Chapter 0280 Old Boy

Many people like to reminisce about old stories from the past, because those things that once happened in our memories often feel particularly interesting.

"If only I had done this or that back then, now I would be such and such..." This is probably a phrase many people say.

The reason they like to say it is because memories always carry a bit of regret.

For instance, a friend of Zhao Fusheng's always liked to say, "Back then, if I had married so-and-so, maybe I'd be a millionaire now. Too bad—who knew her family would get relocated and compensated later."

"The woman I married later wasn't as pretty as so-and-so, wasn't as educated, and her manners were even worse. Sigh, no wonder we couldn't make it work."

Occasionally, Zhao Fusheng and the others would play along and ask, "Then why did you marry your ex-wife?"

"Ahem, she was good in bed..."

The answer always brought unexpected delight.

Life's twists often appear where we least expect them, just as around a corner you might not always find love, but you might also run into a beggar.

As a man with a huge secret, Zhao Fusheng naturally wouldn't easily tell Tan Kaixuan what he was going to do, but that didn't mean he wouldn't guide his friend and brother.

"Just don't worry about it. It's complicated—can't explain it in a few words." Zhao Fusheng said with a smile. "You should go back and study the stock market. I'm telling you, tech stocks and internet stocks are bound to see a surge."

This was an inevitable outcome. Regardless of whether the stock market would have a big rally, Zhao Fusheng knew that before the internet bubble burst, tech stocks and internet stocks would make a lot of people a fortune. Then, when ordinary investors rushed in, these people would cash out and leave the ordinary investors to suffer the pain of the crash.

If Zhao Fusheng remembered correctly, the big bear market that started with the internet bubble in 2001 lasted until 2005 or 2006.

During this period, he really didn't want Tan Kaixuan to get involved.

Because Tan Kaixuan had said that the reason he got rich was because during this time he met a big shot and became a market maker's trader.

"Alright, I get it." Tan Kaixuan said with a smile. "Come on, let's drink!"

The two drank quite a bit more. Zhao Fusheng had made up his mind to drink more today, as a send-off for Tan Kaixuan. They drank until after ten in the evening, then walked together toward the dormitory.

"You know, I have a secret." Tan Kaixuan suddenly said to Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng was startled: "What secret do you have?"

He really didn't know what secret Tan Kaixuan had at this time that he hadn't heard before.

"When I was seven, my teacher told me that in the future, this world, the whole world, would be inherited by me, and great undertakings would be realized in my hands..."

Tan Kaixuan laughed heartily, spreading his arms as if to embrace the world.

Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes speechlessly, really wanting to kick this guy in the ass and tell him, "I'm also a successor, just like you."

But reasoning with a drunk person is undoubtedly a very stupid thing, so Zhao Fusheng decisively ignored Tan Kaixuan.

"Old Zhao, where do you think we'll be in twenty years?" The drunk Tan Kaixuan was undoubtedly a talkative person. After walking a short distance, he muttered to Zhao Fusheng again.

"In twenty years, huh." Zhao Fusheng smiled. He thought of many scenes—his own, Tan Kaixuan's, Wang Zhen's, Wen Yu's, Fan Baobao's.

That is the one I miss day and night, deeply loved

How should I express it

Will she accept me

Maybe I will never say that word to her

Destined to roam the world

How can I have attachments

Dreams are always out of reach

Should I give up

Flowers bloom and fall, again the rainy season

Spring, where are you? Youth is like a rushing river

Gone never to return, no time to say goodbye

Only numb me remains, without the passion of those years

Look at the flowers drifting in the sky

Withering at the most beautiful moment

Who will remember that she came to this world? In the blink of an eye, many years have passed, how many partings and joys

Once ambitious youths envied the southward-flying swallows

Each rushing toward their future, gradually fading away

Where is the future? Who will give me the answer to ordinariness?

Those who accompanied me then, where are you now?

The one I once loved, what are you like now? Have the wishes of the past come true?

Now all that's left is to mourn?

Let the years dry up ideals, never to find the true me again

Looking up at the star-filled sky,

That star that once accompanied me,

Do you still remember the story here?

Life is like a ruthless carving knife,

Changing our appearance.

Must we wither before we ever bloom?

I once had a dream. Youth is like a rushing river,

Gone forever, no time to say goodbye.

Only numb me remains, without the passion of those years.

Look at those drifting flowers in the sky,

Withering at their most beautiful moment.

Who will remember that they once existed in this world?

Have the wishes from the beginning been fulfilled?

Now must we only offer memorials?

Let the years dry up ideals, never to find the true me again.

Looking up at the star-filled sky,

That star that once accompanied me,

Do you still remember the story here?

If there is a tomorrow, I bless you, my dear."

"Hey, you wrote another song?" Tan Kaixuan turned his head groggily and looked at Zhao Fusheng.

"In twenty years, I'll teach you to sing it." Zhao Fusheng smiled and walked over to support him.

Boss Tan nodded: "Alright, when the time comes, you teach me, and we'll bring the prettiest girl, haha..."

...

...

The next morning, when Tan Kaixuan woke up, he felt like his whole head was about to explode.

A hangover is called 'blacking out' in the north. Just like Tan Kaixuan now, completely dazed, his whole mind foggy, with a splitting headache.

"Who am I? Where am I? What did I do?" Basically, this is the state most people are in the day after blacking out.

"Awake?"

Zhao Fusheng glanced at Tan Kaixuan and asked with a smile.

Tan Kaixuan was startled: "You're fine?"

He and Zhao Fusheng had drunk a lot last night. Although by the end he couldn't remember how much he'd had, after switching to baijiu, Zhao Fusheng had drunk even more than him.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled: "Don't act tough in front of me with your drinking capacity. If I hadn't seen you couldn't handle it yesterday, I could have gone another bottle with you."

He wouldn't mention that later on, he was drinking water while Tan Kaixuan was drinking baijiu.

The colors were about the same, both looked alike, so what was there to say?

"Wait a moment, let me think. My head feels like it's splitting." Tan Kaixuan waved his hand, adopting a pose that said, 'Let me calm down first.'

Zhao Fusheng looked at him: "You'd better calm down on the train. It's almost nine now, and your train is at eleven. Have you packed your things?"

In these times, unless it's an emergency, everyone chooses to take the green train. Although it's maddeningly slow, there's no choice—the big shots at the Ministry of Railways are just like that: faster than anyone at collecting money, slower than anyone at doing things. Sometimes Zhao Fusheng thinks, if government departments were like Taobao customer service, where you could give a bad review for unsatisfactory service and five stars for satisfaction, probably most of the leaders would be out of a job.

"Holy crap!" Tan Kaixuan jumped out of bed. With only two hours left, he really had to hurry.

Zhao Fusheng watched cheerfully as Tan Kaixuan packed, occasionally lending a hand.

"By the way, Lao Zhao, did you sing a song to me last night?" Although Tan Kaixuan had blacked out, he still had some vague memories.

Zhao Fusheng shook his head without batting an eye: "You misremember. You sang one to me."

"Ah?" Tan Kaixuan was stunned: "I sang it, not you?"

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "Yes, you sang 'Love Like a Tide' to me, and then kept talking about this Chen Xiaomin..."

"Ahem, ahem, ahem..."

Tan Kaixuan coughed dryly, his face slightly red, and without another word, he lowered his head and began packing his luggage obediently.

Chen Xiaomin was a teacher at his high school. She had just graduated when she taught him, meaning she was only four or five years older than Tan Kaixuan. Tan Kaixuan had always regarded her as his dream lover.

The reason he knew this was because in his previous life, Zhao Fusheng had met that Chen Xiaomin. After Tan Kaixuan became successful, she had already divorced. Old Tan pursued her and won her over in half a month, and then they broke up a week later.

In Tan Kaixuan's words, he was chasing that feeling from the past, but after getting her, he found that Chen Xiaomin was just like other women—she liked名牌, she liked money—so naturally, the feeling was gone.

There are only two tragedies in the world: one is not getting what you want, and the other is getting it.