After the Divorce, I Could Hear the Voice of the Future

"First, let him lean against the tree and throw up for a while."

Lu Liang squatted by the roadside, letting Fang Shiyu support Su Yuchen as he vented under the tree.

Until the surging sounds of vomiting turned into dry heaving, he passed over a bottle of water with a smile, "This time, you're with the leaders, so being honest is fine, it can leave a good impression on people.

If you drink with colleagues later, don't be that honest, cheat if you need to, refuse if you have to. Drinking isn't the goal, don't drink for the sake of drinking."

He saw a reflection of his younger self in Su Yuchen, just entering the workforce, first at the drinking table, almost never saying no.

His alcohol tolerance wasn't great either, just relied on being young, with a strong body, and drank stubbornly, but in hindsight, some drinks were unnecessary.

Like with coworkers, everyone's a worker, if a coworker urges you to drink, it doesn't matter if you don't, or if you pretend you can't handle it, it's not a big deal.

If you don't refuse, it's fine if you can handle your liquor, but if you can't, it only satisfies others' schadenfreude.

After all, there are always people unhappy with their lives, who take pleasure in seeing others embarrassed.

"Do I still need to drink in the future?" Su Yuchen looked as if he wanted to cry without tears, sitting by the road, staring blankly in a trance, beginning to doubt whether deciding to take the civil service exam was the right choice.

Unable to suppress a laugh, Lu Liang helped him pat his back, "Not often, but if Mr. Zhang really appreciates you, he might take you out to dinner in the future. Then you should pay attention and observe, who is respected and who isn't."

"Be straightforward and honest with superiors to make a good impression, but pull rank as appropriate with others, drink less or not at all whenever possible."

Lu Liang didn't say too much, teaching through words won't work, but teaching through actions does, some things can't be learned through words.

He asked with a smile, "Can you walk now? Or should Shiyu carry you?"

"No need, brother-in-law, I can still stand."

Su Yuchen waved his hand, wiped his mouth, and climbed into the car, leaning his head back with a long sigh, looking like he was running out of steam.

Lu Liang's upturned smile hadn't faded as he took him back to the hotel and straight to the spa on the fifth floor, "Let's go soak in a bath and get a massage."

"Brother-in-law, I just want to go back to my room to sleep." Su Yuchen's face was red, whether from the alcohol or embarrassment.

For a student fresh out of graduation, even getting a foot bath was extravagant, let alone a massage, a completely taboo subject.

"It's just a quick soak and a rub down, you'll wake up feeling much better tomorrow."

Lu Liang laughed, Su Yuchen wasn't heartbroken, he certainly wouldn't corrupt the other's pure soul.

A bath and massage were just simply relaxing treatments, even the most ascetic monk could partake, and the Buddha wouldn't fault him for it.

Su Yuchen gave an "Oh," and followed Lu Liang to the changing room. Lu Liang teased with a smile, "Disappointed?"

"No, not at all," Su Yuchen hurriedly replied.

Perhaps because the young man was full of vigor, or maybe it was due to the high-quality services of the upscale hotel's masseurs, skilled and fairly good-looking, he ended up pitching a tent.

"Your alcohol tolerance is indeed not bad," Lu Liang squinted and smiled, Su Yuchen had drunk well over half a liter tonight and could still get it up, which meant he hadn't reached his limit.

Because a truly drunk person is lifeless, like a caterpillar. The so-called drunken shenanigans are just an excuse for misbehavior.

The massage continued and the tent was dismantled, soft snoring began to echo beside him. Lu Liang couldn't help but chuckle, called for Fang Shiyu, and directly carried him back to the room.

For a big guy nearly two meters tall and almost 200 pounds, carrying a slim 170 cm, 130-pound kid was quite simple.

The next morning, as dawn barely lit the sky,

Su Yuchen awoke from his bed, subconsciously shook his head, feeling no post-drunk headache.

He had arrived in a hurry the previous afternoon and had no time to look at the layout of the hotel room.

Now he found that the room was more luxurious than he had imagined, over a hundred square meters, with a kitchen, a study and a living room.

The living room had three French windows facing Jinji Lake, the water shimmered, and a sliver of morning sun cast a glow like the coming of the Purple Qi from the east.

The view was too beautiful to describe, he picked up his phone to take photos and record the moment, then saw several missed calls, his parents had each called several times last night.

Then, there was a message in the family group chat, Su Wanyu said that he was likely too busy to answer the phone with Lu Liang.

Su Yuchen glanced at the time, knowing that although it was only 6:30 am, his parents would have woken up.

They would buy groceries and make breakfast. After eating, they'd drive over forty kilometers to the garment factory; they woke up at six every day.

"Last night, I went out to dinner with some district leaders with my brother-in-law, including the director of the Investment Office, and leaders from the tax and environmental protection departments."

Old Su was thrilled, their family finally had a potential official, he eagerly said, "Dad transferred another twenty thousand to your Alipay, spend it if you need to, don't skimp."

Su Yuchen smiled wryly, "You keep it, there's no need for me to spend money with my brother-in-law."

"That's true, but your brother-in-law also has his own business to take care of. Keep the money, buy a few clean sets of clothes, and maybe rent a place. Once you've settled down, your mom and I will come to visit you."

As father and son talked, the room phone in the living room rang. Su Yuchen felt puzzled, then learned that his clothes had been delivered to the hotel and could now be brought up if convenient.

"Then send them up, thank you."

Old Su was overjoyed, even through the phone, his happiness was evident, "Your brother-in-law bought you clothes?"

"A few suits, because my brother-in-law said there's a project completion today, leaders from both the city and district will be there, and he's taking me to see."

"Your brother-in-law is good to you. Make yourself presentable, make a good impression, dad won't keep you any longer."

As Old Su spoke, suddenly his wife's voice chimed in from the side, "Remember to take a picture for mom later. Aunt Hui said, she wants to see you."

"She wants him to start dating right after graduation? Now it's about career first, put romances on hold."

"Just because I've just graduated? I'm already 22. When I was his age, Yu was almost born."

"Can you add a little less chaos? These days, people advocate free love."

Su Yuchen couldn't help but laugh and cry, and he took the initiative to hang up the phone. After a while, the doorbell rang.

The sales associate from yesterday stood at the door with a broad smile, "Good morning, Mr. Su. I'm sorry to come by so early and disturb you."

"Not at all, not at all."

Su Yuchen was at a loss because he had received the clothes, but the sales associate showed no sign of leaving.

She covered her mouth with a light laugh and explained, "Mr. Su, why don't you try them on first? I'll wait outside the door. If there's anything that doesn't fit right, you can let us know immediately."

Su Yuchen blushed, just as he was about to close the door, he thought about the fact that a girl was waiting right outside his door, which might lead to misunderstandings, "Why don't you come in and sit for a while?"

He hurriedly explained, "I don't mean anything by it. It just doesn't seem right to have a lady waiting outside."

"Mr. Su, you are so considerate."

The sales associate smiled lightly, took out shoe covers, put them on, and bent slightly to apologize, "Sorry for the intrusion."

"No intrusion." Su Yuchen didn't dare to close the door and quickly picked up a set of clothing and shoes, rushing into the changing room.

"Take your time, no need to hurry." The sales associate couldn't help but laugh, suddenly curious about what the relationship between him and Lu Liang really was.

"Lu Liang is my brother. I'm from Hu Jian, and I'm here to take part in the public service exam in Su City."

Su Yuchen was changing clothes, chatting intermittently with the sales associate through a door.

For the first time in his life, such a beautiful and elegant girl took the initiative to show interest in him, and he couldn't hide his excitement.

After all, he never found his sister to be particularly beautiful, just a little prettier than the average girl.

"Wow, that's impressive. The exams in Su City are tough. I've tried a few times myself but ended up giving up."

The sales associate knew just how to provide emotional value, deliberately ignoring the factor of Lu Liang and lavishing praise on Su Yuchen instead.

"It is quite tough. I've been preparing for months, and I still don't have much confidence."

Su Yuchen emerged from the changing room wearing a suit that fit him perfectly in length and tightness, and his charm soared.

"Mr. Su, that suit looks great on you. Move around a bit to see if any part feels too tight or too loose."

The sales associate's eyes lit up with a mixture of flattery and sincerity; mainly because Su Yuchen was not overweight and he stood at 174 cm tall.

As long as someone has a decent face and isn't particularly overweight or short, suits are one of the best ways to enhance appeal.

Especially high-end custom suits—visible luxury. The only downside of an expensive suit is that it's expensive.

"It fits quite well." Su Yuchen moved his limbs around, then stood in front of the full-length mirror, looking at himself from different angles.

Even he felt that he had suddenly become more handsome; if he combed his hair back in a side part later on, he would definitely look even better.

"Your cufflinks aren't fastened. Let me help you."

The sales associate picked up a pair of spare cufflinks and personally showed Su Yuchen how to wear them.

She said with a smile, "They make the shirt cuffs fit more snugly, and a good pair of cufflinks can add a unique charm to a man."

Su Yuchen blushed as the sales associate's hair was less than twenty centimeters from his nose, and he could smell the faint scent of flowers.

"Does it look much more professional?"

The sales associate looked up to find Su Yuchen staring at her in a daze. As their eyes met, he quickly averted his gaze, "Uh, it does seem a lot better."

Her smile bloomed again as she bowed slightly, "Mr. Su, if there's nothing else, then I'll be on my way. I hope you have a pleasant day."

"Oh, okay."

Su Yuchen felt a sense of loss as he watched her leave and couldn't help but ask, "My name is Su Yuchen, what's yours?"

"Li Aiyue. You can call me Little Li, or Aiyue." Li Aiyue gave a cheery smile, ready to depart.

Su Yuchen mustered the courage to ask for contact information, adding, "Miss Li, just in case I have any questions, I might ask for your advice."

Li Aiyue smiled and left her contact information, and Su Yuchen then asked, "Miss Li, how much do these suits cost?"

He hadn't been blinded by her beauty—he wanted to know how much Lu Liang had spent on him.

Even though he might not be able to repay it now, or perhaps ever, he didn't want to be ignorant and shameless or think that it was his due.

Li Aiyue thought for a moment, unsure how to put it, "Mr. Lu is really good to you."

"How much?"

"Three suits, including shoes and a belt, come to less than half a million."

Su Yuchen gave a wry smile, "So, nearly that much?"

Li Aiyue nodded and added, "Don't worry, there are no logos visible anywhere; they just look a bit more upscale."

"Thank you."

Su Yuchen watched Li Aiyue leave, realizing that the average cost of a suit was over a hundred thousand, weighing heavily on him.

Lu Liang had indeed been very good to him, treating him as his own; suddenly, he felt he might also understand his sister's perspective.