Chapter 20

When Gao Jichang was a child, his family was well off. His father, Gao Yonghui, was a businessman, and his mother, Xu Cuilin, was a full-time housewife. Their family was one of the first to become rich. They were not extremely wealthy, but they definitely did not have to worry about money.

Gao Yonghui liked this son very much. He was handsome, smart, and good at studying. He took Gao Jichang with him to many drinking parties, which was both for his face and to teach him. Gao Jichang did not disappoint him. The drinking parties with shark fins, bird's nests, and clinking glasses did not dazzle the child. Instead, he studied harder after returning home.

Gao Yonghui asked him why, and he replied: I also want to live such a good life in the future, so of course I have to study hard.

Gao Yonghui laughed out loud, thinking that his son would definitely make a name for himself in the future.

In 1996, when Gao Jichang was 15 years old, Gao Yonghui was the richest. His family had more than million in savings, and he owned three factories. Wherever he went, people called him Boss Gao. When everything was too easy to get, and he was surrounded by flowers and sweet words, Gao Yonghui couldn't even see his toes when he looked down, and he was floating in the clouds and no one could stop him.

Unsurprisingly, Gao Yonghui took the path that many men of that era would take - playing with women.

At first, it was a female secretary, a high school graduate. Gao Yonghui was only in his thirties at that time, and he looked energetic. After coaxing her for a while and throwing a stack of money, he could easily lure her into bed.

Gao Yonghui has tasted the sweetness. Rather than saying that he likes women, it is better to say that he likes the sense of control and constant fresh stimulation.

Bar girls, laid-off women workers, female college students, wives of subordinates... But he never brought these women home. Although there was a yellow-faced woman at home, there was also his precious son. He was his pride, his bloodline, and the heir to his family business.

Once, Gao Jichang asked his mother: "Why don't you divorce?"

Xu Cuilin stared at him with her dark eyes: "Why divorce? I accompanied him through all the hard times. When he first started his business, I borrowed the capital from my mother's family, and I worked hard with him to set up the stall. I don't have a job, and the family's money is not in my hands. Wouldn't divorce just give those little bitches an advantage? I will never divorce you."

Gao Jichang asked again: "Then do you want to find a way to get half of the money?"

Xu Cuilin's face flushed red, but she didn't realize that she was already showing a fearful expression. She suddenly lost her temper at her son: "What can I do? What can I do! He owns the factory and the accounts! Your father is so smart, how can I beat him?"

Gao Jichang never mentioned it again.

In those days, he would hear a lot of gossips and people would point fingers at him when he walked on the street. At first, he would blush, get angry, and cry. Later, he became indifferent, as if those gossipers didn't exist, and concentrated on studying.

Gao Jichang had seen his father several times, hugging different women, acting like a big brother. Once, the school needed to pay for materials, and he had no money. Xu Cuilin went back to her parents' home, so he went to the factory. As a result, just as he was about to push open the door of his father's office, he heard strange noises coming from inside. He listened quietly for a while, then walked around to the window. There was a crack in the window, and he could see two naked figures on the bed.

Gao Jichang turned around and sat on the steps to wait. After waiting for more than ten minutes, the work was done inside. Gao Yonghui came out refreshed and was shocked to see his son. Gao Jichang was very calm and told him about the material cost. Gao Yonghui took out the money and gave it to him, then asked awkwardly, "How long have you been here?"

Gao Jichang thought for a moment, glanced at the tender and plump female worker in the room, and replied: "When you rode her from behind, I'll go back to school." Gao Yonghui was stunned, and the cigarette he had just taken out almost fell to the ground. Looking at his son who was as tall as a Hsinchu bamboo walking further and further away, he suddenly laughed and scolded: "Little bastard!"

As for women, that's just the way it is. My son is already 15 years old, and he can get married in his time. This shows that my son is loyal to his father, and from now on, my son will definitely not be controlled by a woman.

What a good kid.

Two years later, because the policy and economic trends changed too quickly, Gao Yonghui's factory was poorly managed and went bankrupt. After that, Gao Yonghui went through several more trials, starting a company, closing it, and starting a factory, but having no sales. But by then, Gao Jichang had been admitted to a prestigious university and left home. Gao Yonghui gradually lost his spirit and opened a small supermarket at the doorstep, which provided him with food and clothing. Xu Cuilin became the boss lady of the supermarket again, sitting in the store all day, busying around, and the couple became harmonious, as if the things that happened in the past years had never happened.

Gao Yonghui flirted with the lady boss of the stinky tofu shop next door and met them occasionally. He also made advances towards the female clerks in the shop, but Xu Cuilin just pretended not to see it. Now that she finally had the shop and the money in her hands, and her son was admitted to a prestigious university, she felt that she had finally turned over a new leaf after all the hardships.

When Gao Jichang went to college, his family was already very ordinary. He wore a white shirt every day and spent most of his time either in the classroom or in the library studying. He was also the president of the college student union, and his work ability and attitude were highly praised by teachers and students. He was recognized as a white-clad male god, and the girls who pursued him lined up from the front door to the back door of the library. But he was like a Buddha, devoted to his studies, and indifferent.

It was not until his junior year that he fell in love with a girl in his class who was average looking, average in grades, and even not in good health. It was the girl who pursued him, bringing him breakfast, midnight snacks, and accompanying him during self-study. One night, Gao Jichang burst into tears when he saw the girl who persevered and waited outside the dormitory to bring him midnight snacks.

"I am touched," he told the group. "No one will ever be so kind to me again."

He walked out of the dormitory and hugged the girl, surprising many people and creating a campus legend of sincerity and success.

Someone asked the girl: How dare you pursue him?

The girl replied: He is so gentle and treats me very well. I know he is such a good person and he doesn't treat me alone. But I couldn't help but have extravagant hopes and wanted to give it a try. I didn't expect that he would really be moved by me. I want to treat him well for the rest of my life, even if it means my life.

Gao Jichang graduated from his senior year with a mid-level academic ranking, which was far from enough to qualify for a guaranteed place in graduate school. But he succeeded and was admitted to a better major.

Because the girl's father is a leader in the city.

The girl was born with a congenital deficiency and was in poor health. After graduation, she stayed at home without a job. On the day Gao Jichang received his graduate degree, he got married to her and moved into the house bought by her parents. Gao Jichang knelt down and cried to his father-in-law and mother-in-law: "She gave me unprecedented love. Dad, Mom, you have given me a second life. I will love her and spoil her for the rest of my life."

At first, Gao Jichang was assigned to the top high school in the city, but after three years, he could not keep up with the teaching level. The school leaders of the top school were also very powerful. After some operations, Gao Jichang was promoted to a higher rank and salary, and then transferred to a second-level high school within the group as a class teacher, that is, No. 29 Middle School.

That year, Gao Jichang was 28 years old.