Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 609: Everyone's Destiny is Different

Among the prominent figures of the horticulture class, Zhou Yuwen was completely beyond their realm of comprehension. He could no longer even be considered a mere campus celebrity, and he was automatically filtered out of their conversations. The remaining notable figures were Zhao Yang, Chang Hao, and Li Qiang.Zhao Yang was a Jinling local from a somewhat wealthy family. Throughout his three years of university, he had never been without a girlfriend. He kept a low profile during his freshman year, but by his sophomore year, he frequently brought girls back to stay overnight at his family's properties. Now, with internships approaching, his family had already secured a job for him.

As for Chang Hao, his prominence went without saying. Ever since their freshman year military training, he had constantly clamored about being Zheng Yanyan's boyfriend, only for Zheng Yanyan to later rise to fame and start dating Zhou Yuwen.

Chang Hao was frequently mocked behind his back, with some people jokingly calling him the simp of Zhou Yuwen's girlfriend.

However, after experiencing so much, Chang Hao had indeed matured significantly. During his junior year, he tried getting to know a girl. She was beautiful and bore a thirty percent resemblance to Zheng Yanyan. But before they could make their relationship official, Chang Hao ultimately apologized to her; she wasn't Zheng Yanyan after all.

Chang Hao himself did not know if he still held Zheng Yanyan in his heart, or if it was something else entirely.

He could not pinpoint exactly which night it began, but he suddenly felt that dating girls was a dull and uninteresting endeavor.

Or perhaps, he had simply lost interest in all girls.

He felt that living alone was quite nice.

Playing games by himself, listening to music alone.

Then, late at night, he would lean against the corner of the balcony all by himself and silently light a cigarette.

He genuinely liked this feeling.

Over the past three years, from serving as class monitor to joining the Student Union, he felt deeply fulfilled even though he hadn't secured any high-ranking positions. When dealing with people and handling matters, he always found himself wondering how Zhou Yuwen would act.

He no longer engaged in flashy attempts to pander to the public.

During the summer vacation, his father took him to meet an old classmate. Chang Hao barely spoke throughout the entire encounter, but he gave off a very grounded and reliable impression. This made his father's classmate like him immensely, directly guaranteeing to his father, "This kid is good. He has a steady and reliable personality."

"Don't worry about the job. With our connections after so many years, even if others can't get in, you definitely can."

And just like that, Chang Hao entered a state-owned enterprise. Before he had even worked a single day, a quota for becoming a regular employee had already been arranged for him. His comprehensive benefits including the Three Golds and Five Insurances would be paid from his very first day on the job. During his internship, his various welfare subsidies added up to around six thousand yuan, and upon becoming a full-time employee, his salary would exceed ten thousand yuan. It was a major energy factory in the north.

Now, as several old classmates who had known each other for years gathered around the dinner table for the last time, many of them jeered and asked for the name of Chang Hao's company.

Chang Hao stated the name.

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

Li Qiang laughed even harder. "Good heavens, Brother Hao, you're a horticulture student. How did you end up in an energy factory?"

Chang Hao just smiled and didn't say anything, but someone immediately followed up on Li Qiang's words. "What's wrong with entering an energy factory? It's much more promising than us manual laborers. Sigh, Brother Hao, I really envy you. A few of us spent ages looking for jobs and finally managed to get into Gold Mantis, only for their first question to be whether we accept expatriate assignments. In the future, we'll all be like old farmers toiling under the sun, completely incomparable to you!"

Hearing the widespread complaints from the others, Chang Hao merely let out a soft chuckle. "It's really nothing much. I just relied on my family's connections. I can't compare to you guys, who genuinely found your jobs on your own."

"Sigh! Even if we wanted to rely on our families, we can't!"

The crowd sighed, and someone else asked, "Brother Qiang, where are you going?"

Li Qiang was also considered a prominent figure in the horticulture class. Putting aside the fact that he previously dated a girlfriend seven years older than him, his title as the Head of External Relations Department alone carried some weight.

When chatting at the dinner table, the topic always seemed to drift toward him.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Li Qiang took a drag from his cigarette and said straightforwardly, "Sigh! I'm also torn. Several wedding services companies are fighting over me, offering salaries up to ten thousand yuan and letting me lead my own team, but I haven't agreed to any of them!"

"Wow! Ten thousand! Isn't that a bit much, Brother Qiang?"

"My internship salary is only 1,800 yuan! Brother Qiang, do they still need people? Take me with you!"

Instantly, everyone gathered around him, and someone even began lighting a cigarette for Li Qiang.

But Li Qiang put on an indifferent expression, saying with disdain, "What's ten thousand? Let me tell you, you guys know Zhao Jun who does labor services, right? To poach me, he even raised the salary offer to fifteen thousand yuan! But I still flat-out refused!"

"Why?"

The crowd was puzzled.

Li Qiang, however, stated flamboyantly, "Working for someone else is never as badass as being your own boss! I'm going to start my own business!"

"Damn! Brother Qiang is badass!"

Everyone immediately stared at him with stars in their eyes, while Li Qiang went on to make increasingly outlandish claims, discussing the broader economic environment and his current situation.

Everyone sat there listening to Li Qiang talk.

Because compared to the others, what Li Qiang said was indeed more grounded and made people feel more invigorated.

Li Qiang drank a couple more glasses of alcohol, and the dinner table began to grow boisterous.

Zhao Yang observed coldly from the side, feeling quite a bit of disdain in his heart.

Ever since their freshman year, he had looked down on Li Qiang, and he still looked down on him now. The salaries he boasted about could probably only fool these clueless kids; no matter how high the pay was, he would still just be a manual laborer.

He noticed Chang Hao, who was similarly staying silent on the side. After a moment of thought, he walked over and handed Chang Hao a cigarette.

Chang Hao was a little surprised.

Zhao Yang asked, "Want to go out for some fresh air?"

Chang Hao nodded.

The two of them left the dinner table just like that, stepping outside onto the second floor of the auditorium.

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. It was May, and the broad, thick leaves of the magnolia trees obscured half of the moonlight.

In the distant metasequoia forest, summer cicadas chirped tirelessly.

Zhao Yang lit a cigarette for Chang Hao.

"Going back to Jingcheng?"

"Yeah, I have to report for duty in June."

"Not bad. Your company seems to have dealings with ours. Let's keep in touch when the time comes."

Chang Hao smiled, remarking that he still didn't even know what his position would be.

Zhao Yang replied that it didn't matter what the position was; he would definitely end up in a management role later on.

"When that time comes, Boss Chang, please take good care of me."

"Are you kidding me, Boss Zhao? I'm the one who needs you to take care of me."

Both Zhao Yang and Chang Hao had fairly good physiques. This was especially true for Chang Hao, who used to enjoy playing basketball and stood nearly 1.8 meters tall. Zhao Yang was just a bit shorter. The moonlight stretched their shadows out long across the floor as they leaned against the railing, smoking.

Chang Hao blew a smoke ring. Gazing at the deep, secluded metasequoia forest in the distance, he sighed with emotion, "Time flies quickly. It's been three years."

"Yeah, three years," Zhao Yang echoed, feeling equally sentimental.

For some reason, both of them were filled with emotion but didn't know what to say. Eventually, Zhao Yang broke the silence, talking about a great many things. Finally, he added that out of everyone in the class, the one he held in the highest regard was probably Chang Hao.

Chang Hao, on the other hand, joked, "Oh, I'm honored!"

"Wipe that smirk off your face."

"Heh heh!"

"Don't forget to look me up when you come back to Jinling."

"Will you treat me to drinks then?"

"Nonsense, you can drink as much Wuliangye and Maotai as you want!" "Sounds good to me!"

The two of them chatted and laughed.

A moment later, Li Qiang arrived belatedly. "Hey, Zhao Yang, Chang Hao, how come you two didn't invite me when you came out to smoke?"

Upon seeing Li Qiang, the two of them reined in their smiles. Zhao Yang said, "We saw CEO Li chatting so happily, so we felt bad about disturbing you."

"Ah! What is there to talk about with those kids? It's much happier chatting with you guys. What were you talking about?" As Li Qiang approached, he lit a cigarette for himself, then tapped out two more and offered them to Zhao Yang and Chang Hao.

Looking at the offered cigarette, Chang Hao said, "I just finished one, I'll pass."

Li Qiang then offered it to Zhao Yang, but Zhao Yang smiled and said, "We've both finished smoking."

Li Qiang gave a slight pout and muttered, "What's the matter, do you two big bosses look down on me?"

It remained a night with bright moonlight and sparse stars, while the auditorium inside was incredibly noisy.

Chang Hao glanced toward the auditorium and said, "The classmates have had quite a bit to drink. I'll go over and check on them."

With that, Chang Hao walked off on his own.

"Wait a minute, I'll go take a look with you."

Zhao Yang smiled at Li Qiang, then headed after Chang Hao.

After both Zhao Yang and Chang Hao had left.

Li Qiang lit his cigarette by himself, gazing out at the vast night as he deeply exhaled a puff of smoke.

"Damn it!"

Li Qiang cursed.

After tonight, they would all go their separate ways. Chang Hao took an airplane back to Jingcheng alone. His three years in Jinling felt like a fleeting dream. He entered the office building of the state-owned enterprise, surrounded by colleagues who were radiant and well-dressed. Driving his father's car, he arrived at the office at nine o'clock every day, played on his phone for a bit, and whenever his superiors had something to do, he would pitch in and help out.

He participated in the basketball games organized by his unit, and soon enough, young girls from out of town started leaving cartons of yogurt or an apple on his desk.

Colleagues in the same office would joke with him, saying his charm was boundless.

But Chang Hao merely smiled in response.

Some female colleagues invited him to the movies, and others would seek him out late at night for a chat.

Chang Hao suddenly thought that perhaps this was exactly the kind of life Zhou Yuwen had been living three years ago.

Unfortunately, while flowers may bloom again, a person can never return to their youth.

Faced with these attentive girls, Chang Hao no longer felt the vigor of youth; he simply felt that he was wasting his time.

From the start of his internship in June all the way to September, Chang Hao's performance was outstanding. However, the nine-to-five lifestyle caused him to slack off somewhat.

Every day, he frequently came across news about Zhou Yuwen on television or the internet.

For example, when a certain company went public, Zhou Yuwen would be there to ring the bell as a shareholder.

In 2015, the earliest batch of tech companies began to go public one after another. From Meituan to Volkswagen, behind each and every one of these familiar internet companies stood the figure of Zhou Yuwen.

Zhou Yuwen became increasingly famous, yet his name disappeared from the rich list. Instead, Zhou Yuwen began finding people for custodial holding of these company stocks, such as Su Qing, Zheng Yanyan, and Lu Lin. One by one, these classmates who were previously visible in everyday life had now transformed into the new money of the internet age.

Zhou Yuwen rarely appeared in public anymore; in fact, he spent most of his time abroad. For instance, collaborating with a businessman in the United States named Elon Musk to build rockets together.

In the media, Zhou Yuwen and Elon Musk were seen shaking hands, with Elon Musk giving a thumbs-up and wrapping Zhou Yuwen in a big hug.

He said Zhou Yuwen was the person who understood him best.

He proclaimed that he wanted to retire on Mars together with Zhou Yuwen!

Or, for example, Zhou Yuwen collaborating on some project with Mark Zuckerberg, acquiring shares in Xiaomi, and working together with Lei Bus to manufacture smartphones.

News regarding Zhou Yuwen continued to multiply.

Yet for Chang Hao, all of this served as an invisible pressure. He didn't actually want to hear any news about Zhou Yuwen, but someone would always ask him, "Hey, I remember that Zhou Yuwen went to the same university as you, right?"

Chang Hao would reply, "Yes, we were roommates."

"Damn, are you serious? Chang Hao, you were actually roommates with Zhou Yuwen?"

"That's just too impressive!"

His colleagues' praises did not make Chang Hao feel happy.

The year 2015 was a time of economic boom. That year, the internet was ablaze with the fervor of entrepreneurship everywhere. Someone had famously said that when standing on the forefront of a trend, even pigs could fly!

As a result, many people found success due to favorable circumstances.

Someone said that the world was so big, and she wanted to go see it.

Others said that life was more than just the daily grind; there was also poetry and distant horizons.

As Chang Hao scrolled through one short video after another, he felt that he shouldn't be wasting his youth here. Zheng Yanyan had now become a shareholder of Bilibili, so why shouldn't he give it a try himself!

He was going to start his own business!

Therefore, he spoke to his father about the matter.

His father told him not to be in a rush to resign.

Chang Hao felt that staying in the office was too boring and a waste of time.

His father discussed it with his old classmate, who remarked that it was perfectly normal for young people to want to go out and forge their own path.

Thus, they transferred Chang Hao to a sales position and sent him to Guangzhou.

Even though it was technically a sales position, when northern energy came to the south, they held the status of the leading party. Countless people scrambled and fought for the chance to buy resources from the state-owned enterprise.

So on his very first day there, Chang Hao tagged along with his veteran colleagues as they were treated to dinner by clients. They dined on exquisite delicacies, and in the evening, they went to a KTV to sing. One potbellied client after another offered toasts to Chang Hao with red and white wine, patting their chests as they declared that coming to Guangzhou was just like coming to his own home!

One after another, beautiful girls with fair skin and long legs, dressed in miniskirts and high heels, not only spoke with sweet voices but also fed him fruit mouth-to-mouth.

At first, Chang Hao was somewhat resistant to all of this.

However, an experienced old fritter of a client simply grabbed his hand and placed it directly onto a girl's thighs.

He even told him not to be afraid, saying that this was called "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."

"If you don't like her, just swap her for another one."

"Boss, come drink."

The girls, each looking as alluring as a vixen, held up their glasses to offer him toasts.

After drinking cup after cup like this, Chang Hao's mind began to grow dazed.

In the beginning, Chang Hao thought this was merely a welcome ceremony. But the truth was, as long as he was willing, there would be this kind of dinner gathering every single day.

These clients wouldn't hand him actual hard cash, but they told him whatever his spending limit was, they would foot the bill. Every day was filled with eating, drinking, and merrymaking, and it was perfectly fine even if he wanted to take the girls away with him.

The clients took him along to speculate on energy stocks. At seven or eight points a day, fifty or sixty thousand yuan simply flowed right into his pockets.

For the first time, Chang Hao discovered: was making money really this simple?

The South truly was a city of degeneracy.