Chapter 47: Good Friends Reunite 2

  A wealthy family, with the arrival of dinner time, Gu Ye went to the backyard kitchen to busy himself, leaving Ge Xuelin and Li Mang sitting at the table drinking.

  "The Fu family's prosperity is the foundation laid by Old Gu after a lifetime of hard work, and now it's going to be taken away. Although they don't say anything on the surface, they must feel terrible in their hearts!" Ge Xuelin sighed, then continued to lament: "Unfortunately, we are all powerless and helpless ordinary people, unable to help Old Gu. Lao Yu is working at his unit, hoping to speak up for him."

  "Is Old Yu still at the grassroots level?" Li Mang shook his head. The "Old Yu" in Ge Xuelin's mouth referred to Yu Gaoyang, who was the youngest in the dormitory and had taken the civil service exam after graduation, working at the Ministry of Construction. As far as he knew, Yu Gaoyang's family was ordinary, and it might take a long time for him to move out of the grassroots level.

  "Hey, you don't know, do you? That kid is now the group leader, and he's really showing off!" Ge Xuelin said with a hint of a smile, his meaning unclear.

  "It's not enough to be promoted in just one year, are civil servants now so easy-going?" Li Mang was surprised, although he was unfamiliar with the officialdom, but also knew that promotion and wealth were a long process, without a backstage background, even if talented, there would be no chance to stand out.

  "There was a time when he accompanied a leader on a business trip, and as a result, the leader almost got beaten to death by some thugs. It was only because of his bravery that they managed to escape with their lives. You understand what I'm getting at." Ge Xuelin said with a hint of a smile.

  "This guy's career path is indeed smooth." Li Mao couldn't help but smile, and instead of looking down on Xia Duji, he genuinely wished him well, thinking that having such an encounter was also his good fortune.

  Xiao Yangzhou didn't mix well, a few months ago he resigned from his original job and started his own business, unfortunately it has been difficult all along, now very disheartened. The last time I saw him, I almost couldn't recognize him, dirty and unkempt, where is the appearance of a high-talent student? Ge Xuelin sighed.

  The atmosphere of the gathering suddenly became oppressive, Li Mang downed the bitter beer in his cup without a word. Xiao Yangzhou was the oldest among the four and had always been like an elder brother to them, taking great care of them, though he never said it out loud, Li Mang was very grateful to him.

  Ge Xuelin shook his head and didn't mention them again, instead shifting his gaze back to Li Mang, curiously asking: "Where did you go for the past half year? You look radiant and in great spirits!"

  "I'm in a small company, which may go bankrupt at any time, but at least the welfare is still good for now." Li Mang said with a smile. He actually hoped that Yan Huang would go bankrupt earlier so that he could regain his freedom. But on the other hand, Li Mang didn't want Yan Huang to go bankrupt either, because there were still many things he wanted to learn, and although Yan Huang was strict, it was also reasonable.

  In the nonsense from all over the world, time slowly passed, and soon it was eight o'clock in the evening. The sky outside had already hung a round moon.

  Due to the influence of public opinion, Fulu's family business has not been doing well recently. Two tables of customers have finished eating and left, and the commotion outside seems to have nothing to do with Fulu's family. Xiaoling is staring blankly beside her, while Gu Ye is drinking strong liquor alone at the bar, his face calm as still water.

  Li Meng and Ge Xuelin had nothing to say, silently clinking their cups together. Xiao Yangzhou had just called, saying he was on his way, but as for Yu Gaoyang, there was no response at all. Li Meng and Ge Xuelin didn't urge him, if someone wants to come, they will come naturally, and if not, there's nothing more to say.

  At eight o'clock, Xiao Yangzhou walked in. He was originally a kind and honest young man who loved cleanliness, but now he had a thick beard and looked haggard, no wonder Ge Xuelin said she couldn't recognize him.

  "Sorry to keep you waiting!" Xiao Yangzhou said apologetically, picked up a bottle of beer and directly gulped it down. Li Meng didn't know if he was making amends or thirsty.

  "Yangzhou, how did you end up like this?" Li Mang couldn't help but ask.

  Xiao Yangzhou let out a wry smile, not hiding the truth, and calmly said: "I invested in an eco-agricultural resort, putting all my own money and family's money into it. However, I've been stuck with various permits and licenses until now, and I don't know when I can finally open for business."

  "Are you kidding me?" Li Meng was speechless, although he knew that Xiao Yangzhou was born to a peasant family, but still, he's a top student from Yanda University, what does he have to do with farmhouse music?!

  “……Haha!” Xiao Yangzhou let out a bitter laugh, opened a bottle of wine and drank alone without saying anything. With his education, finding a job in society was easy, but he couldn't stand the deceitful ways of today's world, and even felt disgusted, which is why he had the idea to open a farmhouse inn, and hastily put it into action. Who would have thought things would turn out like this?

  "Yangzhou, you're so stubborn! If you had given them a red envelope at the beginning, it wouldn't have ended up like this! Not giving one is fine, but you still spoke out of turn and those bastards are intentionally dragging things on!" Ge Xuelin scolded Yangzhou with a hint of drunkenness.

  Xiao Yangzhou drank silently, without making any excuses. He was originally arrogant and had refused to give red envelopes when hinted, which led to a falling out and being put on the blacklist, making it difficult for him to get several certificates done.

  Li Mang shook his head helplessly, he understood Xiao Yangzhou's temperament, being overly straightforward, and today's encounter was not accidental. The world is like this, it can't be changed by one or two people. Since that's the case, he also decided to take advantage of his special privileges to help Xiao Yangzhou, and punish some corrupt officials who deserved it!

  "Drip!"

  In the silence, the sound of a car horn came from outside. The three people seemed to have noticed something and looked up. The old man at the counter also raised his eyelids, but when he saw who it was, he let them fall again, still as calm as an ancient well.

  The car is nothing special, just an Alto, but the words on the body are eye-catching, "Certain Construction Department", which is clearly a public vehicle.

  A young man in a suit and tie, with shiny leather shoes, sporting a middle parting hairstyle, walked out of the car. He was young but already had an air of leadership about him. This person was none other than Li Mang's last roommate, Yu Gaoyang.

  "Sorry about that, I just had to attend to some business with the boss and rushed over as soon as I could." Yu Gaoyang apologized profusely, but his face didn't show a hint of apology. He scanned the table, saw that it was all beer, and furrowed his brow slightly. In the end, he only poured himself a cup of tea, raised it in a gesture, and said: "I've already had too much to drink, so I'll substitute with tea instead. It's not right for me to keep you three brothers company."

  Li Meng and three others slightly furrowed their brows but quickly returned to normal.

  "It's been almost a year since we last met, and I really miss everyone. Today, being able to reunite with three brothers in our old haunt is truly exciting... Gu Ye, let's order!" Yu Gaoyang said some sentimental words, then immediately took charge of ordering food.

  Li Meng's face was getting uglier, while Ge Xuelin beside him seemed to be used to it, with a slight curl at the corner of his mouth without saying a word. As for Xiao Yangzhou, a look of disgust flashed in his eyes.

  The old man in front heard the words and stood up, with his signature warm smile on his face, but said to Yu Gaoyang: "Cai Li has already ordered, just waiting for you to come down!"

  Li Mang smiled and nodded slightly to Gu Ye, indicating that he should order. In fact, before this, he had not ordered any dishes at all. Gu Ye was so particular because he couldn't stand Yu Gaoyang's pretentiousness. Although he was a kind old man, he was also a straightforward person.

  "Has Li Mao ordered yet?" Yu Gaoyang smiled wryly, but still said loudly: "Gu Ye, add a few more dishes, I'm treating my brothers today."

  "Li Meng, where have you been for the past half year? We've searched high and low, and we were all worried sick about you. We thought you might do something reckless because of that matter!" Yu Gaoyang looked at Li Meng with concern, his eyes instinctively sizing up his clothes and spirit.

  Ge Xuelin and Xiao Yangzhou furrowed their brows at the same time. They had always deliberately avoided talking about what happened in the past, but Yu Gaoyang brought it up again with just one sentence, really not considering Li Mang's feelings.

  Li Mang's eyes dimmed slightly, not because he was reminded of past heartaches, but because he was disappointed by Yu Gaoyang's change. The old Yu Gaoyang was sly, but not as arrogant as he is now, and this self-satisfied feeling made Li Mang feel disgusted.

  But considering that the four dormitories had not seen each other for more than a year, Li Mang did not say anything explicitly, but only repeated his own words, saying that he was working in a small enterprise. This profession is fictional, but the identity is 'true', which is the archived identity fabricated by Yan Huang for him.

  "Small companies can't compare to big enterprises, the work is unstable and there's no guarantee for retirement benefits later on. If possible, it's better for you to switch to another company." Yu Gaoyang advised Li Meng with a serious tone.

  "Haha!" Li Mang could only laugh, what else could he say? Was he supposed to reveal his true identity and slap him in the face? How childish.

  Seeing that Li Meng was displeased, Ge Xuelin could only change the subject and first told Yu Gaoyang about the difficulties Gu Ye had encountered. Finally, he asked: "Gaoyang, can you persuade the relevant parties? You know that Fulu's life is absolutely clean and there's no problem at all. Closing it down would be too unfair to Gu Ye!"

  Tonight, Xiao Yangzhou, who had been ignoring Yu Gaoyang all along, also looked over with expectation. He was truly unwilling to see the innocent Fu Lu people being locked up, and he also hoped that Yu Gaoyang could help out. Only Li Mang raised his cup alone and took a small sip, his face calm and expressionless. He wanted to see if this former good friend had already become terminally ill.