Chapter 103 - 87 Hedonism

Words : 1308 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 103: Chapter 87 Hedonism"You’re wronging me here," Qin Zhen said seriously, "It’s only been a little over three months since I transitioned from military to civilian work. Including training, onboarding, and getting used to the new environment to start work, I’ve been pretty much non-stop busy. Plus, I actually did call you. But you kept rejecting the calls. After that, I didn’t call anymore. I thought I’d wait until my job stabilized before slowly reconnecting with you." "You called me?" Chen Feng asked, puzzled. "Yeah. I called several times, but you didn’t pick up. I thought you might have mistaken my number for a spam caller. I stopped using WeChat and QQ because of my enlistment, I told you that three years ago. I just re-registered for WeChat and QQ last month, but I hardly use them anyway." Chen Feng thought back carefully. Three months ago, he indeed had rejected a few suspected spam calls. Or rather, over the past two or three years, due to unsatisfactory work and family life, he had deliberately cut off contact with the outside world, rejecting or ignoring calls unless they were from numbers marked as normal by his phone. As for Qin Zhen not using WeChat and QQ, that was normal too since he had been in a special division with confidentiality rules. Chen Feng could understand that. "Alright, fair enough," Chen Feng didn’t press any further. The truth probably was as Qin Zhen had described. After all, friends shouldn’t be so petty with each other. "What do you mean, fair enough? You haven’t been in touch with me either, have you? My work doesn’t completely cut me off from the outside world, I still get to communicate with others from time to time, but you never called me. And today, when we ran into each other at the station, I was the one who came over to say hi from way off." "Alright, alright. Why are you, a grown man, nitpicking about this? Come on, let’s drink." Chen Feng, feeling a bit embarrassed, quickly changed the subject and started talking about their school days. Sure enough, Qin Zhen’s attention was diverted immediately. School days were times nobody could easily forget, especially for them, filled with memories. The two chatted, ate, drank, teased each other back and forth, and then burst into laughter. They spoke in their hometown dialect, sharing embarrassing stories from the past without worry of being overheard, as others nearby probably couldn’t understand anyway. Around eight in the evening, Chen Feng received a call from Xiao Ya, who said she had found a job at a milk tea shop and also asked when he would "come home." Chen Feng wasn’t very satisfied with her, certainly not in the nostalgic way he felt about Sun Xiaorui, and told her he wouldn’t be coming home tonight. Xiao Ya, hearing the noisy background on his end, wanted to ask about it but feared upsetting Chen Feng and ultimately did not ask. In the end, she wasn’t his girlfriend and didn’t have the right to ask. So, when Chen Feng said he wouldn’t be coming home tonight, although Xiao Ya felt a bit disappointed, she didn’t express it and just sweetly told him to be careful out there. Chen Feng didn’t talk much with her, just hummed a few times, said "Let’s leave it at that," and hung up. "Is she your lover?" Qin Zhen asked, squinting his eyes. Chen Feng hummed a response, saying, "She’s not really making me happy. Too purpose-driven. I’m more satisfied with another, but she went back to her hometown to take care of her father in the hospital. She’s not in Xiu Zhou. When she gets back, I’ll bring her out for you to meet." "Just keep bragging," Qin Zhen said, looking disparagingly. But as a man, being envious was unavoidable. He just had stronger principles and couldn’t bring himself to do things like that. Of course, the old Chen Feng would never have thought about keeping a mistress or anything like that. But terminal illness, divorce, hitting the jackpot—a series of big life changes had altered his mindset. "Just think of it as me bragging," Chen Feng said with a smile, "My outlook on life isn’t the same as it used to be. These days, I just want to enjoy life freely." After all, life won’t last long, and with money, why not enjoy yourself before you die? Otherwise, it’s like you never lived at all. "I have to educate you now. Hedonism is popular these days, but as a young man at the prime of your life, you shouldn’t be corrupted," Qin Zhen declared righteously. Chen Feng rolled his eyes at him and dismissively said, "Pleasure is human instinct. Unless you’re a masochist, everyone wants to feel good, eat well, and have fun. Aren’t you the same? Even a sage like Mr. Kong said food and sex are natural, let alone us mere mortals." Qin Zhen was about to retort when his phone rang. He picked it up and answered it. "Hello, yeah. I told you about a friends’ gathering, men, a good friend whom I haven’t seen in two or three years, met him unexpectedly at the office today...from my hometown...why are you coming here?...Let’s talk next time. I’ll introduce you then. That’s all for now." After finishing, Qin Zhen hung up the call abruptly. Chen Feng teased him, "She’s checking up on you. You’re too good now; she has to keep an eye on you, afraid you’ll slip away." Qin Zhen glared at him annoyed, "Why are you reveling in my misfortune? At least I have a serious girlfriend who’s so concerned about me. And you?" That, damn it, really hit a sore spot. "Ha! Concerned? She doesn’t trust you." Chen Feng’s words struck home, leaving Qin Zhen with a gloomy face. Just then, his girlfriend called again; Qin Zhen frowned but ultimately answered it again. "...You really want to come over? Fine! Come on then. I’ll send you the location." After saying that, Qin Zhen hung up again directly and sent the location before putting down his phone. "You can see. Apart from being a bit spoiled, she’s also really clingy. She wants to stick with me every minute. Sometimes I just can’t stand it. Of course, maybe like you said earlier, I don’t realize the good I have. I plan to be with her a bit longer, but if she’s still like this, I’ll have to break up." Chen Feng, hearing this, didn’t tease him anymore but instead expressed his concern, "You said she’s very clingy and so worried about you, it won’t be easy for you to break up with her." Qin Zhen smiled optimistically, "There are always more solutions than difficulties. When the time comes, I’ll find a way to deal with it." Chen Feng shook his head uncompromisingly, "That seems very unlikely." Qin Zhen shot him a look, "So you don’t have high hopes for her and me." "You’re already finding her grievous; how can I think otherwise?" Qin Zhen had no response but simply picked up a beer to change the subject. Qin Zhen’s girlfriend, Ning Wei, arrived quickly, in about ten minutes. She was indeed attractive, dressed fashionably, and her soft, pleasant voice naturally carried the gentle, mushy local Xiu Zhou accent. Some men who are sensitive to voices might melt hearing her talk. However, Chen Feng was completely turned off by this kind of coquettishly delicate tone, finding it rather sickening. On the surface, when Qin Zhen introduced Chen Feng to her, Ning Wei was very polite, with a soft voice and a friendly smile. But to Chen Feng, it felt a bit insincere. All in all, Chen Feng didn’t have a very good first impression of her.

Chapter 103 - 87 Hedonism

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