Chapter 13 Scattered in the Sea of People
Xu Weisheng asked the group for time to go home and pack his things. They initially refused, so he helplessly spread his hands and said, "If you want to take me away, whether by plane or high-speed rail, I need an ID card to travel, right? Does this mean that Mr. Xu is so generous as to charter a plane for me?"
The group looked at each other in silence. Xu Weisheng asked in surprise, "Really? They're really willing to spend that much?"
Xu Lijun has always been very stingy with his biological son from his first marriage. As a Forbes-listed family, they are not worried about being poor, but about inequality. In contrast, his younger brother, born to his young stepmother, is very well-off. A little bit of money that slips through his fingers is enough to support many of his fans.
If it weren't for the fact that Hsu Wei-sheng bears a resemblance to his father, many people would probably jump out and question whether he is his biological son. In fact, not only others, but even Hsu Wei-sheng himself thinks so.
From the time he was old enough to understand, his mother had never appeared in his life. When he asked his father, "Where did Mom go?" he was often met with a barrage of scolding. To the point that he once thought his mother had died in an accident, he later learned from various clues that she had not died, but had simply left.
Being abandoned by a woman was a great humiliation for the proud and arrogant Xu Lijun, and the inheritance left by his ex-wife Xu Weisheng was even more of a thorn in his side, but the law stipulated that he had to support him until he reached adulthood.
Fortunately, the Xu family was not lacking in food or clothing. The financial cost of supporting a child with normal intelligence to go to school was not even a drop in the ocean. In fact, the stimulation that Xu Weisheng brought to his father by wandering around the house all day was much greater. But even so, President Xu was unwilling to spend a penny more on Xu Weisheng. He himself owned a private jet, but when his son went to university, he was only allowed to buy a green train ticket. Xu Weisheng lay in the hard sleeper car, looking at the swaying moon outside the window, all the way from the south to the north.
"You're overthinking it." The leader on the other end coughed forcefully, then glared at his henchman before turning to Xu Weisheng and saying, "Don't you have your ID on you?"
"Why should I carry my ID card with me at all times?" Xu Weisheng asked rhetorically.
The people opposite him were speechless. They had just been trying to prove Xu Weisheng's point about carrying his ID card, specifically suggesting that he was definitely planning to take the girl to a hotel room as soon as he got the chance. They hadn't expected this...
My own thoughts are too filthy.
“We’ll go with you!” the leader conceded.
Xu Weisheng didn't resist; resistance was futile. Jian Zhen's words from a couple of days ago had awakened him—the world is unavoidable.
He rushed home and fumbled for his keys for a while before realizing he'd left them at the movie theater. Just as he was about to speak, the person next to him reached out and shoved a key into the lock, turned it a couple of times, and with a click, the door opened.
Xu Weisheng was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. What dark humor!
He wasn't surprised by the mess in the room when he entered. He took out his ID card from a pair of pants in the closet and casually pulled out the frayed contract—he had almost forgotten about this piece of paper!
Xu Weisheng looked at the contract and suddenly smiled gently. He thought that he might never see Jian Zhen again in this life, so he might as well take her with him as a souvenir. Who would have thought that the last person he saw before leaving Beijing would be her? Fate is truly unpredictable and full of twists and turns.
Jian Zhen was completely unaware of Xu Weisheng's sudden ending. She had been busy dealing with the three-party contract sent by Qi Li and having farewell dinners with various friends. Her schedule was full of dinner invitations every day. If anyone invited her again, she could only wave her hand and say: "My schedule is booked until next year."
Even so, she still managed to squeeze out some time to check the movie schedule, planning to go see "Asura" with Xu Weisheng before leaving school. It was truly a time squeezed out of a sponge, so when she arrived at the cinema and heard that Xu Weisheng had already resigned, she felt as if she had been struck by lightning.
"Gone?" Jian Zhen asked incredulously, "Where did they go? When did they leave?"
“It’s been several days, I don’t know where he went, he suddenly stopped coming to work. I haven’t settled his salary from last week, and he doesn’t want it anymore. You two know each other, why don’t you give it to him for me?”
“I—” Jian Zhen swallowed her pride and said honestly, “I don’t have his phone number. Do you have his phone number? I’ll call him.”
She was out of her mind at the time. If she had calmed down and thought about it, if the phone call could be made, would the people at the cinema not be able to contact him?
"You two don't even have phone numbers?" The cinema owner scrolled through Xu Weisheng's number on the screen and showed it to Jian Zhen, reminding her as she eagerly dialed, "Oh dear, I've called so many times, but no one answers."
Jian Zhen held her phone to her ear, turning her head to look at the other person. The dial tone became more frequent, and Jian Zhen couldn't bear the automatic disconnection, so she hung up and redialed. Had she dialed the wrong number? No, Jian Zhen repeatedly checked the 11 digits, but the result was still the same.
She called four or five times in a row, going from initial disbelief to finally hanging up the phone and dejectedly accepting the reality.
He really disappeared. It turns out that the connection between them was so fragile that as soon as one of them decided to leave without saying goodbye, the other would instantly retreat thousands of miles away, separated from the crowd, and it would be difficult to find any trace of the other.
"Are you alright?" The person who called her patted her shoulder.
Xu Weisheng hadn't worked here for long, but his reputation was good, and he was quite popular with his colleagues and customers. Now, a pretty young girl was teary-eyed for him at the cinema entrance, and everyone knew that he was a womanizer who would abandon girls and play with their feelings. They all turned from fans to haters, and when they talked about him in private, they couldn't help but spit on him.
Jian Zhen had no recollection of how she returned from Yungang. Her steps were heavy, and she repeatedly doubted whether this was a dream, a terrible nightmare. And as a dream, everything around her seemed far too real.
Could it be that Xu Weisheng was already dreaming from the moment she appeared?
Or perhaps her dream began even earlier?
Jian Zhen lay in the empty dormitory, vaguely feeling that she was about to go mad. She was clearly not in a relationship, so why was she reacting like a lovestruck woman who had just broken up?
Her roommates had all gone their separate ways, and no one noticed the abnormality in Jian Zhen's distraught state. One minute Jian Zhen was rationally considering whether she should make an appointment to see a psychiatrist, and the next minute she was lost in aimless questioning about the philosophy of life.
Fortunately, Director Jian urgently called her home, and a major event awaited her. This event involved Jian Zhen's entire past life, which barely managed to bring her scattered spirits back together. In the end, fate had pulled her back by a twist of fate.
The protagonist of this major event is You Yu.
Yu Yu and Jian Zhen were born in the same month and year, only two days apart. Both were only children, so naturally, they became inseparable childhood friends. Now that the Yu family has suffered a major upheaval, Jian Zhen's family can no longer remain indifferent.
Director Jian suggested that You Yu study abroad as originally planned. As a world history student, he couldn't possibly spend his whole life doing research in China. Besides, although You Yu seemed to be neither here nor there, his grades were actually quite good. His proudest achievement so far was that his college entrance examination score was three digits higher than Jian Zhen's.
This was a defeat that Chien Chen least wanted to mention, but at this moment, she used it to persuade Director Chien's advisor to agree to Chien's proposal.
"Why aren't you going?" Jian Zhen gave the only desk and chair in the room to You Yu, leaned against the door with her arms crossed, looked at him, and asked weakly.
She hadn't been eating properly these past few days, and while she had lost weight, her complexion was frighteningly pale. You Yu couldn't help but say, "Why don't you sit down? I'll stand. I promise I won't sit on your bed."
Jian Zhen chuckled. As expected of her good friend of so many years, You Yu knew exactly what she was thinking. However, she shook her head and said softly, "There are chocolates in the drawer. Can you get me one?"
The two chewed on the chocolate, the sweetness in their mouths numbing the bitterness in their hearts, allowing You Yu's most unspeakable words to slowly surface.
Yu Yu: "The school in the UK only offered a half-scholarship. I had some savings, but I lost them all gambling on football recently. If I insist on going now, it will probably drain my mother's retirement savings. She hasn't worked for many years. Where is she going to earn money again?"
"Just for this?" Jian Zhen looked down and folded the chocolate wrapper in her hand. "My dad couldn't have overlooked this. He provided you with a solution, right?"
You Yu felt embarrassed. In the past, when he clung to Director Jian's leg for New Year's money, he was quite willing to go all out. But back then, it was just a child being spoiled. The adults were watching from the sidelines, and they all knew that families of similar means would not actually take advantage of each other financially.
Now things are different. Given the circumstances, if You Yu knew he couldn't repay this favor and still silently accepted it, wouldn't that be too selfish? If Director Jian didn't have children, he could shamelessly spend some of her money for the sake of his future. But Director Jian has a daughter, whom he cherishes dearly, so naturally he should leave everything good to Jian Zhen.
You Yu is no longer an innocent child; he understands the importance of his future. However, he values his relationship with Jian Zhen even more, and he cannot do something that would damage his childhood friendship.
“I…can’t spend your family’s money,” You Yu said sullenly.
“That’s not our family’s money,” Jian Zhen explained. “We don’t have a joint account. My parents manage their own money. If my dad gives you advice, it’s definitely because he’s paying for it himself. It’s his money, and he can spend it however he wants. You don’t need to think too much about it. My mom and I won’t have any objections.”
Even so, I still—
"Why don't you just return it to him after you start working?"
"In my major, you won't earn much money for several years after graduation, which is why I'm unwilling to go there—it's not worth the money."
"Are you treating studying abroad as an investment?" Jian Zhen chuckled. "Excuse me for being blunt, but money, reputation, and academic qualifications are just empty titles to rely on. If you're really applying to study abroad for these reasons, then I won't advise you to go. But You Yu, have you forgotten what you said when you first applied?"
What did I say?
"You said that was your dream." Jian Zhen licked her dry lips, her face still pale, but her eyes were bright. She stared into You Yu's eyes and said, "Everyone has the right to pursue their dreams, right? Even the child of a corrupt official?"
This was the first time they had talked about You Yu's father. You Yu's face flushed red and then turned pale, his eyes filled with panic and uncertainty. Finally, he turned his head away and wiped away his tears.
Tears streamed down his face. Jian Zhen handed him a box of tissues, patted his shoulder, turned and left the room. Behind the door, a loud wail erupted.
She persuaded You Yu, but not Director Jian. Director Jian had long advised her to follow You Yu's example and study abroad, as it would be more valuable for someone in her line of work to gain experience overseas.
But Jian Zhen still resolutely refused this time. She slumped down on the long sofa at home and said quietly, "I've signed all three agreements. I'm going to Qili."
Director Jian didn't understand: "What's so good about that unit? I've seen many people online saying that they have to work until 10 p.m. every day."
Jian Zhen buried her face in the sofa and chuckled softly, her emotions unreadable.
Director Jian knew he couldn't do anything about his daughter. After a long silence, he sighed and said, "The workplace isn't as easy as you think. Entering society too early will inevitably take its toll. If you can't handle it in the future, tell your father as soon as possible. We can pick you up from home anytime. Even if you don't work, I can still make sure you have enough to eat and wear."
But Dad, people don't just live to eat and stay warm—Jian Zhen thought for a moment, but still didn't speak. She wasn't stupid; she could tell what was backward thinking and what was excessive favoritism. After just experiencing a sudden departure, the love from her family warmed her heart, like a few streams of hot blood pumping out, stretching her stiff body.
When father and daughter are truly moved, it's hard to express gratitude. Jian Zhen laughed and tore off a layer of sofa leather, saying nonchalantly, "Don't worry, Lao Jian, I'll definitely do better than you."
(End of Volume 1)
I'll break the zero-review tragedy myself (my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens).
Beautiful wife, keep it up!
Thank you, I will definitely try my best.
Looks great, looking forward to the next development
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