Zhao Rui opened his eyes groggily.
The blurry figures in front of me kept overlapping.
He pointed at Chen Zhe with his finger; "I...I know you, you're the boss of Zhe Shang Zhe, right?"
Chen Zhe was slightly surprised; "Big brother, how do you know me?"
Zhao Rui, drunk, laughed and said, "I'm your neighbor...neighbor! Look!! I live there!!"
Zhao Rui pointed to the building on the tall building next to them.
"That's my home, but it won't be anymore in another month; it's going to be demolished!"
Chen Zhe was stunned.
He was currently troubled by those flagpoles, never expecting that the family whose flagpoles stood there actually belonged to this man.
His eyes immediately lit up with wariness, worried that this man was Wei Ming's accomplice, but looking at the drunken-looking man in front of him, he was also puzzled.
"Brother, why are you so drunk so late? And why are you running into the road? That's so dangerous!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Rui suddenly burst into tears; “I’m bankrupt!! I’m gone, I have nothing left!! My house is going to be demolished, my company is about to go under, and my wife, seeing how destitute I am, took our son and went back to her parents’ home in a fit of anger, saying she wants a divorce…”
Hearing the man say how miserable he was, Chen Zhe suddenly felt a sense of empathy, realizing that his own situation wasn't much better than the man's.
"Brother, even so, you can't joke with your life. Life is precious. As long as you don't die, you will have a chance to make a comeback."
Zhao Rui gave a bleak smile; "Make a comeback? Heh, how easy is that! I'm almost 50, and at 50 one knows one's destiny. I have no chance of turning my life around."
As Zhao Rui spoke, she became increasingly distressed and impulsive, struggling to get up and try to run back onto the road.
Chen Zhe quickly pulled him back, repeating this several times before Zhao Rui's emotions stabilized somewhat.
"Mr. Chen, you're a good person. You don't need to worry about me anymore. Living is more painful than dying. I used to be very wealthy, my career was booming, and I was always surrounded by people. I had many friends and a wide network of connections. But now... I'm in trouble, and there's not a single person to lend a helping hand. After bankruptcy liquidation, I might not even be able to find a decent job... Heh, do you know what that means?"
It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. Making someone accustomed to a life of abundance and then asking them to start saving again is indeed more painful than killing them.
“Brother, although I can’t fully understand you, I have an older brother who used to be a multi-millionaire. Later, his factory went bankrupt and he was forced to drive a taxi. But he didn’t give up on himself. He still lives tenaciously. So I think that as long as a person doesn’t give up on himself, nothing can be judged in the end.”
Zhao Rui's expression changed slightly after hearing this.
"Sigh...but...but it's too difficult, Mr. Chen. I also came from poverty. It was already difficult back then, but now that class stratification is so severe, it's even more difficult..."
Chen Zhe took out a pack of cigarettes, opened it, and handed one to him.
After lighting the fire, Zhao Rui slowly said, "I'm luckier than you. I was one of the first to reap the benefits. Although I'm not highly educated, I once had a net worth of one billion yuan thanks to my hard work and my willingness to think and act. Unfortunately, because of my poor decision-making, all my hard work over the past few decades has been destroyed. A few days ago, I thought I could defy fate and turn my life around, but I never expected... Hehe, in the end, you are the one who suffers a complete defeat."
Zhao Rui gave a bitter laugh, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and lamented the injustice of fate.
"Mr. Zhao, what was that chance to defy fate you mentioned a few days ago?"
"It was a collaboration I had with an overseas company. If that collaboration had gone through, it would have saved my company from dire straits. Our company is in the infrastructure business, and we had already agreed to do the overseas project. But a couple of days ago, the person in charge overseas suddenly changed his mind and found another company. All my previous preparations have gone down the drain. Sigh, I'm really so unlucky..."
Chen Zhe suddenly looked at the flagpoles on the high-rise building, and he had a vague feeling that he had something to do with them.
"Mr. Zhao, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."
"Speak, Mr. Chen."
Have you considered that your negotiation might have failed because of other issues?
"What's the problem?"
"Feng Shui".
"Huh? Hehe, Mr. Chen, you must be joking. It's understandable for someone my age to believe in feng shui, but you're so young, you should be a college student, how can you say such things?"
Chen Zhe smiled and said, "I didn't believe it before either, but I don't dare to say that now. To be honest with you, Mr. Zhao, my situation isn't much better than yours. You should know that I've had a lot of trouble since I reopened."
Zhao Rui nodded; "I've heard of it, but what does it have to do with feng shui?"
"Do you see those flagpoles around your house?"
"This...you mean it's related to that?"
“I consulted an expert who said those flagpoles are called Tiger-Taming Nails. As long as those flagpoles are still standing there, my supermarket will frequently have accidents.”
Zhao Rui was somewhat surprised and skeptical; "President Chen, what you're saying is too bizarre, isn't it? What can these few pillars do? They don't have much to do with your supermarket's business, do they?"
"Mr. Zhao, this feng shui arrangement affects me, and it also affects you. Haven't you noticed that your situation has worsened since these flagpoles were erected?"
Upon Chen Zhe's reminder, Zhao Rui's pupils suddenly contracted.
"It seems...it seems like this, ever since these flagpoles were erected, I haven't been able to sleep peacefully. I've been having nightmares night after night. My wife says she's experiencing the same thing. The day after the flagpoles were erected, my negotiations failed, and all sorts of creditors came knocking on my door..."
Zhao Rui became increasingly alarmed as he thought about it, and when he looked at those flagpoles again, his eyes were filled with fear.
"Mr. Zhao, I don't even need to guess to know that those flagpoles must have been erected by Wei Ming from Lifulai, right?"
Zhao Rui nodded.
"That's true."
“He is my competitor. He wants to destroy me, so he set up this feng shui arrangement. He used your house as the center of the feng shui arrangement, which is why it affected you.”
Zhao Rui grew increasingly angry as he listened.
"No wonder he was so kind! I didn't even know him, and he offered to help me extend my stay by a month. Turns out he had this wicked plan!!"
"Mr. Zhao, so the solution right now is to take down those flagpoles as soon as possible. It will be better for both of us."
Zhao Rui nodded.
"Mr. Chen, you saved me. I trust you. I'll call someone right now to take down those flagpoles!"
Knowing that these flagpoles were affecting him, Zhao Rui couldn't wait a moment longer and immediately called a few people. They were in the construction business and were quick to dismantle the flagpoles; they were completely removed in less than two hours.
After the demolition, Chen Zhe and Zhao Rui both felt a sense of relief.
Zhao Rui held Chen Zhe's hand and said, "President Chen, it's so great to meet you tonight. I feel much better now, and that palpitation is gone. It seems that those flagpoles really were the culprit."
"Mr. Zhao, we are neighbors, so it's important to help each other."
Zhao Rui nodded.
"Mr. Chen, you're right. It's all my fault. I listened to that bastard Wei Ming. I thought he was just doing a few simple ads, but I never expected that this guy would try to harm me! Damn it! I just wish I had the financial resources and ability right now, otherwise I would definitely teach that bitch a lesson!"
"Mr. Zhao, there's a saying that a gentleman takes his revenge even after ten years. You'll have your chance."
Zhao Rui sighed softly; "That's what you say, but now..."
Before he could finish speaking, Zhao Rui's phone rang.
When I picked up my phone, I was surprised to find it was a cross-border number.
His eyes lit up, and he immediately answered the call. The more he listened, the more excited he became, and he repeatedly made promises.
After hanging up the phone, he excitedly shook Chen Zhe's hand.
"Mr. Chen, you're amazing!! The person in charge from overseas just called me and said that the company they've found isn't doing a good job, but they've still decided to give us the project and promised to pay half the deposit. My company is saved!!!"
Zhao Rui was extremely excited, and his whole body radiated with joy.
Chen Zhe could sense his excitement and understand it, after all, one second he was thinking about dying, and the next second he found a way out.
"Congratulations, Mr. Zhao, you are truly blessed."
Zhao Rui burst into laughter.
"Mr. Chen, we're destined to meet. Let's skip the 'Mr.' titles. If you don't mind, we can become sworn brothers. What do you think?"
Chen Zhe did not refuse. Zhao Rui was a man of strong character who got things done quickly and efficiently, and he admired him very much.
"Of course, but I have an older brother..."
Zhao Rui waved his hand.
"It's alright! The three of us can become sworn brothers together. Just like Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei swore brotherhood in the Peach Garden in ancient times, now we have Chen Zhao... By the way, what's your brother's surname?"
...
3:00 AM.
Donghai City People's Hospital.
In the VIP ward.
Wang De watched as Chen Zhe was holding a statue of Guan Yu, with a smiling fat man standing next to him.
His lips twitched.
These two people came to me late at night to become sworn brothers. It's 3 a.m. They didn't treat me like a disabled person, or even like a human being.
...
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