56. Hangover and Sobriety

By the time they returned to the school gates, it was already past eleven at night.

Chen Ling had been urged to drink throughout the dinner, barely touching any food, so he found himself hungry now. He slapped Bu Chunsheng on the shoulder, suggesting they head to a roadside stir-fry stall together.

“Braised chicken leg, shredded pork in brown sauce, sweet and sour pork, mushrooms with greens, and a bowl of rice,” he rattled off, quick as lightning.

After ordering, the two of them sat down at a low folding table.

“Ordering so much meat this late at night—aren’t you worried about feeling greasy?” Bu Chunsheng, unusually, was the first to speak.

Chen Ling just smiled, then called out to the owner, “Add a plate of peanuts, a serving of spicy stir-fried snails, and some smashed cucumber. Oh, and bring over a case of Snow Beer.”

Bu Chunsheng was momentarily speechless.

“You think you can finish all that?”

Instead of answering, Chen Ling turned to him. “You can drink, right?”

“Yeah, I can handle a little,” Bu Chunsheng nodded.

Soon, the food and beer arrived, and the two set about eating in perfect sync.

They really dug in, no holds barred.

A large bowl of rice, over a kilo, disappeared between them in less than fifteen minutes, and the hot dishes were mostly polished off as well.

Then, they moved on to the beer.

It was then that Chen Ling realized he was in over his head.

Damn, this is what you call “can handle a little”? In just about ten minutes, Bu Chunsheng had already downed three bottles—glug, glug, glug, without stopping.

With the alcohol flowing, their conversation loosened.

Seeing Chen Ling’s stunned expression, Bu Chunsheng grinned sheepishly, “In our unit, beer is always drunk by the bottle. Using a glass gets you punished.”

“Incredible!” Chen Ling gave a respectful bow. “I’m impressed! I underestimated you!”

Bu Chunsheng waved it off. “Being able to drink isn’t much of a skill. I actually think what you can do is much more impressive!”

He looked up, gazing at the streetlamp by the roadside. “In less than a month, I’ve made more than a hundred thousand yuan. That’s something I never even dared to dream of.”

“So don’t be surprised that I do whatever you ask. I’m not stupid—I know you’d never actually break the law, and you’d never set me up.”

Chen Ling raised an eyebrow. “You figured that out?”

“How could I not?” Bu Chunsheng grabbed a few peanuts and tossed them into his mouth. “Anyway, I’ve already made up my mind. As long as you don’t kick me out, I’ll stick by you.”

“Because you give me something to hope for—yeah, you give me hope!”

“I always thought my life was set: after graduation, I’d find a job, work diligently, save some money, and if I was lucky, bring my parents over to enjoy a few days of comfort.”

“If I happened to meet a girl who didn’t mind me, maybe I’d have a child, give him the best life I could manage, and someday…”

“My kid would be a city dweller! If he worked hard his whole life, then my grandson or granddaughter might really live well.”

“Maybe they’d even have an apartment, own a car, eat meat whenever they wanted, and toss aside the fatty bits without worrying about waste.”

“But now, what I thought would take three generations to achieve—since meeting you, it feels like I could do it in my own lifetime.”

“I’m not stupid, am I?” he said, opening another bottle.

He took another long drink, then tossed the empty into the crate. “This beer is really satisfying!”

“No kidding,” Chen Ling laughed. “Drink enough, and you’ll have the courage to take on the world!”

All lingering doubts melted away; at a time like this, there was really nothing left to say.

There was nothing better than drinking together.

But Bu Chunsheng’s habit of downing a whole bottle for every few peanuts—

Once again, Chen Ling felt utterly overwhelmed.

…

In the end, it was Bu Chunsheng who carried Chen Ling back to the dorm, sacrificing himself for the sake of camaraderie.

Seeing the two return safely, Zhang Peng, who had been waiting up, finally breathed a sigh of relief. But when he noticed Bao Zhenhai’s bed was still empty, he felt a pang of discomfort.

Bao was always calculating—Zhang Peng had realized that from the very first day they met.

But it didn’t matter. After two years under the same roof, being praised and encouraged by Bao, their relationship had become subtly complicated—hard to define.

He knew Bao was unlikely to offer help in a crisis, or stand by him through hardships, but when there was good fortune to share, he still wanted to bring Bao along.

That was Zhang Peng’s attitude toward Bao Zhenhai.

But he also knew that just because he could accept it didn’t mean Chen Ling could.

From the very beginning, when they started the mobile top-up business, Zhang Peng knew Chen Ling only let Bao in out of respect for Zhang Peng himself, letting him earn some money for nothing.

Even the shares in Chengjia Company—Zhang Peng had given Bao a portion that was originally his own.

Chen Ling and Zhang Peng both understood these things perfectly, though they couldn’t say them aloud. Bao, however, had no idea.

His father had taught him long ago: on the long road of life, some people you think will always be by your side will, for one reason or another, fade away. Only those who truly share your interests can form a deep and harmonious friendship.

So now, if Bao couldn’t let go of his calculations, Chen Ling wouldn’t give him another chance in the future.

And yet, Bao was still lost in the joy of making money, obsessed with his little schemes, which left Zhang Peng disappointed.

Watching Chen Ling sleep like a log, Zhang Peng couldn’t help but think that whether it was the top-up business, flipping property numbers, or coming out unscathed tonight, it all proved that Chen Ling had only ever shown the tip of his hand to him.

Facing an increasingly inscrutable Chen Ling, Zhang Peng made his decision…

Either Bao would soon come to understand what he needed to, or Zhang Peng would have to stop pulling him along.

After all, he was selfish too. Having done this much, Zhang Peng felt he could face his conscience without shame.

…

With so much happening the day before, leaving him utterly exhausted, Chen Ling, for once, didn’t get up for his morning run, but slept straight through until almost noon.

When he finally managed to open his eyes, he saw Zhang Peng and Bao Zhenhai sitting face to face, talking quietly.

“It ended before it even began?” Zhang Peng’s voice was neutral, just asking.

Bao Zhenhai nodded gloomily. “She thought I was the one running the phone recharge group, thought I’d made a ton of money—she even calculated how much I’d earned. That’s why she came on to me, even booked a hotel room herself…”

“I don’t get it—yesterday I could get into her bed, but today I can’t even get into her social media. Damn.”

Zhang Peng pursed his lips. “Because she’s the same kind of person as you.”

Bao Zhenhai looked up in confusion.

“Think about it. After you discovered Chen Ling could make you a lot of money, didn’t your attitude toward me change too?”

Zhang Peng held his gaze the whole time.

In the end, Bao Zhenhai looked away and fell silent.

“I don’t think what you did is wrong,” Zhang Peng continued. “And I believe Chen Ling doesn’t think so either.”

“Selfishness isn’t wrong—everyone is selfish. I am, Chen Ling is too.”

“But there has to be something more than just selfishness.”

Bao Zhenhai lowered his head, sighed, then slowly looked up. “So tell me—what should I do?”

“I know you both have opinions about me. I can feel it. I don’t want things to be like this…”

“I know I’m not good like this… but I don’t know how to change…”

Zhang Peng just looked at him, silent. He didn’t know what to say either.

At that moment, Chen Ling’s voice came from the bed: “Just do your job well. If you can’t, you’re out. It’s that simple.”

Zhang Peng’s eyes lit up. Bao Zhenhai seemed to ponder this.

…

By the time Chen Ling had fully recovered from his hangover and finished washing up, lunch was already over.

He glanced at his phone—a long list of missed calls: from Geluo, from Lin Yi and Yan Ji, and from Zeng Fucai as well.

“Damn it!” He slapped his forehead. “How could I have forgotten about this!”

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[Darlings~]

[Don’t forget to vote! Or maybe I’ll do a dragon tornado for you?]

[Oh, here’s something to be happy about—only six days until the New Year!]

[And a ghost story—tomorrow is Monday!]

[Hmm, starting tomorrow, only two chapters a day—so much to do at the end of the year!]