pertwk Chapter 712: Night Talk on the Huangpu River
Chapter 712: Night Talk on the Huangpu River
At Hong Yongze's warm invitation, Chen Zhe attended the welcome dinner hosted for him that evening, with Huang Xiaochuan also present.
Chen Zhe, who was not a heavy drinker to begin with, unsurprisingly drank too much. Fortunately, Huang Xiaochuan was there and helped him get into the car in time.
Even with his speech already somewhat slurred, Hong Yongze didn't forget to instruct Huang Xiaochuan, "I'm entrusting Junior Brother Chen to you. Make sure you get him home safely!"
"Okay, okay! Get in the car now." Huang Xiaochuan was busy taking care of both Chen Zhe and arranging for someone to take Hong Yongze back. He had also been drinking and his head was starting to spin, but he still forced himself to stay alert and make arrangements for the two of them.
After seeing Hong Yongze off, Huang Xiaochuan got into the car, looked at Chen Zhe whose face was flushed, and said to the driver, "Go to Tianping Road." He planned to personally take Chen Zhe home.
Unexpectedly, the drunk Chen Zhe insisted on not going back: "Let's go to the Bund! Xiao Chuan, I want to find a place to sit and chat for a while."
Seeing his resolute attitude, and considering that Chen Zhe had just divorced and must still be feeling some resentment, Huang Xiaochuan changed his mind and said to the driver, "Go to the Bund."
The Bund's night view is already taking shape, with dazzling lights on both banks and throngs of people. Tourists come and go in an endless stream, making it almost impossible to find a quiet place to talk. But Chen Zhe still doesn't want to leave. He leans on the railing, gazing at the opposite bank of the Huangpu River, letting the river breeze caress his face, and occasionally taking deep breaths of the slightly fishy air, as if trying to use this open space to wash away the gloom brought on by his divorce.
Seeing this, Huang Xiaochuan beckoned Gao Song over and whispered a few instructions. Gao Song immediately took out his phone to make a call, and returned a moment later to report: "Mr. Huang, everything is arranged. We can go to the dock now."
Huang Xiaochuan patted Chen Zhe on the shoulder and said, "Let's go, let's make some room for others. I'll take you to the boat, you can talk however you want!"
Chen Zhe rubbed his face, seemingly more awake, nodded, and followed Huang Xiaochuan away from the Bund.
The group boarded a cruise ship on the Huangpu River from the dock. Huang Xiaochuan led Chen Zhe straight to the top deck. The view was expansive, and a gentle river breeze brought a refreshing feeling to their skin. After Gao Song arranged for fruit and tea to be served, he retreated to the lower deck, leaving the two of them alone on the upper deck.
Huang Xiaochuan sat comfortably in his chair, ate a few grapes, and seeing Chen Zhe still leaning against the railing gazing at the night view on both sides of the river, he called out, "Old Chen, don't just stand there. Didn't you say you wanted to talk to me?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhe turned around, leaned against the railing, and instead of sitting down, asked, "Do you remember when we first entered university, you led a few of us to speculate on stamps and stocks?"
Huang Xiaochuan, busy eating grapes, replied dismissively, "That's all old almanac stuff, why bring it up?"
Chen Zhe shook his head, his tone serious: "I don't think so. Over the years, I've experienced many people and things, and witnessed a lot of the coldness and warmth of human relationships, but I've never met anyone like you again."
Huang Xiaochuan put down the grapes and raised his hand to interrupt him: "Alright, alright, you wanted to chat with me just to praise me? To tell you the truth, I'm not as noble as you make me out to be. When I brought you guys into this investment, I did have my own selfish motives. It was because of those two things that I truly considered you my friends. Because you have no selfishness, no greed, no jealousy, and most importantly, you have a rare sense of normalcy when it comes to wealth. It's because of these things that our friendship has lasted until today."
Having said that, Huang Xiaochuan, who had already drunk quite a bit, opened up and continued, "Actually, friendship is a very fragile thing. Even old friends of several decades, once a rift develops because of something, often can never go back to the way things were. The reason we've been able to maintain this relationship so earnestly, without growing apart because of changes in our status, is because we all cherish this friendship we forged in our youth, isn't it?"
As he spoke, Huang Xiaochuan stood up, walked to Chen Zhe's side, and also leaned on the railing, gazing into the distance. On the south bank of the Huangpu River, the Guangda Real Estate Building shone brightly under the lights, and has now become an indispensable part of the Huangpu River's night view.
"Even the ancients had the friendship of Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya, so aren't we the same?" After saying that, Huang Xiaochuan patted Chen Zhe on the shoulder, who was standing next to him.
Chen Zhe nodded silently, agreeing with Huang Xiaochuan's words.
He then chatted with Huang Xiaochuan about his feelings after living abroad for so many years: "To be honest, after living abroad for so long, I have a lot of feelings. I don't think that foreign countries are much better than here. Different places nurture different people. I like the feeling of being at ease like I am now."
Huang Xiaochuan listened quietly to Chen Zhe. Sometimes, it felt much better to talk about the frustrations in his heart.
And so, Chen Zhe talked and Huang Xiaochuan listened. The two chatted until almost midnight, until Chen Zhe realized that they were the only boat left on the river. He suddenly felt a little embarrassed, having talked on and on with Huang Xiaochuan about how he was now a bachelor while Huang Xiaochuan had a wife and children.
"Xiao Chuan, I'm so sorry to have kept you from going home. Please let the boat dock quickly! You go home now, I'll take a taxi myself."
Huang Xiaochuan waved his hand: "It's okay, it's been a long time since I've chatted with you like this. I remember the last time we chatted like this was before you went abroad."
Chen Zhe nodded.
Huang Xiaochuan patted him on the shoulder: "I'll take you back, it's on my way anyway."
After sending Chen Zhe home, Huang Xiaochuan arrived home at 12:30, and Yu Xiang was still awake.
As Huang Xiaochuan unbuttoned his shirt to go to the bathroom for a shower, he asked curiously, "Huh? Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I had a party with Ji Mei and the others tonight, and I got back late. I couldn't sleep. Why are you so late too? Did you drink?" Yu Xiang got up to help Huang Xiaochuan run the bathroom.
Huang Xiaochuan nodded: "Chen Zhe is back. He and Chen Qiao divorced, and he's not in a good mood. I had some drinks with him tonight and we chatted for a while."
Hearing this, Yu Xiang paused in her actions: "Weren't they doing well? How did they get divorced?"
"The two have conflicting ideals. One wants to settle down and live abroad, while the other is attached to his homeland and constantly thinks about returning. Over time, this conflict has only grown stronger." Huang Xiaochuan shrugged. "That's it!"
Yu Xiang nodded: "Indeed, when Chen Qiao returned to China before, we felt it when we chatted together. Her education and life philosophy for Chen Wuhen were very Westernized."
"I think it's okay to divorce. There's nothing wrong with each of us pursuing our own lives. Anyway, Chen Zhe is still young. He can always find someone else." At this point, Huang Xiaochuan instructed Yu Xiang, "Keep an eye out for suitable candidates. If you meet someone suitable, introduce them to Chen Zhe."
Yu Xiang feigned anger and threw her change of clothes at Huang Xiaochuan's lap: "Do you think I'm a matchmaker?"
Huang Xiaochuan laughed and coaxed Yu Xiang, "This is a good thing for Zhi Mei. Besides, what's wrong with Chen Zhe? He has a good personality, looks refined, and is a typical intellectual. Anyone who is lucky enough to meet him is definitely blessed."
Yu Xiang rolled her eyes at Huang Xiaochuan: "You! You're praising Chen Zhe to the skies."
Huang Xiaochuan argued vehemently: "I'm just stating the facts, okay? I didn't make anything up."