Volume 3 Hello, Eri Chapter 204: The Tortoise and His Warm Waterhole (IV)
"There is a man named Cao Cao in China. He was the most violent person in the late Han Dynasty. He once said something." Yuan Zhisheng looked into the eyes of the college's specialists and said word by word, "'If I were not in the world, I wonder how many people would be kings and how many would be emperors?' The only thing that can suppress the dark side of human beings is violence. Law is also a kind of violence, but it usually has some humanity and morality to maintain order, and we don't need such things in many cases."
Yuan Zhisheng lowered his head and continued to eat his ramen. He had just said those words comparing himself to a king, but now he restrained all the sharpness he had displayed. He looked like a young man who was in a hurry in a ramen shop, and every mouthful of noodles made a slurping sound.
"So I haven't made up my mind to crawl into my own puddle. I can give up my power and status, but I can't shake the foundation of my family for this," he said.
Caesar slowly drank the wine in his glass, refilled it, and raised his glass to Yuan Zhisheng: "At this moment, I have to admit that you are not a coward, but a hero. A man should be like you and me, with the responsibility to stand tall and upright. The world should revolve around people like us."
Lu Mingfei thought to herself that it was worthy of you, Caesar, you had to drag someone down with you when you were being immature, and you didn’t forget to brag about yourself while praising others.
"It sounds like you guys are from gangsters." The ramen chef who had been wiping the plates silently suddenly spoke. He would not interrupt the guests when they were chatting, but would only listen. Only after the conversation was over would he appear to share the old man's life experience with the diners.
"Yes." Yuan Zhisheng nodded slightly in acknowledgment. After saying so much to this point, anyone could tell their identities from their conversation. There was no need to hide it any longer.
"Young man, you are indeed a very responsible person. Not everyone can see their position so clearly. But your responsibility has a price. You are exchanging your life for it. Your heart is not with your family, but with that nude beach you like." The ramen chef said softly without stopping his work. "It is difficult for people to give their best in things they are not interested in. I have seen too many office workers in high-rise buildings. They usually don't have the opportunity to be promoted or get a pay raise when doing jobs they don't like. The happiest thing in a person's life is to find a job that they are interested in. The requirements are not high. That's enough."
"Are you trying to say that I am not satisfied with my current situation, so it is difficult for me to do things perfectly?"
Gen Chisei used honorifics, he seldom used honorifics even to his own father. The future young master did not have to bow down to the current head of the family, but in outside circles he would respect the elderly and love the young. Japan was a country that was overly polite, one had to bow down to the elderly, not to mention that this old man was sharing his life experiences with him, which was a rare experience, he would not dismiss him just because he was a ramen chef.
“Maybe you have achieved something now, and you think you have done well enough, but this is not the real you. How can a person who lives with a mask and forces himself use 100% of his strength? One day you will encounter things that you cannot solve on your own. When you reach that point, you will probably be very confused, and you will deny yourself and doubt whether your life so far has been a mistake.” The ramen master said lightly.
"It sounds like you have been through this kind of journey as well." Yuan Zhisheng noticed it keenly, "I want to hear your story."
"Oh."
The ramen chef laughed at himself. He hadn't heard anyone talk to him like that for many years. He took out a pack of cigarettes from under the counter, took out one and put it in his mouth. Men, especially old men, always need something when they tell stories. Sometimes it's cigarettes, sometimes it's wine. Only things that can blur memory and reality can build a clear bridge between them and find the past.
"I was once in a high position like you." The ramen chef looked up at the light bulb hanging on the cloth tent, and a bright light lit up in his cloudy eyes. "At that time, Japan was still in the era of militarism. Everyone was deeply immersed in the frenzy of war. I believed that all this was leading the country to the right path. But later I learned that all this was a lie of the soldiers. They began to lose repeatedly on the battlefield, but still declared victory to the people. People could only watch the oil and water in their bowls become less and less, deceiving themselves that this was just a temporary requisition of supplies."
"Then I realized that this was not the result I wanted. Although I could still sit in my position and enjoy the best food no matter what kind of purgatory the people below were struggling in, at the most dangerous time of the war, my table was still filled with Norwegian seafood, French red wine and German sausages. If I failed in this war, I would not be punished. If I won, I would be cheered as a half-leader and my status would rise to an infinite height. But my choice was to give up. I began to understand that there were still many things I could do instead of sitting on the throne like a puppet. I wanted to pursue my own life and wield the blade of revenge against those who deceived me, deceived me, and even hurt me."
The ramen chef blew out a smoke ring. "At that time, I was young and hot-tempered. I killed many people who stood in my way. I have never regretted it until today. People should live for themselves in this life. Sitting in that kind of position to command subordinates is not what I want. I care about that little bit. Whoever dares to interfere, I will kill him. Young man, whether your family is a kind of bondage to you actually depends on what you think. If you think you have responsibilities on your shoulders, then the family will always be a bondage to you. You think you are just a part of this huge composition, and it is the same with or without you. You can just jump on a plane and pursue your own life now, just like your friend described. People, how to live, never care about what others think. What's the point of being a good person? We are actually born evil!"
"Do you want me to choose another path?" After a long silence, Yuan Zhisheng asked softly.
"No one can make a decision for you, and no one can change your decision. I just hope you understand that your so-called inability to leave the family is just a shackle you put on yourself. If this family really can't function without you, then when you want to do something, naturally no one should be able to stop you, because you are the strongest." The ramen chef grinned, "Then why don't you get what you want? For you, going to the nude beach is easy, isn't it? If you really become a bad guy, I will be happy to continue reading your story."
"Old uncle, you are just like persuading a good boy to turn into a street thug! " Lu Mingfei couldn't help it.
"Because I am such a rebellious person, of course I like to see self-righteous young people become like me." The ramen chef put out the cigarette butt on the table. He smokes very quickly, so he rarely smokes, otherwise it is easy to go back to the past. "The most important thing in life is to live happily without regrets! This guy's attitude of carrying the justice of the world on his shoulders is very handsome, but I hate this kind of people the most!"
It is a taboo for the boss to look down on diners in any restaurant, but the relationship between them is not like that at the moment. It is more like drunken gibberish. After this bowl of ramen tonight, there will be no more social interaction. Yuan Zhisheng is still the high and mighty young master of the underworld, and the ramen chef is still the stall owner struggling to make a living on the long street. So naturally, they don't need to care about what was said at the moment. Maybe they will forget it after going back to sleep, and when they wake up, they will still carry their bags and go their separate ways.
"Alas... I used to like watching adventure-themed anime. I thought those protagonists with extraordinary powers were winners in life. They could easily live an enviable life with beautiful women around them." After a few glasses of sake, Lu Mingfei began to speak with emotion. "Now that I see you, I know that fantasy stories can only be fantasy, because they will never happen in reality. They are a yearning for beauty. Real heroes are not that cool and handsome. Everyone has his own troubles... Then I think it's better to be an ordinary person. The only problem is that I might worry about money. If I can solve this problem, everything will be fine."
Caesar is to Gattuso's family, Chu Zihang is to his father, Yuan Zhisheng is to the Eight Clans of Sheqi, and even the ramen chef sitting at this dining table seems to have had a glorious past. The heroes all encountered difficulties in their lives, but Lu Mingfei, a young woman, seems to have no epic stories when looking back on her life so far. Her only hope now is to marry Chu Zihang, who has realized his ultimate ideal in life after killing Odin, and become his wife.
Compared to this, Lu Mingfei's life is truly simple! What's wrong with being in love? At least she got a response from Chu Zihang, and she doesn't have to worry about those bitter and vengeful people all day long. A perfect and beautiful life is within reach, and it seems that as soon as she raises her eyes, she can see the front waving at her.
She couldn't help but feel sad when she thought of this. She was as soft as a boneless beautiful snake. She just stood up and threw herself on Chu Zihang, put her arms around his neck, and whispered her sweet breath into his ear.
"Hey...when are you going to marry me...I've been waiting for so long...the flowers are almost withered!"
She once told Caesar that her relationship with Chu Zihang was more than friends but could be just lovers. She was Chu Zihang's girlfriend now, but he might not be her boyfriend. As long as she got his acceptance, she would be satisfied.
But it's okay to lie to others, but forget about lying to yourself. Just like Yuan Zhisheng's ego and his true self are respectively a sunscreen seller on a nude beach and a powerful gangster, Lu Mingfei said that as long as you are willing to be with me in the future, it will be fine, but in her heart, of course, she still hopes that they can be together now, and it would be best if they can get married right away and have a beautiful wedding night. If they win the prize that night, it would be even better, and they can drop out of Kassel College and become Mrs. Chu.
It will be so damn easy to hold a class reunion at Shilan Middle School next time. I will show up with my arm around Chu Zihang, in a long skirt, high heels and silver earrings. Even when pouring wine, I will flash the bright wedding ring on my ring finger for everyone to see. I will look at those girls who once coveted my husband with disdain, thinking to myself, I am not a leftover woman who is eager to get married like you. You were so awesome in the past, but you looked down on me. It's ridiculous that I am not the winner in the end.
This is the best ending for a female hero! Didn't Huang Rong, who was so beautiful and unparalleled, become the wife of Guo Jing, a silly boy, in the end? Even if you can be a good wife in the hall and on the battlefield, after you get married, you still have to learn to be a good wife who takes care of your husband and children. Isn't this what a cute girl pursues in her life! What about building achievements and conquering the battlefield? Those are all men's things. We women don't need to follow suit!
The sudden change in style caught everyone off guard. The young couple would become light bulbs as soon as they started to act coquettishly. However, the girl couldn't even talk properly or hug him. She buried her head in Chu Zihang's neck, and her face and ears were red. Caesar, who had countless experiences of drunk people pushing themselves against him, could tell at a glance that this was definitely the truth spoken after drinking. He could only signal Yuan Zhisheng with a look of watching a good show to stay calm and not panic, and to see how the killer embryo performs.
“…You’re drunk.” Chu Zihang raised his hand and tried to push Lu Mingfei away. Although they had a friendship in the past where he helped to pretend to be her boyfriend, flirting in public was still a real challenge for him. Thinking back to the time when Lu Mingfei got drunk after just a few glasses of wine at her birthday party, Chu Zihang could only remember it silently, thinking that he would never let this girl drink in the future, and that he would have to fend off any social engagements.
"I'm not drunk...!"
The sentence "I'm not drunk" really showed the girl's lifelong coquettishness. Not to mention Chu Zihang who was the person involved, even Yuan Zhisheng who was watching nearby felt that the girl seemed drunk and buried her neck, but in fact, she shook her shoulders, swung her arms, pouted her lips and used all the cute tricks in this one sentence, which was so chilling that it made people shiver.
What a terrifying power... It reminds people of Tamamonomae who once brought chaos to the world. No wonder she has the title of "The Beautiful Enchantress of the Twilight". When she uses her power, it is really hard to resist. The status of this idol trio in Gen Chisei's heart has risen another point.
"Send her to bed, I'm here." After admiring his opponent's helpless look for a long time, Caesar, a veteran in the love field, finally patted Chu Zihang on the other shoulder and gave him a solution. With Chu Zihang's ability, if Caesar hadn't said this tonight, they would probably stay here until dawn tomorrow. Lu Mingfei almost treated Chu Zihang like a pig digging a farmland. If he was a little more radical, a new S-level might be born.
Chu Zihang nodded slightly, carefully took Lu Mingfei's arm and walked towards the black business car on the street.
"The presidential suite of the Peninsula Hotel. Just tell your name at the hotel front desk and someone will take you to the top floor." Yuan Zhisheng threw the car keys to Chu Zihang, who took them, nodded and said thank you.
Caesar and Yuan Zhisheng watched the young lovers start the engine and drive away. The splashing water seemed like a farewell gift. The two men looked at each other silently and clinked their glasses.
The couples in the team have gone to be together, and what remains is the friendship between real men that is stronger than gold. In the steaming ramen shop, everyone may have a lot of ideas to talk about. Yuan Zhisheng is a rare guy that Caesar likes, and he feels like he has found the second Chu Zihang.
