278: Chapter 267: Four Men and a Stage 278: Chapter 267: Four Men and a Stage The drinking session was as bizarre as one could get, but thankfully Zhao Yan was there to play the peacemaker.
Then, Li Tang would occasionally jump in with a couple of dirty jokes.
It wasn’t long before the four of them had downed three bottles of white liquor, and once the booze started flowing, all kinds of words began to spill out.
Any previous minor grudges had been thrown to the back of their minds.
It was fine as long as their own fingers weren’t getting chopped off.
As for the little brother whose fingers were chopped off, well, he could only blame himself for messing with the wrong crowd.
The conversation between the four gradually extended from the topic of women.
Then, Li Tang slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, “Damn it, it really baffles me.
I don’t even know why the hell older women insist on asking men who they would save first if their mother and wife fell into the water.
Damn it, I’m a bachelor, I can’t even save my own mother if I wanted to.”
“Oh, Brother Li Tang, let me tell you, you’re still in the sweet phase.
Who didn’t go through that back in the day?” Pan Jun burped and mumbled, “My old lady once asked me that too when I was young and didn’t know what to say; felt like it was a damn hard question.”
“But now?
My wife has given me two kids.
If she asks me now who I’d save first between her and my mother if they fell into the water, I’d slap her with a loud one.
I can’t even swim, how am I supposed to save someone?”
The crowd burst into laughter hearing that, and Song Yun, while taking a bite of food, said, “Really, the one who comes up with such questions should be thrown into the water.
These kinds of questions are too tricky.”
“No, don’t throw him in, put him on the shore.
Toss his wife and mother into the water, and ask him who he’d save first,” joked Pan Jun, completely devoid of his earlier anger.
“To tell you the truth, my old lady asked that question once and my mother found out about it.
She even went and signed up for a swimming class, saying if she fell in, she could climb out herself and not make it difficult for her child.
Listen to that, that’s the difference between a mother and a daughter-in-law.”
“Ah, it’s a lose-lose situation.
Sure, it’s wrong for women to ask that question, but it’s also wrong for men to not give an answer.
What’s the big deal with sayings sweet nothings to soothe them a bit?
I seriously doubt anyone’s wife and mother are actually both going to fall into the water while standing on a bridge,” Song Yun with a cigarette in his mouth.
“Haha, Brother Song speaks the truth.
A question that has plagued us for over a decade finally has a solution here.
Come on, I’ll toast to you, old Pan,” he said, and with that, the two clinked their glasses and downed their drinks.
“Man, society these days is tough to navigate.
Almost all the slightly shady businesses are shutting down.
Nobody dares to do anything now with Director Wang running things so tightly.
The crackdown is really this,” said Old Pan, giving a thumbs up.
“You might as well go legit if you can; you can’t just continue blindly in the dark forever.”
“Come on now, that’s nothing.
I really don’t know what’s up with society nowadays.
If you do well, people get jealous.
If you do poorly, you’re looked down upon.
If you’re open, you’re called loose.
If you’re conservative, you’re accused of being fake.
If you’re nice to people, you’re called dumb.
If you’re shrewd, you’re called a crook.
If you’re passionate, they say you’re sleazy.
If you’re distant, they say you’re arrogant.
No matter how good you are, there’s always someone picking on you.
There are always those who can’t stand you.
Life is hard enough, and who knew it’d get even harder?” Li Tang complained.
“Haha, men, what’s the homophone for it?
It’s like saying being born a man is all about making things tough for others.
Damn, I’ve realized the two titles for men are just nonsense—one is ‘man’, and the other is ‘husband’, which when reversed is just about footing the bill.
So it seems that’s about all men are good for—when you’ve got lice, a little more doesn’t itch; the more pressure, the sturdier we stand,” laughed Song Yun.
“Well said,” Zhao Yan agreed, smiling.
“You all have families, and here I am, still single.
Just talking about it is embarrassing.”
“Enough talk, once we’ve finished drinking, you come with me Old Pan.
I’ll take you to find some girls, each one more skilled than the last, and no repeats.
Whatever type you want, I can find for you,” Pan Jun said with a misty-eyed smile.
“You aren’t still a virgin, are you?”
“Cough, cough,” Zhao Yan coughed twice without replying.
“Haha, then when you’re done, I’ll have to give you a red packet,” Pan Jun teased.
“Nowadays, the only men who stay pure are two types—either gay or haven’t found someone they fancy.
Which one are you?”
Before Zhao Yan could speak, Li Tang chimed in with a laugh, “Right, I’ve hung out with Lao San for so many years, and I’ve never seen him with a woman.
Could it actually be that you’re bent?”
“Bent your sister,” Zhao Yan said grumpily.
“Haha, if I had a sister, I’d definitely marry her off to you,” Li Tang shouted with laughter.
“We’ve pretty much finished the food, and the drinks made us happy.
Brothers, I’m going to take off first.
The wife is about to finish work; gotta go home and pack some stuff.”
“You’re the real ‘domesticated husband,’ huh?” laughed Pan Jun.
“Exactly, at least being good at home means I might get a little extra benefit at night,” Li Tang said with a wicked grin.
“Enough chit-chat, you guys keep talking; I’m out of here.”
After Li Tang left, the remaining three found it less interesting to keep drinking.
They finished their meals and paid the bill.
Outside, Pan Jun shook hands with Song Yun and said, “The world will rely on you guys in the future.
We’re getting too old for this.
It’s better to disappear from people’s sight while we still have some connections.”
Sitting in the car, Song Yun wasn’t in a hurry to start it and instead lit up a cigarette with a laugh, “This Pan Jun, he’ll probably start going straight during this time.”
“Not necessarily,” Zhao Yan shook his head.
“Even though he keeps saying he can’t mix it up anymore, he still has a hundred or so people under him.
How could he go straight just like that?
In my opinion, Pan Jun is just playing the sympathy card in front of us.
It’s a common thing in these circles.”
“No, this kind of guy probably has smelled something off in Sunan City.
The smarter they are, the more they want to flee from a hopeless situation.
If he doesn’t wise up, he’ll definitely be crushed by those three big organizations.
I reckon someone has already approached him,” said Song Yun as he started the car and headed to headquarters.
“Gulang is too arrogant to care about small fry like him, and Lei Long just wants to suppress other houses without any real intention of unity.”
“That leaves Lotus then.
Although Lotus has considerable influence, it’s really only in terms of finances.
They don’t have nearly as many people as Lei Long or Gulang, and besides, their leader is a woman.
If Pan Jun foolishly joins Lotus now, you can bet that the others in the circle will eat him alive, no need for outsiders to lift a finger.”
“But if he doesn’t join Lotus, it’s fine too.
They are far ahead of him, and now the only path forward is to say ‘I quit playing,’ and start whitewashing.
That’s Pan Jun’s only road,” Song Yun said with a smile.
“If that’s really the case, then many of his businesses will be up for grabs,” Zhao Yan said with gleaming eyes.
“Should we get involved?”