Chapter 73: The Siphon Effect vs. Small but Beautiful

By three o’clock in the afternoon, Chen Xiaofen was anxious to return to her cold noodle shop to prepare ingredients for the evening’s business. Cheng Jiabao, clutching a large bag of stationery, darted around mischievously. Although the prospect of traveling and enjoying life with her family held great allure, she was still reluctant to return to Aunt Cheng Ying’s store.

Though she loved her mother dearly, school was its own small society where children often compared themselves to one another. Compared to her aging mother, who had been mocked by classmates as an “old grandmother” during the last parent-teacher meeting, Jiabao much preferred having her young and accomplished sister represent their family at such events.

What did it matter if others had parents in their twenties? She not only had a mother but also a sister—her sister, who was far superior to many of her classmates’ parents. Cheng Simin had attended university, just like the teachers, and no one could look down on her because of that.

First, she asked Cheng Simin to take her to school to retrieve her backpack, explaining that she needed to review her lessons that evening. Once her sister agreed, Jiabao hesitantly turned to her mother and requested permission to spend the night at Simin’s place.

One sharp glance from Chen Xiaofen silenced her instantly. But Cheng Simin, sitting in the front passenger seat, volunteered without hesitation. “I haven’t seen Xiaobao in so long,” she said. “It’ll be good to catch up with her tonight and get an update on how she’s doing in school. I’ll check her academic progress too, see if things are really as bad as you’ve mentioned.”

The car stopped about a hundred meters away from Yingying Cold Noodle Shop. Chen Xiaofen asked Shi Ying to pull over, saying she’d walk the rest of the way.

She didn’t want Cheng Ying to find out that she had reconnected with Cheng Simin.

Moving into the noodle shop earlier this year had been a temporary measure. Banshan Elementary School was one of the best schools in the city, and rents nearby were expensive. To save money, Chen Xiaofen offered to work at Cheng Ying’s shop instead of paying rent—a mutually beneficial arrangement.

But after hearing Cheng Ying scheme about taking control of the savings meant for her daughters, Chen Xiaofen felt uneasy. Still, she decided to play dumb for now, figuring Cheng Ying couldn’t do much as long as she stayed cautious. One step at a time—so long as no money was lost, everything would be fine.

However, seeing Cheng Simin and Shi Ying today changed her mind.

For one, she worried deeply about appearances.

If Cheng Simin and Shi Ying planned to marry soon, what would his family think when they saw their little trio—a household without a man or even a proper home? It would make them seem pitiful. Marriage was a major milestone in her eyes, and no matter what, she needed to provide her daughter with a respectable maternal home.

Moreover, Cheng Ying was notorious for meddling in everything. Cheng Simin had undergone surgery earlier this year and needed quiet recovery time. Chen Xiaofen feared that Cheng Ying might stir up trouble again if she found out about Simin and Shi Ying, disrupting their peaceful lives. Some relatives supported each other through thick and thin, but Cheng Ying was more likely to criticize than help.

Subconsciously, she began considering moving out again. But where to buy a house, avoid scams, and still manage her nighttime business—all these questions required careful planning.

Before getting out of the car, Chen Xiaofen expressed concern, repeatedly asking through the window whether she should bring Cheng Jiabao back to the shop instead of letting the child interfere with their plans.

This was Cheng Simin’s first romance—and accidentally bringing her boyfriend to meet her mother felt different from bringing a childhood friend home. There was a subtle sense of embarrassment mixed with intimacy.

She wasn’t comfortable showing affection in front of Chen Xiaofen and certainly didn’t want to discuss their date plans openly. Quickly leaning out of the window, she declared earnestly, “Mom! We don’t have any ‘serious’ plans! One unemployed wanderer, one person on leave—we’re just hanging out, bored stiff. It’s nothing special.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll tutor her homework tonight and help her catch up on today’s lessons. Tomorrow morning, I’ll take her to school. Think of it as entertainment.”

Chen Xiaofen nodded and walked off into the distance. As soon as she disappeared, Shi Ying smirked while turning the steering wheel.

“Look at your boldness! Only dating for a few days, and already bored? Weren’t you saying something completely different this morning?”

Glancing at Jiabao in the rearview mirror, he noticed the elementary schooler engrossed in playing with her blind box pens. Assuming she wasn’t listening, he teasingly whispered to Cheng Simin, “Oh right, we really haven’t done anything productive. All we’ve done is… well…”

He paused dramatically, creating suspense.

Thinking he might actually say something inappropriate, Cheng Simin immediately pinched his thigh. “Shi Ying! Watch your words!”

Startled, Shi Ying winced and quickly completed his sentence aloud: “All we’ve done is some boring stuff.”

Jiabao, who had been eavesdropping on their banter, giggled quietly when she saw her sister “beat” her boyfriend.

Cheng Simin rolled her eyes at him.

“I’m telling you, don’t provoke trouble. What could I possibly say in front of my mom? And you’re criticizing me? You’re exactly the same!”

Mimicking Shi Ying’s tone when talking to Chen Xiaofen, Cheng Simin teased, “Acting all innocent and harmless in front of adults, pretending to be the model student. And what was that line? ‘Cheng Simin helped me so much—I’m truly grateful.’”

“You’re quite the actor. Now you’re dragging me into your performance.”

“It was Mr. Shi here who took care of me when I had no income, okay? You’re really good at making me look good.”

How could someone be so tactful in every situation? He was like a fake romance machine.

Having exposed Shi Ying’s acting skills, he cleared his throat and rubbed his nose thoughtfully.

After a moment, he defended himself: “That statement wasn’t entirely false. After all, the reason I ended up working at the winery was because of you and Beibei.”

Beibei had ruined his “prestigious” finance interview, and Cheng Simin’s disguise as a married woman had driven him to the remote countryside.

Speaking of which, Shi Ying recalled with surprise that he had unexpectedly seen the middle-aged man who interviewed him at Xicheng Dingfeng Wealth Management Center on a Banshan TV news segment last week.

But this time, the man wasn’t portrayed as a harsh interviewer—he appeared as a victim seeking help from reporters.

He claimed that his company had defrauded him of over a million yuan. His job title suggested private equity investment, deposit solicitation, and client maintenance, but in reality, those high-return “funds” were part of a Ponzi scheme operated behind closed doors by the group. The losses included not only his personal savings but also loans from friends and family, compounded by interest. With the fund collapsing and the CEO fleeing with the money, he hoped the media could assist in finding his superiors.

Hearing this, Cheng Simin shared her own related story.

Under persistent urging from Shi Ying, she recently started reconsidering her retirement plan. Anxious about insufficient savings for pension contributions, she searched online for updates on her former company and the current value of the house she sold.

Before searching, she harbored a sliver of regret. If only she had gritted her teeth and returned to work immediately after falling ill—even under immense pressure from loan repayments and exhaustion—perhaps she would have bounced back successfully.

However, the search results shattered any lingering regrets. Her former employer had shut down servers shortly after her resignation, leaving behind dozens of unresolved disputes regarding unpaid employee wages on public records. Meanwhile, the house she sold at a loss had depreciated further in the past six months.

The conclusion was clear—it was fortunate she left when she did; otherwise, she might not have survived.

At four o’clock, when school let out, Cheng Simin and Shi Ying accompanied Jiabao to retrieve her backpack. Leaving the school, their original date itinerary morphed into an impromptu childcare outing.

They ate kid-friendly meals, browsed bookstores for study guides, played arcade claw machines, and even took goofy photos using a vintage photo booth on the street.

On the way back to Huanghe Garden, the setting sun bathed the streets in a burnt orange glow. Exhausted, Jiabao fell asleep in the backseat, mouth wide open.

Meanwhile, Cheng Simin and Shi Ying resumed their conversation about youth development, success, and failure.

Cheng Simin concluded that individual success depended heavily on choosing the right direction.

Industries like real estate, finance, and internet startups were entering decline phases. No matter how hard she pushed herself into these fields, the best outcome she could hope for was losing slower than others.

Today’s observation of Chen Xiaofen’s modest food stall earnings also impacted her values.

When she worked as a white-collar professional at a listed company, her highest annual salary reached 200,000 yuan. Yet Chen Xiaofen earned similar amounts running a tiny, almost cost-free takoyaki stall.

“So your conclusion is that glamorous industries aren’t reliable, and the future is better suited for small-scale entrepreneurship like takoyaki stalls?”

Leaning her head against the car window, Cheng Simin seriously considered reviving her parents’ old trade. Gazing at the crowd heading home from work outside the window, she mused, “Not necessarily takoyaki, but perhaps industries I once dismissed. Haven’t you heard the official slogans? Encouraging young people to rejuvenate rural areas—green mountains and clear waters are worth more than gold and silver. Small yet beautiful projects are the way forward.”

Reciting slogans randomly, Cheng Simin jumped between thoughts before bolstering her argument with examples.

“Weren’t Japan’s lost thirty years similar? Many large corporations collapsed due to aggressive expansion, while countless small family businesses survived by sticking to simple, sustainable models.”

Shi Ying understood Cheng Simin’s reasoning. With a background in business studies, he knew how to analyze economic patterns—but he disagreed with her perspective. During Japan’s initial efforts to revitalize rural areas, many unemployed youths returned to their hometowns. However, follow-up surveys three to five years later showed most eventually moved back to cities for opportunities.

During economic downturns, capital tended to flow toward larger cities—the siphon effect. In China, financiers flocked to Jicheng, those pursuing new energy headed to Hucheng, and live-streaming influencers congregated in Yangcheng. Those aiming to make big money inevitably gravitated toward metropolitan areas.

But Shi Ying kept these thoughts to himself. As they entered the underground parking garage, he swiftly changed the subject, reminding Cheng Simin to wake Jiabao.

Inside the elevator, Jiabao yawned behind Cheng Simin. When the elevator stopped at the first floor, she spotted Zhou Yan outside and immediately shrank into the corner in fear.

Seeing Jiabao, Zhou Yan also noticed her. She hastily covered half her face with her right hand and backed away awkwardly.

Cheng Simin hadn’t properly thanked Zhou Yan for helping that morning, so she enthusiastically invited her into the elevator.

“Sister Zhou! I can’t thank you enough for this morning! Let me treat you to dinner tomorrow, or tell me what you’d like—I’ll cook it and bring it over! And about the compensation—you paid damages, didn’t you? Let me reimburse you. This whole incident started because of me.”

“No, no need! It was my fault—I acted impulsively. None of it concerns you. Please go ahead upstairs—I just remembered I left my car keys in the ignition... I need to go check.”

Before anyone could stop her, Zhou Yan turned and hurried out of the building entrance. Curious, Cheng Simin leaned out of the elevator to watch her leave. Once she turned back, Shi Ying, who had been holding the elevator door open, finally released it and pressed the close button.

“Hmm, Sister Zhou seemed a bit off. Did she and President Zhao have a fight? Her eyes looked red.”

Shi Ying hadn’t paid attention to Zhou Yan’s eyes, but he too sensed her odd behavior.

“Yeah, maybe she made up an excuse not to ride up with us. I noticed she was holding her car keys tightly in her right hand.”

“Hiss, why? Is she still upset about being taken to the police station earlier? I’ll send her a message later to check in. It’s my fault—yesterday, I shouldn’t have left Beibei with Jingang. I thought they’d keep each other company, but I never expected this morning’s incident.”

“Thankfully, both Beibei and Jingang are fine. Otherwise, I’d have gone straight to that man’s house to slap him!”

Shi Ying glanced at her before admitting his own mistake straightforwardly. “No, it’s on me. The compensation is my responsibility—I’ll transfer the money to Lao Zhao later. Don’t worry about it.”

“What does this have to do with you?”

“Well, last night I was too... enthusiastic, which made it hard for you to get out of bed this morning. So tonight—shall we pick up where we left off? Strive for greatness together?”

“Shi Ying, you’re impossible! Other people study abroad to contribute to their country’s development, but you come back just to show off? How do you manage to make every conversation veer into inappropriate territory?”

“Isn’t it convenient for you? Saves you from awkwardly hinting around. Your suggestive skills aren’t great—I thought you were scratching an itch in the bathroom because mosquitoes bit your lower back.”

The two continued bickering as they exited the elevator on the 12th floor. After picking up Beibei from Apartment 1202, they kept teasing each other nonstop. Initially, Shi Ying headed toward Cheng Simin’s apartment, but Xiaobao tugged anxiously at her sister’s hand, her face pale.

“Sis, is Brother coming over to your place too? I need to tell you something privately.”

Hearing this, Shi Ying realized he might be overstaying his welcome. Clearly, the sisters needed some private time—he should excuse himself.

Pulling out his keys, he unlocked Apartment 1201 and stepped inside with a kindly smile. Squinting playfully, he said to Xiaobao, “No worries, take your time. I’ll head back to my own place and leave you two alone.”

Seeing Xiaobao visibly relax, he patted Beibei’s shoulder and walked forward. Then, turning back to Cheng Simin, he mouthed silently, “Call me when she’s asleep!”

Call you? Dream on. Over my dead body.

Cheng Simin glared at him sharply before leading Xiaobao and Beibei into Apartment 1203.

As soon as the security door clicked shut, Xiaobao immediately pulled Cheng Simin close, standing on tiptoes to whisper urgently, “Sis, how do you know that human trafficker? Am I going to be taken away tonight?”