fictionpage Chapter 10 A Man Needs to Be a Little More Resolute
Chapter 10 A Man Needs to Be a Little More Resolute
"What? You say you want to start a company?"
Wang Defa's eyes widened, and his voice instantly rose as he shouted, drawing the attention of everyone in the hall.
Xie Baizhi, who was at the front desk, also looked up and happened to catch a glimpse of Wang Guanxi talking to a man wearing an SF Express uniform. A hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes.
Her gaze swept back and forth between the two of them.
Wang Guanxi was wearing a light dark gray jacket, holding a Huawei folding phone in his hand, looking calm and composed.
The fat man next to him had a round face and a buzz cut, and his expression was so shocked that it looked like he had heard that aliens were going to attack Earth.
Start a company?
Cecilia Cheung's ears perked up.
Noticing the stares around them, Wang Guanxi reached out and patted Wang Defa on the shoulder: "Come on, let's go outside and talk."
The two walked out of the hotel side by side, and after a few steps they passed a convenience store.
Wang Guanxi stopped and suggested, "Let's buy a few beers, go to the riverbank for a breeze, and talk slowly."
Wang Defa had been feeling guilty about receiving so many expensive gifts from Wang Guanxi the day before, so when he heard that they wanted to buy beer, he immediately offered, "I'll go buy it!"
Before Wang Guanxi could speak, he rushed into the convenience store, grabbed six bottles of Tsingtao beer, and went to the cashier to pay.
"Boss, how much?"
The boss put down his phone and glanced at the barcode: "Thirty."
Wang Defa placed the beer on the table, took out his phone, and opened the WeChat payment code.
"drop."
The barcode scanner went off once.
Then a line of red text popped up on the small screen of the cash register, and a voice announcement sounded: Payment failed.
The boss glanced at Wang Defa and said expressionlessly, "The payment failed. Try again."
Wang De paused for a moment, then refreshed the payment code.
"drop."
Payment failed again.
"Try Alipay instead."
The boss's tone was starting to sound impatient.
Wang Defa quickly switched to Alipay and opened the payment code.
"drop."
Payment failed again.
Wang Defa's face flushed red instantly.
He stood in front of the cashier, holding his phone, looking like an embarrassed and helpless elementary school student who had been called on by the teacher to answer a question but couldn't.
He muttered to himself, "This...this is impossible. I have money in my WeChat and Alipay accounts, and I also have several thousand yuan in my bank account..."
He tried again.
Payment failed.
Try again.
It was another failure.
Wang Defa's mind began to race.
He thought of a possibility, a possibility that sent chills down his spine.
Last night, after receiving Wang Guanxi's gift, Zhang Yanfen was indeed very enthusiastic towards him, pouring him water and smiling at him, a stark contrast to her previous demeanor.
But the night before last, when he had barbecue with Wang Guanxi, Zhang Yanfen was furious after she found out that he had paid for it.
She wouldn't... have transferred all his money, would she?
Wang Defa thought about it more and more and it seemed very possible.
Zhang Yanfen knew his phone password and had done similar things before, except that she had only transferred a portion of the money and hadn't cleared it all.
But this time...
Wang Defa dared not think any further.
He stood there, sweat beading on his forehead.
The boss's patience had run out. He narrowed his eyes behind his reading glasses, looking Wang Defa up and down. His expression clearly said: You kid, you're not here to mess with me, are you?
Wang Defa was extremely anxious, so he had no choice but to call Zhang Yanfen and ask her to transfer some money to him.
He had just opened his contacts, but hadn't had a chance to make a call yet.
The glass door of the convenience store was pushed open.
Wang Guanxi walked in.
"Why did it take so long?"
Wang Guanxi glanced at Wang Defa, then at the six bottles of Tsingtao beer on the cashier's counter, and then at the boss's face, which screamed "impatient."
He roughly guessed what had happened.
Without asking any further questions, Wang Guanxi took out the Huawei tri-fold phone from his pocket, swiped his finger, and the screen unfolded into the size of a small tablet.
A huge payment QR code appeared on the screen, standing out prominently under the convenience store lights.
He handed his phone to the shop owner: "Boss, how much? I'll pay."
The boss's eyes lit up.
He quickly picked up the barcode scanner and aimed it at the huge QR code.
"drop."
Thirty yuan.
The boss's tone instantly became amiable and friendly, completely different from before.
After paying, Wang Guanxi picked up the six bottles of beer, tilted his head at Wang Defa, and said, "Let's go."
Wang Defa stood there, the redness on his face still lingering. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he only managed to squeeze out, "Edison Chen, I..."
Wang Guanxi nudged him with his elbow: "Stop with the 'me' and 'me'. Let's go, let's go to the riverbank for some fresh air. I have something to tell you."
The two walked out of the convenience store. Wang Defa followed behind Wang Guanxi, his head down, like a child who had made a mistake.
He had only one thought in his mind: he had to check his bank card transaction records when he got home.
. . . . . .
The two of them came to the riverbank, found a secluded step, and sat down facing the river.
The river wasn't very wide, and the lights on the opposite bank were reflected on the water, swaying with the waves.
In the distance, several fishermen, wearing glow-in-the-dark floats, sat motionless on small stools, like statues.
The wind blew from the river, carrying a fishy smell and a chill.
Wang Guanxi took two bottles of beer out of the bag, bit the caps off with his teeth, and handed one to Wang Defa.
Wang Defa took it and tilted his head back to gulp down a large mouthful.
The cold beer went down my throat, but I didn't feel comfortable at all.
The two drank in silence.
Back when this place was still a wasteland, Wang Guanxi and Wang Defa often came here.
They were seventeen or eighteen years old at the time, having just graduated from high school. One was going to go to university, while the other stayed in the county town.
On summer evenings, the two of them would often go to the riverbank, enjoy the breeze, look at the lights on the opposite bank, and boast about buying a house by the river someday.
"We'll live across from each other then, and after dinner we'll go for a walk and watch people fish."
Wang Defa spoke with great conviction back then.
"The apartments across the hall are too close. We can live in the same building. You can live downstairs and I can live upstairs," Wang Guanxi said.
Why are you upstairs?
"The view from upstairs is great, and it's convenient for enjoying the scenery."
"Then I want to go upstairs too."
"Aren't you tired of climbing stairs?"
"I'm young, I'm not tired."
Back then, they boasted so loudly, as if the houses by the river were given away for free.
It wasn't until I grew up that I realized that all the buildings in the neighborhood had elevators, so there was no need to climb stairs.
Later, Wang Guanxi went to Shanghai, and Wang Defa worked as a courier in the county town. The two of them gradually got busy and never came back here.
Later, Jiangcheng No. 1 was actually built.
One after another, high-rise buildings rise from the riverbank, their glass curtain walls gleaming in the sunlight, making them the most impressive places in the entire city.
But every time Wang Defa passed by, he would only glance at it from afar, having completely forgotten the boast he had made.
At this moment, Wang Guanxi suddenly spoke up.
"Defa".
"Sometimes, a man needs to be a little tougher."