Chapter 139

Relationships, since ancient times and across the world, are constantly manifested in daily life.

It was as if Wang Yan and Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng had barely sat down and spoken a few words when the table that arrived before them was still waiting—their dishes hadn't even all been served yet, while Wang Yan and Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng were already eating.

"Bro, try some, how is it?"

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng enthusiastically urged Wang Yan to eat.

Wang Yan picked up a piece of beef, chewed it slowly, then nodded: "Good. Better than some big restaurants."

The head chef here is about the same level as me; this skill set is overkill for such a small eatery. Add in the low prices and the fact it's near a university, and it's no surprise the Hammer makes money.

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng laughed and picked up the Hongxing Hongxing Erguotou, aiming to tuck it between his legs to twist open—the arm injury made it hard to hold.

"Let me do it—you focus on yourself."

Wang Yan quickly stood up and took it away; though it didn't matter much, drinking like that would feel strange.

Seeing Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng grin and lift the cup toward him, Wang Yan said: "Don't drink. You just got stitches—alcohol hinders recovery. When you're fully healed, there'll be plenty of chances. This one's not worth risking."

"Alright, Brother. Then I'll toast with tea—thank you for helping me today."

Wang Yan spoke firmly, so Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng said no more, poured himself a cup of tea, and raised it.

"You've been repeating the same thing all day—I'm sick of hearing it. Enough already." He clinked his cup against Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng's and took a large sip.

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng didn't mind, laughing: "You helped me so much—it's only right to thank you. My abilities are limited, but Brother, if you ever need me, just say the word—I'll jump through fire and water, no hesitation."

He made a few thousand yuan sound like raising a rebellion.

"I know your heart, don't worry—if I ever need help, I'll come to you." Wang Yan picked up a chopstick and added meat to Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng's bowl: "You haven't eaten properly all day—eat more meat, get some strength back."

Wang Yan sipped quietly; Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng struggled to pick up food with his left hand, but the cheerful atmosphere was fine.

"Bro, what do you do?" Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng finally asked the question he'd held back all evening, now that Wang Yan had drunk half a bottle of Hongxing Hongxing Erguotou and his tone had grown more relaxed.

"In modern terms, I'm a rich second-generation. I started my own internet company—mess around for fun." Wang Yan smiled.

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng knew Wang Yan was downplaying it—reality was far more complex. He'd met rich second-gens before; he knew exactly what Cheng Feng was like. Even if he hadn't met other powerful, serious rich second-gens, he could still guess boldly—and even his boldest guesses didn't come close to Wang Yan.

But he didn't dwell on it—knowing someone was impressive was enough: "Internet? I know a bit. What exactly do you do?"

"Artificial intelligence. You familiar with it?"

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng nodded and pointed to Wang Yan's phone on the table: "Phones have evolved this far already—so in the future… I think artificial intelligence is a great direction, but the investment is too high, and results won't show quickly…"

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng rattled off a string of personal opinions on the internet and views on artificial intelligence. Though Wang Yan thought many of his points were shallow, compared to others at his level, they were far better.

In truth, Wang Yan was just using this as an excuse—how Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng spoke didn't matter; he just wanted to lure him into joining his team.

When Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng finished, Wang Yan said: "You're right—many of your views are fresh. Interested in working with me?"

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng froze, then waved his hands frantically: "Thank you for considering me, but no thanks. I'm just talking nonsense—I don't know any tech at all. If I can't help you but drag you down instead, that'd be repaying kindness with betrayal."

"I'm not asking you to code—I'm asking you to manage. Knowing tech helps, but it's not required. Look at today's internet companies—leaders aren't all tech people."

Wang Yan smiled: "Of course, I won't put you in management right away—your experience is still limited. You'll learn first, but the learning phase won't last long. My company is launching many projects soon…"

Everyone says the internet is all about bluffing—and Wang Da the Con Artist was no slouch. In the following time, Wang Yan launched into a grand vision, leaving Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng stunned.

"I won't lie to you—if you keep up, there'll be a position waiting for you. The future is promising. As for initial pay, it'll be higher than what you're making now. What do you say, Shi Shi Xiaomeng?"

Wang Yan took a sip of wine, watching Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng struggle.

Jobs aren't switched overnight, let alone across industries. Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng's only goal now was to secure that 38-square-meter apartment—his current job still had eighty thousand yuan tied to it. Compared to Wang Yan's promises—one was visible, the other wasn't.

Though their time together was short, he knew Wang Yan wouldn't lie—his strength spoke for itself. But what Wang Yan said now—what would happen later? Who could say?

And this choice was a decision about his entire future. If he chose right, everything was fine. If he chose wrong, the lost time and wrong path could never be undone.

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng hesitated: "Thanks, Brother. Let me think about it some more."

"Alright, take your time. Whenever you decide, just let me know." Wang Yan nodded, not pressing. Before stepping forward, no one knows what the future holds. Some gamble everything; others hesitate—normal.

The two chatted a while longer, but now Wang Yan talked more. He spoke of internet industry matters and his future plans—trying to deepen Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng's impression. Once a thought takes root, it grows weeds—Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng was no exception.

Wang Yan finished his last sip: "Full and satisfied, Shi Shi Xiaomeng—let's call it a day."

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng nodded: "Bro, you drank a lot today—should I call you a driver?" Without giving Wang Yan a chance to refuse, he spotted the driver service ad on the table and dialed the number immediately.

A full pound of authentic Hongxing Hongxing Hongxing Erguotou, 56 degrees—completely finished. Though the Jing A8 license plate was intimidating and rarely checked, he couldn't risk Wang Yan driving—his safety mattered too much.

Wang Yan's alcohol tolerance? He was fine. But he didn't refuse. Same rule: never drive after drinking.

After hanging up, Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng poured Wang Yan a cup of tea: "Brother, the driver's still a bit away—drink some water to sober up."

Wang Yan took the tea and sipped: "Can you manage alone, with your condition?"

"Nah, no big deal. If I really need help, I'll call a friend to come over." Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng smiled carelessly—he'd already planned to call Wu Di, who lived alone anyway; two people together would be better.

When the driver arrived and dropped Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng off at home, Wang Yan returned to his three-courtyard mansion.

Returning to this place, Wang Yan wandered through every room. He couldn't help thinking of Wang Jia and Wang Hui—the two children he'd first been a father to.

Of course, this nostalgia didn't last long. Sorrow and joy, parting and reunion—these were life's norms, even more so for him. After all he'd been through, he wasn't heartless—he was nearly frozen. Calling him cold-blooded wasn't an exaggeration. He had to be rational, had to be ruthless—or he'd have shattered long ago.

Wang Yan shook his head, washed up, then sat in his study and began typing code again on his computer. The repetitive, massive tasks were boring—but there was no choice. Objective conditions forced him to keep moving the same blocks over and over.

Soon after Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng returned home, Wu Di drove over, having received his message.

"What the hell happened to you?"

Wu Di's first words upon entering were about Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng's injury.

"Sit down." Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng said: "It was this morning at work…"

"Damn, how's your injury?"

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng poured Wu Di a glass of water: "Stitches—no big deal. You went bungee jumping yesterday, I got hurt today—how about tomorrow we go to Yonghe Palace to pray?"

"Sounds good. We've been unlucky lately." Wu Di nodded, then remembered to ask: "Wait—did you go to the hospital alone today? Why didn't you call Cheng Feng or me?"

"I was just going to tell you—I met a good person today. Otherwise I'd have called you. As for Crazy Feng? Forget it." Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng said: "You know my apartment's down payment—twenty thousand. He covered it."

Wu Di nodded knowingly—he'd asked about not calling them for the same reason. He knew Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng's situation too well—he was broke. He dropped the subject: "Tell me about this good person."

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"Yeah, yeah—tell me about the good person. You won't believe it—this morning… he even gave me two thousand yuan to help me recover…" Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng recounted everything Wang Yan had done for him: "Brother Wang drove a top-tier A8—guess what license plate? Jing A8! The one you told me about—just that plate's worth more than my little apartment."

"That's definitely true," Wu Di nodded, then realized: "Wait, no—breaking your arm led you to meet such an awesome person? This is a lucky break! Why are you even going to Yonghe Palace?"

"I should pay my respects to Wang Ge. Someone like him deserves good fortune."

Seeing his serious expression, Wu Di couldn't help but smile bitterly: "He's basically your savior—you really should pay your respects. But what about your job now?"

"Hu Rongqiang told me to take two days off, but the proposal still needs to be submitted—the client is waiting. Today the client was satisfied and gave me some feedback to revise. The issues aren't big; it should work out."

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng smiled: "And Hu Rongqiang promised me an eighty-thousand-yuan bonus if we land this project. Once I get that eighty thousand, twenty thousand goes to Fengzi, the rest—"

"Understood."

"Right now, that eighty thousand is entirely in Hu Rongqiang's hands—he can decide whether to pay or not with a single word. He should've paid it long ago, but he's always saying the company's profits are bad, which is why it's still delayed."

Wu Di nodded: "Private company bosses are all like this—everything depends on their word. You're stuck, and I'm just a lone wolf anyway. How about I come over these evenings to help you?"

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng rolled his eyes: "Duh, do you think I called you over for nothing?"

"I advise you to switch jobs," Wu Di said, unconcerned, fiddling with his hot-water cup. "Honestly, I was a bad student, so sales is fine for me. But you've always been top of our class—this isn't fair to your talent."

"I've thought about it," Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng said. "And today Wang Ge even invited me to join him. I'm still hesitating. But no matter what, I need to get that eighty thousand first, right?"

He didn't mention the old script about fate, because today Wang Yan had affirmed his worth—this had stirred the smoldering spark in his heart, the one that refused mediocrity. Beneath that flicker lay the shadow of a boy who had studied hard—Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng of years past.

Wu Di nodded, frowning: "So what does this Wang Ge do?"

"Wang Ge works in internet tech, mainly in artificial intelligence, and…" Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng repeated to Wu Di the story Wang Yan had spun him.

After listening, Wu Di stared fixedly at Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng, saying nothing.

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng grew uneasy under his gaze: "Why are you staring at me?"

Wu Di let out a long sigh and raised a thumb: "Shi Shi Xiaomeng, you're amazing. Truly amazing."

"Just say it. Don't talk in riddles."

"Who is this Wang Ge? I haven't met him, but from what you said, he wouldn't bother lying to you. Someone like that—just a single scrap of what he has could feed you and me for life. And yet he wants to mentor you, to put you in management—and you're hesitating?"

Wu Di clenched his fist and held it before Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng: "Come on, Comrade Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng, let me interview you—can you tell me what exactly you're hesitating about?"

Shi Shi Shi Xiaomeng pushed his fist aside with his left hand: "I know Wang Ge is offering me a chance. But right now, what I need most is that eighty thousand."

He had thought it through: perhaps following Wang Yan would be better. But what mattered most to him now was absolutely that eighty thousand—because the deadline to pay for the house was coming soon. And that tiny thirty-eight-square-meter apartment was his greatest hope.

As for the future… if he couldn't even figure out today, why even talk about the future?