Trillionaire's Slice of Life

Li Fei is the only friend Chu Mo still keeps in touch with.

Not one of many.

Unlike Chu Mo, Li Fei's greatest hobby is eating; during college, he practically devoured every delicacy the nearby eateries had to offer.

Li Fei's family was quite well-off, receiving double the living expenses Chu Mo got monthly, yet by the end of each month, it was all spent on food and drink.

Naturally, standing at 1.8 meters, Li Fei's weight of 180 pounds was justified.

Of course, thanks to his height, the weight on him seemed substantial rather than giving off the impression of being so fat he couldn't walk. Moreover, since he started dating his girlfriend last year and became conscious of his appearance, he's been actively trying to lose weight. So overall, he appeared fair and rather refined.

The reason Chu Mo and Li Fei became best friends can be traced back to a conflict with the dorm next door during the second semester of their sophomore year, a fight that ultimately did not break out.

At that time, Li Fei was in a confrontation with two others, at a disadvantage even with his large build.

Passing by just then, being dormmates who'd shared meals and drinks, Chu Mo couldn't stand by and watch one of his own suffer, so, without thinking, he rushed out to intervene.

Chu Mo, at 1.82 meters, wasn't thin back in college, so with his large stature joined by Li Fei's 1.80 meters and 190-plus pounds, now unburdened by weight loss, the odds were evened—two against two. The other pair backed down immediately, and the presence of onlookers discouraging the fight helped to diffuse the situation peacefully.

Male friendships can be that simple, it seems.

It was since then that Li Fei, upon discovering any good eatery, liked to pull Chu Mo along for a taste. As time went by, their bond grew stronger.

After graduating, Chu Mo and Li Fei were among the few in their class who chose to carve out their futures in the bustling city. Even though Chu Mo had set his classmate group chat to Do Not Disturb, his connection with Li Fei never broke.

They'd occasionally grab skewers to barbecue, share a bottle of beer, and reminisce about their college years; these meetings were one of the few comforts Chu Mo found in this cold city.

Chu Mo had originally planned to invite Li Fei to Bafang International to sample some Kobe steak, but Li Fei took the initiative and set their meeting at a barbecue restaurant on Láncūn Road.

It was a place they often met at, so without any hesitation, he agreed to the arrangement.

By the time a casually dressed Chu Mo in sneakers arrived at the restaurant, he immediately spotted the fair-complexioned portly figure.

"Wonders of the world, Fatty, you actually beat me here? This is momentous. It's the first time you've arrived earlier than me."

Chu Mo's face was brimming with mirth as he unceremoniously took his seat opposite Li Fei.

The nickname 'Fatty' had stuck since college, and although Li Fei wasn't really fat anymore, it seemed the nickname would always follow him.

The table was already laden with crawfish, roasted lamb legs, and several side dishes, indicating the other party had arrived quite early.

You see, since Chu Mo was a freelance writer with a more flexible schedule, he would usually be the first to arrive whenever the two met. He'd order the food so by the time Li Fei strolled in, everything was ready.

But more often than not, Li Fei picked up the tab.

Today was the first time he saw Li Fei arrive early, which understandably led to Chu Mo's playful banter.

The young man with the pale complexion in front of him took his time sizing up Chu Mo from head to toe, very earnestly indeed. After a while, with his eyes widened, Li Fei expressed his confusion:

"It's still you, Chu Mo. How come I can't see a single bit of toady aura on you? Tell me, what kind of love potion have you slipped our campus belle Ling Yue, that she is so protective of you? I just say Chu Mo, you're so poor you're about to go back home and farm, and the campus belle rushes to your defense.

Tell me, wasn't it just last month when we were chatting that you were practically in tears saying you couldn't hold on much longer?"

Hearing this, a somewhat bewildered Chu Mo replied:

"What's going on, explain it to me. How did it get to Ling Yue? We haven't seen each other for three years, and you haven't seen her either, have you?"

While speaking, Chu Mo poured a glass of beer for himself and Li Fei. Snowflake brand. He gulped it down, and this time, the flavor was right.

The dejected Li Fei sighed and said:

"In our class, if anyone knows you best apart from me, who could that be? In the years since we graduated, other than our occasional catch-ups, to be honest, I've had no interest in those pretentious class reunions."

"Just a while ago, Ling Yue suddenly said in the group chat that she bumped into you and that you had completely changed. I didn't take it seriously at the time, thinking you two just happened to meet and chatted briefly."

"But then, just last night, our class monitor Du Yanyan suddenly lost it, saying that you, Chu Mo, have the aura of a domineering CEO. I was shocked. When you got drunk and vomited all over me, why didn't I notice any 'kingly' charisma on you?"

"So I replied with a sentence: 'Chu Mo does have a certain charisma, but it's more of a 'bastard' charisma.'"

"Given our friendship, I just blurted that out without thinking. If they were talking about someone else, I wouldn't even have bothered to respond. But it was because of that comment that I offended Ling Yue, and she managed to scold me for a good half an hour."

"Chu Mo, just tell me, what exactly is your relationship with Ling Yue?"

Hearing this, Chu Mo took out his phone, and after some effort, finally pulled up the university alumni group chat. He opened the conversation but didn't find Ling Yue's message because a long stretch of dialogue had followed after her comments.

Casually undoing the mute on the group, Chu Mo said earnestly:

"Fatty, how long have we known each other? Do you believe what I say?"

"Seven years. I believe everything you say—I just don't believe there's nothing between you and Ling Yue."

Li Fei's comment left Chu Mo speechless. He gloomily gulped down another beer and then picked up some food with his chopsticks. Shaking his head, he said:

"Believe it or not, Ling Yue and I really have nothing to do with each other. I did indeed bump into her recently. Actually, Ling Yue's family background is not simple. She became a manager at the Agricultural Bank just three years after graduation and drives an Audi from a 4S shop. Let me put it this way, she and I..."

"Exactly, that's what puzzles me." Li Fei, interrupting Chu Mo mid-sentence, lifted his beer and downed it in one go. Resting slightly on the dining table, he said in confusion:

"After all, Ling Yue is the school beauty, and back in the day the line of people chasing her was anything but short. With her family's good conditions, did she lose her mind, or what? How could she have taken a fancy to you?

Chu Mo, I honestly haven't seen it. You, you're really the textbook definition of 'covertly flirtatious.' You look as silent as a gourd on the surface, but when it comes to charming women, you're truly skilled."

Only because the one sitting opposite him was his best buddy Li Fei could he speak so blatantly. Had it been someone else calling him 'covertly flirtatious' in his face, Chu Mo might have made sure they were ruined.

But in this world, only this 'fatty' would speak to him with such disregard for filters.

Taking a deep breath, the resigned Chu Mo picked up his phone and said earnestly:

"You don't believe me? I'll call Ling Yue right now and let her explain it to you."

"Put it on speaker."

Li Fei raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile on his face.

Chu Mo, with nothing to hide, pressed the speaker button without hesitation.

After two rings, a gentle female voice soon came from the other end of the line.

"Chu Mo, why haven't you contacted me for such a long time? Have you forgotten about me?"

The voice was plaintive, like a forsaken young wife, pitiful and needy.