Super Rich by Doing as You Please

Ye Fei said to Xu Yun, "Don’t worry about what Yanzi said earlier. That’s just how she is."

"It’s fine. I know what she’s like."

Xu Yun asked in return, "What about you, though? I remember you had a pretty well-off boyfriend in college, didn’t you? How did you end up single?"

"Maybe I’m good enough to be a girlfriend, but not wife material."

Ye Fei gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Not even two years after we graduated, he found an excuse to break up with me. Then, he listened to his family’s arrangements and married another woman whose family background was similar to his."

"..." Xu Yun was speechless.

"I’ve finally figured it out. Rich men are no good. They fall for every pretty woman they lay eyes on."

Ye Fei sighed. "Once they’re done fooling around, they find a woman from a similar background to marry."

"You can’t paint them all with the same brush."

Thinking of himself, Xu Yun countered, "Maybe there are a few decent ones out there."

"Is that so?"

Ye Fei smiled. "You’re jumping to their defense. Don’t tell me you’ve become a rich man too?"

"..." Xu Yun was speechless again.

"Anyway, I’m not focused on material things when looking for a boyfriend anymore. As long as he has a decent job and income and genuinely treats me well, that’s all that matters."

Then, she asked Xu Yun curiously, "What about you? Where are you working now?"

"I was at a media company before."

Xu Yun replied, "But I’ve quit now. I’ve got a bit of money, so I’m just taking it easy and traveling around with nothing much to do."

"Have you bought a house and a car?"

"I have."

"That’s amazing!"

Ye Fei was a little surprised by Xu Yun’s words. She said with admiration, "I still haven’t bought a house or car. After my monthly expenses, there’s barely anything left from my salary to save. I don’t know when I’ll ever be like you."

"Don’t rush it. Take your time."

Xu Yun joked, "If all else fails, you can just find a husband who has a house and a car."

"I wish I could, but no one’s interested in me."

"How could that be? You’re so beautiful. It must be that your standards are too high."

"You really think I’m beautiful?"

Xu Yun nodded. "Of course."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Ye Fei said happily, "If you had pursued me back in our school days and were this good with words, maybe we would have gotten together."

Xu Yun just smiled and didn’t reply.

’Back then? My meager living allowance was nowhere near enough to support you.’

When you’re young and broke, everyone feels insecure at one point or another.

The only difference is the degree to which you feel it.

As they were chatting, other classmates who were making their rounds with drinks came over, and it was soon Xu Yun’s turn.

So, everyone took turns drinking, round after round, and they quickly polished off two cases of beer.

Then, another bottle of baijiu was brought out.

The two women shared a bottle of red wine, which they mixed with some Sprite.

At first, it tasted pretty good.

But by the time dinner was over, the alcohol had started to hit them, and both of their faces were bright red.

Fortunately, they could both hold their liquor and didn’t get wasted, just pleasantly buzzed.

The group of men had also had about as much as they could handle. Any more, and they would have been genuinely drunk.

After saying their goodbyes to Xu Yun and Chen Yang, they hailed cabs and left one by one.

Xu Yun hadn’t expected the class reunion to be so harmonious.

No one was looking down on anyone else. They simply got together, ate, drank, and chatted. Fueled by the alcohol, they took turns venting about their jobs and their lives.

And then they went their separate ways, back to their own lives.

At the restaurant entrance, Chen Yang walked up and asked, "Xu Yun, how are you getting home? Need a ride? I’ve called for a driver."

"No need. Someone’s coming to pick me up."

Xu Yun looked at him and smiled. "You suddenly gathered all of us here today and didn’t even flaunt your wealth. That’s a little out of character for you."

"Do I look like the kind of person who flaunts their wealth?"

"You do."

Xu Yun replied, "Have you forgotten our school days? The moment you earned a little money, you’d show off in front of us, treating us to meals and acting like a big shot."

"Er..." Chen Yang looked a little embarrassed.

Xu Yun asked, "Alright, out with it. You actually needed something today, didn’t you?"

"You’re still as sharp as ever."

The happy expression on Chen Yang’s face vanished. "I’m not afraid to tell you," he said. "I actually called you all here today because I was hoping to borrow some money."

"But after I saw you guys arrive on shared bikes, and then heard about how hard it is for everyone, I just couldn’t bring myself to ask."

"Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"Yeah."

Chen Yang nodded. "I took on a government project this year and had to front too much of my own money. Now, the government still hasn’t allocated the funds, and I have no money left to pay my workers. All the material suppliers are hounding me for payment, too."

"If I don’t pay, they show up and block my front door."

"I’m not afraid for myself, but I hate seeing my wife living in constant fear and worry because of me."

"I’ve already borrowed from every relative and friend who could lend to me, but I’m still short by a lot. I really had no other choice, so I thought of asking you all."

Xu Yun asked, "How much are you short?"

"Over 500,000. I’ll just have to find another way."

"It’s fine. I’ll lend it to you."

Xu Yun said, "Just send me your bank account number in a bit, and I’ll transfer it over."

"???" Chen Yang was floored.

Seeing his shocked expression, Xu Yun smiled. "What, you don’t want it?"

"But you..."

"Don’t worry, I’m not in as bad of a situation as you think. I still have some money."

"Thank you... thank you, Xu Yun."

Chen Yang was moved. "Wait, let me go to my car and find a pen and paper to write you an IOU. As soon as my funds free up, I’ll pay you back immediately, I promise."

"There’s no need for an IOU. Everyone runs into hard times."

Xu Yun patted his shoulder. "Back in our school days, whenever I asked you to grab a meal for me, you often refused to take my money. Just consider this me repaying the favor."