Chapter 71 - 67: Empty, Lonely, and Cold_2

Words : 1609 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 71: Chapter 67: Empty, Lonely, and Cold_2"Mm. Thanks, Brother Feng." "So, let’s leave it at that for now. I’m hanging up." "Okay, goodbye." Chen Feng didn’t have much to say, nor was it necessary. Her father was about to have major surgery, and she wasn’t in the mood for chit-chat. A few minutes later, Sun Xiaorui sent her bank account information through WeChat. Chen Feng immediately opened his mobile banking app and smoothly transferred 500,000 yuan. Not long after, an expression of gratitude flooded Sun Xiaorui’s WeChat, accompanied by a very solemn "Thank you". Chen Feng saw it, smiled faintly, and then put it aside. For him, 500,000 yuan now was about the same as 50 yuan before the divorce. Moreover, it was going to his lover; there was nothing to begrudge. After finishing the takeout that cost over three hundred yuan, the taste was decent, and the beef seemed authentic, but it clearly lacked the feel of Sun Xiaorui’s cooking. It felt as if the takeout was mixed with commercial flavor, whereas Sun Xiaorui’s had hints of home and love—a psychological effect, perhaps. So, he really was starting to miss Sun Xiaorui and hoped she could come back soon. But looking at the situation, she wasn’t likely to return for at least ten days or half a month. Thinking of this, Chen Feng felt somewhat depressed. Was he really about to start a true divorced bachelor’s life? If he hadn’t lived with Sun Xiaorui before, it would be one thing, but after living together for several days, being single again was indeed uncomfortable. With a mix of gloom and discomfort, Chen Feng went upstairs to continue browsing videos, reading novels, and then slowly fell asleep past one in the morning. The next day, he didn’t wake up until past ten. On the king-sized bed, only one person lay, with the extra pillow remaining unoccupied. Chen Feng stared blankly for quite a while before getting up to pull open the curtains. It was already broad daylight outside, quiet and peaceful, without any noise. This feeling was genuinely unpleasant! Too empty, lonely, and cold! Chen Feng didn’t want to live in this villa alone. He got in his car and headed to Delong Square. It was livelier here, filled with the breath of human life. After another big shopping trip, large and small packages had him running to the parking lot twice, but unfortunately, there was no Sun Xiaorui courageously chasing after him to strike up an acquaintance this time. Of course, there were quite a few who flirted with him, but Chen Feng didn’t take an interest in any of them. Beauties like Sun Xiaorui, with their level of class and temperament, were truly rare. After strolling around the mall all morning and having lunch, Chen Feng aimlessly drove around the streets. Until he suddenly spotted an acquaintance by the roadside, he parked the car in a curbside space, rolled down the window, and shouted, "Zhang Kewei!" The man turned his head in surprise, and upon recognizing Chen Feng, first froze, then walked over with a hint of joy. "Fengzi, this is such a coincidence! To bump into you here. We haven’t been in touch for ages, how have you been?" "Just getting by. What about you? Didn’t you say you were going back to your hometown? Why are you back in Xiu Zhou?" "Ah, it’s a long story," Zhang Kewei sighed, his face telling of memories better left unvisited. "Got time? How about we grab some tea and catch up?" Chen Feng invited. Zhang Kewei hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Okay. There’s a teahouse nearby, just a few minutes by foot, I’ll take you there." "Alright. Let’s go." Chen Feng was bored anyway, and he was eager to chat with a university classmate he hadn’t seen for years. Chen Feng got out of the car and walked with Zhang Kewei. On the road, they delved a bit deeper into exchanging their current situations with each other. Not only were the two classmates at university, but they had also been roommates for two years, so their relationship was relatively good. Hence, they didn’t conceal much from each other. It turned out that when Zhang Kewei graduated from university, he went back to his hometown to focus on preparing for the civil service exam, but after failing twice, he felt too ashamed to face his family and fellow villagers. Finding it unbearable to stay at home, he left for Shanghai to find work. After muddling along for two years without achieving anything notable and incessant worries from his parents, he had no choice but to return to his hometown. With his parents’ arrangement, he got a job as a contract worker at a public institution. The pay was decent, and if he stayed long enough, he might even become a permanent employee. He could have done well if he had kept at it; there was a possibility he could have made something of himself in the future. But during a business trip, he accidentally offended a supplier who was the designated purchaser for his unit, and it wasn’t long before he was fired. Only later did he find out that the supplier was the nephew of one of the leaders in his unit. Thus, Zhang Kewei found it impossible to stay in his hometown again and had to set out to look for work, so he ended up back in Xiu Zhou. After all, he had spent four years studying here; he was quite familiar with the place. Now, he was the regional manager for a stationery company. Although that sounded impressive, he was essentially a sales representative, and including himself, his team consisted of only three people. Zhang Kewei didn’t shy away from his current job, straightforwardly telling Chen Feng about it. Chen Feng also briefly recounted his situation, of course without going into full detail. He just mentioned that he had resigned from his previous job and had gotten divorced, and was now trading stocks. After roughly bringing each other up to speed on their circumstances, they arrived in front of a teahouse. Zhang Kewei, familiar with the place, led the way inside and found a seat to sit down. Glancing at the menu, it wasn’t expensive. The cheapest tea was only 18 yuan—a popular price range for this area. They both ordered just a cup of tea. "This teahouse is very reasonably priced. Quite often, I meet clients here," Zhang Kewei gave a brief explanation and then chuckled teasingly, "Honestly, I never dreamed that you’d be trading stocks now. I guess you feel the same way, probably never imagined I’d become a salesman." Chen Feng smiled wryly and nodded, "I didn’t see it coming. You were among the top ten in our class. Why didn’t you look for a job related to your major?" "Can school grades really be taken into consideration? The professional knowledge taught is already several years out of date. Especially our major in computer science, which changes day by day. Besides, I never had much interest in computers. After several years of neglect, I simply couldn’t pick it up again. To relearn it, I don’t have the determination or interest. It’s better to just be a salesman." Chen Feng could only nod in agreement, as the computer knowledge he studied ten years ago was already obsolete. Moreover, both of them shared a lack of interest in computer science. If one lacks professional skills and practical abilities, such as specific programming, graphic design, 3D design, model design, and the likes—they both managed these tasks tolerably but were not experts. Another reason being they were not interested in pursuing a career related to their majors, naturally leading them to other jobs. "You’re stronger than me; at least you’ve been married. I’m still bloody single," said Zhang Kewei, sounding dejected. Chen Feng could only offer a wry smile and shake his head. Zhang Kewei wasn’t too appealing in appearance, with a height just shy of 1.7 meters, slightly dark skin, and prominently bulging eyes that could be intimidating. During university, he had a decent physique from constant exercise, but now he was clearly gaining weight. His family background was average at best, and so was his job. Short, awkward, and poor—these three qualities he arguably possessed, not to mention an added weight issue. To put it harshly, what woman would be blind enough to fancy him? "Alright, are you meeting with me just to complain and pour out your troubles?" Chen Feng asked with a laugh. Zhang Kewei also laughed, "If I don’t vent to you, I truly don’t have anyone else to turn to. So, Fengzi, just help me out and let me vent a bit." "Go to hell," Chen Feng cursed with a smile, "I’m carrying a bellyful of woes myself, and you’re dumping more on me." "What woes could you have? I see that your car is brand new, just bought, right? That means you must have some money. Plus, being divorced without kids, that’s great, no worries." Chen Feng could only smile wryly and shake his head; it wasn’t like he could just blurt out he was dying from a terminal illness. "If you insist on spilling your guts, I’ll indulge you. It’s my bad luck running into you. Come on, tell me about your miserable life in detail, cheer me up." "Damn, do you have any sympathy at all?" Zhang Kewei responded with a middle finger. Then the two of them burst into laughter together. Back in university, they were always such goofballs.

Chapter 71 - 67: Empty, Lonely, and Cold_2

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