Chapter 279: Heart-to-Heart Talk

The sun was setting, stars dotted the sky, and the winter starlight was brilliant. Zhao Fusheng and Tan Kaixuan sat in the barbecue joint they often frequented, each with a bottle of liquor before them.

“Really not calling Wen Yu?” Tan Kaixuan glanced at Zhao Fusheng and asked with a smile.

“Forget it. Those two are all lovey-dovey; didn’t you see they’re even planning to delay going home for a few days? If you disturb them now, you’ll get struck by lightning.” Zhao Fusheng waved his hand with a smile and poured himself a glass.

Tan Kaixuan chuckled. “True enough. That guy Wen Yu sure is lucky.”

Both he and Zhao Fusheng were sharp, so they could tell that Wen Yu and Han Meimei shared a deep bond. A childhood friendship grown up together was bound to be more solid than a relationship formed after starting college.

“Alright, stop worrying about him and focus on yourself.” Zhao Fusheng smiled and pointed at Tan Kaixuan. “Don’t tell me you’re planning to wait until after graduation.”

“What, can’t I?” Tan Kaixuan rolled his eyes, looking as if to say, “Believe it or not.”

Zhao Fusheng shrugged. “To fabricate a lie, you need more lies to cover it up. No matter how well you cover it, sooner or later people will find out it’s false. Do you know why?”

Tan Kaixuan asked curiously, “Why?”

He was genuinely a bit intrigued.

Zhao Fusheng smiled faintly. “Simple. Because a person’s nature doesn’t change easily. Take you, for instance. Honestly, if you told me you weren’t looking for a girlfriend, I wouldn’t believe it at all.”

“Damn!” Tan Kaixuan instantly lost his cool. “So you’re saying I’m a lecher?”

Zhao Fusheng burst out laughing. “Nonsense! Think about it yourself. How long after breaking up with Hu Xia did you start flirting with girls online? Don’t think I don’t know—you’re always chatting on the computer.”

Tan Kaixuan’s face rarely reddened. He glared at Zhao Fusheng. “You bastard, don’t talk nonsense.”

“Pfft, last time I saw you telling that freshman from the Literature Department that your favorite book was One Hundred Years of Solitude.” Zhao Fusheng looked exasperated. “I’m really curious—have you even read it, bro?”

“Heh, you just don’t get it. I haven’t read it, but do you think that girl has?” Tan Kaixuan winked and snickered. “I just rattled off a few lines from it, and she was completely dumbfounded. Naturally, she didn’t dare to discuss it further.”

Zhao Fusheng helplessly gave him a thumbs-up. “You’re the man!”

“We race through this eternal journey called life, running amidst hardships, reborn in setbacks, sorrow clinging to us, pain scattered everywhere. We are tired, yet never rest; we suffer, yet cannot avoid it.” That bastard Tan Kaixuan actually began reciting with great emotion in front of Zhao Fusheng.

If he didn’t know Tan Kaixuan, Zhao Fusheng might have been moved by his artistic flair. But unfortunately, having known each other for nearly thirty years across two lifetimes, Zhao Fusheng could tell what mischief Tan Kaixuan was up to just by the twitch of his eyebrow.

“Stop right there.” Pointing at the beer in front of Tan Kaixuan, Zhao Fusheng said, “Drink up. Cut the act. The two girls at the next table have boyfriends.”

“Huh?”

Tan Kaixuan, immersed in his performance, froze and stared at Zhao Fusheng in surprise. “How do you know?”

Zhao Fusheng said helplessly, “When we came in, they were chatting about their boyfriends going home. They’re having dinner and leaving tomorrow too. Are you stupid?”

“Oh, then let’s just drink.” Tan Kaixuan quickly changed his expression, not giving Zhao Fusheng a chance to mock him.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head helplessly. He had nothing to say about Tan Kaixuan’s lifestyle. The guy was like this now, and he was the same after becoming successful in his previous life—changing women as fast as changing clothes. Every time Zhao Fusheng met him, there was a different woman by his side.

And once, the bastard shamelessly told him: “In this world, the most important thing is always people. With people, you have everything.”

Of course, Zhao Fusheng knew that by “people,” he meant women—and beautiful ones at that.

Different strokes for different folks. Zhao Fusheng couldn’t do anything about that.

“By the way, do you want to come to my place during winter break?” Tan Kaixuan suddenly said to Zhao Fusheng.

“Your place?” Zhao Fusheng frowned, then thought of something and said with exasperation, “If you’re planning to introduce me to Kaixin, I swear I’ll die right in front of you.”

“Damn! How did you know?” Tan Kaixuan looked like a startled rabbit, staring at Zhao Fusheng in shock.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head in resignation. “Bro, you’ve been trying to set me up with your precious sister since freshman year. Even if I were an idiot, I’d figure it out, wouldn’t I?”

Tan Kaixuan grinned. “Look at you. I don’t even mind that you’re ugly.”

Zhao Fusheng sneered. “Thanks, but I’m not blind yet.”

When it came to Tan Kaixuan’s sister, Tan Kaixin, Zhao Fusheng could only smile bitterly. He had no other choice.

Because she was definitely a heroine among women. In his previous life, when Tan Kaixuan got into trouble, there were indeed people behind the scenes fanning the flames. After all, with such a big operation, Tan Kaixuan might have been glorious, but he had certainly made many enemies. These people might not show their faces normally, but when Tan Kaixuan fell, they all bared their fangs.

After the Tan family’s decline, Zhao Fusheng handled Tan Kaixuan’s funeral. He personally saw Tan Kaixuan’s parents and child onto the plane before leaving Shanghai.

From start to finish, Tan Kaixin never showed up. She only called Zhao Fusheng to ask if Tan Kaixuan had ever mentioned who might have targeted him.

At the time, Zhao Fusheng didn’t know what was going on, so he just mentioned a few names.

A few years later, during a top-down anti-corruption campaign, those people all fell from power.

Only then did Zhao Fusheng realize that unlike Tan Kaixuan, a worldly man who loved money and women, Tan Kaixin had aspired to become a civil servant since childhood.

And she had indeed achieved it. She got into the Youth Politics College and after graduation joined the legendary Discipline Inspection Commission.

As for the rest, Zhao Fusheng could guess with his head.

Now, Tan Kaixuan was desperately trying to set his sister up with Zhao Fusheng. Whenever he thought of that strong woman who always wore a stern face and warned Tan Kaixuan not to keep exploiting legal loopholes, a chill ran down Zhao Fusheng’s spine.

Even though Tan Kaixin, like Zhao Fusheng, was still a junior in college, Zhao Fusheng was a hundred percent sure he would never fall for that woman.

Who the hell would want to marry an ice queen?

“Look at you, my sister isn’t ugly,” Tan Kaixin said cheerfully. “And I think you two would be a good match.”

Zhao Fusheng gave a wry smile and shot him a look of imperial contempt. “If you don’t want to be my brother-in-law, we can still be friends. If you keep this up, don’t blame me for being rude.”

“Look at you, not appreciating a good deed.” Tan Kaixuan sounded quite aggrieved.

Zhao Fusheng glared at him, too lazy to bother praising him.

Eating barbecue and drinking beer, they each ordered a bowl of instant noodles with an egg.

“So, are you really going to play the stock market?” Tan Kaixuan took a big gulp of beer and downed a beef skewer before asking Zhao Fusheng seriously.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. “I’m planning to do some short-term trading.”

“Are you in urgent need of money?” Tan Kaixuan frowned and asked Zhao Fusheng.

He wasn’t stupid. Zhao Fusheng was so eager to throw all his money into the stock market, and for short-term trading at that—there was only one answer: he needed money badly.

Zhao Fusheng nodded. “I want to start a project and also make an investment.”

He didn’t need to hide too much from Tan Kaixuan. The guy was ambitious. Zhao Fusheng knew Tan Kaixuan wouldn’t harm him, even though he wanted to surpass him.

“How much are you short?” Tan Kaixuan thought for a moment. “If you don’t mind, I’ll talk to my dad later.”

Then he laughed. “You’ve got good instincts. Letting my dad invest with you is better than him messing around on his own.”

Zhao Fusheng smiled and shook his head. “No, it’d be hard for you to explain. Besides, with this project of mine, who knows when it’ll start turning a profit.”

Tan Kaixuan was stunned. He stared at Zhao Fusheng in surprise, not understanding why he would do it if he didn’t know when the investment would yield returns.