For Xu Honglei, he had nothing better to do, so he might as well make as much money as possible. Any extra money he earned in this era would grow into a fortune through the appreciation and expansion of the real estate and stock markets.
As for the online games of this era, he had played them to his heart’s content in his previous life and had long since grown tired of them. His mind had matured as well, and he had lost interest in such things.
Xu Honglei was focused on making money. Once he had money, what could he not afford to play?
A man should play with the real thing if he wanted to have fun. What was the point of immersing himself in the Internet’s illusory world?
After the internet café opened, Xu Honglei went there after breakfast every day unless he had something special to deal with.
He would first take away the bulk of the internet café’s previous day’s earnings and deposit them in the bank.
Public security was mediocre in this era, and there were many thieves. In addition, to prevent the cashier from stealing money, they could not keep too much cash in the shop.
That way, even if something happened, the losses would not be great. Besides, depositing money in the bank every day felt good.
After depositing the money, Xu Honglei would find a computer and sit down to write a Fantasy Webnovel. Its title and plot were clichéd: 《Dragon-Blooded War God》, about a remnant old man’s soul inside a ring.
However, this kind of novel still had a large market in this era.
Xu Honglei had two purposes in writing novels: one was to make money, and the other was to pass the time.
Whenever a customer at the internet café needed something, he would get up and deal with it. Once he finished, he would return and continue writing his novel.
He had a habit of outlining his novels in advance. Combined with his familiarity with all kinds of standard plot devices, that meant he rarely suffered from writer’s block.
At noon, he would go home and take a one-hour nap, then return and continue writing. He would go home at nine-thirty in the evening and go to sleep around ten-thirty. He did not stay up late.
Anyone who wanted to succeed while maintaining good health needed self-discipline.
That day, he was writing his novel with intense concentration when he sensed a familiar fragrance wafting from beside him. He turned and saw Su Wanying standing next to him.
“I never thought you would open an internet café!” Su Wanying’s expression was complicated.
When Xu Honglei saw Su Wanying seeking him out again, he understood. After learning that he had opened an internet café, she felt he had become promising, and her desire to Break Up with him began to waver.
Thinking of this, Xu Honglei smiled, stopped typing, and saved his article. Then he pulled an empty chair over for Su Wanying and invited her to sit down.
“Yeah. I have to find some business to make a living, right? Oh, by the way, how is your job going?”
“What else can I say? It is what it is. How could I compare with you, the Big Boss? Lei, I never thought you were hiding your abilities so well!” Su Wanying’s tone was full of resentment.
Xu Honglei smiled faintly. “What big boss? I am just making a living. I Collateralized my own house and took out a loan from the bank before I could barely get the internet café running.
“Everything is difficult at the beginning. My internet café has only just opened, and there is a lot to handle. Business always carries risks, and it is uncertain whether I can make money!”
Su Wanying looked around and said, “It is a little too noisy here. How about we go to your place and talk?”
“All right. Wait a moment!”
Xu Honglei first saved his article in his QQ mailbox, then saved another copy on his USB drive. Double insurance.
If anything unexpected happened, he would at least have a backup. Otherwise, all the words he had painstakingly typed could vanish in an instant.
To be honest, Xu Honglei was happy that Su Wanying had come to see him again. He had not had sex for several days, so he could enjoy himself today.
Although Li Hu had known about the relationship between him and Su Wanying for a long time, Su Wanying did not know.
In any case, Li Hu was already under his control. Xu Honglei decided not to tell her, which would also help him avoid a lot of trouble.
To avoid attracting attention and being noticed by an Acquaintance, Xu Honglei walked ahead while Su Wanying followed behind. That way, if someone saw them, they could come up with an excuse.
If they walked side by side and arrived at Xu Honglei’s home together, other people might find it ambiguous, and explaining it would be difficult.
When they reached Xu Honglei’s home, Su Wanying’s expression relaxed. “I saw you writing something at the internet café. What were you writing?”
Xu Honglei said with a broad smile, “A novel!”
“Oh my, I never would have guessed. You have a hobby like this? Which magazine are you planning to publish your masterpiece in?”
In this era, newspapers and magazines were still mainstream. Most people did not know about Web Novels yet. After all, Qidian had only just been established.
Even those who published novels online did so for free, purely out of passion.
Therefore, writing novels in this era was like making rock music in the eighties or nineties: it was much like growing long hair and wandering the streets.
Xu Honglei did not explain further. He pulled Su Wanying into his arms and said casually, “Since I have nothing better to do, I am just writing for fun.”
Su Wanying tilted her head back and braced herself against the bed with both hands, letting Xu Honglei kiss her all over. “You are not fooling around with me too, are you?”
“Of course not. I like you, and you know that. You refuse to marry me. Have you not chosen Li Hu?”
Su Wanying asked tentatively, “What if I regretted it and wanted to choose you?”
Xu Honglei said without hesitation, “Then we will be together!”
Su Wanying said nothing and gazed into his eyes.
Xu Honglei continued in a serious tone, “If you want to be with me, go tell Li Hu now that you have Broken Up and want to be with me.”
Su Wanying smiled awkwardly. “I was only saying it. Do not take me seriously. You are several years younger than me, and my parents would never agree.”
As they talked, Xu Honglei, considerate enough to undress her, tossed both their clothes onto the old sofa beside them. He held Su Wanying tighter than before, as though venting his dissatisfaction.
Su Wanying said with a bitter smile, “Be gentler with me. Do not take out your feelings on me, all right?”
“I am thinking about your happiness after marriage. I am helping Li Hu prepare in advance. Once I have prepared you properly, your married life will be smoother.
“There are few selfless contributors like me left—people who work hard in silence behind the scenes. Do you not agree?”
“You rascal, how can you be so shameless?”
“Why should I care about face? Having you is enough for me. Tell me you love me!”
“I will not say it. I refuse!”
“Are you going to say it or not? Say it or not? Say it or not...”
“Ah... be gentler. I love you, all right?”
“Call me husband!”
“Do not go too far! I have not even called my romantic partner husband before!”
“Are you going to call me that or not? Are you? Are you...”
“Husband...”
“Say it all together!”
“Husband, I love you...”
“That is more like it. A woman has to learn!”
“...”