Electronic Nezha

Chapter 195 Meaning

The reckless man fell into the pool backwards, splashing water everywhere. He staggered to his feet, wiping the water off his face with a bewildered expression, and said, "Old Liu, it's me."

I remained bewildered, while Ma Chaoran had already reached into her bag to pull out a gun!
At this moment, Liu Zhenhua said, "Uncle Zhao."

I grabbed Ma Chaoran—since Liu Zhenhua shouted that, it meant he knew this man.

The man crawled out, soaked to the bone, and strode towards me, saying, "I! I'm Zhao Hanyu's father."

Now I remember, isn't Zhao Hanyu Zhang Jingxuan's lackey, the nouveau riche's son who always brings him cigarettes...?

So the man in front of you must be that nouveau riche.

The last time we met was in Wang Aili's office. He brought two people and two packs of cigarettes to confront me. Last time he was wearing a mink coat, making a strong visual impression. Today he was wearing a bathrobe, erasing all those external symbols. If he were still dressed like that, I definitely would have recognized him immediately. So sometimes stereotypes aren't a bad thing. Forget about stereotypes; they just leave a deep impression.

The misunderstanding was cleared up, and I pulled him out of the pool with an awkward smile.

"Oh, it's you. Look at the mess you've made."

He gave an awkward laugh, glancing nervously at Ma Chaoran.

"You brought your child here to play too?" I asked him, looking around but not seeing Zhao Hanyu.

Zhao Hanyu's father said, "This place is mine. I recognized you as soon as you walked in, and I even asked someone to look after you."

Some things have come to light. It was him I bumped into when I came in, but he recognized me while I didn't recognize him. No wonder he wouldn't take my money at the supermarket. It was all at Mr. Zhao's behest.

Mr. Zhao grabbed my hand and said warmly, "Have you soaked enough? If you've had enough, let's go eat."

I hesitated for a moment and then said, "No need to trouble yourself."

"What's the trouble! Are you still holding a grudge against me because of what happened last time? I'm just a fool, don't take it to heart."

Now that things have come to this, I don't know how to respond. Our first meeting was quite unpleasant, and although the misunderstanding was cleared up later, we can't really be considered friends. To be honest, if he wanted to buy fruit from my stall, I would at most give him the cost price; it wouldn't have come to the point where he would take two boxes with him.

Seeing that I didn't express my opinion, General Manager Zhao said, "I've already taught that little brat of mine a lesson. If you're still not satisfied, I'll call him over and you can slap him a couple of times."

I quickly said, "Look at what you're saying."

"Is it time to eat?"

"Then I won't be polite to you."

Mr. Zhao threw the wet bathrobe on the ground, picked up a dry one from the bench and changed into it. He first patted Liu Zhenhua on the shoulder in a flattering manner and said, "You have a good memory, being the top student in the grade. You still remember your Uncle Zhao, huh?"

Liu Zhenhua could only try to make conversation by asking, "Where's Zhao Hanyu?"

"I'm having him rush back and forth right now." Mr. Zhao glanced at Ma Chaoran and asked me cautiously, "Who is this girl?"

"My girlfriend..." Only Chen Zihan knew about Liu Zhenhua's situation. Divorce is not something to be proud of, so there was no need to announce it to the whole class.

Mr. Zhao's gaze towards me suddenly became one of awe and complexity.

"I'm divorced from his mother, this is..."

Mr. Zhao suddenly realized, "I understand now. With the old, the young, and the newcomers all together, you've managed to bring this whole group out to play. You're quite capable!" That's the shrewdness and business acumen of a businessman—quickly figuring out the relationships and effortlessly flattering you. Mr. Zhao then asked Ma Chaoran, "Have you ever practiced wrestling, young lady?"

Ma Chaoran didn't explain, and just laughed and said, "Sorry for offending you."

As Mr. Zhao led us toward the hotel, he kept looking around. "I was worried you'd wander off and be hard to find, so I sent two of my brothers with you. But I don't know where those two have gone."

I looked at Ma Chaoran, and Ma Chaoran shrugged at me.

Halfway there, I called out to my parents. Since everyone was dressed in minimalist style, it wasn't appropriate to introduce them in detail. I just told the two of them that these were my friends and that we were going to have dinner together.

Back at the hotel, everyone went to their rooms to change clothes. We agreed to meet in a private room on the second floor. Mr. Zhao specially sent a waiter to stand at our door and wait to lead the way, showing an unusual enthusiasm amidst the formality.

When Ma Chaoran and I arrived, General Manager Zhao and Liu Zhenhua had just arrived as well. General Manager Zhao brought three people with him, carrying wine, and kept telling the waiters to bring this and that.

When my dad saw this scene, he knew he couldn't let my dad treat him to this meal. Out of consideration for his family, he said, "If you ask me, let's go to the city to eat. This place is too expensive."

The three people that General Manager Zhao brought looked at each other in surprise. The one next to him laughed and said, "So General Manager Zhao's identity was kept a secret all along."

Mr. Zhao stood up and said, "It's my fault, old man. This place is mine. Let's eat as much as we want. I can sign the bill."

Everyone laughed, and my dad looked a little embarrassed.

Then my mom delivered the decisive blow: "I've heard people say that the hot springs here are heated by boilers, is that true?"

My dad pulled her hard.

Mr. Zhao laughed and said, "My dear aunt, the hot springs came first, then the hotel. So just relax and soak in it. This stuff has many benefits. Just be careful not to lack oxygen."

Just then, two more people came in through the door, both rubbing the back of their necks and looking suspicious.

Mr. Zhao said, "I was just looking for you two. I told you to greet the guests, where did you two go?"

One of them said, "Mr. Zhao, we both just passed out."

Mr. Zhao's eyes widened as he said, "Are you kidding me?"

Another person, looking worried, said, "It's true. We woke up in a cave, and we don't know how we got in. I suspect we were short of oxygen."

Ma Chaoran and I exchanged a glance, feeling both amused and sorry for the two of them. Needless to say, they had been knocked unconscious by the shark and the koi, since they had openly followed us all the way.

My dad asked Mr. Zhao with a puzzled look, "When did you and Xiaofeng become friends? I've never seen you before?"

Mr. Zhao chuckled and said, "Uncle, your son and I became friends after a fight. My name is Zhao Jun, and my son's name is Zhao Hanyu. He and Liu Zhenhua are classmates—" As he spoke, he recounted how we first met. Finally, he pointed to Liu Zhenhua and said to his friends, "This kid is a tough guy. He went from being ranked around 400th or 500th in the grade to being ranked first, just to make his dad proud!"

Sure enough, the way those people looked at Liu Zhenhua immediately changed. Of course, there were also one or two hesitant glances at me. I spread my hands and said, "Don't look at me, I didn't steal the paper." Everyone laughed again.

Now I understand a little better why Zhao Jun was so enthusiastic towards our family. The root of it all comes down to Liu Zhenhua's "first place in the grade." That's the power of a legend. As for the 400th or 500th in the grade, I guess Zhao Hanyu said that on purpose to make the story more interesting, or maybe the kid had never actually paid attention to Liu Zhenhua's actual ranking before.

Zhao Jun picked up the wine bottle and started pouring wine for my dad first.

My dad half-heartedly said, "I've been abstaining for several months!" He seemed a little weak-willed, probably wanting to take this opportunity to have a drink.

Zhao Jun snatched the decanter from him and kept pouring, saying nonchalantly, "I'm happy today, Uncle, please make an exception. Even my dad, who had a brain hemorrhage, still drank without hesitation."

My dad asked, "How's your dad's health?"

"It's been more than ten years since I left."

Upon hearing this, my dad stood up, snatched the wine dispenser back, and said firmly, "I'll just give you a little bit."

(End of this chapter)