228: Chapter 228 Zhou Chong

At the hotel entrance, Zhang Haonan was accompanying Julie to see Cao Kun off. The two had just waved goodbye when they turned and saw Zhou Chong walking toward them.

A polite smile immediately appeared on Zhang Haonan's face as he took the initiative to greet him, his tone warm yet tinged with a bit of distance: "Zhou Chong, you've finally arrived. I thought you might have too much going on at your company to make it."

Zhou Chong wore a gentle and appropriate smile. He reached out and lightly patted Zhang Haonan's arm, his tone familiar and natural, showing no signs of anything unusual.

"I had to handle an emergency at work, which delayed me a bit. Sorry, Haonan. Congratulations on your wedding; may you have a long and happy marriage."

"No need to be so polite, we're old classmates. Come in and sit down; the banquet started a little while ago."

Zhang Haonan stepped aside to make room, making an inviting gesture, then turned to look at Julie by his side and introduced her tenderly.

"Honey, let me introduce you. This is my university roommate of four years, Zhou Chong. He's now the big boss of a listed company."

Julie had a gentle wedding smile on her face. Dressed in a simple red gown with a graceful air, she nodded politely and greeted him softly, "Hello, Mr. Zhou."

"Hello, sister-in-law. There's no need to be so formal; just call me Zhou Chong."

Zhou Chong's gaze swept lightly over Julie's face, his eyes clear and humble, his tone very respectful.

"Haonan is truly lucky to marry such a beautiful woman like you, sister-in-law. I wish you both eternal happiness."

After a few simple pleasantries, the three of them turned and walked toward the hotel banquet hall together.

Zhang Haonan walked in the middle, a smile always on his face, but in his heart, he was filled with resistance and distance toward Zhou Chong.

He had been university roommates with Zhou Chong for four years; no one knew Zhou Chong's character better than he did.

He was two-faced, deeply calculating, and would use any means to achieve his goals—a complete hypocrite.

Zhou Chong's Hometown was in a remote rural area, and his family was very poor.

When he first started university, he couldn't even scrape together his tuition, and his monthly living expenses were pitifully low; he often didn't know where his next meal was coming from.

At that time, he set his sights on Xia Linzi, a girl who had liked him since high school.

Xia Linzi had just graduated from high school then and hadn't made it into university. She was deeply in love with Zhou Chong and completely devoted to him.

Zhou Chong seized upon Xia Linzi's infatuation and began to use sweet talk and all sorts of deception on her.

He took Xia Linzi's hand and said with a deep, sincere tone, "Linzi, I know you've always liked me. Actually, I've had feelings for you for a long time too."

"Wait for me. Once I finish university and find a good job, I'll marry you immediately. Then, I'll work hard to earn money so you can live the best life and be the happiest woman in the world."

Xia Linzi was dazed by Zhou Chong's sweet talk, believing his words completely, her heart filled with longing for the future.

Immediately after, Zhou Chong feigned a troubled and helpless expression, sighing as he spoke.

"It's just that my life is too hard right now. I can barely afford tuition, and my living expenses aren't enough. I worry about money every day."

"Could you go to the city to work first and help me scrape together my tuition and living expenses?"

"Don't worry, once I graduate, I will definitely make it up to you twofold. I will never let you down in this lifetime."

For Zhou Chong's vague and ethereal promise, Xia Linzi didn't hesitate for a moment and agreed on the spot.

Ignoring her family's objections, she resolutely dropped out of school, packed a simple bag, and came alone to the city where Zhou Chong was studying to work on a factory assembly line.

Working over ten hours a day, from dawn till dusk, she worked herself to the bone. She couldn't bear to spend a single cent of the money she earned, sending it all to Zhou Chong to support his studies, living expenses, and new clothes.

But from beginning to end, Zhou Chong never truly cared for Xia Linzi, let alone thought about marrying her or repaying her.

In his eyes, Xia Linzi was just a free ATM, a tool to be used at will; once she lost her utility, he would discard her without hesitation.

Zhou Chong was very good at disguising himself.

At school, he always appeared humble, studious, frugal, and helpful. He was warm and generous to his classmates and respectful to his teachers.

Whether it was his classmates or the counselor, everyone was deceived by his appearance, thinking he was a hardworking, upwardly mobile, and reliable student.

Only Zhang Haonan knew his true face.

During the National Day holiday in their sophomore year, the four roommates went out for a meal and drinks, and they all got dead drunk.

Taking advantage of the alcohol, Zhou Chong began to brag about his "skills" in front of his roommates, recounting exactly how he had deceived Xia Linzi, his words full of disdain and pride.

"Do you know? That Xia Linzi is just a fool. She believes whatever I say. Now she works in a factory every day and gives me all the money she earns, not even willing to buy a single piece of new clothing for herself."

"Once I graduate and make it big, I'll just dump her. Keeping her would be a burden. She's from the countryside; we're not from the same social class. She simply doesn't deserve me."

Wang Lei and Zhao Qiang were also drunk at the time; they just laughed it off and didn't take the words to heart.

But Zhang Haonan heard everything clearly, and he felt a great sense of revulsion toward Zhou Chong's character.

Later, as they spent more time together, Zhang Haonan discovered that Zhou Chong only considered his own interests in everything he did.

To get scholarships, he would scheme against his classmates behind their backs; to secure internship opportunities, he would resort to any means.

On the surface, he was friendly to everyone, but underneath, he was full of malice.

From then on, Zhang Haonan began to deliberately distance himself from Zhou Chong. While he maintained the politeness of a roommate on the surface, in his heart, he had already placed him on a blacklist of people not to be befriended.

After graduating from university, the four of them went their separate ways, and Zhang Haonan and Zhou Chong almost lost contact.

He only occasionally heard news about Zhou Chong from other classmates.

He heard that Zhou Chong had started his own company after graduation.

And the company was doing quite well.

Later, he got a wealthy girlfriend.

The girl's father was a well-known local tycoon.

Not only did he invest a large amount of capital into Zhou Chong's company, but he also used his connections to help the company grow bigger and bigger, until it finally went public successfully.

Today's Zhou Chong was not only handsome but also worth a fortune at a young age, becoming the envied boss of a listed company, basking in infinite glory.

For his wedding, Zhang Haonan hadn't originally intended to invite Zhou Chong at all.

But Wang Lei and Zhao Qiang, his other roommates, had both come from out of town.

The two of them specifically asked about Zhou Chong, saying that since they were roommates for four years, not inviting him to such a big event as a wedding would seem too distant.

Left with no choice, Zhang Haonan sent an invitation to Zhou Chong, though in his heart, he didn't really want him to show up.

The three of them entered the banquet hall, which was filled with guests and melodious music; the atmosphere was very lively.

Zhang Haonan led Zhou Chong to a table in the corner of the banquet hall where two men were sitting; they were their other two university roommates, Wang Lei and Zhao Qiang.

The two were sitting there drinking and chatting. As soon as they saw Zhou Chong, they immediately put down their glasses and stood up warmly, their faces full of surprise and envy.

"Zhou Chong! My god, you've finally arrived! It's been so long; you really look more and more like a boss. This suit clearly costs a fortune!"

"Leizi, Qiangzi, long time no see. You guys are still the same as ever."

Zhou Chong smiled and shook hands with the two of them, his posture still humble, but a hint of superiority unconsciously flickered in his eyes. "How have you been lately? Is work going well?"

"Just so-so, just an ordinary office worker scraping by. How could I compare to you?"

Wang Lei said with a smile, his tone full of envy, "You're a big boss of a listed company now. You're the most successful one from our dorm."

The four of them sat down, and a waiter immediately came over to set the table and pour the baijiu.

Zhang Haonan raised his glass and said to the three of them, "Come on, our dorm hasn't been all together for four years. Since I'm getting married today and we're all here, let's have a toast to celebrate."

The four of them raised their glasses, clinked them lightly, and downed them in one go.

The spiciness of the baijiu spread in their throats. Wang Lei put down his glass and looked at Zhou Chong impatiently, asking curiously.

"Zhou Chong, you're so successful now, your girlfriend must be very outstanding too, right? I heard she's a wealthy heiress. Why didn't you bring her along for us to meet?"

...