Chapter 0107: Restless Youth

In the end, Zhao Fusheng was still persuaded by Mu Qingqing. The two agreed to go to the capital during the National Day holiday, and Zhao Fusheng returned to the dormitory.

Of course, food, lodging, and travel expenses were all covered by Mu Qingqing, and they would fly.

In Zhao Fusheng's words, he was helping out as a favor and couldn't be expected to pay out of his own pocket.

Mu Qingqing despised this but was helpless; a man as stingy as Zhao Fusheng was rare.

Zhao Fusheng didn't care about Mu Qingqing's reaction at all. In the world of the strong, if there was one thing more like a colorful venomous snake than women, it was money.

Being able to command sums of five, six, seven, or even eight figures at once was, for every man, an exhilarating game—thrilling, satisfying, like a tender, smooth body, full of allure.

Zhao Fusheng was no different, so he had an extraordinary obsession with money.

Of course, he dared not touch the three vices of gambling, drugs, and prostitution. Not only was the crackdown on these severe in the country, but Zhao Fusheng himself knew that as hurdles every successful man might face, once involved, one would be doomed.

Moreover, if anyone around him had anything to do with these three things, Zhao Fusheng wouldn't even consider cooperating with them.

The reason was simple: if a man was involved in a scandal, it proved he was fickle; a fickle man was naturally disloyal. Dealing with such a person, whether in business or as a friend, you never knew when you'd get stabbed in the back. As for drugs, they could ruin a person's life; Zhao Fusheng would never dare touch them.

And gambling, even if you were immensely wealthy, couldn't withstand the losses. Gambling infinitely magnified the dark side of human nature; no matter how steadfast a person was, once trapped, it was hard to escape.

Men could be combative, but the battlefield should be in their careers, not at the gambling table.

As for Mu Qingqing, at least for now, neither Zhao Fusheng nor she had considered each other as potential romantic partners.

Things like flirtation and ambiguity could sometimes only be felt, not expressed, but for people with too great a disparity in status, they were often nipped in the bud by the wise before they even began.

You see, the people who hurt others the most in life are definitely those who don't have a good grasp of the distance between men and women. There's no perfection in the world, especially in matters of the heart. While some rejoice, others are inevitably heartbroken. There aren't that many fairy-tale romances.

Besides, Zhao Fusheng wasn't stupid, and although Mu Qingqing was naive, she wasn't an idiot.

The biggest difference between a smart woman and a foolish one is that the former, when giving herself to a man, calculates whether it's a safe day and whether she needs to take a morning-after pill, while the latter only foolishly dreams of the future without considering whether the man is truly worth entrusting her life to.

…

…

"Done meeting Mu Qingqing?" Boss Tan asked with a smile as he saw Zhao Fusheng return to the dorm.

Giving him a look that said 'figure it out yourself,' Zhao Fusheng said helplessly, "Can you not be so nosy?"

"Look at you, gossip is human nature. By the way, no classes this afternoon. Want to go watch a video?" Tan Kaixuan sidled over, nudged Zhao Fusheng's shoulder, and whispered.

In those days, the words 'video parlor' were on par with internet cafes and game arcades—places parents had to guard against.

But for young people, these places were undoubtedly 'heaven.'

"Watch a video?" Zhao Fusheng frowned, then shook his head. "No."

At that time, Hong Kong and Taiwan films were popular, but for Zhao Fusheng, he had seen almost all the famous ones. Even the obscure ones, he didn't think could compare to what he had watched. More importantly, he had checked the news in this world; the stars from Hong Kong and Taiwan were mostly unchanged, though some works were different. But overall, it wasn't much different from his memories of his past life, so he lost interest in exploring.

"Come on, there's a good film," Tan Kaixuan said with a strange grin.

Zhao Fusheng nodded helplessly and was dragged out of the dorm. After winding through several streets, they arrived at a video parlor near the small gate of District 4. Looking at the people around his age, Zhao Fusheng suddenly felt something was off.

"They're showing a good film here."

Tan Kaixuan winked, looking mysterious.

Zhao Fusheng frowned but understood what Tan Kaixuan meant.

A place like this, at this time, with a nearly half-naked poster at the door—if he couldn't guess what kind of movie was playing, he'd be an idiot.

"I'm not watching. Go ahead yourself." Zhao Fusheng shot Tan Kaixuan a glare and turned to leave.

"Hey, hey, why are you leaving? I heard today they're showing a good film from Hong Kong, something called 'Yu Pui Tsuen.' Don't you want to see it?" Tan Kaixuan hurried after Zhao Fusheng, muttering incessantly.

Zhao Fusheng was speechless. "Whatever it is, 'Yu Pui Tsuen' or 'Jin Ping Mei,' I'm not watching."

"I heard the lead actress is Veronica Yip, and she's got huge...!" Tan Kaixuan was still drooling, eyes gleaming.

Although youthful infatuation was normal, it was clear this guy had watched this kind of movie before—his expression and movements all exuded a sleazy vibe.

"Come on, you have a girlfriend. Why watch this stuff?" Zhao Fusheng couldn't be bothered to say more.

Tan Kaixuan rarely blushed, stammering for a long time without uttering a word.

"You bastard, you haven't even kissed, have you?"

A flash of insight struck Zhao Fusheng. He stared at Tan Kaixuan intently, a knowing smile on his face.

Tan Kaixuan said nothing, but his expression gave him away. Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but burst out laughing. Who would have thought that Boss Tan, the self-proclaimed love expert, was still a virgin? No wonder he loved hanging out in video parlors.

"Laugh at your grandpa," Tan Kaixuan said, slapping Zhao Fusheng on the back as he kept chuckling. "Better than you, who doesn't even have a girlfriend."

"I don't not have a girlfriend. I have a fiancée," Zhao Fusheng teased seriously. Although Fan Baobao would eventually break up with him, for now, she was still his nominal fiancée.

"Fiancée?" Tan Kaixuan was stunned, then burst into laughter, bending over. "Haha, don't kid me. You have a fiancée? That's hilarious. Why not say you have a sister-in-law too?"

"Hey, how did you know?" Zhao Fusheng was taken aback.

"Know your head. Bro, it's okay, I won't laugh at you." Tan Kaixuan put an arm around Zhao Fusheng with a tragic expression. "Don't worry, a girlfriend is like a woman's chest—squeeze a little, and there will always be one."

At that moment, Zhao Fusheng wished he could kick him into outer space.