The Silly Alchemist

"So, you are Ye Er… What's your surname?" asked Ye Lang, smiling.

"My surname is Zhu, Zhu Ye Er!" replied the little girl.

"I can give you the prescriptions and fund you but I'll only fund your losing businesses. The more money you lose, the better!" replied Ye Lang cheerfully.

"..." Everyone was at a loss for words.

Not only was this the perfect opportunity for Ye Lang to squander, but he offered to help little Zhu Er - which was odd because he usually didn't care much about other people.

But Ye Lang was being helpful, in terms of money that is. When he saw such a pitiful girl like Zhu Er, it was only normal that he helped her. After all, he could also squander money, so why not?

"Why didn't I think of that - Ye Er's business could be saved and you get to squander at the same time! It's perfect, you're killing two birds with one stone!" said Zhen Xiaoyan regretfully. She patted her own head, regretting not being able to think of this earlier on.

"..." Little Ye Er was speechless. Soon after though, she grinned excitedly, "Great, it's settled then! Can we discuss the details now?" 

As long as someone was willing to fund the businesses that were losing money, it'd be just like funding her. She wouldn't have to worry about her businesses.

During the past three years, she had been forced to shut down some of her non-profitable deals. She wouldn’t have done it if she had the funds to weather the storm. 

Why wouldn’t she have done it? Well, in business, losing money was unavoidable in certain occasions. Losing money temporarily could sometimes even increase the overall profit of the business in the long term. The larger the business grows after the expenditure, the higher the profit. 

These businesses were also a sign of power. People longed for power - but of course, they had to have the strength to withstand the circumstances.

"No need for details, just do whatever you like. Make as many losses as you want - there's no need to be modest. If it's not enough, just ask more from me. Also, just one more thing - go play whenever you want. You're young, you should go make more friends. There are heaps of money to be earned later!" said Ye Lang, smiling while stroking her head.

"But I..."

"That's all I've got to say - whether you want to listen or not, that's up to you," said Ye Lang softly. Although he decided to help Little Ye Er, he had his limits - he won't force others to listen to him.

"..." Little Ye Er stood there speechless. She was thinking about what Ye Lang had just said.

Ye Lang didn't pause for a second, simply walking out of the classroom immediately to have his after-lunch stroll.

"Ye Lang, I didn't think you'd be so kind and such a gentleman..." said Zhen Xiaoyan cheerfully after catching up with him.

"I was only acting!" replied Ye Lang.

"..."

It didn't matter whether Ye Lang faked it or not. After this incident, Little Ye Er took on a liking to Ye Lang. Of course, it was like love between siblings. She liked his gentle smile, it made her feel cared for.

And this gentle smile was her crutch, supporting her through all her difficulties!

So even if Ye Lang's initial funds were all lost, she knew she could still count on Ye Lang in her other businesses - all of them. It wasn't a small number.

Even if Ye Lang didn't want to acknowledge this, it didn't matter in the end.

It didn't matter to Ye Lang, neither did it to Little Ye Er!

At the same time, what made Little Ye Er shocked after Ye Lang began funding money into her businesses was that her originally profitless businesses began to thrive!

Lady Luck loved her little prodigal son indeed!

...

A young man was napping comfortably on the field of the alchemy academy, while a beautiful girl lay beside him. She stared off into the sky, dreaming away.

This beautiful scene made people feel warm & cozy inside while many envied it all...

This made some of them uneasy, leading to a few darkened expressions.

They both happened to be Ye Lang and Zhen Xiaoyan, and the unhappy ones were certainly Moya and Sha Lan.

Moya had heard rumours of Ye Lang and Zhen Xiaoyan when he came to the alchemy academy. The fact that Sha Lan was the one who brought him here today infuriated him more than ever. His mood worsened as they approached.

Their presence didn't interrupt Ye Lang and Zhen Xiaoyan though. They were both still napping and daydreaming.

"Oh-oh, our dear courtesan is with the Ye's thirteenth prince again, during the day too! Looks like the night wasn’t long enough," said Sha Lan maliciously.

"I'm only with him during the day, he always sends me home afterwards," replied the clueless Zhen Xiaoyan. She never seemed to get the real meaning behind people's words.

"Oh, so you mean you’re him so much you forget about your own boyfriend," continued Sha Lan.

"Oh, Moya, I'm so sorry... I'll go eat with you now!" said Zhen Xiaoyan nervously. She was afraid of upsetting Moya... 

"There’s no need for that, you can stay with him," said Moya with a dark expression. Although he knew Zhen Xiaoyan cared about him, enough was enough.

"Oh, uh, then I'll just stay with Ye Lang here since Sha Lan is already with you," said Zhen Xiaoyan cowardly. It was unbelievable she suggested such a thing in this situation. 

"Hmph!" Moya scoffed as he was about to leave.

Sha Lan trailed behind Moya, delighted. If this continued, Moya and Zhen Xiaoyan would be over soon.

"Who was that?" asked Ye Lang, opening his eyes.

"They've left, go back to sleep."

"Oh..."

...

During the next few days, Zhen Xiaoyan's relationship with Moya seemed more tensed than ever. She was scared as she still didn't understand what just happened.

So, she sought help from Ye Lang.

"Ye Lang, it seems like Moya doesn't like me anymore. He's been with Sha Lan the entire day... What should I do?" asked Zhen Xiaoyan.

"You people should do something romantic like holding hands, take a stroll down the street, dance, have a candlelight dinner, maybe even a passionate kiss..." suggested Ye Lang.

"We just got into this relationship. Isn’t it too soon to hold hands?" frowned Zhen Xiaoyan.

"...Girl, don't tell me you haven't done any of these?" asked Ye Lang in disbelief.

"Nope!" Zhen Xiaoyan shook her head.

"What?! Then what did you both do when you were dating?!"