Years by the Waterside

During summer break at Qingcheng College, Meng Yao, a student from a poor family, is struggling to make ends meet when he unexpectedly takes in Gu Shiying, who has fled the provincial capital to escape danger. Together with fellow students Xue Lingyan and Yang Li, they support one another and find warmth in each other's company as they work to survive. By chance, Meng Yao spots a gap in the campus purified-water market and decisively takes over its operations. He goes from a penniless student to a student entrepreneur with valuable resources, enjoying a brief spell of success as his business finally gets off the ground.

But sooner or later, this prize catch is bound to attract wolves. When powerful interest groups learn that two students have gained control of the huge campus market, they all spring into action. Long-established local merchants apply pressure, insiders at the college pull strings behind the scenes, and big investors watch with predatory interest. A fierce battle over the purified-water market erupts, with price wars, blocked distribution channels, and malicious reports following one another in quick succession.

Meng Yao must protect the hard-won fruits of his labor while keeping up with his studies and ensuring the safety of those around him. Exhausting himself as he navigates the competing forces, he finds his old brotherhood put to the test, while his feelings for Xue Lingyan rise and fall amid the smoke of the business war. Will this battle between a student from a poor family and the giants of capital become a springboard for Meng Yao to change his destiny, or a catastrophe he cannot survive? The passion and cruelty of campus entrepreneurship are on full display.