Chapter 531: He was a general at the time

“You guys make the choice?” Tongtong replied, “Have you ever asked us?”

Xu Tingsheng had not asked Xiang Ning in his previous life. Nor had Fang Yuqing asked Yuqing in this one.

Regarding Xu Tingsheng giving up on his relationship due to love in his previous life, Fu Cheng had said such a thing afterwards: What you think is a man’s noble act might really only be you being overly chauvinistic instead.

Because Xu Tingsheng was there, Tongtong had a bit more to drink despite the fact that she was still working.

“Though I’m not well educated, I did still read stories in magazines when bored in the past,” Tongtong said, “I remember something I read before. Can I tell it to you now?”

Xu Tingsheng said, “Sure.”

Tongtong said, “Alright. About what dynasty and country it was, well, I actually forgot. Anyway, there was once a handsome, valiant general who achieved countless merits and always returned victorious, triumphantly traversing the streets on his horse. He was admired by countless women in the capital.”

“One of these women was a girl in charge of chores in his courtyard, who could not be any more ordinary. While the general seldom visited the courtyard and she was only able to see him once or twice a year, much less speak to him, she still liked him so, always...”

“Afterwards, the general finally suffered a crushing defeat in war. Almost his entire army was wiped out. When he himself returned, one of his legs was crippled, one of his eyes blinded...”

“Those who once admired him all began mocking him, scolding him, looking down on him. They said that he should have died there, should not have returned. Yet, that girl said to herself: What can be more important than him returning?”

The Emperor had originally wanted to execute the general. Still, on account of his past merits, in the end, he just confiscated his assets and exiled him.

Down and out, a ragged bag on his back, he limped off on the path to exile. The girl was there, waiting for him by the roadside. After, she accompanied him on the journey of a few thousand kilometres, serving him to the end of his days no matter the hardship.

Before his death, the general asked her: Why is it that you were still willing to do this despite how I became?

The girl said: What? If you never became like this, it wouldn’t matter what I wanted. How would I even have had the chance to accompany you like this?”

And so the story ended. Tongtong might have memorised it when she read it as she used a whole bunch of idioms. While a bit unnatural and smooth in recounting it, she was earnest, leaving nothing out.

“There are basically many sorts of love women have for men in this world. One sort is where she likes him to the point that she wishes he is not so successful and outstanding, not so high and unreachable. That way, there will not be so many people fighting over him...that way, you’ll be able to see that I’m there, and you can possibly be mine.”

Tongtong said this fuelled by the courage of wine, daringly gazing straight at Xu Tingsheng as she did so.

Yet, Xu Tingsheng did not notice this. It was another girl who was currently on his mind. That girl had once said to him:

“Senior, if there’s a day when no one else wants you, I will.”

“But, how is that possible, right? I have this unfair thought...if only you were very useless. Hehe.”

This girl was called Wu Yuewei. Regarding how she had said that she would love a him who was not so outstanding, even she herself did not know that she had truly done so...loved a down and out Xu Tingsheng. For many, many years, too.

As Xu Tingsheng said nothing, Tongtong’s courage quickly dispersed as she said bashfully, “I, it’s really Boss Fang I’m talking about. Isn’t that right? Something’s happened. And then...”

“How did you guess?” Xu Tingsheng enquired somewhat puzzledly.

“I saw what happened just now. I think that you put on a show. Also, with what you just said, I can basically guess,” Tongtong said.

“You’re right. But don’t tell anybody else about it.”

“Okay. Still, I think that you shouldn’t do this. I met Yuqing once. Fang Chen was there too. They were drinking and talking, and I could hear it. That Yuqing said that she actually wishes so much that Boss Fang doesn’t have some great family background and far-reaching prospects, that he was just an ordinary university student...she would be able to rest assured in following him then. So, you guys should at least ask her first.”

Xu Tingsheng nodded, then shook his head.

Seeing him like this, Tongtong did not continue speaking her opinion as she instead asked, “You haven’t told me yet. What do you think about that story?”

Xu Tingsheng smiled, “When she fell in love with him, he was a mighty general. Say, if the him she met at the start was the down and out him, would she still have fallen in love with him?”

“...Tongtong had evidently never considered this matter as she could not immediately answer.

As Xu Tingsheng’s phone vibrated, he picked it up and checked it.

Huang Yaming asked, “When didn’t you tell me that you came? And what is Yuqing doing alone in a room now?”

As the boss of the bar, Huang Yaming naturally had his ways of knowing who had come to the bar and what they had done. Xu Tingsheng and Fang Yuqing had also had no intention of keeping this from him. Otherwise, they would not have decided to come to execute this operation at Bright Brilliance.

Xu Tingsheng replied, “Something’s cropped up with his family.”

Huang Yaming replied, “The Fang family...is facing a crisis?! That’s no minor matter. Tell me in detail.”

After typing a little, Xu Tingsheng felt that texting was too troublesome and difficult to explain with. He got up and bid Tongtong goodbye before heading straight to Huang Yaming’s office.

The door was not locked. He did not knock either, going straight in.

Huang Yaming was sitting on the swivel chair behind the large office table. Looking up and seeing that it was Xu Tingsheng who had entered, he looked slightly bashful for a moment before he smiled, “I thought you were going to tell me via text. Hold on, hold on a moment first.”

“What? Is something the matter?” Xu Tingsheng looked around and enquired rather blankly as he saw that there was no one else in the office.

“Nah, not really...”

Huang Yaming extended a hand and patted the underside of the table.

Soon, a woman in a professional suit scrambled out from beneath the table. Looking first at Huang Yaming and then at Xu Tingsheng, she frantically wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before adjusting her hair, looking out of rather sorts.

“It’s okay. You can go out first,” Huang Yaming said calmly.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The woman nodded and went out.

Huang Yaming glanced at Xu Tingsheng, looking rather awkward but still smiling shamelessly, “The new female secretary I just hired. Pretty useful.”

Having experienced a Tan Qingling and missed out on a Chen Jingqi, Huang Yaming might really no longer have so much heart left to love or to hate. This...might actually not be wrong.

Xu Tingsheng would never denounce someone on grounds of morality, forcing them to be devoted and gentlemanly. If Cao Cao could love young married women and Liu Yong could frequent brothels, Huang Yaming naturally had his freedom as well.

Not everybody needed to uphold the sanctity of love. Not everybody had it in the first place.

“Bastard...put on your pants first,” Xu Tingsheng laughed and scolded.

“I have been wearing them,” Huang Yaming muttered, “See how I didn’t even lock the door. Once, two supervisors suddenly came in front of me and started arguing. She didn’t have time to leave. So, she was stuck squatting under the table for more than an hour...”

Seeing how Xu Tingsheng did not seem interested in listening to this at all, Huang Yaming commented arrogantly, “Those who walk not the same paths cannot mingle.”

After a while, he said, “This is just how it’ll be for me. Actually, it’s pretty good too. I don’t have to be like all those little youths, complaining resentfully about how love is becoming less and less. I don’t want that. I only want to be able to tell people one day: The exact reason my women love me is my money and my power...that doesn’t make me disconsolate. On the contrary, it gives me relish, makes me feel domineering.”

“Well. May you always be a mighty general,” Xu Tingsheng said.

“What mighty general?”

“...It’s nothing.”