Chapter 92: Crazy Crossing of Over a Thousand Kilometers Across the Motherland...

Even when he stood in front of Zhu Yingning, Xu Sirui still couldn't understand why he had come to this remote place with no village in sight.

The only explanation is that he's crazy.

**

On the morning of the tenth day of the first lunar month, Xu Zhengkang received a call from the phone he had lent Zhu Yingning. Xu Zhengkang naturally assumed it was Zhu Yingning calling, but when he picked up the phone, he heard a male voice, barely past its puberty phase, still retaining a touch of childishness. He whispered in a flattering voice, "Hello, are you Uncle Xu Zhengkang? I'm Zhu Jixiang."

Xu Zhengkang was stunned: "Who?"

"Uh, that's... Zhu Jixiang." He didn't expect Xu Zhengkang to have forgotten him. Hadn't he said he would support him half a year ago? Zhu Jixiang stammered, "The one who was at your house before."

Xu Zhengkang asked impatiently, "What do you mean in my house? If you want to talk, just say it clearly. Do you think everyone is idle and has time to play dumb with you?"

Before this call, Zhu Jixiang had many unrealistic and childish fantasies about the bright future he was about to face. He thought the whole world would make way for him, such as Xu Zhengkang and Zhou Tianlan, who were very friendly to him during the variety show recording, Zhu Yingning, who remained silent in the face of his sarcasm, and Liu Guifang, who called him cruel but still chose to let him go.

But Xu Zhengkang's attitude confused him.

Is this still the same person who was so kind and friendly to him before and said bluntly, "You are much more obedient than my son Si Rui. I wish you were my son"?

Zhu Jixiang's spirit was largely extinguished by Xu Zhengkang's attitude. He had no choice but to bring up Zhu Yingning and stammered, "I... I'm Zhu Yingning's younger brother. I previously participated in the variety show 'Swap Life' and swapped roles with your Xu Sirui. I lived in your house for a while..."

When Zhu Jixiang mentioned the name of the variety show, Xu Zhengkang remembered everything.

He didn't respond immediately, but tapped the edge of the table with his fingers. After listening to the other party finish speaking, he asked, "What's the matter with you calling me?" His tone was calm, but he was genuinely annoyed in his heart.

Wishing you good luck. He pictured the child in his mind. Short and frail, he'd been silent when he first arrived, unable to even say "hello," "please," or "thank you." He was as timid as a sparrow perched outside the eaves, easily frightened to death by the slightest noise. Later, he gave Xu Sirui his game console and computer, bought him clothes, shoes, and KFC meals, and gradually, a light began to appear in the child's eyes. It wasn't just a look of inquiry; that innocent curiosity was tinged with a touch of naked greed.

As a businessman, Xu Zhengkang has met all kinds of people, and he certainly understands what kind of person Zhu Jixiang is.

When his business was just starting out, it was inevitable that his impoverished relatives would appear from every corner, like a swarm of cockroaches, buzzing around him, saying, "Zhengkang, I held you when you were little, do you remember?" or "We played together when you were little, do you remember?" First, they laid the groundwork for their long-standing relationship before getting down to the business of finding a job.

Remember? I don't remember shit.

But Xu Zhengkang is good at dealing with these hypocritical interpersonal relationships. He would put on a few smiles, tell a few evasive lies, and stuff some big rosy pictures into their mouths, saying things like "the company is in its starting stage, and this position requires practical work. I feel at ease handing it over to you", "You work hard for a few years, and I will definitely promote you in the future", and then he would place people in some insignificant small positions, so that these poor relatives would not affect the operation of his company, and he could also create a good reputation for being loyal and righteous outside.

Zhu Jixiang was a relative who was infinitely closer to being poor. His only usefulness was to demonstrate his benevolence, righteousness, filial piety, and brotherly love, but this role had been largely replaced by Zhu Yingning. Whether he was there or not, it meant little to Xu Zhengkang.

Xu Zhengkang has always been reluctant to show his patience to people who are of no use to him.

He listened to Zhu Jixiang's explanation casually, and laughed as he listened.

Zhu Jixiang said Zhu Yingning offered him her scholarship and encouraged him to study in Beijing. He said he has now arrived in Beijing, has no place to live, and is isolated and helpless at the train station.

"Oh? That's it?" Xu Zhengkang's tone was cheerful. "Do you think I'm being taken advantage of? Do you think my time is worthless? Do you think I'm just an idler with nothing to do, wasting my energy playing these stupid kid games with you? I don't care if you're talking nonsense or if you two have really conspired to make fun of me. I don't care what conflicts you have or what methods you plan to use. I want to see your sister in person on the first day of school. Since I've received a favor from someone else, you should show some sense of contract. Do you understand? Do you understand?"

Zhu Jixiang was frightened into silence by Xu Zhengkang's rude order.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Zhengkang picked up the tea on the table and took a sip. Turning around, he found Xu Sirui standing behind him.

The father and son had not spoken to each other for a long time. Xu Zhengkang glanced at him coldly, looked away, stood up and went to the entrance to change his shoes.

The door closed and silence returned to the room.

After a long time, Xu Sirui moved, went back to the room, found his cell phone, and dialed the number of Xu Zhengkang's old phone.

After three rings, the call was connected. Before Zhu Jixiang could speak, Xu Sirui asked directly, "Where are you? Tell me your specific address."

**

Zhu Jixiang is different from what Xu Sirui imagined.

His impression of Zhu Yingning, his so-called younger brother, came from that biased art photo. In the photo, Zhu Jixiang was thin, with an ordinary face, and his expression revealed a simple and ignorant emptiness.

At this moment, Zhu Jixiang, sitting across from him, was much more robust and sturdy than he had imagined. "Shrewd" refers to being smart, and "sturdy" refers to being short and strong. As for his face...it was still the same unrememberable one.

It's very strange. Zhu Jixiang and Zhu Yingning are siblings with similar genes. Logically, they look similar, but Xu Sirui feels that Zhu Yingning is more pleasing to the eye than Zhu Jixiang in every way. Even her plain facial features seem more attractive compared to his.

As he looked at Zhu Jixiang, Zhu Jixiang was also looking at him.

Zhu Jixiang knew that Xu Sirui was handsome. He was studying in the No. 1 Middle School in the county. His classmates asked him, "Hey, Zhu Jixiang, have you ever participated in a variety show? I remember that the city boy you exchanged with was quite handsome." He would pretend to be disdainful and reply, "Is he handsome? Just a pretty boy." But when he saw it with his own eyes, the strong visual impact still made him feel ashamed. The inferiority disguised as arrogance was shattered by the noble temperament of the man opposite him.

They were sitting in a Starbucks near the train station, having just picked up their food. Zhu Jixiang was the only one who rushed to buy something, hoping to make a good impression on Xu Sirui.

Xu Sirui leaned back in his chair, too lazy to waste brain cells to make up a friendly preface, and went straight to the point: "Where's your sister?"

"Uh, well..." Zhu Jixiang looked at the edge of the table nervously, and repeated the words he had just used to deal with Xu Zhengkang.

Xu Sirui also laughed after hearing this and murmured, "...I'll give the funding quota to you."

He answered with a stiff upper lip: "Yes."

"She gave you her cell phone too?"

"right."

"Then she must have given you the debt as well?"

"Debt?" Zhu Jixiang looked puzzled.

Xu Sirui was full of nonsense: "She borrowed tens of thousands of yuan from me, saying she would send it home to help you improve your lives and to treat your father's illness. What, you didn't know? She didn't tell you?"

Zhu Jixiang turned pale with shock. He hurriedly shook his head and shouted, "She didn't spend any of this money on us. She only sent 1,800 yuan back every month! I knew it! I knew she must have hidden the money herself! What a shameless thing! She even dared to say she was working outside. She really lied to us!" After saying this, he was so angry that he gasped for breath for a while before he barely calmed down. He changed his face and smiled ingratiatingly, "This debt... Look, she didn't spend any of it on us. You...you should ask her for it in person?"

The more he spoke, the more subtle Xu Sirui's expression became.

Before this, he actually didn't know what kind of person Zhu Jixiang was, but now he knows.

Sometimes it takes a lifetime to understand a person, but sometimes it only takes one sentence.

Thinking about Liu Guifang again, I feel that it is completely expected that Zhu Jixiang would have such a character. On the contrary, it is really strange that Zhu Yingning, who grew up in such a family, was able to remain untainted.

His mind was wandering, thinking about all kinds of things, and he responded to Zhu Jixiang's compliments incoherently, with a perfunctory smile on his lips all the time.

After finishing a cup of coffee, exactly half an hour later, Xu Sirui stood up and walked out of the coffee shop. Zhu Jixiang quickly followed him, carrying his schoolbag in his arms, and asked with a smile: "So are we going to your house now?"

Xu Sirui looked at him in surprise: "Why do you think so?"

"Aren't you here to pick me up?" Zhu Jixiang was confused.

"If you don't have a place to go, I'll show you a way." Xu Sirui smiled and raised his hand, pointing his index finger at the Royal Club across the street. "That place provides food and lodging. As long as you work hard, you might be able to find the wealthy bachelor you want. But with your style..." He squinted at him and said vaguely, "Forget it. Hard work can make up for lack of talent. Just keep going."

**

Leaving behind the stunned Zhu Jixiang, Xu Sirui continued walking forward.

He had no purpose, no place he wanted to go, and his legs mechanically repeated the movement of walking.

Having someone be a duck sounds pretty cool, but after he said that, he didn't feel particularly happy. Instead, he felt confused. Although he had a preliminary understanding of Zhu Jixiang's character, he still couldn't be sure whether his statement, "My sister gave me the funding quota," was true or not. Because, damn, he really thought Zhu Yingning was capable of such a stupid thing.

Sacrifice yourself for the sake of others.

How beautiful and righteous.

The more Xu Sirui thought about it, the more upset he felt. Just then, a small stone rolled to his feet without knowing whether it was alive or dead. He kicked it away angrily. With a clang, the stone hit the iron trash can on the street. Fortunately, there was no passerby.

He should have wandered around the streets for a while longer, portraying the heartbroken idol drama actor to the extreme, and even shed a few tears to commemorate the sad and fleeting things like youth and good times. Unfortunately, it was freezing cold in Beijing during the first month of the lunar year, and even shedding tears would freeze. He walked around for a few minutes with his hands in his pockets, but finally succumbed to the strong wind and took a taxi home in shame.

**

When I got home, I took off my coat and threw myself on the bed. I didn't think about anything and had a good sleep.

I slept from the tenth to the eleventh day of the lunar month.

When he woke up in the early morning, he had a splitting headache and felt like his whole body was falling apart. When he got up, he realized that he had forgotten to cover himself with the quilt.

However, although my body ached and my head felt dizzy, my mind was clearer than ever.

He slid out of bed, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and began packing. First, a windproof and warm down jacket was a must. Then, a change of long underwear and long johns was also necessary. And then there were the essentials: his ID card, his phone, and his power bank...

After putting all his things into his backpack, he got up and went to the entrance to pick out shoes. They needed to be warm, durable, and also protect against snow. After much deliberation, he chose a pair of snow boots.

Leaving the community and taking a taxi to the train station, Xu Sirui believed that this was probably the craziest thing he had ever done in his life.

There will never be a second time to cross more than a thousand kilometers across the motherland and pass through several provinces and cities, just to catch the other person and ask about her sincerity and ambition.

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The author has something to say: There will be another update at 22:30.