Chapter 58 of 100
Chapter 58
11 min read2,672 words
"Ring... ring..."
Hao Meng took out his phone and looked at it; it was an unfamiliar number. After answering, before he could even speak, a voice came through: "Old Seven, it's your Second Brother. I'm back, hahaha. Let's meet at 8:30 PM at the Grand Tycoon for a good reunion. By the way, you don't have anything important to do, right?"
The caller was Zhou Tao, Hao Meng's sworn brother.
A good man needs three helpers. Back in school, they were eight brothers, all formidable figures. However, after leaving the ivory tower, everyone went their separate ways, and the brotherhood had gradually faded. Zhou Tao had been admitted to Hanwu Sports College, and the last gathering was during the New Year's holiday last year.
Back in school, Hao Meng had no idea about Zhou Tao's family background. At that time, Zhou Tao was quite low-key. Later, everyone found out that he was a second-generation rich kid, extremely wealthy, with his father in real estate. The famous Da Zhou Group in Shicheng was his father's. However, even after finding out, Hao Meng never wanted to gain any benefits from Zhou Tao. They were brothers, pure and simple, with no ulterior motives.
The Zhou family's wealth in Shicheng could easily rank in the top three, making them a powerful local family.
"Second Brother is back, and even the biggest matters have to be set aside!" Hao Meng said with a smile. He hadn't gone out to drink with his brothers and friends for a long time.
"Hahaha, I like your enthusiasm. I'll introduce you to a pretty girl later. It's settled, 8:30 PM at the Grand Tycoon, no backing out. Just mention my name when you get there!" Zhou Tao said with a laugh and hung up.
"Friends are calling me out to play tonight!" Hao Meng said with a smile to Wei Shufen.
"Go ahead, come back early!" Wei Shufen nodded with a smile. After a moment, she asked, "How do you plan to arrange things for Tieniu?"
As a woman, she felt uncomfortable and inappropriate being alone with a man in the house, especially since they had just met and didn't know each other well.
Hao Meng smiled and said, "I'll take him with me!"
"Then where will Tieniu stay tonight?" Wei Shufen asked softly. The second floor had one room for Hao Meng and one for her and her daughter. If Tieniu stayed there, it would be quite inconvenient. Hao Meng didn't really care, as Tieniu was already part of his life, and there was no need to be shy about it.
Hao Meng hadn't really thought about it. After pondering for a moment, he said with a smile, "He can stay downstairs for the night. Tomorrow, I'll check if there are any apartments for rent in the nearby residential area and rent one for him!"
Wei Shufen opened her mouth to complain about Hao Meng's spending, but closed it again. She thought about how hard Tieniu had it, with no family around and a head injury. She also thought about her own situation; if Hao Meng hadn't kindly taken her in, she and Guo Guo might be in a much worse place.
"Tieniu!" Hao Meng called.
The simple-minded boy was squatting in the corner, not moving for a long time. He ran over, sweating profusely, and asked, "Boss, what's up?"
Hao Meng asked curiously, "What were you doing in the corner?"
"Standing still!" Tieniu wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled foolishly.
"Standing still?" Hao Meng was taken aback and said with a smile, "Not bad, you're a martial artist. Come on, let's go buy you some clothes and go out for drinks tonight!"
With that, he headed to the clothing store next door!
Chang Mei's store mostly sold women's clothing, with a few men's items, but the styles were limited. She said men's clothing was easier to sell. It was summer, so she only had shorts and T-shirts, and the styles were quite trendy.
"Let's go with these. Get one set for me and one for Tieniu!" Hao Meng pointed to the camouflage shorts and white T-shirt on the mannequin without even asking the price.
"These are good. The T-shirt is 100% cotton, and the shorts are made of breathable fabric, so they're quite cool to wear," Chang Mei said with a smile as she picked out two sets.
"Ask Sister Shufen for the money later!" Hao Meng patted his pocket, finding no money, and said with a dry laugh. He then gave the clothes to Tieniu and said, "Go take a shower and change into these!"
Tieniu took the clothes and left without a word!
Hao Meng didn't rush back. He looked around Chang Mei's store and asked, "Is your store also two stories?"
"Yes, the landlord rents both floors together!" Chang Mei nodded, not sure what Hao Meng meant.
Chang Mei's store was about the same size as Hao Meng's, with clothes hanging on the walls and a few shelves below. There were quite a few items, but the foot traffic didn't seem high, as it was a side street, and the main customers were from the nearby residential areas.
"Want to go upstairs and take a look?" Chang Mei thought this might be an opportunity. Since she was getting a divorce, she felt no moral constraints and gave Hao Meng a flirtatious look, asking softly.
Hao Meng looked at her. This young woman did have some charm, not as beautiful as the top beauties, but she had a natural, neighborly appeal.
"Sure!" Hao Meng thought for a moment and agreed.
He wasn't sure if he really wanted to see the upstairs or if something else might happen. Chang Mei's face turned a bit red, making her even more attractive.
"It's a bit messy upstairs!" Chang Mei led Hao Meng up and said softly.
The second floor had been used as a storage room before, but now it had been converted into a living space. The layout was similar to Hao Meng's, with a kitchen for cooking.
"These are all winter clothes, right?" Hao Meng looked at the pile of clothes in the living room and asked, making small talk.
"Yes, they're leftovers from previous years. We can still sell them when the seasons change," Chang Mei nodded, her voice soft and gentle.
Hao Meng looked around and asked casually, "I heard you're getting a divorce?"
"Yes, the process is ongoing. In about half a month, it will be finalized," Chang Mei sighed. Sometimes she even thought it would have been better if she hadn't married, as there was a young, wealthy bachelor next door, and proximity often leads to opportunities.
"Do you have any children?" Hao Meng asked curiously.
"No!" Chang Mei shook her head and deliberately moved closer from behind, pretending to trip and bumping her chest into Hao Meng's back. It was summer, and they were both lightly dressed, so the impact was quite strong, and Hao Meng immediately reacted.
"What's wrong?" Hao Meng turned around, looking at Chang Mei, thinking about whether to reach out. The signals from the young woman were already quite clear, and he wasn't a saint.
Unfortunately, at that moment, a customer came into the store, and Wei Shufen's voice calling Chang Mei came from downstairs!
Chang Mei inwardly sighed, almost making some real progress.
Hao Meng heard Wei Shufen's voice and felt a bit nervous, as if he had been caught doing something wrong. He quickly said, "A customer is here, let's go downstairs!"
Seeing Hao Meng's nervousness, Chang Mei giggled and said softly, "What are you afraid of? Really!" She pinched him and then turned to leave.
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