Chapter 75

"Xiao Si'er," Lu Zheng immediately knew who the long-haired young man was. It had been almost half a month, and how could he not have thoroughly investigated the situation at Old Huang's house?

Old Huang had four sons and three daughters. Xiao Si'er was the youngest son, named Huang Zixuan, who was 28 years old. His mother had given birth to him when she was quite old and died from complications during childbirth. Therefore, since childhood, Old Huang had been particularly indulgent with this youngest son.

But as the saying goes, even a dragon's nine sons are all different. This Xiao Si'er was exceptionally rebellious and had no sense of human warmth. He had been arrogant and tyrannical since childhood. During the Cultural Revolution, he even led the way in posting big-character posters against his own father.

After the turmoil, Xiao Si'er started doing business, using Old Huang's name to do all sorts of things, ruthless and self-willed. As a result, although he became wealthy, his relationship with Old Huang deteriorated to the point of being almost irreparable. Old Huang almost announced in the newspaper that he was severing the father-son relationship, but he reluctantly gave up after being persuaded by his other children.

Huang Zixuan was quite well-known in the business circle of Wushan. Outsiders called him Huang Si'er, a man so arrogant and ruthless that if you provoked him, you wouldn't even be able to find your body afterward.

Old Huang had been a hero all his life, but in his old age, he was disgraced by his son, which couldn't help but make people sigh.

Lu Zheng drove around for a while and finally found Huang Si'er by a water tank. The guy was splashing cold water on his face, and the blood from the wound on his forehead seemed to have been stopped by the cold water.

"Going to the hospital?" Lu Zheng rolled down the car window and asked.

Huang Zixuan turned around, sized up Lu Zheng for a few moments, and said, "It's you?" Then he walked over, opened the car door, and got in, saying, "I didn't drive here. Take me to Liberation Square."

Lu Zheng nodded and started the car.

"Are you Gu Wei's? My father's living secretary?" Huang Zixuan said, and the blood on his forehead started to flow again. He covered it with his hand and cursed under his breath.

"Should I take you to the hospital?" Lu Zheng asked, looking at him in the rearview mirror.

"No need! Damn old man, I think he just wants to die without a son to see him off. His hands are really black!" Huang Zixuan said, spitting out the window.

Lu Zheng frowned and ignored him.

"What, you don't like it? Do you think Old Huang is so great and so right in your eyes?" Huang Zixuan's face was distorted, as seen in the rearview mirror.

Lu Zheng didn't say anything.

Huang Zixuan spat again, "The old man is a hypocrite. Damn, he's flirting with a young woman from the teacher's college. He could be her grandfather! What a bastard! But when he comes to me, he acts so righteous!"

Lu Zheng didn't want to deal with such a person, but being in the same car, he couldn't stop him from talking. These words were very polluting to the ears, and it was very uncomfortable to listen to. He frowned and said, "Huang Si'er, you shouldn't say that. Old Huang is still your father."

Huang Zixuan sneered.

Looking at him, Lu Zheng couldn't help but think of his past self. Although he wasn't as bad as Huang Zixuan, there were some common points between them.

"I know, you actually still hope to gain your father's recognition. But you made too many mistakes when you were young. Now, you don't know what to do to gain Old Huang's recognition, so you rebel to get his attention, but it backfires. You just become worse and worse!"

Huang Zixuan was taken aback, lit a cigarette, and puffed out smoke, glancing at Lu Zheng in the rearview mirror, "You're quite bold, aren't you? You're the first to call me a bad person to my face! You're also the first to hit me!"

Lu Zheng smiled and focused on driving, ignoring him.

...

After dropping Huang Si'er off at Liberation Square, Lu Zheng returned to the office. He waited all day but didn't receive a call from Old Huang.

It was almost time to leave when Huang Zixuan called, saying he had booked a private room at the Emerald Dance Hall and invited Lu Zheng to come. He said they had a bond through conflict and felt they got along well.

Lu Zheng didn't want to have anything to do with such a person. Huang Zixuan was like his past self in many ways, a vicious wolf who wouldn't spit out the bones after eating. Getting too close to such a person wasn't a good thing. Moreover, he had kicked him hard, and it was hard to say whether he had lost any teeth. How could he be so magnanimous to forget about it? Wanting to be friends? It wasn't that simple.

So, Lu Zheng politely declined.

But unexpectedly, at quitting time, a blue Nissan Datsun suddenly drove into the Gu Wei compound. Huang Zixuan came in, shouting and looking for Lu Zheng, "Is Lu Zheng here?" "Is Lu Zheng in this room?"

This caused a commotion in the Gu Wei office building. Lu Zheng had no choice but to go out to meet him.

In the corridor on the first floor, Huang Zixuan saw Lu Zheng and walked over, laughing and hugging him, "Zengzi, I didn't know you were a war hero. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Clearly, he had thoroughly investigated Lu Zheng in the meantime.

Without giving Lu Zheng a chance to speak, Huang Zixuan pulled him into the car, insisting that he couldn't refuse.

The Nissan sped off, and half an hour later, they arrived at the Emerald Dance Hall, which was lit up with colorful lights. From the outside, it looked like a light yellow palace. In fact, this dance hall was originally called the Wushan Cultural Service Center and was renamed the Emerald Dance Hall at the beginning of last year. It had private rooms, a band, and singers, with two shows a day, and the business was booming.

Huang Zixuan enthusiastically held Lu Zheng's hand and led him through the dance floor to the private room area on the left. Inside, there were about a dozen men and women. When Huang Zixuan entered, they all stood up to greet him, calling him "Fourth Brother," "Mr. Huang," and "Xiao Si'er."

Huang Zixuan stood to the side, making room for Lu Zheng, and introduced him grandly, "Guys, this is my friend—Zengzi. Ha, Da Zhi, Xiao Guang, you've met him, right? We have a bond through conflict. Have a few drinks with Zengzi later."

The room immediately erupted in cheers. After Huang Zixuan pulled Lu Zheng to sit down, the young men started toasting him one after another. Then Huang Zixuan shouted, "Damn, are you toasting or forcing drinks? If you keep this up, Zengzi will be down in no time! Alright, you drink your own, and I'll chat with Zengzi!"

These people seemed to be Huang Zixuan's hangers-on, and they followed his orders. When he said no more toasts, no one dared to come over.

In this corner, Lu Zheng, Huang Zixuan, and Huang Zixuan's flamboyant, curly-haired female companion formed a small circle, drinking and chatting.

"Zengzi, you really went to war?" Huang Zixuan asked with a smile.

Lu Zheng nodded slightly.

Huang Zixuan cursed, "Damn, in 1979, I wanted to join the army, but my old man didn't agree! If it were now, I bet he'd be happy to see me die on the battlefield!"

Lu Zheng said, "How can that be? No parent doesn't want their child to be well." Saying this, he sighed lightly.

Huang Zixuan noticed Lu Zheng's expression and laughed, "Zengzi, your relationship with your family isn't great, right? I heard your sister has a company in Beijing? Is she your cousin?"

Lu Zheng shook his head and said, "Let's not talk about her." First, it wasn't appropriate to talk about his sister with these people. If they made jokes, it would be disrespectful to his sister. Second, if he continued, Huang Zixuan would dig into his background.

This Huang Zixuan, known for his bad reputation, was probably up to no good with his enthusiasm. How many stories of becoming friends through conflict were there?

The girl sitting next to Huang Zixuan, Xiao Li, had a fashionable curly hairstyle, bright red lips, and a very alluring appearance. She wore large metal hoop earrings that accentuated her wild and sexy look. In the spring, she wore a denim skirt, revealing her snow-white, slender legs, which were very tempting.

"Brother Zengzi, I'll toast you," Xiao Li raised a full glass of beer and giggled, "You have to drink with me because I'm your junior!"

Lu Zheng was surprised, and Xiao Li giggled, "I'm from the Mechanical and Electrical College, in my third year, majoring in mold design."

Lu Zheng exclaimed, "Then I must drink with you."

Huang Zixuan, sitting next to him, personally opened a bottle of beer and handed it to Lu Zheng. Lu Zheng said thanks and was about to pour the beer when suddenly, a group of hangers-on in the private room started arguing. The two arguing men stood up, pushing and shoving, ready to fight. Huang Zixuan shouted, "Calm down!"

The two young men continued to tussle, and one of them picked up a beer bottle and smashed it on the coffee table, about to draw blood. Huang Zixuan, furious, walked over, pulled them apart, and shouted, "Are you trying to die? Get out!"

One of the two young men who almost fought with knives was bald, and Lu Zheng vaguely recognized him. He suddenly remembered that this was the punk who was chased away by Du Xiaohu and Wei Xiangxiu when they first came to Wushan to eat skewers. He had even given him a pack of cigarettes.

The bald man cursed as he walked out, and as he passed Lu Zheng, he seemed to give him a meaningful look before slamming the door.

Huang Zixuan had already returned and said, "Sorry, they're young and impulsive."

Xiao Li, who had been watching the commotion, now raised her beer glass again and said with a flirtatious smile, "Brother Zengzi, let's continue?"

Lu Zheng started pouring the beer, smiling, "I was just watching them." The beer