Which way to go is the road?

After seeing Qian Luomei off, Xiang Fei turned to look at the customer reading on the sofa. He was so engrossed in his reading that he didn't even notice Xiang Fei was there.

This customer appears to be over 1.75 meters tall, with very short hair except for slightly longer bangs that peek out from her forehead. Her eyes, beneath her single eyelids, are very bright and convey a genuine warmth that makes you feel instantly at ease.

He was reasonably handsome and dressed well, but he exuded a sense of dejection and exhaustion. Suddenly, his stomach rumbled, and he touched his stomach and sighed, his gaze still fixed on the book.

Xiang Fei stepped forward and asked, "What kind of book is 'Morning Begins at Noon'? May I take a look?"

The other person handed the book to Xiang Fei, their expression slightly unnatural: "I saw some books here, so I picked them up and looked at them. I wanted to say hello to someone, but there was no one there!"

"It's alright, the book is here for people to read, no one will blame you! By the way, I hadn't noticed this book before, it's written by Lu Yao! I really like his 'Ordinary World,' I've read it several times!"

"If you like 'Ordinary World,' you should definitely read this book. It tells the story of Lu Yao's journey while writing the novel. It's a collection of creative essays and well worth reading! It's more powerful than the novel itself, containing insights about dreams, perseverance, writing, life, and many other aspects!" The other person spoke with great enthusiasm about the book, no longer showing the restraint and panic from before.

"Oh, I'll definitely have to take a look later, but for now it's yours, keep looking!" Xiang Fei heard the other person's stomach rumble again: "Didn't you eat?"

"I ate a lot at lunch, so I wasn't very hungry around dinner time and didn't eat anything! It's so late, and there's nowhere to eat. Oh well, I'll just have to bear with it; tomorrow's the next day!"

"It's fine to skip dinner on ordinary days; you can just go hungry for a night and consider it a diet. But today is New Year's Eve, and it's bad luck not to eat New Year's Eve dinner! Wait a minute, I'll go find you something to eat!"

Xiang Fei turned to leave, but was stopped by the other person: "No need, I feel like I'm begging for food, and I'm not used to it!"

"What's your name?"

"what?"

"What's your name? You don't have a name?"

"Yes, my name is Zhen Qiang!"

"My name is Xiang Fei. Now that we know each other, you're no longer a beggar. Consider it my treat to a meal with a friend. Now you have no more worries, right?"

Zhen Qiang smiled and shook his head, without saying anything more about refusing.

Xiang Fei came up to the attic and saw that the dining table was empty. He hurriedly asked Dong Lu where the remaining dumplings had gone.

"It's in the fridge, I just put it away. What, you're still not full?"

"It wasn't me. There's a guy downstairs I think we get along well. He hasn't eaten, and we can't let him go hungry during the New Year, right? I'll heat up some dumplings for him and bring them over!" Xiang Fei opened the refrigerator and took out a plate of dumplings.

"A guy? We just met?"

"Yes, I went downstairs to see Sister Luomei off. She was reading at the front desk. I was curious, so I went up and chatted with her for a bit. We hit it off quite well, so I guess you could call her a new friend!"

"Oh, let's heat it up in the microwave, it'll be faster!"

The dumplings were heated up in no time. Xiang Fei, carrying a bowl of vinegar and a plate of dumplings, was about to go downstairs. Before leaving, he instructed Dong Lu, "Close the door on the roof. I won't be coming back up. There's a folding chair on the second floor; I can take a nap there."

"Okay, call me if you need anything, I'll turn off the walkie-talkie!"

Xiang Fei nodded, said goodnight, and quickly went to the front desk on the first floor. Zhen Qiang was still reading a book. When he saw Xiang Fei carrying things down, he quickly got up and took the things from him.

"You should eat quickly, you can read later! I'm going to browse the internet!"

Actually, it didn't matter whether they looked around or not; there were video surveillance cameras in every angle of the lobby, so nothing serious would happen. However, the worst thing about eating was having someone staring at you the whole time. They had just met, so it was bound to make them uncomfortable. Therefore, Xiang Fei made an excuse to leave and let him finish his meal alone.

Not far away, Xiang Fei heard the sound of wolfing down food behind him. He didn't turn around, but simply let a smile slide across his face.

The plate of dumplings was quickly finished, and Xiang Fei happened to walk back, put away the empty plate and vinegar bowl, and put them in the bar counter cabinet.

"I just took a bottle of water from the freezer myself, and I choked! I'll pay you back in a bit!"

Xiang Fei couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Don't worry, it's my fault, I forgot to pour you some water!"

"How could I blame you? I didn't go hungry on New Year's Eve thanks to you, my friend! I never thought I, Zhen Qiang, would ever be eating at someone else's expense!"

"So, from what you're saying, your friends used to mooch meals from you? What happened to all your friends? Why aren't they celebrating the New Year with you today?" Xiang Fei asked Zhen Qiang to sit down, and then sat down next to him.

"Friends? All gone! Not a single one left!" Zhen Qiang said, a hint of hatred in his voice.

Xiang Fei frowned, realizing that the sentence contained many stories, and must be full of sorrow and emotion. He couldn't help but want to see the whole story and satisfy his curiosity.

"If you don't mind, tell me about it. I'm a good listener! Of course, you don't have to tell me. You don't have to force yourself over a plate of dumplings."

"It's a complete failure! What's there to hide? I started a technology innovation company. You might not have a good idea of ​​what that means, but let me put it this way: I want to build a network! Not just the current Internet, but a network that will encompass family life, transportation, culture and entertainment, and mobile communication, all interconnected and convenient!" Zhen Qiang said, still full of energy when talking about his past dream.

Xiang Fei listened as if he were in a fog. He tried hard to think about it and also felt that the goal was a bit too big. With the current technology, he couldn't even find any possibility of achieving it. However, he couldn't help but admire the grandeur and foresight of the idea.

"Is this your long-term vision? I don't quite understand. Your company must have some specific business operations, like developing something or having some kind of product?"

"We started with audio equipment, including headphones for listening to music!"

"Does it make money?"

"It's pretty good. Everyone in the company is very united, and the R&D staff is excellent. We made a lot of money at the beginning, and even many of our competitors started to get jealous of us!"

"Yes, I think there will be competition in everything we do. Strong competitors are the driving force for us to keep moving forward. Your company is developing very quickly!"

"It wasn't just fast, it was too fast. The initial smooth sailing made our leadership a bit complacent. At the time, it seemed like everyone was our friend, and all the media were praising us as technological pioneers. Everything was going perfectly!"

At this point, Zhen Qiang closed his eyes, as if he could still hear the overwhelming cheers, followed by the precipitous collapse that caused him immense pain.

"We embarked on a 'Great Leap Forward' in company development, expanding our business endlessly, as if the realization of our long-term plan was just around the corner—but it was all a mirage! Before long, our cash flow dried up; the operation had become too big to handle! So I've ended up hiding in this little internet cafe of yours! My friends have become my creditors, and I can't face my family! I'll hide here; 'Shuiyunjian' is a nice name, that's why I came here!"

"Is there really no other way? Such a big company can't just collapse like that!"

"It won't collapse. A friend is helping me cover for this mess, but if I want to turn the tide, I must find the right breakthrough point in this predicament!"

"Did you find it?"

"I've found it, or at least I think I have. As long as that project can bring in funding, all the problems will be solved. But I lack everyone's support! Even the smallest bit of support is crucial to me, even if it's just emotional support!"

"I support you, really! If you're just doing this for money, you can stop at a certain stage, focus on counting your money, and enjoy life! There's no need to expand your business so much. People who strive for their ideals deserve my support and respect. But you should focus on making money; without money, all ideals are just castles in the air!"

"Yes, I used to not value money, thinking it was just a byproduct of my career development and the realization of my ideals. While that's not wrong, we can't ignore the shackles that money places on our ideals! Thank you for your support, little friend!"

"It's getting late, you should rest. There are two folding lounge chairs upstairs, you can go and relax there!"

"I've already eaten your dumplings, so I won't bother you anymore!"

"What are you talking about? You're short on cash right now, and I don't have any money to give you. A meal of dumplings or a place to rest is nothing! Don't be so polite!"

"Alright! Then I won't refuse. A lot has happened today, and I'm indeed a bit tired!"

Xiang Fei locked the front door, led Zhen Qiang upstairs, unfolded a folding chair, and each of them had one. They covered themselves with a blanket and fell asleep at the same time!

The next day, Xiang Fei got up and found that Zhen Qiang was gone. The recliner and blanket were neatly placed in their original places, giving him a strange feeling—did Zhen Qiang really exist?

I went downstairs and opened the bar cabinet. The plates and vinegar bowls were exactly the same as yesterday. It wasn't a dream, but the person was nowhere to be found. It was a dream, but it felt so real!

Hopefully, Zhen Qiang can overcome this difficult time soon!