Chapter 163: Sunset Celebrations

The meal started at four in the afternoon and dragged on until evening.

Fang Jun had drunk a lot and transformed from his usual stoic self into a nonstop chatterbox.

Xu Chen, sitting next to her, bore the brunt of it as Fang Jun grabbed his arm, her voice rising and falling while she slurred her words incoherently.

In the latter part, she even started explaining financial math problems to Xu Chen.

Things like “trading financial assets accounting,” “present value, future value, annuities,” “current ratio, quick ratio,” and so on…

Xu Chen knew a bit about finance, but listening to Fang Jun’s drunken stream-of-consciousness calculations left him baffled and on the verge of collapse.

Worse, she spoke faster and faster, as if she had no intention of stopping all night.

It turned out Fang Jun’s cool, expressionless teacher persona crumbled with just one glass of liquor.

In the end, Xu Chen used his knack for playing along and bantered with her, gradually slowing her speech and easing the rhythm.

Director Yang, deep in his cups, grew sentimental and clung to Xu Zhiquan’s shoulder, tearfully recounting the hardships of his years at the Mechanical Factory.

In his emotional peak, he soaked the shoulder pads of Xu Zhiquan’s suit with tears.

Xu Zhiquan comforted Director Yang while still urging everyone at the table to keep eating.

Fang Tao and Cheng Yong each raised a glass of cola and sincerely thanked “Brother Chen.”

Both from the village with modest backgrounds, poor grades, and no clear path, they had been headed for factory work.

It was Bing Ge’s arrangement that brought them here.

After a few days with President Xu and hearing Li Rui’s boasts, they realized how lucky they were to have landed this opportunity.

This was Bing Ge’s doing and Brother Chen’s invitation, so their gratitude to Xu Chen was genuine.

Xu Chen raised his glass of cola, leaned past Director Yang, and clinked it with his father Xu Zhiquan’s.

“Congratulations, President Xu!”

Xu Zhiquan smiled. “And congratulations to you, Teacher Xu!”

Father and son shared a laugh and drained their glasses.

Xu Chen looked at his father Xu Zhiquan, feeling a wave of emotion.

Xu Zhiquan seemed simple and good-natured, always cheerful, but he had a real magnetic personality.

Whether it was Fang Jun, Director Yang, or Li Rui and the others, everyone who met Xu Zhiquan ended up respecting President Xu deeply.

Beyond his natural optimism and warmth, his age and experience added to his appeal.

As the Xu family business grew and managed more people, Xu Zhiquan’s down-to-earth optimism would be a key asset in running the company.

The sky darkened gradually.

Xu Zhiquan had Li Rui brew a pot of hot tea and gave some to the tipsy Fang Jun and Director Yang to sober them up a bit.

Old Xu’s face was flushed, but he showed no signs of being drunk.

He glanced at the sky and suddenly grabbed his son Xu Chen’s arm.

“Come on, let’s head to the roof and watch the sunset!”

Xu Chen supported his father as they climbed the steps to the flat, spacious rooftop.

In the western sky, the sun still glowed red, lightly wrapped in dark gray clouds, sinking toward the horizon.

Father and son sat on the roof, lost in the fading light.

In the Jinfeng Business Tower office.

That morning, Fang Jun was hunched over the computer, working on a pile of spreadsheets.

Xu Chen munched on grapes as he wandered over.

“Fang, can I borrow your computer for a bit?”

Fang Jun turned with her usual blank expression.

“What about your laptop?”

Xu Chen mumbled around a mouthful of grapes, “Left it at home…”

Fang Jun: “What do you need it for? I’m in the middle of calculations.”

Xu Chen: “Just checking my college entrance exam scores!”

Fang Jun paused, then stood up from her seat.

She thought for a moment, sat back down, and closed all the messy programs on her screen.

She even opened the task manager and shut down unrelated background processes to make the computer run smoothly.

Then Fang Jun stood again and pulled out the office chair for Xu Chen.

“Go ahead, check it.”

Xu Chen smiled and handed her the plate of grapes he was holding.

He sat casually, opened the browser, and typed in the query website.

Glancing back, he saw Fang Jun standing straight, still holding the grapes, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the screen.

Xu Chen said:

“You look more nervous than I am.”

Fang Jun frowned, picked a grape, and popped it into her mouth.

“I… I’m really tense.

That’s your college entrance score.”

Xu Chen: “It’s not even yours.”

Fang Jun: “Doesn’t matter, I’m still tense.”

Who wouldn’t be tense about checking exam scores?

It decides which university you attend and even shapes your future path.

Those simple three-digit numbers are a harsh measure of personal ability.

They set the stage for the next few decades of life.

But Xu Chen seemed completely unfazed.

Well…

He had to admit, he was a little nervous.

In his past life, he scored 595, and now he’d memorized the essay and nailed the last math problem…

It should be higher this time.

He entered the complicated personal verification info, and the stark [Query] button appeared.

As Xu Chen was about to click, Fang Jun suddenly said from behind:

“Aren’t you going to call President Xu over?”

His father Xu Zhiquan was in the manager’s office nearby.

Xu Chen thought for a second. “No need, I’ll just tell him the results later.”

As he reached to click, Fang Jun spoke up again:

“You’re just going to click like that?”

Xu Chen: “What else? Should I light incense and bathe first?”

Fang Jun thought with her expressionless face:

“That seems too casual. At least make a wish or something.”

Xu Chen: “I thought you’d be all logic and math, not into that stuff.”

Fang Jun: “I’m not, but what if it helps? Might as well try.”

Xu Chen chuckled and clasped his hands, closing his eyes in focus…

But he wasn’t sure which deity to pray to.

After a moment, he murmured in his mind:

“To Bing Ge from another era, the mysterious ruler of the tracks, the king of hurdles with his wolfhound…

Grant me a great score!”

Xu Chen opened his eyes, took a deep breath, grabbed the mouse, and hit the [Query] button.

The page refreshed instantly.

The moment the score appeared, Fang Jun let out a sharp shriek.

Xu Chen turned to see her nearly drop the plate of grapes.

This usually stoic woman reacted like a cat whose tail got stepped on, yelping and almost jumping.

Xu Zhiquan heard the noise and stepped out of the manager’s office.

“What happened?”

Fang Jun suppressed her excitement behind that blank face, still holding the grapes.

“Xu Chen’s exam scores…”

“Oh?!”

Xu Zhiquan hurried over, craning his neck at the screen.

“628… What’s that mean? I have no idea.”

Fang Jun thought for a moment.

“I scored 580 on my exams and got into a top provincial finance university.”

Xu Zhiquan pondered.

“That’s 48 points higher than yours…”

Fang Jun: “Top 985 schools are a lock.”

Xu Zhiquan froze, then burst into hearty laughter.

He reached out and ruffled his son’s hair, beaming with pride.

Fang Jun balanced the grapes in her left hand and pulled out her phone with her right, looking up past exam scores.

Xu Zhiquan leaned in and whispered:

“What’s the scoop?”

Seeing Fang Jun was busy, he took the grapes from her left hand.

Fang Jun stared at her phone screen and said:

“Based on last year and the year before, he could aim for most of the top 985 schools except maybe the absolute top three or four!”

Xu Zhiquan laughed loudly again.

“So my Xu family isn’t just getting a college student, but one from a premier school!”

Xu Chen leaned back in the chair, gazing at the score on the screen, feeling a mix of emotions.

In the past few months since his rebirth, he hadn’t studied that hard, and this score far exceeded his expectations.

Last life, he got 595; now, over 30 points higher was a huge win.

As Fang Jun said, he could pick from most 985 schools, though majors might have limits.

In Shanghai, the top three universities were mostly in reach, even for specific programs.

Fudan might be a stretch, especially for hot majors, but no rush—he had days to check past cutoffs and decide.

Last time, his teacher Zhang Liqun talked him into risky choices, landing him in a second-tier school.

This time, 985 was secure, so he’d play it safe.

No need to gamble for the very top when he already had solid options.

Behind him, Xu Zhiquan was buzzing with excitement, patting his son’s shoulder repeatedly as if words failed him.

Even taking over the Mechanical Factory hadn’t thrilled him this much.

Fang Jun, still glued to her phone, started advising on majors.

“What do you want to study?”

“With your score, you can choose from several 985 schools and pick your major!”

“Finance could suit you—you seem to have a talent for it!”

“Tech and finance are hot, but who knows in a couple years.”

“Steer clear of philosophy or archaeology; those can be dead ends.”

Xu Chen turned with a grin, thinking Fang Jun was acting like a chatterbox again—had she been drinking?

Then he remembered something and said to Fang Jun:

“Fang, didn’t you mention buying a couple of voice recorders for meetings?”

Fang Jun blinked. “What’s that got to do with your major?”

Xu Zhiquan lit a cigarette, puffing away as he said with a smile:

“We’ve secured the Mechanical Factory, and my son nailed his exams…”

This is double happiness!

“Maybe we should hang up some red double happiness banners?”

Fang Jun: “??”

Xu Chen: “…”