novelraw Chapter 102 : Issuing an Invitation
Chapter 102 : Issuing an Invitation
Chapter 102: Issuing an Invitation
"Have you two told your parents about your relationship?"
Bringing this up, Su Ruochu suddenly looked at Zhou Honghai with some nervousness.
"Brother Honghai, you have to keep this a secret for us, and you must not let it slip out."
Zhou Honghai chuckled, "It seems you haven't told them yet."
"Understood, understood. Your Brother Honghai has also gone through that age."
"Don't worry. I will keep your secret."
At this time, the waitress served the dishes, and Chen Fan called out.
"Let's eat first, we can talk while eating."
Saying that, he picked up a bottle of beer, "Brother Honghai, shall we have a drink?"
Zhou Honghai didn't refuse and took the beer bottle with a smile.
"Sure, back in our hometown, I never had the chance to drink with you. Let me take this opportunity to test your alcohol tolerance."
Su Ruochu hurriedly said, "Chen Fan can't drink too much."
Zhou Honghai clicked his tongue.
"Look at that, he hasn't even gotten married yet, and you're already trying to protect him."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Su Ruochu turned beet red, feeling a bit flustered from the embarrassment.
Chen Fan, however, explained with a smile, "I rarely drink alcohol. Today, since Brother Honghai is visiting, I'm making an exception as the host to join you for a couple of drinks, with my wife-to-be's permission."
Su Ruochu glared at Chen Fan.
Who's your wife-to-be?
Zhou Honghai waved his hand with a smile.
"Chen Fan, you're saying it wrong."
"How can you be the host?"
"You should know that a few years ago, I also studied at Yunhai University for four years."
"This place is also like a second hometown for me."
Chen Fan laughed wryly, "Alright, alright, I misspoke. Let me punish myself with a drink first."
Saying that, he raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.
"Cheers."
Zhou Honghai raised his glass and joined him for a drink.
Since they were all acquaintances, there wasn't much reservation in the conversation, so the atmosphere at the dinner table was very cordial.
Zhou Honghai had a great personality and high emotional intelligence, so he kept the conversation topics under his firm control throughout the dinner.
In between, he also shared many stories from his university days with Chen Fan and the others.
"Well, there were actually quite a few college couples, but very few of them made it to the end after graduation."
"Love eventually succumbed to reality, to houses, cars, distance, and time..."
At this point, Zhou Honghai picked up his glass and drank by himself.
It seemed that he had a heart-wrenching love affair during his college days.
"Chen Fan, Ruochu, you two have made it from high school classmates to college, which is not easy. I wish you both can persevere and make it all the way to the wedding altar."
Saying that, Zhou Honghai poured himself another glass of wine and raised it.
"Then let us toast to your auspicious words," Chen Fan smiled and joined him for a drink.
Seeing the atmosphere getting a bit melancholic, Chen Fan took the initiative to change the subject.
"Brother Honghai, did you come to Yunhai for some specific reason this time? I don't know if we can be of any help?"
Zhou Honghai waved his hand with a smile.
"I came here mainly to meet up with some old classmates and friends from back then, for a reunion."
"After graduation, some of our classmates went for further studies, some started businesses."
"Quite a few classmates chose to stay in Yunhai, but I was the fool who returned to our hometown..."
"A few years have passed, and everyone is doing well, but I'm still stuck in the same place."
Seeing that Zhou Honghai seemed to have something on his mind, Chen Fan proactively clinked glasses with him.
"Did something happen?"
Zhou Honghai smiled bitterly, "You can even tell?"
Chen Fan thought to himself, you're wearing your troubles on your face, how could I not tell if I'm not an idiot?
Su Ruochu also asked with concern.
"Brother Honghai, do you have something on your mind?"
Drinking a sip of wine gloomily, Zhou Honghai sighed.
"Don't mention it."
"I had to close the computer school in my hometown last month."
Chen Fan was taken aback.
"Closed it?"
"Wasn't the business doing alright before?"
Zhou Honghai smiled bitterly, "The business was good before because back then I used your advertisements, and it was also the summer vacation, so there were more students."
"Now the students have all gone back to school, and Luocheng is a small place. Parents there don't have such a broad vision yet."
"Those willing to spend money to let their children learn computers are still a minority."
"I've been running this shop on and off for almost two years now, barely making a living. But I'm almost thirty this year, and if I keep going like this, I feel like I'll just waste my entire life..."
Zhou Honghai shook his head, "Not long ago, I chatted with some old classmates online and seeing everyone looking so successful and glamorous made me feel like I've been wasting my time these past few years."
"So I just gritted my teeth and closed the school."
"I sold all the computers at a cheap price, and this time when I came to Yunhai, I have no plans to go back."
Chen Fan asked curiously, "Are you planning to start a business in Yunhai?"
Zhou Honghai shook his head, "Not sure."
"One of my old classmates chose to continue with graduate studies back then, and he's about to graduate this year."
"A few days ago, he told me he's planning to start a business and asked if I was interested."
"I came here this time to meet with him and discuss if we have any good business opportunities together."
Zhou Honghai sighed, "I have to seize the opportunity while I still have dreams in life, otherwise when I get old later, I'll really have no chance."
Looking at Zhou Honghai in front of him, Chen Fan was suddenly struck by an idea.
What if he invited Zhou Honghai to be the manager of the First Encounter internet cafe?
First of all, Zhou Honghai studied computer science, so his expertise matches the job.
And the two of them are acquainted and know each other to some extent.
Not to mention the connection through Su Ruochu.
Chen Fan felt that his idea was really good.
It's just that Zhou Honghai's earlier words proved that he still had dreams and aspirations.
Chen Fan wasn't sure if Zhou Honghai would agree if he extended the invitation.
After some thought, Chen Fan decided to first explore his thoughts on the matter.
"What kind of business is your senior classmate planning to start?"
Zhou Honghai smiled bitterly and shook his head.
"I don't know. All I know is that apart from me, there are a few other classmates I know, and none of us really wants to work for someone else."
"This time I came here, I'm just prepared to have a good discussion with them and see what their thoughts are."
Ah!
So after all that, Zhou Honghai hasn't even finalized the business project.
After finishing their meal, Su Ruochu asked the waitress for a bag to pack the leftovers.
Chen Fan then accompanied Zhou Honghai outside to the corridor for a smoke.
"You smoke?"
Zhou Honghai joked with a smile.
Chen Fan didn't hide it and nodded.
"Yes. But I don't smoke in front of Ruochu."
"Good comrade."
Zhou Honghai patted Chen Fan's shoulder.
Chen Fan smiled wryly, fiddling with the cigarette in his hand.
"Brother Honghai, if your classmate's business project isn't decided yet, would you be willing to find a job first?"
Zhou Honghai smiled and said, "Anyway, I don't want to go back to my hometown."
"If my classmate's plan doesn't work out, I'll certainly need to find a job."
"I have a job opportunity here, I don't know if you're interested."
...
"Internet cafe manager?"
Zhou Honghai looked dumbfounded.
"What's an internet cafe?"
"You can understand it as a comprehensive internet cafe, where you can not only go online but also have other entertainment..."
Zhou Honghai didn't understand, "When did Yunhai have internet cafes?"
"It just opened a couple of months ago."
"How do you know they need a manager?"
Zhou Honghai joked with a smile, "Even if they do need a manager, they wouldn't hire someone like me. They would definitely look for someone with work experience..."
"Unless you're the boss, otherwise the internet cafe owner would have to be crazy to hire me, someone with no work experience and just a greenhorn..."
Chen Fan smiled.
"You're right about that. I am that greenhorn."
Zhou Honghai was stunned.
Chen Fan nodded at him.
"The internet cafe in Yunhai is the one I just opened."