Chapter 32
A real man must be willing to face the adversities in life!

Lin Jingzhe pushed his brother into a pit—but soon after, he encountered a payback from fate.

The red car was in a repair shop. When Fang Wenhao picked Lin Jingzhe up, he drove a big Jeep he had gotten from who-knows-where. It was rather unkempt; the body was covered with mud, and the accelerator was too sensitive, making for a bumpy ride.

During the fifteen-minute drive, the car lurched forward and jerked from hard braking seven times. Lin Jingzhe didn’t lose his temper though, and just held on to his seat belt, quietly listening to Fang Wenhao.

“Why doesn’t he believe it!” When Hu Shaofeng invited them out for dinner, he made it clear that he was convinced of two things: first, that Fang Wenhao must be involved with New Beginnings Real Estate somehow, and second, that New Beginnings aiming for that unremarkable piece of land must be part of some deep, intricate scheme. No matter how vehemently Fang Wenhao denied it and tried to explain, Hu Shaofeng refused to believe him.

“Wouldn’t you say that Hu Shaofeng really is stupid? Why on earth would I lie to him about this? I think that bidding for Lot No. 9 is a bad idea, I tried to talk you out of it—cooperation or whatever is pure nonsense.”

He originally didn’t want to come to this dinner meeting. However, Hu Shaofeng moved out the heavy guns and said the invitation actually came from Xiao Chi, so to give Xiao Chi face, Fang Wenhao had no choice but to agree.

About to vomit from his “enthusiastic” driving, Lin Jingzhe rolled down the window, his face a bit green. “Aren’t you always trying to get the better of him? Shouldn’t you make him believe you are optimistic about Lot No. 9?” he asked.

Surprised, Fang Wenhao turned his head to look at him. For a moment, he seemed to consider this suggestion, but then firmly shook his head. “No, I need to beat him fair and square or it won’t count.”

The Xiao family house

When Xiao Chi came downstairs, Hu Shaofeng had already been waiting, talking with Grandma Xiao in the living room.

The building wasn’t very big but it had its own profound ambience, and each of the residents seemed to add a bit of their own aura to the house’s atmosphere. Though Hu Shaofeng feared nothing in Heaven and Earth except his father’s rod, the Xiao family’s grandma was a close second. The silver-haired old lady’s voice was kind and there was a smile on her face, but her person seemed to emanate a solemn, dignified atmosphere, so heavy that he could hardly breathe.

Before leaving home, he sprayed himself with a catty of lemon juice and rinsed his mouth three times. Now, he was sitting on the sofa with his legs together and his back straight, forcing himself to keep a smile on his face as he answered Grandma Xiao’s inquiries about his studies.

On the other end of the sofa sat a stunningly beautiful girl of about seventeen. Her long, wavy hair was tied half-up behind her head, and she wore a goose-yellow dress. She was the picture of a proper, well-bred young lady. If she had any flaw, it was that her temperament seemed too cold; as she sat there, frowning slightly, she looked indifferent and unemotional.

She was reclining on the sofa, engrossed in a book. Judging from the pastel, pink-and-blue cover, the book should be a light read, but her wrinkled eyebrows and sharp gaze made one wonder if she was actually reading some dark crime documentary.

She didn’t move and paid no attention to anyone present, only occasionally turning a page with her slender fingers. Hu Shaofeng peeked towards her while talking with Grandma Xiao, but he could only catch a glimpse of a dense wall of words that he couldn’t understand.

The book was a foreign work.

Every time he heard the quiet sound of a page turning, Hu Shaofeng fidgeted, but he didn’t dare talk to the only young woman in the room.

This girl with the same temperament as Xiao Chi was Xiao Miao, Xiao Chi’s younger sister. As the only girl born in several generations, she was a pearl in the palm of the entire Xiao family. She had been sent to study abroad several years ago and her academic achievements overseas were rumored to be exceptional. When Hu Shaofeng was a child, around ten or so, he had a secret crush on her and daydreamed of marrying her (which had the additional advantage of becoming his idolized Brother Xiao’s brother-in-law). However, as they grew older, he became more and more afraid of her.

Xiao Miao was known for her indifference and aloofness, which was very much in line with the Xiao family’s overall reputation. The sense of poise and majesty surrounding her should be incongruous with a young girl’s delicate body, and yet it fit her surprisingly well. So, from a young age, her image amongst her peers was exceptionally lofty and otherworldly. In the minds of many young men in the same social circle, she was the archetypal unattainable goddess.

This goddess had a keen perception. Hu Shaofeng had barely peeked at her two or three times before her sharp gaze moved away from the book and stabbed him.

Hu Shaofeng instantly froze, like a rabbit caught in headlights. Xiao Miao closed the book on her knees with a snap, gathering the stray strands of wavy hair falling onto her face and pushing them back, then stood up, expressionless. “I’m going upstairs.”

She’s angry!

Hu Shaofeng secretly cursed his disobedient eyes, but he wasn’t brave enough to try to urge her to stay.

Grandma Xiao nodded solemnly. “Go, and tell your brother to hurry up,” she said, then turned to Hu Shaofeng again and continued their earlier conversation, “Last time, Wenhao said that you’re always skipping classes…”

Aaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!

Hu Shaofeng hated that he couldn’t teleport away right at this moment. This was truly a fate worse than death!!!

Xiao Miao’s expression changed the instant she began climbing the stairs. As she carefully thumbed through the book, wanting to find the place where she had left off, Xiao Chi appeared at the top of the stairs, his gaze falling on the currently open page. Xiao Miao immediately closed the book but it was too late—her brother had seen it.

“You’re reading this kind of book again?!” Xiao Chi rebuked in a low voice.

Xiao Miao hid the book behind her back. She wanted to run away but her only available escape route was down the stairs, and the presence of an outsider in their home restricted her actions. Feeling a little bit like crying, she could only watch as her brother closed in on her. “I can read whatever I want, it’s not any of your business!”

Xiao Chi was one and a half heads taller than her. Making full use of his height advantage, he pressed her head down with one hand and snatched the book from behind her with another. He browsed through it briefly—sure enough, the contents were messy, as he’d suspected. Blocking Xiao Miao, who wanted to snatch it back, he growled, “You returned home with five suitcases, this is what you packed inside?”

Xiao Miao kicked him angrily. “Give it back to me!”

“It’s confiscated!”

“Give it back!”

“Then why don’t I take it to the living room and translate it out loud?”

“No!!!”

Not wanting to alarm the people downstairs, the two tried to keep the commotion to a minimum. Xiao Miao had never once won against her brother; when she failed to get the book back, seeing Xiao Chi take a few steps down as if he was really going to go to the living room to read it, she was frightened and immediately gave in. “Alright, take it, take it…”

Xiao Chi turned around and went upstairs, Xiao Miao rushing after him. He entered the study room and walked straight to the bookcase, taking out all the Japanese books that were lined up in the previously empty spots.

Feeling as if a knife was piercing her heart, Xiao Miao watched him confiscate the whole set of almost brand-new books and comics as he scolded, “After all those years of studying abroad, how come you learned all of the bad and none of the good?”

Xiao Miao looked away from the bookcase to glare at Xiao Chi’s broad back. Suddenly, her eyes widened.

She stood on her tiptoes to examine his cardigan’s collar, then grabbed the tag that he forgot to cut off. “Hmm~~~”

Xiao Chi calmly looked at her over his shoulder.

Feeling suspicious, Xiao Miao examined his expression but found that her brother’s poker face had only gotten more impenetrable over the years. “New clothes?” she inquired, unwilling to give up.

“Yes,” Xiao Chi replied, his eyes asking why she was making a fuss. “Help me cut the tag.”

“No!” Failing to get any useful information, Xiao Miao reluctantly released the tag and stepped back. As she watched her brother take off the cardigan and cut the tag, she decided to attack from another direction. “This cardigan is from TT’s new autumn and winter collection, isn’t it?” she asked. “They don’t have any stores in China. When did you buy it? When you went abroad to see a doctor last time? And you were so distracted when you dressed up that you even forgot to remove the tag? But why would you be distracted, hmm?”

Xiao Chi seemed not to hear her. Eyes narrowing, she scrutinized her elder brother from head to toe. The longer she looked, the more she felt something was wrong.

“Do my eyes deceive me? You have new shoes too? And they’re a set with the cardigan! And you went and got a haircut, didn’t you?” Xiao Miao’s heart was nearly exploding with curiosity and evil intentions. “This is very suspicious. Are you meeting with a girl? You must be, or why would you take so much care with your appearance? Come on, spill the beans!”

Completely unflustered, Xiao Chi put the cardigan back on and glanced at her lightly. “What should I spill? I’m going out to discuss a possible business partnership. You should read less of those messy books, it seems they make your brain even worse.”

“Screw you!” Angry, Xiao Miao was about to charge forward and hit him, but she heard the sound of footsteps coming from behind and froze.

Hu Shaofeng finally found a chance to escape Grandma Xiao’s one-track questioning. At once, he went upstairs and rushed to the study room, aggrieved. “Are you ready, Brother Xiao? Can we go yet—”

Before he finished speaking, he saw the two people in the room and froze in place, immediately repressing his disreputable aura and standing ramrod straight.

In the study, the Xiao brother and sister stood opposite each other in silence, looking as if they had just finished discussing some serious issues. Xiao Miao, tall and graceful, with her cold temperament surrounding her body with a cool air, turned her head and looked at him quietly.

Xiao Chi said, “Yes.”

They both exited the room, then Xiao Chi locked the study’s door and gently said to his sister, “I’m going out. Remember not to stay up too late.”

“I know, Brother.” Xiao Miao nodded lightly, her slender neck curving in an elegant arc, her voice soft and melodious. “Be careful on the way, don’t drink too much, and come home early.”

The brother and sister exchanged glances. Both of them had calm and reserved personalities and tended not to show their feelings, but Hu Shaofeng clearly saw that before they turned away, they smiled slightly at each other!

The raised corners of their mouths were particularly obvious!

They were the textbook example of affectionate siblings!

God owes me a sister!

Tears of envy swirling in his eyes, Hu Shaofeng admired the lucky bastard Xiao Chi who was loved and cared for by this unattainable goddess since childhood! So what if they were brother and sister!

Stepping out of the house, Xiao Chi swallowed his saliva, resisting an urge to spit. Xiao Miao was getting more and more clever—this wasn’t good!

When he was getting ready to go out today, he had tried on more than ten cardigans in front of the mirror before deciding that he looked the best in the grey striped one. He raised his hand to smooth his hair which had been carefully styled (twice, using up half a bottle of hair gel), and calmly said, “Get in the car.”

The car jerked into the parking space and finally stopped. While waiting for the dizziness to subside, Lin Jingzhe took a long time to adjust before getting out.

Even the driver, Fang Wenhao, couldn’t bear it. He held onto the rails in the parking lot as he vomited, whimpering and blaming everything on the car, “What a fucking piece of junk!”

Their meeting place was Pine Crane Pavilion, the over one hundred square meters private room on the top floor of the biggest restaurant in Yan City. Upon seeing the pale-faced Fang Wenhao chugging several glasses of ice water, Hu Shaofeng kindly ordered some hot and sour soup good for relieving nausea. As he scooped it into a bowl for him, he persuaded earnestly, “So can you level with us now?”

Fang Wenhao was already half-dead from vomiting, and Hu Shaofeng’s stubborn questioning nearly finished him off. “I really have no inside information!”

Hu Shaofeng gently put the soup bowl in front of him, then leaned close and threatened, “Are you refusing to give Brother Xiao face? Would you really bid for that godforsaken Lot No. 9 without having any inside news? You really think I’m stupid, huh?”

Fang Wenhao wanted to cry. Fortunately, at this moment, Lin Jingzhe spoke and bailed him out: “New Beginnings Real Estate has nothing to do with Brother Fang—I just asked him to help me deal with the formalities, that’s all.”

Due to his words, everyone looked at him; Xiao Chi, who since entering the room had remained aloof and only paid attention to the prayer beads in his hands, finally raised his head and glanced over at him too.

Looking him in the eye, Lin Jingzhe said, “Lot No. 9 is what I want to get, not Fang Wenhao.”

Xiao Chi was clearly expressionless, so it must’ve just been an illusion, but for some reason, Lin Jingzhe felt that the other man had ‘I’m angry’ written all over his face.

He was utterly baffled as to why he would get such an impression. However, it didn’t matter—he only came here today to discuss the possibility of cooperation and to find a business partner, so naturally, all personal feelings were set aside.

Hu Shaofeng was never one for courtesy, and he tended to speak in a condescending tone to the majority of people. This time was no exception. “You want that piece of land in the middle of nowhere where even birds don’t shit? For what, farming? It’s not even big enough for that.”

Lin Jingzhe smiled. “It’s because it’s so small that I’m aiming for it. The estimated price is only about 6.5 million—don’t you think it’s cheap?”

Hu Shaofeng had never heard of such a strange reason for bidding, and immediately decided that Lin Jingzhe was just participating in the auction for the hell of it. Remembering how much he had racked his brain to come up with theories, he didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry. In the end, the real reason turned out to be so whimsical? He stared at Lin Jingzhe, eyes full of disbelief.

But before he could speak, a voice came from the head of the table: “Yes, it’s quite cheap.”

Hu Shaofeng immediately swallowed down all he’d wanted to say. When they both came out to discuss business with outsiders, Xiao Chi usually only sat there quietly and seldom spoke. However, if he did open his mouth, it meant the reins of the discussion were no longer in Hu Shaofeng’s hands.

He saw that Fang Wenhao was about to finish his soup, so he waited for him to take his last sip and busied himself with ladling another serving into his bowl.

Lin Jingzhe was aware of Hu Shaofeng’s disapproval, but he didn’t care; it wasn’t anything out of ordinary as the majority of the businessmen shared the same opinion. And, to be fair, Lot No. 9 was really utterly unattractive.

First of all, its location was too remote.

Yan City was constructed on a square plan, with four sides facing the four cardinal directions. The southern and eastern section were the most developed, and most of the population there consisted of the native city-dwellers since that was where they originally lived. With the majority of universities and shopping streets, along with bus and subway routes, concentrated in this area, the pieces of land situated there were the most valuable.

In the beginning, the north and the west developed similarly. In recent years, however, many of the factories moved to the west side, leading to more and more people living in that area, and it gradually began to thrive.

This only left the north side. Originally, most of the land there was used for farming, but nowadays, less and less people were willing to earn their living by working the soil when there were more attractive alternatives available. The 2nd Middle Road was kind of a boundary—the further away you moved from it, the more desolate the surroundings were, until it was rare to see any sign of human habitation. This area was included in the city boundaries, but if someone set foot there, it made them doubt that they were actually in the country’s capital. Five or six years ago, there were rumors that the government was going to develop the north side, and a few naive businessmen had been scammed into buying land and engaging in some real estate projects. Unfortunately, before they even started building houses, the developers were already crying.

Lot No. 9 was situated around the halfway point of the 2nd Middle Road, tightly surrounded by rows of old houses. Not only was it in a remote spot that completely lacked vitality, but it was also small—it was less than a third of the size of the most coveted Lots No. 1 and 2. To top it off, it had the exciting shape of an irregular polygon. If it was used to build commercial housing, part of the ground would inevitably be left unused.

Therefore, everyone felt that this piece of land might as well not have been put up for bidding at all, since no sane person would waste money on it. When several joint venture real estate developers in Yan City had met to discuss the October’s land auction, the meeting ended after they analyzed Lots No. 1 to 8, as if Lot No. 9 didn’t exist.

Hu Shaofeng felt it was a pity, but after all, the real estate business wasn’t for everyone. At the opening of Shen City Stock Exchange, Lin Jingzhe had acted boldly and decisively, giving him the impression that the youth was not just anybody, but it turned out that in reality, he was quite timid. The land was cheap? So what? What was the use of it being cheap if you still had to spend a lot of money to develop it but nobody bought the housing you built?

Alas, a prophet’s road was a lonely one. Only Lin Jingzhe knew how rapidly the northern part of the city would develop. In the future, countless companies from all over the country would choose to build their headquarters there, and Yan City would experience a population explosion. The land north of the 2nd Middle Road, currently the back of beyond, would, in a few years, become the most important business district of Yan City, and its position would not be shaken even decades later.

It would be hard to make a convincing case for Lot No. 9 without any foundation, but since Lin Jingzhe had the benefit of hindsight, so to speak, it was quite easy. In the later years, countless entrepreneurs who missed out on the north district’s development spoke about it with regret, recounting all the advantages of that area they had failed to notice at the time. Combining their recollections with his knowledge of this era’s socioeconomic development, Lin Jingzhe spoke with ease and confidence, painting a picture framing the plot of land that everyone found worthless as a hidden gem, a treasure buried deep in the mud.

At first, Xiao Chi only listened casually, paying more attention to the movement of Lin Jingzhe’s light-colored lips. As the talk went on, however, he began to focus more on the youth’s words, picking up some things that he had overlooked before.

The current Yan City was very different from the Yan City of six years ago. The city was growing faster than expected, exceeding even his already bold estimates. As demonstrated by the opening of Shen City Stock Exchange, which had driven the originally shallow domestic financial industry to take off and develop at a rapid speed, in this country that had been stagnant for a long time, each introduction of a new policy caused an earth-shattering shock.

Xiao Chi heard a 80-90% confirmed rumor that urban expansion plans were already in place. Last year alone, the city authorities announced that three roads would be built outside the city, more than in the past five years combined.

The city was preparing to expand, but weren’t there urban areas that were not fully utilized at the moment? Would they really be left alone?

Right now, the northern quarter was just a barren wasteland, seemingly worthless, but it was only because few people lived there. If Yan City officially introduced a new decree, for example… for example, gathering the various companies’ offices, currently scattered about the city, in one area…

That would be a game changer!

Xiao Chi turned the prayer beads over in his fingers, deep in thought. It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered this before, but it wasn’t until Lin Jingzhe laid out this possible future in front of him that he suddenly realized that the pace of development of the land beneath his feet, seemingly steady, had far outrun his predictions.

This came as a slight shock. He struggled to shake it off, though nothing showed on his face, and subconsciously leaned a little closer towards where Lin Jingzhe was sitting.

Today, Xiao Chi was deliberately giving the other man a cold shoulder! There was still a bruise on his stomach where Lin Jingzhe had elbowed him last time. Now, Lin Jingzhe would know that making him angry was not without consequences!

As he was thinking this, his eyes couldn’t help falling on Lin Jingzhe’s lips that moved as the youth spoke. They were rather thin and light in color, with just a hint of pink. Xiao Chi pondered for a moment. It was said that people with pale lips often suffered from hypoglycemia and had other health issues; recalling their previous confrontations, Lin Jingzhe’s hands and face had indeed been cool. Only his neck and mouth seemed burning hot…

Xiao Chi licked his lips, then suddenly noticed where his mind was wandering. “……???”

No, that was besides the point!

He let out a heavy cough. Thinking that he had something to say, Lin Jingzhe stopped. His gaze moved away from the map and fell on Xiao Chi doubtfully. Because he had paused mid-word, his lips were still slightly parted.

Exposing the red tip of a tongue and a narrow line of upper teeth!

Ah—his two front teeth seemed just a tiny bit bigger than the rest!

Xiao Chi seemed to have made a discovery equal to the discovery of America. Suddenly livening up, he scrutinized Lin Jingzhe’s face, almost to the point of counting each hair in his eyebrows.

Big eyes, slightly pointed chin, cheeks a little rounded, a thin and delicate body, pale pink lips, and those teeth!

Hu Shaofeng was right—he really resembled a little rabbit!

Xiao Chi shifted in his seat. “Cough, go on.”

Lin Jingzhe looked down at the map again and continued speaking. Xiao Chi stared at his long eyelashes, his heart filled with praise—Ah, so cute!

Not even batting an eyelid, he discreetly pushed the plate of brown sugar jujube pastries that had just been served towards Lin Jingzhe, and asked, “Your hypothesis is quite interesting. However, since you’re so optimistic about the development of that area, why aren’t you also bidding for Lots No. 5 and 7? They’re in the north district as well.”

Lin Jingzhe liked jujubes, and he was a little hungry after getting carsick. When he saw the pastries, he took one and started eating. “I don’t have enough funds,” he frankly answered. “Lot No. 5 is 200,000 square meters, Lot. No 7 is 270,000 square meters. Honestly, I would like to get them, but it’s not realistic.”

Spellbound, Xiao Chi watched him eat the jujube pastry. Lin Jingzhe ate very slowly, chewing carefully with tightly closed lips, his cheeks only moving gently. The whole process was refined and elegant, without any sound.

By the time Xiao Chi came back to his senses, Lin Jingzhe was already talking about the terms of the cooperation: “Right now, I have one third of the needed funds at hand and I’m only lacking a collaboration partner. Mr. Xiao, I plan to hold this piece of land for at least one year; with the current growth rate of the real estate market in Yan City, even if the future doesn’t develop according to my conjectures, that land definitely won’t depreciate too much. I don’t plan to develop it for now, I’ll wait and observe the market conditions first—if there are any signs that the situation is about to become unfavorable, I’ll sell it right away. I guarantee that no matter what, you won’t lose your investment.”

…I seem to have missed quite a lot just now? Xiao Chi calmly crossed one leg over the other. Showing no sign that he’d blanked out, he said, steadily passing the prayer beads through his fingers, “Even so, that’s still five million yuan. If your words are just an empty boast, then even if I don’t lose them, I won’t gain anything. Then, wouldn’t it better for me to use this five million to randomly buy some pieces of land? I’m afraid that might be more profitable than cooperating with you.”

This was the way of the business world. You would win some and lose some, and it was meaningless to stubbornly fight for every last thing. Lin Jingzhe didn’t try to argue, just smiled calmly. “Perhaps, but only if my prediction doesn’t come true. If it does, the return will be much greater than from your investment in other projects. It’s basically a risk-free gamble, but only you can decide whether you’re willing to take it.”

He really wanted to get this plot of land, so he had to urgently secure enough funds. Getting this investment was the best way; if it failed, he could still get the money through other means, but the risk would be much greater.

After eating almost half the pastries on the plate, Lin Jingzhe stood up, saying, “Excuse me for a moment, I’m going to go wash my hands.”

Fang Wenhao, who had calmed down after listening to Lin Jingzhe’s eloquent reasoning, glanced at Hu Shaofeng, then at Xiao Chi, and found an excuse to leave the room as well.

Inside, Xiao Chi sat up straight and turned the lazy susan. A little curious, he took a piece of the brown sugar pastry.

Undoubtedly, it was quite an ordinary brown sugar pastry, but after watching Lin Jingzhe eat it with such deliberation a moment ago, it seemed to taste a bit better than usual.

Hu Shaofeng was hooked by the vision of the future drawn by Lin Jingzhe. He had been holding back for a long time, waiting for a chance to speak freely; the door had barely closed behind Fang Wenhao before he rushed to Lin Jingzhe’s seat to take a look at the map the youth had been using.

“Brother Xiao,” he began hesitantly, feeling as though his previous views had been completely overturned, “Why do I feel that his words make a lot of sense?”

Xiao Chi sent him a sideways glance, but didn’t speak. A moment later, he stood up. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Hu Shaofeng pondered over the business opportunities in the north district that Lin Jingzhe mentioned, watching distractedly as Xiao Chi picked up the cardigan hanging over the back of his seat and put it on. Wasn’t Xiao Chi going to the bathroom? Why would he specially put on the sweater for that?

When Xiao Chi arrived at the bathroom, he bumped into Fang Wenhao, who was smoking outside the door. Seeing him, Fang Wenhao immediately took the cigarette out of his mouth and looked around; upon successfully locating a garbage can, he rushed to it to put the smoke out.

Xiao Chi motioned with his head, signaling Fang Wenhao to stay away, and then waited for him to disappear around the corner before pushing the bathroom door open. Inside, Lin Jingzhe was standing in front of the urinal, zipping up his fly.

Xiao Chi’s gaze was subconsciously drawn there. His arrival was immediately noticed by Lin Jingzhe who gave him a wary glance, but because they’d met to discuss business today, he naturally treated Xiao Chi more politely than before. “Were looking for me, Mr. Xiao?”

Xiao Chi leaned against the door and watched the youth wash his hands. He kept silent for a while, then said abruptly, “Haven’t you noticed that I’m very unhappy today?”

“???” Lin Jingzhe was completely baffled at this question. “Excuse me?”

Xiao Chi couldn’t believe it—he really didn’t notice. Glancing at Lin Jingzhe’s empty wrist, he asked, “Where’s my rosary?”

Lin Jingzhe was more and more baffled. What was all this about? He reached for his trouser pocket and pulled out the string of prayer beads he’d been carrying around for several days. “Here.”

Face sullen, Xiao Chi took them back; his expression was not the same as it was earlier in the room—his eyebrows were tightly wrinkled!

I’m here to talk about business I’m here to talk about business I’m here to talk about business I’m here to talk about business I’m here to talk about business…

Lin Jingzhe silently recited this mantra a hundred times, forcing himself to treat the other party’s behavior with tolerance, then said with a fake smile, “I’m relieved that I could finally return it to its rightful owner.”

Xiao Chi didn’t speak and only looked down at the string of beads in his hand. Finding himself completely unable to comprehend how this man’s brain circuits were wired, Lin Jingzhe simply stopped paying attention to him. He pulled a few paper towels to wipe his hands, then looked in the mirror to make sure there were no crumbs on his face after eating all those pastries.

Suddenly, a scent of agarwood enveloped him—in the mirror, he saw Xiao Chi approaching quickly and standing behind him, and his heart skipped a beat. Lin Jingzhe gave the man a sharp look and wanted to turn around, but before he could, Xiao Chi reached out and put the string of prayer beads that was just returned on Lin Jingzhe’s neck, like he had done a few days ago.

Lin Jingzhe, who was still maintaining the action of wiping his hands as all this happened too fast: “…???”

Xiao Chi poked him in the cheek and walked out of the bathroom.

Lin Jingzhe stared after him, dumbfounded. “???”

For more than a day after the dinner meeting, no one contacted Lin Jingzhe; recalling Xiao Chi’s sulky expression, he assumed that the cooperation was likely to fall through. He wasn’t going to lobby his case though, and prepared to find someone to check out the private lending market in Yan City. That aside—calculating the time, Zhou Haitang’s parents should’ve already arrived.

He called Zhou Haitang’s dormitory room and, as expected, when the call connected, he heard “ghosts wailing and wolves howling” in the background. Gao Sheng, who answered the phone, blankly narrated the development of the situation: {Uncle and Aunt Zhou suddenly came to our room, put down their luggage, and began to give Zhou Haitang a beating…}

{Aaaaaaah!} Just then, Zhou Haitang coordinated with this statement and let out a shriek. {Dad!!! Dad, don’t!!!}

Despite the long and exhausting journey, Father Zhou’s deep voice didn’t sound weak at all: {You stinky boy, you dare to stray off the proper path again!!!}

“…I’ll be there soon,” Lin Jingzhe calmly stated.

At the dorm room of the freshmen in the Computer Department of Wutong University, Zhou Haitang was being beaten to the point of tears, desperately calling “Mom” and “Dad”, doubting life.

His parents, who he hadn’t seen in a long time, appeared at the door of his dorm room out of the blue. For a moment he was surprised and delighted, but before he could ask why they were here, his father’s surging anger poured down on him without warning.

In the past, his mother would try to persuade her husband, but this time, it was the opposite—his mother helped his father beat him! She stood next to him, sobbing, sneaking in a slap from time to time.

When Zhou Haitang saw Lin Jingzhe come in, he rushed to him, crying, “I studied properly all this time, and even memorized three hundred words last night! Why did they beat me?!”

Lin Jingzhe tenderly patted his swollen face and appeased him insincerely, pretending to know nothing, “Yes, you’ve been very good. Don’t worry, I’ll help you reason with your parents.”

He walked out of the room, followed by the naive boy’s grateful and worshipful gaze, and found the Zhou couple who had been invited by the frightened dorm supervisor to his office “for a cup of tea”. Mother Zhou, wiping her tears with a handkerchief, said with relief, “Thankfully, we didn’t come too late. Why does this child have to keep us worrying all the time!”

Father Zhou slapped the table angrily. “I should’ve beaten him to death and let ourselves be free of trouble!”

His words were harsh, but his eyes were red.

After Lin Jingzhe called them, the couple left Liyun Town on the first bus and came to Yan City as quickly as possible, unwilling to delay for even a second along the way. They could hardly eat or sleep, and didn’t dare to call Zhou Haitang for fear of stimulating him—they were utterly fatigued, mind and body.

Fortunately, they managed to arrive in time; their son hadn’t done anything stupid yet.

Father Zhou was relieved, but recalling the money spent on the travel fare, he felt heartache as well. This expense took all his wages from the past half month! Ever since Mother Zhou was laid off, the financial situation of the Zhou family had been very tense; what’s more, they borrowed a sizable amount of money to provide for Zhou Haitang’s tuition and living expenses. Right now, they had to cherish every cent.

The couple discussed the best way to get back to Qunnan Province. Mother Zhou was a little reluctant to part with her son. “Did you see how thin and pale he was? Who knows how much hardship he’s been through during this time. Since we’re here already, let’s spend a few more days with him.”

Father Zhou took a drag of his cigarette, then said, his voice hoarse, “Yan City is too expensive. It cost us two yuan to get to this school and one yuan to eat lunch—how much more will it cost to stay a night? No, let’s go back to Qunnan immediately after we finish talking with Haitang—we’re supposed to see Brother Gao Fang about that job on the construction site.”

Mother Zhou was a traditional wife and currently had no independent source of income; now that her husband had spoken, she could only comply, regardless of her reluctance. Thinking of her son who used to be ruddy-faced and plump after being lovingly stuffed with food by her in Liyun Town, yet now looked pitifully thin and pale, her heart was in pain.

Lin Jingzhe poured them hot tea and asked, “But Uncle, Aunty, if you just go home like that, what about Zhou Haitang? Will you really manage to convince him not to do anything stupid in such a short time?”

“I will just tell him he has to listen or I’ll break his leg!” Father Zhou growled.

Startled, Mother Zhou exclaimed, “What nonsense are you saying?!”

For Lin Jingzhe, the most difficult part was getting them to make the thousands of kilometers long journey to Yan City. This first step was the hardest; now that they had arrived, he naturally had a way to keep them here.

He interjected hurriedly, “If he was so easily intimidated, I wouldn’t have needed to ask you to come over. Aunty, could you at least stay for a week? If you go back now and Zhou Haitang still insists on getting in trouble, what then? Won’t you have to rush here again?”

Father Zhou stopped smoking for a moment, obviously hesitating.

Mother Zhou looked at her husband expectantly—no matter how much money they had to spend to stay in Yan City, in her eyes, it was nothing compared to their son’s future.

Lin Jingzhe said, “Haitang is so stubborn that if he really put it in his head to do something, it would be truly terrible. I’m renting an apartment in the city, you can stay there for now, Uncle. The work at the construction site won’t run away—money is important, that’s true, but aren’t people more important?”

Mother Zhou stomped her foot anxiously, tugging at her husband’s sleeve. “Come on!”

Father Zhou had been reluctant to both spend money on accommodation and lose the income from the construction work. Now that Lin Jingzhe said they’d have a place to stay, the balance of scales in his mind shifted a little.

After weighing all the pros and cons for a long time, he finally gritted his teeth and said, “Five days—we’ll stay for five more days!”

Getting what she wanted, Mother Zhou immediately abandoned her husband and stood up. “I’ll go see how Haitang is doing.”

Lin Jingzhe stopped her. “Wait a moment, Aunty. Please remember to pay attention not to say anything that might stimulate Zhou Haitang or make him suspicious,” he exhorted, fearing that the cat would be let out of the bag.

Mother Zhou gave a vigilant nod. “I know, I know, I won’t say a word.”

Lin Jingzhe took the Zhou couple to the rented apartment where Deng Mai lived. Deng Mai was still attending the supplementary school and left early and returned late every day like a normal student, so they didn’t find out he’d dropped out of college.

The residents of small towns and villages had their own comfort zone and stepping outside of it made them feel overwhelmed and lost. It was precisely because of this that Father Zhou was so set on the construction work arranged by Gao Sheng’s father—although Qunnan City was also unfamiliar, at least he’d know somebody there.

After Lin Jingzhe left, he began to ponder what line of work they should engage in. Neither Father Zhou nor Mother Zhou were highly educated, and their characters were honest and sincere—in other words, they didn’t know how to curry favor or handle things using indirect methods. Obviously, any job that required networking and knowing how to utilize social connections was not suitable for them.

In the 1990s, when the first wave of entrepreneurship overtook China, business opportunities were everywhere, but not many people dared to take them. The peak of the outbreak of private businesses would come several years later, when mass layoffs would force desperate workers to step into the completely alien world of “self-employment.” At that time, it would be much more difficult to become successful due to all the competition.

Anyway, no matter what they ended up doing, Father Zhou being laid off early was a good thing, though the man himself might not see it like that right now.

Distressed by the children who obviously became just skin and bones after spending some time away from home, Mother Zhou refused to idle the time away in the apartment. She bravely ventured outside and even gathered her courage to ask residents in the community how to get to the farmer’s market. Using what little money she had left, she bought some meat and vegetables to cook the poor boys some nutritious, nourishing dishes.

Her craftsmanship was really a thing of wonder. Ever since she moved in, the apartment building became permeated with rich, mouth-watering aromas. The local old ladies tended to be outgoing and sociable; it didn’t take them long to come and find the source of the divine scents. Two or three days later, Mother Zhou was already familiar with most of the neighbors, and as she chatted about cooking and recipes, gradually, the strange city also seemed to become less scary.

After delivering the soup to the dorm room in Wutong University using an insulated pot borrowed from an aunt next door, Mother Zhou made a trip to Yan University as well. She walked through the gates, full of awe, and found Lin Jingzhe to give him some nourishing food he hadn’t come back to eat that day.

She brought him braised pig trotters with soybeans, savory but not greasy. The pig trotters were fried with sugar and stewed with soybeans until the sauce thickened and became fragrant and rich in taste; even the unremarkable soybeans turned into soft, glutinous delicacies after absorbing the broth. Lin Jingzhe barely managed to take a few bites before the rest of the dish disappeared in the stomachs of Fang Wenhao and Hu Shaofeng who came to invite him for lunch at the cafeteria.

Lin Jingzhe chewed unhappily at the delicious, collagen-rich piece of meat when suddenly, an idea that he had a long time ago but failed to think further on flashed through his mind.

“Aunty Zhou,” he began, kindly and affectionately watching Hu Shaofeng and Fang Wenhao grapple with each other as they each tried to rob a bigger portion of the stew. “I don’t think you should go back to Qunnan. You can open a food stall here in Yan City, run a small business, and you’d to be able to stay with Zhou Haitang as well.”

Mother Zhou froze, shocked. This suggestion was completely beyond her scope of thought—living in Yan City, staying close to her son, and making money as well? In her mind, this was a beautiful but impossible dream. Bowing her head, she said awkwardly, “What business can I run? I can only cook those ordinary dishes that everyone can cook, who would spend money to buy them? And if your Uncle Zhou gets that job in Qunnan City, he’ll be able to earn twenty to thirty yuan a day.”

“What?!” When Hu Shaofeng heard this number, he felt as if he’d come into contact with a very terrible world. “Twenty or thirty yuan a day?! Are you serious?! If you take what we’re eating now and sell it at a street stall here, you’ll easily earn two or three thousand a month!”

Fang Wenhao slapped Hu Shaofeng’s head hard to make him shut up, ashamed of this young master who’d never known the hardship of the ordinary working class.

But Mother Zhou didn’t get offended—instead, she froze in shock again, feeling as if she’d heard a number beyond her comprehension.