Chapter 15: Drunkenly Choosing a Lamp to Examine a Sword (Part 2)

  Heaven, please grant me such a lover!

  He is strong enough to shoulder a burden of a thousand jun, yet gentle enough to caress a small blade of grass.

  He bravely faces the intimidation of death, he is resolute enough to endure all physical suffering. He will not resent people's misunderstandings, his broad mind can accommodate the world. He takes life seriously, but he also treats the trivialities of life with humor and optimism.

  He loves and hates clearly, dares to love and hate, can sacrifice his life for love, and at the same time he is ruthless towards his enemies. His kindness is only used on kind people. He will unscrupulously deprive the wealthy of their property, possessing great wealth, but he will also be willing to have nothing for the suffering common people.

  He is as simple as a newborn baby, pure like a white lamb, can be delighted and jump for joy because of the simple emotions, can cry with tears because of the pain of life; but he is also complex and profound, cunning like a thousand-year-old fox, while protecting himself, he is also good at bringing disaster to the sinners in his eyes.

  He is so compassionate that he would cry for a beggar who cannot even cover his body with clothes, and his eloquent speech can refute thousands of people, but when facing the ruthlessness of human nature and the ignorance of people's hearts, he often has no words to respond.

  He despises all powerful authority, he sympathizes with the weak and small voices of complaint, he is wise enough to influence and guide human thought, a simple sentence can be full of philosophical meaning, but he will also be moved by others' words and bow down in front of them, thinking deeply throughout the night. No matter how difficult the road is, he will not give up, no matter how hard the struggle is, he will always shoulder the responsibility.

  He himself has no fear, yet he deeply fears.

  Heaven, please grant me such a lover!

  Nothing else is required!

  Su Jing'er's serene face bathed in the spring breeze, her slender figure standing on the shore of Donghu Lake, gazing at the lake water that has remained vast and unchanged for thousands of years, sincerely and solemnly praying to the master of heaven and earth.

  Liao Ye moved out of the dormitory in the contempt of his brothers, but his unmanly words had a vicious effect, undoubtedly affecting Qiu Ya's attitude towards Long Bao, especially the last sentence "Heartless and ruthless, you are still not **" was called out by Liao Ye in front of so many brothers and friends of Long Bao, thoroughly hurting her. She felt infinite pain and regret for that one-night stand with Chang Cheng half a year ago due to emotional loss of control after drinking, deeply blaming herself.

  I didn't expect that Chang Cheng would actually tell Liao Ye about this, and now that Liao Ye has made a big deal out of it, the whole school must know. Although we're not in the era of chastity belts anymore, the fault of losing her virginity still has its reasons, making her feel ashamed to face the person she deeply loves.

  Long Bao's leg was still a bit lame, and it wasn't very convenient to move around. Although Qiu Ya still accompanied Long Bao to the cafeteria for meals every afternoon, she had become somewhat afraid of facing Chang Cheng, fearing that he would humiliate her like Liao Ye did when the three of them were together. Under this excessive worry, concern, and self-blame, her melancholy and fear intensified, her spirit rapidly declining, even to the point where she couldn't eat or sleep at night.

  Long Bao clearly understood Qiu Ya's fears and worries, he had specially guided her on his modern views on chastity, physical chastity and psychological chastity are not the same, the noble nature of love and marriage cannot be determined by a piece of membrane, nor can it decide their value and existence. The past cannot affect future happiness, Long Bao believed that although he was once heartbroken and had violent thoughts when Zheng Xue held Wen Li's hand, he is no longer so childish now. When it comes to love, the most important thing is to accept and tolerate each other's past history, what matters most is facing the future together.

  For Qiuya, he must love and cherish her well. He also has to fulfill the ancestors' request to continue the bloodline in the future. Qiuya and his mother have a common point - she loves herself so much that it meets his mother's requirements for a daughter-in-law. Moreover, she really moves him, and sometimes she is very cute. Don't look at her tough exterior, but inside she is actually very weak, making him feel pity for her.

  Due to his leg injury, he was unable to go out for private tutoring. However, Longbiao studied too hard, perhaps because he felt that time was pressing, and according to his reading plan, he read and pondered day and night, from professional books to economics and finance, copying all his insights into a book, sleeping only two or three hours a day.

  April 1st, 2002. Apart from being April Fool's Day in the West, it should have been an ordinary day like any other.

  Long Bao is still under the escort of Qiu Ya, and goes to the cafeteria with Shi Wei and Du Ci for dinner.

  Shi Wei was counting the grains of rice in a classic manner, while gazing enviously at Long Bao who was continuously pouring food into his mouth. From time to time, he would compare his own dining posture with that of Du Ciqiu's. Suddenly, he turned to Long Bao and said, "Old Six! Excuse me for interrupting your delightful appetite! I'd like to ask you something. In your hometown, were the pigs fed in a way that they wouldn't pick at their food, and would eat anything? I've never seen it before, tell me about it?"

  Du Ciren burst out laughing, knowing that this rascal was going to take advantage of Long Bao again. However, she couldn't bear to let go of this great opportunity to get close to him either. After giving Shi Wei a deep and loving look filled with admiration, she continued in a deliberately coquettish tone: "Tell me! Old Six Long Bao! I want to know too!"

  Good grief, so ill-intentioned and yet so perfectly in sync! Long Bao glanced sideways at Qiu Ya, who was also stifling a smile, and thought to himself that he had to put these two in their place somehow. Otherwise, later on, this couple would really be riding roughshod over him.

  "Dragon Blade also pretended to be surprised and said: "What? Shi Wei? Have you forgotten? The four-legged, hoofed animal you asked about is the one that last summer vacation, when you were in the toilet at Liu Jinfu's house in the village, it mistook your white butt for a companion's 'belly' and stretched its head out of the enclosure to affectionately gnaw on it several times... Have you forgotten? They usually spend their days rubbing against each other's 'bellies', humming and whining from time to time, always following each other around!"

  Depressed~~! Stealing a chicken but losing the rice instead! Du Cui and Shi Wei resentfully looked at Long Bao, who was learning from Shi Wei how to raise an eyebrow and wink.

  Qiu Ya couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  "Is it that funny, Autumn Leaf?" Chang Cheng walked towards Autumn Leaf Long Bao with a big smile on his face. Zheng Xue and Liao Ye followed closely behind him, while Wen Li stood at the door with a disappointed expression.

  Chang Cheng and Zheng Xue both looked at Long Bao with a challenging gaze, feeling very noble as they stared at his unchanged expression, still smiling.

  No one can understand, not even the most astute and eccentric Shi Wei, that Long Bao can still be so calm when facing his emotional enemy, facing those who have hurt him, facing this impending storm, and can even smile as if in friendship!

  No, it's not pretentious, but a genuinely friendly smile! Is Longbiao too sinister? Shi Wei held his breath and pondered in secret.

  Chang Cheng's usual demeanor is just a facade! As soon as Long Bao saw Chang Cheng's expression, he immediately inferred that in his impression, Chang Cheng was always book-smart but somewhat dull. Today, he actually put on this act, probably instigated and arranged by Zheng Xue to suppress him with an imposing attitude. This kid has a deep mind, daring to show off after doing something wrong! Long Bao decided to observe their behavior and intentions first.

  Chang Cheng seemed extremely gentle and deep, looking at the somewhat flustered Qiuya, while scolding in his heart "**", he spoke with a hypocritical tone: "Qiuya, happy holidays!" He then glanced at Long Bao, smiling with some resentment: "Hehe, Long Bao! Also wishing you foolish happiness!"

  Zheng Xue burst out laughing: "Haha, what a fool's delight! It's just foolish joy, the joy of being foolish! The happiness of a foolish idiot!"

  Wow! He actually chose today's April Fool's Day to pick a fight! Long Bao and Shi Wei thought at the same time.

  Qiu Ya's greatest fear was encountering such a scene, especially in the cafeteria. If Chang Cheng and Zheng Xue were to make a fuss about it, how could she show her face again? Ever since she and Long Bao officially established their romantic relationship, she had become increasingly concerned with what others thought of her, increasingly attentive to every word, expression, and action from Long Bao, increasingly worried that Long Bao might not truly love her, whether he still loved Wen Li, whether he would fall in love with another girl, and whether he really didn't care about her past...

  At this moment, Qiu Ya was completely overwhelmed by her inner fear and lost the ability to speak back or fight back. She even felt a chill run down her body.

  She didn't respond, lowering her head to chew on the rice grains, her clear eyes glistening with tears, only staring fixedly at Long Biao's hand holding the rice bowl on her right side.

  These hands are warm and powerful, the calluses on them feel strange against my face. Look, the veins on these hands have a unique rhythmic pulse, beating rapidly like wild horses in motion.

  "Autumn Ya, the other day your dad came to my house and asked me to increase the order. He even invited my mom to dinner and said he wanted to set a date for us to get married, haha! He even brought your birth chart, I didn't know we were both born in the same hour! Haha...". Chang Cheng pretended to be casual and chatted as if Long Bao wasn't there, next to Autumn Ya, treating him like air, laughing nonchalantly.

  Qiu Ya originally wanted to loudly retort back, but just as she was about to turn her head and open her mouth, she immediately fell silent again, staring at Long Bao's hand.

  Zheng Xue saw the situation and immediately called out in a gloomy tone: "Wow! It seems that you two husband and wife really have a good match! Alas, I and Wen Li this poor girl don't have such a good opportunity! Chang Cheng, as brothers, when your good days arrive, be sure to call me! This happy wine, brother, even if I'm extremely poor, I'll definitely fly to Shanghai to drink it!"

  After finishing, she deliberately stretched her head to the dinner table and looked at the food in Qiu Ya's bowl with a hint of disdain and sarcasm: "Really? Qiu Ya! How can you be so poor that you can't even afford good food now? You're just eating some bean sprouts and meat slices? It's so pathetic!" Turning her head to Chang Cheng, "Chang Cheng, I'm going to say something about you! Why can't you give Qiu Ya some money for expenses? Take out a hundred or two hundred thousand, it's not like it's a big deal for you! If Qiu Ya becomes malnourished, how will you explain yourself to your son in the future? Besides, Qiu Ya is now supporting not only herself but also a disabled national athlete! Why can't you be more generous?"

  I'm extremely satisfied with Zheng Xue's sharp and clever cooperation, truly worthy of being the best iron brother, righteous! Chang Cheng looked back at Zheng Xue with a happy and grateful expression, saying: "No problem!" He then asked Autumn Leaf with concern, "Leaf, speak up, how much do you want? I know your money all went to medical expenses for others, and this year your family didn't send you any money either. Say it, how much do you need? You and I aren't strangers! You're my fiancée, right?"

  Damn it! This is vicious! Biting people without using teeth! Killing people without using knives or guns! Shi Wei looked at Qiu Ya who was on the verge of tears, and at Long Bao's face as hard as gold and iron, secretly cursing: "How did this little brat Chang Cheng become so bad now? How was he instigated by Zheng Xue to become such a person? Really, nine out of ten white-faced scholars are sinister! Liao Ye is the same, look at that deceitful appearance!"

  It's not going to work if he doesn't say a few more words! Who knows how much humiliation Old Six has suffered and still hasn't spoken up, what is he doing?! Shi Wei's eyes rolled around, and he let out a strange laugh, shouting exaggeratedly: "I'm shocked! You don't have to be so shameless when stealing someone's wife, do you? Using money to buy her off? So lacking in quality, taste, and standards! I've never seen anything like it! Today I've opened my eyes!"

  "Hey, Belly! Are you going to be won over by these school hunks, rich second-generation kids, young masters, spoiled brats, Chinese big shots, world's richest men, Asian heroes, and the top three of the Ten Outstanding Youth Awards with their money?"

  Du Cui's heart felt extremely relieved, Shi Wu San was indeed Shi Wu San, tall! Really tall! He immediately made a gesture and shouted: "Are you looking for death?! Are you tired of me? Want to push me into the fire pit?! ***! What's so great about having money?! Have the ability to get Zhang Ziyi, Maggie Cheung in your hands and see! Why does this little Shi Wu San dare to show off in front of me?"

  Du Ci's eyes were fixed on Shi Wei with a fierce stare, without looking at Chang Cheng and Zheng Xue.

  Indeed, in the eyes of normal people, I should have scolded them harshly like I did to Liao Ye. I have a deep-seated hatred for them and will not let this go. However, if I don't control my emotions, they might say even more hurtful things and cause more harm to Qiu Ya, especially in a public place like the cafeteria.

  Qiu Ya was already suffering and regretful about her past, she had told me in detail about the incident half a year ago. I knew she still carried this psychological burden, with a kind of invisible inferiority complex. If my recklessness led to them using even more shameless and despicable language to attack me and Qiu Ya without any restraint, it would definitely attract more onlookers, making Qiu Ya feel like dying, leaving an irreparable scar!

  Can I take this risk?

  Now, many classmates are already holding their rice bowls, ready to watch the inevitable dragon and tiger fight!

  I must consider Qiuya! She has been bearing the oppression of family relationships alone, and she has been bearing the guilt of past mistakes alone. How can I be a hero? In the past, Han Xin could endure humiliation, why can't I make some sacrifices for a girl who loves me so much?

  Although they humiliated us like Liao Ye did that time, he was just venting his anger with foul language! But today they clearly came here to provoke us, with ulterior motives and deliberate preparation!

  Upon careful consideration, it's possible that their intention is to provoke me into throwing the first punch, then pretend to be injured and use their connections to get me expelled from school. This would achieve their goal of separating me from Qiu Ya. I'd lose my university degree, and with my current limited mobility, even finding a job to make ends meet would be difficult... The consequences are too dreadful to contemplate! What a formidable plot! Each link is connected to the next, and as long as I make one wrong move, the situation will spiral out of control!

  Fortunately, during this period of time, I had a deep understanding of the books that Jing'er sent me, and I was not led by the nose by their trap.

  Enduring what ordinary people cannot endure, being what ordinary people cannot be. A great man not only has to be majestic and unyielding, but also must have a heart that endures humiliation! Endurance is for accumulating hatred in the heart, endurance is for future revenge, more ruthless and merciless!

  A gentleman takes revenge, ten years is not too late! The anger of a common man now can only lead to both sides being splattered with blood within five steps, but after I have my own strength, I will be unscathed, while they will definitely end up in the yellow earth!

  I absolutely cannot be fired now! I absolutely cannot leave Qiu Ya! Qiu Ya is my woman, she's the wife of my future, when she's been hurt so much for me, I must abandon personal honor and let her soul be comforted! I want to continue the bloodline of the 65th generation of the Long family with her!

  Moreover, I still have to complete my difficult goal and distant ideal! I must also strive to enrich myself! Now my theoretical knowledge is too limited, I cannot leave school now!

  In Qiuya's blurred tearful eyes, Longbiao's hand on the green veins and blood vessels jumped rapidly. At this moment, Qiuya had no idea how to deal with it or face it, she only had a weak gasp.

  The air in the cafeteria was thick with the breath of hundreds of people, mixed with the smell of various dishes and the sounds of thousands of different thoughts and reactions, enough to blow your mind into a blank.

  Long Bao stood up as expected by Chang Cheng, Zheng Xue and Liao Ye, and also opened his mouth to speak as expected. But unexpectedly, he said something unexpected. He saw him helping the weak Autumn Ya with a powerful arm, using an extremely rich and masculine low-pitched voice, saying very gently: "Autumn Ya, let's go!"

  Shi Wei and Du Ci were shocked, but immediately reacted and stood up to walk out together. Shi Wei even smiled and said to some classmates who were standing around watching, "Haha! You've never seen a conversation like this before?"

  Su Jing'er, who had been gazing at Long Bu from afar during dinner, finally let out a long sigh, and her delicate body, which had been tense and rigid all along, almost collapsed.

  Glaring at Long Bao's receding back, Zheng Xue squeezed out a few words from between his teeth: "Son of a bitch!"

  No fight as expected and anticipated occurred, the classmates who were watching in various postures dispersed in twos and threes with various postures. Occasionally, there were still some who refused to leave, wanting to see the sequel of the story from Zheng Xue's subsequent words and expressions, so that they could grasp the inside information for follow-up propaganda reports.

  Liao Ye clearly heard the sound of Chang Cheng's upper and lower teeth grinding together, he was even more eager for these two to hate Long Jian, he had to pour a little more oil towards Shi Wei.

  The crowd dispersed, and the university students still had some quality. Liao Ye patted them on the back with concern and said in a low voice: "There are many opportunities now, this kid is very afraid of trouble, I think he has decided to avoid it, mainly because Shi Wei is too *** arrogant, if he hadn't said those nonsense, today would have been over. Next time we should separate them, but it's strange, last time he dared to hit me with a wine glass, why did he become like a coward today? It doesn't make sense! I think the key is that Chang Ge's words may not be stimulating enough, next time Chang Ge might as well directly say out Autumn Ya's physical characteristics, I guarantee it will be done in one go."

  Zheng Xue smiled slyly and nodded. Chang Cheng furrowed his brow slightly.

  Liao Ye saw that no one opposed him and secretly rejoiced. He said, "Let's go, we'll plan it out again this time and set up all the steps."

  Zheng Xue burst out laughing and patted Liao Ye's head: "Good, you little kid are really worthy of being a military strategist! ***Long Bing, let's see what kind of bird he can pull out!"

  At this moment, what he thinks in his heart is all about Qiu Ya's pure and white body like jade. This is his, this is his! No one can take it away! He has paid so much emotion for her, but now she tortures him like this. What did he do wrong? Nothing at all! Zheng Xue Liao Ye said it right, is there such a losing deal in this world? If he doesn't learn to be ruthless and unscrupulous, won't his family business go bankrupt in the future?

  Uncle is already scolding himself for being too kind, like a woman. A big man can't even handle a woman he's slept with, and was robbed by a little farmer, it's simply lost the face of the Chang family! Although Dad and Mom didn't say anything, they also looked at him with dissatisfaction!

  Who am I? I'm the eldest son and grandson of the Chang family! The orthodox first heir! I absolutely cannot be so useless! Huang Qiuya is a bit lowly, but why didn't she behave like before when she saw me today? Is she afraid that I'll take revenge on her family or what? Niang Xipi, women are really not good things! Wen Li too...

  He raised his head and saw Wen Li, suddenly, his eyes lit up!

  A warm and eager expression immediately floated onto his pale face, which had no acne at all. He pushed Zheng Xue's arm and smiled: "Let's go, let's have a couple of drinks, just the three of us, you tell Wenli to go back."

  After listening to Long Bao's analysis, Shi Wei, Du Ci and Qiu Ya were frightened out of their wits, especially Qiu Ya whose face had completely changed. Everyone thought carefully and realized that this was no longer a simple student-style rivalry, but a life-and-death struggle centered around one woman.

  Although there is no direct evidence pointing to Chang Cheng Zheng Xue being the mastermind behind Long Bao's previous assassination attempt, it has reached a 90% possibility. These three people are now undoubtedly in cahoots with each other, new and old grudges piling up together, making it impossible for them to let things go easily or forgive and forget.

  At present, under the circumstances where he has no power to fight back, Long Baoqiu Ya must take good care of himself. For the time being, don't go to the cafeteria together for meals, try to avoid appearing together in public, and they probably won't dare to come to the dormitory to make trouble. It's still unknown what methods they will use to act, but Long Bao has become more aware of the urgency of time, and perhaps he will fall into a helpless vortex for the sake of protecting his future wife.

  That classmate who came from a very poor family and suffered from leukemia, that Long Peng had almost donated all his savings for him, but still couldn't find a suitable bone marrow transplant. On a drizzly afternoon, he bid farewell to the world. From the onset of illness to death, it was less than a year.

  This incident had a great impact on Long Bao. In front of the heavens, the helplessness of life once again plucked his heartstrings. He was already studying desperately, and no one could persuade him otherwise, including Qiu Ya. Fortunately, Chang Cheng and Zheng Xue did not make any moves, which made Shi Wei wonder if they were too timid and had a hint of being startled like a bird that has been frightened by an arrow.

  Long Wan started to become deaf to the outside world, focusing only on reading the books of sages. He had already understood many economic theories and schools, and began to specialize in securities finance theory and practice.

  Qiu Ya and Du Ci are together every day, inseparable. Shi Wei can only make some sacrifices for this, but he still complained to Long Bao that he rarely gets to kiss Du Ci's lovely soft lips lately, so he can only miss them at night.

  All the blows are a driving force and catalyst for rapid growth, and he is getting more and more cunning. He is waiting for an opportunity to get back at Long Xiaoyu once and for all. Zheng Xue again found a legitimate excuse to ask him for 30,000 yuan, and he strongly felt that his handle had been grasped by Zheng Xue. This has been proven under Liao Ye's deliberate show of kindness to him. He must get rid of this entanglement, otherwise, Zheng Xue will continue to use the excuse of wanting to appease Jin Ge's gang, who are still on the run, to ask him for money. Chang Cheng cannot be considered a lamb to be slaughtered by Zheng Xue. He needs to have a good talk with Zheng Xue and make things clear, and at the same time, do some preparatory work for his own grand plan.

  That afternoon, Chang Cheng and Zheng Xue came to Hongshan Mall to buy clothes. After buying the clothes, they went to a tea house with elegant atmosphere to have some tea. It was not weekend today, so there were few people in the tea house, let alone acquaintances.

  Chang Cheng has always liked to appreciate elegant tea ceremonies. Zheng Xue is now very interested in elegant tea ceremonies.

  But they never thought that in the next table, which was surrounded by a wooden fence and half covered with curtains, Su Jing Er and her grandfather were sitting there. Jing Er's grandfather had been summoned by five phone calls from Jing Er.

  Grandfather not only liked Jing'er's tea art, but also wanted to meet the boy who had been asked to come and see him. Jing'er knew her grandfather's temperament and preferences, so after getting out of the car, she naturally took good care of him first, letting him satisfy his craving for tea before discussing official business.

  This teahouse is quite good, Jing Er has been here before.

  Zheng Xue picked up the purple sand teacup, brought it to his nose and let the misty vapor drift back and forth, gently drinking the shallow amber-colored tea water. He slightly rolled his tongue in his mouth, revealing an appreciative expression, saying: "Hmm, good tea!"

  Chang Cheng thought that today was the day to dance with swords, aiming at Pei Gong. He wanted to get rid of the burden, but it was a bit difficult to open the conversation. Chang Cheng had already considered starting from Liao Ye and then trying to lead the conversation to those topics, making it seem natural and effortless without revealing any intention.

  Zheng Xue did not know that Chang Cheng had already turned on the recording device.

  Chang Cheng recently learned to smoke, he handed a Great Wall cigarette to Zheng Xue, lit it up and said in a low voice: "Zheng Xue, you've lived with Liao Ye for so long, what do you think of him?"

  Zheng Xuepin snuffed out the cigarette, flicked the ash to the ground, and curled up the corner of his mouth, saying: "Quite diligent, strong sense of hygiene, knows how to get along with people, although he's a bit of a petty urbanite, a descendant of the working class, but not bad."

  He always cuts in and says: "I also feel that it's possible, but what do you think is his purpose in being so friendly to us?"

  Zheng Xue snorted and said, "Needless to say! Now it's so hard for college graduates to find a job, he wants us to help him out in the future! He doesn't have any special talents, and he won't go take the graduate exam, who knows, maybe he'll just end up at some crappy water conservancy company, doing some crappy technical work! With a monthly salary of just over a thousand bucks, he can barely support himself, how's he gonna find a wife?! You think he wouldn't try to suck up to us, would he rather suck up to those professors instead?"

  "What do you plan to do to help him?"

  "He? Help him? He's just a dog! No money, just flattering, what's the use?! Want me to speak for him? Bring money! Now even inviting those people to dinner costs thousands! Can't invite others to eat at small restaurants! Sending a few packs of cigarettes also costs thousands, no face to collect! You don't have strong connections, still want to enter a good unit? Dream on! Besides, I didn't owe him any favors! At most, in the future, if we get along well, I'll introduce him, but if he doesn't bring gifts, it's useless! Can only go to the talent recruitment himself! Heh heh."

  Although Chang Cheng thought Zheng Xue's words were reasonable, he felt a bit annoyed when he heard him mention money left and right. He endured it for a moment before speaking up: "What you said makes some sense, but if he hadn't told us about those things, we really wouldn't have been able to get away with it. Sometimes I think that he's actually not bad to us, don't you think?"

  "Hah, Cheng Ge, you're wrong! Liao Ye must have a rebellious bone in his brain, betraying brothers without any sense of justice. But this should be called 'abandoning the dark for the light', recognizing the times and being a hero! He has a future to develop! What betrayal? In this world, there's only the dominance and decision-making power of interests. Smart people understand how to follow the drive of interests! What morality?! Hah! You wouldn't be so naive as to really take him as an iron brother, would you, Cheng Ge?"

  The tail has finally been revealed, what Liao Ye wanted to do is done, it's time to clarify the second question!

  Zheng Xue, who was in high spirits, was met with a smirk by Cheng, who said: "Zheng Xue, we're buddies, aren't we? You wouldn't treat our relationship like this, would you?"

  Zheng Xueyi was taken aback, immediately regained his composure, secretly regretted in his heart, and seriously said on his face: "Cheng Ge! What are you talking about? Can our relationship be compared to Liao Ye's? I have a political background, you have an economic background, we will join forces in the future, won't we dominate the situation? What kind of feelings do we have between us? Is that right!"

  Always muttering in my heart, wasting so much of my money, and still having the nerve to talk about feelings, how cunning! But on the surface, I said: "Right, right, right! Liao Ye is indeed unmatched! However, Zheng Xue, we still need to clarify some issues, this way it's beneficial for both of us. You mentioned last time that something about Jin Ge went somewhere?"

  Zheng hesitated for a moment, then said: "I heard from my friend that it's probably in Guangzhou... You also know that the police have already set their sights on them. Plus they have some other cases, can they not run away? ... Now they're carrying out this severe crackdown campaign, if we get dragged into it, it won't be good!"

  "Wait a minute! Drag us into this? What do we have to do with it? I've already made it clear that I have nothing to do with this matter! As for the money, it was me who gave it to you to spend, and it has nothing to do with Jin Ge! And I don't even know anyone named Jin Ge!"

  Zheng Xue looked at Chang Cheng's eyes under his glasses and felt that they were somehow blurry. Was it because the lenses of his glasses had some reflection?

  Chang Cheng's mouth didn't stop: "Zheng Xue, we are good brothers, even blood-related brothers can't compare to us! But on matters of great importance, I must make things clear first! I have nothing to do with the beating of Long Bao, and I was never at the scene. As for who did it, I don't know either! I only found out about this shocking event later when others told me!"

  His eyes stared at Zheng Xue's somewhat unnatural expression, knowing that his suppressive attack had already taken effect, and he felt that he still needed to show off a bit more. He continued: "Zheng Xue, you're an extremely intelligent person, with such a good political background and so skilled at playing the game of politics, manipulating people's hearts and minds. You're absolutely most suited for a career in politics! I dare guarantee that within ten years, you can become our country's new political star! As someone who studies economics, I'll definitely inherit my family's business in the future. In today's society, if you don't enter politics, you won't have any worries or troubles! Money can make ghosts grind mills, and lawsuits are a common occurrence for people from our family! But it's different for you - what if something gets entangled with you? Then your smooth-sailing political career will be in trouble! Am I right?"

  Looking at Zheng Xue's stunned expression, he was very satisfied and continued: "You know, I have some money, but it's also hard-earned money! Not something that fell from the sky! Hong Kong newspapers and movies say that buying a life is only worth tens of thousands, right? Let me calculate, I think I've already given you 140,000 yuan. How about this, I'll give you another 10,000 to buy some suits, and then we can pretend nothing dirty happened between us. In this school, in this city, I will only know of you, recognize you, and we can still be good brothers. What do you think?"

  It turns out that this guy has been thinking for a long time and said so much, just wanting to clear himself of the responsibility of hiring someone to beat up my brother!

  This swindler, bookworm! He doesn't know how to get along with people in the underworld at all! However, what he said also makes sense. I'll just take out another 10,000 yuan to appease Big Brother and learn from him to clear things up with that friend, so as not to bring trouble to myself later on. This bookworm has a lot of value to be used in the future, no need to have a falling out with him, just look at how desperately he wants to whitewash his own moral character!

  Zheng Xue put on a very embarrassed expression, and said with some resentment: "Cheng Ge! It seems that you really misunderstood me! I can swear to heaven that if I had embezzled your money and didn't use it for the right things, I would be a bastard! I wouldn't die a good death! However, since you've spoken, Cheng Ge, if I say anything more, it would be too ungrateful. How about this? I'll take out 30,000 yuan myself, and we can send it to my friend together. After all, they're in Guangdong, where the expenses are too high! Let's give them a lucky number for prosperity. Alright, Cheng Ge, from now on, we have nothing to do with those outsiders!"

  He often achieves his own goals, and then doesn't care about the tens of thousands. Knowing that Zheng Xue wanted it himself, he still had to pretend to be righteous, saying: "How about this? I also know you're having a hard time, and your finances are tight, so I'll give you another 20,000 yuan to spend. You can use it to buy some things for Wenli and her family! Brother, I've done everything I should do, if anything unpleasant happens again, I won't be able to say anything!"

  Damn it! You're still young and naive, thinking you can threaten me? Do you know who my uncle is? Do you know who my dad is? Why don't you go ask around?! Zheng Xue thought for a moment, then cursed and said: "Cheng Ge! Who's afraid of whom between us two?! Rest assured, I guarantee you'll be completely fine!"

  Grandfather Jing was annoyed by these words that kept piercing his ears, and the two young men's conversation ruined his good mood for savoring tea. Although he didn't bother to interfere with others' thoughts after experiencing many things in life, he felt from their tone that the two young men had good qualities but unfortunately were not on the right path. So he stood up to prepare to advise them a few words, Jing hurriedly signaled Grandfather to sit down and continue listening without speaking, savoring tea quietly.

  Jing'er had already figured out that it was Chang Cheng and Zheng Xue, she didn't expect to discover this real secret today, it turned out that they were the ones who hired thugs with money.

  She listened intently and thought anxiously, writing on a piece of paper: "Grandpa, I know them, they're from my school, don't make a sound."

  She handed the note to her grandfather.

  After they both said what was most important, Chang Cheng and Zheng Xue continued as if they were good friends, without any of the previous verbal sparring.

  Zheng Xue was actually already very vigilant in his heart, he didn't expect this bookworm to suddenly become so cunning. It seemed that he had underestimated him. Fortunately, he still didn't know the rules of the city's Jianghu, or else this friend would have gone too far. He must immediately grasp the initiative of the conversation and shift each other's attention, which is the best strategy.

  Zheng Xue lit another cigarette, taking heavy puffs, and said with great concern: "Cheng Ge, I think you should also make a clean break with Huang Qiuya. You can't just get stuck on one tree, right? Now that the anger has been vented, you yourself told us that you don't plan to mess with them again. If you're not going to mess with them, doesn't that mean you've already decided to give up on Huang Qiuya? In my opinion, it's better to just forget about her, she's not worth it! After all, you didn't lose out, she gave herself to you, and now she's been ruined by that little brat surnamed Long! Are you really going to want her again? Is it necessary to give up a vast beautiful forest for a tree that you've already cut down?"

  Chang Cheng couldn't take Zheng Xue's words anymore, and he retorted in agitation: "You'd better not slander Qiu Ya. Although she often hangs out with that bastard now, she wouldn't be so careless!"

  Zheng Xue found Chang Cheng's infatuation quite ridiculous and said, "Look at me, my life is so full of sunshine! If I want to see Wen Li, I just call her over. If I want to see Xiao Xue, I go to Hua Shi. If I want to have some fun, I go with those rich friends to Huajiezi for a night. Why be like you, unable to get along with yourself, living like a monk? What's the point!"

  He often felt resentful of Zheng Xue's theory of universal love, and sometimes he really pitied Wen Li. He knew that Zheng Xue was a playboy, yet she still fantasized about him marrying her. However, whenever he felt sorry for Wen Li, he hated Qiu Ya and Long Bao even more. He hated Qiu Ya for not loving him wholeheartedly like Wen Li did, instead betraying him, hurting him, and causing him pain. He hated Long Bao for promising him that he would never have a relationship with Qiu Ya, yet now he was going to possess her and announce in front of many people that she was his future wife!

  Since then, under Liao Ye's private and subtle hints, he has been thinking of a very thorough plan to kill with a borrowed knife. He wants to achieve three goals at once. If successful, he can not only drive Longbiao away from school but also have sufficient reason to force the Qiuya family to send her abroad, and incidentally take revenge on Zheng Xue for his shameless extortion. He doesn't need to spend a single penny; he just needs to move his lips at the right time and let Liao Ye implement it specifically.

  He believed that as long as he recorded these words well and let Liao Ye listen to them, Liao Ye would go and do it without hesitation, as long as he promised to arrange a good job for him afterwards.

  Now, he must continue to lure out Zheng Xue's true thoughts about Wen Li, this is the real bombshell!

  Chang Cheng's voice trembled slightly as he said, "Zheng Xue, you and Wen Li have been together for almost two years now. She even had an abortion for your sake. What are you planning to do with Wen Li? Are you going to get married after graduation?"

  Haha! Zheng Xue Lang laughed and said: "Chang Cheng, you're not that naive, are you? Marriage? I'm only 21 years old! At least wait until I'm 28 or maybe even 30! Why get married when the sky is so free and wide? Change one this year, change another next year, it's more fun! Besides, even if I were to get married, it wouldn't be with Wen Li anyway! She's just a country girl from a poor family, not worthy of me!"

  He often sighed secretly, but continued to ask: "Then what do you plan to do? To Wen Li, just drag it like this, and drag such a beautiful girl old? Are you too ruthless?"

  Zheng Xue laughed a few times, and said with satisfaction: "Haha, none of my business! She followed me voluntarily, I didn't ask her to! But you have to say, that Wen Li's figure and skin are unmatched by anyone. It's as smooth as silk, it's greasy to the touch. As for her looks, I think in the whole school, except for that Su Jing'er, no one can compare, including your Autumn Ya...Damn, that Su Jing'er is too arrogant, she doesn't even pay attention to me!"

  Jing'er heard them mention herself and exchanged a smile with her grandfather, continuing to hold her breath and listen.

  Chang Cheng continued: "Zheng Xue, Wan Li really makes a good wife for you, she's beautiful and virtuous, and loves you so much! Why don't you appreciate your blessings?"

  Zheng Xue Dao said, "Ha! I'll definitely marry a high-ranking official's daughter in the future. To climb up quickly, aside from relying on my own family connections, it's most important to rely on my father-in-law! So, as soon as I graduate, I'll immediately break up with Wen Li. My old man is coming from our hometown to the province in two months, and next year he'll be promoted again. You think that by then, won't I have more face? Finding a country girl would be laughable, it'd be an obstacle on my path forward!"

  Chang Cheng said: "So you're saying that you definitely want to break up with Wen Li, and you just played her for fun? Is that right?"

  Zheng Xue was puzzled as to why Chang Cheng seemed to have changed into a different person today, and he kept entangling himself in this problem. He asked: "Is it that Wen Li wants you to come and say something for her? It's useless, Chang Cheng, just take care of yourself! I'm not tired of playing with Wen Li yet, her body still fascinates me. But breaking up is a certainty, after all, it's a mutually beneficial thing. I got pleasure, she also got pleasure! Right? Besides, she didn't hesitate to dump that dragon bastard before either! What qualifications does she have to hate me?"

  Suddenly, Zheng Xue's face changed and he said suspiciously: "Cheng Ge! You won't be telling these things to Wen Li, will you? If you do this, I'll turn against you!"

  He often feels guilty in his heart, but it's not that simple! He not only wants to tell Wen Li, but also wants to use someone else's mouth to tell Long Bao, and even force Long Bao to beat Zheng Xue half to death. He wants to make Long Bao desperate, Wen Li loves Zheng Xue too much, after knowing the truth, she will be very troubled, and may even...

  But how could Chang Cheng reveal his inner plans?

  He immediately retorted, "What are you talking about, Zheng Xue? Do I have nothing better to do than interfere in your affairs? You can't even handle your own business, yet you're meddling in mine! I just felt sorry for Wen Li and showed some sympathy, that's all."

  Zheng Xue was somewhat skeptical, but after thinking about it, he also felt that what was said was right.

  Watching Zheng Xue and Chang Zhen leave, Jing Er let out a long sigh of relief and patted her own chest.

  Facing her grandfather's thoughtful expression, Jing'er said softly: "Grandfather, can a man be so bad?"

  Grandpa seemed to ignore her, using his fingers to calculate.

  In front of her most spoiled grandfather, Jing'er was simply a 7 or 8-year-old little girl. Her coquettish and tender voice entered the old man's ears: "Grandpa! Grandpa ~~!"

  Grandpa lifted his head from contemplation and mysteriously said to Jing'er, "Silly girl, that naughty boy is in trouble!"

  Grandpa finally found out from Jing'er's nervous and quiet mouth that the two little guys who had dealt with someone surnamed Long were actually the person Jing'er wanted him to come to Chang'an to meet, and this person was naturally Jing'er's crush, Long Bao.

  For his little granddaughter, he had always been extremely fond of her. Jing'er was also clever and wise beyond her years since childhood. He knew that this girl was no ordinary person, but he wouldn't tell anyone about it. He believed in fate, but also knew that one must know their fate, abide by their fate, and not go against it. This time he came to Chang'an for a visit, firstly because he really wanted to see the Dragon Furnace, secondly because he also wanted to go to Huangshi to pay his respects at his ancestors' tombs.

  He didn't expect that Long Bao would be a so-called cursed person, and after listening to Jing Er's account of what she knew about Long Bao, he was shocked!

  Isn't it that the descendant of the person met by the ancestor more than 100 years ago was encountered again? Is there such a strange thing under heaven?

  The ancestors warned in the legacy that it is absolutely impossible to perform bone reading or eight-character divination on this dragon family person who was cursed by the heavens. The ancestor's instructions cannot be violated, and this child himself cannot predict the wind, there is no need to take this risk.

  His only granddaughter actually had a crush on him! ...However, he just took a look, should be fine, can't be too unconcerned about Jing Yaotou, such a precious granddaughter, what if Jing Yaotou insisted on marrying him, that would be disastrous!

  Grandpa thought for a long time, finally opening his mouth: "Girl, Grandpa must first tell you that Grandpa is just pretending to pass by and take a look. You are not allowed to pester Grandpa with questions about why, and you must absolutely listen to Grandpa's words, okay?"

  Since she was young, Jing Er knew that her grandfather was profound and unfathomable, so she could only agree.

  "Grandpa, grandpa! It's that dark-faced one!" Jing'er's expression became somewhat tense.

  The old man's sharp eyes looked at Long Bo.

  Long Gang had just walked out of the cafeteria and was still thinking about Richard Dennis's legendary experience in the futures market when he suddenly felt strongly that someone was staring at him. He looked up calmly and saw Jing'er and an old man together.

  Every time he sees Jing'er, he always feels very happy. He quickly steps forward and says, "Jing'er, long time no see! How have you been lately?" Then, he also greets the elderly person beside him, "Hello!"

  Jing'er smiled faintly and asked with a hint of shyness: "Oh, Long Bao, is your leg better now?"

  Long Bao lifted his leg and said, "Hehe, still a bit uncomfortable, but it's okay now. I can even jog slowly! Recovering quite quickly, the doctor said that this is thanks to my previous exercise, thank you for your concern!"

  Jing'er said: "Why didn't we see Du Ciqiu today?"

  "They went shopping with Shi Wei on the street."

  After a few words, Long Bao left. The old man's expression was very solemn and somewhat melancholy as he walked with Jing Er on the gravel path by East Lake.

  Jing'er knew that Grandfather was going to speak and didn't dare disturb him or ask any questions.

  The old man bent down and pulled out a small blade of grass, asking Jing'er: "Girl, you're a clever person, Grandpa knows. A good drum doesn't need to be beaten heavily. Grandpa will ask you a few questions, whether you answer or not is up to you. Whether you can understand it depends on your own fortune."

  The old man picked up a small grass with his fingers and said: "What is this?"

  The old man pointed to the tree beside him and said, "What is this?"

  The old man pointed at the rippling lake and said: "What is this?"

  The old man looked into the distance with his eyes and pointed at the sky, saying: "What is that?"

  The old man looked at his beloved granddaughter and said, "What are you again?"

  The old man muttered to himself: "Do you know why all this is so?"

  Grandfather has passed away and gone to Huangshi to pay respects to his ancestors.

  Before getting on the car, he told Jing'er one sentence: "Study hard and finish your studies well, don't say anything, don't do anything, don't think about anything, and don't care about anything."

  In this world, anyone's words can be ignored, but Grandpa's words must be listened to, because Grandpa is a mystery in Jing'er's heart and also a hermit.