"Liang, if you come up with any ideas later on, feel free to contact me whenever," I said.
"Of course, we're so familiar with each other now—who else would I turn to?" Liang replied.
After a brief exchange, Liang left the sales hall and had just gotten back to his apartment when his phone chimed with a text message alert.
[Last digits 8939, Industrial and Commercial Bank transfer in of 1,530,000.00 yuan, balance 1,531,201.12 yuan.]
As soon as the funds were in his account, Liang cleared all his credit card debts online, repaying a total of 494,500 yuan, principal and interest included.
Then, he headed straight for the mall and went on a spending spree, also replacing his old Android with an Apple 6 gold deluxe. He had already planned how to spend the money before it even arrived.
The money in his personal account was the principal—if in the future he could still hear the voices from the future, he would use it to make money.
If not, he would treat it as retirement savings, buy a house in a third-tier city, start a small business, and enter retirement early.
The over one million in the financing account was for living expenses. Liang wanted to experience an extraordinary Modu life.
Although he had been working in this city for ten years, he was still very unfamiliar with it.
Previously, through his work opportunities, he had only glimpsed that mysterious corner of it, which still piqued his desire.
There's a saying in Modu: arriving in Modu by bus and arriving in Modu by first-class airplane are two completely different experiences of the city.
Ten years ago, Lu Liang arrived in Modu by bus, and now, he wanted to see what that other world was like.
The Peace Restaurant was not only a signature high-rise in the Bund skyline but also a "business card" for the city of Modu.
Upon his arrival, Lu Liang stepped out of the car and immediately sensed an atmosphere completely different from that of the Xinpu suburbs.
Whether it was guests checking in or tourists taking photos, the men appeared especially gentlemanly, and the women extremely dignified, as if the opulent hotel concealed their true natures.
When Lu Liang went to the front desk to check in, the cheapest standard room was two thousand per night, while the most expensive Nine Countries Suite averaged eighteen thousand a night.
A monthly salary of eighteen thousand, even in the super-first-tier city of Modu, was considered a substantial income, yet it only afforded one night's stay here.
"Sir, are you looking to stay in the Nine Countries Suite?" The beautiful front-desk clerk thought she had heard wrong; after all, Lu Liang didn't look wealthy and seemed to have arrived by taxi.
"Is a reservation required?"
Lu Liang really hadn't looked into it; he had just heard about it and wanted to try staying for a few nights.
"No reservation needed. Currently, suites from the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan are available. How many guests, and for how many nights?"
The front-desk clerk maintained her professionalism, not judging by appearances, and smiled faintly.
"The United Kingdom then, for one person, let's start with two nights."
Lu Liang presented his identification and transferred thirty-six thousand yuan.
A middle-aged man clad in a well-tailored suit with a neatly trimmed mustache exuding British charm approached Lu Liang with a warm smile.
He placed his right hand on his left shoulder and bowed in a gentlemanly fashion, "Mr. Lu, I will be your butler for the next two days. My name is Tan Tao, and I am at your service for any needs you may have."
Lu Liang joked with a smile, "If I had checked into the Japan Suite, would you have arranged a kimono-clad female butler for me?"
Tan Tao smiled, "Mr. Lu, if you wish, we can arrange a change for you right now."
"I'll stick with you," Lu Liang shook his head. Noel then asked, "Mr. Lu, where is your luggage?"
"I don't have any."
"Oh, alright then, please follow me."
Lu Liang followed the butler, who led him smoothly to their destination. There were doormen at every entrance and a lift attendant for the elevator.
With the exception of eating, which he didn't need help with, and performing X personally, for all other things, there was no need for him to lift a finger.
The Nine Countries Suites were located on the fifth, sixth, and seventh floors of the hotel, with three suites per floor, all overlooking the river.
Lu Liang checked into the Number 2 United Kingdom Suite on the seventh floor.
The time-worn wooden floors, rose-patterned ceiling carvings,...—all the tones and decorations adhered to the style of British aristocracy from the last century.
Each suite had its own separate living room and dining room, plus a mini bar. If Lu Liang needed, someone could come over to mix drinks for him.
"Mr. Lu, I wish you a pleasant stay," said Tan Tao.
He explained the functions of the room's phone keys; just by pressing number one, Lu Liang could reach him any time, 24 hours a day.
Lu Liang walked to the window just as the sun was setting, painting the Bund's tourist-thronged promenade and the plaza's golden bull in a faint blush with the evening glow.
Although not towering, the Peace Restaurant offered the best vantage point to overlook the Bund, also providing a clear view of the International Financial Center and Mingzhu Tower on the opposite bank.
Lu Liang was mesmerized by the view, and before he knew it, twilight had darkened the sky and the dazzling neon lights of the skyscrapers had gradually lit up.
His stomach rumbled, making it clear that beauty wasn't edible, and even the most stunning scenery couldn't stave off hunger.
"Finished with work? I'll send you the address; come over for dinner," Lu Liang said as he picked up his phone to call Liu Mingxuan.
After fifteen years of studying together, Liu Mingxuan was the only classmate with whom he still kept in touch and had a good relationship.
It wasn't that he had lost contact with other classmates—they still called each other from time to time—but he rarely bothered them.
Mainly because, by middle age, everyone has a family and a household, and suddenly reaching out to an old friend or classmate can raise eyebrows.
The first thought that dashes through a normal person's mind is either they want to borrow money or they need help with a favor.
Under the influence of these preconceived notions, conversations tend to become particularly guarded and cautious.
Gradually, they lost contact altogether.
Half an hour later, Lu Liang arrived downstairs and waited, soon spotting the disheveled, sandy-haired Liu Mingxuan.
Although they were the same age—with everyone racing towards thirty—Liu Mingxuan, who was unmarried and without a girlfriend, dressed very stylishly and looked like he was just over twenty.
"Did you go to Korea for plastic surgery?" Lu Liang asked, as Liu Mingxuan also looked at him, taking a careful second and third glance.
The person seemed the same, yet he looked a bit leaner and there was an indefinable sense of youth about him.
In the past, whenever Liu Mingxuan saw Lu Liang, regardless of his state of mind, there was always an air of inexhaustible fatigue between his brows.
That sense of weariness, Liu Mingxuan had seen in many married friends.
It might be due to family or career, you could say it's having a sense of responsibility, or more harshly, it's carrying an invisible set of irons.
But seeing Lu Liang this time, he emanated a freespiritedness from inside out, as if he had been reborn.
"It seems losing twenty pounds did have some use after all."
Lu Liang patted his stomach, where his belly had disappeared, and if he tensed it up, he could even feel the distinct six-pack.
The two months of fitness had paid off; at least now, with a bit of grooming, he didn't look his middle-aged self.
"I always told you, marriages that can't satisfy material needs are unhappy," Liu Mingxuan said, admiring his own foresight.
If you don't have money, it's better to stay single for life. Getting married without money is being irresponsible to oneself, the family, and the next generation.
Two months post-divorce, Lu Liang had transformed as if he had become a new person, and that was proof enough.
"Let's go," said Lu Liang with a smile, leading Liu Mingxuan to apartment 7-2, where a table was already laid with four hot dishes and a soup.
"Eat something first to fill up, and we'll go out for a drink later."
"Did you strike it rich?"
Liu Mingxuan walked around the room and finally stopped in front of the window, gazing out at the bustling Bund.
The reputation of the Peace Restaurant was well-known, not just as a five-star hotel but also as an unmissable part of the Bund's skyline.
Whether it be tourists or young people new to Modu aiming high, they had all stood gazing up at this building, including them.
They remembered joking when they first arrived in Modu ten years ago that they would definitely stay here for a few nights someday.
But later, when they actually had some money, they thought, "Why spend over two-thousand for a night's stay when that money could be better spent on drinks and karaoke?"
"Recently, I did make a little extra," admitted Lu Liang, as he picked up his phone to transfer 50,000 yuan to Liu Mingxuan.
When he bought his house, he had borrowed 50,000 yuan from him, and it had been more than two years.
Although Liu Mingxuan never asked for it back, the debt had always been a knot in Lu Liang's heart.
So the moment he had money, he thought of Liu Mingxuan.
Partly to repay the debt, but also because having fun required a like-minded comrade-in-arms.
"Looks like you really did strike it rich, and I can share in the spoils," Liu Mingxuan said, glancing at his phone, then pulled up a chair next to Lu Liang.
He grinned and teased, "Liangzi, where are you planning to take me for a wild night out?"
"However you want to enjoy, we will," Liang responded.
"Is it really true?"
"Absolutely true."