Chapter 179: Enemies Meet by Chance

against.However, this didn't prevent her from witnessing an almost blinding scene on this day she previously thought would be as peaceful as usual.Su Can appeared at the classroom door in such a way...Volume 6, Chapter 179: Foes Meet in Unfavorable Circumstances

When Tang Wu was in Rongcheng, she first returned to her own home. Coincidentally, Wang Bo had just come back from a local inspection tour, and Li Pengyu and Lin Luoran were staying at the villa that the Wang family owned in the Rongcheng Garden.

Although Su Cun's family moved to Huancheng due to Su Licheng this spring, relatives on his mother’s side still lived in Rongcheng, such as his uncle Zeng Quanming and his aunt Zeng Zhao Ding. Before Su Cun returned to Rongcheng, these relatives had already made arrangements for him.

As expected, the moment he arrived in Rongcheng, his sister Zeng Na called to pick him up directly for a family dinner.

The venue was at the old-established Lion Tower Restaurant in Rongcheng. Before Su Cun's arrival, his cousin Zeng Yuan had already leaked the main highlights, mentioning that besides Zeng Na, her boyfriend would also be present today.

Su Cun knew something about this matter. Zeng Na’s current boyfriend is Deng Songqi. At that time, when Zeng Na just entered Southwest Medical University for oral material studies, and Deng Songqi was entering the Electronic Science and Technology College of Sichuan University to study e-commerce, Su Cun once asked him to help write the 1.0 version of Facebook, which he later took to America where it was modified by Mark Zuckerberg to fit the American network environment.

Back then, Southwest Medical University had not merged with Rongcheng University yet, and Sichuan University had not established a new campus either. The summer in universities was still full of vitality back then.

The process leading to their relationship wasn't quite smooth. When Deng Songqi pursued Zeng Na at that time, she only felt slightly intrigued but didn’t leave him a particularly deep impression before being swept off her feet by an upperclassman from the medical school who launched a fierce pursuit on her. The main reason was due to his advantageous background: not only did he look good, but in their department, he had some fame as well; he was the football team captain and also served as the president of one of the school's associations. After dating for two years with Zeng Na, however, he ended up marrying another woman upon graduation.

Zeng Na fell into a long period of depression during which Deng Songqi stayed by her side, leading to them eventually getting together.

Regarding this matter, Uncle Zeng Quanming had always been depressed. After all, when Zeng Na was still in high school, Deng Songqi wrote some ambiguous letters to her that were seen by Zeng Quanming, who put him on his mental blacklist from then onwards. When they started university, he also tried to prevent them from getting too close and even argued with Zeng Na over it.

Originally, when Zeng Na was dating her ex-boyfriend Zhang Jing previously, Zeng Quanming did not intervene much as Zhang Jing seemed like a good person who appeared optimistic and came from a family of high-ranking executives at the Chengdu branch of Construction Bank. So he didn’t interfere too much, only reminding him occasionally to focus on his studies.

However, it never occurred to anyone that things would turn out this way in the end.

When Su Cun arrived at Lion Tower Restaurant, he saw Zeng Na waiting for them at the entrance. Seeing Su Cun, she said, "Your uncle is inside. Do you want to go in" Su Cun guessed that she was probably waiting for Deng Songqi and replied that it wasn't necessary; he would wait with her.

A moment later, a taxi stopped in front of them. Deng Songqi appeared with big gift boxes and wearing a formal suit, looking slightly nervous and tense. He said apologetically that he was late because the road had been congested.

Zeng Na smiled and helped him adjust his collar. She remarked, "You look like you're selling something."

Guo Zhen understood where Cen Na's concerns lay; her uncle measured a person based on their prospects, family background, and education, which was his inherent bias. He had always been somewhat reluctant towards Deng Songqi, who studied general e-commerce at the University of Electronic Science and Technology compared to Cen Na’s study of oral material science at medical school. This made him quite unimpressed with Deng Songqi.

Guo Zhen thought that his uncle's preference for wealth was probably something he would never change, but perhaps because of Guo Zhen himself, his views might shift slightly to include the importance of striving and effort.

Deng Songqi put an arm around Guo Zhen’s shoulders and said, "Young Master Guo, is your personal asset really close to what your sister mentioned"

Zeng Na was quite worried; she rarely interacted with the Guo family. She knew about them mostly from her parents' accounts or from relatives’ mythologizing. At most, she would occasionally talk to her aunt Zeng Ke on the phone, but even then they talked less than before. In fact, she and Guo Zhen were growing further apart; what the Guo family had achieved in just a few short years was unimaginable to outsiders. Su Licheng could go from being an ordinary engineer through Great Poplar Construction Engineering Company to becoming the mayor of a city due to the political wave that saw businessmen enter officialdom, despite his current position as deputy. Even Zeng Quanming often pondered this trajectory.

These details weren't important; what mattered was that her mother, Yan Shufen, would always return from interactions with Aunt Ke and say how well-off the Guo family was. The properties in Chengdu bought for Guo Zhen's future wife were said to be worth over a hundred thousand yuan each, with unlimited potential for appreciation.

Before this Spring Festival visit to Huancheng, the Audi car that Guo Zhen claimed he had borrowed was parked outside his new home. Who could borrow such an expensive vehicle for more than a month

The days surrounding New Year saw luxury cars with Chongqing or Shanghai plates parked around Guo Zhen’s house; they were said to belong to business acquaintances from elsewhere. The furnishings and the dragon fish in his new home cost several hundred thousand yuan, and there was an entire golden dragon sculpture, something Zeng Na had never seen before. The brand of the sculpture was Shushan Cultural Supplies Group, a major local light industry backbone company in Chengdu, indicating its high value. This made people wonder about the relationship between this group and the Guo family.

When Zeng Na visited Guo Zhen, she felt rather restrained; even seasoned Zeng Quanming seemed somewhat anxious. After her mother returned home, she would talk nonstop about Aunt Ke's details, such as how Su Licheng opened a bottle of rare and exclusive Maotai on the dinner table, or meeting a well-known female entrepreneur in Chengdu who had ties with the Guo family. Even casual remarks contained hints of their substantial wealth.

With all this plus the recent incident involving Xu Changcheng's home shocking half the province, it seemed unlikely that anyone like Deng Songqi would casually pat Guo Zhen on the back now. Yet her boyfriend was completely oblivious to these matters.

Guo Zhen felt very fond of Deng Songqi and said with a smile, "If you're trying to relieve your anxiety by doing this, then forget it."

Deng Songqi’s courage deflated again as he smiled sadly. They entered the hot pot restaurant afterwards; Cen Yuan, still chatting with Zeng Quanming and Zeng Zhao Ding at their table, said, "Brother Deng is quite nice; when I went to find him at the University of Electronic Science and Technology last time, he even took me out to eat with his friends… Guo Zhen's always very busy. Even after Spring Festival, my dad wouldn’t let me stay longer.

"You should stay longer and improve yourself. With your current grades, you have no face to go out and play anywhere. You won't even make it to the key high schools such as Chengdu Shishi High School, No. 27 Middle School, or Shude in July when the entrance exam comes around," said Zeng Zhaoding, getting annoyed at seeing Zeng Yuan who was a third-year junior middle school student with poor end-of-term grades this year. "I’ve already had dinner with Vice Principal Shen from Jiaotong University Affiliated High School and told him about your situation. He mentioned that as long as you don’t fall too far behind, he will still take your father’s face into consideration and give you a chance. However, if you are off by one or two hundred points… there's nothing anyone can do for you. Even if your aunt and uncle intercede on your behalf, they won't be able to get you in. Why Because you're too weak. I don’t have the face to even mention it... You want to hang around with your brother for a little longer Your brother went straight into No. 27 High School when he was in your position. Look at yourself, do you think you can match that"

Su Can came in and saw them talking; his heart felt a sense of familiarity. Zeng Zhaoding's reprimanding tone and the look on Zeng Yuan’s face as he wanted to argue but held back seemed like a replay from the past, like yesterday was repeating itself.

Thinking about the time since his rebirth, it had been rushing by unceasingly. Fortunately, Su Can felt grateful that he hadn’t wasted any of this precious time in the stream of history.

Zeng Yuan seemed to see a savior in Su Can when he saw him come in and said, "Big brother, you’re always busy with your company and doing well at Nan University. If you earn enough money, I won’t have to work after graduation. Would it be okay for me to just live off my inheritance"

Zeng Zhaoding, his uncle, gave him a look that said “You're not going anywhere,” but he didn’t really mean anything by it. In his mind, this brother of Zeng Yuan's might become the most reliable person in the future for Zeng Yuan to rely on. For someone like Zeng Zhaoding who had spent all his life climbing up through social relationships, if Zeng Yuan relied on Su Can’s support in the future, he wouldn’t have any qualms about it. It was a natural thing.

Because of Zeng Yuan's comments, the atmosphere became less tense.

Deng Songqi sat down more naturally; Yin Shufen, who stood on Zeng Na’s side, greeted him warmly and called him "Little Deng." Zeng Quaming didn’t have a stern expression but was still rather expressionless. The two of them looked like star-crossed lovers.

Yin Shufen asked, "Is your family in Chengdu Are your parents okay"

Deng Songqi nodded and replied, “My hometown is Xia Hai, before university my parents moved here. My father used to be a soldier and has retired now. My mother also retired and takes care of him at home…”

From this it could be seen that his family was quite ordinary. Yin Shufen didn’t want Zeng Quaming’s expression to turn sour, so she continued, "Little Deng, according to what Zeng Na said, you're one grade ahead of her and have graduated. Have you found a job Is it in the high-tech area"

Deng Songqi nodded immediately and replied, “Yes, I work at Tongxing Technology Company there doing some planning…"

He knew that Yin Shufen was helping him; Zeng Quaming paid most attention to people's employment issues. If Deng Songqi hadn’t found a job in Chengdu’s current difficult employment situation, it would have caused even more problems for Zeng Quaming.

No one expected Zeng Quaming suddenly to say, "The incubation base planned in the high-tech area is just filled with companies with capital of tens or hundreds of thousands. What kind of long-term prospects can there be" In his worldview, if you weren’t working for a well-known enterprise or organization, it didn't count as a job. A job had to have longevity and stability; only large enterprises, foreign-funded firms, or state-owned companies possessed these qualities. They were the entirety of someone’s aspirations in the second half of their life.

The atmosphere turned a bit chilly. Ceng Quanming was the planning處處長 who hung the Western Development banner at Rongcheng's Development and Reform Commission, and he loved to save face more than anything else. When Su Chen changed the destinies of those around him and was promoted to head this department, his attitude became even more self-important. Within the commission, some old-timers also competed with each other, but what they compared weren't vacations or assets; it was their children's future prospects.

One would boast about their son studying at a prestigious foreign university, another about getting a daughter married off to someone from an influential family, and yet another might talk about driving a BMW. The people in Ceng Quanming’s department watched closely how Zeng Na would end up, so when she ended up marrying the mediocre Song Qi, it was a letdown for him. Although he wouldn't suffer any disgrace or loss of face from this, if others kept comparing and contrasting his situation with theirs, it would get to him.

Su Chen finally smiled and said, "There's no problem with that. In fact, nothing lasts forever. There are too many things we can’t predict in life. Take some of my former classmates, for example: they were very wealthy when young but now they’re ordinary people. Back in Xia Hai where I used to live, there were many influential figures back then who ended up either impoverished or under investigation. The only thing they wish for now is to be able to take their children out shopping like normal folk, but they can’t because of the surveillance on them. Those people from the past whom everyone envied—those with a hundred-thousand-yuan household and iron rice bowls—what would they look like in ten or twenty years Everything changes; it’s all ephemeral. Just because someone has nothing now doesn’t mean that person won’t have wealth in the future. And just because someone hasn’t achieved anything outstanding yet, doesn’t mean that they won't do so later. Nothing is eternal—neither wealth, nor reputation, nor status, nor love... The only thing that’s eternal is persistent struggle."

The whole table was silent after Su Chen said this. Zeng Na and Song Qi both gave him grateful looks; it looked like she had almost been reduced to tears by her father's earlier comments, while Song Qi stared at Su Chen as if he were the kindred spirit he’d been searching for.

Everyone here knew that Su Chen was qualified to say these things.

Ceng Quanming was taken aback. It was like being awakened by Su Chen many times before; his eyes narrowed involuntarily as he recalled how, a few years ago, he had treated penniless Su Chen the way he now treated Song Qi. Back then, Su Chen’s grades were terrible and Su Licheng’s family had little money—Su Licheng was unemployed while Su Chen's father was just an ordinary engineer. It was like when Su Licheng was in that situation; even Su Chen didn’t dare discuss the future with families like Zeng Na’s who had everything going their way.

But in a few short years, everything changed.

Su Chen's words were like a spear that pierced through the family dispute and resolved it. As he thought about Song Qi and his contributions to FaceBook, Su Chen wondered if people would be shocked to learn that this man had played such an early role in building FaceBook’s framework.

Su Chen was considering whether to get Song Qi interviewed by Qiao Shuxin in Shanghai, so that he could benefit from the fast-growing FaceBook and its employee share distribution policy.

As he thought about this, Su Chen noticed that Ceng Quanming and Yin Shufen's expressions suddenly turned dark.

Su Chen saw Zeng Na’s body trembling slightly. Turning around, he saw a group of people enter the ancient restaurant from another side; at their head were a man and a woman. The man was tall with an upright appearance, but his small eyes gave him a calculating look. The woman held onto her partner's arm; she had good looks, but her expression when talking to the manager was haughty and full of vanity.

Song Qi clearly noticed something and whispered to Zeng Na, "Zhang Jing"

Zeng Na nodded with a pale face towards Zhang Jing, who had also spotted them.o him, he couldn't picture what these cars looked like or their designs. To say that he loves cars would be a stretch, because in his later life, he was just struggling to survive and never managed to...