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墨書 Inktalez
After three days of relentless rain, from torrential downpours to light drizzles, the sun finally made its long-awaited appearance. However, the heavy clouds still lingered, as if the rain had left the city in tatters. As soon as the rain stopped, workers rushed to clear the drainage systems, remove mud, and pick up litter left on the streets, busying themselves with their tasks.
From the balcony of his hotel, Mulin Shen observed this scene unfold. Sanitation workers, garbage trucks, and construction crews nearly blocked half the road, causing traffic to crawl at a snail's pace. Even the upscale hotel he was staying at was not spared from the aftermath of the storm.
Behind the floor-to-ceiling windows, Mu Shao lounged lazily, indifferent to the chaos outside. Sipping on chilled orange juice and listening to soft melodies, he occasionally glanced up at the sky. Most of the time, he pondered how to pass another dull day. Before long, he picked up his customized Vertu phone from the low table. Just as he was about to dial a number, it rang. Answering impatiently, he exclaimed, "Lezi, you've been calling for hours! You should have crawled here by now... Oh, you're already here? Alright, I'll wait."
Setting down his glass and getting dressed was a skill for someone like him—a well-bred young man accustomed to refinement. His hair needed styling, nails required polishing, shoes had to be shined; as for his shirt, it must be wrinkle-free whether he raised or lowered his arms. His face? That was a given; he had already applied a facial mask earlier in the day—something he did regularly to fill his abundant free time.
After spending a little over ten minutes in the bathroom, Mu Shao emerged looking like a dashing young gentleman. He grabbed his phone and slipped it into an exquisite men's clutch while maintaining an upright posture as he confidently stepped out.
Wherever he went, an alluring fragrance trailed behind him.
Was it perfume? No way; that was a low-class way of showing off. The true method was using essential oils—an old-school aristocratic approach from England—crafted entirely by hand for bathing and aromatherapy. The subtle and natural scent was refreshing and uplifting.
As he entered the elevator amidst numerous admiring glances from female staff members, Mu Shao instinctively checked his reflection in the polished elevator walls for one last look at his outfit.
Perfect—flawless to a fault.
Narcissistic? Pfft… With so many women infatuated with him, did he really need to be?
Mu Shao thought this as he confidently exited the elevator in search of Lezi.
Lezi was a classmate from middle school whose full name was Su Rongle. Originally from another city, his father had poured money into sending him to a prestigious school. Ten years had flown by; it was said that Lezi's father had successfully transitioned from being a foreman directing bricklayers to becoming a real estate developer. With such family prestige backing him up, Lezi—who once dozed off during exams and failed every subject—had somehow earned a diploma from Nanjing Normal University.
Spotting Su Rongle at the reception desk flirting with guests, Mulin Shen quietly approached. The same old routine: Su Rongle’s head seemed oversized with his small beard framing his face as he posed dramatically for some girls. "Look at this charm! You must be destined for the leading lady role," he teased playfully. "Clean-cut and charismatic—a true leading man... Here’s my business card; I’m Su Rongle, General Manager of Huayi Media... Our company has produced a romantic drama."
"Is that so? We just watched a movie called 'Left Ear' yesterday," the Lobby Girl glanced at Su Rongle, clearly provoking him.
"That wasn't made by their company. Their company only makes 'Right Leg' and 'Front Chest,' not 'Left Ear,'" Mulin Shen interjected unexpectedly.
The girl with a charming smile suddenly laughed uncontrollably, her eyes captivated by Mulin Shen. Just as they were about to strike up a conversation, Su Rongle yanked her away, pointing an accusing finger at him and saying, "Dude, I was just getting somewhere with her, and you had to mess it up. What's up with that?"
"You can only fool girls who just got into the scene. The girls in this lobby have sharp eyes; they can see through your outfit. You think you can charm anyone?" Mulin Shen rolled his eyes and mocked.
Su Rongle, wearing a plaid shirt, had a thick gold chain hanging around his neck, a pricey watch on his wrist, an LV bag that he had swiped from Mu Shao's place, an iPhone in hand, and a belt that cost several thousand. He retorted, "What's wrong with that? It's perfectly fine."
"You've successfully inherited your dad's foreman taste. Just throw money at girls; other methods won't work for you," Mulin Shen laughed.
At this point, Su Rongle felt inferior. He looked at Mu Shao, whose delicate skin resembled freshly peeled lychee flesh. Then he glanced at his own rough cheeks, thick-skinned like they were made of cement, and muttered disdainfully as he walked, "And don't make fun of me; having money doesn't mean I need to show off."
"Ah, now that's your style—straightforward and blunt," Mulin Shen exclaimed in mock surprise, pointing out, "Your taste is like your principles—flawed."
"What do you mean?" Su Rongle felt something was off.
"You're missing the principle part; you only understand the base instincts," Mu Shao mocked before walking away with a smile.
Su Rongle felt a surge of anger but managed to maintain his composure as he shot Mulin Shen a glance and civilly cursed, "Vulgar! What civilized person talks like that? It's called casual dating; you're out of touch."
The banter between them was one of the many ways to pass the time. As they stepped into the hall and saw Lezi's BMW covered in mud, Mulin Shen frowned. At that moment, Su Rongle sensed something was amiss and suspiciously asked, "Hey? Where's your car? Why are you staying here?"
Upon mentioning this matter, Mulin Shen grew angry and grabbed Lezi by the neck, saying fiercely that today he would settle the score. "When did you leave that day? My dad came home and probably thought I brought two girls back for a double date... And you! You useless piece of work! Did you forget to take that package? My dad must have found it; I'm in deep trouble."
Lezi, who had no qualms about anything, burst into laughter upon hearing this but was startled when he realized the items might have been discovered. He quickly said, "Don't choke me! It's bad enough already! Huan Huan took a couple of puffs; I forgot to take it with me."
"I've told you so many times, I know from experience that you can't touch... that stuff can cause your blood cells to mutate and lead to memory degradation. Sooner or later, you'll end up as an idiot." Mulin Shen said unhappily, but unexpectedly, Su Rongle was not afraid of that. He replied, "Even if I don't smoke, I'm not much better than an idiot... Hey, do you think your dad would harm me? If he tells my dad, my dad would definitely beat me to death."
Su Rongle was startled. In this circle, everyone dabbled a little, just varying in depth, but such matters were definitely something they couldn't explain to their parents.
However, he thought for a moment and felt it was fine. He pondered aloud, "Your dad is more cultured than mine; no one would dare to leak this. If it gets out, they'll come after you first."
"Hey, you're really shameless... Am I afraid of getting caught? I've spent two days in an American federal prison; would I be scared of this...? I just don’t know what to do. It's been three or four days, and my dad hasn't contacted me. Normally, if he can't find me, he's either with his assistant or searching the world for me... Hey, this cold war is really confusing me." Mulin Shen said with a hint of doubt, feeling something was off. His familiar father seemed like a completely different person.
"Come on, look at you. You could easily rely on your looks but insist on relying on your dad instead. Let's go have some fun; I'll help Mu Shao calm down." Su Rongle felt relieved upon hearing this. His own character might not be great, but he still trusted his friend's integrity.
Once they got in the car and fastened their seatbelts, Mu Shao said, "Not relying on my dad; what if he loses his job... Rongle, why don't you go check things out at my house?"
"Forget it; you and your dad are like enemies... An enemy's friend won't give me a good face; don't drag me down."
"You're really ungrateful; I got expelled from school back then just to protect you."
"Don't start with that; it was you who wanted to lure the Class Flower next door so I could steal her diary!"
"I didn't tell you to steal all the girls' diaries; you even swiped a bunch of pens while you were at it."
"I forgot where the Class Flower sat! Besides, it's hard to steal once; isn't it better to steal more than less? By the way, did you ever see that Class Flower again? What was her name... Dai Dai... right, Dai Qiongshi? I can still remember her face being so delicate it looked like you could squeeze water out of it. Tsk, I left two grades behind and never saw her again."
"You're such a pig; I wore such a big thief's hat; how could I go find her again?"
Old memories overshadowed new worries. Often, the longing for first love is much deeper than the current infatuations. As soon as this topic came up, even Mu Shao's gaze became clearer and his expression more innocent. He tilted his head; after the warmth faded away, a thick layer of melancholy crept onto his cheeks.
Was it nostalgia for the lost years?
Is it still the helplessness of being unable to pursue?
He couldn't quite articulate it, always feeling that something was missing in life, yet he had spent over twenty years without finding the reason for it.
"You should try to find out," Su Rongle suggested.
"Can I really find it? People change too much," Mulin Shen replied casually. This statement struck a chord with him as he watched the sweating construction workers and the bustling pedestrians, yet he couldn't discern what they were busy with, just as he couldn't figure out the meaning of his own life.
Su Rongle seemed to understand that Mulin Shen was looking for the Class Flower. He smiled and said, "Let me tell you a story. This morning, I bought some steamed buns and happened to come across a pair of Stray Dogs. A black dog was chasing a Bitch, trying to mount her... I stopped my car, ready to watch this beastly affair."
Mulin Shen turned back curiously to glance at Su Rongle, exclaiming, "That's quite beastly! You're really interested in this kind of thing?"
"Wrong! I'm telling you a philosophy," Su Rongle boasted. "The next part of the story is that the black dog couldn't get on top. I thought it was hungry and lacked strength, so I tossed it a Meat Bun... Guess what? They stopped their antics and started fighting over the Meat Bun instead... Do you understand?"
Mulin Shen, with his pig-like brain and beastly thoughts rarely able to grasp deeper meanings, asked in confusion, "Black dog, Bitch, Meat Bun... what's the philosophy?"
"The philosophy is: any love pales in comparison to bread. This philosophy teaches you to go find your Class Flower from back then; perhaps she isn't doing well. Spend some money to meet up again, settle old scores with a bang, and everything will be fine. Why be so melancholic?" Su Rongle earnestly advised his brother.
Mulin Shen could hardly bear being lectured like this. He retorted angrily, "Money can solve ninety-nine percent of problems, but not everything."
"That means for the remaining one percent, you need even more money to solve it... Fool! Studying abroad has made you foolish; you don't understand the national conditions anymore," Su Rongle scoffed.
Mulin Shen, who considered himself charming and exceptionally talented, could accept shamelessness, lewdness, vulgarity, and any other derogatory terms but found it hard to accept being called a fool. He argued back, "You're just full of nonsense! The premise of your story is flawed; using two dogs to illustrate love between men and women is simply absurd."
"You are mistaken again! Dogs are very human-like. For instance, those who are single call themselves 'single dogs'; those who pair up are called 'dog lovers'; if you force yourself onto someone else, that's worse than a pig or dog; and nowadays when men and women enjoy casual encounters, that's actually called 'dog play.' If you hate someone, you curse them as a dog; if you like someone, then you're just two dogs in a heap... Haha! My understanding of traditional culture has left you dumbfounded!" Su Rongle declared proudly.
Mulin Shen nodded solemnly. He hadn't expected this guy could spout such lengthy discourse. With admiration, he said, "Today I realized that I truly can't live as shamelessly as you do."
"Well, the current state of the world is that there are all kinds of beasts running around, and returning home is not as good as being a dog. You're certainly worse off than I am," Su Rongle scoffed.
"I really shouldn't have gone abroad. Just look at the education level in domestic universities; back then, I couldn't even spin a decent lie, and now they've turned into cultural dogs," Mulin Shen chuckled. His surprise upon returning home was immense; aside from the city expanding and more people around, it was this brother's cultural level that had improved tremendously, no longer the same naive person from Wu.
Sure enough, he started boasting about how impressive his media company was. Why was he telling Mu Shao this? He wanted to attract investment, of course. A hundred to a hundred fifty thousand wasn't too little; millions or even billions would be great. "Alright, you can be the president. We'll work together as brothers and achieve great success." Mulin Shen didn't fully trust him; although this guy graduated from Nanjing Normal University, he still often wrote "media" as "coal media," and if you corrected him, he might just change it to "prostitution media."
"Enough about investment; my family's money isn't something I can manage... By the way, where are you off to? It's still early for lunch," Mulin Shen shifted the topic, noticing Su Rongle seemed to have a purpose for driving out.
Indeed, there was a purpose. Su Rongle mysteriously said, "I'm taking you to meet someone. Do you remember our classmate Sun Qinghua?"
"Of course I remember—wasn't that... Ruhua?" Mulin Shen burst into laughter. She was the ugliest one, often punished by teachers for not doing her homework and made to stand in the hallway. Back then, when she stood next to Ruhua, they were the most stunning sight in the school.
"I think you haven't forgotten either," Su Rongle said with a smile.
"What do you want with her? That girl is so cheap; she borrows paper and pen refills every day and never returns them," Mulin Shen replied. He had never liked stingy people, especially those who were both ugly and stingy.
"You’re mistaken, Linzi... Ten years have passed; so much has changed. Most of our classmates are struggling, but the most impressive one isn’t me or you; it’s Ruhua," Su Rongle said seriously.
"No way! Even drug dealers would cry if they saw your dad in real estate; there are people stronger than your dad," Mulin Shen said skeptically. The myth of wealth creation in China wouldn't be replicated elsewhere in the world; without experiencing it firsthand, it was hard to believe.
"There is."
"What?"
"Stock trading."
"That’s impossible! With her intelligence? Stock trading?"
"This is not something a smart person could do. A few years ago, this guy had his old house demolished and received six to seven million in compensation. Then he threw almost all of it into the stock market, hitting over thirty limit-ups. Just calculate how much money that is."
"Wow, that's incredible!"
"Right? I went to ask him about it, and he couldn't even understand the charts. When I asked how he picked the stocks, he said he just chose 6＊＊369 because it sounded good. I asked him how he dared to hold onto them for so long, and he said he forgot his account password. By the time he found it, the stocks had already skyrocketed... I asked him how he could invest everything and even use leverage, and he said if you're going to make money, you have to go all in; worst case, he could always go back to being broke... And that's how he made his fortune."
"Is that really possible? It seems I've missed out on billions... Selling cakes, this is too exciting! I used to think living in an apartment in America was pretty good, but coming back made me realize I was practically living in the past."
Mulin Shen was left speechless, feeling a bit desolate. Coming back brought him more disappointment than anything else—work was work, business was business, and everyone seemed to find their place and purpose in their respective fields. Even those who were just having fun seemed to be filled with a sense of achievement. The more he thought about it, the more lost he felt.
The car sped towards the Imperial City First-Class Villa District. Lezi mentioned not to call people " Ruhua," but rather "Mr. Sun" or "Boss Sun." He was counting on him to invest some money for him. The more Lezi talked like this, the more Young Master Mu felt a strange sense of nostalgia mixed with anxiety.
The car drove quickly into a high-end residential area, heading straight for a magnificent standalone villa...
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