Chapter 5: 004 Song Dahai's Greatest Humiliation

"Try one — that old man's strawberries actually taste pretty good."

"I saw you bought out that old man's entire stock of strawberries. Quite the tycoon, aren't you." Fang Qingye said, taking out a strawberry and popping it into his mouth to try. It was indeed quite sweet.

Hearing Fang Qingye say that, Song Dahai laughed and said, "A whole basket of strawberries isn't worth much, can't be bothered haggling. Besides, that old man doesn't set up his stall regularly either — he grows his own strawberries at home and comes to the city to sell them, it's not easy."

At this point, Song Dahai paused, "If it were those regular stallholders acting up, I wouldn't be so polite. Don't look down on those vendors — what they earn is no less than what you make at the bank!"

"I know — that fruit stall at the crossroads, I heard the guy bought apartments both in the city and the county. Pretty impressive." Fang Qingye said.

"Ordered the dishes yet?"

"Ordered."

"Beer — hey, why hasn't the beer come? Waiter, bring a case of Dafuhao!" Song Dahai shouted toward the bar.

"And grab an empty plate for the strawberries!" Fang Qingye added.

The hotpot was soon bubbling away, and the two ate and chatted as they went.

Nanxin lies in central Jiangsu, where people generally can't handle spicy food, but Song Dahai was an exception — after spending a few years in the great northwest, his tastes had changed dramatically, and he now couldn't eat a meal without chili.

"Smoke?" Song Dahai pulled another pack of Su cigarettes from his pocket.

"You go ahead and smoke, don't mind me." Fang Qingye didn't really have a smoking habit — only occasionally, when he'd had too much to drink, he'd light up a couple.

Song Dahai knew his habit too, so he just lit one up himself.

Just then, a middle-aged man walked in — slicked-back hair, dressed fairly casually, but carrying the air of a big boss.

Fang Qing recognized him too.

This man was Qian Weimin, the boss of Tenglong Industries.

Qian Weimin also noticed their side. Seeing Song Dahai eating and drinking heartily, he walked over with a smile and greeted him: "Dahai."

"Oh — Uncle Qian, you're here for hotpot too?" Song Dahai set down his beer glass and stood up to greet him.

"A friend came from the city, he's interested in this stuff, so we dropped by to try it." Qian Weimin replied with a smile, then took a look at Fang Qingye.

"Eating hotpot with a friend?"

"Yeah, this is my classmate and also my close buddy, Fang Qingye — Principal Fang's son from Chengguan Middle School, works at Dongfang Bank." Song Dahai introduced.

Hearing it was Dongfang Bank, Qian Weimin took another look at Fang Qingye and extended his right hand: "Which department are you in?"

"I only passed the exam last year, still rotating through posts — currently in the Credit Department." Fang Qingye told the truth.

"Credit Department? I'm pretty close with your Zhang Kezhang Su. Let's set something up someday, get Zhang Kezhang Su out for a meal together." Qian Weimin said, shaking his hand.

"Thank you." Fang Qingye of course knew it was just polite talk.

Inviting Su Ming to dinner would be about right — as for himself, he wasn't yet at the level where a boss of that stature would treat him.

Qian Weimin said a few more words and left. Fang Qingye and Song Dahai continued eating and chatting.

"Dahai, you're pretty tight with Boss Qian, calling him uncle and all." Fang Qingye joked.

"Hey, don't get the wrong idea." Song Dahai said immediately:

"My old man's in real estate, and one of the companies under Qian Weimin does building materials, so the two families have business dealings. In Nanxin County there are only so many big operators — they all know each other, and us younger generation just call them uncle when we meet them. That's the extent of the relationship."

"No other kind of relationship?" Fang Qingye held back a laugh and asked deliberately.

"Really not."

"I thought you and Qian Xiaoli were rekindling an old flame." Fang Qingye laughed.

"What old flame? There was never anything between us in the first place!" Song Dahai shot back: "Ye Zi, you're not allowed to mention the name Qian Xiaoli again — if you bring her up one more time, I'm going to have it out with you!"

"Alright, alright, I won't say it, won't say it." Fang Qingye held back his laughter and raised his beer for a sip.

Qian Xiaoli was Qian Weimin's daughter. She had gone to the same elementary school as Fang Qingye and Song Dahai, though not in the same class.

Actually, the two of them didn't know each other originally. Song Dahai was a mischievous kid at school who liked to tug girls' ponytails from behind — starting with the girls in his own class, then expanding to the neighboring class.

Once, his restless hands got the better of him and he actually tugged Qian Xiaoli's hair — never expected he'd poked a hornet's nest.

Back then, Qian Xiaoli was quite a wild girl. She'd heard she'd even practiced some martial arts with her grandfather, so she grabbed a broom and chased Song Dahai, running laps around the playground several times, and finally pinned him to the ground, sat on top of him, and beat him up thoroughly.

The whole school was in an uproar.

This was Song Dahai's greatest humiliation, and it left a shadow on his heart — from then on, whenever he saw Qian Xiaoli, he'd take a detour.

Years passed, and the youngsters all gradually grew up. Song Dahai grew tall and sturdy, and Qian Xiaoli became a graceful young Miss. She later got into Jinghai University of Technology, and after graduation went to work at the County Housing Provident Fund Management Center — a city-administered unit with pretty good benefits.

The two sets of parents had the idea of an arranged match between the families. It was said Qian Xiaoli didn't refuse either, but when Song Dahai heard about it, he firmly opposed it.

"Even if I stay a bachelor my whole life, I won't take Qian Xiaoli! If you push me any further, I'll go to Dinghui Temple and become a Monk!"

Seeing his son so resolute, the proposed match was quietly dropped. But the story between him and Qian Xiaoli would sometimes be brought up by friends for a laugh.

Of course, the jokes were kept within bounds.

Fang Qingye stopped bringing it up, but Song Dahai suddenly said:

"Tell me — twenty million in deposits vanished into thin air, why doesn't Qian Weimin look the least bit anxious?"

"What would 'anxious' even look like? Wailing for his daddy and mommy, beating his chest and stamping his feet?" Fang Qingye retorted.

"At the very least, report it to the police, let the public security bureau investigate. Your bank investigating itself — what could you possibly find?!" Song Dahai said.

"Dahai, why are you so dead set that it's our bank's problem? Maybe it's a stunt they staged themselves! Report to the police — would he dare?!" Fang Qingye retorted, annoyed.

"Huh?! You actually think that?" Song Dahai's eyes went wide, his face full of disbelief.

"I was just guessing wildly... alright, what's this got to do with us? Drink up!" Fang Qingye didn't want to discuss the topic, but Song Dahai seemed to have more to say.

"How is it not your business? You're at least someone from Dongfang Bank, aren't you? Besides, that President Xia of yours is your senior schoolmate — are you just going to sit there and watch your pretty schoolmate suffer? If I had a pretty schoolmate like that, I'd do everything I could, throw caution to the wind, to help her solve her troubles."

Song Dahai was grinning, but somehow his expression looked a bit lecherous.

"Get lost! If you keep talking nonsense, I'm going to call Qian Xiaoli over here. Didn't you say you had no pretty girl to keep you company? I think Qian Xiaoli's pretty enough." Fang Qingye made a show of reaching for his phone.

"Alright, alright, I won't say any more. Drink, drink." Song Dahai quickly raised his glass.

"Oh, right — Dahai, let me tell you something, do me a favor." Fang Qingye suddenly thought of something and said.

"What is it?"

"Lend me 200,000," Fang Qingye said.

"What for? Buying a car?"

"No, I'm preparing to trade stocks," Fang Qingye stated his purpose.