Chapter 27: An Invitation to Travel Together

Meng Jianshu had a business engagement that evening, so the group agreed to meet up late at night for beer and skewers. Chen Xiao, reluctant to miss dinner with Zhao Xiangjun, chatted with them for a while before saying he would head back first and join them later that night.

When he reached the parking lot, he found his car blocked by another vehicle. A valet ran over, explaining that the owner had left contact information and that he would go fetch them to move the car. Chen Xiao sat in the driver's seat and waited. To his surprise, he saw Lili walking over with keys to move the car; only then did it dawn on him that the BMW 3 Series parked in front of him belonged to Meng Jianshu and his group.

Lili sat in the driver's seat and started the engine. Subconsciously, she glanced over at the driver's side of the white Mercedes and froze for a moment. He nodded at her, and once she moved the car, Chen Xiao drove back to Hairun Mansion.

Hairun Mansion truly felt like home to him now; his old rented apartment had always felt cold and empty. Zhao Xiangjun was already cooking, and he sat nearby, legs crossed, watching her.

"Xiangjun, when are you off work?"
"Why? Need something?"
"If you have time off, I'll take you out for a spin."
"No thanks. Why go out? If I'm not babysitting for my brother, I'd rather just curl up at home. Isn't that better?"
She was even more of a homebody than he was!
"Alright then."
Seeing him look a bit disappointed, she thought for a moment and asked, "Is something the matter?"
Chen Xiao replied, "A few friends invited me to a farmstead. They're all bringing their girlfriends, and I'm the only one alone..."
"Then bring your own girlfriend."
"I don't have one, that's why..."
"So you want to use me to fill the quota!"
"It's not like that..." He didn't know how to explain it.
"Fine. You confirm the date, and I'll ask for time off in advance."

She had agreed, and Chen Xiao found himself momentarily unable to process it. He had only asked on a whim. He enjoyed the meal immensely, feeling that their relationship had reached a breakthrough. Given her personality, she clearly wouldn't go out with just anyone. The fact that she agreed meant that in her heart, Chen Xiao was someone different—at the very least, he was reliable.

She had grown accustomed to his laziness, so she would peel shrimp for him and make sure to prep any fruit with skin. She would peel dragon fruit, cut it into bite-sized pieces, and place a small fork in it, leaving him as content as a pampered master.

After the meal, they talked about her current job. The shop where Zhao Xiangjun worked allowed employees to hold shares. When the shop opened up opportunities to invest, she wanted to put in some money and had poured in all her meager savings. This was why she had transferred 5,000 to Chen Xiao yesterday—her money was tied up in the shop, and she was broke.

Investment? Why use your own money for investments? Use a fund! What a spendthrift!

"How much did you invest?"
"100,000 for a 5% stake."
"What's the upper limit?"
"Individuals can take up to 10%."
"Then you should invest the full 10%. Your shop's business looks great; the returns should be decent."
Zhao Xiangjun rolled her eyes. "Why don't you just sell me off? You talk as if I'm running a bank!"
"It's fine, just invest it. I'll be your bank! Invest the 10%, and I'll transfer the money to you."
"No. Why would I want your money? I have hands and feet!"
"I'm not giving it to you; it's an investment! It's a guaranteed profit anyway, why not?"

Given their relationship, he knew she would never accept 200,000 if he just gave it to her, so he exhausted himself trying to persuade her to invest her own money.

"No, I can't handle being in debt. Besides, don't just spend money recklessly because you've made a little. Save it; you'll need it later!"
"Why are you so stubborn? This investment will yield returns, and my money is just sitting there anyway. Don't nag, it's settled!"

She knew he was right and that he had her best interests at heart, but she still found it hard to accept. Eventually, his persistent pestering won her over. She agreed because she knew the business well and trusted that it was a safe investment—the shop had implemented the policy to incentivize employees. Plus, if it really did fail, she could always pay him back the difference.

Seeing the 200,000 bank notification, she asked, "Wouldn't 100,000 have been enough? Why so much?"
"I have plenty of idle cash anyway. Save your own money to buy a house; use mine for the investment!"
Zhao Xiangjun rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not buying a house. Renting is fine; I'm not cut out to be a slave to a mortgage."
"Don't worry. You've got a sugar daddy backing you; I'm your solid foundation!"
"I'm afraid if your foundation cracks, we'll both die together," she retorted.

...What a jinx.

After dinner, he had gained another 9,600 from his fund. After deducting the 200,000 he had paid out, he still had a balance of 980,000. With such rapid savings, what was there to fear? Not to mention, he hadn't even touched his own principal yet.

After dinner, he rested in his dorm for a while before heading out to the skewers spot at the agreed time. There were four of them; Lili didn't come this time. Tao Yong had picked the spot, right near his rental apartment. Surprisingly, the only lobster served at the barbecue was something Tao Yong had cooked himself and brought along—you had to admire his thriftiness.

The group chatted about life and reminisced about high school. They gossiped about how the class prodigy was doing and how the former class beauty had already gotten married. Youth is always unforgettable. Back then, there was no distance between them, but once they stepped into society, everything changed.

For instance, Meng Jianshu would mock Tao Yong for being "so thrifty," and Liu Bo would chime in, always siding with Meng Jianshu because he was a construction boss. Tao Yong, unable to tell if he was being mocked, just kept his head down, drinking and bragging about how he would soon be making a million a year.

Before they knew it, they had all had a bit too much to drink. The food was gone, but the group wasn't finished. Meng Jianshu suggested they head to a KTV to keep drinking. There was a budget KTV near where Tao Yong lived, so they were dragged by Meng Jianshu to "Candy" KTV.

As soon as they entered the lobby, Tao Yong shouted to open a private room, but he made no move to pay. Chen Xiao felt the situation was awkward—everyone acted like a big shot while drinking, but turned mute when it came time to pay the bill. He took out his phone and scanned the code to pay; after all, it was just a budget KTV and wouldn't cost much.

Just as he was about to follow the waiter into the room, he heard a drunken Tao Yong ask the manager if there were any hostesses available. Naturally, a budget KTV didn't have them, but the manager said he could call some over, and Tao Yong immediately agreed.

The group howled in the room for half an hour, downing a few more bottles of beer. The waiter brought in five girls, and Tao Yong kept them all to drink, sing, and play games with everyone. Chen Xiao already regretted coming. The gathering had turned into a bragging contest; the pure, youthful feeling among classmates had vanished completely.

He sat in the corner, scrolling through his phone. The girls beside him were dressed up nicely, but he had no interest in that caliber of girl. After spending so much time with Zhao Xiangjun, even the class-beauty types like Ma Jing didn't hold much appeal for him anymore.