Chapter 29

“Hahaha…” Zhou Andong pulled over to the side of the road and burst into laughter; soon after, Jiang Yuyue, Yao Army, and the short-haired girl joined in laughing.

“That Wang Wanli is hilarious—oh my god, I’m dying laughing!” The short-haired girl clutched her stomach, finally catching her breath. “Dongge, where to next? This is so much fun.”

The girl’s name was Dai Ying, a high school classmate of Jiang Yuyue; her family ran a transportation business with over ten big trucks. When Dai Ying’s father bought his first truck, he got the loan through Jiang Zhengmin.

Zhou Andong said, “If you want to have fun, come back with me to the distillery, grab a few cases of liquor, then gather more friends and follow this script to play around in other cities.”

Dai Ying asked, “What about you?”

Zhou Andong said, “I’ll be busy these two days.”

At that moment, a Passat pulled up and slowed to a stop beside them; out stepped one woman and two men—the same girl dressed in leather jacket and pants, with big curls and a trendy look.

“Dongge, wasn’t my acting good?” The girl giggled, flicked her hair, and walked over in high heels. Though young, her every smile and silence, every movement and stillness, radiated charm.

“You only had one line—what acting?” Dai Ying sneered. “It’s my acting that’s good, right, Dongge?”

“All good, all good!” Zhou Andong never offended anyone, especially not women—he couldn’t afford to. He tossed the car keys to Dai Ying. “I’ve been drinking—you drive.”

“Where to now?” the girl asked.

“Home!” Dai Ying got in the car.

“Home already?” The girl clearly hadn’t had enough. “Going home so early? That’s such a buzzkill.”

The girl’s name was Gao Mengjiao; her family was in business, and she was best friends with Dai Ying—their families also had some business dealings. Yesterday, Jiang Yuyue had borrowed Dai Ying’s car, and Gao Mengjiao was there too; upon hearing how fun this was, she insisted on joining. Since Zhou Andong also needed a few accomplices, he invited her along.

As for the two young men—one named Yu Bo, the other Ge Dazheng—they were brought by Gao Mengjiao. Anyone who hung out with her clearly came from a decent background. But these two treated Zhou Andong and Yao Army with indifference, while chatting and laughing with Dai Ying and Jiang Yuyue—they clearly looked down on Zhou Andong and Yao Army as poor bastards.

Dai Ying leaned out the window: “We’re going to the distillery to get liquor—we’ll play on our own.”

Zhou Andong returned to the distillery and packed several cases of liquor for Dai Ying: “Play your part well—I won’t let you down.”

“Mission accomplished!” Gao Mengjiao saluted with mock seriousness.

This girl was a natural charmer—since morning, the moment she met Zhou Andong, she’d been calling him “Dongge, Dongge,” so warmly he almost couldn’t take it, yet she wasn’t annoying at all.

Dai Ying opened the trunk: “Where do we put these wild goods?”

Zhou Andong said, “Let’s split them up among us.”

Yu Bo and Ge Dazheng grinned and reached out to grab some—when Dai Ying said, “I don’t want any.”

Gao Mengjiao also shook her head: “I don’t want any either.”

Yu Bo and Ge Dazheng awkwardly pulled their hands back: “We don’t want any either.”

Since he’d have no further dealings with these two, Zhou Andong ignored them and, with Yao Army, pulled out the frozen wild game and laid it on the ground.

“We’re leaving!” Dai Ying got in the car.

“Dongge!” Gao Mengjiao waved. “Come find me when you’ve got time.”

In the car, Yu Bo muttered unhappily: “Mengjiao, stay away from Zhou Andong—he’s clearly no good. Besides, he’s not even from the same world as us.”

Gao Mengjiao frowned: “What do you mean, not the same world? Are you trying to fly to the moon?”

Yu Bo flicked his long hair dismissively: “Do you think he even knows who Hai Zi, Ma Yuan, or Zhang Xian are? Do you think he understands music or art?”

“Exactly!” Ge Dazheng snorted. “Just standing next to him drags your status down. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even glance at a country bumpkin like him.”

“Screech!” Gao Mengjiao slammed on the brakes and pulled over.

“Huh?” Yu Bo and Ge Dazheng froze.

“What ‘huh’?” Gao Mengjiao’s face darkened. “I said get out.”

The two stared blankly, confused as to why she’d suddenly turned on them.

Gao Mengjiao rolled down her window and said coldly: “I don’t know who Hai Zi, Ma Yuan, or Zhang Xian are, I don’t understand music or art—I’m a country bumpkin too. Don’t bother calling me again.”

“Vroom”

The Passat roared off, leaving Yu Bo and Ge Dazheng standing there dumbfounded.

Zhou Andong looked at the pile of wild game on the ground—wild rabbits, ducks, pheasants, roe deer, even flying dragons and deer legs. These things could still be eaten now, but in a few years they’d be protected species—no amount of money would get you any.

“Come on, let’s split it among the three of us.”

Jiang Yuyue said, “You two divide it—I don’t want any.”

Zhou Andong asked, “Really not?”

Jiang Yuyue rolled her eyes: “Fine, I’ll take some.”

“You just said you didn’t want any—now you want what?” Zhou Andong grunted. “Dajun, go borrow a three-wheeled cart from the warehouse and take this wild game home.”

“Got it!” Yao Army hurried off and returned quickly on a three-wheeled cart. They tossed the game onto the cart. “We split it fifty-fifty—take whatever you want.”

Yao Army asked, “Where do you want me to drop it off?”

Zhou Andong said, “There’s a snow pile in the yard—just toss it in.”

As soon as Yao Army left, Wu Cheng and the others returned. Zhou Andong treated them to a good meal. The next day, they increased their numbers, carrying calendars and liquor, spreading out across twelve cities in the province—Jiangzhou excluded.

In Huyang City, Wang Wanli strolled into the guesthouse, hands behind his back, whistling a tune. Though he’d been drunk yesterday, he remembered everything clearly.

He entered his office, poured himself a cup of tea, sat down, picked up the phone on his desk, and dialed Zhu Dayong, director of the city’s supply and marketing cooperative.

“Old Zhu, it’s Wang Wanli.”

“Oh! Old Wang, what brings you calling today?”

Wang Wanli smiled. “You must know the factory director of Jiangzhou Distillery.”

“I know him!” Zhu Dayong asked, puzzled. “What’s up?”

“Yes!” Wang Wanli said. “You know Jiangzhou Distillery has a *** liquor, right?”

Zhu Dayong blinked. “*** liquor? I’ve never heard of it.”

“You’re out of touch,” Wang Wanli sipped his tea, smiling. “Old Zhu, I hate to say it, but you’re not doing your job well as director of the supply and marketing cooperative—if you don’t even know about something this big, you need me to call and remind you.”