Snail Senior Brother

Chapter 439 He got scared and fled

“If there were no beauties beneath the flowers, I would not wish to be born into this world.”

“Do you have your beauty?”

“Yes!”

Hearing Zhang Si ask me this, my heart leaped. After I instinctively answered, I turned my head to look into the boundless darkness. Lin Han was there, turning her head with a smile, enchanting and captivating.

My anxious heart settled down, but at that moment, Lin Han’s beautiful face instantly became withered. In just a few thoughts, she turned into a skeleton-like figure with skin and bones, and soon, the skin clinging to the bones vanished, the bones became brittle, and turned into ashes. In just a few seconds, no blood flowed out, yet I experienced an unprecedented terror.

“Lin Han… Lin Han…”

I called out in terror in the darkness. With a thud, something seemed to crash onto this world, and then a pain spread through my chest, pulling me out of the darkness.

Opening my eyes, I saw Tang Yi’s foot land on my chest. Not only had she kicked off her blanket, but she had also attacked me with her dream-like phantom kicks. I pushed her foot away and covered her with the blanket.

Seven months have passed since I left Beijing. Chinese New Year in 2009 has come and gone. Lin Han and I returned to our hometown in the Northeast. She was pregnant and couldn’t sleep with Tang Yi anymore, so we temporarily slept in separate beds, and I took care of this girl. Tang Yi is usually well-behaved, but when she sleeps, she’s like a martial arts master, sweeping in all directions.

Since that time, my heart has been locked and sealed by a chain with thorns. From time to time, I think of Zhang Si and the cage in my heart.

Even though it was March, for the Northeast, it was still deep winter. However, outside it was winter, but inside it was like midsummer. I had just covered her with the blanket, and she kicked it off again.

I decided to ignore her, went to the living room for a drink of water, and then returned to the master bedroom to check on Lin Han. Lin Han was also asleep. This was a good thing; pregnant Lin Han didn’t have severe morning sickness and could eat and sleep well.

Seeing Lin Han sleeping soundly, I quietly retreated from the room, went to the study, and turned on the computer.

Recently, I’ve been studying psychology and seeing a therapist. The more I interact with it, the more I realize that psychology is a vast and profound subject. To be able to use it with such skill like Wang Ren is like being a god in this circle.

Moreover, I’ve discovered something: my aptitude for psychology is similar to my aptitude for combat. Despite my hard work, I am ultimately limited by my talent, making me an ordinary person, nothing more. Simply put, learning psychology might make me a little better than the average person, but I am absolutely incapable of contending with Wang Ren.

I forced myself to read psychology articles for a while, but I still couldn't focus. Helplessly, I had to close it. Finally, I could only browse content about scams online. I lamented that the schemers were keeping up with the times, while I remained stagnant.

When I woke up in the morning, I had dark circles under my eyes like a panda. Lin Han looked at me and said with concern, “Didn’t sleep well again yesterday?”

“Mm.”

“Had a nightmare again?”

“No, it was Tang Yi’s footwork that improved.”

Hearing me say this, Lin Han chuckled, “Why don’t you let her sleep with me?”

“That would be too much. Don’t worry, it’s fine. By the way, I need to go out today. I’m having a drink. Xu Xiaoting arranged it. It’s just me, Lao Tie, Xu Xiaoting, and her husband Brother Qing.”

“Okay, you go.”

“I’ll be back early.”

“No need. Mom will come to help, and she can’t be stopped.”

Qing Zi’s pancake shop is quite popular, with forty stores spread across seven or eight cities in the three northeastern provinces, generating considerable profit. During the New Year, Xu Xiaoting knew I was home and wanted to treat me to a meal, but I didn’t go then.

Later, Xu Xiaoting organized a rather large class reunion. Lao Tie attended, but I still didn’t. Xu Xiaoting thought I didn’t like it, so this time she arranged this small gathering.

I originally didn’t want to attend, but yesterday I read in a psychology article that good social interaction is a good medicine for psychological illnesses. Getting out and about is also a form of treatment.

Xu Xiaoting booked a private kitchen. This private kitchen is very unique. As a restaurant, its greatest advantage is its taste. No matter what cuisine, they make it very authentic. Besides being delicious, there’s another thing: you cannot order food at this private kitchen. At the entrance, there are big characters that read: “The boss makes what you eat.”

This unique rule alone keeps many people away, but the boss uses his rules and authentic cuisine to attract customers.

“The boss makes what you eat?” I repeated the words and couldn’t help but smile.

“What are you smiling about?”

“These words remind me of scheming.”

“You mean the boss is a schemer?”

“There are many intelligent people nowadays. There’s no need to categorize everyone into the schemer faction. In short, this signboard, which seems to reject people, has a fatal attraction to those who truly love food.”

“Why?”

“This shows the boss’s confidence.”

“There’s such a saying.”

“Don’t believe me? Let’s go in and ask Xu Xiaoting if this place is particularly difficult to book.”

Lao Tie and I said this as we walked in. It was a remodeled dining hall on the first floor of a residential building. Inside, there were only a few tables and a female chef cooking.

The people at the two tables inside had already arrived. Through a screen, it looked like a father and daughter; I couldn't see them clearly through the screen. Here, Xu Xiaoting and Qing Zi were already waiting.

“Why did you book such a strange place?”

Lao Tie asked Xu Xiaoting as soon as he saw her. Xu Xiaoting smiled and said, “This haunted house private kitchen has been very popular recently. It’s already difficult to get a reservation.”

“Is it really hard to book?”

“Of course. Do you think I would invite Tang Nan to dinner without showing some sincerity?”

Saying this, Xu Xiaoting glanced at me with slight displeasure. Lao Tie laughed and said, “See? Sister Ting is angry. At the New Year’s class reunion, besides you, who else dares to disrespect Sister Ting? You should punish yourself with three cups of wine.”

“I just genuinely didn’t want to go out for dinner. There was no other meaning.”

Xu Xiaoting was about to retort but was stopped by Qing Zi. Qing Zi smiled and asked, “Has business been too busy lately, causing stress?”

“There’s no business. Before the New Year, I established a private equity fund, and now it’s managed by dedicated personnel. I’m just a hands-off boss.”

“Fund?”

Xu Xiaoting asked in surprise. Lao Tie interjected, “We invested over thirty billion together, all for the sake of doing good deeds.”

“Why didn’t I see that you two were such potential stocks back then?” Xu Xiaoting said with a smile.

“Do you regret not marrying us?”

Xu Xiaoting glared at Lao Tie, “My man is a treasure. I wouldn’t trade him for any amount of money.”

“Subtle public display of affection, huh?”

Qing Zi’s face turned red with embarrassment. “Okay, okay, let’s drink. The boss is about to serve the food.”

The boss’s dishes here are all very good, but I haven’t tried some of the cuisines, so I’m not sure if the taste is authentic. However, I have tasted one dish, the Yunnan Steamed Pot Chicken. The boss here made this dish with great soul, reminding me of when I first met Lao Gui. There was no takeout back then, but Lao Gui could still hold a Steamed Pot Chicken from next door and chat with me happily at the internet cafe.

In the blink of an eye, nine years have passed. It’s so fast!

We chatted and drank, and perhaps because of my heavy heart, I drank too much without realizing it. After leaving the world of schemers, my mood has never been relaxed. I know Wang Ren is wrong, but so what? She’s right; even if she taught me everything, I wouldn’t be her match. I clearly knew I should defeat her as the leader of the schemers, but I didn’t dare to do it. I chickened out and fled.

With such a state of mind, no one can live well, truly. The feeling of incompetence is too oppressive, and even reading psychology books every day cannot bring me peace.

“Xu Xiaoting, open another bottle of wine.”

“Tang Nan, stop drinking, you’ve had enough.”

“What’s wrong with having more? Isn’t that why we’re here to drink today?”

Xu Xiaoting glanced at Lao Tie. Lao Tie sighed, “Let him drink. He’s not feeling well.”

Qing Zi looked and said with a smile, “Brother Tie, you drink less then. I’ll drink with Brother Tang Nan.”

“Deal!”

I drank more than half a bottle of the new bottle. My heart ached as if I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t. Instead, after drinking too much, I couldn’t help but vomit. As a result, the people next door couldn’t eat anymore. Sister Ting and Lao Tie helped me into the car. In the car, Lao Tie realized he forgot his phone and asked the designated driver to wait. He then asked the driver to wait for a moment.

Lao Tie went back, and the driver drove away. I wanted to speak, but I felt so dizzy that I just lay on the back seat, resigned to my fate. If it’s like this, what else is there to fear!