Chapter 7: Him That Year (Part 1)

  Although Xiong Muya was touted as a business genius, he also carefully pondered these three words, muttering to himself "Borrow, tenacious, perseverance."

  "So, big brother, can you explain these three words to me? I feel like I understand them but also don't at the same time." Xiong Mu Ya asked curiously.

  "Alright, you've just come back and need a rest too. Today, brother will make an exception and book a luxurious private room to treat my dear little sister well, haha!"

  After finishing speaking, he took Kumakiya out of the office and headed towards the luxurious private room on the second floor.

  "You're saying you cut off someone's arm? And that person is the son of a rich man, no way. Weren't you in Nanjing District of Jianan City at that time? How did you end up in the city center of Jianan City? Didn't you say the city center isn't suitable for you to go to?" After Rui'er finished saying this sentence inside the coffee shop on the island, she seemed to feel like she had said something wrong, paused slightly, and then didn't know how to explain herself. After all, Yufeng was no longer the same person he used to be.

  He didn't mind, just took a sip of his coffee and smiled, saying "You see this coffee is bitter, but with sugar, the taste is completely different. I used to think that drinking coffee was for romance, dating, and luxury, and I wouldn't even dare drink it normally. Now I realize that coffee is about savoring, just like Blue Mountain coffee. Do you know why I like drinking Blue Mountain? Because it's slightly acidic, which lets me experience a kind of bitterness. But at the same time, it has a smooth and delicate flavor, and can also let people experience its sweetness. Two feelings from one cup of coffee, do you understand what I mean?"

  He said, taking a sip of his coffee, "At that time, the city center was not suitable for me. I was self-abased, had no capital, and had no courage, so I shrank into the southern part of the city. When my grandfather was still alive, he told me that meditation could calm my mind and nourish my energy. To be honest, I really didn't understand how it could calm my mind and nourish my energy, but I didn't want to make Grandfather uncomfortable in the afterlife, so every day I would meditate for over ten minutes...

  "Ever since you left, I've been holding on for a few hours every day because it's the only thing that I can use to calm my mind. At that time, I thought of many things and realized that one thing can be done in two ways, just like this coffee, with two different feelings. Things can also be done in two ways, it's just a matter of putting the most important thing first and doing it early, or putting aside the messy thoughts or burying them, or forgetting... " Yufeng took another sip of his coffee.

  Nui'er heard this, and her heart felt a sour and melancholic feeling. When she also picked up the coffee cup and took another small sip, it seemed that she too had truly tasted that faintly sour and melancholic feeling.

  "You know, I chopped off that rich guy's arm. You know how to calm down? It's actually funny when you think about it. I guess it was also my good luck. The first person I knew was the boss of Yu Yang Bar, his name is Xiong Tianhao. At that time, he had just taken over the bar and I was there for the first time too. He was very disappointed and so was I. So we got to know each other. After all, he's in the entertainment industry, so he has connections and can get things done. That's why I borrowed his influence at that time."

  "What, old brother won't do it? Just you, a small bar owner back then, what kind of power did he borrow from you? And the son of the Yu Yang Group's boss is even more capable than you, yet he still hasn't been taken down after borrowing your power, this is a bit...?"

  In the luxurious private room, Xiong Mu Ya widened her already large eyes. She thought to herself, what could he have relied on when his older brother was in charge of the bar? At most, he had a little connections, but that didn't count for much. How could this young girl not know that Yu Feng relied on just this bit of influence to climb up step by step?

  Xiong Tianhao also shook his head and sighed, "Let's start from when I first met him. At that time, I had just taken over the bar, do you still remember that girl named Yunwan? Don't interrupt me for now, I know what you want to say, let's not discuss whether she was good or bad, it's already in the past."

  Xiong Tianhao saw that his sister's face didn't look good when he mentioned the woman, as if she wanted to say something, but was interrupted by him and continued to say "She had made Dad and Mom so angry at that time, maybe Dad and Mom left early because of her, maybe you went far away from home to study also because of this."

  "My parents' earliest property was cheated by her, and the money I used to buy this wine shop was also my mom's private savings. At that time, it was hard for me to accept this reality too. After I took over, I spent every day drowning in liquor, until one day, a young man came, and that was him."

  Upstairs in the coffee shop, Yufeng also told Nuoer about some of his experiences. "When I first met Xiong, he was self-anaesthetizing with alcohol every day. Later, when I got to know him better, I understood why. That's how we became friends, and through him, I had a chance encounter with the head of Beicheng District in Jia'nan City. You also know that being a district head in Jia'nan City isn't a big deal, although for ordinary people it's a big official, but within the bureaucratic system, it really doesn't count for much. At the time, I didn't think about anything and didn't pay attention to it either."

  It was just that when I went to find Brother Xiong again, we had a few more drinks, he said a lot, talked about his history and experiences, and finally said one sentence that made me feel like there was something in my heart that I couldn't quite grasp, it felt like there was a layer of membrane that I wanted to poke but couldn't.

  Brother Bear said, "My originally happy family was ruined by a woman, and look at the district head of our city's northern district. That day, he disguised himself in a hotel, hugging and holding a woman who was obviously not his wife. I happened to be there to pick up a friend and saw him. Although we know each other a little, I still want to say... Damn it, living so freely is just being an official, right? Being an official isn't bad either, although it's secretive, but also has power, with the ability to cover up the sky."

  Then I just asked Brother Xiong a sentence: Does the district head often come to your place? He said he often comes, and at that time he was really drunk, so I didn't ask anything else.

  "That night I returned home unexpectedly calm, sat for several hours, trying to calm down and break through that layer of numbness. But no matter what, I didn't know where the turning point was. Later, because of some things, I was forced into a desperate situation by that rich young master, then I chopped off his left arm, which led to a series of repercussions, and it ended like this."

  Nui'er listened to this, although her emotions were fluctuating, but her face didn't show much change. She knew that Yu Feng was now avoiding the heavy and lightening the tone, all the links in between, no matter how shocking or thrilling, he didn't want to mention again.

  "Uh, thank you for telling me all this. I also know that the business card you gave me isn't fake either. Everything you've achieved today is a result of your hard work and perseverance. It's just that I don't have the same perseverance as before, and I don't know how to make an effort anymore," Rui'er said with a bitter smile.

  "Fate is still in one's own hands. Really, if there's a chance, I'll take you to meet my old monk master who is both a teacher and a friend," Yufeng said with a faint smile. There were times of pain, times of disappointment, and times of injury. Although the heart often longed to see each other again, when they finally met, their hearts had already become very calm.

  "I'll take you back myself, this time let me, as a porter, specially send you on your way,"

  "Hehe, okay then, I won't be polite," Nui'er said calmly.

  Although Xiong Muya was touted as a business genius, he also carefully pondered the three words, muttering to himself "Borrow, tenacious, perseverance."

  "So, big brother, can you explain these three words to me? I feel like I understand them but also don't at the same time." Xiong Mu Ya asked curiously.

  "Alright, you've just come back and need a rest too. Today, brother will make an exception and book a luxurious private room to treat my dear little sister well, haha!"

  After finishing speaking, he took Kumakiya out of the office and headed towards the luxurious private room on the second floor.

  "You're saying you cut off someone's arm? And that person is the son of a rich man, no way. Weren't you in Nanjing District of Jianan City at that time? How did you end up in the center of Jianan City? Didn't you say the city center isn't suitable for you to go to?" After Rui'er finished saying this sentence inside the coffee shop on the island, she seemed to feel like she had said something wrong, paused slightly, and then didn't know how to explain herself. After all, Yufeng was no longer the same person he used to be.

  He didn't mind, just took a sip of coffee and smiled, saying "You see this coffee is bitter, but with sugar, the taste is different. I used to think that drinking coffee was for romance, dating, luxury, and I wouldn't even dare drink it normally. Now I know that coffee is a connoisseur's thing, just like Blue Mountain coffee. Do you know why I like Blue Mountain? Because it's slightly acidic, which makes me feel a kind of sourness. But at the same time, it has a smooth and delicate taste, and can also make people feel its sweetness. Two feelings in one cup of coffee, do you understand what I mean?"

  He said, taking a sip of his coffee, "At that time, the city center was not suitable for me, because I was self-abased, had no capital, and had no courage, so I shrank into the southern part of the city. When my grandfather was still alive, he said that meditation could calm my mind and nourish my energy. To be honest, I really didn't understand how to calm my mind and nourish my energy, but I didn't want Grandfather to be worried in the afterlife, so every day I would meditate for over ten minutes, but since..."

  "Ever since you left, I've been holding on for a few hours every day because it's the only thing that I can use to calm my mind. At that time, I thought of many things and realized that one thing can be done in two ways, just like this coffee, with two different feelings. Things can also be done in two ways, it's just a matter of putting the most important thing first and doing it early, and then either putting aside or forgetting the scattered thoughts or emotions."

  Nui'er heard this and felt a sour and bitter feeling in her heart. When she also picked up the coffee and took another small sip, it seemed that she really tasted that slightly sour and bitter feeling.

  "You know, I chopped off that rich guy's arm. You know how to calm down? It's actually funny when you think about it. I guess it was also my good luck. The first person I knew was the boss of Yuèyáng Bar, his name is Xióng Tiān Hào. At that time, he had just taken over the bar and I was there for the first time too. He was quite disappointed and so was I. So we got to know each other. After all, he's in the entertainment industry, so he has connections and can get things done. That's why I borrowed his influence at that time."

  "What, old brother won't do it? Just you, a small bar owner back then, what kind of power did he borrow from you? And the son of the Yu Yang Group's boss is even more capable than you, yet he still hasn't been taken down after borrowing your power, this is a bit...?"

  In the luxurious private room, Xiong Mu Ya widened her already large eyes. She thought to herself, what could he have relied on when his older brother was in charge of the bar? At most, he had a little connections, but that didn't count for much. How could this young girl not know that Yu Feng relied on just this bit of influence to climb up step by step?

  Xiong Tianhao also shook his head and sighed, "Let's start from when I first met him. At that time, I had just taken over the bar, do you still remember that girl named Yunwan? Don't interrupt me for now, I know what you want to say, let's not discuss whether she was good or bad, it's already in the past."

  Xiong Tianhao saw that his sister's face didn't look good when he mentioned the woman, as if she wanted to say something, but was interrupted by him and continued to say "She was so angry with Dad and Mom at that time, maybe Dad and Mom left early because of her, maybe you went abroad to study back then also because of this."

  "My parents' earliest property was cheated by her too much, and the money I used to buy this wine shop was also my mother's private money. At that time, I found it hard to accept this reality. After I took over, I spent every day getting drunk, until one day, a young man came, and that was him."

  Upstairs in the coffee shop, Yufeng also told Nui about some of his experiences. "When I first met Xiong, he was self-anaesthetizing with alcohol every day. Later, when I got to know him better, I understood why. That's how we became friends, and through him, I had a chance encounter with the head of Beicheng District in Jianan City. You also know that being a district head in Jianan City isn't a big deal, although for ordinary people it's a big official, but within the bureaucratic system, it really doesn't count for much. At the time, I didn't think about anything and didn't pay attention to it either."

  It was just that when I went to find Brother Xiong again, we had a few more drinks, he said a lot, talked about his history and experiences, and finally said one sentence that made me feel like there was something stuck in my heart, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

  Brother Bear said, "My originally happy family was ruined by a woman, and look at the district head of our city's northern district. That day, he disguised himself in a hotel hugging and holding a woman who was obviously not his wife. I happened to be there picking up a friend and saw him. Although we know each other a bit, I still want to say... Damn, they live so freely! Isn't being an official great? In fact, being an official is pretty good, although it's all secretive, but you have power, the ability to cover up the sky."

  Then I just asked Brother Xiong a sentence: Does the district head often come to your place? He said he often comes, and at that time he was really drunk, so I didn't ask anything else.

  "That night I returned home unexpectedly calm, sat for several hours, trying to calm down and break through that layer of membrane. But no matter what, I didn't know where the point was, afterwards because of some things, it was me who was forced into a desperate situation by that rich young master, afterwards I chopped off the left arm of that rich young master, which led to a series of repercussions, and then it ended like this."

  Nui'er listened to this, although her emotions were fluctuating, but her face didn't show much change. She knew that Yu Feng was now avoiding the heavy and lightening the tone, all the links in between, no matter how shocking or thrilling, he didn't want to mention again.

  "Uh, thank you for telling me all this. I also know that the business card you gave me isn't fake either. Everything you've achieved today is a result of your hard work and perseverance. It's just that I don't have the same perseverance as before, and I don't know how to make an effort anymore," Rui'er said with a bitter smile.

  "Fate is still in one's own hands. Really, if there's a chance, I'll take you to meet my old monk master who is both a teacher and a friend," Yufeng said with a faint smile. There were times of pain, times of disappointment, and times of injury. Although the heart often longed to see each other again, when they finally met, their hearts had already become very calm.

  "I'll take you back myself, this time let me, as a porter, specially send you on your way,"

  "Hehe, okay then, I won't be polite," Rui'er said calmly.