"Is that so?"
Li Yao vaguely recalled that it did happen. He did hear someone calling him and stabbing him. But he was watching the battle on Iron Plateau, where 'Cultivator Li Yao' was fighting 'Yan Xibei'. It was the most exciting moment for him, and he was brimming with brutality and brutality.
Then, Li Yao slapped his head and exclaimed, "Damn it. The job fair yesterday. Ouch!"
"You can't blame us for that," Yu Xin said.
Yu Xin said, "We really wanted to call you so that we wouldn't joke with you about such a serious matter. But you didn't know that there was brutality in your eyes at that time, cunningness in your brutality, and shamelessness in your cunningness. In short, Zhao Kai and I were so scared that we didn't come back to ourselves for a long time. How could we dare to call you again?
"Say, Li Yao, are you alright? It doesn't matter if you don't go to the job fair. After all, we went to check it out. All the companies that came were random companies. But your mental state is obviously not right!"
"Exactly," Zhao Kai said.
"You can ask our boss if you don't believe me. He heard you screaming the night before yesterday. Do you want us to go to the hospital with you if there's really something wrong with you?"
"Screaming?"
Li Yao looked at Zhou Ping and asked, "Boss, what was I screaming about?"
"They're not lying to you."
Zhou Ping smiled and said, "When I came back from the library the night before yesterday, it was already very late. The two of them were lying in bed with their earphones on. There was no telling if they were asleep or not. But the moment I opened the door, I heard you screaming and stretching your arms, shouting, 'Cultivators are here!' I was so scared that I did not dare move for a long time. The two of them jumped out of bed and almost fell off, too.
"The three of us were dazed for a long time. When we looked at you again, you were snoring. Your hands that were dangling on the edge of the bed were cramping quickly. Your fingers seemed to be cramping crazily, as if you were playing a nonexistent piano. You were playing so fast. Speaking of which, do you know how to play the piano?"
"I don't know how to play the piano at all!"
Li Yao scratched his head for a long time. "My hands are probably cramping!"
"I don't think your hands are cramping, but your head."
Yu Xin laughed. "Degenerate!"
"What?!"
Li Yao also laughed, trying to forget all the unexplainable weirdness in the laughter of his brothers. "The three of us are of the same weight. Let's not make a pot calling the kettle black here, shall we? I like to daydream and Zhao Kai likes to read web novels. Yu Xin, haven't you been secretly reading comics these past few days? Sigh, if we really want to talk about degeneration, it's not the two of you. Our boss, a true straight-A student, a rising tycoon in the investment world, is the one who has the right to say that the three of us have degenerated! "
"That's right."
Yu Xin and Zhao Kai didn't find it shameful at all. Instead, they were proud of it. They giggled and agreed with Li Yao's words. The three of them raised their glasses to Zhou Ping. "Boss, let's toast to our future investment tycoon and financial magnate. In the future, us three degenerates will have to hug your thigh!"
"What are you saying?"
Zhou Ping was embarrassed, and his face flushed red. He was not a talkative person who liked to be in the limelight. However, he had gotten along well with his buddies in university. Today, he had just settled on a job. Thinking that his years of hard work had finally paid off, and that his days would get better and better in the future, he was indeed full of emotions and wanted to say something. He downed a glass of beer in one gulp, wiped his face, and said, "Reading a few novels and comics and daydreaming is considered depraved? I never thought so! You guys don't know, but I've been living too hard these past few years, too hard … But there's no other way. If I had your conditions, I would also want to live a few years of comfortable and relaxed days, reading the novels and comics I like and letting my imagination run wild without any worries. Really, this is not called degeneration, this is called youth! "
"Really?"
Li Yao and the other two were interested. Yu Xin slapped his thigh and said, "Boss, you like to watch comics too? I didn't see it! We always thought that you were a saint who had no desires and only wanted to wander in the sea of learning! Come, come, come, tell us what you like to watch. Who knows, maybe we're kindred spirits! "
"No, no, of course I don't watch it now. I watched it when I was young, I watched it when I was young."
Zhou Ping didn't know what to say. After thinking for a long time, he burped. The alcohol had overtaken him, and before he could say anything, his eyes were red. He said, "I don't know what's popular among the young people these days. Anyway, when I was very young, I saw a cartoon called 'Battlestar' on the television. It was about a huge spaceship with an entire city inside. It was about a battle with aliens or something."
"Yeah, that's a very old cartoon," Yu Xin said.
"Boss, how old are you? I remember that you're only two or three years older than us. Why do you sound like you're twelve or thirteen years older than us? Are you born in the 80s?"
Li Yao and the other two all burst into laughter upon hearing his words.
Zhou Ping also laughed himself.
"Our small place can't be compared to your city. All kinds of information come in slower. Anyway, it's fine as long as you know that there's such a cartoon."
Zhou Ping said, "Next, next, don't laugh when I say it!"
"Nonsense, who would dare laugh at the boss we admire the most?"
Yu Xin said, "Boss, just say it. We've been together for so many years, but I rarely hear you talk about your childhood or family matters. Seeing that we're about to go our separate ways, just say what you want to say. If there's anything happy or unhappy, just say it in the wine. Let's all get drunk. Tomorrow, we'll forget everything and it'll be a new day!"
"Actually, who doesn't like to watch cartoons, read novels, play games, and have those kinds of interesting and bizarre daydreams, right? I still remember the first time I saw a cartoon called Battlestar. You didn't know — "
Under the stimulation of alcohol, Zhou Ping finally opened his heart. "At that time, our family was a boat operator. We drove those diesel barges that went 'tuk tuk tuk tuk' all day long. We rarely went ashore, so naturally, we didn't have much entertainment. When I was young, I thought the whole world was like that — a few narrow waterways, barges loaded with sand, pebbles, or all kinds of goods, the unpleasant smell of diesel, the 'tuk tuk tuk tuk' sound, and the only joy was climbing to the top of the cabin every night to look at the stars in the sky.
"It wasn't until I watched Battlestar that I realized, wow, there's such a wonderful world out there — a spaceship that can fit an entire city, a fighter jet that can transform, a giant alien, and a dazzling space war. Seriously, I'm not good with words, so I don't know what to say."
"It's okay."
Li Yao spoke on behalf of everyone. "We all understand. It's like an out-of-body experience and coming to a whole new world."
"That's right, an out-of-body experience, that's it!"
Zhou Ping continued, "I was mesmerized by this cartoon, Battlestar. I was completely mesmerized. When the TV station was airing it, not a single episode was played. When it was over, it was as if … as if the whole world had collapsed.
"I felt terrible. It was as if my heart was being scratched by a cat's paw. Every night when I slept and dreamed, I dreamt of things like Battlestar, Star Wars, transforming fighter jets, and giant robots. Those scenes were very realistic, as if every scene and every character had a life of their own. It was completely different from the usual dreams.
"I feel, I feel … Don't laugh when I say it out loud. You're not allowed to laugh. I feel like I lived in the universe in my previous life, and I was the captain of a super-large space battleship!"
"Pfft!"
Yu Xin still laughed out loud.
Zhou Ping glared at him angrily.
Li Yao and Zhao Kai picked up their chopsticks and knocked Yu Xin's head.
"I'm not laughing at Boss."
Yu Xin clutched his head and grimaced. "I drank too much. Boss, please continue. I'm not laughing at you. Almost all children have had this kind of dream before. I've had it too. Really, I've also dreamt that I was in the vast sea of stars in my previous life, someone in the endless universe. Of course, I wasn't as awe-inspiring as the captain, but I've really had it before.
Go on, go on. "" I know that no one will believe me even if I say it out loud. Even now, I don't believe it. But when I was young, I really believed that I was the captain of a space battleship in my previous life. "
Zhou Ping narrowed his eyes and fell into his memories. "Every night, I would recall the plot of Battlestar and dream of space battleships. I remember a lot of details, from the structure of the battleship to the configuration of the crew, the setting of the space route, and the various problems that the captain would encounter during the voyage. It was as if there was a huge log book burning in my head.
"I had an exercise book. It was my most precious treasure when I was young. I drew many sketches of space battleships in it. Some were the same as Battlestar, but most of them were my own ideas. They were very beautiful and detailed. I couldn't believe that a ten-year-old kid could draw them. There were also fighter jets and many … What are you guys called? Things like mechas.
"I also knew how to drive a ship.
"I'm not lying to you. I seem to be born with the ability to drive a boat. Our barge's dashboard and steering wheel are even simpler than building blocks in my eyes. As for the relatively wide river in front of our house, it's calmer than a small stream in my eyes. I've been helping my father take care of the boat since I was eleven or twelve years old. My ears can tell the status of the diesel engine just by listening. I know which part of the boat has a problem just by touching it. It's as if I've become one with the entire boat. I can steer this boat and fly into the sky.
"I thought that I would be tied to the ship for the rest of my life. One day, I would drive the biggest and most powerful ship and travel the entire world.
"Once, when I was watching the news, I saw an aircraft carrier. I was immediately attracted by this majestic behemoth. I thought, no, I firmly believed that my dream was to become the captain of an aircraft carrier. I was born for this dream. I can do it, I definitely can!"
Veins popped out on Zhou Ping's forehead and fists. He slammed his fist on the table with a loud bang, but not many people noticed. All the college students were immersed in their own emotions.
Li Yao and the other two listened attentively.
"And then?"
Yu Xin asked.
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