Looking at the familiar classroom, the familiar classmates, the only thing that's different is probably my mood. Looking at that eye-catching girl, Liu Jian felt a faint bitterness in his heart. How should he face Zhang Ying, how should he handle their relationship? Let time take care of all of that.
Liu Jian's seat wasn't arranged in the front row after all. Kong Xianrong still assigned him to the fifth row according to his height, which is the center of the classroom. Countless little notes passed through here every day. Liu Jian had an urgent desire to set up a toll station. Now that's what you call making money while sitting down!
Liu Jian's deskmate was a chubby boy named Meng Qing, fair-skinned, chubby, and very cute. Liu Jian almost laughed when he looked at Meng Qing's round face. Liu Jian knew what kind of dark side this boy, who looked honest on the surface, had in his heart. There's a word to describe him: deceptively wicked!
Liu Jian restrained the urge to hug Meng Qing and greeted him casually. There was plenty of time, they could get to know each other slowly.
Meng Qing, on the other hand, said familiarly, "Hello, my name is Meng Qing. Why are you so late?"
Liu Jian smiled and said, "My grades were too frightening. The principal of the No. 1 High School thought about it for a long time and was really worried about what terrible things I would do to society. He thought it was better to take me in and make some contributions to the general public."
Meng Qing blinked, feeling struck by lightning. Kids nowadays are still relatively well-behaved, not as glib as those in later generations who have been influenced by the internet.
Seeing Kong Xianrong's gaze fall on him, Meng Qing immediately shut up. Liu Jian, unlike someone who'd just reported for duty and gotten criticized by name, smiled and also fell silent. Kong Xianrong was almost provoked by Liu Jian's smile, but considering something, he ultimately refrained from naming and criticizing him.
After class, before Meng Qing could even ask anything, Zhang Ying's figure appeared beside Liu Jian's desk. Meng Qing's mouth hung open wide, and all the other students in the class noticed that something was happening here.
High school is the stage where emotions begin to sprout. Zhang Ying's outstanding appearance attracted the attention of countless boys, but every boy who approached was coldly rejected by Zhang Ying. No one expected that this unremarkable boy today would attract Zhang Ying's attention.
Zhang Ying didn't think too much, only the joy of seeing Liu Jian again: "Why are you only here now? They all said you weren't going to study anymore and were going to help your uncle with his work?"
Seeing the murderous gazes around him, Liu Jian felt it was better to leave here, so he pulled Zhang Ying out of the classroom, leaving behind a pile of shattered glasses lenses.
Standing by the pond on campus, the two didn't know how to start the conversation. Finally, Liu Jian broke the silence: "I did go help my dad, and I'm not planning on continuing my studies!"
Zhang Ying's expression froze: "What did you say? Didn't you promise me a long time ago that we'd go to high school together, and then to university?"
Liu Jian couldn't help but remember that afternoon, when they strolled along the railway tracks and agreed to go to high school together, to go to university together, to work together, and to be together for a lifetime. Looking back, it might only be a matter of months for Zhang Ying, but for Liu Jian it felt like a lifetime ago. Thinking of the unknown ending, Liu Jian felt a pang in his heart, and he opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
Liu Jian and Zhang Ying weren't childhood sweethearts in the traditional sense. They were deskmates in elementary school. In middle school, to attend the same school as Zhang Ying, Liu Jian didn't choose the top-ranked No. 3 Middle School, but instead chose the reforming No. 4 Middle School. No. 4 Middle School, undergoing reforms, separated boys and girls into different classes. The two could only exchange glances after class to confirm each other's presence. Only on the way home after school could they walk together, maintaining that hazy feeling.
Zhang Ying looked at the silent Liu Jian, feeling a heart-wrenching pain, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
On a bright sunny morning, by the school's pond, cicadas were chirping incessantly. A hesitant boy and a weeping girl stood there, like a painting, like a poem. Many years later, recalling that afternoon, the two exchanged a look, smiled faintly, and everything was understood without a word.
On his first day of school, Liu Jian skipped class with Zhang Ying, the prettiest girl in the class, becoming the most unacceptable topic of conversation in Class 6.
Looking at the empty desk next to him, Meng Qing muttered, "Amazing, truly amazing. No wonder they said he would do things that would make the heavens and people angry when he was out in society. He's doing it here in school too." What remained was to harshly curse the principal for letting such a degenerate into the First High School.
What happened by the pond that morning, neither of them said. Only after that did they never speak to each other again. Only when their eyes occasionally met could they discern each other's feelings.
The students who were all waiting to watch the spectacle discovered that after that day, the two of them had no further contact. They felt both incredibly surprised and somewhat relieved. No one wanted that beautiful girl to be with someone else from then on.
As a result, a boy appeared on the campus of No. 1 High School who wore designer clothes every day, occasionally stood in the hallway smoking a cigarette, and talking on the phone. Liu Jian returned to school with such an indifferent attitude.
That evening, the Liu Fu family of three drove over with gifts to visit. It was actually Liu Jian's suggestion. During this period, Liu Fu followed Liu Jian's advice and visited the homes of all the friends who had helped him over the years. Liu Fu, who had originally not taken any of this to heart, was suddenly shocked when he heard Liu Jian's words.
Liu Jian said, "Dad, you have money now, and these friends can get things done for you with a few words. Do you think it's because of your relationship, or because you have money? These friends have helped you so much, you should show some appreciation. If you don't contact them often and give them some benefits now, we might not even have a chance to make a comeback if we run into trouble or our business fails."
Liu Fu was stunned after hearing this. He knew his son was right, but he couldn't accept the idea that good friendships needed money to maintain.
Liu's mother looked at Liu Fu, who was standing there in a daze, and asked, "Xiao Jian, what do you think we should do?"
Looking at his mom who was prompting him, Liu Jian quietly gave a thumbs up, knowing that his mom was afraid his dad would be too embarrassed to speak up. He continued, "Dad, this is what I was thinking. Your friends have helped so much, we should at least show some appreciation. Nowadays, even strangers treat each other to dinner when doing favors, but with your relationship, that's not necessary."
Liu Fu then nodded and said, "I think so too. They're friends helping with a few things, there's no need for a meal. Besides, the food at restaurants isn't even good. How about your mom prepare some dishes, and I'll invite them to eat at home."
Liu Jian slapped his forehead and said, "Dad, do they even need a meal from our family? You said it yourself, what kind of relationship you have. My idea is to prepare some gifts for them, and you can't be the one to give them, because if you do, it will hurt your relationship."
"Prepare some gifts, but not from him." Listening to his son's words, Liu Fu felt a little confused.
Liu Jian smiled and said, "What I mean is, prepare some gifts and our family will go visiting. Then, have Mom give them out. Dad, you should know the most powerful thing in the world is pillow talk. Have Mom give some gifts to those aunties and such, which will both maintain your relationships and make them happy, making them think you're a good friend. Isn't that better?"
Following Liu Jian's idea, Liu Fu bought some cigarettes and alcohol, and prepared a pile of gold jewelry. At this time, gold was very cheap, only a few tens of yuan per gram. A set of three gold jewelry pieces didn't cost much, but the effect was surprisingly good.
As expected, going through the wives was the best approach. These friends didn't say anything before, but they couldn't help but harbor some resentment, thinking, "I've done so much for you, and you haven't shown any appreciation." After sending out a pile of jewelry, there were no more complaints, and the relationship between the bros became even stronger than before. And the housewife, Liu's mother, also gained quite a few mahjong partners, and she no longer spends all day holed up at home watching TV. Now, Liu Jian doesn't need to worry about her at all; playing mahjong has become Liu's mother's occupation.
Today, the person to visit among Liu Fu's friends is Chen Sheng, the most important one.
Chen Sheng and Liu Fu met very casually. Both being veterans, they had a common language. Chen Sheng is now the Deputy Mayor of Panshi City, although he's ranked quite low among the deputy mayors and doesn't have much real power. Liu Jian, with his advantage of being reborn, knows that Chen Sheng has a good backer. He gradually moved from Deputy Mayor to Mayor, then to Party Secretary, and finally to Chairman of the People's Congress. Even after retiring to the second line, he still wielded enormous power. Chen Sheng had never left Panshi in his decades-long political career, and the officials he cultivated were spread throughout various government departments in Panshi.
Before Liu Jian's rebirth, his job was arranged by Chen Sheng after Liu Fu swallowed his pride and asked for help.
Liu Fu and Chen Sheng always had a good relationship. Even after Liu Jian's family fortunes declined, it didn't affect their personal relationship. Liu Fu always felt that they were purely friends and wouldn't ask Chen Sheng for help no matter how difficult things got. Sometimes, even when Chen Sheng offered to help, Liu Fu couldn't bring himself to accept. If it weren't for his son's future, he probably wouldn't have asked Chen Sheng for help his entire life.
This life, everything has changed. After his son's guidance and these days of communication, reality has severely impacted Liu Fu. He understands that there are no longer purely friends in this society, it's not like it was over a decade ago. He also reflected on his relationship with Chen Sheng and realized that contact is necessary, and there's no need to pretend to be high and mighty. Friends with mutual benefits may be more useful than pure friends. Today, he went to Chen Sheng's house as planned.
Although he was a relatively junior vice-mayor, Chen Sheng's house was nicely decorated. As soon as Liu Fu entered, Chen Sheng greeted him with a hug and said with a smile, "Old Liu, it's been a long time since you've been here! Let's have a couple of drinks tonight."
Liu Fu laughed and replied, "That's right! Look at the good wine I brought. I had to go through a lot of people to get this 30-year-old aged Moutai." At this time, Moutai wasn't as expensive as it would be in later years, but a 30-year-old aged Moutai was still something that ordinary people couldn't afford. Even Vice-Mayor Chen Sheng hadn't tasted it.
At this time, the two wives went to the kitchen, preparing dishes and whispering to each other. They never participated in men's affairs.
Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Liu Jian stepped forward and called out, "Uncle Chen." Signaling his presence, he realized that his previous image really made it difficult for people to acknowledge him. He then looked around furtively, but didn't spot his nemesis.
Chen Sheng patted Liu Jian on the head and said, "You little rascal, why are you skipping class again? Looking for something? Your sister Xue isn't home, she went out to meet some classmates."
Hearing what Chen Sheng said, Liu Jian breathed a sigh of relief. Chen Xue is Chen Sheng's only daughter, a few years older than Liu Jian, and she's very formidable. Despite being a girl, she can fight better than boys, and Liu Jian was bullied by her a lot when he was younger. You could say he has a psychological shadow when he sees her. Hearing that she wasn't there, Liu Jian relaxed.