1 A Teetotaller, Not Anymore!

An imposing, well-built man was currently inside his huge castle's study room, gazing out the window at the endless navy blue sky and the white clouds that were constantly moving. He reminisced about his past in his head and focused, telling himself what had happened before.

'According to an old saying, PEARLS don't lie on the surface of the sea, and if you want one, then you must dive for it. It was what my father reminded me of when he was on his last breath, leaving me an eleven-year-old boy alone in this cold and fiercely competitive world.'

'Since my humble beginnings, I have made my own way, wrecking my brain and working my ass off. I sold my soul to the devil, and I can say, I have given it my all, for the last two decades. And VOILA  here I am in my late 30s, one of the most successful and richest people walking this rocky planet we call Earth.'

'Yeah, developing an online platform called 'Zero,' a platform available for all aspiring and wonderful creative artists, was my cue in the business. All those 645 early investors were the bread and butter of this business, and later on, the several foreign multi-billionaires joining the campaign of my business became the dough in making me one of the trending, richest of the rich.'

'Alright, let's stop thinking about business. It's f***ing boring anyway.'

'Now I have everything… no, I meant anything that can be bought with money.'

'Yet, there are things I could not purchase with dollars thrown away. In fact, I can't buy someone to be my close and intimate friend, with whom I could share my woes and my normal side of being just a normal man.'

'I do not mean that I don't have any close friends, as what surrounds me at various parties are mainly circles of successful plus wealthy people, and often celebrities.'

'In order to relieve my loneliness and boredom, I started investing in various modeling enterprises all around the globe.'

'Oh, that's quite something. After that, I went on multiple dates with aspiring top-notch beauties, but I ended up dumping them after one night because they didn't possess what I was really looking for in a woman. It was the first time in my adult life that I stopped being a teetotaler and had my first glass of wine when I entered this high-class club. As a matter of fact, I assist them all and help them become the most successful they can be. So, it can be considered a win-win situation that removes me from being called a prick.'

'Almost all the hottest female celebrities in Hollywood and beyond have shared a passionate night with me at some point.'

'Well, there's not much to be proud of after dating all of them. It was just a one-night stand, and by the next morning, I had lost interest in them. All that was left was the alcohol, and soon, I became a lover of alcoholic drinks and began searching for various products from around the world.'

'The first time I was really passionate about something was liquor. My second priority is to find a wife who shares this same passion for liquor.'

'Don't get me wrong; I have my share of confessions to impart. I'm familiar with those who were poisoned and snarled by such alcohol. In our long journey of alcoholism, I have my own strict principle - 'to drink only on Sundays!' I won't even put a drop of alcohol into my mouth on other days.'

'As I found out later, this was a very addictive thing. So, I added a few hard rules to my drinking etiquette to keep track of the quantity of consumption. I've changed from drinking every Sunday to drinking only twice a month - once in the middle and once at the end.'

'In my leisure time, after dealing with all my official business duties, I'll browse various alcoholic beverages from all around the world.'

'Since I only drink twice a month and limit myself to one bottle per day, I am very careful about choosing my next drink and the person I will share my table with during this time. I want everything to go smoothly, just as I have envisioned.'

'The women who joined me in the past never understood my drinking etiquette, even when I shared my rules with them. They thought I was odd, which I totally understand, but it ruined my precious two days of the month. After three months, I stopped sharing my drinking tables with anyone else.'

'With time, my drinking habits led me to develop a strong disdain for people who spilled even a drop of alcohol, as I never spilled a drop when consuming a single bottle on my special days. I now realize how valuable each drop is to me.'

'In my search for the types of drink, I should consume for my next drinking session, I became a bit obsessed with learning about them. I even tried to learn about the ingredients and various ways of brewing those drinks, which led me to various brewing regions of the world. I visited almost all of them, lived with the locals, and learned their secret recipes, with a strong pledge never to divulge the recipes to another soul.'

'My second priority for this drinking ceremony is to have a fitting appetizer according to the taste and smell of the liquors I will consume that day. Therefore, I invite various famous chefs from all around the world who have at least 20 Michelin stars to prepare my dishes, particularly for that day. In return, I do them a big favor by investing in the restaurants they work in, either as an employee or owner.'

'I learned how to make a variety of dishes from them, which boosted my cooking skills to a professional level or even more, as I learned from the many professionals in the field. Yes, I learn from the pros.'

'Today is the last day of April, and I keep my calendar clean to mark this occasion.'

While he was lost in his memory lane, the door to the study room suddenly creaked, opened and a bald, middle-aged man with chiseled features walked into the room. The man wore an expensive-looking navy blue shirt with gold cufflinks.

Approaching just before the table, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden pocket watch which was linked with a long gold chain. "Master Lin Donghai, it's time. Your private jet is waiting for your presence." He broke the silence, speaking with elegance.

This cut off the suave-looking man's train of thought. "Where are we going this time around, Wang Li?" asked the man, still with his back to the newcomer.

"It's Duo Lün Duo, sir!"

Hearing that, the man spun around and repeated, "Duo Lün Duo." And his face showed a strange expression that he had never shown to others before.

For the first time, the butler saw something in his master's expression, but he could not grasp the meaning behind it. So he continued, "Sir, it is a simple village, somewhere in the Southeastern remote corner of the Hubei province."

"I know where it is, Wang Lin... I was born there."

"Anything wrong, sir? Shall I cancel this appointment?" Wang Lin asked, seeing the complicated expression on his master's face.

"No, it's just…. Hmm, I'm kind of nostalgic thinking about returning to my village after over two decades. It's somewhat out of the blue." Lin Donghai responded. "Wang Lin, I left the village the next day after my father's funeral and haven't been back since then... I think I'm ready to visit my parents and pay homage to their graves now. Let's go."

Then, taking a quick exit, they left the room.