Regret

Ye Feng looked at the two excited men, unsure how to explain. He certainly couldn't reveal the secret of the system. After giving it some thought, he said, "After the breakup, I was packing up my things at my rented place when I found a hard drive from a long time ago. It had two hundred bitcoins on it. I sold them just yesterday."

"Fourth, you've already achieved a little goal, just like that! Comparisons are deadly-compare yourself to others and you'll want to die; compare goods and you'll want to throw yours away. No, you've got to treat us!" Wang Chao said excitedly. There was no jealousy in his eyes, only a little envy and happiness.

"The old man at the frontier lost his horse, but who could say it wasn't a blessing? Fourth, getting rich after your breakup proves your destined partner hasn't come along yet. Meng Yue wasn't the right one for you. But you also have to stay true to yourself. Don't squander your money just because you're rich and exhaust all your blessings and good fortune." Cheng Wen patted Ye Feng on the shoulder and gave him this earnest advice.

"Second, I don't think you should go back home and take the civil service exam. You should stay at the university and become a teacher. Your mouth's full of grand principles every day, just like a preacher. If I had a little goal, I'd enjoy life and see what it's like to live rich." Wang Chao didn't agree with Cheng Wen. He felt that once you were financially free, you ought to enjoy life; otherwise, all that hard work would be meaningless.

"All right, Second, Third, don't worry. I have my own plans. You two wait here while I go check out the campus supermarket and buy us something to have a few drinks with."

Ye Feng first ordered some barbecue on his phone, then went downstairs and headed to the supermarket. It wasn't far, only a few minutes' walk away.

"Well, if it isn't Ye Feng! Long time no see. How have you been? Is your internship going smoothly?" Zhao Li, the supermarket owner, greeted Ye Feng with a smile. They were both from Jin City. Since people from Jin City were rather attached to home and rarely wandered far afield, they felt especially close to each other and had become friends over time.

"Brother Li, long time no see. My internship ended early, so I came back to campus for a look today. Are you here all by yourself? Didn't Sister-in-law come to help?"

"Ah, the little one's sick. Your sister-in-law is taking care of the child at home. What do you want to eat? I'll give you a discount."

"All right, I'll go pick out some food first."

Before long, Ye Feng returned with an armful of snacks.

"Brother Li, add a case of beer. How much is it altogether?"

"One hundred fifty-eight. Just give me a hundred and fifty. You rascal, don't drink too much. Come visit me when you have time. Once you graduate, we won't have many chances to see each other."

"Yeah, don't worry, Brother Li. I can still come see you after I graduate. Hehe, I'm off. My dorm brothers are still waiting for me. See you later."

After picking up the barbecue, Ye Feng returned to the dorm and put everything on the table. The three young men sat around it, each holding a bottle of beer. Outside the window, moonlight spilled across their youthful faces.

As time passed, the pleasant buzz of alcohol loosened their tongues, and the three began telling their stories.

"Third, Fourth, the truth is, I don't want to leave Demon City. But my parents had me late in life, and I'm their only child. To put me through school, they had no choice but to go out and work. I remember one time, my father cut his hand at a construction site. To save money, he had no choice but to give up a finger. When I saw it, he was still comforting me, telling me not to worry. At that moment, my heart felt like it was going to shatter into pieces. I hated that I was growing up too slowly, hated myself for becoming a burden on my family. From then on, I studied with everything I had. I knew that was the only way I could change my fate."

"Sometimes you tease me, asking how a big man from Lu Province can be as miserly as an old moneybags from Jin Province. I just know how important money is. My father traded his finger for it, so I can't waste a single cent. Now I'm about to graduate. I want to do my part for the family, go home and take the burden off my father's shoulders, let him rest, and show him his son has grown up. He can lean on me now, and I can shelter him from the wind and rain."

Seeing tears streaming down Cheng Wen's face, Ye Feng didn't know how to comfort him. Eight or nine things out of ten in life went against one's wishes, yet only two or three could be spoken of to others. He raised his glass and said to Cheng Wen,

"Come on, Brother Second, a toast to you. You're a true man of Lu Province, a man who shoulders his responsibilities! Bottoms up!"

"Brother Second, Fourth, you usually see me laughing and joking. You must think I'm carefree, right? It's just a disguise. My parents divorced when I was little, and after they both started new families, I lived with my grandparents. Ever since I was little, my classmates laughed at me for being a child with no father or mother. Heh, it's true. They never once appeared in my life all those years. All I got was a cold payment of child support, and even that was only because my grandfather went to their doors to ask for it. With parents like that, I was no different from an orphan. After that, whenever anyone laughed at me, I'd hit them hard. Little by little, they stopped daring to talk behind my back, but I didn't have any friends anymore, either. Later, after my grandparents died, I gradually learned to take it all in stride. Without expectations, there could be no disappointment. Without anyone to hold me back, I could live as I pleased. But who knew the despair of a little boy on that night of pouring rain, roaring at the top of his lungs, unable to call back the receding figure walking away?"

The three raised their glasses and drank deeply. With wine today, let them be drunk today; tomorrow's sorrows could wait until tomorrow!

Cheng Wen and Wang Chao set down their glasses and stared straight at Ye Feng. They looked as if they were saying, We've both spoken, so why haven't you?

Ye Feng set down his glass and fell into his own memories.

"My father was an ordinary worker, my mother was a housewife, and I had a sister four years younger than me. My parents bickered a lot, but they loved each other, and my sister was very cute. We were a happy family. As for regrets, there might be one. My best friend was mischievous when we were little, and he always went to play at a suspension bridge not far from my home. One hot summer day, he wanted to bathe in the river. I couldn't swim, so I watched from the bank. Maybe the water was too cold, but his leg cramped, and he kept thrashing in the water, shouting my name. I could only worry helplessly on the bank. I shouted for help everywhere, and it was a long time before someone noticed and pulled him out. His life was saved, but being underwater for so long caused severe brain damage. His mind would forever remain that of a seven-year-old. After that, I practiced swimming relentlessly, and now I'm a very good swimmer. But I can't go back to that year and bring him out of being seven."

The three drank glass after glass, sharing their stories with one another. At that moment, they forgot time and forgot their sorrows, enjoying their time together to the fullest.

Outside the window, scattered raindrops mingled with the moonlight and pattered against the glass, as if washing away all that was superficial, transforming as they grew, and bearing witness to the bond between the three.

Looking at Ye Feng and Wang Chao, who had both passed out drunk, Cheng Wen shook his head and helped them back to their beds one by one. He murmured, "I'm so lucky to have met you. I wonder if we'll ever see each other again after graduation."