stjorthotic Chapter 708: The Difference Between Reality and Zhang Yi
Chapter 708: The Difference Between Reality and Zhang Yi
Huang Xiaochuan and Yu Wei arrived in Qingjiang at 1:20 a.m. on Saturday, while Yue Zhiyuan was already waiting for them in the hotel lobby.
Although he had slept for a few hours on the way, Huang Xiaochuan still felt like he couldn't keep his eyes open when he arrived at the hotel. After a quick greeting to Yue Zhiyuan, Huang Xiaochuan went straight to his room, collapsed onto the bed as soon as he entered. This drinking was really too much of a torment. How did he end up with such an unlucky brother-in-law?
Huang Xiaochuan slept until after nine o'clock in the morning before waking up. By then, he was sober and began to reflect on his behavior the night before.
When he came out of the room, Gao Song was already waiting for him at the door. Huang Xiaochuan casually asked, "Where's Yu Wei?"
He had been in a daze ever since he got on the bus last night, and collapsed when he arrived at the hotel. He couldn't remember which room Yu Wei was staying in at all.
Gao Song cautiously pointed to a door next to him, meaning that Yu Wei was in that room.
Filled with resentment, Huang Xiaochuan went straight up and banged on the door: "Yu Wei, Yu Wei!"
After taking pictures for a while without any response from inside, Huang Xiaochuan was getting impatient. Just as he was about to ask Gao Song to find the receptionist to open the door, Yu Wei sleepily opened the door.
Seeing that he was alright, Huang Xiaochuan finally felt relieved.
He urged, "Hurry up and wash your face and brush your teeth, then go downstairs for breakfast. I was drinking with you all night and didn't eat a single bite of staple food. My stomach is empty and I feel terrible."
Yu Wei yawned and waved his hand: "You go first, I'll be there in a bit!"
"Okay, I'll wait for you in the restaurant on the first floor. Hurry up and don't dawdle." Huang Xiaochuan then led Gao Song and the others to the restaurant on the first floor. The hotel's breakfast service usually ends at 9:30, and it's already 9:15. If they don't hurry, they won't be able to have breakfast.
Yue Zhiyuan arrived at this time, but he had already eaten.
After breakfast, Huang Xiaochuan said to Yue Zhiyuan, "You don't need to accompany us this morning. We'll go out for a walk on our own, have lunch at your house later, and then head back in the afternoon."
Yue Zhiyuan didn't stand on ceremony with Huang Xiaochuan and nodded in agreement: "Okay, Yu Min went to buy all the groceries early this morning, I'll cook them when I get back."
As they spoke, Yue Zhiyuan glanced at Yu Wei again, noticing he still looked somewhat listless, and quietly asked, "Is Yu Wei alright?"
Upon hearing this, Huang Xiaochuan glanced at Yu Wei, then patted Yue Zhiyuan on the shoulder: "It's alright, he's probably still sleepy, he'll be fine in a bit."
Yue Zhiyuan stood up and said, "Alright, I'll head back now. You two come over early for lunch."
Huang Xiaochuan also stood up: "I understand, be careful while riding your bike."
After Yue Zhiyuan left, Huang Xiaochuan called to Yu Wei, "Let's go! Where should we go first? Give me a name on the list!"
Yu Wei rubbed his face vigorously with both hands, stood up, and said, "To Qingjiang Building!"
"Then let's go!"
The advantage of small cities is that the distance and time from here to there are very short, so a few minutes later, the two appeared downstairs at Qingjiang Building.
The Qingjiang Building has long lost its former glory. Now it is surrounded by a cluster of tall buildings, making it look short and ridiculous. Huang Xiaochuan knows that the Qingjiang Building will be demolished in two years. After all, the building is no longer suitable for the needs of the times and will be replaced by taller and more functional buildings.
The hotel inside the building was also dilapidated. Back then, this hotel was the most upscale hotel in the entire Qingjiang area. Now, it looked like a middle-aged woman without makeup. Huang Xiaochuan and Yu Wei easily took the elevator to the top floor. Back then, you needed a letter of introduction to enter this hotel because the management was very strict.
Sure enough, the two of them stood on the rooftop and could no longer find the same feeling as before. They only stayed for a few minutes before hurriedly leaving.
Upon reaching the hotel entrance, Yu Wei suddenly asked, "Do you have any cigarettes?"
Huang Xiaochuan doesn't smoke, so of course he didn't have any, but Gao Song heard it too, and soon a pack of cigarettes and a lighter were delivered.
Yu Wei awkwardly opened the cigarette box, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it.
"Cough cough cough!" Sure enough, Yu Wei choked.
Huang Xiaochuan sensed that something was wrong with Yu Wei; the kid must have something else on his mind.
"Is something wrong? You're acting strange."
Yu Wei spoke up: "Do you still remember my college classmate, Huang Guo?"
Huang Xiaochuan nodded: "Huang Gua! Of course I remember him."
Yu Wei said sadly, "He's dead!"
This news startled Huang Xiaochuan, who immediately asked, "Huang Gua is dead? What happened?"
Yu Wei said with a bitter expression, "They said it involved a major smuggling case with over 100 million yuan involved. It was suicide; he jumped off a building when his guards weren't paying attention."
Huang Xiaochuan suddenly realized: I was wondering why! The shock to Yu Wei must have been enormous. His classmate of three years was suddenly involved in a major case and committed suicide out of fear of punishment. No wonder he had been acting strangely lately. From a psychological point of view, this is actually a mild form of psychological trauma. The sudden loss of a close friend, who is also suspected of committing a crime, is indeed hard for anyone to accept.
Huang Xiaochuan comforted Yu Wei, saying, "If you walk by the river often, you're afraid of getting your shoes wet." "There are too many temptations in our customs line of work, and it's normal for a very few people to succumb. But you mustn't get involved in these things, understand?"
Huang Xiaochuan has no say in what others do, nor is it his place to care, but Yu Wei is not only his best childhood friend and confidant but also his brother-in-law, so he has to take care of his affairs.
Yu Wei nodded: "Don't worry, you can't tempt me."
That's true. Yu Wei earned his first pot of gold with Huang Xiaochuan during his university years. Later, he entrusted this large sum of money to Ding Yi, who put it into the stock market and made it multiply dozens of times in a few years. If Ding Yi hadn't been forced by his family to return to the system, the amount of money would probably have been even larger.
Even so, Yu Wei has already reached the standard of financial freedom, and that is, the standard of financial freedom twenty years from now.
But Huang Xiaochuan still suggested, "How about you apply for a transfer? Maybe do some office or support work?"
Yu Wei waved his hand: "No need for that. I've been in this position for five years, and according to internal regulations, I need to be transferred."
Huang Xiaochuan was still a little worried: "You're really not involved in anything, are you? If you are, tell me right away."
Yu Wei got impatient when questioned: "Hey, didn't I tell you? No, why don't you believe me?"
"Okay, okay, I believe you! Throw away the cigarette, get in the car quickly. If you don't smoke, don't smoke. You almost coughed your lungs out just now."
After the two got on the bus, Huang Xiaochuan checked the time. It was a little past ten o'clock, and they could still drive around for a while. So he asked, "Where are we going next? Can you give me directions?"
Without a second thought, Yu Wei said, "Go to the low-lying area in the south of the city."
Upon arrival, the two discovered that the area had been transformed into a huge wetland park, and it was quite beautiful. Small bridges spanned flowing streams, birds sang, and flowers bloomed. The former ponds had become lakes, and the original highlands had become small islands connected by bridges of various shapes. The original trees in the depression had been preserved.
Yu Wei asked in surprise, "When was this built?"
Huang Xiaochuan knows the answer to this question best. As the city's economy improved and the city's accounts showed a surplus, this former low-lying area, also known as a wetland, was transformed into what it is today, and it was just completed in March of this year.
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