Chapter 872 - 260: If You Can’t Beat Them, Join Them
Zhao Shanhe glanced at the address link from Lin Xianyu on Chen Yan’s phone and laughed, "I’m familiar with this place. It’s a famous spot in Hengdian, the food is quite good. Many celebrities have been there."
Saying this, he took Chen Yan to the parking lot, got into his second-hand Buick sedan, and familiarized himself with the route with ease, holding the steering wheel with one hand while skillfully lighting a cigarette with the other.
"Bro, it has to be you. When you called, that girl had just gone to shower, and I hadn’t had the chance to do anything! Honestly, it had to be you. I stopped at the edge of the cliff, put on my clothes, and came out to have dinner with you!
This kind of friendship between us, it’s like the strongest of the strong!"
Chen Yan glanced at Zhao Shanhe, "Today, you were advising me not to get involved with entertainment industry actresses and to treat Lu Sisi well. Look at yourself now..."
"Our situations are different." Zhao Shanhe shook his head, suddenly turning to look at Chen Yan, his tone serious as he put away his playful attitude, "Bro, you don’t know how lucky you are. A good girl like Lu Sisi is almost extinct in today’s world.
When you meet one, you have to cherish her.
As for me, I met the wrong people before. After coming back for a few months, I’ve come to terms with it. In this era, normal people are rare, and the chances of meeting a normal one are slim."
He chuckled coldly, "I even talked with my parents. In their time, once you were in a relationship, you kept a certain distance from other people of the opposite sex. It’s basic knowledge. You didn’t even have to say it out loud; it’s just basic knowledge, you get it?
And now? Oh boy, everyone goes on about their personal space, accusing the other of being too controlling, always talking about their freedom, claiming you’re pressuring them, suffocating them. Accusing others of being control freaks, saying I’m your partner, not your slave...
They talk about freedom, but deep down, they’re thinking about having cake and eating it too."
Zhao Shanhe’s tone gradually became sarcastic, "You know? That girl I arranged for a hotel stay just now, she still has a boyfriend in Jinling Prefecture. In front of me, she even texted her boyfriend, lying that she’s traveling with a girlfriend.
I curiously asked her if treating her boyfriend like that wasn’t wrong?
You know what she said?"
"What did she say?"
"She said her boyfriend’s family conditions are average, unable to satisfy the marital life conditions she wants in the future. She’s just with him to share the cost of living in a big city like Jinling Prefecture, nothing more."
Chen Yan laughed a little.
But Zhao Shanhe shook his head, "Whoever marries a girl like that in the future is truly cursed through generations."
"Such people are indeed pretty awful." Chen Yan sighed, but seriously asked, "Xiaozhao, you know such behavior is awful, but now... aren’t you..."
Zhao Shanhe’s face stiffened, but his eyes revealed a trace of complex emotion.
After a moment of silence, Zhao Shanhe took a deep drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled it all out.
"Bro, there are just too many rotten people in this world.
For me, it’s... if you can’t beat them, join them."
This was a rather deep topic, and as they reached this point, both couldn’t help but fall into silence.
Chen Yan knew, these were words coming from the leftover soul of the pure-hearted warrior in Zhao Shanhe’s heart, the part still stirring trouble after his demise.
If more time passes, and he becomes completely numb, he probably wouldn’t even say such heartfelt words.
If you can’t beat them, join them.
Zhao Shanhe’s words carried a tone of helplessness and sadness.
·
They arrived at the restaurant around dusk, and even from the outside, the restaurant appeared nearly full.
Outside, there were umbrellas and some scattered tables and chairs.
It’s autumn, and Hengdian is in the south where the weather is just right—not too hot, not too cold. Many diners preferred eating at the outdoor tables.
Zhao Shanhe found a parking spot, and together with Chen Yan, they approached the restaurant entrance to find Lin Xianyu’s little assistant already waiting there. Upon seeing them, she quickly walked over.
"Teacher Chen, Teacher Zhao! Hello to both of you! Well, Sister Xianyu is an artist, so it’s not convenient for her to come out to greet you personally, so she sent me here to wait."
Seeing the assistant’s forehead covered in sweat, knowing she must have been standing there for a while, Chen Yan nodded sincerely, "Thank you, I appreciate it."
The little assistant bowed, "Oh, you’re welcome, it’s my job. I’ll make sure to toast to you both once we’re inside."
Noticing the young face yet seasoned with the worldly look of the entertainment industry, Chen Yan nodded and, along with Zhao Shanhe, followed her inside to a private room on the second floor.
On the way, the assistant kept exchanging polite pleasantries, "The cooking here is really good. The owner is great with Hunan cuisine! But he sent his son to Guangdong for three years to learn culinary skills and now he makes the most authentic Cantonese roasted suckling pig! Everyone who’s tried it says it’s amazing.
You even have to make a reservation, and Sister Xianyu specifically leveraged her connections to secure a private room and ordered one specially made by the owner’s son, just to host valued guests like yourselves."
Chen Yan laughed to himself, recognizing the skillful words.
These words subtly implied that the host went through significant effort and courtesy to arrange this meeting, letting him feel the sincerity behind it.