199: youthful spirit

After Peng Hui left, Yu Chuan instantly lost all his strength.

He slumped back into his chair, his eyes vacant!

Even though he felt extreme anger toward Peng Hui's actions,

After so many years of feelings, even if he were to dig them out and feed them to the dogs, it would still take a while to finish!

Not to mention, he had learned the truth so suddenly; he couldn't recover his emotions in just a moment.

Yu Chuan's gaze focused on a single spot on the tabletop.

Countless images seemed to flash through his mind, yet it also felt as if he could remember nothing at all—a complete blank.

"Chen Qiu, thank you."

"I've let you see something embarrassing."

He spoke in a raspy voice.

It just so happened that Peng Hui's blind date was his old classmate, Chen Qiu.

This was both a misfortune and a stroke of luck for him.

Had it been anyone else, who knows how the situation would have ended.

Although Chen Qiu had said quite irresponsibly earlier: just don't hit the head.

But that had instantly triggered a memory for Yu Chuan.

Back in high school, during a basketball game after school, two students had a conflict and started fighting on the spot.

High schoolers don't know the weight of their own hands.

One of them grabbed something nearby and slammed it hard against the back of the other's head.

The person died right then and there.

The incident caused a huge stir; an insignificant pickup game caused the life trajectories of two students and two families to change drastically.

So, when he heard Chen Qiu say those words to him, he understood the subtext.

You can use your hands, but consider the consequences!

"What are you thanking me for? I didn't do anything."

Chen Qiu sat down and handed Yu Chuan a pair of chopsticks and a bowl.

"Do you want to eat something? The dishes have barely been touched."

"Forget it, I have no appetite."

"Then sit there and watch me eat... I haven't eaten yet."

As Yu Chuan watched Chen Qiu eating heartily, he suddenly grabbed the chopsticks and bowl and began eating voraciously.

Grief and indignation couldn't transform into an appetite!

But at least it gave him a sense of cathartic release!

...Ten minutes later.

The young couple sitting at the table behind Chen Qiu peeked out. Seeing the silhouettes of Chen Qiu and Yu Chuan leaving, they let out a satisfied yet emotional sigh.

They had really enjoyed listening to this gossip today!

However... "I told you to stop him just now, why didn't you move?"

The girl looked at her boyfriend curiously and asked.

The boy said helplessly.

"What man could endure such a thing?"

"If I had stopped him, that knot would probably have stayed in his heart for a lifetime."

"Besides, what if he landed a punch on my head?"

Hearing this, the girl immediately gave the boy a look of disdain.

"Coward!"

"What do you know!"

"I judged that he wouldn't actually do it!"

The boy snorted softly.

"And... even if he did, it would just be ten or so days in detention."

"To be fair, if I encountered something like this..."

"Hmm?"

Before he could finish, he was suddenly met with his girlfriend's death stare.

"What's that supposed to mean? You think I'd cheat?"

"I said 'if'..."

"There is no 'if', you just don't trust me!"

"I'm wrong, I'm wrong. It's my fault, okay?"

"What do you mean 'okay'? What kind of apology attitude is that?"

The girl stood up with a cold face, and the boy scratched his head, looking completely depressed.

"What a mess!"

"Why are women so dramatic?"

He muttered as he chased after her!

...After leaving the restaurant, the two walked around the town, chatting as they went.

"Thinking back now, I pampered her too much."

"I bought her whatever she wanted and let her have her way when she threw tantrums. I let her develop this personality..."

Hearing this, Chen Qiu said indifferently.

"Society isn't school. No one has the obligation or the ability to discipline another person!"

"A rotten person is just a rotten person!"

"Look on the bright side, you should be thankful. At least Peng Hui didn't dig a hole for you or leave you in debt."

Chen Qiu spoke half-jokingly and half-sincerely.

Being cheated on is only temporary.

If you end up in debt or with loans because of a woman, who knows how long it would take to recover.

"Maybe it's because I couldn't borrow much money, so she didn't bother making a mess with me."

Yu Chuan gave a bitter laugh, then shook his head self-deprecatingly.

After saying that, he was silent for a moment before suddenly asking Chen Qiu.

"By the way, were those things you told Peng Hui just now made up or real?"

"Those things?"

"Private Banking, starting a business!"

"They're real, of course!"

Chen Qiu nodded.

He pulled out his China Merchants Bank Private Banking card and twirled it skillfully between his fingers.

Yu Chuan looked at Chen Qiu with admiration.

"We had a meal together in Shenzhen a year ago, right? I remember you were still doing sales back then!"

"To take off like this in just one year, that's too powerful!"

"Why are you even going on blind dates?"

"At the class reunion after the New Year, just go straight to Yan Baiwei and rekindle your old flame!"

"I heard she still doesn't have a boyfriend..."

As Chen Qiu listened, his expression became somewhat strange and stunned.

"Wait!"

He interrupted Yu Chuan.

"When did I ever have an 'old flame' with the Class Monitor?"

Yu Chuan looked completely surprised.

"You didn't?"

"In high school, you two sat together all day acting all lovey-dovey. Everyone just assumed you were dating?"

"No, how can you guys just assume something like that?"

"I think someone went and asked the Class Monitor. She didn't deny it, so everyone took it as her silent admission!"

"But later, close to graduation, you two stopped talking much, so everyone guessed you had broken up."

Chen Qiu was helpless.

This was slander, this was defamation!

No wonder his sunny, handsome self back then had no pursuers until someone finally confessed on graduation day.

It turned out that in everyone else's eyes, his innocence had long been tarnished by Yan Baiwei!

"Well played, Class Monitor. Even someone as upright-looking as you plays tricks. Just wait for my punishment!"

After Yan Baiwei received the message, she directly replied to Chen Qiu with several question marks.

"If you ask me, the Class Monitor is so great, why bother with blind dates!"

Hearing Yu Chuan's words, Chen Qiu put away his phone and said with a half-smile.

"What if she's not single now?"

"Impossible!"

"Absolutely impossible!"

Yu Chuan said with total conviction.

"A few of us from the dorm specifically looked into it a few days ago."

"Of the pretty girls in our class, only the Class Monitor is still single and unmarried!"

"The Class Monitor is the prettiest and has the best temperament in our class. I bet quite a few people will be eager to make a move at this reunion!"

"And it's said that the Class Monitor's family fortune has declined..." Yu Chuan lowered his voice.

"Chen Qiu, you have an old flame with her, and now you're successful. When the time comes, drive a luxury car over and show off a bit. Who would dare compete with you?"

"Winning the beauty's heart would be a matter of minutes, wouldn't it?"

As Yu Chuan spoke, a hint of the worldliness acquired from being ground down by society appeared in his eyes.

When he was a student, he didn't feel it deeply. When he read novels with classic class reunion plots, he would feel puzzled and disgusted!

They were all old classmates; was there any need to flatter this one and look down on that one?

It was simply vulgar beyond endurance!

Until now, he was gradually able to understand that feeling.

The one who disgusted that vulgar socializing wasn't him.

But the youthful spirit in his chest!

When he entered society and his youthful spirit was worn away by the frustrations of reality, he naturally became one of those vulgar members.

Chen Qiu heard this and looked at him with a light laugh.

"So you've already written the script for me?"

"Well, doesn't what I said make sense!"

Yu Chuan winked at Chen Qiu.

Chen Qiu let out a laugh, but his gaze landed on the park basketball court ahead.

A few middle school students on vacation were playing one-on-one.

The basketball bounced off the rim and toward them.

"Hey handsome, could you grab the ball for us!"

Amidst the shouts of the middle schoolers, Chen Qiu caught the basketball on the ground with one hand.

"What's the point of showing off with a luxury car?"

Hearing Chen Qiu's voice, Yu Chuan was slightly stunned.

In the world of adults, isn't money the most important thing?

"Then how do you show off?"

Just as Yu Chuan finished speaking, he felt Chen Qiu beside him dash out like an arrow from a bow.

He stepped hard onto the concrete and jumped off one foot from a step inside the free-throw line.

His entire body stretched out into an extremely graceful posture in mid-air.

And then.

Boom!

Chen Qiu slammed the ball fiercely into the hoop.

The slightly worn-out rim let out an overburdened creak!

The surrounding middle schoolers' eyes widened, and expletives frequently tumbled from their mouths!

"Holy crap, that's awesome!"

Yu Chuan was stunned, his mind filled with Chen Qiu's incredible mid-air movement just now.

Seeing the youth draw the full bow once more!

In Chen Qiu, he saw his own extinguished youthful spirit!