DLRAS Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Let’s wait until you get rich later.

It was not until she saw black truffle hotpot on the menu that Chen Xiangling still failed to process what was happening.

This really was not at all what she had imagined when he said, “Let’s find a place to eat and talk.”

The restaurant was membership-only. They had to give a name when they entered. It looked high-end, so lavish and splendid that it hardly seemed like a hotpot restaurant.

She frowned at the menu prices. In the end, Chen Wengang took it from her and chose the soup base and ingredients himself.

The mushroom broth bubbled away. The base had been simmered with ginseng, and freeze-dried black truffle was added, making it richer and fresher the longer it cooked. On the table were Hokkaido scallops, large sea snails, and plump fresh crabs, but Chen Xiangling cared only about the bill. Her eyes widened. “The two of us ordered almost a thousand yuan!”

They were not drinking, and they had not ordered any of the so-called “top special-supply” ingredients, so the price of the feast was actually not that outrageous.

Chen Wengang comforted her. “It’s fine, just this once in a while. If you feel bad about the money, then eat more and don’t waste anything.”

Normally, when he was by himself, he would not come to a restaurant like this either. The first time had been when Zheng Yucheng brought him. Whenever the two of them went out, naturally Chen Wengang had to match Zheng Yucheng’s spending standard. It was undeniable that when he was young, it was Zheng Yucheng who had shown him many so-called high-end places.

Today was a special situation, so splurging once did not matter.

Once the food was on the table, it could not be returned. Chen Xiangling ate delicately and quietly, but she still cleaned out the hotpot thoroughly.

White steam drifted in the air. Chen Wengang leaned one arm on the table and sat across from her, watching her with a gaze as calm as still water.

At this point, his true purpose finally came fully into the open. “Lingling, do you want to go to university?”

Chen Xiangling froze. “Brother, I’m about to graduate from vocational school already.”

But Chen Wengang said, “What’s the point of attending a vocational high school? I’ll find you a cram school. You can study for a year, then take the university preparatory exam as an adult candidate. If you pass, you do one year of prep, and then you take the university entrance test. You’re still young. There’s still time.”

Chen Xiangling realized he was not joking.

Of course he was not. Chen Wengang had already looked everything up before coming. “It’ll be a bit of a hassle, sure, and it’ll cost two more years, but really, isn’t it just two big exams?” Because he himself was a top student, he seemed to think every exam was easy. “If you pass, then choose a university major you like. Once you finish, after graduation, if you want to work, go work. If you want to see more of the world, then keep going and study abroad…”

Chen Xiangling sat there dumbfounded. “Where did all of this even come from?”

This was the coming-of-age gift? What kind of coming-of-age gift was this?

“Lingling.” Chen Wengang looked at her. “I’m not forcing you to choose this path. I’m just telling you that if you want it, then I can make it happen for you. And if you want to do something else, I’ll stand by you too.”

Chen Xiangling spooned at the mousse cake and truly fell into thought.

Children from big families understood better than most that a bowl of water could never be poured evenly. Their parents liked the younger brothers more—anyone with eyes could see that. Of course it hurt, but what could you do about it? You could only make your own plans for yourself.

But her cousin’s suggestion also sounded so naive it bordered on fantasy. Because her grades really had been bad. Back in school, she had barely avoided being dead last in the class.

It was exactly because of that that Chen Zeng and his wife had convinced her to go to vocational high school. After all, she had never been able to get into university anyway.

Chen Xiangling voiced those concerns exactly as they were.

Chen Wengang said, “Before, you never had the time to quietly settle down and study. If you don’t change your environment and try, how will you know?”

Chen Xiangling came up with another concern. “My parents definitely won’t agree.”

Chen Wengang said, “You’re a grown girl now. You’re an adult. You can make your own decision.”

“Then how do I convince them?”

“Don’t tell them at first. Wait until you pass, then tell them.”

“But what if I don’t pass?”

“If you want to take it, then take it again the next year. If one year doesn’t work, then two. However many years you take, I can afford to support you.”

Chen Xiangling had originally wanted to start working early. It would be good to earn money and enter society earlier. Being able to earn money meant independence. But now suddenly another narrow bridge had appeared in front of her—dangerous, but deeply tempting. If she tried to walk it, it was frightening. But if she didn’t, she was afraid she would miss the chance forever.

Chen Wengang did not rush her. “This semester isn’t even over yet. Go back and think it through slowly. It won’t be too late to decide in the summer.”

At that moment, a waiter led another group of customers upstairs.

They came in noisily, and the moment Chen Wengang’s gaze fell on them, his brow furrowed slightly.

Her older cousin did not often wear such a serious expression. Chen Xiangling froze, then turned her head and followed his line of sight.

That group of stylish young men and women, not much older than she was, noticed their table at the same time.

The two groups’ eyes met. They clearly knew Chen Wengang, but the relationship obviously was not good. As they sat down, they whispered among themselves with mocking looks. Pointing and muttering was apparently not enough—one young man even walked over to them, full of provocation.

Their hotpot had already been turned off, and a layer of oil had formed over the broth.

The man looked at the leftovers on the table. “Without Zheng Yucheng, how come you’re eating so poorly now?” He laughed, pulled out a chair, and sat down himself, then called to the waiter, “Add a few more dishes. Bring whatever’s expensive today and put it on my tab.”

This fat guy was clearly here to pick a fight.

Chen Xiangling looked at him uneasily, then at Chen Wengang, her gaze darting back and forth.

She had no experience dealing with this kind of arrogant rich young man. He was broad-shouldered and heavyset, intimidating both in wealth and sheer size. Chen Xiangling instinctively sensed danger and was already worrying that if things turned physical, they would be at a disadvantage.

“Young Master He, there’s no need to be so polite,” Chen Wengang said coldly. “We’ve already finished eating.”

Without revealing anything on his face, he looked at the other man. His name was He Jiajun—He Wanxin’s older brother.

In Jincheng, if you gathered all the famous spoiled rich playboys together, there would be about one basketful of them, and He Jiajun’s reputation was among the foulest.

As for He Wanxin, rather than saying those two siblings were deeply affectionate, it would be more accurate to say they were birds of a feather—both loved stirring up trouble.

Most likely, since He Wanxin had failed to win over Zheng Yucheng, He Jiajun had come to take it out on Chen Wengang on his sister’s behalf.

“My sister got dragged into trouble because of you, and now she’s still grounded at home, not allowed to go out,” he said, then slanted his eyes toward the flower-bud-like Chen Xiangling. “You move fast, though. New little lover? Not bad. Pretty in a small, delicate way. Zheng Yucheng allows you to hunt on the side too?”

Chen Wengang turned to Chen Xiangling. “Pack up. Don’t leave anything behind. We’re going to pay.”

Chen Xiangling hurriedly picked up her books, the bells on her braids jingling brightly.

She rushed around the table, but He Jiajun suddenly stretched out a leg and blocked her way.

“Little sister, name your price. Stop following him and come with me instead.” He gestured in Chen Wengang’s direction. “Do you even know what kind of person he really is? Let me tell you, just because he brings you to a place like this doesn’t mean he’s rich. More likely it means—”

“Xiangling!” Chen Wengang came around from the other side, took her hand, and said sternly, “See that? If you don’t study and don’t learn anything useful, then in the future you’ll turn into something as embarrassing as this. Let’s go.”

He Jiajun glared at him. “What the hell did you just say?”

Chen Wengang ignored him and tugged Chen Xiangling downstairs.

Running into He Jiajun today was simply their bad luck. He Jiajun was arrogant and conceited, but also petty. If Chen Wengang had been alone, that would have been one thing—but he had Chen Xiangling with him. In a situation like this, leaving was clearly the wiser choice. If he insisted on venting his anger in the moment, he might stir up even more trouble, and that would not be worth it.

Clutching Chen Wengang’s clothes, Chen Xiangling followed him downstairs. In the confusion, her arm knocked over a decorative crystal vase from a display stand against the wall. The vase crashed to the ground and shattered into pieces. Half a bottle of colorful decorative glass marbles that had been inside it spilled everywhere with a clatter.

Chen Xiangling was still worrying that the unreasonable brute behind them might keep chasing after them when she suddenly heard a loud crash behind her.

She turned around at once.

It turned out that He Jiajun had stepped on a few of the smooth round glass marbles and slipped backward.

First he lost his balance, grabbed at empty air, then his whole body tipped back, and the back of his head smacked against a chair. He let out a sharp cry and bared his teeth in pain. His crowd of idle rich friends were stunned by the sudden accident, but once they reacted, they all rushed over and surrounded him.

“What happened?”

“Old He, how bad is the fall?”

“Don’t move, don’t move—check if he’s bleeding!”

Chen Xiangling was so startled she went stiff, her fingers clenched tightly as she muttered, “Brother, I…”

Chen Wengang grabbed her without room for argument. “Ignore it. Leave now. If there’s any issue, let him come find me later.”

A waiter who had been hiding for half the time came over as if he wanted to stop them, but Chen Wengang gave him one look and asked, “How much was that vase?”

“O-one thousand…” the waiter stammered. “B-but you…”

At the cashier, Chen Wengang swiped his card to pay the bill, then took out a stack of cash from his wallet and counted it—about one thousand. He tossed the money onto the counter and said it was for the vase. Without waiting for the cashier to react, he took Chen Xiangling and walked out.

They hurried a whole street away, and only after confirming no one was following them did they stop by the roadside and raise a hand to hail a taxi.

Whether from lingering fear or guilt, Chen Xiangling could not say. She looked dispirited, clutching Chen Wengang’s sleeve without saying a word.

When the taxi stopped, Chen Wengang opened the door for her. “Don’t be afraid. He only has a grudge with me. It has nothing to do with you.”

Chen Xiangling shook her head. She wanted to say that was not what she was afraid of. It was just that her body was still trembling from the emotional shock.

Before this, she had never understood the social circle her cousin lived in. Her parents had always described it as a life above ordinary people.

But seeing it up close for the first time, she realized these so-called “people above others” were actually just this shallow and disrespectful.

While she was thinking all this in confusion, Chen Wengang put an arm lightly around her shoulders.

The taxi had stopped at Wanghai Restaurant.

He took Chen Xiangling inside. At this hour, business was booming. Lu Chenlong, whom they had only just parted from that morning, was called out of the back kitchen by a server. Chen Wengang pointed at him. “This is your brother’s good friend. If anything happens, call me. If there’s no time, then come find him.”

After hearing the whole story, Lu Chenlong clicked his tongue in amazement, but still patted his chest and promised that the kitchen cleaver in his hand was not just for decoration.

Seeing him clown around, Chen Xiangling finally let out a laugh and shyly shook his hand.

After saying a few more things to Lu Chenlong, Chen Wengang then took Chen Xiangling home. Once she was back on familiar ground, her fright had mostly settled, though she was still uneasy about whether they might have to pay medical expenses.

Chen Wengang straightened her hair. “Don’t think about anything else. Right now, just think about university.”

“Okay,” Chen Xiangling said. “I… I’m just not very confident.”

“Then you can imagine what kind of life you want to live in this lifetime.”

Chen Xiangling nodded and called out, “Brother… what about you? Have you thought about it?”

Night had fallen, and the halo of the streetlights traced a quiet, misty outline around Chen Wengang.

More than just thought about it.

In his previous life, he had already lived through the highs and lows of a whole lifetime. The roads he was meant to walk, he had walked. The battles he was meant to fight, he had fought. He had seen the brilliance and hypocrisy of the world of fame and profit, and by good fortune had even managed to do a few things that were truly meaningful.

He said to Chen Xiangling, “If a person can build a family and build a career, then heaven has already favored them greatly.”

Chen Xiangling only half understood, but she felt there was sadness in him, so she asked no more.

Before leaving, Chen Wengang transferred her a sum of money and said it was spending money. “Whether it’s for books, or food, or fun, use it however you want. Spend it on yourself. Don’t tell your parents or Guangzong and Yaozu.”

At first Chen Xiangling tried to refuse, but then she was amused into pressing her lips together in a smile. “Alright… When I make money later, I’ll pay you back.”

“We’ll talk when you get rich later,” Chen Wengang said, flicking her lightly on the forehead with one finger. “Getting rich can solve more than half the worries in life. By then, I’ll be counting on my promising little sister to take care of me in old age. Alright, go on back.”

Author’s note:

The setting of this story is a modern alternate world. The education system is also fictional—a mixed setup that does not correspond to reality.

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