Chapter 142: The Depths of Wealth Are Like the Sea

Liu Jingye had a lot of mixed feelings, all of which had recently stemmed from Yuan Xiaoying and Chen Yuxin, leaving him with a deep-seated resentment.

The chubby man listened with rapt attention, finding the conversation immensely beneficial.

He burst into laughter and said, "I told you so! A place with such picturesque scenery is bound to harbor hidden talents, and sure enough, here you are. Come on, since we hit it off at first sight, let's finish this bottle of high-end liquor together!"

With a hearty flourish, he uncapped a bottle of premium liquor, fetched two large bowls, poured half a jin into each, clinked his bowl against Liu Jingye's, and threw his head back to gulp down the fiery spirit in one breath.

"Wonderful, truly magnificent!" Liu Jingye praised. He had a weakness for such genuine and straightforward men. Moreover, this was certainly no act; a pretender would never drink in such a manner, as too much alcohol would inevitably strip away their disguise.

Nothing reveals a man's character and the depth of friendship quite like drinking.

Liu Jingye matched him bowl for bowl, immediately feeling the potent liquor burn like fire, igniting emotions that had long lain dormant within him.

"Brother, I only regret that we didn't meet sooner!" the chubby man said, patting Liu Jingye on the shoulder. "If not for you, I really would have thought it was over between me and her, and I almost missed the true love of my life. I never expected that someone who looks to be around my age would have such a thorough understanding of women. In this regard, I am no match for you. However... although I may not be well-versed in a woman's personality, I do have a certain level of expertise in other areas!"

"Oh? What areas might those be?" Liu Jingye asked with curiosity.

The two men ate heartily and drank deeply, their spirits soaring higher and higher. The chubby man said excitedly, "The most important one, of course, is the realm of intimacy. I'm not boasting, but the moment any woman walks past my eyes, I can tell at a glance whether her desire for intimacy is strong or not."

"Ah, that area. I happen to have studied that as well," Liu Jingye said, emboldened by the alcohol as he began to talk big.

The chubby man was slightly taken aback. "Splendid! Then let us compare notes. First of all, I believe that a woman with glowing skin—especially her face, where a white complexion is tinged with a healthy flush—must have a high demand, because her hormone secretion is vigorous."

"Spot on. Let's have a drink to that," Liu Jingye said, raising his bowl to toast the chubby man before continuing, "Secondly, I believe freckles are a sign. If a woman has freckles beneath her eyelids and across her cheekbones, it indicates a high demand. In ancient times, this was known as 'having peach blossom eyes'."

"Very insightful," the chubby man remarked.

With that, the two men simultaneously cast their gazes toward Gao Jing, the fresh and crisp beauty standing behind the chubby man. Sure enough, her complexion was ruddy and radiant, and a few scattered freckles dotted the bridge of her nose and cheeks.

Noticing these two drunks discussing women so unscrupulously while looking directly at her, she furrowed her brow, let out a cold hum, and turned her head away.

Liu Jingye and the chubby man exchanged a glance and shrugged, sharing the silent understanding of true confidants.

"You know what?" Liu Jingye said. "Actually, women who enjoy sports and are lively and active have an even higher demand than those literary and demure ones."

The chubby man nodded in agreement. "And another thing: women whose eyes wander, who never hold someone's gaze, and who immediately look away even if they happen to glance at you—their demand is also high..."

As they spoke, they turned their heads once more to look at Gao Jing. Gao Jing shot them a sidelong glance and instantly averted her eyes, her hands clenching into tight fists with bulging veins and her knuckles cracking audibly.

Liu Jingye crooked a finger and whispered into the chubby man's ear, "Do you think she's deliberately standing here to play along with us? Why else would she happen to possess every single characteristic we just mentioned?"

Lowering her head and gritting her teeth, Gao Jing muttered venomously to herself, "I think you two bastards are deliberately talking about me!"

Her voice was extremely low, and neither of the two men heard it as they continued to exchange toasts and converse loudly.

At the beginning, Liu Jingye had intended to pry some information out of this young master, but to his surprise, as they drank and chatted, the more they found to talk about. The conversation flowed seamlessly from women to men, spanning domestic and international affairs, jumping from topic to topic. Surprisingly, both of them were able to offer unique insights on every subject.

Three rounds of drinks later, they had reached the state where a thousand cups of wine with a confidant are still too few, feeling as though they had met too late in life. They were just one step away from slashing the head of a chicken and burning yellow paper to swear oaths as sworn brothers. Gao Jing stood behind them the entire time, cursing them inwardly as birds of a feather and filthy scoundrels.

Having nearly finished all the alcohol, the two men felt the dizziness of rising intoxication. Their conversation shifted from brotherly affection to mutual bickering, neither willing to yield an inch as they clashed like pointed needles against sharp awls.

Wined and dined to excess, the chubby man began to reminisce about the good old days, boasting wildly about his former glory: "Back when I was in college, before I met my true love and before I put on weight, I was a standard handsome young man. When it came to academics, I was the study commissioner; when it came to sports, I was on the varsity basketball team; when it came to capability, I was the vice president of the student union. Ah... college life was simply wonderful. Well, my dear brother, don't you feel a deep sense of regret for never having attended college?"

Liu Jingye looked at him through hazy, drunken eyes and replied vaguely, "I may never have attended college, but I've certainly been intimate with college girls!"

"You win!" the chubby man said, opening his dazed, drunken eyes wide.

They had intended to keep drinking, but alas, the wine was completely gone. At that very moment, the chubby man's phone rang. It was a call from his girlfriend—a dying ember reignited, a lingering connection. Emboldened by the alcohol, the chubby man poured his heart out to her, speaking words so mushy and cheesy that they made Liu Jingye's entire body shudder.

Staggering unsteadily, the chubby man made his way into a guest room downstairs. Gao Jing followed closely behind every step of the way, maintaining a proper distance. Seeing him enter his room, she chose the room directly across from his.

"Hah! You think only you have a girlfriend? I have one too," Liu Jingye said, struggling to his feet and pulling out his phone. "Not just one, I have several! In fact, I don't even know which one I should call!"

He flopped onto the bed, swaying back and forth as he scrolled through his contacts. Before long, his phone slipped from his hand onto his chest, and he fell fast asleep with loud, rumbling snores.

Early the next morning, he was awakened by a furious roar.

"Who? Who the hell hit me just now? If you've got any guts, step out here right now, and I promise I won't beat you to death!"

Liu Jingye opened his eyes and saw the blond-haired punk storming down from upstairs, looking murderous and shouting profanities at the top of his lungs.

"Who hit you just now?" Liu Jingye thought to himself with a bitter smile. "You've been unconscious for a whole night already; it's a miracle they didn't beat you to death."

Feeling a splitting headache, Liu Jingye couldn't be bothered to pay him any mind. Just then, the blond punk abruptly stopped shouting.

The punk stared blankly ahead as the door of the inn was pushed open. Over a dozen men, all uniformly dressed in black shirts, black trousers, and dark sunglasses, marched inside, dividing into two neat rows to stand on either side of the lobby, while two others held the doors wide open.

Young Master Tan Yifeng stepped inside wearing sunglasses and a well-fitted formal suit. His grand entrance was like that of a God of Gamblers, radiating an extraordinary presence.

"Such a grand spectacle, what is he up to?" Liu Jingye instantly sprang to his feet, but just as he was about to walk over, the chubby man and Gao Jing emerged.

The oppressive, aloof Young Master Feng—who carried himself with the detachment of someone sitting high above in the clouds—instantly lit up with joy the moment he caught sight of the chubby man. He quickly removed his sunglasses, revealing a brilliant and seemingly sincere smile, resembling a wanderer returning from years adrift who had finally found his family.

"Third Brother, long time no see! I've missed you to death, brother!" Young Master Feng cried out, taking three strides in two as he rushed forward with open arms, intending to give the chubby man a bear hug.

One would have expected a warm and touching scene of brothers reuniting, but the chubby man suddenly unleashed a straight punch that struck squarely into Young Master Feng's shoulder socket, sending him stumbling back three steps. Fortunately, the men in black behind him quickly rushed forward to steady him.

Young Master Feng frowned slightly and abruptly brushed off the bodyguards behind him. He looked as though he were about to throw a tantrum, but his expression was quickly replaced by a smile once again. "Third Brother, how is it that every time I see you, your greeting style is different?"

The chubby man sneered and said, "Cut the crap with me. During the Lunar New Year, you won three thousand yuan from me, and I haven't even settled accounts with you yet. Punching you just once is letting you off easy—that was money I was saving to buy a diamond ring for my girlfriend!"

Young Master Feng replied, "Well, there's nothing I can be done about that. Even fathers and sons draw the line at the gambling table, let alone brothers. Didn't you say so yourself, Third Brother?"

The chubby man nodded. "That's right, I did say that. But that rule only applies at the gaming table. In any other setting, a father is a father, and a brother is a brother. Come here, Sixth Brother, hurry into your older brother's embrace!"

Young Master Feng burst into hearty laughter and gave the chubby man a huge hug.

Liu Jingye watched coldly from the side, thinking to himself, "These two are putting on a ridiculously fake show. But the chubby man's punch carried real force, and what he said just now about fathers and sons and brothers seemed to carry a hidden meaning. It was as if he were warning Young Master Feng that while kinship can be ignored at the gambling table, one must understand seniority and respect in all other situations."

Young Master Feng acted as though he hadn't understood the implication at all, hugging him tightly. Despite their playful roughhousing, Young Master Feng's attitude remained exceedingly respectful.

"Sixth Brother, your lineup gets more luxurious every time you show up, and the pomp is getting bigger too. You're almost catching up to my Second Sister," the chubby man remarked teasingly, glancing at the bodyguards nearby.

"How could I ever compare to Second Sister? The crowds following her around are all completely voluntary—they're all her suitors," Young Master Feng said. "As for me, I just paid to hire these fellows to put on a facade... What are you idiots standing there gawking for? Hurry up and greet him—Third Young Master!"

"Third Young Master!" the men in black chorused respectfully.

The chubby man laughed with satisfaction, pulled a stack of money from his breast pocket, and began handing out bills to each of the bodyguards like dealing playing cards. As he distributed the cash, he said, "Be good boys, one bill each, go buy yourselves some candy."

"This chubby man is vicious," Liu Jingye thought with an amused inward smile. "It looks like he's handing out money, but it's actually a direct slap to the face. Telling them to go buy candy makes it blatantly obvious that in his eyes, these bodyguards are nothing more than toddlers not worth taking seriously. However, hitting a dog requires looking at its owner; this undoubtedly strips away Young Master Feng's dignity. It seems these two really don't get along."

With practiced grace, Young Master Feng said, "Since Third Young Master has rewarded you, you will take it. Compared to the people by Third Young Master's side, you lot really only are fit to eat candy!"

Before the chubby man could reply, Young Master Feng seamlessly changed the subject. "Third Brother, why didn't you let little brother know when you arrived here so I could have rolled out the red carpet to welcome you?!"

The chubby man smiled faintly. "How was I supposed to know you were here? Why aren't you staying put in the provincial capital instead of running off to a place like this?"

Young Master Feng replied, "What's so great about the provincial capital? It's foul, chaotic, and full of dust. How can it compare to a place like this? Mountains are green, waters are clear, and the climate is pleasant."

"True," the chubby man agreed. "It is indeed wonderful here—far better than the provincial capital, and even much better than the imperial capital. Why don't you and I, as brothers, just settle down here permanently and never go back?"

Young Master Feng shook his head. "As nice as it is, we can't do that. My home is in the provincial capital, and the imperial capital is my ancestral home. Sooner or later, falling leaves must return to their roots."

The chubby man replied, "With a tree's roots running deep and its branches spreading thick and leafy, the best destination for a single leaf is simply to drift with the wind and be content wherever it lands. Why bother entangling oneself in such a complex web of roots? How can that ever compare to the freedom of flying wherever the wind takes you!"