Ch85.2 – Troubles

Yu Hao was still thinking about Xiao Yujun’s offer as he toasted Zhou Sheng and Fu Liqun.

“You’re going to be a reporter?” Fu Liqun stared at Yu Hao with a baffled face, “But you just started your sophomore year?”

“It’s not confirmed yet.” Yu Hao said, “This year I still need to attend classes, d……date, play a three-person basketball match, and learn skateboarding.” Yu Hao held his forehead with one hand. His university life really was as Xiao Yujun had said, it was way too colourful.

Fu Liqun said, “Ai you’re really living your life to the fullest.”

Zhou Sheng said, “I need to find a part-time job too.”

“Cheers, cheers.” Yu Hao was so hungry he couldn’t stand it anymore, and the three of them started eating. It was a decadent National Day holiday; Zhou Sheng wanted to go out for a walk, but Fu Liqun reminded the two that once it neared National Day, it would be extremely crowded outside. They would just be spending money to suffer if they went out, so they might as well go to an Internet cafe or play basketball in school.

“I’ll accompany you to the newspaper office later?” Zhou Sheng asked.

“I haven’t made a decision.” Yu Hao said, “Still considering it.”

“Go ba.” Zhou Sheng took some food for Yu Hao, “I can tell you kind of want to go.”

Yu Hao realised that Zhou Sheng was just like a puppy in heat when his desires were aroused. But after he obtained release, he would regain his calm steadiness again and wouldn’t be as talkative, as if he was constantly preoccupied with something.

Fu Liqun was a bit wilted and had clearly just been reprimanded by his parents. “Gege wants to find something to do too. Young Master, let’s go set up a stall?”

Zhou Sheng, “……”

Fu Liqun, “I never know what to do with myself all day long, I’m bored stiff.”

“You start grumbling when sis-in-law isn’t around.” Yu Hao smiled, “But once you meet her after her training is over, you’ll feel better.”

Fu Liqun said, “To tell you the truth, today my Dad asked me what I wanted to do after graduation, how I wanted to be with Cen Shan, and even talked about meeting her parents, then I began to think……that I’m really a good-for-nothing, and that I’m a disgrace to my parents.”

Zhou Sheng and Yu Hao listened quietly. Zhou Sheng said, “You just became a sophomore, there’s still some years ahead of you so there’s no need to hurry.”

Fu Liqun said, “It’s not too early. When I recall the day I confessed to your sis-in-law five years ago, it all just seems like it happened yesterday. I keep feeling like I’ve just enrolled in college, do you remember? On the opening day last year, four of us from our dorm ate hot pot in this shop as well, and just within a blink of an eye, a year has already passed.”

Of the people in their dormitory, one completed the formalities the moment he started freshman year to drop out and went abroad; the other was from a demolition household who would use the Internet at his friend’s house and didn’t even attend classes. In the end, he failed all his subjects, was persuaded to withdraw, and seemed to vanish from the face of the earth. Zhou Sheng even thought that something had happened to him on several occasions, and after a few calls, he confirmed that he just didn’t want to attend college, so he left him be.

“That’s alright too.” Zhou Sheng said, “From today on, get yourself together! Come! Let’s eat hot pot!”

Fu Liqun raised his spirits and said, “Okay! Okay! You’re right! Young Master is the one with the most positive energy after all, you’re just like a little sun.”

Yu Hao, “Then let’s go back to revise after eating hot pot? I’ll go get coffee.” Yu Hao had learned how to brew coffee and has always wanted to make coffee for Zhou Sheng.

Fu Liqun, “……”

Zhou Sheng, “……”

“It’s the holidays, don’t do that!” Fu Liqun wailed, “And I was even thinking about going to the bar tonight together to play!”

Yu Hao, “……”

Yu Hao thought that he was really way too busy this semester. If he took the part-time job Xiao Yujun offered him, then he would have to skip classes from time to time to accompany her for interviews. If he had known about this sooner, he wouldn’t have signed up for the skateboarding club this year. After dinner, Xiao Yujun especially went to the bar to look for him. She had been running around the entire day and only got off work at 10pm.

“You’ve had to suffer quite a bit.” Zhou Sheng said, “What do you want to drink?”

“What else can I do but suffer?” Xiao Yujun smiled, “I need to make a living to support myself and buy a house. If I take advantage of these two years to make a quick profit and buy a small apartment, I’ll feel more at ease. You little young masters don’t eat the food of common mortals; your families have already paved a path for you guys, so of course you won’t have to worry about such things.”

Zhou Sheng didn’t know if he should laugh or cry and didn’t respond. Xiao Yujun said, “Yu Hao, come, let’s have a casual chat ba.”

Yu Hao knew that Xiao Yujun’s ‘casual chat’ was basically a simple interview. The two of them moved to a corner. Yu Hao talked about his schedule this semester. He really was very busy, but Xiao Yujun said that the job could be adjusted according to his schedule and even showed him a list of possible topics. Yu Hao glanced through it, and he was interested in all of them……

7 topics in the first issue: first, ‘the psychological analysis and reasons behind adolescents’ chase for fame using a model in which people scramble over online celebrities’; Yu Hao has actually met one of the interviewees — Huang Jinya’s best friend, Bei Xiaozhou.

Next is the analysis of adolescents’ problems with communication, high school sexual behaviour and pregnancy diagnoses, ‘boys brought up by the poor’ and ‘boys brought up by the rich’, what students with poor academic performance did when they grew up, please don’t take the bottle of drink from the roof of the car……

Yu Hao thought that all these topics were so appealing to him that he couldn’t refuse any of them.

“Then give me your timetable ba.” Xiao Yujun said, “I’ll get the interns to arrange your schedule for you.”

“Okay then.” Until now, Yu Hao still hasn’t asked Xiao Yujun how much he would be paid, but the money wasn’t that important anymore.

Xiao Yujun said, “I don’t need you to write a lot of manuscripts, especially in the preliminary stages, I’ll do those myself. Your work will mainly focus around running errands, and……I need your help with something. It’s about the state of some social affairs and analysis regarding the mental health of adolescents, I need you to help me look for male god. I wanted to directly ask him for a piece, but he has his own considerations, which is understandable……”

It really was as Zhou Sheng had said! Yu Hao thought that he had benefited from his association with Chen Yekai once again.

“He has already promised us.” Xiao Yujun smiled and looked at Yu Hao, “You just need to frequent his office. I need an ‘expert’s opinion’ in the column, and he’ll be the expert behind it.”

Yu Hao constantly felt that he was very indebted to Chen Yekai. The previous translation work, the part-time job, this time with running errands — he only had the opportunity to do all this because of Chen Yekai. But those topics were really so appealing to him that he wasn’t able to refuse her at all..

Yu Hao thought about it for a moment, then looked at Xiao Yujun, “Let me consider it for awhile longer?”

Xiao Yujun said readily, “Okay. I’ll give you a day, you can give me your answer tomorrow. Actually, some people are naturally fit for this line of work — you can tell from one look at their demeanour. I still need to go back and revise some manuscripts, so I’ll leave now.”

Yu Hao said goodbye to her and Xiao Yujun finished the rest of her drink, “Don’t drink too much.”

Zhou Sheng and Fuliqun were playing dice and drinking in silence. The two of them had received another round of critical hits from Xiao Yujun. Zhou Sheng said absent-mindedly, “Drank mine, it’s your turn. What happened next?”

Fu Liqun pondered, “There’s no ‘next’……your sis-in-law is still hiding it from her father.”

“About being with you?” Zhou Sheng asked.

Fu Liqun uttered an “un” and answered, “The last time we went to the amusement park, while you confessed in the ferris wheel, we quarrelled in the ferris wheel over this.”

Zhou Sheng kept silent and continued shaking the dice cup. He tossed them out, Fu Liqun motioned for him to drink, and Zhou Sheng drank. Fu Liqun continued, “She said, when she thought of the future, her vision would go blank. She wanted me to tidy myself up, but how do I do that? I am this kind of person, and didn’t she fall in love with this kind of me……”

“Did she mention when she’ll talk to her father about this?” Zhou Sheng said, “There must be an outcome for this eventually ba.”

Fu Liqun said, “No, we didn’t mention it.”

Zhou Sheng said, “Her mother passed away early, and she’s the only apple of her father’s eye, so there’ll definitely be a huge quarrel over this.”

Fu Liqun said, “If Gege has a family like yours, I wouldn’t be afraid of anything.”

Zhou Sheng said, “I still have two million with me; I can lend you some for a College Entrepreneur’s start up fund.”

“Don’t!” Fu Liqun said, “You definitely can’t!”

Zhou Sheng continued shaking the dice up, opened it, then drank by himself, “Gege, I want to come out of the closet.”

“Ah?” Fu Liqun was taken aback, “Don’t ba, what if your mother chops Young Madam up with a kitchen knife?”

“My Mum doesn’t pose much of a problem, I’m not scared of her anymore.” When Zhou Sheng said this, he suddenly stopped talking and there was a subtle change in his expression.

Fu Liqun, “???”

After he was silent for a moment, Zhou Sheng continued, “The two of us talked about money and our future today. He asked if I’ve ever thought about our future, and of course I have, I want to give him the best. I want to give him an unforgettable birthday……”

Fu Liqun, “……”

Zhou Sheng continued absent-mindedly, “I want to take him to Australia to play, sit in luxurious seats in the plane, stay in a hotel, and get a sea view room……but the moment he says ‘where’s the money from?’, I cower. You get it?”

Fu Liqun shook his head in tears and laughter.

Zhou Sheng, “I have nothing, so I can only rely on my Dad. Some time ago, I was thinking, why not just go with my Dad’s arrangements. I’ll accept all his arrangements for me, as long as he’s willing to accept Yu Hao.”

“He won’t accept it!” Fu Liqun said, “Don’t be impulsive, Young Master.”

Zhou Sheng said, “But I need money! I want to earn money! Don’t you get it? Gege, this is the first time in my life for me to like someone this much, and it’s also my first time to want money this much. I want to give him a lot of things……but none of them are mine, they belong to my Dad.”

“You’re doing well enough.” Fu Liqun said helplessly, “Look at me? I’m the one who can’t give her anything. I don’t even know how to wash a sock, and I even got scolded by my Mum today.”

Zhou Sheng was a bit gloomy, “He’s much more independent than us, if only I was like Kaikai.”

“But the one he likes is you.” Fu Liqun said, “Not Kaikai. That’s how I comfort myself sometimes.”

Zhou Sheng responded with an “un”, then said, “Loving each other is the most important thing.”

Fu Liqun said, “The best thing about both of you is that you’re not as emotionally attached to your parents. Like what you said before, it’ll be pretty good to start over somewhere else.”

Zhou Sheng said, “Go to BSG? Go with him, rely on my own efforts, and live a cozy and happy life? But can I afford a house? I can’t even afford houses in Ying City. Look at how hard Junjun Jie is working for a house. What about me? After leaving my Dad, I’ll definitely be at the bottom of the social ladder. I would have studied harder in the past if I had known this would happen.”

Fu Liqun looked at Zhou Sheng and said helplessly, “It’s all the same.”

Zhou Sheng raised his spirits and said, “But if I had studied hard, I wouldn’t have met him — that’s one thing I don’t regret at all. I can only say that it was all predetermined by fate ba.”

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