The Youths of Wuling East of the Golden Market, Silver Saddles and White Horses Riding the Spring Breeze Chapter 111: New Year (2)

"How do you plan on spending the New Year?" he asked, glancing at Zhao Bin, who was currently devouring his meal.

"Ah, what else can you do? Just laugh it off and let it pass," Zhao Bin replied without looking up.

"Damn, I'm serious. We can't just stay home and watch TV, can we?"

"There's nothing fun to do during the New Year anyway. It’s either KTV or a bar; everywhere else is closed," Cheng Chen interjected from the side.

"Ugh, Fang Yu, your lives are so colorful. I don't even have the freedom to go out for a meal," Qin Lu said, wiggling in her seat with a reluctant expression.

He chuckled and pulled the girl closer. "How about later on New Year's Eve? Or maybe we could go to the outskirts and set off fireworks?"

The girl hesitated for a long moment before shaking her head. "No, my whole family will be home on New Year's Eve. They definitely won't let me out."

Fang Yu grumbled about how having overly strict parents was no way to live. Much like Lin Pin, her time spent with him that night had been pure luck, as she had returned home a day early.

After the meal, the group drove to a KTV. Entertainment options were limited back then, and after listening to Baozi and Hu Yan singing a sentimental duet, the others felt like they were about to throw up.

By ten o'clock that night, Qin Lu’s phone rang; her parents were calling incessantly, urging her to come home immediately.

"Wuwu, I have to go now," the girl said, clearly unwilling to leave his embrace.

"Alright, alright, I'll take you home," he muttered as he stood up and said goodbye to Zhao Bin and the others.

After safely dropping off Qin Lu, he was planning to head back to the KTV when Zhao Bin called.

"Hey, just go straight home. We've called it a night."

"Ah, so early?"

"Of course. Since you left, did you really expect us to sit there listening to that fat guy wailing away?"

The drive from Qin Lu’s house to his own took only a minute. The two sat in Zhao Bin’s small room, staring at each other. Finally, unable to bear the boredom, Zhao Bin stood up and grabbed his keys. "Let's go. Should we head out and buy some VCDs to watch?"

"Ah, what kind of movies? Adult films?"

"What would I want to watch those with you for? Let's get some horror or mystery movies."

The pair spent ten yuan at the roadside stall of a lecherous boss in the neighboring residential area, picking up two compilation discs. They also bought two large bottles of cola and sat facing each other in front of Zhao Bin’s computer screen, left speechless by the silence.

"By the way, now that we have money, let's not stay in that rental apartment when we go back to school, right?" Zhao Bin said, chewing on a bag of mixed peanuts.

"Hmm, that's true. Cheng Chen is on the phone with Li Jing every night in the next room, and it keeps me from sleeping. We'll see when we get back, or maybe we should just rent separate places."

"Sure, whatever works for me. I can pay my own share; my salary is definitely enough," Zhao Bin said dismissively, stuffing another handful of peanuts into his mouth.

Two days later, Zhang Hao called, asking Fang Yu to visit Songyu again regarding the second round of financing.

"Why is this round of financing happening so fast?" he asked, looking at the schedule on the table.

"We merged with Tianxing Mobile. I estimate that after three more rounds of financing, we’ll be ready to go public," Hang Jia said, tapping the table lightly.

By early 2006, Tianxing Mobile was already on its last legs, barely surviving on a few low-end models, which allowed Hang Jia to acquire it at an extremely low price to secure priority production for their new handsets.

"Isn't this moving a bit too fast? Our shares are going to be significantly diluted by then," Fang Yu said, expressing his concern.

"Don't worry, Old Fang. I guarantee that even after going public, your stake won't fall below 50%. Hive Finance tried to discuss an acquisition, but I turned them down directly!" Zhang Hao said with a hint of pride.

"Good. Old Ma still has his schemes; we can't let them buy in, or we'll be working for him for the rest of our lives."

For now, although Fang Yu's assets looked substantial on paper, they were difficult to liquidate or move. He could only watch as Zhang Hao and the others continued their startup journey, while he remained stuck with his small "Qinglu" business, which was truly hard to endure.

Fortunately, just before the New Year's Eve at the end of the month, Zhang Hao paid him a salary of about ten thousand yuan, which finally balanced his mood a little.

On New Year's Eve, after the reunion dinner, tradition dictated that one shouldn't visit other people's homes. Fang Yu had to huddle in his car early, running the heater while waiting for calls from Cheng Chen and the others.

Zhao Bin had many relatives, and dinner lasted until after 9:00 PM before he finally showed up.

"Where are you?"

"In the car. Did you finish eating?" he asked, stretching.

"Yeah. Lu Zhen said he's coming out too, and Cheng Chen is already on his way."

"Fine. Where should we meet up?"

"How about the city center? Where else can we go on New Year's?"

He curled his lip. In 2006, there really wasn't anywhere to go in Nanwu, and during the New Year, only a few KTVs and bars in the city center remained open.

The 640 sped down the empty main road, and within ten minutes, he saw Zhao Bin and Lu Zhen standing at the entrance of the KTV, rubbing their hands together.

"Happy New Year," he said, stepping out of the car and waving.

"Happy New Year, Boss Fang. Yan Hua said he'll be coming over in a bit too," Lu Zhen said with a grin, handing him a cigarette.

"Yan Hua? Why is he coming?" Zhao Bin frowned.

"He said he was bored at home. He says he's treating us to singing tonight." As long as he didn't have to pay, Lu Zhen didn't care.

"Oh? It's rare for Boss Yan to treat us," Fang Yu laughed. Yan Hua was a friend from their youth, and they hadn't met since his rebirth.

"It's the New Year, after all. Gotta show some gesture."

The three smoked two cigarettes in the biting wind before Cheng Chen’s Santana 2000 slowly turned the corner.

"I went to pick up Yan Hua. Is it just us guys today? Not a single girl?" Cheng Chen grumbled, looking around at the group.

"What can we do? Even if Qin Lu could come out, she doesn't have any girlfriends here, and Xia Churan and Li Jing aren't in town."

"So a bunch of men are just going to sing?"

"If you don't want to sing, you can go home and watch the gala."

"Forget it, might as well find an internet cafe to stay the night."

After much debate, they eventually had to step into the KTV behind them.

"My turn, my turn. I'm treating today," Yan Hua said, pulling out his wallet with a festive grin.

"Hmm, you shouldn't have," Fang Yu said, smiling politely at him.

"It's only right, it's only right. How long has it been since we all saw each other?"

On New Year's Eve, the KTV was packed with young men and women. They weren't even taking reservations today; it was all about who could get in. A group of college-aged boys was already clamoring loudly while waving cash, "Hurry up! Get us a room, the biggest one you have!"

Yan Hua naturally joined the fray, while Fang Yu and the others hung back in a corner of the lobby, chatting leisurely. Just as they were growing impatient, a girl's voice came from behind.

"Hey, are you Fang Yu?"

He turned around to see a young woman he didn't recognize at all. The leader was dressed in an ostentatious style, carrying a Mahjong-patterned bag that cost nearly 3,000 yuan.

"Hmm, I am Fang Yu. And you are?" He scratched his head, looking at Zhao Bin and the others, who were equally bewildered.

"Can't even recognize a classmate?" the lead girl giggled, leaning toward him.

"Who are you? I don't know you." He instinctively stepped back. The girl was drenched in heavy perfume, and with his sensitive nose, he felt an immediate sense of repulsion.

"Oh my, you can't even recognize an old classmate? I'm Zhang Li! You borrowed my pen to write your papers in class last semester!" the girl said, pointing to her nose with a laugh.