Chapter 186: Used to It Long Ago

Chang Yu had originally expected Zhao Dasheng to put on airs, starting by bragging about how awesome he used to be back in the day, followed by a heavy dose of motivational clichés.

To his surprise, Zhao Dasheng simply looked at him with a dazed expression and said:

"This is something I’ve always wondered about myself. Actually, I have no idea how I succeeded."

"I am the kind of person who... just succeeded out of nowhere, and somehow got rich completely by accident."

"By the time I finally realized what was happening, I found myself walking further and further, climbing higher and higher."

"My former friends and colleagues were all left far behind me, needing to look up just to catch a glimpse of me."

"So in the end, I've come to the conclusion that the reason for my success is probably just a heavy dose of sheer coincidence!"

Chang Yu: ......

Even though Zhao Dasheng wore an earnest expression that didn't look like he was lying, Chang Yu couldn't help the surging impulse to punch him right in the face.

Just listen to what the man was saying—it was as infuriating as humanly possible!

Wasn't this clearly telling Chang Yu: Even though I don't know how I succeeded, I've succeeded anyway. What are you going to do about it?

Brother, you're crossing the line!

"However, I do have a story I can tell you. Perhaps it will give you some inspiration." Zhao Dasheng switched from self-deprecation to enlightenment, his eyes growing deep.

"A story? Let's hear it." Chang Yu's interest was instantly piqued, and he leaned in to listen attentively.

Legend had it that the stock god Warren Buffett especially loved telling stories, and the stories the old man told were exceptionally good and full of philosophy.

Many people who listened to his stories soared into the sky and became prominent figures in various fields. I wonder how Zhao Dasheng's story will turn out?

Zhao Dasheng cleared his throat and said leisurely, "Once upon a time, there was a toad that lived at the bottom of a well."

"Until one day, through a twist of fate, it climbed up to the mouth of the well and glanced at the world outside."

"From then on, it fell in love with the vast world beyond the well. Unfortunately, good times don't last, and before long, it ran out of strength."

"Having lost its strength, it could no longer cling to the well's mouth, so it tumbled all the way back down to the bottom."

"Life returned to the way it used to be: a narrow well, a tiny patch of sky. That was the toad's entire existence."

"Yet it was not discouraged at all, because it had already firmly etched the vast world outside the well into its heart."

"It regarded climbing back up to the mouth of the well as the lifelong pursuit and goal of its existence, training and motivating itself every day, hoping that one day it could see the outside world again."

"Until one day, it truly leaped out of the wellhead and arrived in the vast outside world."

"Alright, I've finished telling the story."

"That's it?" Chang Yu was completely bewildered, utterly failing to understand what message Zhao Dasheng was trying to convey.

Zhao Dasheng smiled with a cryptic expression and said nothing more. To Chang Yu, this look of his was simply sheer mystification.

Next, the old man and the young man traded drinks, having a thoroughly merry time.

Zhao Dasheng had placed six bottles of imported liquor on the table, and the two of them drank every single drop clean.

It was already past nine in the evening, but Zhao Dasheng was only growing more spirited as he drank.

He stood up unsteadily, intending to fetch a few more bottles from the wine cabinet, when the doorbell suddenly rang.

Hearing the doorbell, Chang Yu, who had been feeling quite dizzy from the alcohol, instantly sobered up.

Who could possibly be visiting at an hour like this?

Even if there was something urgent, couldn't it wait until daytime?

Dropping by for a visit late at night like this somehow felt slightly suspicious no matter how he thought about it.

Chang Yu's first thought was that this visitor probably harbored ill intentions—perhaps those cult fanatics had come looking for revenge.

He slapped his face hard to help his consciousness gradually recover.

Then, he said to the stunned Zhao Dasheng beside him, "It's most likely trouble coming after you. Be a good boy and hide here without moving; I'll go see who it is."

Hearing this, Zhao Dasheng was thoroughly frightened and nodded frantically like pounding garlic: "I'll wait right here for you. Go ahead without worry."

Why did those words sound so awkward? Chang Yu thought to himself.

Despite feeling uneasy, Chang Yu quietly stood up and crept toward the front door.

He didn't make a sound, nor did he rashly open the door. He simply hid silently behind it, waiting to see how things would develop.

"Chairman Zhao, are you home?" At that moment, an enchanting female voice suddenly came from outside the door, giving Chang Yu a start.

As we all know, when someone is in an extremely quiet environment and suddenly hears a sound, they are bound to be startled, let alone under such tense conditions...

At any rate, Chang Yu was given a profound fright, momentarily thinking a female ghost from a movie had come to claim his life.

Zhao Dasheng, upon hearing the woman's voice outside, let out a sigh of relief and said to Chang Yu, "It's Yan Yan's voice. Open the door."

Yan Yan was the enchanting beauty in the qipao, the woman who constantly stayed by Zhao Dasheng's side.

Chang Yu opened the door as instructed and sure enough, saw Yan Yan wearing a blue qipao with exquisite makeup, standing prettily outside.

The qipao-wearing beauty had assumed it was Zhao Dasheng who opened the door, and immediately flashed an ingratiating, charming smile toward Chang Yu.

However, when she realized that the person who opened the door for her wasn't Zhao Dasheng, but a young man in his early twenties, she was struck dumb on the spot.

"Why is it you?" Yan Yan immediately recognized Chang Yu and began to wipe the smile off her face.

As far as she knew, Zhao Dasheng had always lived alone, and very few people ever came to disturb his peace.

She also recognized this sneaky-looking young man standing before her; he seemed to be nothing more than a gate guard.

Given his status and position, there was no way he would be invited into Zhao Dasheng's home as a guest.

Therefore, the only remaining explanation for his presence in Zhao Dasheng's house was...

"Well, well, you little thief!" Before Chang Yu could even speak, the qipao-wearing beauty unleashed a torrent of abuse.

"So young and you refuse to learn proper things, choosing instead to have sticky fingers. Well, look at you now, caught red-handed by me."

Chang Yu speechlessly stared at the qipao-wearing beauty, who had deeply immersed herself in her own wild imagination, and explained, "It's not like that..."

Before Chang Yu could finish explaining, the beauty pulled her phone out of her bag. "Don't you move; I'm calling the police to arrest you right now."

"Sigh!" Chang Yu could only sigh, lamenting why his luck was so terrible.

Whenever he ran into this Yan Yan woman, nothing good ever came of it. He wondered if this woman named Yan Yan suffered from some kind of persecution delusion, constantly associating everything with the worst possible outcome.

Seeing the qipao-wearing beauty extend her long, artificial-nailed fingers to dial the police on her phone, Chang Yu hurriedly snatched the phone from her hand.

Are you kidding me? If she actually called the police, it would truly be asking for trouble.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Frightened out of her wits, the qipao-wearing beauty hurriedly retreated a few steps, putting some distance between herself and Chang Yu.

"I'm warning you, don't you dare try anything funny!"

Perhaps genuinely terrified, her voice had begun to tremble with extreme panic.

She pressed her hands tightly against her chest, clutching her collar shut.

Meanwhile, she kept a wary eye on Chang Yu, terrified that her revealing attire might arouse wicked intentions in him.

"This is the most upscale villa complex in all of H City, and there are surveillance cameras everywhere," she warned Chang Yu.

"If you dare to try anything untoward with me, those cameras will definitely record your evil deeds."

"Besides... the security in this neighborhood is top-notch. The moment I scream, a large group of guards will come rushing over here."

At that moment, Zhao Dasheng arrived on the scene upon hearing the commotion, rescuing Chang Yu from his predicament.

"Yan Yan, he's a guest I invited to stay the night, not some thief," Zhao Dasheng slurred drunkenly, his alcohol buzz still lingering.

"A guest?" The qipao-wearing beauty looked Chang Yu up and down with skepticism, feeling extremely puzzled.

She and Zhao Dasheng had run into Chang Yu several times before, and she hadn't seen Chairman Zhao treat Chang Yu with any particular warmth back then.

How was it that after just a few days, their relationship had become close enough for a sleepover?

Zhao Dasheng was thoroughly drunk; she couldn't tell whether he was speaking the truth or talking nonsense, so Yan Yan had no choice but to follow the two men inside.

"Chairman Zhao, why did you drink so much alcohol today? Let me brew you some hangover soup."

As soon as Yan Yan entered, she immediately supported Zhao Dasheng, fully displaying a green tea's professional etiquette by showering him with solicitous concern.

"Hangover soup won't be necessary," Zhao Dasheng waved his hand in refusal. "I'm not drunk; I don't need that stuff."

Chang Yu looked at Zhao Dasheng, whose steps were unsteady and face flushed bright red, and curled his lips.

Drunk as a skunk and still claiming he wasn't?

This Zhao Dasheng... cared about saving face that much?

Before Chang Yu could sort out his thoughts, Yan Yan spoke up in a spoiled, whining tone: "Chairman Zhao, why haven't you paid any attention to me today?"

"I haven't seen you all day long, so without even eating dinner, I came straight over to see you."

"I had some things to handle today, so I did neglect you." Zhao Dasheng merely laughed heartily, without offering any detailed explanation about being targeted by a cult organization.

Immediately afterward, he glanced at Chang Yu and abruptly changed the subject: "Yan Yan, I have some business to discuss with someone shortly, so you should head back first."

Knowing that Zhao Dasheng was politely showing her the door, the qipao-wearing beauty instantly felt a bellyful of suppressed anger.

She had traveled all this way simply to see Chairman Zhao, hadn't she?

Yet now that she had finally managed to see him, Zhao Dasheng only spoke a few perfunctory words before shooing her away. How could she possibly feel good about that?

However, she didn't dare direct her anger at Zhao Dasheng, so she had no choice but to target Chang Yu instead.

Especially when she recalled the humiliating experience in her dream where Chang Yu beat her until she cried out for mercy, her anger flared up instantly, and she began to lash out:

"Chairman Zhao, I don't know what kind of relationship you have with this kid, but I still want to give you a piece of advice: this kid is no good."

"Just look at his sneaky, rat-faced appearance. Approaching you like this must mean he harbors malicious intentions. You'd better be extra careful."

The qipao-wearing beauty's words could be described as truly venomous.

Even Chang Yu couldn't help but sigh upon hearing this: The most poisonous thing is a woman's heart!

He searched his conscience and realized he hadn't done anything to wrong this qipao-wearing woman, so why did she constantly seek to make things unpleasant for him?

Truly, every time he ran into her, nothing good ever happened; she always had to throw shade at him.