Chapter Ninety-Four: He Can Tell Fortunes
"What about your company? Didn't you say it was doing quite well? Why did you suddenly return to China?" After filling his stomach, Chang Bin asked.
"Sigh, don't even mention it. It's hard to explain in a short time. The market environment is bad, and on top of that, I couldn't judge people well. Tsk tsk, the human heart!" Zi Cheng took a sip of his drink, adjusted his glasses, and spread his hands with a helpless expression. "Sigh, after all these years of struggling, I'm left with nothing, nothing to show for it. I have no choice but to come back and inherit my billions..."
Xiang Kun and Chang Bin knew before that Zi Cheng's family was very wealthy, owning many supermarkets and seemingly involved in the real estate industry. So before he went abroad, they always teased him with this saying, saying that if he couldn't make it abroad, he would have no choice but to come back and inherit his family's vast fortune.
To be honest, Xiang Kun and Zi Cheng spent four years of university together, and it was hard to believe that this guy was a rich second-generation heir with hundreds of millions in assets. They lived in the same dorm for four years, used the same Shenzhou laptop they bought together, ate instant noodles together when they played games all night, and took the subway and buses with them when they went out. He was far from the image of a second-generation rich kid who drove sports cars, drove models, and was dressed in designer brands with an air of superiority. However, Zi Cheng was not stingy. When they ate together, he always insisted on paying the bill first and often quietly added things to the dorm.
"It's good that you're back. Actually, there are more opportunities in China now than abroad. If you find the right project, your career prospects are better than when you were in the US, plus you have the support of your family," Xiang Kun added from the side.
Zicheng shook his head. "I'm not going to bother anymore. I'll just follow my family's arrangements. My dad wants to set up an unmanned supermarket, which is somewhat related to what I studied, so he wants me to be in charge. A Tu, I heard from A-Bin that your previous company closed down? If you haven't found a new job yet, how about you help me out? I'm all alone right now, and I'm really worried..."
Chang Bin laughed and said, "He's determined to stay in this city, how could he possibly go with you? Don't worry about his job, as long as he's rested enough, I can arrange a job for him anytime."
Xiang Kun was touched to know that his two friends were thinking of him. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'm thinking of selling the house in a while and going back to my hometown."
"Huh?" Chang Bin had just confidently stated that Xiang Kun was determined to stay in this city, only to be immediately proven wrong. He said with some surprise, "Seriously? You're already discouraged by this little setback? This isn't like you. With your major, what kind of future can you have back in your hometown? The IT industry isn't like Zi Cheng's retail business, where you can go to any city. Besides, aren't you and..." He originally wanted to say that Xiang Kun and Tang Baona were doing quite well, but considering that Xiang Kun's statement about returning to his hometown already indicated his attitude towards their development, he didn't say anything more and planned to ask about the specifics later.
Xiang Kun said, "I'm quitting the internet business. I'm planning to open a farm and raise chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, and things like that."
Chang Bin and Zi Cheng were both dumbfounded. This was completely different from the Xiang Kun they knew. The Xiang Kun they knew was always full of longing for cutting-edge technology and big cities, but never this kind of idyllic life and back-to-basics attitude.
Did the bankruptcy of the company where he worked for seven years really have such a huge impact on him?
However, they also knew that Xiang Kun was always very stubborn and that it was difficult for others to change his mind once he made a decision, so they didn't try to persuade him any further. The two looked at each other and prepared to find another opportunity to ask him later.
The conversation then turned to their university life, and Zicheng's biggest regret was. "Damn it, the thing I regret most about university is not having a proper relationship!"
Xiang Kun nodded in agreement. After starting work, dating often lacks the simplicity and purity of student days; there are too many things to consider. He often wondered what would have happened if he had a girlfriend in college and married her shortly after graduation. Hmm, and then what if he turned into a vampire? What would his wife have done? She probably wouldn't have reported him...
Chang Bin scoffed at their remarks, saying disdainfully, "Come on, you guys! How many times did I take you to art department and foreign language department activities back in college? How many times did I take you to help female students set up and fix computers? And what did you do? You just focused on setting up and fixing computers! When they wanted to treat you to dinner to thank me, how did you two respond? Guild activity tonight, let's do it another day..."
Compared to Xiang Kun and Zi Cheng, Chang Bin, with his striking eyebrows and bright eyes, was clearly a handsome guy, and he was also more eloquent than the two of them. He got to know many people from other departments during his freshman year, and later he got along very well with many upperclassmen and underclassmen.
Xiang Kun and Zi Cheng stared at each other in silence. It seemed to be true. Back in college, they either played World of Warcraft or made some random, useless little programs together.
Looking back on the biggest thing I did in college, it seems to be leading my guild to achieve the first kill of a certain final boss on their server in a certain version...
"Zicheng, when you went to America, didn't you find a blonde beauty as your girlfriend? Logically speaking, with your high academic achievements and being a boss, it should be easy for girls to like you!" Chang Bin asked again.
Zi Cheng took a small sip of beer, adjusted his glasses, pursed his lips, and said, "That's right, back in America, I'm doing pretty well. I can chat and laugh with all sorts of blonde bombshells, South American beauties, and black babes..."
"Who wants to hear your witty banter? Just tell me if you've built any deep friendships with them!" Xiang Kun interrupted with a laugh.
Zi Cheng stared intently at Xiang Kun: "I'm a patriotic young man. I like girls from my own country, so even though American girls shower me with sweet talk, I've stuck to my principles and haven't been corrupted by them."
Chang Bin nearly spat out his drink, then chuckled and pointed at the fat man, "You're not even in a foreign country, and you're still too shy to talk to girls alone?"
Zi Cheng glared at him. "How could that be! I have over a dozen girls in my company! Forget it, after dinner, let's go to a bar, and I'll prove to you that I'm incredibly good at flirting now..."
However, after dinner, Chang Bin received a call from his fiancée Wang Han, who seemed to need him to go back for something. So he left his car keys with Xiang Kun, asking him to go out with Zi Cheng, while he took a taxi back.
Xiang Kun drove Zi Cheng to a bar recommended by Chang Bin, saying that the environment was very nice, relatively quiet, and that girls from nearby universities often went there.
Upon entering the bar, Xiang Kun indeed felt that the environment here was much quieter than the bars he remembered. Although there were quite a few people, apart from a female singer performing Qi Qin's "Past Events Drift Away with the Wind," there was no loud or boisterous noise around.
Zi Cheng ordered a non-alcoholic cocktail, while Xiang Kun ordered a soda...
A moment later, a stylishly dressed, pretty girl with chestnut hair highlighted with a touch of purple walked over and asked them if they wanted to buy her a drink.
Xiang Kun had assumed Zi Cheng would readily agree, but to his surprise, he smiled and shook his head, "We old classmates haven't seen each other in a long time, we'd like to chat privately, sorry."
The girl smiled and walked away without seeming to mind.
Xiang Kun asked curiously, "Didn't you say you were going to come to the bar to prove the results of your training in America? Why are you refusing now?"
Zi Cheng raised an eyebrow. "That's a bar scam. She's only chatting with us for the money. That's pointless. We need genuine intellectual and spiritual exchange."
Xiang Kun laughed, "Not bad, you've really improved. You can recognize a bar girl at a glance?" He naturally knew that the girl was a bar girl; he knew as soon as he entered the bar because he directly heard the bartender whispering instructions to the girl.
Zi Cheng adjusted his glasses. "Isn't it obvious? One of us is a chubby guy with glasses, and the other is a bald guy with glasses. How could any normal girl possibly come up to us and start a conversation..."
"..." Xiang Kun actually found what he said to make a lot of sense.
After the female singer finished singing another old song, Zicheng nudged Xiang Kun with his elbow and whispered, "Ten o'clock, two girls, 8 points."
Xiang Kun looked in the direction he was told and saw two girls sitting around a small round table. They both looked to be in their early twenties. One had short hair that reached her ears and slightly dark skin, suggesting she was someone who often did outdoor sports. The other wore glasses and a bright green long dress, and had a scholarly air about her.
From this angle, Xiang Kun could only see the face of the girl with glasses and half of the profile of the girl with short hair; both were indeed quite pretty and delicate.
"Go ahead, go talk to them. You're a returned overseas student and a former CEO, after all. Show some of your domineering presence!" Xiang Kun urged with a smile.
Zi Cheng frowned, took a sip of his non-alcoholic cocktail, hesitated for a moment, and then said to Xiang Kun, "When I go over, should I introduce myself first? 'Good evening, ladies, I'm Thomas Liu, just back from America?' Uh, no, it seems that in China now you have to address someone as 'Miss Liu,' not 'Young Lady.' Thomas Liu is a bit too pretentious. Just say Liu Chuang..."
Looking at Zicheng muttering to Xiang Kun sighed helplessly. The alcohol had worn off, and he was still the same Zicheng he used to know. Even after going abroad for several years, he was still "unchanged in his original intentions".
He glanced up at the two girls over there, then pulled Zicheng close and whispered to him for a few minutes.
After listening to Xiang Kun's explanation, Zi Cheng adjusted his glasses, blinked, and looked at his friend with a face full of doubt. "Can you really do this? You'll probably be sent back before you even finish speaking, won't you?"
"How will you know if you don't try? Don't worry, it'll definitely be more effective than what you've come up with yourself," Xiang Kun said.
"Will you come with me?"
"If you don't go, I'll take you back to the hotel to sleep."
"Fine, fine, damn it, so what if I get called a lunatic..."
After Zi Cheng walked towards the two girls, Xiang Kun's gaze did not follow closely, but the sounds from the other side clearly reached his ears.
"Excuse me, ladies, my surname is Liu, my given name is Liu Chuang, and I run a chain supermarket. However, I also have another identity: I am a lay disciple of the 113th generation of the Maoshan lineage, and I am quite skilled in physiognomy. I just happened to see this lady, and she seems to be facing some difficulties..."
"I know what I'm saying sounds like a scam, but you can listen to me first as I deduce information about you two from your faces. If I'm wrong, I'll leave immediately..."
"This short-haired young lady must have just returned from abroad. Hmm, she's been back for no more than a week. Coincidentally, I also just returned from abroad not long ago. But according to my calculations, you should be coming back from Europe, not the same country as me..."
"This young lady who wears glasses just like me is a student at ** University, um, a graduate student. Judging from your appearance, you're probably a Scorpio. And the short-haired young lady is a Leo..."
"Although both of you have many suitors, you are still single..."
"Judging from your complexions, you're having hot pot tonight? Tsk tsk, hot pot in this weather, you two ladies have quite the taste."
Hearing this, Xiang Kun sensed Zi Cheng sitting down next to the two girls and nodded in satisfaction.
These words were naturally taught to him by Zicheng. From the moment he entered this bar, the habit he had developed over time had caused his senses to operate at full speed, unconsciously collecting all sorts of information about the people around him.
He overheard the conversation between the two girls. One mentioned that the short-haired girl had just returned from England on the 4th, and the other mentioned that on her birthday last month, a guy who was pursuing her came to confess his love with a bunch of roses at her birthday party, only to be pushed into the swimming pool by her. The girl with glasses said that her birthday was next month and invited the short-haired girl to come over for a meal. She also mentioned that she was moving out of her graduate student dormitory soon and looking for a place to live outside the school, and that the school's name was the **school near the bar.
Based on these conversations, Xiang Kun deduced information about the two girls. Of course, their birthdays were last month, so besides being Leos, they could also be Virgos. However, Leos have 22 days, while Virgos only have 9, so statistically, the former is more likely. The same logic applies to guessing the girl with glasses is a Scorpio. If he guesses wrong... then Brother Zicheng can only admit that he is not skilled enough.
As for what they ate for dinner, that could be determined by the smell on their bodies.
Xiang Kun initially thought that with this "combination punch" to pave the way, Zi Cheng should be able to chat with the two young ladies for a long time. Unexpectedly, after a short while, Zi Cheng was overwhelmed by the two young ladies' questions and directly pointed at Xiang Kun was drinking soda and looking at his phone at the bar. "Those are all things my friend told me. He... he can tell fortunes!"
Many readers have felt that the last few chapters have been a bit padded, and to be honest, I didn't feel that way while I was writing them... But since so many people have said that, it proves that many readers do find this content uninteresting. However, I can't immediately push the plot forward and disrupt the pacing, so all I can do is speed up the updates and get through these plot points as quickly as possible. There should be another chapter around midnight.