Love Business

Pan slowly leaves Auditorium 3 along with Han and Yara, who hangs her arm on Pan's shoulder.

"Pan? Are you okay?" Yara asks when Pan suddenly halts in the middle of the BBA building's foyer.

"Am I being too much?" Pan asks.

"About what? Just now, you mean?" Han replies. She nods slightly, her eyes gloomy like a dark cloud floating in the sky.

"Now your confidence wears off, huh?" Han teases. Pan smacks him with her bag.

"But, I get her point, though!" Yara suddenly speaks up, looking at Pan with a smile.

"If we learn something but never practice it in real life, it feels like the knowledge we gain is wasted," Han lifts his brows, amazed by Yara's words.

"Ooh... Master Yara, the Philosopher..."

"Well, that's what Pan told us just now. Did you miss that part? Were you sleeping or what?" Yara frowns at him.

"Er... maybe I was too busy being shocked?" Han flashes his white teeth.

"You're so ignorant!" Yara scolds.

"Since you fell from the stairs, you've changed a bit, missy! Are you sure your brain is functioning in the correct order?" Han asks. Pan laughs at them.

Yara fidgets for a moment, then lifts her head and looks ahead.

"I'm still the old me. But, ever since the incident, I've thought, maybe I should stop being scared and timid all the time. People sacrifice for me, but here I am, behaving like a loser..."

Pan and Han exchange looks, then glance at Yara. The girl, sandwiched between them, looks sullen.

"Yara..."

"What you said just now is true, Pan! Living on campus gives us a lot of privileges. But... out there... that's what we call life!" Yara speaks with renewed spirit.

Pan slowly smiles at Yara. She never thought her answer to Ta's question would affect someone like this. All she did was tell the truth, never intending to change someone's mindset.

***

"0818..."

"Senior?"

"So, what do you think?"

Pan's eyes lock on Ta. Her lips stay shut. She's still in aftershock after Ta suddenly called her out.

Everybody watches her as if her answer is a matter of life and death. She feels the pressure from both sides—the freshmen and the seniors.

I can agree to disagree, but that will only cause more trouble, Pan thinks to herself.

"There's nothing wrong with us hunting for the seniors' signatures. I think it's a good icebreaker!" she finally shares her opinion.

"But we have so much to do in such a short time! Besides, this isn't BBA tradition. This is more like something Engineers would do. We're not Engineers!" a freshman voices his objection.

"So, you think only engineers work with people, and we don't? Then who are we going to work with? Giraffes?"

Her answer makes everyone in Auditorium 3 laugh.

"Public relations is one of the main keys to making good business connections. This is the time to create branding—our own. Getting signatures may sound silly, but if we don't make the first move, we won't go anywhere," Pan carefully arranges her words so everyone can see the benefits of the activity.

"Come on! As if we're not learning that in class! I think what we get from the PR class is enough to help us in the future. No need to drag ourselves to these seniors, begging for signatures, and giving them a chance to bully us!" a girl from the front row chimes in. Pan sighs, knowing her task is getting harder.

"If we learn something but never practice it in real life, the knowledge goes to waste," Pan responds calmly. "Besides, why are you leaving room for them to treat you badly? This is your time to shine. It's not like we can't negotiate with them! It all depends on how you set your terms."

"When you enter the real world after graduation, things will be harder than this. Believe me, if you feel lazy now, you'll regret it later," Pan looks around while speaking.

"So, are you saying you agree with this activity?" Ta asks. Pan pauses for a moment, then slowly smiles at him.

"Senior, I believe you've learned about the seven elements of a contract?"

Ta nods.

"Then I assume your suggestion could be considered an offer, right?" Pan asks.

Everyone exchanges glances, trying to grasp the meaning behind her words.

"What do you think?" Ta throws the question back.

"It depends. But you have to be careful, Senior Ta..." Pan gives him a deep stare. "One mishap, and you'll get hated for the rest of your senior year," she warns.

The seniors exchange looks. Kitty and Lauring smirk at each other, while Kim and Seth can't hide their surprise. Bear nods slightly and glances at Zee, who gazes at Pan with his stone-cold expression.

"Is she always this good, Zee?" Bear whispers. Zee glares at him and slowly smirks.

Now, Bear understands why Zee always looks at her that way. His eyes glisten and sparkle whenever he sees her.

It's a form of amazement.

"So, what's the deal?" Ta finally speaks. Pan smirks. She knows Ta won't put himself in a risky spot. If he said it was an order, the freshmen would strike back, no doubt! But if it's an offer, there's room for negotiation.

Things will stay balanced.

"We'll accept the challenge if the seniors are willing to play by the rules. Fair game," Pan begins the negotiation.

To be honest, this isn't her first negotiation. She has a business, after all! Dealing with customers is her daily task. Plus, having a daughter like Shu has taught her a thing or two about negotiating.

"Fine. But you can only set three rules," Ta says. He's not going to budge. Giving them too much leeway would make them kings of the game.

"Freshmen, is three enough?" Pan asks. They exchange glances. After some thought, they nod.

"Okay, let's make these rules!" Ta says.

"But how?" Yara suddenly asks, raising an important question.

How do they make the rules?

"Okay, how about we list some rules that we think are suitable for the program? From the list, we'll pick the best three. Safety and morality should be top priorities," one of the female freshmen suggests.

"Agreed!" Han raises his hand and grins.

"Fine. Let's get started!"

***

"Moderate. Respect. Friendly!"

Han yells outside the BBA building. Pan shakes her head with a smile.

"I love the tagline. Sounds fun!"

"Thanks to you guys for helping," Pan says. Yara clicks her tongue.

"Nope! We should be the ones thanking you for the most educated negotiation we've ever seen!" Yara wraps her arm around Pan's shoulder and squeezes her tight.

"Yeah, I've got a genius friend!" Han cheers. Pan frowns as he slings his arm around her shoulder as well.

"Ai sutt, don't put your weight on me!"

"Did you just curse me, Pandora?" Yara yelps. She pulls her arm away, almost losing her balance. Pan quickly catches her before she falls onto the asphalt road again. They all laugh together as Pan softly apologizes to Yara.

"Ahem..."

They stop laughing when a man suddenly appears. Pan nearly chokes on her saliva, Yara's jaw drops, and Han almost stumbles forward.

"Senior... Senior Cray, what are you doing here?" Pan asks.

"I came to return your bike. I asked my friend to fix it for you. Here!" Cray holds out the key. Pan slowly takes it from him.

"Thank you," she says politely.

"Can I have more than just a thank you?"

His question makes Yara and Han gasp, while Pan maintains her composure.

"I'll pay for the cost. Name it," Pan says. Cray glances away for a moment before looking back at her with a smile.

"How about a dinner with me?" he suggests.

"A dinner it is! Here, take our friend! We trust you to take good care of her, Senior Cray!" Han pushes Pan towards Cray. She frowns, giving him a sharp glare, mouthing curses at him in silence. He giggles and winks at her.

"Shall we?" Cray offers his hand. Pan looks at him, nodding, but ignores the gesture.

"Thank you," Cray says to Han and Yara before following Pan. They watch as the two slowly disappear from the building.

"Looks like my ship will sail smoothly!" Han grins at Yara, who shakes her head slightly.

"You're so delulu!" she retorts.

"Got a problem with that?"

And with that, they start bickering again...