Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âThe higher-ups have paid attention to it, so the city has to take action too,â Sun Zhengrong said. âIt probably has to involve a considerable number of people.â
âWell, that is understandable,â Wang Yao replied.
In fact, for such a matter, no matter where it happened, it would bring a considerable negative impact.
âI am not an outsider in these matters either,â Sun Zhengrong said. âOur family has some business dealings with that Dongying company. Thanks to you, weâve managed to cut off all dealings with them in time.â
âWere you still affected by it?â Wang Yao asked.
âSomewhat, but it was limited,â Sun Zhengrong said.
He was fearful thinking about the matter. They received the news in time and escaped. As he had said, although they were affected, it could have been worse. Moreover, they had contributed to this matter and made up for it somewhat. If they had delayed until now to escape, the result would have been different. It would be too late even if their connections helped them. For some things, one day earlier and one day later resulted in two absolutely different results.
âIf you need any help, let me know,â Wang Yao said.
âOh, sure,â Sun Zhengrong said.
Some of the people the young man in front of him could contact were ones they might not be able to meet easily in their daily lives. A word from those people held quite a lot of weight.
After the meal, Wang Yao and Zhong Liuchuan returned to Lianshan County. Sun Yunsheng repeatedly said that he would go to the village as soon as possible and accept Wang Yaoâs teachings.
In the abandoned villa, Zhang Wei lit a cigarette. He hadnât smoked for more than 10 years because of his health. In fact, he used to be a heavy smoker.
A man in his 30s appeared in the abandoned villa. When he saw Zhang Weiâs somewhat decadent expression, he exclaimed in surprise, âBrother, why are you smoking?â
âI suddenly wanted to taste it.â He was idly puffing smoke rings.
âDidnât you say that smoking would affect your body and may cause a toxic reaction in your body?â the man asked.
âAll these years, Iâve been heeding my fears all day long,â Zhang Wei said. âThis canât be eaten, that canât be drunk, I canât touch women, Iâm living like an ascetic monk... Think about it. Itâs pitifully boring!â
âAt least you survived these past 10 years,â the man said.
âYes, Ah Lei, what would you do if you knew you were dying?â Zhang Wei asked.
âHmm...â The man bowed his head and thought for a moment. âIâd want to do what I wanted to do.â
âRight? Thatâs what I think as well,â Zhang Wei replied. âLook at me. Iâm a lonely single person older than 40, and I donât even have a child. The money I earn is nothing more than something outside my body. I donât bring it with me when Iâm born or take it with me when I die. Iâve had things I really wanted to do, but I never did them. Instead, Iâve done many things I didnât want to do. I donât want to go on living like this.â
Overnight, he had thought through many things.
âIf you can be a good person, who wants to be a bad person?â Zhang Wei muttered with a sigh. âAre you free in the evening? Letâs have a meal together?â
âAlright, Iâll arrange for it,â the man said. âWhat would you like to eat?â
âHot pot, and make it spicy,â Zhang Wei said. âLetâs have a good time!â
âNo problem,â the man said.
âWhat about the things I asked you to deal with?â Zhang Wei asked.
âItâs all burned,â the man said.
âGood, itâs good to burn them,â Zhang Wei said with a laugh.
âBoss, do you have anything else?â the man asked.
âNo, nothing more,â Zhang Wei replied.
âShall I chat with you some more?â He could see that Zhang Weiâs mood was not right.
âYes, chat with me,â Zhang Wei replied.
He spoke more in the next hour than he had the entire year. He had kept everything in for too long. Many words were hidden in his heart, but he couldnât tell anyone. He had to bear it all alone. Now, he took the person next to him as an audience. The man was willing to listen, so Zhang Wei talked about the things he did in childhood, the mistakes he made over the years, and things hidden in his heart he had never told anyone.
Outside the villa, two people were hiding in the dark.
âWhat a surprise. Itâs him,â Jia Zizai said.
âAh Lei,â Hu Mei said.
âItâs ironic that a person who doesnât show up frequently or is important and has the least sense of existence should be his most trusted person,â Jia Zizai said. âWanting to eat hotpot at such a time is interesting.â
âDo you believe him that everything is destroyed?â Hu Mei asked. Her tone was filled with obvious disbelief.
The previous night, when he had left the villa, Jia Zizai had secretly installed a listening device in a hidden corner. They had heard most of what had been said in the villa.
âWhen a man is dying, his words turn good. I guess they are true.â Jia Zizai puffed on his cigarette.
He did not expect that things would turn out like this. They had made painstaking efforts to get rid of the man and the evidence. In the end, Zhang Wei had never thought of exposing the evidence. It was quite ironic.
âUnexpectedly, our President Zhang has so much blackmail information,â Jia Zizai said with a smile.
âWhat shall we do?â Hu Mei asked. âShould we continue to listen?â
âListen and see where Ah Lei is going,â Jia Zizai said. âThey want to eat hotpot, but President Zhang is the most wanted criminal in Dao!â
They followed Ah Lei, who found a good hotpot restaurant nearby and booked a seat. The two of them waited in the car beside them. After a short time, Zhang Wei arrived, but his appearance was greatly altered.
âDid he change his face?â Hu Mei asked.
âHeâs wanted all over the city,â Jia Zizai said. âIf he doesnât change his face, heâs seeking death!â
The two men went into the hotpot restaurant. They ordered several dishes and a bottle of good wine. Instead of continuing to persuade him, Ah Lei took the initiative to pour Zhang Wei a cup.
âOh, itâs many years since I drank!â Zhang Wei sighed.
âCome on, Iâll give you a toast!â Ah Lei raised his glass.
âCome on.â Zhang Wei took a sip of wine. âEat some food.â
The steaming sliced mutton was cooked in no time after it was dumped into the hotpot. It tasted fresh and delicious.
âAh, look how happy they are eating,â Jia Zizai said. âWhy donât we have hotpot tonight?â
âWhat about them?â Hu Mei asked.
âThereâs no need to see anymore,â Jia Zizai said. âTheyâre eating. Itâs too uncomfortable to just peek at them. Letâs go.â
Hu Mei laughed and started the car. They left and headed into the city. They found a famous hotpot restaurant and ordered many dishes.
âWant a drink?â Hu Mei asked.
âOf course,â Jia Zizai said. His face was filled with a comfortable smile.
âIs this the end of it?â Hu Mei asked.
âYes, but why do I feel like it started seriously but ended carelessly?â Jia Zizai replied.
âHow do you want it to end?â Hu Mei rolled her eyes at him.
âSwords gleaming, bullets raining, a round of battling,â Jia Zizai replied.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
He had thought about these things and was even prepared to experience serious injuries or death. It was surprising that it had ended in such a peaceful and mild way.
âWhy does life always surprise us unexpectedly?â he asked as he took a sip of alcohol.
âWhat a surprise indeed!â Hu Mei exclaimed.
To use a sentence to describe it, it would be, âHappiness arrived too abruptly, and they were caught by surprise!â
âThatâs a good thing,â Hu Mei said. âHave a drink.â
After taking a sip of wine, Jia Zizai said, âLetâs not rush. Iâm still not assured yet.â
âWhat are you worried about?â Hu Mei asked.
âWho knows if what he said is true or false?â Jia Zizai asked.
âIt should be true,â Hu Mei said.
âHow can you tell?â he asked.
âWomenâs intuition,â Hu Mei replied.
âHere we go again!â Jia Zizai laughed and drank all the wine in his cup.
He also felt that Zhang Weiâs words had great credibility. Yet, thinking of the manâs past behavior, he was not sure.
âAlright, youâre thinking so much even when youâre eating,â Hu Mei said. âwhy canât you learn from President Zhang and be more relaxed?â
âHeâs a dying man,â Jia Zizai said. âTo tell you the truth, I feel a lot more relaxed because of his words.â
...
Wang Yao quietly stood on Nanshan Hill. He had only been gone a day, but the hill had grown more than a dozen centimeters. It was like a teenagerâs growth spurt, shooting up in terms of height. It was growing so much that it was not logical.
âIs it because of this spell or some other reasons?â he asked. âSan Xian, do you think the mountain is changing?â
Woof! Woof!
âYes, yes, I see,â Wang Yao said.
The next morning, the sun rose, but the weather had suddenly become much cooler.
Wang Yao waited on Dongshan Mountain. After a while, Zhong Liuchuan came up from the bottom of the hill.
âIs your body warmed up?â Wang Yao asked.
âYes, itâs warmed up,â Zhong Liuchuan replied.