Chapter 629 - 362: There’s Always a Green Mountain

Chapter 629: Chapter 362: There’s Always a Green Mountain

The next day, Lin Chu returned to Peng City.

When he arrived home, the community’s property management was busy putting up festive decorations and hanging red lanterns.

During the year-end holidays, Peng City was actually at its emptiest. Even the traffic disappeared as large flocks of workers flew away like migratory birds.

’If I had stayed on my original path,’ he mused, ’with that salary and social status... it would have been impossible to make a home in this city, short of a miracle or a powerful benefactor. I would’ve just been a human battery, fated to be drained of my youth and then leave in despair.’

But now...

It was a scene painted in bold strokes.

In the living room, Hu Ping’an was playing chess with his dad while Wang Zhefei looked on. From the second floor came the faint clatter of tiles—mahjong, if he wasn’t mistaken. The table was laden with all sorts of bright red New Year’s goods... The festive spirit hit him instantly.

A smile involuntarily touched Lin Chu’s lips.

"You’re back? So soon? All finished with your work?"

Lin Haifu glanced up and asked with a cheerful grin.

Ever since his son had "sorted out" his woman problem a couple of days ago, he felt his life had reached a state of perfection. He’d even had Jiang Ya come over.

’Anyway, if he has the skill to handle the situation, what’s the difference between two and three? It shouldn’t be a problem, right?’

Their thinking was perfectly aligned.

Lin Chu, for his part, had taken his own "crooked logic" to its conclusion. He’d thrown them all into one pot, so to speak, and had officially begun living a shameless, carefree life.

It was a little awkward at first.

But after they started sharing a bed, things grew more harmonious by the day.

Ultimately, none of the three women were particularly domineering. After spending enough time with someone like Lin Chu, if you didn’t have the courage to leave for good, your entire worldview was bound to be affected to some degree.

Compared to conventional values, it was all rather twisted, of course.

But situations like this weren’t exactly unheard of.

"Not finished. I hit a wall, so I came back for the New Year. I’m just going to forget about it for now..."

Lin Chu replied casually. There was nothing to hide; if he couldn’t handle something, he couldn’t handle it. His family’s foundation wasn’t deep enough for this, and there was no shame in that.

In the past, he might have put on a brave face and tried to find a win elsewhere to soothe his ego.

Now, there was no need for that at all.

Most flexing is just a sign of weakness—people relying on a brief moment in the spotlight to gain a level of social validation that doesn’t match their reality.

When you truly know your own strength and worth, you stop caring so much about temporary victories and defeats.

"There’s actually something you can’t handle?"

His dad teased with a laugh.

Lin Chu rolled his eyes at him. "Just play your chess. Old Hu, crush him! Wipe him off the board!"

Hu Ping’an chuckled and placed a piece on the board with a decisive CLACK.

Wang Zhefei stood up, licked his lips, and shot a sly glance toward the second floor. The look in his eyes clearly said, ’Not bad, you dog! You’re really something else! You’ve almost got enough women in the house to fill a mahjong table!’

Lin Chu laughed and patted his arm. "Come on, let’s go have some tea."

They went into the tea room.

Lin Chu brewed some tea.

"Who’s playing mahjong upstairs?"

Lin Chu was a little curious. Who was the fourth player?

"Your three ladies, plus the one Lu Ming brought over. Tsk, she’s something else. I haven’t seen you in just a few days, and you guys really don’t hold back, do you... I’m the last innocent soul left in Peng City."

Wang Zhefei grumbled.

’The years fly by,’ Wang Zhefei thought. ’The idiot from back then has turned into... this. I wouldn’t say he’s completely rotten, but he’s definitely abandoned his old principles. I’ve changed too, and not just a little, but deep down, I could never be as brazen as Lin Chu.’

"Here," Lin Chu said. "I’ve got some infused liquor. It’s been steeping for a few months with all sorts of good stuff. You can take it with you later. I’ve quit drinking, anyway."

"You know, if you’ve got a physical problem, you should get it sorted out sooner rather than later. You can’t be careless about these things. A lifetime of happiness is at stake, after all."

Lin Chu pointed behind him with a grin.

It was a large jar of liquor, with Maotai as the base, infused with all kinds of expensive medicinal herbs.

The woman who had given him that jar of liquor was now a distant memory, gone like smoke in the wind. He’d even deleted her contact information.

It was like eating and then shitting. Human cells completely replace themselves every seven years, and one’s circle of friends was constantly being updated, too.

There’s a famous philosophical paradox, the Ship of Theseus. If the planks of a wooden ship are gradually replaced until none of the original wood remains, is it still the same ship?

If philosophers couldn’t figure it out, there was no reason for him to get bogged down in it.

In short, time flows ever forward at a constant pace. Nothing that happens should be a surprise, and you have to accept whatever comes.

Wang Zhefei gave him the middle finger.

Tired of his crude jokes, he changed the subject. "So, what was the thing you couldn’t handle?"

"Liszt’s partner in China... I won’t say who, specifically. I was thinking about getting a piece of the action on this deal he’s working on, but once I met the person involved, I bailed."

Wang Zhefei couldn’t help but laugh. "Fair enough. Best to stay out of trouble and save your energy. Let’s just focus on getting through the New Year peacefully... What are you doing this afternoon?"

The atmosphere felt just like it did back in college, when they would routinely skip class, always thinking up new ways to have fun. Men never grow up; their toys just get more expensive.

"Don’t ask me. I’m a middle-aged man now. My hobbies are reading, working out, and making babies at night. Nothing else."

Lin Chu said with a lazy drawl.

’Once you get used to this kind of lifestyle, it’s actually quite pleasant,’ he thought. ’Disciplined and fulfilling during the day, happy and indulgent at night.’

"So boring..."

Wang Zhefei retorted weakly.

Lin Chu just shook his head and smiled, offering no explanation.