warmth from the old monk and joined him in kneeling to pray before the Buddha, then sat cross-legged to meditate together, regulating his breath.

It could be said he had entered a state of deep meditation. If He Zhixing donned a cassock at that moment, he might well have been mistaken for a monk himself.