Drinking, chatting, singing, and playing games, the people from Class 4 of Industrial Management kept the party going until past midnight before settling down.
For those who remained conscious, Chen Pingjiang arranged cars to send them off; those who were already drunk were simply tossed into guest rooms.
Anyway, there were plenty of rooms, and three people could fit on one bed.
Almost everyone was settled.
Walking to the last guest bedroom on the first floor, Chen Pingjiang found that Cong Nini hadn't left yet.
"You're not working tomorrow, are you?"
"Yes, I am."
"Then why aren't you leaving?"
"Zhang Lu drank too much. I need to stay and take care of her. Tomorrow morning, I'll go straight to work from here."
Chen Pingjiang nodded,
"I don't have any makeup remover or makeup here."
Cong Nini proudly pointed to the small bag placed on the nightstand,
"It's fine, I brought everything."
In an instant, Chen Pingjiang felt like he had been clearly set up, and he saw through the cunning in Cong Nini's eyes.
Zhao Shaoyang and Dong Tinghui, the two "good brothers," also hadn't left.
They had already thrown up in the toilet once and were now sleeping soundly, embracing each other.
Seeing that everything was arranged, Chen Pingjiang went upstairs.
About twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
Without asking, Chen Pingjiang knew it was Cong Nini.
This girl had finally found her chance.
After opening the door, he saw Cong Nini standing gracefully at the entrance.
Upon seeing Chen Pingjiang, she directly pounced on him.
"Whoa, whoa, magic cloak."
Chen Pingjiang was so startled he blurted out in Sichuan dialect.
Cong Nini, like a hungry wolf, directly squatted down, her trembling hands going straight for Chen Pingjiang's fly zipper.
"Damn it, I haven't showered yet!"
Cong Nini looked up at him, her eyes seductive.
"It's fine, I'll help you wash."
Chen Pingjiang, a bit tipsy from the alcohol, just played dead, letting Cong Nini do as she pleased.
An hour later, Cong Nini held Chen Pingjiang tightly,
"Even if you asked me to die now, I'd be willing. I've waited four years, and I finally got this day."
"It's a shame you have my body but not my heart."
"Hehe."
Cong Nini laughed,
"What does it matter? So many people want your body and don't even have a chance."
After speaking, she obediently took a cigarette from the pack and put it into Chen Pingjiang's mouth,
"Here, grandpa, let me light it for you."
Since things were already done, Chen Pingjiang didn't mince words,
"Later, I'll pay to rent an apartment near your store."
"MUA!"
Cong Nini happily leaned in and kissed Chen Pingjiang on the face.
"Although I like money, what attracted me to you isn't your money, but your charm. It's captivating. You don't know my soul was trembling just now."
Chen Pingjiang chuckled, amused by her exaggerated tone.
Cong Nini's only strength was her perfect ability to provide emotional value.
Even her initiative in bed and her willingness to do anything Chen Pingjiang wanted far surpassed other women.
"You don't want money, so what do you want from me? You clearly know I can't marry you."
Cong Nini shook her head nonchalantly,
"You want to get married, I don't even want to get married yet. Don't worry, I won't ruin things between you and your older female classmate. I've long said she's the boss, and cannot enter the capital without being summoned..."
Cong Nini's right index finger lightly traced circles on Chen Pingjiang's chest, kissing him softly downwards until she burrowed back under the covers.
......
Waking up early the next morning, Cong Nini was no longer beside him; the bed was cold.
Chen Pingjiang had no recollection of when she left, only knowing that they had been busy until very late.
He was almost drained dry by this temptress.
He glanced at his phone, where several unread text messages lay.
They were all from classmates who had stayed over for the assignment, essentially expressing thanks or apologies for the trouble.
After Chen Pingjiang got up, he walked around checking on everyone.
When he reached the room where Zhao Shaoyang and Dong Tinghui were sleeping, he found the two still embracing each other in their sleep.
Perhaps due to the underfloor heating, the two had clearly been wearing long-sleeved shirts when they went to sleep, but now they were bare-chested and hugging, their mouths almost touching.
Chen Pingjiang kicked each of them.
"Lao Dong, if you don't get your ass up, you'll miss the train."
The commotion woke them both, and they heard a "Holy crap."
Zhao Shaoyang shrieked,
"I treated you like a damn brother! Last night you were drunk and confessed your feelings, and I even covered for you. How could you lay your hands on me?"
Dong Tinghui was also a bit confused about how they ended up hugging.
"Bullshit, how would I know if you weren't the one who initiated it?"
"Don't talk, your breath stinks."
"You stink too, a mixture of leftover fermented overnight food, cigarette smoke, and alcohol. Ugh, I'm going to puke."
Chen Pingjiang couldn't be bothered with these two buffoons.
When he got to the living room, he found that the nannies had already cleaned up the messy battlefield from last night, and even the pool water had been changed.
Before long, Dong Tinghui and Zhao Shaoyang walked out of the guest bedroom, one after the other.
"If you ask me, Lao Dong, don't go back. The other three in our dorm are all weirdos; only you, me, and Brother Chen can have a decent conversation."
"It's not like we won't see each other again. If you get a chance, come to Haidong and hang out with me."
Chen Pingjiang chuckled,
"Lao Dong is going back to inherit his family business. Even if you're from Dongjiang, it won't work. When we meet again in a few years, you might not be doing as well as him."
Unusually, Zhao Shaoyang didn't retort.
Dong Tinghui's family members worked at a brewery, and regulations weren't strict now.
It wouldn't be difficult for him to go back and inherit the family business directly, with both father and son joining the same company and department.
A state-owned enterprise offers guaranteed income regardless of market conditions, high benefits, and stability.
"Three generations of brewers, passing down the torch, relaying the watch, huh?"
Dong Tinghui snorted,
"I envy you, you'll soon be comfortably living as a second-generation rich kid from demolition."
Neither of these two had bad conditions, at least better than most of their classmates.
"You still haven't figured out what to do. Do you want to come work for my company?"
Chen Pingjiang asked, looking at Zhao Shaoyang.
This guy was the one Chen Pingjiang had interacted with the most during his four years of university.
Previously, when Chen Pingjiang was provoked on the school playground, this was the guy who grabbed an iron rod and charged forward, almost getting a disciplinary record for it.
He was the first person Chen Pingjiang proactively asked if he wanted to come work.
Who knew Zhao Shaoyang would wave his hand dismissively,
"I'm not going to make a fool of myself. I know my own capabilities well. Don't let me get fired and make you, Brother Chen, lose face. Besides, I'm used to being free and easygoing. If you make me work, I really can't stick with it. I plan to just play around for a year first."
Chen Pingjiang knew this guy often hung out with Zhou Guanghan and Dai Sheng, drinking and going to bars.
The three of them were considered a gang of hangers-on, similar in nature to He Zhiyu, Liu Cheng, and the other guy.
Because of Zhou Guanghan's family relationship with Chen Pingjiang and being a classmate, if Dai Sheng wanted to get close to Chen Pingjiang, the status gap would be too large, but hanging out with Zhou Guanghan made it different.
This guy Zhao Shaoyang was very shrewd; while the three of them were birds of a feather, he also knew who to associate with.
At 1 PM, Chen Pingjiang planned to take Dong Tinghui to the train station.
Who knew Zhao Shaoyang insisted on coming along, ostensibly to "send Lao Dong off on his last journey," which made Dong Tinghui so angry he punched him twice.
"You fucking can't speak any better than eating shit."
After arriving at the underground garage, Zhao Shaoyang couldn't move.
"Holy crap, an Aventador!"
"A McLaren P1!!!"
"Boss, dear dad, can I drive one?"
Chen Pingjiang shot him a disgusted look,
"Do you even have a driver's license to drive?"
"Yes, yes, I learned at the same driving school you did!"
Chen Pingjiang ran back to get the car keys and tossed them to Zhao Shaoyang, then took Dong Tinghui and got into the Aventador.
The entire way, this show-off was so flashy, he wished he could floor the accelerator a few more times.
"I really envy your relationship with Zhao Shaoyang."
"?"
Chen Pingjiang, who was driving, looked at Dong Tinghui beside him in confusion,
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I mean, Zhao Shaoyang's devil-may-care personality fears nothing and has thick skin."
Thinking about it, Chen Pingjiang realized it was true.
As his wealth grew and his social status became higher, his life trajectory was becoming increasingly outlandish.
Everyone around him was "nice," greeting him with smiles, their faces showing awe and respect.
It was hard to have pure friendships anymore, and he had fewer and fewer friends.
There were only a few people he could genuinely get along with.
Zhou Guanghan was one, but he was so reserved he could barely say a word, not good at expressing himself, and wouldn't approach Chen Pingjiang without a reason.
Dai Sheng was the same; the two were more like superior and subordinate.
Only Zhao Shaoyang knew full well, refusing to join Chen Pingjiang's company to prevent their relationship from changing.
He was more willing to just mess around behind Chen Pingjiang, acting as a follower, a younger brother, cheering on his big brother and doing the dirty and tiring work.
Coupled with his devil-may-care personality, he was truly the only one who proved Chen Pingjiang was still "young."
So he wouldn't feel the loneliness at the top.
The Aventador and McLaren P1 arrived at the train station entrance, parking on the side of the road and attracting many gazes.
This feeling made Zhao Shaoyang show off, affectionately hugging Dong Tinghui,
"Brother, goodbye!"
It was already 3 PM when they returned to Zhongshan Villa.
As soon as he entered, Zhou Guanghan came over and chuckled, "Grand-uncle."
Chen Pingjiang nodded,
"How's business at the store?"
"It's alright!"
Dai Sheng also came closer and lit a cigarette for Chen Pingjiang.
Chen Pingjiang asked,
"You've graduated now, what do you plan to do next?"
Zhou Guanghan scratched his head, asking somewhat naively,
"Do what? Just run the store well."
Zhao Shaoyang couldn't stand it anymore,
"Brother Chen is asking if you have any plans to do something else."
"No plans."
Chen Pingjiang smiled and shook his head,
"The Xiao Chen Barbecue you're currently running, give it back. Otherwise, you won't be able to make it big; after all, the brand isn't yours. The company will compensate you, and I'll chip in a bit of money too. Dai Sheng and Zhao Shaoyang can also invest some money, and you can open a bar in 1912."
"Dai Sheng used to work in a bar, and doesn't Zhao Shaoyang also like going to bars? The three of you can work together perfectly."
Zhao Shaoyang and Dai Sheng's eyes lit up,
"That's great! We won't have to spend money on drinks anymore."
Zhou Guanghan had no resistance whatsoever to his grand-uncle's arrangement.
Having no strong opinions, he always listened to Chen Pingjiang; whatever Chen Pingjiang told him to do, he would do.
"Invest more, and create a unique, high-end nightclub. Otherwise, you won't be able to compete with those established bars."
Arranging a career for Zhou Guanghan was something Chen Pingjiang had always planned to do.
This simpleton had always listened to Chen Pingjiang, from childhood to adulthood.
No matter how much effort was put into that barbecue shop, it would only be so-so.
Running a bar with the help of Dai Sheng and Zhao Shaoyang shouldn't be a big problem, especially since Chen Pingjiang's resources were backing them.
The three were all Chen Pingjiang's classmates from different periods.
Zhou Guanghan even called Chen Pingjiang "grand-uncle."
If Chen Pingjiang ran into trouble, these three guys would truly dare to grab bats and charge at people's heads.
For this reason alone, Chen Pingjiang couldn't abandon them.
"I'll cover all the bar's rent, renovation, and sound equipment for you. Your three shares of money will go towards the first batch of liquor, and to hire some reliable managers, sales staff, and 'little bees'."
Dai Sheng and Zhao Shaoyang thumped their chests,
"No problem, we frequently hang out at bars, we know people."
(End of Chapter)