Chapter 14: 013 The Deep-Pocketed Jiang Chen

The next morning, Fang Qingye got up, washed, and put on a jacket, jeans, and sneakers. His parents were already out—he didn't know where—and had left a note on the living room table. He went downstairs, out of the family compound, and across the street to a small eatery where he had a bowl of fish soup noodles to go, plus a poached egg.

Before long, a white BMW pulled up at the gate of the family compound. It was Song Dahai's car.

Fang Qingye got into the passenger seat and said to him, "Go—pick up Chen Meimei at the Waterworks family compound."

"You got it."

Song Dahai drove, turning onto Friendship Road and heading northeast.

Chen Meimei's parents were ordinary workers at the county waterworks—now renamed South New Water Group Co., Ltd. —and the family lived in the Chengbei Waterworks family compound. Fang Qingye made a phone call, and by the time the car reached the compound gate, Chen Meimei was already waiting there.

Today she was wearing a pale-pink tracksuit, white sneakers, and a small black shoulder bag; paired with her petite frame, she looked very kawaii.

The car had barely stopped when Song Dahai stuck his head out the window and called with a grin, "Chen Meimei, get in!"

The girl also spotted Fang Qingye in the passenger seat, gave an acknowledgment, and sat in the back. The BMW immediately turned around and headed toward Century Square, where they had arranged to meet up.

As the car pulled onto Friendship Road, Fang Qingye spotted a white Volkswagen Polo ahead. After the traffic light, the Polo turned left onto Chaoyang Road, and Song Dahai's car followed behind.

"No way? She's going too?" Song Dahai muttered when he saw the Polo ahead.

"Who is she?"

Fang Qingye asked curiously.

"That's Qian Xiaoli's car. She's not going to Langshan too, is she? I didn't invite her this time. Probably just passing through."

Song Dahai added, trying to reassure himself.

But heaven seldom grants a man's wishes.

The Polo drove to the northwest corner of New Century Square and actually pulled over by the road. Parked in front of it was a silver-gray Honda Accord, and beside it stood a young man in a casual suit—the organizer of today's outing: Jiang Chen.

Three girls also got out of the Polo—Qian Xiaoli, Shao Jing, and Wang Simin—and started chatting with Jiang Chen.

Sure enough, they were all going to Langshan together!

Seeing this, Song Dahai said, "Holy crap! What's this Jiang Chen pulling? Wasn't Qian Xiaoli not invited?!"

"Since we're already here, let's make the best of it—park the car," Fang Qingye replied, snickering inside.

What a small world for enemies; this was going to get lively.

The BMW pulled over behind the Polo, and the three of them got out. The group gathered together.

"Qian Xiaoli heard from Shao Jing that there was an activity today, so she wanted to join too," Jiang Chen offered to explain to Song Dahai—and got a glare for his trouble.

Qian Xiaoli was on the tall side, and her gray tracksuit made her look even taller and slimmer. She stood at the back of the group with her hands in her pockets, not saying a word.

Fang Qingye introduced Chen Meimei to everyone; they were all the same age, so there was nothing more to say.

At that moment Jiang Chen announced, "Everyone! All the expenses for today's activity are on me alone. Dahai, don't you dare fight me for it!"

Song Dahai spread his hands, the very picture of "suit yourself."

"Alright then, ladies—come with me to the supermarket to pick up the barbecue supplies. Pick whatever you like, whatever you want to eat—don't be shy." With that, Jiang Chen led the girls into a nearby big supermarket. Chen Meimei hesitated a moment, then followed them in.

Now only Fang Qingye and Song Dahai were left.

"This Jiang Chen, he's getting cocky now," Song Dahai said, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lighting one up.

Fang Qing also knew Jiang Chen's situation.

Jiang Chen's father was a section chief at the Chengjian Bureau, his mother worked at a county factory, and the family was fairly ordinary. His salary at the Statistics Bureau certainly couldn't buy a 200,000-yuan Honda Accord—but two years earlier he'd made a fortune in the stock market.

From 2005 to 2007, A-shares went through a super bull run, surging from 998 points all the way up to 6,124. Stocks and funds were selling like hotcakes back then; even old men and women who didn't know what a fund was rushed into banks, buying whatever they saw as casually as picking vegetables at a farmers' market.

Some people made a fortune because of it.

Jiang Chen was one of them.

He was still in college at the time, and he urged his parents to buy stocks and funds—not only investing the family's savings, but also finding ways to borrow from the credit union and pour the money into the market!

Even more impressive: by October 2007, just before A-shares topped out and began their plunge, he successfully escaped at the top!

He sold off all his stocks and funds! Later, Jiang Chen privately said he'd made nearly two million yuan.

He bought a car and a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment in Jinghai, and the way Jiang Chen spoke in front of his classmates grew bolder too.

Rumor had it that Jiang Chen had been the mastermind behind it all, proving the guy had both guts and vision—he really had some skills.

Half an hour later, Jiang Chen came out of the supermarket with the four girls, all of them carrying bags and parcels. They loaded everything into the trunks of the three cars and prepared to set off.

"Wang Simin, Qian Xiaoli's car is a bit cramped—why don't you ride in mine?" Jiang Chen suddenly invited.

Wang Simin had an oval face; after graduation she'd passed the exam for a teaching position and was now a teacher at the county's Starlight Elementary School. Her father was the party secretary of a township. Hearing Jiang Chen's invitation, she hesitated a moment, then nodded in agreement.

The three cars started up slowly, one after another heading out of the county.

"That Jiang Chen is chasing Wang Simin," Song Dahai said to Fang Qingye in the car.

"No kidding! Anyone with eyes can see that," Fang Qingye replied.

In his previous life, Fang Qingye seemed to remember the two of them getting married; they'd even called him specifically to invite him to the wedding banquet. But by then he had already gone to Shen City and couldn't make it back—of course, he still had to give the gift money.

The car left the county and got onto the provincial road.

Both sides were lined with dawn redwood trees in a sweep of green; not far off were fields of wheat and rapeseed. The rapeseed was already in bloom—a golden stretch, very pretty.

Fang Qingye was in a very pleasant mood.

The spring scenery really was beautiful—nothing like the steel-and-concrete forest of Shen City, simply no comparison.

At that moment, Song Dahai took out a CD and slipped it into the player. Immediately, the voice of Phoenix Legend rang out.

I am looking up, above the moon

How many dreams are flying free

Yesterday forgotten, the wind drying away sorrow

I want to meet you again on that vast, hazy road

The melody was lilting, and it reminded Fang Qingye of the song's MV—two people in a convertible, Zeng Yi with his shaved head and sunglasses, looking dashing and unrestrained.

Fang Qingye also began humming softly along.

But halfway through, Song Dahai suddenly thought of something and turned off the player.

"What's up?" Fang Qingye couldn't help but ask.

"That song's a bit tacky, switch to another one." Saying so, he took out another CD and popped it in, and soon a very distinctive man's singing voice rang out.

The unglazed porcelain traces out Xu Qinghua's brushwork, thick strokes fading to light

The peonies painted on the vase are just like your first makeup

Slow curls of sandalwood drift through the window, my heart's concerns laid bare

The brush on paper pauses halfway here

Jay Chou's "Blue and White Porcelain"

Mm... it's quite literary enough.

"Chen Meimei, how about this song? 'Blue and White Porcelain' from Zhou Jielun's latest album." Song Dahai said to Chen Meimei, who was sitting quietly in the back seat, through the rearview mirror inside the city.

After a pause, Chen Meimei said: "Actually, I think that song by 'Phoenix Legend' sounds pretty nice."

Haha....

Fang Qingye laughed wildly inside.

This kid, trying to be attentive but aimed at the wrong target.