Chapter 14: Drunkenly Choosing a Lamp to Examine a Sword (Part 1)

  Since the revised version of this article was uploaded to Sina website on April 15, it has received good feedback from readers and been recommended on the Sina homepage (video·reading). Currently, the daily clicks are nearly 40,000. As urban-themed books can get more attention from domestic publishers on Sina website, I hope friends who care about this book will continue to support me on Sina website and leave wonderful reviews.

  The revised version is set at 800,000 words, with more than 500,000 words deleted and modified. The content is concise and synchronized on Sina and Qidian, wid = 2234.

  Thank you for your support, friends.

  In a luxurious room on the sixth floor of Chang'an Hotel, Qiu Ya was arguing with her mother.

  He often has a very sad look on his face, with both hands propped up on his legs, supporting his drooping head.

  "Yaya! It seems we've really spoiled you! You don't take your parents seriously at all!"

  "Parents are to be loved and respected, not used as a tool for control! Freedom of love and marriage is protected by law, even parents can't interfere with me! I like whoever I want, what's it to you? You have no right to intervene!"

  "Tell me, tell me! In what way is that Long Feng better than Chang Cheng by a hundred times?! You two have been together since childhood, with such good feelings for each other, why did you let yourself be deceived by that rascal?! Chang Cheng has always been so good to you, how could you bear to hurt him?!"

  Qiu Ya felt extremely disgusted by her mother's repetitive and nagging words, completely disregarding the painful expression on Chang Cheng's face beside her. She loudly retorted: "Mom! I'm telling you for the last time! I never truly liked Chang Cheng, my feelings for him are just like a sister's towards an older brother. I don't love him, I love Long Bao! Even if he's younger than me, I don't care at all! As for the engagement in the past, that was all arranged by you people and has nothing to do with me!"

  Qiu Ya said, "Chang Cheng! If you're still a man, show some guts! You and I are already ancient history from 800 years ago! I'm not afraid to tell you, in my heart, I've already become Long Bu's wife!"

  His mind was greatly shocked, although he had heard rumors that Qiu Ya had signed the operation with Long Bao as his wife and took responsibility for the operation. He didn't dare to believe this rumor. But now, Qiu Ya actually said this in front of him...

  His face turned pale as paper, his lips trembled and he couldn't speak. A moment later, he slammed the door shut!

  "Autumn Ya's mother was furious and stood up: 'You, you... you... fine! I'll call your father to deal with you!'"

  Autumn mother left, leaving with tears.

  Qiu Ya didn't speak with her mother until she boarded the plane, only promising to return home for Chinese New Year. Her paternal grandparents and grandfather missed her dearly, and she also deeply missed them.

  Qiu Ya's bold move shocked several girls in the know. To think that a girl would dare to sign on the operation notice as a wife for a man who had not yet formally established a romantic relationship with her, and even serve him like a wife, this kind of emotion completely infected the hearts of these girls, not only did Qiu Ya win their respect, but also made them want to emulate her.

  Long Bao and his brothers fully felt this extremely wonderful change, and they were very grateful to Qiu Ya for setting an excellent example for the girls with her own actions. Shi Wei was even more so, recently Du Ciming was obviously extremely concerned about Shi Wei's cold and warmth, and often helped him massage his head in front of everyone.

  Long Bao has already found out about Jin Ge and Huang Tou Fa through Shi Wei, now although there is a lack of direct evidence pointing to Zheng Xue Chang, it can basically be confirmed that this matter is related to Zheng Xue. Long Bao cannot tolerate the existence of hidden enemies, the hurtful arrows make him vigilant about his own safety, he cannot neglect or ignore the serious threat to himself. It's just that now is not the time to take revenge, but rather must pretend to be completely unaware and come out, only this way can all possible threats be reduced to a minimum.

  The police still have not made a conclusion on the case, they also suspect that it was the gang of Jin Mengzi who committed the robbery, but before catching the suspects, they will not announce their investigation progress. Although Long Bao suffered serious injuries, there are too many cases during this period, and it's hard to spare some manpower.

  Long Wan worked hard to exercise his body, striving to recover as soon as possible. Although he could only walk back and forth in the room with great difficulty using a crutch, the muscles in his arms were already able to move dumbbells, and his ribcage was healing quickly. His chest and back had basically recovered.

  Unable to outlast Shi Wei's persistence, Long Bao stayed at Shi Wei's home during the winter break. Classmates all went back to their respective homes, except for Liao Ye, who would occasionally call or go online to ask about the situation. Su Jing'er also called once to inquire about the recovery of his injury, but hung up after chatting for a few sentences. Liao Ye and Zheng Xuechang had become too close, and Shi Wei had already suspected him of being a traitor in his heart, this person was no longer considered a brother. The depth of friendship is also divided into different levels, and there are differences in the way it is expressed. In fact, Long Bao deeply understood this point.

  Long Bao didn't know that he had Su Jing'er's blood flowing through his veins, and Du Cui hadn't broken her promise to Jing'er by telling anyone else. Long Bao was somewhat worried about Qiu Ya, who was far away in Jiangsu, as she hadn't been online or called for three days.

  This holiday was a long and arduous one for Qiu Ya, as all her emotional relationships in her hometown were severely challenged due to her own stubbornness.

  All the elders and friends who knew the news came to dissuade her, even her grandparents did not understand her. Qiu Ya was completely isolated, and the warmth of her family in the past now felt extremely strange to her.

  For the first time in her life, Qiu Ya was misunderstood and obstructed by her loved ones. For the first time, she was scolded by her parents, whom she loved the most. The reason for the scolding was that they wanted to force her into a loveless marriage, not allowing her to continue seeing Long Bao. She didn't like Chang Cheng, but all of her relatives were on his side, pressuring her to marry him.

  Although she had a history with Chang Cheng, she didn't know what love was back then. It wasn't until she fell in love with Long Bao that she realized her feelings for him were completely different from those she had for Chang Cheng. She wanted to marry Long Bao, just like his mother had married his father years ago. Even if Long Bao wouldn't live past thirty and she might go crazy or kill herself within a year of his death, she didn't care. She couldn't bear the thought of not being able to see him every day now. If she couldn't marry Long Bao, she would rather die!

  She loves her family very much, but she feels that she cannot live without Longbiao. She uses fasting to resist and protest and express herself.

  The more Autumn is like this, the more often she is provoked to think that she must win back her own heart.

  On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Qiuya secretly ran to Changhan from her hometown and poured out all her troubles to Longbiao. Longbiao was deeply moved and wrote in his diary:

  What words can describe your courage? My girl!

  What kind of poem should be used to sing your confusion and perseverance? My girl!

  What kind of heart should I use to hold your love? My lover!

  When I didn't know your pain, I thought you wouldn't be lonely.

  You come from a leisurely luxurious era, you should be like a treasure, decorating the rich and noble crown, but you would rather give up many vain and admired glances.

  I was healing on the summit of a strange and rocky mountain, but I didn't notice that you had already climbed barefoot into my world in the dark of night.

  Aren't you afraid of the precipice thousands of feet deep?

  Have you with your holy beauty pierced the heart of my ancient waiting and seeking?

  Lingting's, you come, is a rose with makeup removed.

  With only a year and a half left until graduation from university, will Long Bao continue to entangle himself in his own emotions and thoughts, without any goals or actions?

  He strongly felt that, compared to the towns in developed areas, the lives of his fellow villagers were too difficult, especially those in Dafeng Village and Guzhai Village. They had no knowledge, no skills, no vision, and no brains, and did not know how to utilize all the idle natural resources and human resources. The young people could still go out to work and earn some money to support their families, while the elderly or women were completely dependent on simple farming activities for survival.

  Twenty years after the reform and opening-up, the rural landscape of my hometown has hardly changed. Although the township government has also carried out so-called mountain development, I learned from those teachers that it is somewhat a political task assignment, a false material for leaders to report their achievements. Many poverty alleviation projects from higher authorities have actually changed in nature when they arrived at the township and were cleverly diverted or used in places where they shouldn't be.

  Principal Wang had severely criticized him, hoping he would set a personal life goal for himself; his fellow villagers hoped that in the future he could change the poor face of their hometown; he still clearly remembered why he wanted to apply to Hunan Agricultural University at that time, and at that time he had made up his mind to do something truly meaningful for his fellow villagers and parents in his limited lifetime.

  To improve the difficult living conditions of fellow villagers, we must start from three aspects: First, change the water conservancy environment of our hometown. Water is the source of human life, the source of survival, and the source of development. Without water, nothing can be done. Xiongshan is almost all dry land, relying on heaven for food, with few trees on the mountain, and few springs. When it rains heavily, it becomes a disaster, and when it rains lightly, it becomes a drought. It would be best to build a large reservoir to store water and then build a network of canals to irrigate the dry land completely. This way, we can change the single-season hybrid rice to double-season hybrid rice. Moreover, we must combine water conservancy construction with afforestation, mobilizing the masses to plant trees, and not just go through the motions like the township government.

  The second is to introduce economic crops according to the soil conditions and regional environmental advantages of the hometown, drive special breeding, start from the familiar agricultural aspects of the villagers, spread useful agricultural technologies, and improve the income level of the villagers' families.

  Thirdly, it is to change the transportation landscape of our hometown, thoroughly bidding farewell to the closed and blocked traffic in the past, and introducing investment.

  Long Wan has deeply understood why Master Qi changed his volunteer application to water conservancy engineering at the beginning. The master hoped that he could build a large reservoir and a good water conservancy system for his hometown in the future.

  If I can complete these three things in my lifetime, that will be the most effective way to repay the kindness of my fellow villagers.

  ……

  That day, after listening to Qiuya's lamentations, Longbiao grasped Qiuya's hand and told her about his plans for the future. Looking into her stubborn eyes, he said: "Qiuya, I'm deeply grateful for your kindness. Today, in front of my brother Shiwei, I'll tell you that if you follow me, it means a life of hardship, a treacherous journey, and an uncertain future. You'll have to bear the pain of abandoning your family and cutting off all ties with them alone. Except for a few good friends, no one will understand you, almost everyone will despise you, and some people may even harm you. Can you endure the longing for your loved ones...?"

  "All this requires great courage!"

  "I hope you think it through carefully and don't give me an immediate answer."

  "This is not a simple life path of just two people being affectionate, you have several years to consider and make your choice, I want to remind you that your choice is your life."

  Qiu Ya's eyes were bright and clear, her red lips and white teeth gleaming as she stared at me. "Can't you give me the courage?" she asked artfully.

  Shi Wei couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow! Can't take you two being so lovey-dovey! Are we doing business? What about the terms of negotiation?! Do we need to sign a contract or not?!"

  Qiu Ya blushed with anger and made as if she wanted to hit him.

  Shi Wei immediately ran away, throwing back a sentence: "Lock the door for you, I guarantee I won't disturb you, you can fully and freely, without any scruples, carry out active and passive KISS behavior!"

  School has started, and I've gathered with my brothers in a dormitory again.

  The leopard is sniffing the scent of every person who comes to the dormitory to play and chat, and it sniffs back, disdainful of shaking its noble tail at some irrelevant humans.

  Everyone decided to go out for dinner tonight, Haitao wants to drink and celebrate Longbiao getting rid of his crutches, although walking is still not natural, but he has recovered seven points of his former style.

  Qiu Ya, Du Ci and Su Jing'er arrived at the dormitory together.

  In the restaurant. Everyone sat together.

  The leopard does not eat food of unknown origin or thrown away by strangers, even if it is its favorite meat bones. However, today it can be eaten with relish.

  Shi Wei carefully placed a large meaty bone in the dragon-shaped bowl, his expression full of concern as he said: "Old Six, eat more, you and the leopard are birds of a feather, what it has you have too, what it eats you eat too!"

  This rascal Longbiao still hasn't thought of a way to deal with him, it's a pity that he can't drink more wine, otherwise Longbiao really wants to get him drunk and shut up his stinky mouth that can't spit out ivory. Longbiao can only drink a little bit of wine, not too much, as he is still recovering from injuries.

  Du Cui kicked Shi Wei under the table, but still smiled and served Shi Wei dishes.

  Haitao clinked glasses with everyone and, after finishing their drinks, turned to Longbiao and said: "Old Six, I heard from Shi Wei that you have a unique life goal? Tell us about it, brothers will give you some reference."

  Qiu Ya sat warmly on Long Bao's right side, gently massaging his injured leg with her left hand.

  Wen Li looked at Qiu Ya, Su Jing'er gazed at Long Bao's face, and Liao Ye occasionally glanced at them.

  Long Bao felt that such an occasion was rare and speaking out his plan might gather more ideas.

  Haitao suppressed the idea of not dismissing Long Bao's enthusiasm, and said in a more tactful tone: "Old Six, I may have had more opportunities to come into contact with currency operations than you, and my understanding of the nature of money may be slightly deeper than yours. I want to remind you, have you made specific financial budget plans for these projects? How much funding is needed, where will it come from? What's the scale, construction period, and feasibility of the project?"

  This is the difficult problem that Longbiao has been thinking about day and night. Longbiao drew a 3D rough sketch of the reservoir and irrigation network system on his computer, and also made a rough engineering estimate. The funds required are at least 130 million, which does not include the free labor allocated by the villagers and compensation for some households that need to be relocated. The construction period will take at least three years.

  Although introducing cash crops and special breeding can bring economic income, the initial investment is huge, a company must be established to operate on a large scale, establish a production and marketing network, and in the short term, the company will definitely lose money, at least three to five years before it gets on track.

  Other things such as afforestation and reshaping the transportation landscape are not something that can be done with just a small amount of money. The most crucial thing is that all these things cannot be done without the support of the local government, and nothing can be accomplished without it.

  As for the money, Long Bao had also made plans. The time left to him was limited, and he must obtain sufficient funds in the fastest way possible. He knew that the only ways to make a fortune legally in today's world were through gambling and financial derivatives such as stocks, futures, and forex trading.

  The lottery industry is just gambling, which is very popular in many developed countries and regions. In China, there are only welfare lotteries and underground gambling. Long Bao doesn't like this kind of thing, it's purely natural probability, no rules to follow, and it's ridiculous to pin hopes on accumulating funds on this.

  From economic theory, it can be known that the process change of financial derivatives can be predicted and analyzed to a large extent. It has its own inherent law and is closely related to various situations in regions or the world. He has been formally studying securities finance theory and has extremely quick insight.

  In the financial biographies he has read, many people have made a fortune in this industry. If others can start with just a few hundred yuan, why can't he? If others can predict and grasp the trend of development, why can't he? Of course, it is undeniable that risk and return are directly proportional, the faster the return, the greater the risk, the more the return, the higher the risk. However, he has already reached a point where he is not afraid to die, and can even take pleasure in pain, so what's there to be afraid of about risk?

  If you have that kind of aspiration but never have the ability to achieve it, and are even afraid to face this little risk, isn't that a joke!

  Achievements in the financial industry are not about your background, your education, but closely related to your insight, reaction, flexible application of theory and knowledge, and relevant information you grasp. Long Wan had long understood this point, since he chose his own goal, in that limited life time, he had no other choice but to take this path. Even if he didn't succeed until death, he still wanted to try.

  Haitao was drinking and smoking in deep thought, without answering. Qiu Qin and Wen Xuan were whispering to each other in low voices. Shi Wei stood up to refill everyone's wine glasses. Liao Ye had a look of disdain on his face, carelessly glancing around the room with a raised head.

  The atmosphere was somewhat subdued. Among the girls, only Wenli and Qiuya didn't show much surprise, while the others had different expressions.

  Shi Wei always supported him, picking up his teacup and saying to Long Bao: "Old Six, I agree with your idea, I agree with your suggestion, I support your goal. No need to say more, when the time comes, if you want money, I'll give you money; if you want people, I'll give you my life! For the sake of brotherhood, all 24 of my ribs can be stabbed!"

  After finishing speaking, he made a gesture with his hand on his own ribs and turned his head to wink at everyone.

  No one laughed, and Du Ci ruthlessly pinched him.

  Always having some wooden words in his mouth, he suddenly opened his mouth and said: "Lao Liu! There is no difficult task in the world, only people who are afraid of it. I believe in you, you must be able to do it!"

  Qiu Qin was very mature, and in the eyes of his brothers, he was more stable and mature. He lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and said in a low tone: "Long Bao, if you choose this goal for yourself, don't you think it's too difficult to walk this path? If things go wrong, you'll be walking in the dark and won't see daylight! In the future, you'll still have to fall in love, get married, have children, raise a family, buy a house, furniture, and a car. You'll have to deal with social relationships... Don't you think it's unrealistic? These things have always been handled by the government! In today's society, you're just a small person with little power, who will take care of you?"

  Liao Ye couldn't help but mock Long Bao, his eyes gleaming with a strange light as he said with a fake smile: "Long Bao, oh right, now we should call you 'Dragon Great Hero', haha, you really are willing to sacrifice yourself for others! Your so-called ideal goal is truly magnificent! It's just like an excellent essay on ideals written by a primary school student! Are you trying to become Superman and save the suffering proletariat laborers of the world? Do you think that with just a few strokes of your pen, you can make a fortune and become a heroic figure like a knight-errant? Can you roam the four seas and be invincible under heaven? Can you earn hundreds of millions or billions of dollars just by thinking about it?"

  Can you even invent a super-capacity battery just by using your heel? Can you create an all-powerful hacking software, antivirus software that sells worldwide just by having a casual dream? What about alien chip heroes from the future possessing people? What about magicians transforming space and time? Joke! Even if you're special enough to have some kind of curse, don't be so arrogant as to go this far! Do you think this is some kind of online fantasy YY material? I think you've indulged in too much online fantasy, that's why you're so naive! Want me to introduce a few stunning beauties to accompany you on your adventures through outer space and flying over the galaxy?

  Lao Liu! I used to think you were more mature and steady than ordinary people, but now you've learned to indulge in fantasy and science fiction. Don't talk about your fantasies at the dinner table, okay? Why don't you think about yourself? Not long ago, you were so badly beaten by a few thugs that you became disfigured... Even your medical expenses weren't covered by Haotian, Qiuya, and several brothers' donations! Now, even your hometown is afraid that you won't be able to afford treatment and become disabled, so they sent you money! You can barely survive on giving private lessons, what makes you think you can talk nonsense?

  It's not that I'm telling you off, I'm just reminding you to wake up and don't be stupid! What business is it of yours whether others live or die? Just take care of yourself and that's enough! If one doesn't work for their own benefit, they will be destroyed by heaven and earth! Why do you want to dress yourself up as a ** member from the 30s? A Lei Feng from the 60s? A Kong Fansen from the 90s?

  "Look around, who isn't doing it for themselves? Officials are in it for the position, those with power are in it for the votes, the rich are in it for the pretty girls, and ordinary people are in it for a full stomach. Who thinks like you do? Are you brain damaged or something? So naive! Even little kids know this principle, and yet you're a top student from a famous university! Haha, I'm dying laughing!"

  Scoundrel! Scoundrel! Shi Wei was extremely furious in his heart, secretly scolding the loser as a bastard!

  Shi Wei turned his head towards the victim Long Bao.

  My god! Is this guy still human? Being ridiculed and humiliated by a son of a bitch, yet he's still calm and collected, smiling as if nothing's wrong! No way! He must be hiding all his anger deep down, forcing himself to smile and not lose his temper!

  Indeed, Long Bao is like a perfect blend of the beauty and connotation of all statues such as David, The Thinker, Caesar in Su Jing'er's eyes at this moment, a shocking masterpiece.

  He was calm and composed, with a faint smile on his face, but his eyes seemed as deep and unfathomable as an ancient well.

  In Long Bao's mind, Liao Ye's magnificent and eloquent words were just one of the many representatives of human thought. He seemed to be examining a worldview, a logic, as if he was reading the content introduction of Liao Ye's book. He felt that this could also be considered the essence of commentary.

  Jing Er strongly sensed Long Bao's mental activity at this moment, and was surprised that he was so calm and detached.

  Unperturbed by favors or humiliation, I forget both objects and self!

  Looking at this ancient bronze skin face, Jing'er muttered these two words, already drunk.

  Qiu Ya was taken aback by Liao Ye's words and was on the verge of panic, fearing that Long Bao would suffer some kind of blow. She wanted to flare up and scold Liao Ye, but was restrained by Long Bao, who grasped her hand and signaled her not to.

  After hearing that Liao Ye actually started to sneer at Long Bao, ridiculing his naivety and childishness, she suddenly felt a surge of anger and hatred that could no longer be suppressed. She couldn't bear it anymore, stretched out her hand and pointed at Liao Ye's nose, scolding: "What kind of thing are you! You're selfish and self-serving, yet you still have the nerve to mock Long Bao! I've been tolerant of some things because of your brotherly relationship, but you actually bite people like a vicious dog! You're not even as good as a dog! A leopard is a hundred times better than you!

  "You're always babbling nonsense, shamelessly flattering Zheng Xue and making me sick just by looking at you! You damn bastard, tell me why did you reveal our family matters to Long Bing's household? What benefits did you gain from it?! If you don't give me a clear explanation today, I'll never let you off the hook! You've caused me so much suffering!"

  Qiu Ya's scolding posture has been seen by many people here, even the proud young master Zheng Xue has been slapped by her. Chang Cheng was often scolded by her in a playful way. She had some masculine qualities, daring to act and speak out, but amidst her boldness, she also had a feminine tenderness, which only Long Bao had experienced. However, in the eyes of some people, she was just a shrew.

  These few ruthless punches hit Liao Ye's vital parts.

  Liao Ye had actually made up his mind, today was just a final gathering with these so-called brothers, tomorrow he would move out of the dorm and into a new place off-campus. Zheng Xue Xin had rented a three-bedroom two-living-room apartment, but thought it was too quiet at night and not lively enough, so he invited Liao Ye to bring his girlfriend to live with him. He had long been unwilling to continue living in the same dorm as this group of foolish kids, afraid that if he stayed with these low-IQ animals for too long, he would become stupid too.

  Liao Ye's face turned blue and then red, red and then white. He had a guilty conscience, but at this moment he couldn't admit it or show weakness. He stiffened his neck, forced a smile and retorted: "Huang Qiuya! I don't know what you're talking about, don't spout nonsense and ruin my reputation! My surname is Liao, I'm upright and honest, no need to flatter anyone or curry favor with anyone!"

  Shi Wei stood up, picked up a napkin to wipe the wine stains on his mouth, threw it on the ground and stomped on it with his foot. He spat out another mouthful of saliva, smiled and swept his eyes across everyone's faces before finally fixing on Liao Ye's expressionless face: "Haha! I really didn't know you were actually surnamed Urine. It seems that calling you Urine back then was indeed an honor for you! Who would have thought that you truly had this glorious thing? At first, I just suspected a bit about you! Comparing you to the leopard is simply an insult to this divine dog!"

  As he spoke, he suddenly turned his head to the leopard who was concentrating on gnawing at a bone and said fearlessly: "Leopard! Leopard! Am I right or not? Answer me!"

  Only the heavens know what kind of transformation this dog has undergone. Perhaps it heard Shi Wei's call, lifted its head to see everyone, especially the girls', gaze fixed on its dog face, and felt quite pleased with itself. It actually dropped its cute bone, moved its elegant paws back, stretched out straight, and did a standard dog lazy stretch. After shaking its body thoroughly, it let out two loud barks at those eagerly watching eyes, as if to respond.

  The girls burst out laughing.

  Liao's face turned red with rage, his ears burning with shame and anger, as he vented all his resentment towards Qiu Ya. For him, exposing Qiu Ya's ugly secrets in front of so many people, thoroughly discrediting her, had become the only way to counterattack, release his pent-up emotions, and shift everyone's mocking gaze away from himself. Since Huang Qiuya made things difficult for him, he would make things difficult for Huang Qiuya as well!

  This wine can't be drunk anymore, this place can't be stayed in anymore. How could someone as smart as myself still stay with these idiots and call them brothers?! It's absurd! However, I have to vent out the resentment in my heart first, so that I can leave with dignity and pride!

  Liao Ye's eyes turned venomous as he stared at Qiu Ya, his face twisted in a mixture of shame and anger. "I, Liao Ye, may be despicable and shameless," he spat through gritted teeth, "but I can still live with my conscience! I know how to repay kindness and distinguish between gratitude and resentment! Let me tell you, no matter how despicable I am, I would never stoop as low as some women do - inciting their friends to break up with their lovers one day, only to seduce those same lovers the next!"

  "In the morning, she says goodbye to her fiancé, and in the afternoon, she's already cuddling with another man! The whole family relies on a certain good man who is deeply in love to make a living, but she repays his kindness by abandoning him and shamelessly announcing that she wants to bid farewell to the past and pursue true love! Haha! I'd like to ask this heartless and unscrupulous woman, are you still...? Is your new little brother's... level more impressive than that of the good man who was deeply in love?! Haha!"

  Qiu Ya suddenly turned pale and her whole body trembled.

  Bang! Boom!

  Damn it!

  Long Wan could no longer hold back, his hand slammed heavily on the table, and he jumped up! He grabbed a wine cup and smashed it!

  If this guy is just mocking me, I don't care at all. His mouth is his own, he says what he wants and I listen to what I want. From the beginning, I planned to gather my thoughts, learn from others, and improve my plan to form a comprehensive, logical, and well-arranged action system.

  Although he used insulting language to me, it is undeniable that his ideas are indeed the dominant trend in today's society and have great reference value. At that time, I was thinking about how to take initial actions under this trend, avoid potential problems and risks, break through this obstacle and constraint, but never expected him to stoop so low!

  No one can humiliate or harm my woman! Let alone Autumn Ya, who is struggling to resist and endure the blows of many forces - this good girl who is determined to marry me and do everything for me with a strong outside and a gentle inside!

  Liao Ye is such a "brother", such a "classmate", such a "friend", not even comparable to pigs and cows! What kind of close relationship can I have with him? Forget it!

  Long Bao's anger burned like fire, and the evil god shouted: "I'm telling you, Liao Ye, today I cut off all ties with you! From now on, you go your own way, and I'll cross my own bridge! Considering our past relationship, I'll spare your life today! If you dare to humiliate or frame Autumn Leaf again, I'll take your life! I'm not afraid of having another enemy, it's no big deal if there are a few more!... You want to spread those crappy ideas? Get out of here and go talk to the toilet bowl, stop polluting the environment!"

  "Get out! I don't want to see you!"

  Watching Liao Ye dragging his girlfriend away with a long face and slamming the door, Shi Wei and Du Ci applauded and cheered.

  Long Bao knew that Qiu Ya had been extremely hurt by these words, which were too poisonous, too sinister and too ruthless, completely beyond what a normal person could bear. He was heartbroken to see this brave and daring girl now so fragile, her hands and feet cold, her face pale, not even able to shed tears. He didn't know how to comfort her, so he simply held her in his arms.

  Haitao made an exception today and didn't quarrel with Liao Ye, he didn't say a word from start to finish. He stood up and poured a glass of wine for Long Bao, they clinked glasses, then handed Long Bao a cigarette he had just lit, saying: "Old Six, have one!"

  Long Wan had never smoked before, only knowing that cigarettes contained carcinogens like nicotine, which were said to be harmful to the body. At this moment, he couldn't care less about that, took a drag and inhaled deeply, causing a violent cough as the thick smoke filled his lungs.

  "No big deal, just take a few more puffs and you'll get used to it!" Haitao laughed and said: "Didn't Shi Wei say that wine dispels worries, cigarettes relieve boredom, and if you don't have a stomach, you'll be sitting on a cold bench! Right, Shi Wei?"

  Su Jing'er watched as Long Bao's anger subsided for the first time learning to smoke, she really wanted to stop him, but still didn't, now the atmosphere made her feel that she shouldn't have interfered.

  When the wine was half gone, Hai Tao spoke up: "Old Six, to be honest, I've looked down on him for a long time. Ever since that argument, I realized he's not even human. A typical ingrate who forgets his ancestors and sells out his friends for personal gain!"

  Looking at Long Bao, Hai Tao continued: "Although he is indeed despicable and shameless, his analysis of society today still has some truth to it. He's telling the truth, what do you think?"

  Long Bao nodded and said, "I know. I'm not angry because of his sarcastic remarks, but because he insulted Qiu Ya's character. I understand what he said is true, and I've already prepared myself mentally for this."

  Hai Tao spat out a mouthful of smoke and said, "Qiu Qin has spoken. Don't you think this path is too difficult to walk? Is it worth it? Sacrificing yourself like this?"

  Thick smoke enters the throat, slightly spicy and numbing, similar to wine, with a kind of intoxicating feeling.

  Long Bao closed his eyes for a moment, seemingly in thought, yet seemingly considering how to respond, and even more seemingly contemplating his hometown, contemplating life, contemplating the world, contemplating the parents and relatives of his hometown, contemplating the fate of the Long family, weighing and judging the value of all things in the world. Suddenly opening his eyes, he said decisively: "I came to this world for a walk, it's not easy, I should be here for the meaning and value of this walk."

  Shi Wei thought for a moment about Long Bao's words and suddenly exclaimed, "Damn it! We're all human beings, born to parents, how can there be such a big difference between us?!"

  Su Jing'er glanced at Shi Wei, then turned her head to Long Bao and said: "Mengzi has a famous saying about cultivating the mind and body. In the past, Gongduzi asked Mengzi: 'Are they all human beings? Some are great men, while others are petty men, why is that?' Mengzi replied: 'Those who cultivate their greater self become great men, while those who cultivate their lesser self become petty men.' Cultivating the mind is grand, cultivating the body is small. If one establishes oneself in what is grand, then what is small cannot be taken away. This is being a great man."

  Su Jing'er's eyes shone brightly as she stared into Long Bao's eyes and continued, "Those who are good at studying, making money, conducting scientific research, creating inventions, or mastering professional skills are only endowed with small talents, they are only small talented individuals. Only those who dare to take responsibility, dare to resist, dare to confront darkness, and dare to give their all for a noble goal possess true great talent, are truly great men. Even if I were to go against the tide of millions of people, as long as I have an unyielding sense of justice in my heart, I will not be swayed. This is what it means to be a great man! Mencius once said, 'To reside in the vastness of the world, to stand in the correct position, to walk the great path, to achieve one's ambitions and follow the people; if one does not achieve their ambitions, to walk alone on their path. Wealth and honor cannot corrupt them, poverty and lowliness cannot move them, power and might cannot intimidate them - this is what it means to be a great man!'"

  Everyone applauded!

  Lonely lamp light casts a sacred emotion, trembling dusk implies an unknown cycle.

  What is a meteor, from afar, flying in, piercing through the dark night sky, illuminating my world of today?

  The scorching sun, anxious clamor in this era, living beings wander and toil, gasping for survival.

  With life, there is human existence; with thought, there is soul.

  Life has become a road, and one's own choice is irreversible. Once you've walked this path, there's no turning back.

  It's not easy to come to this world and walk around, it should be for the meaning and value of this walk.

  Reality enslaves the mind of thought, only the soul can understand the soul.

  In the following days, Long Bao crazily read all kinds of books. He jumped out of his own limitations and broke free from the constraints of written words. He looked at problems from multiple angles, tolerated and faced life's changes head-on, and carried out his ideas in practice. He truly began to mature...