"No, no, no. Secretary An, please sit down. You have your own work to do; I'll take care of it myself." Lin Hao had long regarded An Yujing as Ning Xingchen's woman. Letting his little sister-in-law pour him tea would be far too improper.
Ning Xingchen gave Lin Hao a glare, knowing full well what he was thinking, afraid that Lin Hao might say something inappropriate and make An Yujing feel embarrassed.
In truth, the relationship between Ning Xingchen and An Yujing was entirely innocent. Ning Xingchen genuinely saw her as a sister, with no ulterior motives.
"Lin Hao, what's up?"
"Brother Xing, do you remember Xu Jinping?"
"Of course, Dapeng," Ning Xingchen replied, puzzled as to why Lin Hao suddenly brought up Xu Jinping, a former college roommate with whom he had a good relationship.
"He called me yesterday. His father passed away and he hopes we can visit," Lin Hao sighed.
From Lin Hao's tone, Ning Xingchen knew that Xu Jinping must be very heartbroken right now.
"Brother Xing, ever since Jinping dropped out in freshman year, he's had no stable job. He worked on construction sites and as a bouncer. He's now penniless and doesn't even have the money for his father's funeral," Lin Hao continued.
Ning Xingchen hadn't realized that Xu Jinping had been living so miserably these past years, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
"We were all classmates; let's go see him together."
Although he had only spent less than a year with Xu Jinping, Ning Xingchen still remembered him as a good friend, especially how Xu had taken a brick to the head for him during a fight in their freshman year, resulting in a mild concussion. Ning Xingchen had never forgotten that.
Ning Xingchen put on his jacket, grabbed his car keys, and stood up.
"Mr. Ning, are you going out? There's a senior management meeting scheduled for an hour from now," An Yujing reminded him softly.
"Postpone it for me. I have something important to take care of today."
Ning Xingchen gave Lin Hao a look, and the two of them walked straight out.
"Sigh, it seems the real person in charge here is still President Liu," An Yujing muttered.
Ning Xingchen and Lin Hao got into the car and headed for the countryside of Donghai City.
"Lin Hao, how did Dapeng's father die?" Ning Xingchen asked curiously.
"Jinping said he committed suicide by jumping off a building."
"Jumping?" Ning Xingchen couldn't believe his ears.
"You know how Jinping's father was, addicted to gambling. He lost tens of thousands in family savings, which forced Jinping to drop out because he couldn't afford tuition," Lin Hao explained. He knew that over the years, Xu Jinping had paid off many of his father's gambling debts.
"Was it because he owed too much money and decided to end it?" Ning Xingchen frowned, thinking about how gambling could destroy families and lives.
"Probably, but I don't know the details," Lin Hao said, unsure of the exact reasons behind the suicide.
Ning Xingchen remembered the day Xu Jinping's father had dropped him off at college. The man was humorous, talkative, and seemed like a kind uncle. He couldn't believe such a drastic change had occurred.
"Brother Xing, Jinping has had a tough time. Besides comforting him, we should also help him out. After all, being roommates in college is a kind of fate," Lin Hao said slowly.
"Yes, Jinping is a loyal person. I will help him," Ning Xingchen nodded.
Deep down, Ning Xingchen valued loyalty and gratitude. If possible, he was willing to give Xu Jinping a chance to start over.
...
Being in a rural area far from Donghai City, it took Ning Xingchen about two hours to drive to Xujiacun.
Surrounded by mountains, this village lay on the border between Donghai and Huizhou. The road to Xujiacun was uneven and bumpy, making Ning Xingchen's sports car jolt violently, highlighting the rough terrain.
Lin Hao took out his phone to call Xu Jinping, asking him to come and meet them, since the village was large and they could only drive to its entrance.
"Damn, what a place! No signal at all," Lin Hao cursed, initially thinking his phone bill was overdue, only to realize it was due to the poor infrastructure here.
After getting out of the car, Ning Xingchen took a deep breath of the fresh air, feeling instantly refreshed. Being in the countryside after staying in the city for a long time made him feel the stark contrast.
"Brother Xing, let's find a villager to ask where Jinping's house is," Lin Hao suggested.
"Excuse me, sir, could you tell us where Xu Jinping's house is?" Lin Hao approached an old man under a tree, politely asking.
"I don't know, I don't know," the old man responded, his expression changing as he quickly got up and walked away, almost as if fleeing.
"Lin Hao, what's wrong?" Ning Xingchen asked, puzzled.
"Nothing, I'll ask someone else," Lin Hao said, thinking the old man might be mentally unstable.
However, every person they approached reacted similarly, refusing to answer and avoiding them like the plague whenever Xu Jinping's name was mentioned.
"What's wrong with these villagers? Are they crazy?" Lin Hao looked bewildered.
"Stop asking. Let's find it ourselves. They clearly won't talk," Ning Xingchen said calmly, guessing there was some hidden reason behind this.
Walking along the village paths, they observed the houses and people, knowing it would be easy to spot a house holding a funeral.
"Ning Xingchen, Lin Hao?"
At that moment, a pleasant female voice called their names.
They turned to see a young woman in plain clothes standing not far away. Despite her old-fashioned attire, Ning Xingchen hesitated for a moment before recognizing her.
"Cheng Yun!" Ning Xingchen smiled and walked over with Lin Hao. This girl was Xu Jinping's girlfriend and a classmate of theirs in college.
"Cheng Yun, I almost didn't recognize you!" Ning Xingchen remembered Cheng Yun as a cute girl, but now she seemed worn down by the years.
"I wouldn't have recognized you two either if I hadn't looked closely," Cheng Yun said with a sweet smile. Ning Xingchen had changed dramatically, now exuding an air of distinction and wealth.
Cheng Yun glanced up and down at Ning Xingchen, realizing he had become very successful in a short period.