Liang Zhen was now broke, but he had homies. His homies were equally well-off as him, and they rolled together, soared together.

However, Liang Zhen didn’t have many close friends in his circle. He had enough money, so when making friends, he didn’t care about their wealth, only their character and shared interests.

But the gap left by the dinner party where he was reported for drug use was too big for him to ignore. He didn’t rush to fully immerse himself. So, after casually moving out from Manhattan, Liang Zhen went to Lu City Plaza.

Don’t be fooled by the name Lu City Plaza; besides Manhattan, it was one of the most expensive properties in Wenzhou. This was where Song Zhou usually resided. When a brother was in trouble, Song zhou naturally settled Liang Zhen in the most caring nest.

Liang Zhen thought Song Zhou had finally come through, but before he could even say thanks, a few days later, he found out that Song Zhou had a bad habit. When they weren’t living under the same roof, he didn’t know or care, but now that they shared an apartment, Liang Zhen realized this Wenzhou tycoon played wild.

In short, Song Zhou would bring girls home.

This wasn’t inherently unacceptable, given the size of Song Zhou’s place – five bedrooms, two living rooms. Apart from Song Zhou’s bedroom, Liang Zhen could use any room. But three or four days a week, Song Zhou would bring different girls back, and Liang Zhen didn’t know where they came from, but they all did the same thing.

Liang Zhen was living under someone else’s roof. The room had good soundproofing, so he could manage. He started tinkering with sound cards and speakers again—some he brought out in his luggage along with his clothes, and some were idle equipment of Song Zhou’s.

Song Zhou had also dabbled in music for a while, but he played folk songs. Within a few days, his enthusiasm waned, and his custom-made Lowden guitar and recording equipment gathered dust.

What Liang Zhen really needed, he didn’t let resources and equipment go to waste. For two weeks, when he wasn’t at school, he was recording songs. He had some decent lyrics, versatile flow, and punchy verses. If he made the songs well, they’d definitely make an impact.

But as he recorded, Liang Zhen’s old problem resurfaced. He wanted to do trap music, so in addition to rap lyrics, catchy chorus melodies were essential. Liang Zhen was ambitious; if he was going to do it, he wanted it to be the coolest and most explosive. That meant his choruses had to be explosive and catchy too.

But he couldn’t write a chorus melody and theme that satisfied him. He also didn’t come across any suitable songs to remix that made him excited. So, the recording plan remained stalled. Now in a new environment, he still lacked inspiration. Scratching his head, he left his bedroom to relax on the balcony in the living room, enjoying the view of the Ou River.

But as soon as he pushed open the door and took two steps towards the living room, he saw it—the Ou River, and Song Zhou.

And there was a girl lying in Song Zhou’s arms whom Liang Zhen had never seen before.

Liang Zhen froze like an old man in a subway, frowning and squinting, his chin involuntarily contracting. The naked Song Zhou was holding a girl slightly better-looking than himself, and they were both sleeping on the recliner next to the balcony. The clothes on the floor obviously went from the living room to the balcony and back. Liang Zhen felt so embarrassed. Without a word, he rushed back to his room and locked the door, blushing as if he had never heard anything dirty.

Wait, I’ve been… Liang Zhen shook his head like a tambourine, trying to shake off that name. He felt he should find a good time to talk to Song Zhou. He was still young; he had seen scenes like this before, but his heart couldn’t handle it.

Song Zhou also cared about Liang Zhen. After learning about Liang Zhen’s needs, he didn’t hesitate to find him a spare key to an apartment in Green City Square. “It’s not fully furnished, but it has everything you need.”

“Thanks, bro,” Liang Zhen accepted.

“No big deal,” Song Zhou said, “I’m left with only money and houses anyway.”

“You’re being modest,” Liang Zhen teased, “You still have plenty of girls.”

Song Zhou shook his head with a grimace, “That’s just casual fun, mutual consent. It’s all about pleasure, not feelings.”

Song Zhou was indeed like that. Liang Zhen didn’t try to advise him but added, “Just make sure you’re safe.”

Song Zhou chuckled, “Don’t worry, I always carry HIV test strips and condoms.”

Liang Zhen imagined the scene of Song Zhou and the girls waiting silently for the test results before getting intimate, feeling a strange sense of humor. “Carrying those things around, it kills the mood.”

“That’s being responsible. Playing around is one thing, but you still have to cherish your life. Before taking off your clothes, if you don’t check, I don’t have the guts to do it.”

After Song Zhou mentioned it, Liang Zhen inevitably thought of that person. That night, he got drunk and lost control, following the folly. He was a virgin, yet he made up a nonsensical story about a dragon on Maijishan Road and being experienced.

But Officer Shao was different. He was older, more experienced, seemingly having done this to others or many times. He knew all the sensitive spots. Liang Zhen couldn’t help but wonder, would Shao Mingyin touch himself like that, or touch others, kiss others, or even…

“If you ask me,” Song Zhou interrupted Liang Zhen’s wandering thoughts, “You’ve been away from home for a while, done enough fussing around. Why not find a time to reconcile with your family?”

“I’m not making a fuss, or running away from home,” Liang Zhen explained, “I’m serious!”

“Serious about what,” Song Zhou persisted. Liang Zhen’s parents had only one child, so he could somewhat understand Liang Zhen’s father’s anger, “Your family has such a big business in Lanzhou, if they won’t leave anything for you. Will your dad donate everything?”

“I don’t care anyway.”

“You don’t care because you haven’t experienced the hardships of life yet. I’ve also made a scene about financial independence before, lasted barely two months, and ended up going back to be my dad’s little prince with my tail between my legs.”

“Zhen, listen to me, father and son have no overnight grudges. He’s still your real dad.”

Of course, Liang Zhen knew Song Zhou meant well, but listening to him, he still felt uneasy. He was his best friend in Wenzhou. But in his eyes, Liang Zhen’s departure from home was seen as an untimely rebellion. That day, Liang Zhen lay bored in his room for a long time, staring blankly at the ceiling. In the afternoon, he finally mustered up the courage to leave. In his hand was not the key to another apartment, but the unused guitar belonging to Song Zhou.