Chapter 998 Past Events
Looking at that person, an unknown feeling surged in Li Daqi's heart.
"Mr. Li!" Just when Li Daqi was distracted, his car arrived. The driver slowly stopped the car in front of Li Daqi, got out and walked around to open the door. It was obvious that Li Daqi did not get in the car, but just stood there, looking at something. Li Daqi could not help but remind him softly.
Coming back to his senses, Li Daqi nodded slightly to the driver, bent down and got into the car. When the car started to leave again, Li Daqi looked back in the direction he had just been in, but the figure was gone. He didn't know whether he had turned the corner in front or entered the shopping mall over there.
4:30 in the afternoon , in a black tea shop.
I don't know when it started, but it seems to be last year, when a place called "Red Tea House" appeared in Shanghai. The so-called Red Tea House not only sells tea, but also drinks, and the layout of the store is well decorated, somewhat similar to a coffee shop.
As for the names of the shops, some of them are directly named "Red Tea House", and some have other names, such as "The Wizard of Oz". The consumption inside is not high, and a cup of tea usually costs about six to ten yuan. The shop will give away some snacks such as melon seeds and peanuts, and the tea can be refilled for free. No matter how long you stay in the shop, they will not chase you away. Therefore, it became popular in Shanghai soon after it opened. In addition, the Red Tea House also sells fast food, which is not expensive and tastes good. Therefore, many young people like to sit here after get off work or on weekends, chat with three or five people, or call friends to play cards to kill time. Even business people like to come to this kind of place.
Gu Jie walked quickly into the black tea shop. The waiter came up to him and asked if he was alone or waiting for someone. Gu Jie casually said that he was looking for someone. He looked around the hall and soon saw Li Daqi sitting in the corner by the window.
"My friend is over there, please give me a cup of bubble tea." Gu Jie pointed towards Li Daqi and said to the waiter, then quickly walked towards Li Daqi.
"Brother Daqi!"
"Oh, Sanmao, you're here. What would you like to drink?" Li Daqi, who was smoking and concentrating on something, looked up when he heard the voice and saw Gu Jie coming in front of him. He quickly smiled and asked him to sit down.
"I ordered a cup of bubble tea, which will be here soon." Gu Jie said as he sat down, and then asked Li Daqi curiously, "What's the matter that made you call me here in such a hurry?"
"Hmm..." Li Daqi nodded, put out the cigarette in his hand, then reached out and picked up the cigarette box on the table, took out two cigarettes from it, handed one to Gu Jie, and lit the other directly.
"Let me ask you something." Li Daqi took a puff of his cigarette: "Do you remember Wang Jianjun?"
"Wang Jianjun? Why are you suddenly asking about him? Wasn't he sentenced that year? I haven't heard of this name for a long time..." Gu Jie was stunned and answered subconsciously.
"I saw Wang Jianjun today." Li Daqi said suddenly.
"Did you see Wang Jianjun? He was released?" Gu Jie was a little surprised, but after thinking for a while he said, "Yes, it's about time. I remember he was sentenced to twenty years. It's been almost seventeen years since then. If he behaves well in prison and gets a reduced sentence, he can be released. How did you run into him? Didn't this guy come looking for you? No, you haven't lived in the same place for a long time. Even if he wanted to find you, he wouldn't know where you were."
Li Daqi shook his head: "He didn't come to see me. I went to Yuanmingyuan Road today and saw him by chance when I was leaving. He has changed a lot and looks much older. I recognized him, but he didn't notice me."
"Yuanmingyuan Road? Isn't that close to the river? How did he end up there? It's in two completely different directions from his home. By the way, Brother Daqi, are you sure you didn't recognize the wrong person? Is it really Wang Jianjun?" Gu Jie asked doubtfully.
Li Daqi nodded and said confidently, "I'm sure I'm not mistaken. Wang Jianjun and I have known each other since we were young. We were classmates. Although he has changed a lot now, the person I saw today is definitely Wang Jianjun!"
Gu Jie was silent for a moment. He had a deep memory of what happened to Wang Jianjun back then. At first, they were all partners and made money by selling clothes hangers with Song Chaoyuan. However, they never expected that Wang Jianjun and Zhang Bin would betray their small group and go out on their own, and also bully and dominate the market to steal their business.
When Li Daqi and Gu Jie found out, they were so angry that they put Wang Jianjun in a sack and beat him up. They originally wanted to teach him a lesson, but Wang Jianjun held a grudge against him. Later, when they learned that Song Chaoyuan and others made a lot of money by printing college entrance examination review materials, they became jealous and reported Song Chaoyuan.
Because of Zhang Yong, Wang Jianjun's report was soon known to Song Yuanchao. After learning about it, Song Chaoyuan immediately asked Gu Jie and Qin Zhengguo to leave Shanghai to avoid the limelight in order to avoid any trouble. At the same time, he was prepared to be visited by the police.
Then, due to some events and other reasons, Wang Jianjun not only failed to drag Song Yuanchao into the water, but also put himself in the water because of his previous bad behavior of speculation and retaliation. In this way, Wang Jianjun was arrested by the public security comrades, and then sentenced to 20 years. Since then, they have never seen Wang Jianjun again.
Seventeen years have passed in a flash, and Gu Jie had long forgotten about Wang Jianjun. If Li Daqi hadn't suddenly mentioned Wang Jianjun today, he might not have even remembered this person.
But then again , this happened many years ago, and Wang Jianjun was indeed a good-for-nothing back then. Song Chaoyuan was kind enough to help them make money, but he and Zhang Bin not only did not thank Song Chaoyuan, they also did small things in private and even repaid kindness with enmity.
In fact, Song Chaoyuan had let Wang Jianjun off at first. When Zhang Bin absconded, Song Chaoyuan did not add insult to injury, otherwise Wang Jianjun would have to pay the price for bullying the market. However, Song Chaoyuan's actions did not make Wang Jianjun grateful. On the contrary, because of that incident, all the money he had saved from the clothes hanger business was confiscated, making Wang Jianjun think that it was Song Chaoyuan's revenge, and thus he completely hated Song Chaoyuan and his people.
Afterwards, they wrote a letter of denunciation to catch Song Chaoyuan and several others in one fell swoop. Wang Jianjun was even more vicious. If Song Chaoyuan had not made some preparations in advance and cleaned up his mess through the relationship with the school-run factory, the consequences for them would be unimaginable.
Judging from these things, Wang Jianjun shot himself in the foot, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he ended up like this.
"Brother Daqi, you don't feel sorry for Wang Jianjun now, do you?" Gu Jie knew Li Daqi very well, and seeing Li Daqi's expression he couldn't help but ask.
Li Daqi sighed, "Sanmao, he and I have known each other since childhood. We played together as little kids and went to school together. Later, we went to other places together as educated youth. Although he and I went to different places, our experiences were the same."
"He did something wrong later, and it's only natural that he ended up like this. No one else can be blamed. We all know that you reap what you sow. Before today, if you had mentioned Wang Jianjun to me, I wouldn't have had any thoughts. But today, when I saw Wang Jianjun and saw how he is now, I felt very uncomfortable."
As he spoke, Li Daqi couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. He continued, "Do you remember the first time we made money, did Yuan Chao share the money with everyone?"
"I remember, how could I not remember? This is the first time in my life that I have earned so much money through my own efforts! No matter how long time has passed, I will remember this!" Gu Jie nodded seriously. This was indeed the case. The scene of that year had always remained in Gu Jie's mind. It was also because of that money sharing that Gu Jie became determined to follow Song Chaoyuan and Li Daqi, and he became what he is today.
"It's good that you remember. Do you still remember how Wang Jianjun looked after he got the money that year?" When Li Daqi asked this question, Gu Jie did not answer for a long time. After a while, he sighed and shook his head.
Of course he also remembered it, because when Wang Jianjun got the money, he actually cried, and everyone was forcing him to cry so hard that his tears and snot were all over his face.
Wang Jianjun's family is not well off. He has several brothers and sisters, and his parents are ordinary people. He also has elderly parents above him. His home is small. He has no job after returning to Shanghai from other places, and people look down on him every day whether he is at home or wandering around outside.
Although Wang Jianjun looked big and strong, he was very inferior in his heart. After getting the money that time, Wang Jianjun could not help crying. He cried and told them that he could finally make money on his own and no longer had to rely on his family to make a living. When he had more money in the future, he would make sure those who looked down on him in the past knew that he, Wang Jianjun, was a capable person, and also make his family look at him with admiration.
In fact, everyone had this feeling at the time, including Gu Jie himself. It was just that Wang Jianjun's character was more exposed, perhaps because he suffered more injustice at that time.
"Brother Daqi, what do you mean...?" Gu Jie was silent for a long time before he asked Li Daqi.
Li Daqi thought for a moment and said, "Wang Jianjun brought this upon himself. I won't go into details. But after seeing him today, I felt really bad. I could tell that he had a very hard time in there. He was just in his early forties but looked like a sixty-year-old man. And I remember that his family wasn't well off. I don't know where he lived after he got out or what job he did..."
"Since we are classmates, and it has been a long time since what happened before, I want to find someone to ask about his current situation and help him if it is convenient. After all, we are old friends and classmates, and there is still some friendship. As for the past, let it be the past. People have to look forward after all. This is all we can do."
"Is this appropriate? Brother Daqi, don't you forget what Wang Jianjun did to us back then? This guy is a Zhongshan wolf!" Gu Jie couldn't help but say.
"I won't say that. I just want to have peace of mind. Besides, even if I help him, I won't see him again. It's just a thought of mine."
"I understand, Brother Daqi, what about Brother Yuanchao's matter...?"
"Don't tell Yuan Chao. Oh, and don't tell Zheng Guo either. Only the two of us know about this. I can't stay in Shanghai for a few days. You can ask someone about his situation in the next two days. Wait until you find out his current situation before making a decision." Li Daqi said decisively. After hearing this, Gu Jie didn't say anything else and nodded silently.
