She couldn’t help but laugh, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Silly, how could I tell anyone?”
She only wanted to keep this side of him to herself, a secret just for her.
After spending a few lazy days together in the apartment, the school term officially began.
As the saying goes, it takes a hundred days to heal from a bone injury. A month after the semester started, Pei Chen was gradually recovering, transitioning from walking without crutches to running. His recovery was going smoothly, and eventually, he made his way back to the basketball court.
That evening, as the sun set, Liang Zhiyi stood on the sidelines, watching Pei Chen in his basketball uniform, dribbling and shooting on the court. His movements were even more fluid and graceful than before, and her eyes were filled with a joyful smile.
When he made a few impressive three-point shots, she enthusiastically applauded, her eyes curved with happiness.
The ball rolled out of bounds, and as he went to retrieve it, she stood still for a few seconds before feeling his arms wrap around her from behind.
He leaned down, enclosing her in his embrace, his head resting against the crook of her neck, and his voice low, “Zhizhi, my knee doesn’t hurt anymore. I can finally play basketball properly again.”
Hearing this, Liang Zhiyi thought about how he had endured four years of pain after that car accident, where the driver had fled the scene. Now, with the means to heal his leg, he could finally move forward.
Her nose tingled with emotion as she gently stroked his head and smiled warmly, “Pei Chen, from now on, you can continue playing the basketball you love. You can shine on the court again.”
Just as she had once said, he was born to be brilliant, fearless, and unstoppable.
Time flew by, and with their sweet relationship and fulfilling studies, their freshman year quickly passed. Another year spun around, and soon their sophomore year had slipped by as well.
During this time, Pei Chen became a well-known figure at C University, thanks to his outstanding performance in a college basketball league and several domestic competitions in the computer science field.
In their junior year, during Chinese New Year, Pei Chen came over to the Liang family’s home for dinner. While chatting, Liang Tianming mentioned that a hotel under his group had been experiencing issues with its management system, leading to inefficiencies in its operations. Engineers were currently working on repairs.
Pei Chen delved into the problem, and a week later, he surprised Liang Tianming by presenting him with an entirely new system design.
The system Pei Chen designed was more efficient than the original one and resolved all the issues immediately.
Liang Tianming was amazed. He hadn’t expected that an in-college student could design something like this, and his admiration for Pei Chen grew even stronger.
It was just as he had suspected—Pei Chen was a rare talent with boundless potential.
The system received approval from other engineers, and once it was officially implemented, Liang Tianming offered Pei Chen a generous reward. Though Pei Chen politely declined, Liang Tianming insisted, “This is what you’ve earned through your abilities, and you must accept it.”
And so, Pei Chen earned his first substantial income in the field of computer science.
Liang Tianming then said to him, “Xiao Pei, I hope you’ll consider joining my company after you graduate. With your skills, you’ll be able to progress much faster than others your age. I believe you’ll be able to reach great heights within the company.”
Pei Chen responded humbly but didn’t give a definite answer.
In the second semester of their junior year, about a month after the semester began, Pei Chen and Liang Zhiyi arranged a get-together with three other friends who were also in J City. Since it had been a while since they had seen each other, they decided to meet at a private restaurant.
After dinner, the five of them went to a teahouse to chat. The conversation naturally drifted toward future career plans, as graduation was just around the corner.
“Hey, Pei Chen, I heard from Zhiyi that Uncle Liang has extended an olive branch to you? You have no idea how hard it is to get into the Liang Group. You’ve clearly won over your future father-in-law!” Xuan Xia teased.
Liang Tongzhou smirked, “Let me tell you, even my dad has never said something like that to me.”
Xuan Xia laughed, “Well, you’re the heir to the group. The company will be yours someday, so you don’t need that kind of validation.”
Liang Zhiyi interrupted them with a smile, “Everyone, Pei Chen hasn’t agreed to it yet.”
“What? Why not?”
Pei Chen lowered his gaze and said, “Because I have other plans at the moment.”
“What do you mean?”
Liang Zhiyi exchanged a glance with Pei Chen before smiling at their friends. “Actually, Pei Chen and I have been thinking about something else, and we wanted to discuss it with you today.”
The three looked puzzled. “What is it?”
Pei Chen spoke up, “I’m planning to start a studio and venture into entrepreneurship.”
“Entrepreneurship?!”
With more and more university students starting their own businesses, the three friends knew that Pei Chen had always been ambitious. “Pei Chen, what field are you planning to enter?”
He replied, “Smart healthcare.”
Pei Chen explained that they were now in an era of booming 5G and artificial intelligence. By deeply integrating technologies such as 5G, big data, cloud computing, and AI with the healthcare industry, China was entering a more advanced “smart healthcare” era.
“China has such a large population, and with the future trend of population aging, healthcare will become a critical concern for everyone. From rural areas to cities, there’s still a vast space for development in the smart healthcare field.”
Although the healthcare industry was becoming more intelligent, the public healthcare system in China still had many imperfections. Issues like medical resource polarization and poor communication of medical information continued to trouble many people.
After Pei Chen’s explanation, Ji Fei’er asked curiously, “The ‘smart healthcare’ field is pretty broad. Have you guys decided on a specific direction?”
Liang Zhiyi answered, “Pei Chen and I have initially thought about focusing on healthcare informatics. For example, the collection, storage, and processing of patient information between hospitals or within different departments of a hospital, as well as patient care services. We’re thinking of developing an intelligent medical information platform…”
By combining AI with healthcare, they aimed to truly help both doctors and patients, making medical treatment more convenient and efficient, which was the ultimate promise of artificial intelligence.
Hearing this, Xuan Xia chimed in, “There’s also the personal health sector. Isn’t there a growing number of apps for monitoring personal health data?”
Pei Chen nodded. “We’re also considering those areas. For example, software that collects and analyzes health data or provides remote monitoring, which would be especially beneficial for elderly people living alone. However, since we’re just starting out, we can’t afford to bite off more than we can chew. We’ll need to take it one step at a time.”
Pei Chen laid out everything from the potential future landscape to the current situation, and then to their specific ideas, including the profitability aspects. After finishing his explanation, he asked them, “Zhiyi and I have decided to start a business in this direction. So, we wanted to ask you three—would you like to join us?”
The girl smiled and added, “This is our way of inviting you to become partners and start this venture together.”
Xuan Xia immediately responded, “I’m in! Pei Chen, as your brother, of course, I trust and support you!”
Liang Zhiyi turned to her brother and asked, “What about you, Liang Tongzhou?”
Liang Tongzhou took a sip of tea, then lazily smiled, “I’m in too. If things don’t go well, I can always fall back on inheriting the family business.”
Everyone burst into laughter.
“Liang Tongzhou, can’t you have a little more ambition…”
He chuckled but then spoke seriously, “Honestly, I think it’s meaningful for us to start a business together. This way, my dad can’t keep saying I’m not doing anything useful. But I’m not great at tech development, so I’ll handle the investment side of things.”
“That works. You have a wide network of contacts anyway.”
Finally, they turned to Ji Fei’er. Liang Tongzhou took her hand, smiling, “Don’t worry, she’ll definitely join me. We’re in this together.”
Everyone laughed, and Ji Fei’er blushed as she playfully punched Liang Tongzhou. Then she voiced her concern, “But I didn’t study computer science. I don’t know anything about that. I’m an accounting major—what could I possibly do?”
Liang Zhiyi smiled, “Accounting is perfect. Our studio will need an accountant, and you can be in charge of the finances.”
Starting a studio would definitely require people from all sorts of fields, not just the tech and management teams, but also other areas.
Hearing this, Ji Fei’er nodded, “Alright, I’m in too. After all, this is an invitation from my best friends—I can’t say no!”
Finally, Xuan Xia raised his teacup, “Come on, let’s toast with tea instead of wine—to our shared future!”
“Cheers!”
“May we get rich soon and reach great heights!”
“I’m going to be a big boss!”
“Hahaha, that’s so cheesy…”
…
They chatted for a long time, and when it was time, they each went their separate ways.
As Liang Zhiyi and Pei Chen walked out of the teahouse, a white moon hung in the deep blue sky, and the streetlights stretched out before them, illuminating the quiet streets.
As they walked towards the bus stop, Liang Zhiyi smiled and sighed, “It’s really great to be able to do something you love with your friends.”
From the playful days of high school to now, where the five of them had decided to start a business together, she felt truly blessed to have met them.
When they reached the bus stop, the girl turned to him and asked, “Pei Chen, you want to work in the medical field because of Uncle Pei, right?”
“Yes,” he replied softly.
“Because of my father’s paralysis, and also because of my own leg, I’ve had thoughts about this field for a long time when considering my future career.”
He wanted to help more patients access medical care more easily and provide better medical resources to those who, like him, faced financial difficulties.
But this wasn’t something that could be achieved just by talking; he could only do his best. As long as he could help even one person or bring happiness to one family, it would be meaningful to him.
Hearing this, the girl’s lips curved into a smile. “Pei Chen, I believe you can do it, and I’ll be there with you.”
The future he desired, she would accompany him in pursuing it.
Pei Chen looked at her, his voice soft. “Zhizhi, part of the reason I want to start this business is because of you.”
She was stunned and asked blankly, “What does it have to do with me?”
“I remember you once told me that you could give up wealth and live a simple, ordinary life with me.”
Pei Chen gazed at her, his eyes filled with tenderness, and said in a low voice:
“Zhizhi, I’ll work very hard. I don’t want you to give up anything—I want to give you the best of everything.”
To him, she was his princess.
He wanted her to always be a princess.