On My Way - Chapter 67

Chapter 67 - That Was the Cheng Xia I Never Possessed

The train shrieked as it arrived at the station.

Bleary-eyed and rubbing my disheveled hair, I saw a young man looking for me at the exit.

He was tall and sturdy, wearing a white hoodie under a down jacket. His hairstyle was immaculate—the kind that would get hit on by plenty of gay men if he walked through a university campus.

He smiled at me, revealing a row of white teeth.

I felt a bit unnerved by his smile and couldn’t help but pat down my own hair, which had been slept into a vertical mess.

“Are you Sister Dongxue?” he asked. “I’m General Manager Shen’s assistant. She sent me to pick you up.”

“Ah, yes, yes... you’re too kind... I, I never expected this.”

General Manager Shen was the owner of a subcontracting firm I had worked with years ago. Because we were both from the Northeast, we hit it off well. I’d mentioned I was coming to Feng City, but we hadn’t even talked about my train schedule.

I hadn’t expected her to send someone to pick me up.

The boy said, “There are only a few trains a day, so I’ve just been waiting here.” He led me to a Maserati, smiling in a way that was both handsome and earnest. “You can just call me Gu Hai.”

Gu Hai led me to a restaurant that looked high-end. As he opened the door to the private room, General Manager Shen opened her arms to welcome me. “Yo! Our beauty, Little Ren, is here!”

She was still the same as I remembered: her short hair was sharp and neat, her skin had that creamy, porcelain look that comes from years of high-end skincare, and her lashes were so thick with mascara that even without makeup, she looked like she was dressed up for a formal event.

“Sister Shen, you startled me. Why go to such lengths?”

Our past collaboration had been quite pleasant. Her husband’s family had some connections, but he was a brash man who acted on impulse without much thought. On the surface, she was a bold, carefree Northeastern woman, but beneath the rough exterior was a sharp mind—she managed to patch up every mistake her husband made without a single leak.

I admired her quite a bit, but that was as far as it went. I knew deep down that our friendship was based on her relationship with the "Manager Ren" of S-Construction; it had absolutely nothing to do with Ren Dongxue as an individual.

I didn’t understand why she was putting on such a grand show today.

“I just enjoy talking to you. What? Just because you left S-Construction doesn’t mean we can’t be sisters anymore, right?”

“Of course not.” I poured myself a drink, using my expression to perform a dramatic, “Oh my God, what are you saying, sister!” act.

She gave an ambiguous smile. “You, you’re just too proud. I heard you went to work at Xinsheng? That guy, Old Wang...” She swallowed the rest of the sentence and just said, “Why didn’t you come to us sooner!”

“Sigh, I just thought about finding a random job back home. See, now that I’m truly in a pinch, I still have to trouble all you brothers and sisters.”

Having spent so many years at S-Construction, I had naturally accumulated plenty of "connections." We used to call each other brothers and sisters, but after I resigned, I hadn’t reached out to a single one. Since I wasn’t being sincere, I didn’t expect anyone else to offer help in my time of need.

Sister Shen continued, “In this current climate, if anyone else told me they wanted to start a construction company, I’d tell them they were looking for a death wish! But then again, in any era, there are always people who can make money. If there’s only one person who can pull it off, it has to be you!”

I was genuinely flattered and terrified all at once. I hurriedly clinked glasses with her, repeatedly saying I wouldn't dare. “However, my advice to you is to acquire an existing construction company. First, those licenses are hard to get; if you start from scratch, you won’t have enough time for the registration. Second, many projects require a company to have been in business for a certain number of years, so acquiring one is much more convenient.”

I had actually considered this, but I lacked the right resources.

“I can’t help you in other places, but in Feng City, I can still pull some strings for you,” she said. “Second, my advice is to open the company in Feng City as much as possible. Your hometown is too small—you won’t last more than a few years there. Feng City has a great geographic location; you can tap into the markets of the three Northeastern provinces and even the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. It’s also easier to recruit workers.”

That was true. While the Nanbei University project was certainly more convenient back home, we weren't just going to do one project for the rest of our lives. Feng City was indeed a better choice than my hometown.

“Thank you, Sister Shen. I don’t even know what to say.”

I meant that from the bottom of my heart.

“What are you thanking me for!” she said. “Back then, our company was a mess—we hadn’t paid wages for three months, and the drivers were ready to eat me alive. It was you who settled the payment ahead of time, and that’s how we recovered. I’ll remember your kindness for the rest of my life.”

“Isn't that how it should be?”

Mainly, I had been pushing the progress at the time. I was afraid of worker unrest, so I would rather pay out of my own pocket than miss the payroll.

“If you weren’t starting a company, I’d even thought about asking you to come work with me. I’d give you shares,” she said, then laughed. “That Manager Wang at Xinsheng is a total idiot. He has ‘real Buddhas’ in his family and burns incense everywhere, but I heard that after you left, he had to hire four people to replace your workload.”

I smiled and stayed silent.

She continued, “It’s great that you’re starting your own business. My family does transport. If there’s work in the future, remember to look for your sister.”

“You think too highly of me. How could a little workshop like mine afford your services?”

“Even if you can’t afford it, you have to hire us!” She laughed heartily. “Who told me to make a bet with my husband? I’m betting on you, Manager Ren. You aren’t destined to stay in a small pond!”

I laughed, too—a bitter laugh.

From that moment on, everything spiraled into a whirlwind of absurdity.

Because it was near the end of the year and everyone was rushing to meet project deadlines, what was supposed to be a grueling scouting trip turned into a non-stop tour of dinner parties while riding in Sister Shen’s luxury car.

“This is my real sister. She wants to do some business here, so you brothers better help her out.” She used a mix of boldness and unreasonable, coquettish charm—a style that older men were most susceptible to.

“Of course, we’re all family. Besides, business isn’t easy to do; we should help each other out.”

These construction bosses all gave her face; those who were supposed to come, came. They were straightforward in their talk, though they drank a lot of alcohol—which happened to be my strong suit.

I immediately stood up. “Because of what you said, I have to drink a cup. Please, take it at your own pace.”

“Don’t force her to drink! We’re doing serious business here!” She rolled her eyes, sparking a burst of laughter.

I had spent many years bantering at drinking parties, but my main identity had always been that of a sexless, neutral functionary. Sister Shen, however, utilized her feminine charm to the extreme; she was coquettish, feigned anger, and radiated ambiguity from the corners of her eyes.

Yet, nobody could take advantage of her, not even in the slightest.

That was something I certainly couldn’t pull off. If I once started to descend, it would be an endless, bottomless abyss.

On the third day, when I was on the verge of collapsing from alcohol, the head of one construction company said he could set up a branch office for me to acquire, allowing me to obtain the qualifications I wanted at the lowest possible price.

Another company provided an excellent site.

Sister Shen said, “I’m only responsible for making the introduction; you have to go investigate the site yourself.”

Of course. To be honest, my brain was still spinning. I couldn’t believe everything was going so smoothly.

These drinking parties always included young girls brought along to keep the guests company, but after several rounds of drinks, those bosses would inevitably start acting handsy.

—Of course, not with me. Sister Shen would push and shove, but in the end, she still drank quite a lot.

I thought of her husband, a muscular man with a thick gold chain around his neck who always had a cigarette dangling from his mouth and the words "my wife" constantly on his lips.

If he saw this scene, he would probably be angry enough to flip the table.

I was just about to stand up to block a drink for Sister Shen when Gu Hai stood up, gently took her wine glass away, and said, “General Manager Shen, you have a cold recently. Don’t drink too much.”

Sister Shen raised her eyebrows. “Is it your turn to boss me around? Get lost!”

Gu Hai persisted in replacing her drink with a non-alcoholic beverage, drawing angry protests from the other bosses.

Sister Shen leaned back in her chair, her face flushed with intoxication, and said with a smile, “He’s one of the kids from our company, sent by my husband to keep an eye on me. What can I do? Hehehe—”

And a moment later, in the backseat of Sister Shen’s Maserati, she was sitting on Gu Hai’s lap, kissing him with total self-abandonment.

The driver was used to it and kept his eyes forward. I, sitting in the front passenger seat, was stunned.

Wait, her husband sent him to keep an eye on her?

“Dummy, you believe anything I say.” She wiped off her smeared lipstick and whispered lazily in my ear, “He’s from the Sports University, a sophomore. Those abs pressed against me—it’s just electric.”

“Ah, I see. Hahaha.” I gave a dry, raspy laugh.

She giggled. “Are you wondering about my husband? He knows! He plays his games, and I play mine.”

Was it really that wild?

“By the way,” she leaned toward the front, chuckling. “You don’t still like that little boy from the Institute of Architecture, do you?”

The rumors about Cheng Xia and me back then had been incredibly outrageous.

I smiled and didn’t pick up the topic.

“Gu Hai, do you have any classmates who are a bit more handsome? Call them over. Your Sister Dongxue likes the scholarly type.”

That really wasn’t necessary!

Gu Hai actually started thinking. “I do know one, actually. He’s from the Agricultural University, a top student. He just happens to be short on cash—”

“That’s perfect! Let’s all hang out.”

I nearly jumped up. “No, no, no! I have to go back to the hotel to sleep. I have to get up early tomorrow!”

“No way!” She was truly drunk, acting petulantly. “You must accompany me—”

The car drove to a private club. We went to bathe and get massages to sober up. When we came out, Gu Hai and the legendary "top student" were actually waiting there.

This was truly the most absurd scene I had ever witnessed in my life.

The student had a neat short haircut, rimless glasses, and wore a light-colored shirt. The scholarly aura combined with his youthful vitality created a sense of purity mixed with corruption in the dim light.

“Is this your type? In all these years, you probably haven’t had a man around you, right?” Sister Shen leaned close to my face, laughing brazenly. “I can tell at a glance.”

I couldn’t handle it and could only laugh dryly. “Sister, stop teasing me.”

She leaned on my shoulder and laughed. “You, don’t overthink things. Consider this trip a way to clear your head. However men enjoy themselves, that’s how we enjoy ourselves.”

“This, uh, I... I’m a bit of the cold type.”

That was the truth. My limited experience was all with Cheng Xia. Back then, he had deliberately tried to make me lose control, using all sorts of methods to force me to say scandalous things. I hated that feeling of being completely controlled, so I had never been very enthusiastic.

However, that was three years ago. Those images flashed through my mind, making me feel a bit warm and uncomfortable.

The student sat next to me at the right moment. “Sister, what would you like to drink?”

Sister Shen gave me a look, turned, and went over to Gu Hai’s side. Immediately, sounds that made one blush and heartbeat race began to drift over.

Since she wasn’t finished, I felt too embarrassed to leave. I could only sit with this boy—who I didn’t know was a real top student or a fake one—chatting and drinking.

I asked, “What is your major?”

“I study Landscape Architecture.”

Huh? It was still somewhat related to architecture.

I was a bit surprised and asked, “Then what was your college entrance exam score?”

“Six hundred and seventeen.”

Having drunk beer, white spirits, and red wine, I felt drunk too. Through my blurred vision, the youth before me seemed to transform into Cheng Xia back when we were in school. He looked like he was walking toward me through the shade of the university campus—clean, bright, and full of the spirited vitality of youth.

—The Cheng Xia I liked the most, the Cheng Xia I had never possessed.

I propped up my head, looking at the youth before me, and asked softly, “So, what can you do?”

The youth’s jade-like cheeks flushed red. He whispered, “Sister, I can do anything.”

“Ah, that... that’s great.”

I rubbed my throbbing temples, took my phone, and placed it in front of him. “Take a look at this. Based on the layout of this library, how would you design the landscaping?”