I'm back in 1990

Chapter 664: A Deeper Perspective on Issues

As they drank, the conversation turned to Chen Zhe and Zhang Gaolei.

Wu Duo dipped a paper-thin slice of mutton into the copper hot pot and casually asked, "When you were with Chen Zhe at the last school anniversary celebration, didn't Xiao Chuan say that the Hong Kong Economic Research Institute had reserved a spot for him? We haven't heard from him since?"

Ding Yi fanned away the steam in front of him with his left hand, picked up a piece of cooked mutton from the hot pot and put it into his dipping sauce bowl. Ignoring the fact that the mutton was scalding hot, he stuffed it into his mouth along with the sauce, swallowing it with a "hiss, hiss, hiss" sound before answering Wu Duo's question: "No, Chen Zhe is seriously henpecked now. Chen Qiao didn't seem like this before, did she? How come she suddenly has this 'turned-up-the-serfs-and-sing-sing' vibe after getting married?"

Wu Duo put the mutton into the bowl, but instead of eating it, he put down his chopsticks: "When he was dating Chen Qiao, I was abroad with Lao Zhang, so I really don't know what Chen Qiao was like before."

Hearing Wu Duo's words, Ding Yi also put down his chopsticks and said thoughtfully, "Well, at first, Chen Qiao gave people the feeling of being a generous and cheerful girl. I don't know how she became like this. Only Chen Zhe himself knows the truth."

However, Chen Zhe went abroad because of Chen Qiao. Once, when Xiao Chuan, Chen Zhe, and I were having dinner, Chen Zhe told us about it. At that time, he didn't want to go abroad. Xiao Chuan and I were worried that his wife would leave him, so we even persuaded him to go abroad with Chen Qiao. Now that I think about it, Chen Qiao is quite shrewd; she must have had this idea for a long time.

Since Wu Duo wasn't present at the time, he didn't offer his opinion, but simply chuckled.

Then he called to Ding Yi, "Come on, stop talking and start drinking and eating!"

Wu Duo picked up his glass again. Ding Yi also picked up his glass, but said, "This wine is being drunk too fast. It's only been twenty minutes, and the whole bottle is gone. Slow down, slow down! At least let me eat some meat!"

Wu Duo laughed and said, "You call this fast? You'll know what fast really means when you go to Inner Mongolia. The meal is over before you even get a taste."

After taking a sip of his drink, Ding Yi asked curiously, "What does this mean?"

After drinking, Wu Duo said, "When you drink with Mongolians, they especially like to urge guests to drink. They'll even find a few girls to sing toasting songs and offer you drinks. And they use bowls! After a few bowls, you'll be completely disoriented, and you'll pass out before the hot dishes even arrive. It's over before you even get to eat any hot food!"

"Holy crap!" Ding Yi's small eyes widened in shock upon hearing Wu Duo's words.

Wu Duo grinned mischievously and said, "How about it? I'm on vacation these two days anyway, how about I go with you to Inner Mongolia? It's not too far from Beijing."

Ding waved his hand like a rattle-drum: "My flight is tomorrow afternoon, I don't have time to go through that ordeal with you, you go by yourself."

"Haha!" Wu Duo laughed triumphantly when he saw that he had frightened Ding Yi.

The conversation then naturally turned to Zhang Gaolei.

Wu Duo was very familiar with Zhang Gaolei's actions: "Old Zhang is really something else. He single-handedly built a modern wafer fab. I know how much hardship and suffering he endured. He came to Beijing over a hundred times. I even had to find someone to handle some things for him."

Ding nodded and said, "Yes! He traveled a lot to Beijing, and he also went all over the United States, Japan, and Europe. During that time, he was either on a business trip or on a business trip. After not seeing him for a while, he became very thin and dark."

While expressing his admiration, Wu Duo also affirmed the contributions of Ding Yi and Huang Xiaochuan: "Yes! You like urban novels? Come and discover more exciting stories! Old Zhang's actions can be said to be a great achievement, and you and Xiaochuan have also made significant contributions. I know that you two have supported Old Zhang a lot behind the scenes."

Ding Yi leaned back comfortably, looking smug, but said modestly, "Not at all, I only contributed a little money. Xiao Chuan's support was much stronger than mine. He not only invested money, but also opened a channel from the United States, giving Lao Zhang the opportunity to access more technology."

Mentioning Huang Xiaochuan, Wu Duo sighed again: "How did Xiaochuan's brain work? You could call him a business prodigy! His academic ability is also so strong. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him one of the top economists in our country. Our leaders have been keeping an eye on him. It's a pity that he's not interested in a career in politics, otherwise our leaders would have recruited him long ago."

Ding Yi's thoughts differed from Wu Duo's: "I don't care if he's a business prodigy or an economist. In my eyes, he's still the same big shot. He's loyal, thoughtful, responsible, and has a strong sense of social responsibility. It would be a real injustice if he didn't succeed."

Wu Duo agreed with Ding Yi's assessment: "Yes! Your summary is spot on. This guy is truly loyal and righteous. If it were anyone else, why would they have been willing to share their profits with us through stamp and stock speculation? Someone else would have been eager to keep their wealth to themselves. Xiao Chuan wasn't like that. To be honest, with so much money in front of me back then, I really got carried away. I was thinking, if I knew this way to make money, would I have sincerely shared it with you all and helped you make money together?"

Ding Yixiao asked, "And what was the result?"

Wu Duo refused to answer, feigning mystery, and said, "Guess?"

"Tch!" Ding Yi gave Wu Duo a disdainful look.

However, Wu Duo still said, "I'm thinking, I'm glad I wasn't arrogant back then, otherwise I don't know what I would be like now, just take that Hao guy."

Wu Duo couldn't recall the name at first, but Ding Yi gave him a hint: "You mean Hao Zhidu, right?"

Wu Duo hurriedly said, "Yes, yes, that's him! If he had just stayed with us back then, he might be a big shot by now."

"You! You're worrying about things that don't concern you. Hao Zhi's family owns a mine. He has a family business to inherit. I don't know if he's a big shot or not, but he's definitely a coal mine owner. Now that coal prices are rising, the news on TV is saying that coal mine owners are making a fortune." Ding Yi retorted to Wu Duo.

Wu Duo rolled his eyes at Ding Yi: "Is the coal boss so great? You count on your fingers, who in our 222 is not better than Hao Zhidu? As for Xiao Chuan, let's not even talk about him. Hao Zhidu is not comparable to Xiao Chuan at all. Compared to Lao Zhang? Compared to you? He's not even as good as Chen Zhe."

Ding Yi slapped his forehead: "Damn it, I forgot. You're at a different level now, and you see things from a deeper perspective."

Wu Duo rolled his eyes at Ding Yi again: "Aren't you an official? Does that mean you're on a lower level?"

Ding Yi laughed and said, "I can't compare to you. You are a close minister of the emperor, while I am just a lowly official."

Wu Duo pretended to be annoyed: "Get lost! What are you pretending to be, acting all high and mighty in front of me!"

Ding Yi quickly put his index finger to his lips: "Keep your voice down, aren't you afraid the walls will hear you?"

Wu Duo tensed up for a moment upon hearing this, but quickly relaxed: "It's fine here. This private room has good soundproofing, and we're just talking about things between classmates, it doesn't involve any state secrets, what's there to be afraid of!"

However, the two did not mention any sensitive issues after that. They just talked about old times from their university days, and the main topic was still Huang Xiaochuan.