Chapter 1

At 9 PM, the traffic in Shengjing was bustling, with neon lights from various storefronts casting a dazzling glow, exuding an atmosphere of prosperity and liveliness. Under the bright lights and the vibrant nightlife, the scent of ** permeated the entire city.

In the largest entertainment venue in Shengjing, Jinse Nianhua, Liang Yuan opened another bottle of Laohuaxue beer and shouted at a quiet, bespectacled man beside him, "Cai Xiaobing, you bastard, if I don't knock you out today, I'll write my surname upside down!"

Cai Xiaobing was Liang Yuan's best friend from university. They had been through everything together except for military service, and Cai had already secured the other three major life achievements. He had pursued a combined master's and doctoral program in his senior year, but ended up in a miserable postdoctoral position, still struggling in the quagmire. Liang Yuan, after graduating, entered the construction industry and worked for a new materials company. Though not a genius, he was diligent and had above-average emotional and intellectual intelligence, so his performance was decent. He also managed to get a small construction team through his father's former position as deputy director of the land bureau, and within three years of graduation, he was no longer a burden to the National Bureau of Statistics.

"Ha, scaring who? I didn't say anything about nostalgia. If you want to save money, just say it. Don't try to fool us. Look, Xiaoxue is already laughing so hard she has crow's feet," Cai Xiaobing said, picking up another bottle of Laohuaxue.

A girl in a beige miniskirt with fair skin covered her mouth, her big eyes twinkling with laughter.

"Xiaoxue, go open that box of Coronas and pour them down the toilet. Let the toilet seat enjoy it. Your breath is worse than the toilet seat," Liang Yuan waved his hand.

The girl named Xiaoxue grabbed Liang Yuan's arm and shook it, saying, "Brother Liang, you can't involve me in your verbal sparring with Brother Cai." Her voice was soft and pleasant.

"Xiaoxue, if I tell you to open them, just do it. Don't save money for this bastard. You and Bingbing go together, and dance in the middle after you're done," Cai Xiaobing said, patting the thigh of the girl in the miniskirt next to him.

Liang Yuan drank beer cup after cup, his eyes seemingly fixed on the two pairs of snow-white legs circling the pole and the occasional glimpse of smooth skin. If you looked closely, you'd see that his gaze was unfocused, drifting aimlessly.

"What's wrong, today?" Cai Xiaobing asked tentatively.

"Fang Fang went to South America," Liang Yuan said, tilting his head back and drinking a cup of beer.

"Hey, that girl travels all over the world. You know that. Besides, South America is pretty safe these days, no riots or anything."

"Fang Fang went to the Catedralina convent," Liang Yuan interrupted Cai Xiaobing's rambling.

"What's that place, a cultural site or a tourist attraction?"

"Fang Fang said she has converted," Liang Yuan said, drinking another cup of beer. "What!" Cai Xiaobing's mouth dropped open in surprise.

"Fang Fang left me an email, saying she found a place where her soul can find peace. She has nothing left to hold on to and told me she won't be in touch anymore."

"But wasn't it said that Old Ning wasn't involved? Even if he was, Fang Fang has been in Europe all these years and hasn't come back. What does it have to do with her? It's a different era now; family members aren't implicated. By the way, didn't Fang Fang always miss her sister? Did she go to South America with her?"

Liang Yuan didn't answer Cai Xiaobing's questions. He took out his phone, opened his email, and selected a message titled "Respected User..." He tilted the phone, and Cai Xiaobing leaned over to read the line slowly scrolling on the screen: "Respected user, your email has been returned. Please verify the email address you sent to..."

Cai Xiaobing sighed, took out a hundred-yuan note, and slowly folded it into a paper airplane. He aimed and gently threw it, landing it lightly on Bingbing's high chest as she grabbed the pole and bent her waist backward. Bingbing picked up the paper airplane, looked at it, and stuck it between her soft breasts, giving Cai Xiaobing a flirtatious glance.

Liang Yuan put away his phone, picked up a full bottle of Laohuaxue from the table, and waved it at the dance floor, signaling Xiaoxue to come over. The girl spun around the pole and glided over to Liang Yuan, her long, white legs flashing before his scattered eyes. A fresh, youthful scent wafted into Liang Yuan's nose, and his scattered gaze focused slightly. He reached under the coffee table and pulled out a white paper bag, patted the girl's firm buttocks, and handed her the bag.

Xiaoxue took the bag, curiously took out a white box, and looked down, exclaiming, "The new iPhone 5, is Brother Liang giving this to me?" Liang Yuan didn't answer, just smiled at the girl's big eyes. "Brother Liang, you're so nice." Xiaoxue sat on Liang Yuan's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his face hard.

Bingbing, hearing Xiaoxue's shout, ran over and screamed when she saw the box in Xiaoxue's hand, shaking Liang Yuan's arm and pouting. "Brother Liang, you're so biased." Xiaoxue hugged Liang Yuan's neck tightly and giggled, "Brother Liang, ignore her, ignore her." After a while, Liang Yuan struggled out of the two girls' playful punches and kicks, and nodded at Cai Xiaobing, "Bingbing, where's yours?"

Bingbing screamed and jumped into Cai Xiaobing's arms. "Brother Cai, really? Really?" Cai Xiaobing laughed, "Don't listen to that guy. I'm a poor student. I'd have to sell my old kidney to buy that thing." Bingbing wouldn't let go, hugging Cai Xiaobing's neck and pouting.

Cai Xiaobing watched Liang Yuan, who was trying to pour beer into the girl's mouth, and picked up a disposable lighter from the table, throwing it at him. "Liang Yuan, you're enjoying the show. Next time you get drunk, I'll send you to your neighbor Sister Shen's house and sell you for a thousand or so. It shouldn't be a problem."

Liang Yuan shivered and said to Cai Xiaobing, "Damn, you're too inhumane. The stuff is in the car. If you want to be nice, go get it yourself."

Cai Xiaobing looked at Bingbing in his arms. Bingbing rubbed her cheek against Cai Xiaobing's neck. Reluctantly, Cai Xiaobing picked up the car keys and left with Bingbing, hugging and kissing her.

Liang Yuan looked at the girl in his arms, puzzled, and said, "When did Old Cai start listening to Bingbing so much?" Xiaoxue wrinkled her pink nose and said, "Last Friday, Bingbing left after a phone call from Brother Cai and didn't come back for two days." Liang Yuan said, "Oh, oh," and then to the girl in his arms, "So this pair of adulterers have already been to bed together." Xiaoxue's face turned slightly red, and she hid her head in Liang Yuan's chest. Liang Yuan slowly lifted the girl's shoulders, looking at her blushing cheeks and her watery eyes, feeling her breath. The girl slowly closed her eyes.

Liang Yuan carefully examined the girl in his arms. Her long eyelashes were finely curled, as if a matchstick could rest on them. Her red lips were slightly upturned, and her nostrils flared slightly. The alcohol continued to wash over his nerves, and Liang Yuan felt a bit dazed. The scene before him was so familiar, just like 15 years ago...

The surrounding fragrance was intoxicating, and the beauty in his arms made his blood boil. Back then, Liang Yuan was so nervous that his body was stiff, like a concrete pillar on the sofa. Jiajia's face was slightly red after dancing, her light pink lips tightly pursed, her nostrils flaring, and her big eyes slightly closed. She felt her arms around his neck trembling. Liang Yuan's mind was a mess in his first year of college. The kiss in the haze left only a broken lip and a slight pain in his teeth. He remembered Jiajia's soft whisper in his ear, "Brother Xiaoyuan, do you remember? When we were very young, you said Jiajia's dance was the most beautiful. Jiajia practiced for a long time for today. Jiajia can't dance for Brother Xiaoyuan anymore, and Jiajia won't dance again." The girl in his arms sobbed softly...

He only remembered Jiajia pouring him a lot of alcohol, and she drank a lot too. No matter what he asked, Jiajia just shook her head and said, "Brother Xiaoyuan, can Jiajia dance for you today?" Then it was all fragmented memories. He remembered Jiajia sobbing loudly while holding him before he lost consciousness. When he woke up, it was late at night, the table was cluttered with cups and bottles, and a pink note was on the table. Liang Yuan rubbed his head, picked up the note, and two neat lines of writing caught his eye:

"Brother Xiaoyuan, I couldn't resist coming to see you. Below was the beginning of Nalan's famous poem: 'If only life were as beautiful as the first meeting,' and below it was a drawing of a small house with a chimney, with two rows of footprints walking away from each other..."

Liang Yuan stared blankly at the note in his hand, never expecting the gentle and weak Jiajia to do such a thing. "Jiajia, Jiajia, why do you have to do this?" Her grandfather was a bodyguard to a high-ranking official, and they had a life-and-death friendship. His grandson pursuing Jiajia would likely be welcomed. As for me... Liang Yuan shook his head with a bitter smile. It was too late to say anything now. His father was promoted to deputy director of the land bureau after being rehabilitated, probably as a form of compensation. The physical distance might not be far, but it felt like a world apart. How many daughters of high-ranking officials married commoners throughout history? With Jiajia's gentle and weak personality, it was hard to imagine her struggling between love and family. Did she really believe she could make it to the Politburo in 30 years? Liang Yuan shook his head with a bitter smile. Let it go. As long as she is safe, that's all that matters. First love is always bitter, and it's better for him to give Jiajia this lesson than someone else. His heart ached with a numb, continuous pain as he swayed out of the KTV door.

The girl in his arms moved, her eyes half-open. Liang Yuan's wandering thoughts suddenly returned, and he looked at the girl's face, then kissed her fiercely.

Cai Xiaobing and Bingbing hugged and walked to the KTV parking lot, heading to a white Toyota Highlander in the corner. Cai Xiaobing stared in disbelief at the several condoms and a gel-like liquid hanging from the rear wiper of the Highlander. Below the cartoon image on the rear window that said, "Don't mock me, I just get dizzy on slopes!" was written in lipstick, "Stupid, you deserve it for buying Japanese stuff. I'm in a good mood today, so I won't kick it." Below that was a detailed drawing of the Diaoyu Islands. Bingbing couldn't help but laugh out loud, and Cai Xiaobing also laughed, holding onto the car door. After two minutes, they rubbed their bellies and returned to normal. Cai Xiaobing laughed softly and opened the rear door, climbing in.

Cai Xiaobing looked into the trunk and suddenly blurted out, "Damn!" He turned to Bingbing and asked, "Honey, what color do you want?" Bingbing thought for a moment and said, "Hmm, Xiaoxue's is white, I want black." Cai Xiaobing fiddled with something in the back seat, got out of the car, closed the door, and handed a black paper bag to Bingbing. She took the bag, hugged Cai Xiaobing's neck, and kissed his cheek, saying, "Thank you, Brother Cai." Cai Xiaobing laughed and said, "Come on, let's go tell Liang Yuan about this."

Cai Xiaobing kicked open the door of the private room and shouted, "Inspection, inspection!" Liang Yuan was holding Xiaoxue's waist and trying to pour beer into her mouth. Xiaoxue tried to leave when she heard the shout, but Liang Yuan held her tightly, one hand on her neck to keep her from moving. Cai Xiaobing closed the door and sat back on the sofa, grabbing a beer from the coffee table and drinking it in one go. He put down the cup and looked at the two still kissing, saying, "Damn, you two have huge lung capacities." Bingbing giggled.

Liang Yuan suddenly let go of the girl in his arms. Xiaoxue swallowed and took a long breath, lightly hitting Liang Yuan and saying, "Brother Liang, you're so bad." Liang Yuan laughed and looked at the girl's watery eyes, gently tracing her lips with his index finger.

Cai Xiaobing laughed and said to Liang Yuan, "You can't imagine what we encountered downstairs." Liang Yuan looked at Cai Xiaobing, took a cigarette from the pack on the coffee table, and Xiaoxue quickly lit it for him. Liang Yuan took a deep breath, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and said, "Did you two get checked for marriage certificates by the police?" Cai Xiaobing spat and vividly described what he saw downstairs. Xiaoxue looked at Liang Yuan, her face turning slightly red again. Liang Yuan patted his forehead and said to Xiaoxue, "Sigh, laugh if you want. I'm the one who gets hit even when lying down!"

Xiaoxue giggled, suddenly hugging Liang Yuan's neck, resting her head on his shoulder, and her body shaking more and more.

Liang Yuan looked at Bingbing's questioning gaze and said, "This car wasn't bought by me. It was a payment for the Mary Blue real estate project last year. If I had known, I would have taken the Volvo S80."

Bingbing asked curiously, "Brother Liang, what's the 'climbing slope' on the rear window about?" Liang Yuan laughed and explained the 'climbing slope' incident with Toyota. Cai Xiaobing added, "Liang Yuan's car is a 4x4 top model. The one involved in the 'climbing slope' incident was the lowest model of the Highlander. After the incident, Liang Yuan laughed and made this sticker for the rear window, which he kept for years, saying he was helping Toyota with publicity."

Xiaoxue said in a sweet voice, "So Brother Liang was wronged." Liang Yuan laughed and said, "Xiaoxue, you need to comfort me well." The room immediately became chaotic, and the atmosphere turned steamy.

The four drank until midnight. Liang Yuan and Cai Xiaobing wobbled to the bar to pay, while the two girls went to call the cleaning staff to clean the car's rear door. Cai Xiaobing patted Liang Yuan's shoulder and said, "Liang Yuan, I saw at least 7 or 8 iPhones 5 in your car. Are you planning to seduce half a dozen girls soon?" Liang Yuan laughed, "Better to be prepared. How can I maintain my reputation as a professional Lothario without such a powerful tool?"

Cai Xiaobing's expression turned lecherous, and he said to Liang Yuan, "You haven't made a move yet, right? She's a virgin. I've already checked for you. By the way, you've been keeping this one for a long time, two months. If I didn't see your rosy complexion and stubble, I'd think you were practicing some strange martial arts. Let me feel if the stubble is real."

"Get lost!" Liang Yuan kicked Cai Xiaobing, who was about to touch him. The waiter lowered his head, his shoulders slightly moving. Liang Yuan glared at Cai Xiaobing and said to the waiter, "Put the bill on this guy's account. I don't care."

"No!" Cai Xiaobing was horrified. "My old man has been urging me to go home for a match-making. I've been busy and slow to react, and he's blocked my account. If I pay, I'll be homeless. You can't let me beg on the street."

"No problem, I'll design a costume for you. You'll be the second Sharp Brother. Maybe I'll have to get your autograph then."

"Liang Yuan, I figured it out. You haven't made a move because Xiaoxue looks like Fang Fang." Cai Xiaobing nodded, changing the subject. Liang Yuan had video-chatted with Fang Fang in college, and Cai Xiaobing was amazed by her beauty, which left a deep impression. "She does look a bit like her, especially the eyes," Cai Xiaobing affirmed.

"Like hell, where are you going tonight? Back to the dorm or to bed?"

"None of your business. Just drop me and Bingbing off at the intersection of the joint venture company. I'm going to Holiday."

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{Piaotian Literature}