Chapter 74
Zhang Chaohe completed the discharge procedures on his own, and then left the hospital with his game console.
He didn't drive, nor did he want to take a taxi, so he just wandered around aimlessly. When he passed a convenience store with a green sign, he suddenly thought the shelves in the store's street-facing display window were very nice, so he went in and grabbed two bento boxes and rice balls.
Zhang Chaohe turned back to the display case he had just passed. It was filled with all sorts of beautiful premixed cocktails and drinks. The pretty red and blue bottles looked fresh, attractive, and very tempting.
Zhang Chaohe stared silently at the colorful bottles of liquor for a while, then decided to drown his sorrows in alcohol!
So his hand skipped over the 52-degree bottled Niulanshan liquor and the 38-degree Xiaobai liquor, heading straight for the 3-degree special fruit juice cocktail!
He also carefully selected his favorite blue rose and white peach flavors—this fashionable and trendy young man, with his left hand holding a bento box rice ball and fruit, and three colorful bottles of fruit wine tucked between his right fingers, swaggered to the counter to pay.
It seems the doctor had advised him to eat less spicy and stimulating food and try not to drink alcohol recently, but Zhang Chaohe didn't care anymore—today he was going to indulge in drinking and experience a heart-wrenching feeling!
Heartbroken, wealthy Mr. Zhang randomly picked up a property on the street, planning to spend the night there. But when he opened his phone and casually scrolled through the pages, the first page that stopped him was the small duplex he had once given to Cheng Jixue, which had remained vacant ever since.
Zhang Chaohe clutched his chest: This guidance of fate is truly heartbreaking!
However, since this house has special significance, it must be a perfect place to contemplate the future! So Zhang Chaohe didn't hesitate and took a taxi straight to the small duplex.
Meanwhile, Cheng Jixue, who had just returned home feeling aggrieved, was struggling to reflect on the reasons for the failure of today's operation.
He guessed that Zhang Chaohe would most likely not go home tonight, and would probably just find any place to stay for the night. He still had plenty of time; he could analyze the situation slowly and then formulate his next course of action.
He even called his lovestruck cousin for help. His cousin, thinking something serious had happened, answered the phone with trepidation... but after hearing his cousin's and boss's request, the cousin fell silent.
The cousin, who was the biggest victim, spoke first: "Although I haven't actually succeeded many times either, I think your problem last time was that you weren't ruthless enough."
Cheng Jixue felt that this idea was feasible to some extent—after all, if the situation and the person were different, he should be able to solve the problem well; but since the other party was Zhang Chaohe, he was reluctant to use his usual methods to plunder or crush him.
He wanted Zhang Chaohe to love him, and he also wanted Zhang Chaohe to accept all of him, without fearing that he would hate him; so he hesitated and wavered, unable to gain him, yet unable to lose him either.
My cousin was still trying to describe some old-fashioned domineering CEO tropes, and every method of torture he used was extremely cruel. Cheng Jixue frowned as she listened and couldn't help but interrupt, "Isn't this a society governed by the rule of law?"
"Huh?" The older cousin scratched his head, puzzled—he was trying to hint to his privileged younger cousin, "Actually, some rules can be broken, for example..."
"Upholding the bottom line of the law requires us to know, abide by, understand, and use the law in our daily lives, and not to disrupt social order or infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of others through illegal or criminal means." Cheng Jixue frowned as he listened. Perhaps because he had spent too much time with geese, he felt that the aforementioned talk of Zhang Po in the cold weather and threats of violence was nothing but a fantasy...
In an instant, he suddenly woke up!
Zhang Chaohe once said that he had a terrible precognitive dream in which "Ji Er" would instruct his subordinates to take violent revenge on him through illegal and criminal means!
So perhaps this dream is indeed true in some way... If he had never met Zhang Chaohe, nor been influenced by his series of seemingly ridiculous and idealistic behaviors, would he have also disregarded Zhang Chaohe's will and actually used some vicious means to force him to bow down?
He used to be able to say with certainty that he wouldn't, but now he suddenly hesitates.
Cheng Jixue suddenly fell silent, but his cousin was still trying to persuade him with fallacious reasoning.
Although I know that this cousin may have made the worst assumptions because of some of his past behavior—back then he had nothing to worry about and no need to care about his reputation; in his eyes, respect and fear were just two opposing means of deterrence.
But now he suddenly regrets it... Is it because Zhang Chaohe has heard some unpleasant rumors that he also portrays him as a demon in his dreams?
Cheng Jixue hung up the call and tossed his phone onto the sofa. He stared blankly out the window. Zhang Chaohe's house had a wide view. Although the location wasn't very expensive, the scenery was beautiful and the environment was quiet.
Compared to other shady second-generation rich kids, Zhang Chaohe possesses a unique charm. In terms of his preferences and personality, Zhang Chaohe is essentially a very emotional and Buddhist person. He has abundant empathy and an almost naive enthusiasm.
Just like the respect he shows in his interactions with people and things, it is not an outward manifestation of good upbringing, but a genuine attitude stemming from open-mindedness and understanding.
Cheng Jixue thanked his past self countless times—when he received that outrageous sugar daddy contract, he didn't immediately throw it in Zhang Chaohe's face, but instead, out of interest in his good looks, he was willing to go along with him... He had to admit that what his predecessors who fell in love said, "It begins with appearance, but ends with the soul," was true.
It turns out that love doesn't need to involve life and death, nor does it need to be earth-shattering. It's like a flower in spring, which naturally sprouts from a tiny seed and slowly grows into an inseparable part of life.
However, after thinking about Ji Boyang, who almost replaced him, and then about Old Master Ji who spent 500 million yuan, and his cousin who was repeatedly teetering on the edge of breaking the law, he finally realized tragically that he still had to rely on himself to catch the goose.
Having no other option, Cheng Jixue humbly sought advice from the encyclopedia. He first typed in "how to pursue a boyfriend"... no, he should have already moved beyond that basic stage, so he carefully summarized the information and then reverently typed it into the chat box:
"How to win back your ex-wife".
The first entry in the encyclopedia states that the best way to win back an ex-wife is to first obtain custody of the children.
Cheng Jixue: "".
Sorry, vegetable leaf, here you go!
He immediately called the pet apartment, intending to act first and win back custody of Caiye!
⚹
Meanwhile, Zhang Chaohe, unaware that she had just been promoted to "ex-wife," was engaged in a battle of wits with the children downstairs.
After arriving at the long-abandoned duplex, he found a glass, washed it, and poetically poured himself a fancy blue rose-flavored fruit cocktail, intending to first toast the sunrise and moonlight.
However, the noise of the children downstairs singing "Alas" instantly pulled him back to the bustling reality.
Zhang Chaohe: Isn't this song so old? Why aren't there any new and updated versions of popular online songs?
He stood on the balcony and shouted to the children, "Can you keep your voices down, kids? Uncle is getting ready for bed!"
The children glanced at him, probably unable to understand why an adult would dare to challenge the authority of the Junior Firepower Group. One of the children even sang louder!
Zhang Chaohe: Do you know that you are singing to the copyright holder of this song?
Frustrated, he closed the window, choosing to swallow his anger and taking a sip of fruit wine in melancholy—it was actually quite delicious.
This stuff has an alcohol content roughly equivalent to sparkling water. Zhang Chaohe unknowingly drank his fill of water. Only after he had finished all the bottles he had bought did he realize that he hadn't done anything important.
Zhang Chaohe: It's not a big problem. Anyway, I've decided to take full responsibility and shoulder the duties of a domineering CEO!
After careful consideration, he decided to find an excuse for his impending risky behavior. He told himself: if the die in the dynamic random emoticon rolls a 1, 2, or 6, he will confess his feelings to Cheng Jixue.
To show respect, he even opened the chat window with Cheng Jixue.
5.5.5.
Zhang Chaohe: ...
What are the odds? Are you stuck?
A few seconds later, Cheng Jixue also sent a [?], and his nickname showed "typing". After typing for a few intermittent times, Cheng Jixue sent another message.
Where are you?
张朝鹤一声冷笑：我正在图谋暴揍爱情路上的巨大障碍，而你，无需知道。
He snapped his phone screen off, thinking there must be a problem with the server... Well then, if he catches the bouquet at Chairman Chu's son's wedding in a couple of days, he'll confess his feelings to Cheng Jixue!
What a typical and strange mentality—like those underachievers who decide to use the eraser to fill in the multiple-choice answers in the exam room, but then throw it again to defy fate because they throw out an option they don't like.
To defeat the enemy, one must first strengthen oneself. Zhang Chaohe called Chairman Zhang to inquire about Ji Er's information. If Zhang Chaohe had mentioned Ji Boyang's full name, he would have been surprised to find that he had mistaken him for someone else.
But he didn't. He casually asked about Ji Er's financial situation in a voice that was three parts ruthless and three parts cold.
Chairman Zhang was baffled: "Why are you asking him?"
Zhang Chaohe certainly couldn't say that this was his love rival... He could only say that it was because they were both the second child in their families, so they were curious and wanted to follow his example and work hard to make money.
Chairman Zhang fell silent.
For the first time, Chairman Zhang felt guilty towards his two children, regretting that he hadn't worked harder and earned more money when he was younger, so that his children could be even wealthier. He thought to himself, "This can't be compared like this... The Ji family was once a family of great wealth and influence, a family of scholars and officials. If it weren't for the liberation of the new era, they would have been princes and nobles in ancient times!"
But Chairman Zhang decided to protect DianDian's enthusiasm, so he carefully considered his words and said, "It's only about 10 billion."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chaohe perked up—a mere 10 billion! He was completely unaware that he had betrayed the honest working people, actually regarding this astronomical figure of 10 billion as if it were nothing more than cabbage…
Cheng Jixue was unaware of how much trouble his father-in-law had saved him by not mentioning a larger number... He really should kowtow to his father-in-law twice.
Zhang Chaohe: A mere 10 billion? I, Zhang, am determined to have Mr. Cheng!
When I'm richer than Ji Er, I'll hire a platoon of armored trucks to protect me every day. If any stupid little truck dares to ram me, I'll immediately surround it with my truck army!
Then, Mr. Zhang excitedly called Assistant Jiang to ask her how the money-making work was progressing and how far they were from the 10 billion target.
Assistant Jiang was speechless. He thought to himself, "Why is it that Xiao Zhang only makes progress in daydreaming? With such good ideas, why doesn't he go open a banknote printing factory?"
"It's like this, you should have no problem earning 10 billion, it's just a matter of time..." Assistant Jiang hinted cryptically.
Zhang Chaohe invests here and there, mostly in unusual and unusual things, but surprisingly, the returns are all quite high. And judging by the rates, young Mr. Zhang could already be considered a budding investment genius (questionable), but that takes time to accumulate experience!
How long has it been? Others work hard for many years to earn a huge fortune, while Mr. Zhang has made a fortune in just a few months. He should be burning incense and praying to Buddha... Silly kid, do you really think money is so easy to earn?
Zhang Chaohe had always thought his special assistant Jiang was omnipotent, and naively asked, "How long will it take to earn 10 billion?"
Assistant Jiang: "Ideally, it would take a few years, but the current investment prospects are still very good..."
Zhang Chaohe couldn't listen to what was going to happen next. His mind was filled with the thought of "a few years"—tears were about to fall. How could this be? Why couldn't he have transmigrated into this world earlier to make money, instead of letting the original owner pursue poetry and distant places abroad?
It'll be a few more years... How is this any different from the age difference between father and son? Should he call Ji Boyang and tell him he's not allowed to earn any more money for the next few years?
Zhang Chaohe, clutching the unfortunate aluminum can of liquor in his hand, muttered to himself, "Maybe I should just get rid of it and be done with it..."
Some potential outlaws are striving to align themselves with the socialist rule of law, while the pure and upright successors of socialism are dangerously contemplating the perilous path of these outlaws.
Zhang Chaohe decided not to waste any more time and to win Cheng Jixue over first. So he opened his chat window with Cheng Jixue again and asked him to go to the store to order a custom-made suit the next day.
To avoid any awkwardness on the street, she even arranged to meet him directly at the entrance of his shop.
Cheng Jixue found it hard to believe. Why was he acting so nonchalant? What clever method or excuse had he come up with? Could he really be trying to cheat?
He had initially intended to be aggressive and fight to the end, but suddenly remembered what he had done at the hospital earlier that day. Cheng Jixue hesitated for a moment, then replied with an cute cat emoji, "OK."
The two of them breathed a sigh of relief and tacitly decided to postpone dealing with this mess until they met again tomorrow.
⚹
The two arrived on time the next day. Cheng Jixue had specially driven a low-key yet stylish sports car, while the car's owner, Mr. Zhang, had to take a taxi...
Cheng Jixue smiled and said, "Good morning, Mr. Zhang?"
Zhang Chaohe tensed up for a moment: "It's almost noon."
He wanted to slap himself as soon as he finished speaking! Serves you right for slurring your words! Serves you right for slurring your words!
Cheng Jixue, with his strong adaptability and ability to twist meaning, managed to communicate reasonably with Boss Zhang: "Then let's go eat crab hot pot in a bit. I know a newly opened restaurant with very high ratings."
Zhang Chaohe immediately tumbled down the steps, replying with composure, "Okay."
The two smiled politely but awkwardly, maintaining a distance that was neither too distant nor too intimate, and walked into the store hand in hand—this distinguished customer, Mr. Zhang, was immediately given a warm welcome by the store staff.
Besides several items that had been made to his pre-ordered dimensions but hadn't yet been delivered to his home, the shop assistant also thoughtfully recommended several new outfits that incorporated recent trends.
Several other shop assistants also took Cheng Jixue's measurements. One of the young ladies casually remarked, "You're actually 1.85 meters tall!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Xiao Zhang suddenly turned his head, his eyes blazing with accusation: Cheng Jixue was shocked: "I already confessed to that!"
Zhang Chaohe sneered: "Heh."
It's better not to mention it, because bringing it up again just makes me angry!