Chapter 0830 The Ambitious Man

"Zhang Qian, you know what? This city has never been a home for outsiders."

In the evening, after dinner, Zhao Fusheng and Zhang Qian walked along the street. The cold wind pierced to the bone, and white puffs of breath kept escaping from their mouths. Pointing at a skyscraper not far away, Zhao Fusheng spoke.

Zhang Qian was taken aback; he didn't understand what Zhao Fusheng meant.

Zhao Fusheng chuckled softly, shook his head, and said no more.

Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou couldn't accommodate the body, while third- and fourth-tier cities couldn't contain the soul—perhaps that was the situation many would face in the future.

Only, Zhang Qian hadn't realized it yet.

"Come on, let's go to the Central Academy of Drama," Zhao Fusheng said. Perhaps because he had drunk a bit of alcohol, he was somewhat excited. He pulled a reluctant Zhang Qian toward the campus of the Central Academy of Drama.

"So, after being in Beijing for so long, what are your thoughts?" Walking along, Zhao Fusheng asked Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian tilted his head, thought for a moment, and then smiled.

Everything he had experienced during this time was destined to be a brilliant fragment etched in his memory. But thinking that this might be just an insignificant interlude in the life of the young man beside him, who was even younger than himself, Zhang Qian felt a sense of powerlessness. This man, who was surely destined for high positions, never seemed to look down on him, a commoner. Yet, for some reason, back when the whole school despised him as an orphan, and many in high school openly or secretly called him an arrogant wild child, Zhang Qian had always been stubborn and dignified, even if his dignity lacked confidence. But facing Zhao Fusheng, he felt a heartfelt powerlessness, like when he was in the military, facing a wild boar in the deep mountains.

It's often said that there's no harm without comparison.

As a peer, Zhang Qian also had dreams.

Though he would never betray Zhao Fusheng, he really wanted to see how high this young man beside him could ultimately reach.

Standing in front of the teaching building of the Central Academy of Drama, watching the handsome men and beautiful women passing by, though they were still immature, Zhao Fusheng knew that the gap between these people and himself now was like the gap between himself and them in his previous life.

"Future big stars," Zhang Qian suddenly sighed.

Surprised, Zhao Fusheng glanced at Zhang Qian. In his impression, Zhang Qian wasn't such a sentimental person.

Seeing Zhao Fusheng's reaction, Zhang Qian laughed and said, "What's up?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled. "Quite surprising. I didn't expect you to be a fan of celebrities."

"Not really a fan. I just think people's fates are different," Zhang Qian sighed, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding students. He said flatly, "Thinking about the younger kids at the orphanage, honestly, I feel fate is damn unfair."

Zhao Fusheng was silent because he didn't know how to respond to Zhang Qian's words.

To others, Zhao Fusheng might have used some inspirational talk, but facing Zhang Qian, he really didn't know what to say.

Zhang Qian didn't mind. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Zhao Fusheng. After a long while, he suddenly said, "Do you miss home?"

Zhao Fusheng was taken aback, then shook his head. "When I'm away from home, I rarely miss it."

Zhang Qian chuckled. "You really don't seem like the sentimental type. Grandpa also disliked melancholy. He said that was something only people with too much time on their hands or frustrated losers would do. It sounded harsh at first, but now it seems at least half right. You and Grandpa are not ordinary people. I can't fathom your level of thinking."

Zhao Fusheng smiled. "And you're normal? Count how many girls have stopped to look at you so far."

There was no help for it; Zhang Qian was handsome, and with an aura that drew attention, he was far more attractive than Zhao Fusheng.

Zhang Qian rolled his eyes, too lazy to bother with the guy's teasing.

Zhao Fusheng pointed at the distant skyscraper and said softly, "Some say that in Beijing, everyone wants to stand at the highest point to see the view—businessmen, politicians, even pimps have that ambition. It's very different from Shanghai. Beijingers don't understand Shanghai's penny-pinching, and Shanghai doesn't understand Beijing's deep mansions. I read an economic report saying Moutai represents an emperor's mentality, while Wuliangye represents a feudal lord's mentality. The same applies to these two cities."

"I don't quite get your point, but I think it's hard for outsiders like me to survive in such a big city," Zhang Qian said after listening to Zhao Fusheng. Then he laughed self-deprecatingly. "But strangely enough, after only a short time here, I've developed the idea of putting down roots."

Zhao Fusheng made no comment. He had always believed that when something required debate or argument to make the other side yield, it wasn't that the other side was unreasonable, but that he himself was incompetent. So he never tried to convince anyone or deliberately explain anything.

Moreover, wasn't Zhang Qian's ambition cultivated by Zhao Fusheng himself?

Stepping forward, Zhao Fusheng said as he walked, "Zhang Qian, look at the skyscrapers of this city—the China World Trade Center, Wangfujing Street. Everywhere is filled with scheming and strife. Whether it's the games above or the greed below, people like us are like frogs at the bottom of a well. The world is too big; we have to go see it."

"How high a man can stand depends on how far he can see. Your mind is no worse than others', so why can't you stand in a higher position? Not to mention standing above ten thousand people, but you followed me all the way to Beijing. Is just having a car and a house enough for you? Grandpa is watching from above!"

"I need people around me to help. In the end, connections and backing are about exploiting information asymmetry. What does it mean to be one step ahead? It means seeing clearly what others can't see. But that requires capital as a prerequisite. Getting something for nothing worked well in the early days of reform, but now it's increasingly unreliable. I don't have the ability to make you do illegal things, but cutting a few corners is still possible."

Walking on the street, stimulated by alcohol, Zhao Fusheng spoke from the heart. For once, he said a lot of things that even he felt were off-topic.

But unfortunately, there was no response at all.

Turning his head, Zhao Fusheng looked at Zhang Qian with slight embarrassment. This guy was really annoying; he had just eloquently laid out so many principles, and he didn't even get a reply.

After a long while, Zhang Qian's leisurely voice sounded: "Grandpa said you're a smart man, and I just need to follow you. You eat the meat, and I'll have some soup—that's enough for me."

Huh?

Hearing this, Zhao Fusheng was stunned. He suddenly realized that from start to finish, the most foolish person had been himself.