Zhuge Guanqi seemed ordinary, yet Hu Xiaotian discerned something extraordinary beneath that ordinariness. The Zhu Guanqi before him seemed content with his present life. Hu Xiaotian could not help thinking of himself, of when he had first arrived in this era. He, too, had once hoped to spend his life in peaceful comfort. Reality, however, had gradually taught him how cruel life could be. To survive, he had to give everything he had, had to summon every ounce of vigilance and strength. One careless mistake would not merely leave him drifting with the current; it would sweep him into towering, terrifying waves and drag him down into a bottomless abyss of hell, perhaps never to see daylight again in this lifetime.
Some people's radiance could never be concealed. Even when fine jade gathered dust, brushing away that dust would reveal its brilliance once more. In Hu Xiaotian's eyes, Zhu Guanqi was just such a gentleman, warm and lustrous as jade. Hu Xiaotian said, "Your wife treats you so well."
Zhuge Guanqi had not expected their conversation to begin there. He smiled despite himself. "With a wife like her, what more could a husband ask for? I'm very content."
Hu Xiaotian said, "Did you sleep poorly last night, Brother Guanqi?"
Zhuge Guanqi smiled. "A great deal has happened lately. Naturally, I've felt a little unsettled."
Hu Xiaotian said, "It seems your heart hasn't quite become still water yet, Brother Guanqi. Outside affairs can still disturb you."
Zhuge Guanqi said, "As long as we live in this world, worldly affairs will inevitably weigh upon us. Only death releases us. We can either face them head-on or retreat three leagues and hide. I'm a lazy man. I can never quite muster the spirit to face life directly. Really, when I think about it,