More Than Just Trash

The spacious Junlan Hotel naturally boasts comprehensive facilities, from bars, restaurants, and cafes to swimming pools, gyms, saunas, and hot springs.

The whole afternoon was a rare treat, with plenty of time to kill.

Zhang Yang found a spot on the terrace of the Junlan Hotel, brewed some tea, and chatted with Chen Zhuo while enjoying the beautiful scenery of West Lake.

"How are things going between you two, your goddess, Gu Yajun?"

Zhang Yang glanced at Gu Yajun, who was standing not far away, praising and flattering Xiang Xiaotian, and asked her with a smile.

There are no proud girls out there.

Chen Zhuo just kept saying that Gu Yajun was rather cold, but now it seems... she's doing quite well, isn't she? She's already actively initiating conversations.

"Nothing much," Chen Zhuo scratched his head awkwardly. "It's like the falling flowers are willing, but the flowing water is indifferent."

"Okay." Zhang Yang nodded without saying anything.

Being a know-it-all is rather pointless; everyone has their own pace, and he won't interfere.

"I have to envy you, old classmate," Chen Zhuo sighed.

It's one thing for his girlfriend to be beautiful, but this wealthy and beautiful woman whose family owns a hotel also has an ambiguous relationship with him.

He didn't even dare to envy such a gap; all he could do was look up to Yangwang.

"There's nothing to envy." Zhang Yang sipped his tea. "Anything planned for tonight? Let's grab a couple of drinks. Magic City, this is a rare opportunity."

"Alright, I'll risk my life for you!" Chen Zhuo patted his chest.

"It's just a couple of drinks, I won't get you drunk," Zhang Yang said with a smile.

In the distance, Xiang Xiaotian and Gu Yajun walked over together.

"Zhang Yang, Gu Yajun and I are going to the spa. You guys have fun." Xiang Xiaotian bent down and hugged Zhang Yang's neck from behind, her expression affectionate.

"Go ahead." Zhang Yang nodded.

Xiang Xiaotian smiled and leaned in to kiss Zhang Yang on the cheek, then stood up and walked away with Gu Yajun with light steps.

Chen Zhuo, sitting opposite him, was stunned.

"Zhang Yang, you really are..." He stammered. "You only treat Miss Xiang as a friend, do you really think she doesn't mind?"

"Hmm, I don't mind. We're not really anything," Zhang Yang said, his eyes clear as he slowly sipped his tea.

Chen Zhuo saw all this and was speechless for a moment.

··

As evening fell, Xiang Xiaotian after soaking in the spa the night before, returned.

Gu Yajun followed behind.

Originally, she was considered a beauty, but standing next to Xiang Xiaotian, she was merely a green leaf to highlight the rich and beautiful flower.

"Ya Jun, you're back." Chen Zhuo couldn't wait to greet her, asking after her with concern.

Just then, Gu Yajun's phone rang.

Chen Zhuo immediately shut up, watched Gu Yajun answer the phone, and then listened to her call.

"Tonight?"

"Do we really have to go?"

Gu Yajun nodded, pursing her lips as she spoke.

Chen Zhuo, standing to the side, watched nervously, because Gu Yajun had mentioned during the day that she had plans with her roommate that evening.

"Forget it, I won't go. I have plans tonight..." Gu Yajun said, then suddenly glanced at Chen Zhuo beside her, "I have plans tonight."

Chen Zhuo, standing to the side, suddenly became agitated.

A moment later, Gu Yajun hung up the phone and looked at Chen Zhuo beside her.

"Ya Jun, you're not going tonight?" Chen Zhuo asked with a smile.

"Hmm, there's nothing much to go to. They can have their parties anytime," Gu Yajun said, pursing her lips.

"That's great!" Chen Zhuo clenched his fist.

Zhang Yang found it amusing, walked over, patted Chen Zhuo on the shoulder, and said, "Let's go for a drink?"

"Alright! Let's go for a drink!" Chen Zhuo said with a smile.

In the evening, the private room in the Chinese restaurant of Junlan Hotel was quiet and in a superb location.

The dishes are, of course, all authentic Hangzhou cuisine.

We ordered two bottles of alcohol: one bottle of red wine and one bottle of Wuliangye.

The two girls took small sips of red wine, while Zhang Yang and Chen Zhuo each drank a glass of Wuliangye, enjoying their evening in Hangzhou.

"Zhang... Zhang Yang, come on, let me... let me toast you again, to our everlasting friendship." Chen Zhuo's cheeks were flushed from drinking, and his voice was already a little slurred.

Zhang Yang, on the other hand, has a great physique and can drink alcohol like water, without feeling anything at all.

"Don't go back tonight, I'll save you a room at the hotel," Zhang Yang said casually, raising his glass to clink with Chen Zhuo's.

"Open... open a room..." Chen Zhuo stammered, his words incoherent.

"What did you say!" Gu Yajun, standing to the side, blushed deeply.

"Opening... opening one room isn't good, we need to open two." Chen Zhuo finally managed to finish his sentence.

"Okay, two rooms, one for you and one for Xiao Gu," Zhang Yang said with a smile.

"I... I still need to go home tonight," Gu Yajun explained softly from the side. "It's not good for me to be out here."

"It's already so late after we finished eating. Besides, we may not have much else here, but we have plenty of hotel rooms," Zhang Yang said. "If Chen Zhuo drinks like this tonight, there's no one to take you home."

Gu Yajun said "okay" and obediently accepted the arrangement.

"Zhang Yang, come here." Chen Zhuo grabbed Zhang Yang again, his eyes glazed over, as if he had forgotten where he was. "I remember back in high school, you once told me about your goddess..."

Beside her, Xiang Xiaotian blinked and her ears perked up.

Without warning, Gu Yajun slapped Chen Zhuo hard, yelling, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Chen Zhuo was startled, as if he had regained some clarity.

"Zhang Yang, is there a goddess you can't have?" Xiang Xiaotian leaned closer, her eyes full of curiosity. "What kind of girl is she? I'm curious."

"Are you kidding? Can you even call me the same person back in high school?" Zhang Yang casually pinched Xiang Xiaotian's cheek, not bothering to answer the question. "Back then, at that age, how did your aesthetic sense compare to now?"

"So, did you get it?" Xiang Xiaotian still wanted to ask.

"It doesn't matter whether I get it or not, I'm not obsessed with it," Zhang Yang said with a smile.

After eating for a while, Xiang Xiaotian stood up. "Shall I go arrange the rooms?"

As soon as she stood up, Gu Yajun followed suit, looking like a little follower. "I'll go to my room to rest too."

Chen Zhuo nodded blankly, watching Gu Yajun's departing figure.

"Alright, stop looking. I'll ask her room number later. Tonight, take some stewed longan and lotus seeds upstairs to say hello." Zhang Yang patted Chen Zhuo.

"Huh? It's so late." Chen Zhuo's face flushed instantly, and the effects of the alcohol seemed to have subsided considerably.

"Late? Stop pretending." Zhang Yang was a little speechless.

"But I always feel like our relationship hasn't reached that point yet," Chen Zhuo stammered, sounding a bit timid.

"We'll see how far things go," Zhang Yang shook his head, having no interest in being a relationship guru.

Tonight, being able to provide such an assist for Chen Zhuo is already quite generous.

Not long after, Zhang Yang received a message on his phone. He glanced at it and then showed it to Chen Zhuo.

"This is the room number, remember it."

"Oh, okay, okay." Chen Zhuo had just said he was timid, but when the time came, he still hurriedly wrote it down.

After they finished writing, only the two of them remained in the private room.

"Zhang Yang, I was just saying... oh right, talking about goddesses..." Chen Zhuo wanted to pick up where the topic left off.

"What's there to say? You just want to talk about Meng Baihan, right? Back then, there were at least eight or ten guys in the class who liked her, not to mention me, weren't you one of them?" Zhang Yang said. "At that age, finding a pretty girl to like is kind of acceptable, isn't it?"

"Actually, Meng Baihan has been asking about you a lot lately. I think she might be interested in you," Chen Zhuo said confidently.

"Maybe she's interested, but I haven't talked to her much lately," Zhang Yang said.

"Then why not... it's so simple if you were..." Chen Zhuo slurred, trying hard to make himself clear.

"No... what you're thinking might be a little different from what I'm thinking. Why would I have to provoke a former classmate? Is there some reason why I absolutely have to?" Zhang Yang suddenly found it a bit amusing.

It's not that he's putting on airs. There's really no need to be deliberate about this kind of thing; being deliberate makes it meaningless. It's not like he's lacking in this area.

"I was just asking," Chen Zhuo mumbled, scratching his head.

It was getting late, so Zhang Yang pulled Chen Zhuo up.

"Let's go. Oh, by the way, the stew is up ahead; you can take it yourself."

Chen Zhuo's steps were so heavy that he could barely move after getting the stew.

"I'm going back. It's up to you." That's why Zhang Yang kept dragging him to the door; whether he went or not was his own business.

"Hey, Zhang Yang, wait for me!" Chen Zhuo quickly followed.

It was late at night, and Zhang Yang was too lazy to go back, so he simply booked a regular room and planned to just make do for the night.

The message arrived as soon as I entered the room.

"Brother Zhang, come over here, my place is big enough," Xiang Xiaotian texted.

"No, I'm not going. Something bad will happen if I go." Zhang Yang resolutely refused.

He never boasted about his self-control. Given his slightly intoxicated state today, if they were in the same room, something bad would definitely happen. All he could do was not take the first step.

Furthermore, having shifted from an active to a passive position, he naturally chose to remain in an invincible position.

"Aren't you coming even now?" A photo suddenly appeared on the other end of the line.

This is a photo with very little clothing.

"Tsk tsk tsk, goodness gracious." Zhang Yang glanced at it and was immediately amazed.

Although she touched him quite a bit, judging from this, Xiang Xiaotian's figure is really well-endowed.

"How is it?" Xiang Xiaotian sent a message with a smug look on her face, clearly very confident in her figure.

Zhang Yang replied with an "Mm," put down his phone, and walked straight to the nearby restroom.

The temperature is at its lowest, so you can go all out.

After taking a shower, you feel refreshed and invigorated, and naturally, all desires disappear.

"No, I need to fight back." Zhang Yang stood in front of the mirror, looking at his invincible physique, and stroked his chin, lost in thought.

A moment later, he subtly took a picture of himself and sent it over.

After posting, that's it. Time to go to sleep.

Inside the lake-view suite at the Junlan Hotel, Xiang Xiaotian looked at the photos she had just received, her cheeks burning.

I watched it once, and then wanted to zoom in and watch it a second time.

"No... Zhang Ge's physique..."

"No, no, I can't watch anymore, I definitely won't be able to sleep if I keep watching..."

"Fine, I can't sleep anyway, I'll watch it one last time."

The next morning, Zhang Yang called Xiang Xiaotian several times, and she only answered on the third try.

The voice on the phone sounded sleepy and weak.

"Never mind, you should get some rest." Zhang Yang said a few words of advice, then ended the call and prepared to go find Chen Zhuo.

Inside the self-service breakfast restaurant, only Chen Zhuo was there; his goddess Gu Yajun was nowhere to be seen.

"Did it go smoothly?" Zhang Yang ordered a simple bowl of noodles and sat down next to Chen Zhuo.

Chen Zhuo stammered, his expression one of shame.

"They didn't let us in?" Zhang Yang didn't seem particularly disappointed; it was just a casual question.

Chen Zhuo munched on his bread, shaking his head repeatedly.

"You made it in, but didn't perform well?" Zhang Yang asked again.

"No, I... I didn't go..." Chen Zhuo said in a guilty voice.

This time, Zhang Yang's expression finally changed.

"No, it's gotten to this point, and you haven't even gone?" Zhang Yang was speechless. "What about the stew?"

"I... I ate it myself," Chen Zhuo stammered, avoiding eye contact.

Zhang Yang stared at Chen Zhuo for several seconds, then nodded without saying anything and continued eating his noodles.

"Zhang Yang, tell me, am I a coward?"

Chen Zhuo had expected a scolding from Zhang Yang, but to his surprise, Zhang Yang didn't say anything. Naturally, Chen Zhuo felt a little uneasy.

"It's alright, it's fine if you didn't go." Zhang Yang finished his noodles, put down his chopsticks, and said, "When are you going back? I'll see you off."

"Around ten o'clock in the morning, um... you really didn't laugh at me at all?" Chen Zhuo couldn't help but ask.

"What's so funny? I'm not your parents, why should I worry about what your parents think?" Zhang Yang said with a laugh. "That's settled then, we'll set off together later. By the way, where's she? Did she go back by herself?"

"Yes, she left me a message first thing this morning and went home." Chen Zhuo scratched his head. "Do you think she's angry?"

"What are you angry about? Are you angry that you didn't go see her last night?" Zhang Yang blinked and chuckled dryly. "Well, you're something else. Since you can think like that, it means you still have confidence in yourself!"

He felt that although Gu Yajun was quite arrogant in front of Chen Zhuo, she still gave him a chance; otherwise, she wouldn't have come out to cruise on West Lake with him.

He advised Chen Zhuo to deliver something last night, hoping that Chen Zhuo would take a step forward and test the waters. It didn't necessarily have to happen, but at least it could help him find out Gu Yajun's attitude. If things went smoothly, it might even help them get closer.

But now, Chen Zhuo, fueled by alcohol, isn't taking a single step, so there's nothing more to say.

It was hopeless; he couldn't be bothered to say another word.

Sure enough, upon regaining his senses and thinking it over carefully, Chen Zhuo was filled with remorse and slapped his head repeatedly.

"I was so stupid, really."

Zhang Yang looked at Chen Zhuo, wanting to say, "You're not stupid, you're a coward."

But since they've been classmates for years, why say things that others don't like to hear, unless it involves personal interests?

So··

"It's okay, keep trying. Maybe it's just not meant to be." Zhang Yang patted Chen Zhuo and casually offered a few words of comfort.