Chapter 277 - 174: The Biggest Reward Ever
Li Wei was waiting for Anya to arrive. Hearing the voice, he turned to glance at the chubby young man and at Emily, who was taking selfies at the delivery site for a Lamborghini Urus.
"Yeah," he nodded. "What’s up?"
"I knew it. I could tell at a glance," the chubby young man said, pulling a pack of Marlboro Double Bursts from his pocket. "Want one?"
"I don’t smoke," Li Wei said. "Are you in New York for school?"
"Yeah," the chubby young man sighed, putting his cigarettes away. "Couldn’t test into a good university back home, so my parents shipped me off here."
Li Wei nodded. Deciding not to engage further, he looked down at his phone to text Anya and ask where she was.
It seemed that no matter what country they were from, it was perfectly normal for girls to be late.
Sometimes when they say they’ve already left, they might have just crawled out of bed.
Sometimes when they say they’re on the way, they might still be putting on makeup.
Sometimes when they say they’re almost there, they might have only just stepped out the door.
Seeing Li Wei’s impassive expression, the chubby young man, ever persistent, pressed on with his questions.
"Bro, where do you go to school?" he asked. "You can buy a Rolls-Royce in full, just like that? How come I’ve never seen you around before?"
"I’m at Yale," Li Wei said, a bit evasively. "I don’t really hang out in the international student scene."
"Damn, you’re a fucking genius," the chubby young man said, giving Li Wei a big thumbs-up in admiration. "Too bad I couldn’t get in, so they just stuffed me into New York University. If I’d gotten into Yale or Harvard, my dad would’ve been happy to buy me a Rolls-Royce too."
"My name’s Gao Ping," he said. He was clearly the type who made friends easily. "Nice to meet you, bro. Let’s hang out sometime when you’re free. I’ve only been here for a little over six months."
Perhaps it was because the chubby young man seemed quite likable, or perhaps it was because, other than Wang Haoran, Li Wei hadn’t heard such familiar-sounding Mandarin in a long time. Li Wei chuckled and took out his phone.
"Sure," he said. "I’m Li Wei. Let’s add each other on WeChat."
"Li Wei, great name," Gao Ping said, giving another thumbs-up. "Bro, I’m seriously jealous. You’re rich, handsome, and in great shape. Any chance you could take me to work out with you sometime?"
Li Wei just gave a noncommittal grunt and didn’t respond to Gao Ping’s suggestion about working out together.
Just then, a pink Bentley pulled up to the entrance of the Manhattan Automobile Company. A beautiful Slavic girl, so stunning Gao Ping couldn’t tear his eyes away, stepped out of the driver’s seat.
She wore a small camisole, brazenly displaying a slender waist and prominent collarbones that cast shadows in the sunlight. A pink Miu Miu bag, slung across her side, matched the color of her car, giving her an overall aura that was both delicate and girlish.
"Bro, she’s gorgeous, right?" Gao Ping said, a note of envy in his voice when he noticed Li Wei was also staring intently at the girl. "Too bad she drives a Bentley. She’d never look twice at a plain, fat guy like me."
As he spoke, Gao Ping watched her look around for a moment before pushing the door open and walking straight toward Li Wei.
As she walked toward Li Wei, a radiant smile bloomed on her face. Then, as if hit by a blast of the dealership’s air conditioning, she began rubbing her arms as she came to a stop beside him.
Right in front of Gao Ping, she threw her arms around Li Wei, burying her face in his chest and inhaling deeply.
"Ahhh..." she let out a contented sigh. She then lifted her head, rested her chin on Li Wei’s chest, and met his gaze. "It’s strange. I don’t know what’s happening lately... I just keep falling more and more in love with you."
Li Wei watched her cling to him like a kitten on catnip. He smiled and gently smoothed her hair.
’Anya’s attachment to him had been growing stronger and stronger lately. He wasn’t sure if it was just the honeymoon phase of their relationship, or if it was because of his Knight’s Aura, which was always active by default.’
’He couldn’t figure it out. In any case, it was a good thing for him.’
"Oh, right, is this your new car?" Anya asked, looking at the Cullinan behind him. "I ordered one too, but it hasn’t arrived yet. If I had known, I would’ve just bought one directly from the dealership as well."
"Yep," Li Wei said, patting the car door. "It’s a tax write-off of over three hundred thousand."
"Nice, very nice," Anya said, walking a circle around the car and nodding in satisfaction. "My order probably won’t be delivered for another three months."
"Let’s get going," Li Wei said. "Mark and Sarah are probably still waiting for us. Uncle Don Quixote should already be there. We’re all having dinner together tonight."
"Let’s find a place to stop near Fifth Avenue," Anya reminded him. "I have to pick up the gift I bought for Sarah’s baby."
"Crap," Li Wei smacked his forehead. "I completely forgot to buy a gift."
"Let’s go, you can figure it out on the way. If all else fails, you can just buy some baby supplies like I did."
"No rush," Li Wei said, calling Chloe over to have the area cleared. "There should still be time."
’With the Ring of All Things Smooth, he didn’t need to worry about such trivial matters. The right thing would present itself when the time came.’
Gao Ping was only just now snapping out of his shock. For a moment, he felt like there was no point in even being alive.
’The comparison is just killing me. What’s the fucking point? I should just go jump off a building.’
It was only then that Anya noticed the chubby Gao Ping standing a short distance away. He had been third-wheeling the whole time, but he was so inconspicuous she hadn’t seen him.
For some reason, chubby people never seemed to have much of a presence.
"And who is this?" she asked, looking at Li Wei. "A friend of yours?"
"Not really," Li Wei said without looking up as he signed the final documents. "We just met. He’s an international student from the Celestial Dynasty."
"Oh," Anya said, turning to Gao Ping. "Hello, I’m Anna, Li Wei’s girlfriend."