The two talked all night long.
The morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, falling on the already dried coffee cups, and they realized how much time had passed.
Hu Ling twisted her neck and stretched.
"I'm really fed up. I haven't talked this much in a long time. Don't talk to me these next couple of days. I feel like you've drained me dry."
Hu Ling stood up as she spoke, then collapsed onto the bed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
She said weakly, "Go out, then close the door and don't bother me."
Just as Chen Zhe stood up, preparing to leave, he suddenly thought of a way to curry favor.
Turning to look at Hu Ling, who was lying on the bed, he asked softly, "Sister Hu, let me give you a massage. I feel a little guilty because I didn't let you sleep well."
"Um?"
Hu Ling raised her head slightly, as if she was hesitating.
"Okay, give me a massage."
Having received permission, Chen Zhe immediately walked over with a grin and placed his warm hands on Hu Ling's shoulders, massaging them.
"Sister Hu, is the force okay?"
"It's alright, just pinch it a little more over here."
"Here?"
"A little lower, yes, right here, oh~ much better..."
Hu Ling's satisfied moan sent a shiver down Chen Zhe's spine.
[not good! ]
Chen Zhe had already felt some stress reactions in his body and wanted to get away from Hu Ling, but it was too late.
Hu Ling still noticed his subtle movements.
Hu Ling frowned; "What do you want to do?"
Chen Zhe felt somewhat aggrieved.
"Sister Hu, is this normal so early in the morning? I didn't recognize your voice just now..."
"Get out!"
"yes!!"
Chen Zhe quickly got up, then hunched over and fled out the door.
Hu Ling, who was initially angry, couldn't help but laugh when she saw Chen Zhe's comical actions.
"Hmph, little brother~"
After muttering the word to herself, Hu Ling paused for a moment.
"like……"
The brief contact had thrown Hu Ling into a turmoil. She was no longer sleepy and, as if possessed, got up and went to the door to lock it.
Then I turned on my computer and found a file.
Inside were photos of Chen Zhe that she and Yang Yun had taken before.
Her face was flushed, her chest was heaving, and her heart was pounding.
Hu Ling cursed under her breath, "Stupid donkey!" But then she heard Chen Zhe making a noise in the living room, followed by his voice: "Sister Hu, do you want fried dough sticks or steamed buns for breakfast?"
Hu Ling was startled and hurriedly closed the file.
Then he turned his head and looked around.
She breathed a heavy sigh of relief when she realized that Chen Zhe hadn't come in.
"I don't want it!! I don't want anything!! Leave me alone!"
"Oh, would you like some rice noodle rolls?"
"I said I don't want any of them!"
"Then shall I bring you a cup of soy milk?"
"Get out of here!"
Hu Ling cursed a few times before Chen Zhe's voice disappeared outside.
"Hu Ling, you're a complete pervert!!"
She cursed herself again, then threw herself onto the bed and covered her head with the pillow.
...
Chen Zhe sighed slightly in the living room. He had originally wanted to give Hu Ling a massage to improve his relationship with her, but unexpectedly, such a little incident happened at the crucial moment.
He stood with his hands on his hips and his head down.
"How can I put it? You have ambition, and I'm very pleased with that. But you're too ambitious, and I'm worried about you. Anyone else is fine, but Sister Hu is absolutely out of the question. That woman is really capable of killing. Promise me that you'll ask me first before you start thinking about anything, okay?"
After talking to himself, Chen Zhe turned and left.
Chen Zhe did not go to Linglong Club. Although he is now the president, he has not spent much time at the company recently. He has arranged for Yang Yun and several other managers to handle many things at the company.
After learning that Chen Zhe was not going to the company again, Yang Yun called to complain.
"Sister Hu entrusted the company to you so that you could manage it well. You're not in the company every other day. What are you trying to do? Do you think you're doing right by Sister Hu?"
Hearing Yang Yun's angry voice, Chen Zhe was unimpressed. Because of Hu Ling's "death," this woman seemed to be venting all her emotions on herself.
That's right, only he and Abao knew that Hu Ling was still alive.
One reason he hasn't been to the company these past few days is that he doesn't want to be exposed to Yang Yun's negative emotions. Although the other managers have opinions about him, they don't dare to say them openly. Yang Yun is different; she doesn't give Chen Zhe any face and often uses Hu Ling to pressure him, which is really annoying.
"Alright, I have something to do now, I'm hanging up!"
Chen Zhe hung up the phone, giving Yang Yun no chance, and had Zhang Kai drive him to Qingyun Mountain.
Zhang Kai was quite agitated throughout the journey.
"Mr. Chen, is that Taoist priest really willing to take me as his disciple?"
"Of course, I've told you everything. Just do whatever they say. If you can't handle the hardship, you can tell me. It's better not to contradict them in person."
Zhang Kai burst into laughter.
"Don't worry, Mr. Chen, I may not have any special skills, but I'm confident in my ability to endure hardship!"
Zhang Kai talked about all the hardships he had endured since childhood, and soon they arrived at Qingyun Mountain.
...
Qingyun Mountain.
"Master, can I rest for a while?"
I squatted in a horse stance for an hour, and my legs went numb. I collapsed to the ground, my face contorted in pain.
Old Xie, sitting next to me, was scrolling through his phone without even looking up.
The tone was slightly sarcastic.
"What? Didn't you say you could endure hardship? It's only been an hour? You can't take it anymore?"
His face was contorted in pain, as if he had eaten shit.
"Master, didn't you say you were going to teach me martial arts? You've been making me do horse stance all this time. What kind of martial arts training is that?"
"hehe."
Old Master Xie chuckled and put down his phone.
"If your basic skills aren't solid, practicing any martial arts will be a waste of time. A tall building starts from the ground up. If you haven't laid a firm foundation, do you really think you can build a house?"
"But……"
"No buts! If you can't handle the hardship, then hurry up and go down the mountain. Don't waste my time!"
Zhang Kai looked at Chen Zhe with a distressed expression. Seeing Chen Zhe chatting and laughing with Xie Yuhan, he sighed slightly.
He gritted his teeth and continued squatting in a horse stance.
Chen Zhe also saw Zhang Kai's appearance, and he suddenly felt a sense of relief.
If I had trained on my own back then, I probably would have been ruined. Fortunately, I have Zhang Kai to protect me now.
"It seems that practicing martial arts is really not a simple matter."
Chen Zhe sighed.
Xie Yuhan, who was standing next to her, smiled and said, "Of course. Doing anything well is never easy, and I'm sure it's the same for you in business, right?"
Chen Zhe nodded, thinking of his conversation with Hu Ling the previous night.
He used to naively think that doing business was simply buying and selling; all he had to do was make good products and sell them to others. But now he realizes that things are far more complicated than he imagined. The backstabbing and scheming involved are something that most people can't handle.
"By the way, Xiaoyu, do you practice martial arts?"
Chen Zhe asked curiously.
Xie Yuhan shook her head; "My grandfather said that martial arts is something for rough people and is not suitable for me. He is only willing to teach me about feng shui."
"Xiaoyu, have you ever thought about going to university outside of school?"
In Chen Zhe's opinion, it was a real waste for Xie Yuhan, who was at such a beautiful age, to stay at Qingyun Mountain as a Taoist priest.
Xie Yuhan looked at Donghai City in the distance.
"I've thought about it before, but I'll pass. Everyone has their own path to walk. I think staying here is fine. The scenery here is beautiful, and interpersonal relationships are simple."
"Yes, that's true. Sometimes happiness is simply about simplicity."
"Haha, why do I feel like you've changed a bit? When you used to come here, I always saw a look in your eyes that said you wanted to do something big, that kind of ambitious feeling, and you were full of energy. But now... it feels like your outlook on life has collapsed a bit. I don't know if this interpretation is correct?"
Chen Zhe turned his head and looked at Xie Yuhan.
"Xiaoyu, what do you think happiness is?"
"Happiness? Why do you ask that?"
"I just don't understand. I used to think that making a lot of money meant happiness, but now I have more money than I ever imagined before, yet I feel lost."
Don't you love money anymore?
Xie Yuhan asked.
"Haha, don't get me wrong, I still love money. It's just that I once wanted to do some things well, thinking I would feel a sense of accomplishment. But there's a viewpoint that makes me feel that what I'm doing is just self-indulgence."
After talking with Hu Ling last night, Chen Zhe realized his naivety. He used to think that working for the benefit of others should make him a great person, or at least a businessman with a conscience.
But Hu Ling told him that businessmen don't talk about conscience, they only talk about profit, and he couldn't refute that, so he felt conflicted.
Deep down, he wanted to be a successful businessman admired by the public, but a voice inside him told him that for any businessman, profit always comes first.
If he had to choose between his conscience and his interests, what should he do?
This isn't a distant problem; such things can happen at any time.
If it were Hu Ling, she would probably choose the benefit without hesitation, but Chen Zhe himself was unsure if he could make such a decision.
After listening to his concerns, Xie Yuhan hesitated for a moment before saying, "I think that although this is a contradictory matter, it is not without a solution. The key is to stay true to yourself."
"Intentions?"
"Yes, is human nature inherently good or evil? There is actually a debate about whether human nature is inherently good or evil. The idea that human nature is inherently good is a key distinction between humans and animals, while the idea that human nature is inherently evil puts humans in the animal category. I think both are true. Humans have both good and evil sides. I've heard my grandfather tell stories of history, and I've discovered a pattern: a person cannot be good or evil their whole life. They have both good and bad aspects, and they coexist. You don't need to force yourself to be a completely good person; I think that's unrealistic. With good and bad, which side prevails? That depends on you, on how much of each you allocate to them."
Chen Zhe's eyes were wide open.
Although he had always thought Xie Yuhan's words were philosophical, he never expected them to be so philosophical.
"Yes, good and evil are separated by a single thought, and yin and yang are separated by a fine line. There is day and there is night, and the end of night is also day. Perhaps I am just too conflicted."
Chen Zhe figured it out. He didn't need to become an extremely rational businesswoman like Hu Ling, nor did he care to become a businessman like Shen Xingang who ruthlessly exploited workers. He just needed to be himself and do what he felt he should do. As long as he had a standard in his heart, then the path he chose was the right one.
"Xiaoyu, thank you. Every time I come here, I feel like I can learn a lot from you. You are really amazing."
Chen Zhe was sincerely grateful to Xie Yuhan.
Xie Yuhan smiled faintly; "No, what I'm saying is probably just theoretical. If you really asked me to do something, I might be completely clueless."
The two looked at each other and then burst into laughter, an ambiguous yet harmonious atmosphere spreading between them.
Xie Laodao, who was teaching Zhang Kai martial arts not far away, snorted when he saw this, and casually picked up a whip and lashed it across Zhang Kai's leg.
"Squat up straight, didn't you eat?"
...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com