From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

The message had just been sent when Su Qing leaned closer.

After seeing my chat history with Su Wan, he laughed and said, "It's a good thing she's not coming, otherwise I wouldn't be able to relax at dinner tonight."

I put my phone away, looked down, and gave a bitter laugh: "You still hold such a deep-seated prejudice against her?"

Su Qing corrected me earnestly, "It's not prejudice. It's just that she's my sister, and I always feel constrained in front of her."

"I never imagined there would be someone in this world that you, Su Qing, would be unable to let go of," I joked.

Su Qing stuck out her tongue, as if a little secret had been exposed: "It's not that I'm afraid, it's just that I'm not used to joining in the fun with her."

"Okay. But to be honest, your sister has actually changed a lot."

This time, Su Qing didn't refute, but instead nodded slightly, her tone tinged with emotion:

"I noticed it too. Just yesterday at home, she actually stood up for us, and I was stunned."

"So, don't always look at her with prejudice."

Su Qing glared at me: "I already said it wasn't prejudice!"

"Okay, okay, I'm just not used to it."

Su Qing stopped dwelling on the topic, her gaze falling on the bulging money pouch on the coffee table, and then she asked:

"What are your plans for this money?"

I shrugged slightly: "What else can we do? Let's just consider it as seed money for starting our own company."

Su Qing's eyes lit up, and she started counting on her fingers:

"With the 1.5 million yuan commission from Wang Yi's previous collaboration, plus this 1 million yuan, we suddenly have 2.5 million yuan in start-up capital!"

Seeing her overjoyed expression, I couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Look at you, so easily discouraged. In the past, this amount of money would only be enough for a car for you."

Su Qing gave a soft hum and said seriously, "Before, we relied on our families, but now we belong to both of us. We can't confuse the two."

After tidying up, the sky outside the window had completely darkened.

As the city lights gradually illuminated the night, the evening breeze from the riverbank drifted through the courtyard fence, dispelling the pent-up emotions that had been weighing on my heart for days.

It seems that all the scheming from the past few days, the pressure from Fang Heng, and the rumors circulating online have all been put to rest at this moment.

It's time to turn the page, not just on these current messes, but on my entire muddy past.

From dropping out of school to work, struggling at the bottom of society, enduring cold looks and hardship, to venturing alone into no-man's land and narrowly escaping death.

This journey through life and death seems to be a farewell to the humble and passive self of the past.

Now I have Su Qing by my side, a vibrant and passionate girl whom I dare to entrust with my whole trust.

The road ahead has begun, and my career is about to take off.

I am very confident that this time, I have the ability to take control of my own life.

All the unbearable things come to an end here.

Su Qing and I changed into loose and comfortable casual clothes, locked the iron gate of the courtyard, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for that old hot pot restaurant.

This old shop is a place I used to frequent when I was a delivery driver in my early days.

The shop is small and the decor is simple and old-fashioned, but it has a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Restaurants that delivery drivers choose are bound to be good.

The car stopped, and we went up to the second floor. Before we even opened the door to the private room, we heard a lot of noisy talking coming from inside.

His voice was so loud that it could be heard clearly even through the door; without a doubt, it was Luo Peng.

I pushed open the door to the private room, and a rich, hot aroma of butter wafted out.

As soon as Luo Peng saw Su Qing and me enter, he jumped up from his chair and shouted in a loud voice:

"Holy crap! Brother Ye! Sister Qing! You've finally arrived! I've been waiting so long!"

Luo Peng had clearly dressed up today; he was wearing a washed denim jacket and his hair was styled.

He has lost some of his former roughness and gained a more dashing appearance.

To be honest, Luo Peng was already quite good-looking, and with a little grooming, he was indeed presentable.

Chen Yunqing sat next to Luo Peng. It was unclear whether Luo Peng deliberately moved closer or if they just happened to sit together.

Based on my understanding of Luo Peng, he is most likely the former.

Seeing us come in, she slightly raised the corners of her mouth and greeted us gently:

"Lin Ye, Su Qing, it's been a long time."

I smiled, nodded, pulled out a chair, and said, "It has indeed been a long time since we got together. I've been thinking about coming back so we can all sit down together. I've been tied up with all sorts of random things these past few days, and I only managed to find some free time today."

Wang Ge and A Qiu had already taken their seats. The table was filled with all kinds of meat and vegetable dishes, and the drinks were all opened and neatly arranged on the table.

"Please sit down, please sit down!"

Luo Peng eagerly stepped forward to pull out the chair, his hands and feet moving swiftly.

"Don't think about anything today, eat and drink as much as you want! I've been trying to soothe my stomach lately, eating nothing but bland food every day, my mouth is practically tasteless."

Su Qing smiled, took my arm, and sat down next to me.

The people present all knew about my relationship with Su Qing; it was an unspoken understanding, and there was no unnecessary teasing.

Soon the waiter brought over a piping hot red broth, with bright red beef tallow bubbling and boiling in the pot, and the rich, spicy aroma instantly filled the entire private room.

Luo Peng picked up the wine bottle and filled everyone's glasses, muttering to himself with emotion:

"To be honest, Brother Ye, I used to think that it was enough for us ordinary people to just get by, make a little money steadily, and live a plain and uneventful life. But after following you through the no-man's-land, I've really come to understand a lot of things."

I picked up a slice of tripe, held it above the pot, and asked with a smile, "What have you figured out?"

"What does it mean to truly escape death?" Luo Peng's voice remained loud and clear.

"Others go to the no-man's-land for sightseeing, but we risk our lives to get through it. We barely escaped with our lives."

"I won't say much else, but to have been able to fight alongside you, Brother Ye, for this once in my life, I, Luo Peng, am absolutely right! This cup is for you."

I raised my glass and clinked it against his, then tilted my head back and drank it all in one gulp.

The spicy liquor slid down my throat and into my stomach, creating a warm sensation.

Then A Qiu raised his glass and said, "Lin Ye, I won't bother with any formalities. I truly admire you for this trip. Brother Wang told me that you chose a route that no one had ever taken before, fraught with danger, yet you persevered and completed the entire journey. This glass is for you."

I refilled my glass, clinked glasses with A-Qiu, and drank it all in one gulp again.

Chen Yunqing also picked up her wine glass and looked at me, saying, "Your journey through time has already spread throughout the club, and many people in the industry sincerely admire you. With so many unknown risks in front of you, you gritted your teeth and persevered."

I raised my glass and clinked it lightly with hers, then tilted my head back and drank it all down.

I knew in my heart that tonight was destined to be a night of heavy drinking.

I was mentally prepared; it had been so long since I'd let down my guard and enjoyed drinking and chatting so freely.

Finally, it was Wang Ge's turn, and he slowly raised his glass.

Before he could speak, Su Qing stopped him with some worry:

"You can't keep taking turns drinking like this, one cup after another, you might get Lin Ye drunk."