At this time, dance halls had not yet become popular. Most entertainment consisted of billiard halls, skating rinks, and going to the movies. However, some billiard halls were already transforming into dance halls, favored by unruly young people.
Xie Sui, an old hand at various entertainment venues in his previous life, found himself in such a place for the first time.
Before, he had only muddled along in his small village, causing trouble locally, and had never qualified to be at this county level.
"Let's go. It's just a billiard hall, it won't eat you. For work, you have to adapt to such places. As long as you don't mess around and don't go astray, it's fine."
The others were eager to try. Who wouldn't want to go have some fun?
There weren't many people in the billiard hall during the day, only a few young men playing billiards. The decor was flashy, but to Xie Sui, it looked incredibly gaudy.
A young man with a bouffant hairstyle, bell-bottom pants, and a leather jacket, with a small nose and small eyes, thinking he was very handsome, puffed on a cigarette and asked, "What are you here for?"
"To play, obviously. Are you allowed to play but we're not?"
Before Gu Lei could say anything, Xie Sui was even more defiant. He walked over unsteadily, as if his feet had springs, swaying with every step, and reached the billiard table.
"One game?"
"Sure, is there anything at stake?"
There was a unique aura among those who were considered "scum." Yan Xiaoliang immediately recognized him as one of his own kind, but to follow him, one needed some capital.
"One hundred yuan, winner takes all!"
"Hiss!"
Even these sons of officials were stunned by Xie Sui's bold move.
Yan Xiaoliang smiled and said, "Alright, brother, where are you from?"
"My name is Xie Sui. I run a small food factory, just trying to make a living."
He spoke humbly, but the others didn't take it as humility. They pictured the scale of the county's food factory, with hundreds of employees.
This was a result of Chinese humility culture: the more humble someone sounded, the more influential they were.
Xie Sui felt innocent; he was just telling the truth.
"Alright, let's play."
The two men reset the balls. Yan Xiaoliang asked, "You first or me?"
"You go first. I'm afraid if I break, you won't even get a chance to shoot." - Su Dan Fiction Network
Yan Xiaoliang finally looked at him seriously. He liked people who were even more audacious than himself.
"Then fine, I'll go first."
Yan Xiaoliang had been frequenting billiard halls since middle school. He wouldn't claim to be invincible in the county, but there were few who could beat him. He sank five balls in a row, drawing cheers from his sycophants.
However, he got carried away in his excitement and missed a shot, angering him so much that he slammed his cue down. "Your turn."
Xie Sui casually stepped forward, stretching his wrists. He was relaxed and at ease. The crowd, who had initially been watching for amusement, looked at his posture and thought he couldn't possibly win against Brother Yan.
But as Xie Sui sank ball after ball, their smiles disappeared. "Damn, he's a master!"
With only two balls left, Xie Sui performed a flashy maneuver. He leaned against the table diagonally, passed the cue behind his back, and with a "dong," sank both balls with one shot!
"Good!"
A round of applause erupted. Yan Xiaoliang threw away his cigarette butt, defeated. "Not bad, brother, that's some skill."
"It's alright. The opponent was just too weak. It's no fun being a king among sheep."
Yan Xiaoliang: "..."
He felt like Xie Sui was subtly insulting him, though he had no proof.
"Let's go have some tea and talk."
This was what Xie Sui had been waiting for. He had finally caught Yan Xiaoliang's eye and earned the right to a conversation as equals.
People have a natural admiration for strength. Yan Xiaoliang had seen many people groveling before him; he certainly wouldn't treat Xie Sui as insignificant. The more audacious Xie Sui was, and the more genuine his skill, the more seriously Yan Xiaoliang would take him.
Gu Lei quickly followed, completely convinced by Xie Sui.
Who was Yan Xiaoliang?
He was the son of the county's top official, someone even the second-in-command's son had to curry favor with. Yet, in less than an hour, Brother Xie had become his honored guest.
"Hold on, I'll have someone get the money."
Yan Xiaoliang didn't renege on the bet. Although a hundred yuan was a lot, he wasn't that petty to refuse to pay.
"Brother Yan, are you looking down on me? What bet? It was just for fun. If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't be sitting here drinking tea with you."
Yan Xiaoliang burst into laughter. "You're a smart man, I like that. Speak your mind, what do you need?"
Xie Sui said, "I have some goods from my factory, and I'd like Brother Yan to help distribute them to the lower towns. They're small food items, affiliated with our county's food factory. The quality is guaranteed."
"This, it's a bit difficult..."
Xie Sui lit a cigarette for him. "I understand. It's all for public service. We can't let them work for free. Whatever needs to be done, let's do it. Brother Yan, you just need to say the word."
"Alright, I'll ask my old man. I can't make this decision myself."
He was cautious. While he could handle pleasure and entertainment, when it came to serious matters, he had to involve his father. If his father fell, his own good life as a rich kid would also be over.
"Thank you for your trouble, Brother Yan. I'll await your news."
If Yan Xiaoliang had agreed immediately, Xie Sui would have been more uncertain. Young men who hadn't even grown mustaches usually weren't reliable.
It seemed Yan Xiaoliang wasn't a fool either, worth befriending.
The two chatted for a long time. Xie Sui spun tales from all over the world, completely captivating Yan Xiaoliang, who eventually became like his devoted fan.
"Is the South really full of gold everywhere?"
"Is that disco really that exciting?"
"What kind of music is rock? I've only heard it on the radio; we don't have it here."
"Are those Hong Kong stars really that liberated? They dare to make those kinds of movies!"
Xie Sui: "..."
Your interests are quite unusual.
"The world is vast, and the county is but a drop in the ocean, a grain of sand in the desert. My next goal is Changshan City, then the provincial capital, and then connect with Shenzhen. I'm looking at the whole country."
"By then, we'll have factories all over the country, and we can travel anywhere we want. Business trips so frequent you'll get sick of them, and see so many beautiful women you'll be bored of them."
"Little Yan, broaden your horizons. The business in this county is only enough to make ends meet. To truly get rich, you have to go out!"
Yan Xiaoliang was so excited by Xie Sui's words that he forgot his address. He went from calling him "Brother Yan" to "Little Yan," directly becoming a junior.
Lunch was, of course, included. After a few drinks, their relationship had reversed. Yan Xiaoliang was now calling Xie Sui "Brother Xie" and himself "Little Yan."
"Little Yan, brother will carry you to success. Our future is in the world, in the universe. We'll stop here for today, and continue drinking another day."
"Alright, Brother Xie. About that disco, teach me sometime. Or why don't you stay tonight? We can watch a movie, dance. There are plenty of pretty girls in the county."
"No, we are proper gentlemen. We can't look at young girls. I have a wife. Little Yan, women are trouble. Stay away from them. Women will affect our speed of drawing our swords. The prettier the woman, the more dangerous. Remember that!"
"Bye-bye, see you!"