I Have 10 Trillion Dollars only Usable For Simping
Chapter 343 - 323 Snowing (Vote please!)

Chapter 343: 323 Snowing (Vote please!)

"Every region has its own local customs. The socialites of East Sea are... somewhat different from these folks."

Jiang Chen said ambiguously, which could be considered an answer to Hong Xiaoyu’s question.

Fu Zili, who had been quite impressive just now, picked up a skewer of streaky pork and chewed it thoughtfully.

"Xiao Yu, don’t be fooled by those who put on airs, acting as if they own the heavens above and the earth below. Those types are often the most insignificant scum. Let me tell you, what’s truly frightening are those who keep a low profile, who greet everyone with a kind smile. The world is vast, with countless mountains taller than the last. Remember one thing your big brother Zili says, being kind to others never does any harm."

Jiang Chen felt a bit surprised.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

Fu Zili noticed his unusual gaze and, holding onto the stick, he said with a smile, "Though I may not be as well-educated as you, I’ve spent a few more years out in the world than you have. These are lessons that have cost me dearly."

Fu Zili, who could call in several carloads of people with just a text message, sighed with a laugh.

"Truth be told, everyone’s a frog in a well, it’s just that the size of the opening varies."

"One can learn more from a single conversation with you than from ten years of reading."

Jiang Chen exclaimed sentimentally.

"Don’t sell me short."

Fu Zili joked back with a laugh.

"Brother Zili, to you."

"Cheers!"

"Are you okay?"

Fang Qing looked toward Tie Jun.

"What could be wrong?"

Tie Jun shook his head indifferently with a smile. He used to be a robust young man, which is why he was recruited into the army, but life is unpredictable.

"Qing Gege, have you forgotten? I’m like a cockroach that can’t be killed."

Remembering the vibrant smile and the swift figure who used to tip off Jiang Chen, Fang Qing couldn’t help but feel a touch of sorrow. Yet she couldn’t show it and forced a smile instead.

"Come on, let’s have one."

As time passed, the business in the store got busier and was almost fully seated.

"Junzi, I think you should hire more staff, any plans to open a branch? Count me in as an investor."

"Boss Fu, with someone of your stature, don’t joke about me. You’re the one who handles big deals, while my little business isn’t something you’d look twice at."

"There are no outsiders here, so why the formalities? I’m just working for someone else, not like you – you’re the real boss."

"Junzi, your business seems to be doing well, you must be making a good profit, right?"

Hong Xiaoyu surveyed the surroundings.

"Barely scrapping by."

"Stop being modest. With your shop doing this well, give it another two years – not even that long – and making a million a year isn’t out of the question."

Tie Jun chuckled, "It’s all thanks to your kindness, Boss Fu."

Fu Zili laughed helplessly, having finished a glass of white wine, he poured himself another.

"Junzi, I still miss how you were as a kid. Now, you’ve become a businessman just like me."

Tie Jun burst into laughter, but as he laughed, his eyes gradually took on a more complex expression, turning to look at the other two childhood friends.

"We’ve changed, but at least Jiang Chen and Qing Gege haven’t."

Hong Xiaoyu didn’t quite understand the emotions implied in these words.

"You guys should drink less. If you get drunk later, I won’t be able to take you back."

Fang Qing ate her skewers slowly and deliberately. Although Tie Jun said she hadn’t changed, she wasn’t nearly as tomboyish in her youth.

"I definitely won’t get drunk. You don’t need to worry, Junzi. After all, this is his own place. At worst, you just need to take Jiang Chen back."

"You think less of me? I’m not the same as I used to be. It’s not easy to get me drunk now."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Seeing him say this, Fu Zili was suddenly intrigued, "Then I must truly witness this today."

It seems that no matter how mature a man becomes, there will always be moments of childlike pride.

"Do you think you can handle it?"

Before he knew it, each person had already drunk nearly half a jin.

Although that wasn’t a lot, Fang Qing knew all too well just how much the guy living across from her could handle since they were kids.

"He often socializes outside, so he must have developed a tolerance by now. Tie Jun, like his father, has always been able to hold his liquor since he was young. If you can’t keep up, don’t force yourself."

Fang Qing whispered a reminder.

"I’m fine."

There’s no need to push oneself when dealing with strangers, but how often does one have such close friends in life?

And as Tie Jun and Fu Zili said, gatherings like this, once gone, may never come again.

"What are you whispering about?"

Fu Zili asked with a smile. Clearly a veteran of many a drinking session, he showed no sign of being affected by nearly half a jin of alcohol.

"You two shouldn’t bully him too much; you both know he can’t handle his liquor. It’s enough when you’ve had a reasonable amount."

"When have we bullied him? Times have changed, it was Jiang Chen who said it himself a moment ago, wasn’t it? Fang Qing, it’s a good thing Jiang Chen doesn’t have a girlfriend right now. Otherwise, seeing how protective you are, she might get the wrong idea."

Tie Jun couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing this.

Fang Qing wasn’t embarrassed and naturally said, "If he had a girlfriend, he wouldn’t need me to worry about him."

"You sure you’d be okay with that?"

Fu Zili immediately followed up with another question.

"Jiang Chen and I are just childhood friends, no different from you guys."

Fang Qing emphasized.

Fu Zili laughed without responding.

Hong Xiaoyu observed circumspectly, not daring to say an extra word.

"Qing Gege, you haven’t finished that bottle of Wusu yet, you need to pick up the pace."

Tie Jun cleverly changed the subject.

Fang Qing and Jiang Chen’s situation was clear to him, and Fu Zili likely understood as well, but the two parties involved seemed to be confused by their closeness, each separated by an invisible barrier.

He didn’t quite understand, but as a friend, he could only offer advice and not make decisions for others.

The drinking went on from eight in the evening until the early hours of the morning.

Exaggeration aside, this was the most Jiang Chen had ever drunk.

Everyone has to pay for the boasts they make, and while Jiang Chen’s tolerance had improved from his younger days, he was naturally no match for Fu Zili and Tie Jun, resulting in a trip to the toilet to vomit.

Although it was embarrassing, at least after vomiting, he felt much clearer-headed.

Then, for some reason, Fang Qing wouldn’t let him continue drinking.

Fu Zili and Tie Jun also knew when to stop, no longer insisting.

"Let’s call it a day. We’ll gather again next time."

Fu Zili could drink well, but drinking was about the atmosphere. In some situations, you can’t manage even one glass, but in others, it’s easy to get drunk.

Fu Zili, clearly a little dizzy himself, called Wen Rong over to settle the bill.

"Hurry up, the designated driver is here, get in the car."

Tie Jun naturally would not take the money.

"A deal is a deal, there’s no such thing as dining and dashing."

Fu Zili insisted on paying the bill.

Wen Rong looked at her boyfriend, troubled.

"By doing this, you’re disrespecting me as a brother."

There was a slight change in Tie Jun’s expression.

"Alright already, you just got Junzi ten thousand yuan in compensation, let’s consider it as those thugs treating us."

It was only when Fang Qing spoke up that the issue was resolved.

"Jiang Chen, I’ll have the designated driver take you guys home."

"No need, we can get back on our own, you go ahead."

The group helped Fu Zili get into the car.

"Let’s meet up again next time."

Before the Range Rover left, Fu Zili, slumped in the back seat, mumbled another sentence.

"Let’s go."

Tie Jun waved his hand.

The designated driver drove away.

"Junzi, we’ll be off then."

"Mm, Xiao Yu, keep an eye on your brother."

"I’m fine."

The five said their goodbyes.

Standing at the door of the restaurant, watching his childhood friends leave one by one, Tie Jun’s expression slowly grew more desolate.

Wen Rong stood by his side.

"Zili said, ’Let’s meet up again next time,’ but when exactly will that ’next time’ be?"

He murmured to himself.

"There will always be a chance. Isn’t there a saying, ’A brief separation is for a better reunion’?"

Tie Jun turned his head and took his girlfriend’s increasingly rough hand.

"Yeah, we’re all chasing a better life."

The two smiled at each other.

Tie Jun’s gaze was tender.

"Let’s go inside."

————

"How come there’s not a single car? "

Having waited by the roadside for a while, Hong Xiaoyu surprisingly didn’t see a single taxi pass by.

"It’s freezing cold, and besides, the drivers need to take time off for the New Year too."

Fang Qing breathed out warm air, "Let’s start walking forward."

With no other choice, the trio had to walk toward the city.

"Brother, are you okay?"

Hong Xiaoyu asked with concern.

Jiang Chen shook his head, but then he seemed to trip over something and nearly fell.

Fortunately, Fang Qing and Hong Xiaoyu quickly supported him on either side.

"I told you not to act tough. If you can’t drink, don’t pretend to be a hero."

Fang Qing reproached him.

"In a lifetime, how often can one get drunk?"

The person who had vomited from drinking was still proudly justifying himself,

Fang Qing was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. She wanted to scold him fiercely, but then she held back.

Indeed.

The chance to willingly get drunk aren’t many in a lifetime.

Hong Xiaoyu quietly let go and fell two steps behind, watching the two support each other as they walked.

The cold wind was biting.

In the small city, one could not see the bustling traffic, and on a deep winter street corner, there were even fewer cars about, only the dim streetlights casting long, slanted shadows on the ground.

Suddenly.

Something felt like it landed on Hong Xiaoyu’s head, he reached up to touch it and felt something moist.

Looking upward.

Against the pitch-black sky, patches of white slowly drifted down.

"Fang Qing sis, brother, it’s snowing."

Hong Xiaoyu exclaimed excitedly.

Jiang Chen and Fang Qing also stopped in their tracks.

The snowflakes grew from small to large, gently falling like fluff, adorning the deep night with beauty and dreaminess.

"It’s finally snowing."

Fang Qing murmured.

When they were children, every winter, the world would always be a silver-wrapped spectacle, but in recent years, Sha City saw less and less snow.

The soft snowflakes fell one by one, landing on the shoulders and heads of the trio.

"It looks like we’re not getting a cab."

Jiang Chen exhaled, and in the cold temperature, it quickly turned to mist.

With the snowfall, even less likely there’d be any taxis around to pick up fares.

As expected.

Afterward, the trio really didn’t see a single taxi and ended up spending half an hour walking back into the city on foot.

The moat was covered with ice flowers.

Hong Xiaoyu followed from behind, watching the fading figures of the brother and sister supporting each other.

This sense of daze.

It was like watching a movie.

Snowflakes scattered and danced.

Outside the city was youth.

Inside the city was gray hair.