Chapter 124

Zhu Hongyu bit her lip and nervously said, “If you’re not going to class anymore, are we still classmates?”

Song Haowen was taken aback. “What do you mean? Are you guys going to kick me out of the class?”

“I didn’t mean that. I just wanted to say…” Zhu Hongyu hesitated, her face turning red.

Song Haowen suddenly understood what she meant. He grabbed her hand and said, “Hongyu, don’t worry. You and Narenhua will always be my sisters, my best classmates. This branch is just an attempt at starting my own business. As long as you think highly of me and are willing to help, we’ll have plenty of opportunities for cooperation in the future.”

Zhu Hongyu said shyly, “We get along so well, I don’t want us to separate.”

Song Haowen felt a surge of emotion. “I feel the same way. I wish we could work together forever.”

“Now that you’re so busy… will this branch continue to operate?” Zhu Hongyu finally voiced her concerns.

Song Haowen smiled. He looked up at the magpies still perched in the tree and gave a nod, as if he was greeting them. “This branch is making good money now, why wouldn’t I keep it open? However, I don’t want to expand the scale of this shop. After I get through this busy period, I plan to open a large department store, and I’ll need your support then.”

Zhu Hongyu exclaimed, “How much money would that cost? Besides, with such a large department store, there are countless details to consider, and the source of goods alone would be a challenge.”

“Don’t worry.” Song Haowen said confidently, “This problem isn’t hard to solve. While it’s true that getting goods from state-owned wholesale stations requires planning and connections, that’s not my main channel for goods. My main channel is in Jiangnan, Zhejiang, and Southeast China.”

“Oh, what are you two doing? Holding hands so affectionately?” Narenhua walked over from the living room at this time, saw Song Haowen and Zhu Hongyu sitting together intimately in the pavilion, felt a pang in her heart, and immediately started shouting.

Song and Zhu quickly let go of each other’s hands, both looking a bit uncomfortable. Zhu Hongyu, feeling embarrassed and angry, said, “What nonsense are you talking? I was asking him if he’ll have time in the future, if this branch will continue operating?”

Narenhua, upon hearing this, became anxious. “Xiaosongzi, what do you mean? Don’t want us sisters anymore?”

Song Haowen was a bit amused and bemused. “Where are you two getting this idea? Just because we’re not in the same class doesn’t mean we can’t work together. As long as you’re willing, I promise, we’ll continue to cooperate in the future.”

Narenhua grumbled, “Don’t think we can’t do without you, kid. But our cooperation is quite pleasant. I just don’t want us to become strangers in the future.”

Suddenly, Song Haowen felt a surge of emotion and impulsively hugged Zhu Hongyu and Narenhua, ignoring their embarrassment, and said excitedly, “I hope the three of us can be friends forever, always working together.”

Zhu Hongyu pushed Song Haowen’s hands off her waist forcefully. “Why are you so touchy-feely today?”

Narenhua blushed and pinched Song Haowen’s waist, making him quickly release her waist. he scolded, “Why are you so rough? Watch out for not being able to get married.”

Narenhua laughed and said, “Not get married? That’s fine, then you can marry me, big sister.”

“Pah, pah, pah, don’t talk nonsense, or it will spread.”

Song Haowen quickly stopped the joking; he couldn’t tolerate this kind of humor.

Zhu Hongyu smiled and looked at Song Haowen, half-jokingly saying, “Little brother, what’s wrong with having me as a sister? I know how to be considerate and caring. If you’re willing, I can help you and Namei get married.”

Song Haowen sarcastically replied, “You’re the eldest among us three. You should solve your own problems first. I’ll consider it in a few years.”

Blushing, Zhu Hongyu retorted, “You’re ungrateful. You’re talking about me instead.”

While they were joking, Wang Li came over and said, “Can someone go and receive the person who’s coming to repair the tape recorder?”

Narenhua and Zhu Hongyu hurried over to receive the repairman, while Song Haowen opened the warehouse door to admire the recent acquisitions. He looked at the valuable antique furniture, smiling proudly like a greedy miser.

Later that evening, as Song Haowen was preparing to invite everyone to a restaurant for dinner, Gu Ziwei walked over from somewhere. As soon as he saw her, he said, “You’re here at the right time. Those who are fortunate need not rush, while those who are unfortunate are busy to death. We were just about to go out for dinner, and here you are.”

Gu Ziwei seemed to have completely forgotten about her previous embarrassment that evening and said triumphantly, “I came right on time. Can you believe it’s a coincidence?”

Zhu Hongyu came over and said, “Great journalist, where are you going to interview today? Why are you so stingy, you won’t even treat us to a meal?”

Gu Ziwei said with a cunning smile, “I’m here to interview the great star, Song. As far as I know, this year, there are about ten thousand people in the whole country who have passed the postgraduate entrance exam, and most of them are over thirty years old. Among those under twenty, there’s only our great star, Song. Do you think this is news? Is it worth reporting?”

Zhu Hongyu and the others thought it was worth reporting. However, Song Haowen firmly opposed it. “What’s there to report? I just happened to be lucky. To say it’s not worth mentioning would not be an overstatement.”

“You’re a hypocrite.” Narenhua came over and mocked. “Xiaosongzi, this beautiful journalist is here to interview you. Surely you wouldn’t want to treat her to a box meal?”

“If you want to go to a restaurant, just say so. Don’t make everything about other people’s feelings.” Song Haowen scoffed.

“Great, tonight someone’s treating us to a feast.” Qian Youlai came over excitedly and asked, “Master, can we have Maotai tonight?”

Song Haowen scolded, “Do I have such a spendthrift apprentice like you? This Maotai costs seven yuan a bottle. Do you want to bankrupt your master?”

“Hmph, you’re just a stingy person. Even if we bathe in Maotai, we wouldn’t be able to bankrupt you.” Wang Li retorted.

“Alright, Wang Li, as long as you’re not afraid of passing out drunk in the wine pool and never waking up, I’ll indulge you.” Song Haowen teased.

Wang Li smiled and said, “Isn’t this just a metaphor? I can’t swim. If I get into the wine pool, I’m afraid I’ll drown before I get drunk.”

Everyone laughed.

“Okay, to avoid you all calling me stingy, I’ll reluctantly bleed a bit more. Tonight, we’ll drink Maotai, and you four beauties are no exception.” Song Haowen deliberately teased.

The four girls looked at each other and felt that there was nothing to worry about. They unanimously agreed to let loose and eat heartily, drink freely, and not return until they were drunk.

In the end, following Gu Ziwei’s suggestion, they went to a mid-range restaurant, got a private room, ordered a table of good dishes, and three bottles of Maotai. Among the two boys, their alcohol tolerance was moderate, about half a catty.

Among the four girls, Gu Ziwei’s alcohol tolerance was slightly lower, only about two or three taels, while the other three girls were all strong drinkers, with an alcohol tolerance of over half a catty.

Zhu Hongyu and Narenhua were particularly good, easily handling seven or eight taels.

When friends drink together, either they don’t drink at all, or if they do, they usually start with the same amount. If it’s a small cup of three or four qian, after one or two rounds, those with lower alcohol tolerance can drink a little less.

If it’s a small teacup of three or four taels, after one cup, those with lower alcohol tolerance will at most be poured a little more, but not a full cup. However, for some reason, all six of them were inexplicably excited today, and they didn’t drink according to the normal routine.

They all drank at the same pace. It can be imagined that Gu Ziwei was the first to succumb, followed by Qian Youlai, then Song Haowen, and then Wang Li. By the time the dishes were served, only Zhu Hongyu and Narenhua were still able to drink.

As the two drank, they were reminded of something sad. First, Zhu Hongyu’s eyes turned red, tears streaming down her face. Then, Narenhua buried her head on the table, sobbing softly. Finally, the two of them were so heartbroken that they were crying bitterly, shocking the waitress who was dumbfounded, never expecting such a scene from a drinking party.

It wasn’t until the restaurant started closing that Song Haowen began to sober up a bit. Seeing that everyone was drunk, he smiled bitterly and immediately called the waitress to settle the bill.

Then, he informed the restaurant and allowed them to stay in the private room for a while longer. The manager recognized them and readily agreed, leaving a manager and a waitress to wait for them to leave, while the rest of the staff went home to rest.

After waiting for about an hour, Wang Li and Qian Youlai woke up one after another, while Gu Ziwei was in a half-awake state.

Zhu Hongyu and Narenhua, however, were still intoxicated, and all of them vomited what they had eaten that night, making a mess of the private room.

Fortunately, they were okay, not getting too dirty. Wang Li brought out a damp towel from the bathroom to help Zhu Hongyu and Narenhua wipe their faces and hands.

The two finally became somewhat sober and were able to staggeringly stand up, each clinging to one of Song Haowen’s arms, letting him support them home.

At this point, Song Haowen alone couldn’t manage to carry them both. Fortunately, Wang Li and Gu Ziwei came to help, and they managed to walk slowly.

Qian Youlai stayed behind to clean up the vomit in the private room and then picked up the packed items and caught up with them. The six of them looked like wounded soldiers coming down from the battlefield, attracting curious looks from passersby.

Fortunately, the streetlights were dim, and the restaurant was not far from the branch, so no one noticed that one of them was a red-hot celebrity. Otherwise, the gossip in the capital tomorrow would surely put them in the headlines.

After returning to the branch with difficulty, Qian Youlai and Wang Li helped each other and went in first. After Zhu Hongyu and Narenhua entered the room, they collapsed on their kang beds, not bothering to take off their clothes, and fell into a deep sleep. Gu Ziwei wanted to stay, but seeing that there was only one kang bed left, although Song Haowen offered to let her sleep on his bed while he slept on the counter in the bright room, she felt it was inappropriate and insisted on leaving.

Seeing her firm attitude, he didn’t insist on keeping her and directly escorted her back.

Strangely, although the two had been talking and laughing in front of everyone, when they were alone together, they chose to remain silent. There was almost no conversation between them all the way.

When they arrived at the school gate, Song Haowen saw Gu Ziwei safely returning to the dormitory alone, so he greeted her and went back home alone. When he got home and heard the snoring coming from the east room, he couldn’t help but shake his head and went back to his room to rest.

Top of Form