Financial Workplace Survival Guide – CH 087

Chapter 87 ☆, Every Moment in My Life Is With You.

Xin Xin never imagined that one day, many years after graduation, she would return to the university campus to reminisce about her youth.

Even more absurd than this incident was that, under such dramatic circumstances, she unexpectedly encountered Zhou Yiran, the man with whom she had once strolled through the campus and shared the rain of youthful recklessness, but whose life ended in a terrible way.

Initially, Xin Xin did not see Zhou Yiran.

After their encounter on the street, Zhou Yiran’s untimely reminder infuriated her, and she completely erased him from her life. She never saw him again.

Moreover, ten years was a very long time, especially the period from graduation to middle age, during which one’s appearance changed so much that one could almost say they were ‘unrecognizable.’

Zheng Zaochuan was the first to notice Zhou Yiran. He nudged Xin Xin and asked, “There’s someone watching you. Do you know him?”

Xin Xin looked over and saw a person in a wrinkled uniform staring straight at her.

His tired, bloated face revealed an unsettling anxiety. It was as if he both hoped Xin Xin would recognize him and feared that Xin Xin would show an unexpected expression.

However, much later, Xin Xin guessed that she must had looked bewildered at the time, as if she was trying to recall something from long ago but ultimately failed.

Zhou Yiran walked over from the bustling crowd and greeted Xin Xin, “Xin Xin, what are you doing here? Is it work too?”

As soon as he spoke, Xin Xin recognized that it was Zhou Yiran’s voice.

He had changed a lot since the last time, as if he had aged many years.

Xin Xin managed to suppress a gasp, turning it into a tactful remark: “Long time no see; I didn’t even recognize you.”

For a moment, the air was so still it almost stood straight.

Zhou Yiran was dressed in work clothes, clearly there to work. Compared to his exhausted state, as if he were being tormented by work, Xin Xin and Zheng Zaochuan were naturally much more energetic.

But Xin Xin was also embarrassed. After all, it was a bit strange to be wandering around in front of her peers wearing clothes that even college students would find childish.

Zheng Zaochuan, however, seemed completely oblivious to Xin Xin’s thoughts and casually took her hand, asking, “Your friend? Want to have dinner together?”

Xin Xin snapped out of her reverie and introduced them: “This is Zheng Zaochuan, and this is Zhou Yiran.”

She decided to ignore their identities.

Zheng Zaochuan extended his hand. “Hello, I’m Xin Xin’s fiancé.”

Xin Xin was taken aback. Zheng Zaochuan’s inexplicable competitiveness led him to immediately elevate her to the status of “fiancée.” She suddenly recalled Zhou Yiran’s advice to her and his comments about Zheng Zaochuan’s chaotic private life.

Xin Xin was almost worried that he would say something he shouldn’t.

However, Zhou Yiran revealed a very ingratiating and obsequious smile and grasped Zheng Zaochuan’s hands with both of them. “Mr. Zheng, it’s an honor to meet you. I’m Xin Xin’s college classmate. This is my business card. I’m here today to work on a smart cafeteria project for the school. Our bank has recently launched many trust products and private banking products. You’re welcome to come to Dongyin. Just come and find me when you come.”

Xin Xin was a little bewildered. If the last time she met Zhou Yiran, he still had a hint of the arrogant, domineering air he had when he was a student, this time, he was completely like a worldly-wise middle-aged man.

It was like wearing a mask, obscuring emotions; the formulaic smile was stuck to the face, merging with the true self.

Zheng Zaochuan accepted Zhou Yiran’s business card with composure. “Okay, then you go ahead with your work. We don’t have anything to do; I just wanted to come and see Xin Xin’s school.”

Zhou Yiran said politely, “Then you can look around. If there’s anything I can help you with, just let me know.”

Standing at the entrance of the school cafeteria, Xin Xin vaguely recalled that when she was a student, bank employees would come to them to recommend services. Back then, personal credit was not completely tightened, and campus credit loans were very popular.

Major banks sprang up like mushrooms after rain, going to schools to promote and launch various small-amount credit cards.

She glanced at it to join the fun, then was pulled away by Zhou Yiran. At that time, Zhou Yiran was fair-skinned and slender, with the rigidity and seriousness unique to young men.

“If students cannot repay their loans, why do you think they’d issue credit cards to college students?”

At that time, Xin Xin was an ordinary female student. She did not care much about the macroeconomy and capital market, and she had no idea about her future. She just went with the flow and enjoyed the ignorant yet interesting campus life.

When Zhou Yiran said that, he gave people a particularly mature and intelligent feeling.

She really enjoyed it when Zhou Yiran talked about these things. He would talk about the news and the latest economic policies. Xin Xin always listened attentively to his obscure explanations, listening to him talk about how consumption drives the economy and the booming capital market.

Xin Xin remembered clearly that after Zhou Yiran asked her that question, she asked in a childlike innocence, “Why?”

Zhou Yiran said with a serious expression, “Because many middle-aged people have the habit of being frugal, banks cannot get money out of their pockets. So they take advantage of students’ vanity and ignorance, label consumer goods such as Apple mobile phones, and let students use consumer loans to purchase them, ultimately making their parents pay the bill.”

Xin Xin suddenly understood and admired him greatly. “You are right. How can you think so deeply?”

Zhou Yiran solemnly advised Xin Xin, “You must never become that kind of vain girl who consumes beyond her financial means, as it will eventually drag you into an abyss.”

Xin Xin said naively, “I will not. I don’t think I really want these things.”

Zhou Yiran smiled and said demurely, “I know; that’s what I like most about you.”

At that time, they were sincere.

But just a few days after graduation, Zhou Yiran used his first paycheck to buy an expensive suit that was beyond his means. He began to look down on Xin Xin for dressing like a student. He also began to dislike her for always being immersed in her own world and having no plans for the future.

Later, he fell in love with a girl born in Haining. The girl was beautiful, came from a wealthy family, and perhaps had a level of knowledge that Xin Xin lacked.

Much later, Xin Xin read a book.

There was a passage in the book where the female protagonist walked with the boy she liked, talking about topics she wasn’t interested in. At that moment, the protagonist’s inner monologue was, “Are we talking about these irrelevant things to hide our desires?”

In an instant, Xin Xin understood the truth about love.

All love stories begin this way. Hormones create a connection, a sense of soulmates, and for the one you love, everything was just right.

In their youth, they both believed that they were not superficially in love with each other’s youthful appearance, but rather that they loved each other’s essence and soul.

But when love faded and the truth gradually emerged, you would eventually find that the other person was like a stranger.

The innocent, naive girl who once harbored unrealistic fantasies about love had one day transformed into a calm, collected, and composed person who calmly weighed the pros and cons of everything.

That cynical boy with a keen sense of the world had become someone who still tried to market his business even when he saw his ex-girlfriend.

Not only did they not share similar souls, but Xin Xin even questioned whether she herself had a soul.

Xin Xin made no attempt to hide her thoughts from Zheng Zaochuan. She had never before shared these strange ideas with any man. She had never tried to reveal her thoughts to any man, because it implied an instinctive danger.

Men could accept a woman who was either naive or assertive or who had a specific view of the world, but most men could not accept that a woman had her own vitality and thoughts that were beyond her control.

When a woman expressed her own opinion, or inadvertently revealed something different, she would inevitably be suppressed immediately.

If they were not tamed, they would not be beheaded like Carmen, but they would inevitably face some inconveniences due to misunderstanding.

Society had developed, but women should be naive, obedient, gentle, vain, materialistic, and pursuing a better life. Whatever they may be, they should not be equal with men in terms of soul.

At this moment, Xin Xin felt an unprecedented sense of absurdity.

Why did she initially believe that Zhou Yiran loved her? Why did she admire Zhou Yiran and believe that he was different?

All these years later, in Zhou Yiran’s heart, she still needed another man to demonstrate her value.

When he first met her, Zhou Yiran only expressed approval of her appearance. Although many years had passed and her position and knowledge had surpassed Zhou Yiran’s, in his eyes, he was still capable of lecturing Xin Xin and making disrespectful comments to her, such as “Zheng Zaochuan is not suitable for you.”

But when he saw her with Zheng Zaochuan, he was able to grovel and bow down to Zheng Zaochuan, trying to gain some extra benefits. They were together for three years, but the respect she gained from Zhou Yiran was because of a man like Zheng Zaochuan.

Zheng Zaochuan listened silently to Xin Xin’s rambling thoughts, never interrupting her once.

As Xin Xin rambled on about her feelings of self-destruction and the inescapable difficulty of ‘women proving themselves,’ Zheng Zaochuan said very seriously, “You’re right. Men are inherently insecure and helpless. Only when women become objects, things that can be controlled, can they satisfy their sense of security. So most men, as long as they have money, would rather use money to control a woman than find a woman who doesn’t want anything.”

He looked at Xin Xin very frankly, “Including me.”

Xin Xin gave a wry smile. “So Zheng Zaochuan, do you know what our biggest problem is? We are both too clear-headed. We lack that kind of unconditional trust in each other that’s masked by hormones. I can’t even believe that we will be together forever.”

That was right; even when she was with Zhou Yiran, or when she was with that high school classmate whose name she had long forgotten, experiencing the ambiguous times of youth, she had once believed in forever.

It wasn’t because they loved her enough, but because she was too naive back then and believed that love could last forever.

Zheng Zaochuan grasped Xin Xin’s hand and smiled, but it was not a sarcastic smile; rather, it was a resolute one.

“Whether you believe it or not doesn’t affect the outcome, right? You say love is only in the present, so let’s be in the present. Xin Xin, perhaps you haven’t realized it, but we’ve known each other for many years. I dare not say I understand you very well, but I can give you the utmost respect. If you don’t believe in my forever, at least believe me right now that I’m your best friend. If we are still in love when we are eighty, I will tell you then that every moment from now on is with you.”