wavenovel 042, you're still the best!
042, you're still the best!
"If one rides the true course of Heaven and Earth, and controls the transformations of the six qi, to roam the boundless realm, what need would he have to rely on? Therefore it is said: The perfect man has no self, the divine man has no merit, and the sage has no name."
Wang Zhe stared at this section, muttering to himself.
He felt much calmer.
Thinking about it carefully, the advantage of being reborn isn't just for a year or two, so why rush things? Even if I can't grasp the stock market this year, I know very well that the next two or three years will be a bull market, and I remember there are several stocks that will rise sharply one after another.
With a little patience, it would take two or three years to turn one's assets back to the tens of millions. For a reborn person, that shouldn't be considered a failure, right?
Suddenly, Wang Zhe felt two shadows appear in front of him.
Looking up, he saw two beautiful young women standing in front of him. One was pure and gentle, and the other was charming and lovely. They were staring at him with the kind of concerned look one might give a patient.
Wang Zhe closed the book and asked, "What's wrong? Are you hungry?"
"No, no!" Jiang Di interjected, "We discussed it, and you seem to be in a bad mood today. Let's go out for dinner tonight, it's on me!"
Wang Zhe raised an eyebrow: "Going out to eat? Is your little savings enough?"
"That's enough! If it really doesn't work, I can quit smoking next week!" Jiang Di patted his chest and promised.
"Let's not just eat out, let's have a good meal!" Song Zhiyi suggested. "How about hot pot? We'll be sweating buckets from the spiciness, and that'll cheer us up!"
Wang Zhe glanced at the bright sunlight outside the window, pointed out, and said, "Are you guys serious? Eating hot pot in this weather?"
Jiang Di: "Oh dear, let's fight fire with fire!"
Song Zhiyi then suggested, "How about something else? Barbecue?"
Wang Zhe thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, let's have barbecue then. But we'll have to wait until sunset. You guys study a little longer, I'll read some more books."
So the two girls went back to the study, closed the door, but did not immediately immerse themselves in their studies.
The two of them started talking quietly again.
Jiang Di: "He seems to be in a better mood."
Song Zhiyi: "It doesn't seem to have anything to do with hot pot and barbecue. I should be reading books."
Jiang Di: "What is that book, *Zhuangzi*, about?"
Song Zhiyi: "You learned it in Chinese class, didn't you know?"
Jiang Di shook her head, her eyes very clear: "I've forgotten all about it."
"You didn't listen at all, did you..." Song Zhiyi sighed. "Anyway, it's the Lao-Zhuang school of thought, which emphasizes tranquility and non-action."
Jiang Di fell into deep thought.
Song Zhiyi asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Jiang Di muttered to herself, "If he's too detached, won't he become indifferent to women?"
Song Zhiyi laughed: "Taoism isn't Buddhism, what are you thinking! In some Taoist sects, Taoist priests can marry and have children. In the romance novels I've read, there are even female Taoist priests who fall in love with martial arts heroes."
Jiang Di nodded and breathed a sigh of relief, but then a sudden idea struck her: "Then tell me, if I dressed up as a female Taoist priest, would he be more interested?"
Song Zhiyi: "...You're really something else."
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
At seven o'clock in the evening, the sun finally and reluctantly withdrew its last bit of power, leaving behind a magnificent sunset cloud on the horizon.
The three of them went to a nearby barbecue restaurant.
This is a typical hole-in-the-wall restaurant; the ambiance is so-so, but the food is delicious. And since it's not the weekend, it wasn't too crowded.
The three of them went into the store and chose a seat.
The owner, a bald middle-aged man, walked over with the menu, glanced at the three of them, and paused slightly.
A boy, dressed in a simple white T-shirt, had a handsome face but seemed like an honest student. However, the situation was more complicated when looking at the two girls accompanying him.
One girl had her hair tied in a single ponytail, exuding a refined and gentle air; she was clearly the quiet, well-behaved type. The other girl had long, flowing hair with reddish tips, delicate features, and a flashy bracelet on her wrist; she seemed to be the opposite of a well-behaved girl, though still somewhat restrained.
What kind of combination is this?
"Hey handsome guy and beautiful lady, what would you like to eat? The menu is here." The owner didn't address him inappropriately, but simply handed over the menu.
Wang Zhe took the menu and skillfully marked it out: "Twenty lamb skewers, twenty beef skewers, two grilled eggplants, and a plate of edamame..."
Jiang Di added from the side, "It has to be spicy!"
Song Zhiyi quickly waved her hand: "No, no, no, just mild spicy is fine, I don't want to get diarrhea."
Wang Zhe didn't even look up: "Then let's make it mildly spicy, a compromise."
Just as the three of them finished ordering their food and poured themselves some chilled cola, preparing to chat,
"Splash—"
The plastic curtain hanging at the entrance was suddenly flung open, and a cacophony of laughter and curses rang out, followed by the rather sharp voice of a girl:
"Boss! Are there any seats left? Two cases of beer, please! I want them ice cold!"
Wang Zhe tilted his head slightly, the cola cup he was holding stopping in mid-air.
Four girls walked in together.
Their style of dress is simply the epitome of non-mainstream fashion.
Vibrant highlights, smoky makeup resembling pandas, and colorful temporary tattoos on their arms. Some wore super short shorts, some wore ripped black stockings, and others wore skinny jeans that exposed their ankles.
At the same time, a cheap perfume scent mixed with tobacco wafted over.
Jiang Di's expression changed instantly.
She instinctively shrank behind Wang Zhe, trying to hide herself.
But this was clearly a step too late.
"Hey? Isn't that Jiang Di?" One of the girls, who had a streak of purple hair, pointed and exclaimed.
The girl leading the group, with long bangs that covered half her face and a cigarette dangling from her mouth, walked over when she heard the noise.
She looked Jiang Di up and down, then at her refreshingly transformed appearance—although her hair still showed signs of dyeing, she had changed into a normal T-shirt and shorts and wasn't wearing heavy makeup.
"Oh, it's Miss Jiang Di! Where have you been lately? No replies to texts, no answers to calls. What's wrong, not hanging out with your girlfriends anymore?"
"Yeah, right," chimed in the girl with purple highlights next to her. "You wouldn't go to karaoke when I invited you. What, trying to be a good student now?"
Jiang Di felt a little embarrassed. After all, she used to hang out with them a lot, and now that she suddenly wanted to cut ties, she felt a bit guilty. She gripped her drink cup tightly in her hand: "No... I've been busy studying lately. I'm going to be a senior in high school soon."
"Review?" The girl in the lead laughed exaggeratedly, as if she had heard the funniest joke. "Hahaha! Sisters, did you hear that? Our Miss Jiang is going to get into Tsinghua or Peking University!"
The three girls next to him burst into laughter, drawing the attention of diners at several other tables.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.