Chapter 125 Fun and Games

Chapter 125: Fun and Games

"Nice place you've got here."

Young Master Zheng Bin arrived, having toured the new factory and admired Jiang Luo's spacious, elegantly appointed office. He nodded repeatedly in approval and praise.

Zheng Bin wasn't here for business; his main agenda was eating, drinking, and having fun. This young master usually gathered friends in Haicheng, partying hard and wildly, but after all his escapades, he still found it most enjoyable to hang out with Jiang Luo. Lately, since Jiang Luo had been busy and making frequent trips to Shenzhen, Zheng Bin simply asked his sister for money, obtained a border pass, and came along.

With Zheng Bin here and Wang Chuang accompanying them, Jiang Luo—naturally fun-loving himself—was more than happy to join in.

The three of them piled into Jiang Luo’s Bentley and headed out to party!

Shenzhen was changing rapidly, with new buildings going up everywhere, wide roads, and, thanks to its large young population, plenty of places to have fun.

Jiang Luo drove along the broad, newly paved roads, all the car windows rolled down. Zheng Bin in the passenger seat and Wang Chuang in the back stuck their heads out, enjoying the breeze and whooping, drawing frequent looks from passersby.

Not to mention the fun they had at dance clubs, bars, karaoke bars, and other places where they enjoyed themselves and made new friends.

The three of them partied hard at night, and even Wang Junqing and the others who were with them joined in eating and drinking. Lao Fourth even followed them onto the dance floor to dance, but Wang Junqing grabbed him by the collar, pulled him back, and gave him a knuckle to the head, reminding him not to forget his duty as a bodyguard.

Lao Fourth rubbed his head. "What danger could there possibly be in Shenzhen?"

He continued sitting in the booth, bobbing to the music while sipping juice.

Within a few days, Jiang Luo and the others met several wealthy young masters from Shenzhen at the dance club.

A group of them went out to have fun together, and things got even wilder.

"Don’t drink too much."

Huo Zongzhuo, far away in Haicheng, called Jiang Luo but could only hear the noisy background and music on Jiang Luo’s end.

"Huh? What?"

Jiang Luo couldn’t make out what Huo Zongzhuo was saying.

"Go have fun."

Huo Zongzhuo chuckled and let Jiang Luo do as he pleased, however wild he wanted to be.

Wang Chuang, dancing and grooving in the middle of the dance floor, leaned closer and said to Jiang Luo, "Your mindset's impressive. Even after getting dumped, you still don’t let it stop you from having fun."

"What?"

Jiang Luo, also dancing, couldn’t hear a thing—the music was too loud, and there were too many people.

Zheng Bin, dancing enthusiastically with a girl, came over and announced loudly while still moving, "Shenzhen is more fun than Haicheng!"

"Oh~ ho~!"

The wind blew against their faces as Zheng Bin leaned halfway out of the Bentley’s window, throwing his arms wide and shouting into the wind, "Wow~~~~"

Jiang Luo, who was driving, joined Wang Chuang in shouting, "Wow~~"

The three of them belted out the lyrics along with the music in the car: "All that remains today is this hollow shell, welcoming our glorious days ahead..."

In the night wind, the three of them radiated high spirits and youthful abandon.

They even paid someone to fast-track their visas for Hong Kong and Macau, and they went crazy together in Hong Kong.

At that time, Hong Kong was lightyears ahead of the mainland. Skyscrapers lined both sides of Victoria Harbour, Central was densely packed with buildings, hundred-story towers rose from the ground, and overpasses were filled with cars and taxis.

Jiang Luo and the others hired a convertible with a driver. The three of them sat in the passenger and back seats as the car sped along the overpass at about 50 mph. They waved their arms, whooped and hollered, carrying themselves like entitled rich kids, utterly carefree.

Lao Fourth and Lao Third followed in another car, looking less like bodyguards and more like part of the vacation crew.

"Wow~!"

Lao Fourth and Lao Third also stuck their arms out the window, whooping and hollering.

Jiang Luo and the others also took double-decker bus tours, went shopping and eating in Tsim Sha Tsui, lined with luxury brands, took cruises in Victoria Harbour, and enjoyed the glittering night views on both sides of the harbor. They had the time of their lives.

Zheng Bin had so much fun that wherever Jiang Luo went, he followed. If Jiang Luo was in Shenzhen, he stayed in Shenzhen. If Jiang Luo flew back to Haicheng, he went back too. Once back in Haicheng, he continued having fun whenever he had free time.

Zheng Bin even said to Jiang Luo, "It’s still more fun with you. I know a few guys in Haicheng who are always asking me to play cards with them, but it’s pretty boring."

Jiang Luo replied immediately, "Be careful. There are people specifically targeting rich young masters like you, luring you into gambling, making you lose money so you have to ask your family for more."

"Oh, right."

Zheng Bin was immediately on guard. "Then I won’t go anymore. It’s no fun if they’re just trying to scam me."

Jiang Luo and Zheng Bin were having fun and drinking at a bar, with Lao Fourth, Wang Junqing, Lao Third, and the others all there.

Wang Junqing, drinking, suddenly looked in a certain direction. Two men who had been standing there immediately turned and disappeared into the dimly lit corner.

"What’s wrong?"

Lao Third turned around.

"Nothing."

Wang Junqing didn’t spot anything suspicious and withdrew his gaze.

Late at night, back on Wukang Road, Jiang Luo, completely wasted, stumbled unsteadily and leaned against Huo Zongzhuo, who had come downstairs to meet him, humming and laughing.

"Drank this much?"

Huo Zongzhuo bent down, scooped Jiang Luo up in a bridal carry, and headed upstairs.

Jiang Luo nestled his head on Huo Zongzhuo’s shoulder and sang, "I admit it was all the moon’s fault..."

Too unsteady to stand, let alone shower, Jiang Luo was carried by Huo Zongzhuo to his own bedroom and laid on the bed, where Huo Zongzhuo removed his shoes.

Jiang Luo murmured, "Huo Zongzhuo, what will you name your daughter in the future?" before tilting his head and falling asleep.

Huo Zongzhuo smiled amusedly, leaned over Jiang Luo, watched the young man for a moment, then bent down and kissed Jiang Luo’s forehead.

The next morning, Jiang Luo woke up hungover and bleary-eyed. He opened his eyes, lifted his head, and seeing Huo Zongzhuo lying beside him, immediately cuddled up, closed his eyes, and went back to sleep—he wasn't going to start anything, but he could at least cuddle while sleeping.

It wasn’t like he was going to do anything.

Shengfei Factory in Shenzhen was hitting its stride. Soon, the factory owners in the industrial zone all knew that a particularly young clothing factory owner, surnamed Jiang, from Haicheng, had arrived. He drove a silver Bentley they had never seen before and lived in the Silver Lake neighborhood—clearly rolling in money.

Coincidentally, Mr. You, whom Jiang Luo had met back in Wenzhou, was also in Shenzhen, with a factory there.

Mr. You’s factory was in another industrial zone, not the one where Shengfei Factory was located, but he knew people in this zone and sometimes came over on business.

Boss You first heard about Jiang Luo through a mutual acquaintance, and recognizing the familiar name, immediately called him, catching up briefly on the phone.

So that day, Boss You hosted dinner, and Jiang Luo attended, dining with several other factory owners from this industrial zone.

At the table, seeing Jiang Luo, You Sen got pretty nostalgic, reminiscing about their past business dealings in Wenzhou.

"Actually, it hasn’t been that long," You Sen, sitting beside Jiang Luo, said to the others at the table. "But looking back, it feels like a long time has passed. It makes you reflect."

"Indeed, you go way back, after all," one factory owner remarked. "You did business together in Wenzhou, and now you’ve met again here in Shenzhen. It truly fits the saying, 'It's fate that's brought you together from a thousand miles away.'"

With that, You Sen raised his glass, saying, "To you, Boss Jiang." Jiang Luo and the others also raised their glasses.

And so, reuniting with You Sen, and through him, Jiang Luo got to know the other factory owners at the table, and they swapped business cards.

Over food and drinks, Jiang Luo and You Sen caught up on personal news and business matters. That's when You Sen found out Jiang Luo had two factories, one in Haicheng and another in Jiangsu.

They also discussed other Wenzhou-based factory owners they both knew, especially Zhang Zhiqiang, who owned a doll factory that Jiang Luo knew.

Jiang Luo said, "The toy factory is still running, and they’ve started their own brand. It’s doing pretty well." He had just spoken with Zhang Zhiqiang over the phone the previous month.

"Now he’s also in the transformer business, working with relatives. I hear it's going okay."

"I know," You Sen replied. "He visited me recently and toured my factory."

Jiang Luo then learned that You Sen was now running a factory in Shenzhen, mainly focused on electronics, supplying both domestic and international markets.

The two kept talking while they ate.

As they ate and chatted, someone at the table suddenly asked, "By the way, Boss You, what's your son been up to lately?"

You Sen, who had been talking with Jiang Luo, paused and sighed, "He’s been off in Hong Kong having fun recently."

"I remember you mentioned last time that he had a girlfriend?"

You Sen waved his hand dismissively, "Just a fling."

Jiang Luo then remembered You Junyu. He'd thought about bringing him up as a casual topic with You Sen but noticed something off in You Sen’s expression and attitude when mentioning You Junyu, so he decided not to say much.

Later, as the meal was winding down and You Sen went to take care of the check, Jiang Luo asked another factory owner beside him, "Boss Chen, what’s going on with Boss You’s son?"

"You don’t know?"

Knowing that the factory owners were acquainted with You Sen and wouldn’t gossip recklessly, Jiang Luo made up a story: "You Junyu and I used to get along well. When he came to Haicheng, we did business together at a small market. Later, I moved into clothing, and he seemed to leave Haicheng, so we lost touch."

Seeing that Jiang Luo knew You Sen’s son’s name and seemed genuinely familiar with You Junyu, the other factory owners then revealed, "Young You got into some trouble last New Year."

It turned out that You Junyu had been arrested by the Wuhan police during the New Year for dealing in pirated tapes and counterfeit branded goods.

You Sen had traveled from Shenzhen to Wuhan, calling in favors and spending a lot of money and effort to get him released.

After that, You Sen wouldn't let his son continue his old business ventures and kept You Junyu close.

You Junyu seemed to have given up on himself. Nowadays, he neither engages in business nor manages the factory in Shenzhen. Instead, he spends his days socializing with friends, messing around, and often heading over to Hong Kong to party. He doesn’t take relationships seriously either, switching girlfriends one after another.

Jiang Luo was taken aback: "How did he get caught for doing business?"

One boss replied, "He didn't cover his tracks."

"He saw that Hong Kong and Taiwan pop stars' tapes were selling well, so he started producing and selling pirated tapes."

"Along with many other items, all knockoffs—either imitating Hong Kong products or some foreign brands."

"Copying stuff is one thing, but he even copied the actual brands."

"The police investigated, tracked it down to him, and arrested him immediately."

"He did make quite a bit of money selling those things."

"I'd say he earned more than his dad did from running the factory."

Another boss added, "More than that—way more."

"But no matter how much he earned, it was useless. Once he was caught and his accounts were audited, he had to give it all back."

"You Sen even had to chip in a lot out of his own pocket."

"Otherwise, his son would be in prison by now."

Jiang Luo listened while drinking tea to clear his head. He felt no particular emotion, only that fate and the course of life were truly mysterious:

In his previous life, You Junyu had never even heard of him and was thriving in Haicheng.

In this life, Jiang Luo went to Wencheng and was doing some business at a small market. When You Junyu found out, he imitated Jiang Luo, muscled in on his business, and thus embarked on the path of selling counterfeit goods—only to take a hard fall.

Trying to steal business? Still at it?

As they left the restaurant, You Sen walked alongside Jiang Luo and brought up You Junyu and his situation on his own. He sighed, "If he hadn’t gone to Haicheng to compete with you for business and instead stayed in Wencheng, later joining me to open a factory in Shenzhen, perhaps things would never have turned out this way. Ah."

Jiang Luo naturally didn’t feel it was appropriate to say much.

You Sen, being easygoing, politely said, "Sometime when you're free, Jiang, come visit my factory. I’ll show you around."

"Sure."

You Sen added gently, "If you happen to run into Junyu someday, please don’t give him a hard time."

"After what happened, he’s become pretty down. I know he’s not happy inside either."

Jiang Luo also politely said, "There’s always a chance to make a comeback."

"Yes, yes."

You Sen nodded. "He’s still young; there’s always an opportunity. You’re right, Jiang. I’ll take your kind words as a blessing."

Not long after that meal, Zheng Bin came by, and together with Wang Chuang, the three of them went out to have some fun. By chance, they unexpectedly ran into You Junyu at the largest casino in Macau.