"Stop kissing me! Shit, your stubble is so prickly..."
"It's just a hundred Carnivals. This dazzling world... happiness is all that matters..."
Lin Chu said with a casual smile, his swagger on full display.
For him, it was just about spending money. And he was very calculated about it, only doing the right thing at the right time to create the right atmosphere.
To put it bluntly, it was flexing, but not forced.
It was a smooth, natural, and effortless flex.
As for what they thought, he didn't give a damn. After all, the numbers growing in his bank account were very real.
"This dazzling world... happiness is all that matters."
Liu Junfeng mumbled the phrase, then raised his large glass of baijiu and drained it in one gulp.
"Bottoms up!"
"To Brother Chu!"
"Hey, brothers, now that's a whole other level of thinking. Even though I'm a few years older than Brother Chu, I haven't reached his state of mind."
"'This dazzling world'... it's actually fucking bleak, isn't it? No one can ever get everything they want. Desires just grow, hearts get dirtier... When does the grind for money ever end? So what can you do? The only thing is to just be happy yourself. Nietzsche! Nietzsche said that every day not spent dancing is a betrayal of life... If we're happy, we're not betraying it! So dance!"
"Shit, I'm not just kissing his ass. That's really how I feel."
He said, half-joking and half-serious, as he started doing a deep literary analysis of the phrase.
This time, at least, no one gave him the middle finger.
Everyone's attention shifted back and forth between him and Lin Chu.
"You're full of shit. Come on, I'll have another drink with you."
Lin Chu said with a laugh and a playful curse.
After learning the benefits of having a bit of a gangster's edge in Ye City, Lin Chu found himself handling these situations with increasing ease.
...
"Hey handsome, you're so hot! Let's go..."
After the commotion died down, Lin Chu glanced at his phone and saw another message from Tangtang.
For a moment, Lin Chu was tempted.
'It really would be a thrill.'
But just then, her boyfriend walked over with a glass, a wide smile on his face. "Brother Chu, a toast to you. You're a true big shot."
"I'll finish mine, you can drink as you please."
His glass wasn't full, but it still held a decent shot.
Lin Chu had a truly indescribable feeling in his heart right then. He raised his glass, clinked it against the other man's, and took a large gulp.
"What should I call you, brother?"
"Sun Yu. Sun like in Sun Wukong, Yu like in universe. Call me whatever you like. Hey, can I add you on WeChat?"
Sun Yu's face was flushed; he'd clearly had a lot to drink already. He proactively pulled out his phone.
Lin Chu didn't refuse, taking out his own phone to be scanned.
He saw the man's WeChat name: Sun Yu, Wealth Management Expert, Standard Chartered Bank.
"Brother Chu, I work in banking. Wealth management, investments, insurance—you can come to me for anything. We're all friends here. If I find any good projects, I'll share them with you."
Sun Yu continued.
Lin Chu just nodded noncommittally.
After a few more words, he took the hint and left.
Lin Chu felt a tap on his arm. Lu Ming was waggling his eyebrows at him and tossed him a cigarette.
He seemed really excited.
Uh.
He had been at the last party, of course.
'This kind of thing seems to hit some weird kink of his.'
"Come on, let's go talk for a bit."
Lu Ming slung an arm over Lin Chu's shoulder and led him into the house. Xiaolu pouted, watching them go obediently without following.
Once inside, the outer area was filled with all sorts of car repair tools. The middle area was a tea room, complete with various wine racks, display cases, a pool table, and an indoor golf simulator. The inner area was a series of small rooms.
There was a second floor as well, also with more small rooms.
Lu Ming pulled Lin Chu into one of the small rooms, flicked on the light, and raised his eyebrows. "Thrilling, wasn't it?"
Lin Chu: "..."
"Let's talk about something serious."
Lu Ming said, "What's more serious than this? Let's talk about it. What's the plan for tonight? Need an assist? I can help you get that bastard drunk, then you take his girlfriend home. Tsk... what a storyline!"
Lin Chu sucked in a sharp breath. "Hey, I'm not that kind of person. I'm just looking for a simple, beautiful love."
Lu Ming: "..."
"Okay, okay, so that's how you want to play it? A moment ago, Xiaolu was just telling me she has a classmate who wants to meet you. She's in the art department, ridiculously good-looking. But since you said that, go on, good luck pursuing your simple, beautiful love."
Lin Chu rubbed his nose and pretended to walk out the door. "In that case, I'm going to find my dear sister Xiaolu."
Lu Ming squealed with laughter behind him.
...
He quickly returned to the party. The eating and drinking phase was mostly over. Some people were clamoring to play Texas Hold'em, while others wanted to play Guan Dan, and they all went off to gather players.
Big group activities were lively, but not conducive to private conversations.
Many people came to these kinds of gatherings to hit on people. Otherwise, how would they pass the long, boring night?
Lin Chu sat down in the spot Lu Ming had just vacated and said with a wide grin, "Sister Xiaolu, I hear you were going to introduce me to a girlfriend?"
Xiaolu pursed her lips and rolled her eyes at him. "No. Who said that?"
But she couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh, then forget it."
"I don't want a relationship anyway."
Lin Chu teased with a smile, but he didn't move from his spot.
Lu Ming came up behind them, placing one hand on Lin Chu and the other on Xiaolu. "Babe, don't leave him hanging. Be sincere, or Brother Chu's going to get upset."
Xiaolu pouted. "Fine, I'll send you her WeChat."
Lin Chu said, "No, don't. You send her my WeChat. Have her add me."
Xiaolu: "..."
For a moment, she was speechless.
"You have so much game!"
Lin Chu laughed. "Of course. As they say, 'deep feelings never last, only a good game wins the heart.' How about this: you two bring the girl to my gym tomorrow? I can fleece you guys for a bit while I'm at it. You'll have to buy a membership, right?"
Lu Ming yelped, "Holy shit! I'm setting you up with a girl, and you want me to buy a membership?! Is there no justice in this world!"
He complained for a moment, but then couldn't help laughing. "Fine, fine. Tomorrow at noon it is."
Comparatively, Lu Ming was still a relatively straightforward and down-to-earth guy.
He was a player, too, but not an extreme one.
...
PING.
His WeChat notification went off again.
Lin Chu glanced down. Liu Junfeng had created a group chat.
A small group with three people.
"@Brother Chu, this is my friend, Chen Jinyu. She's a really good girl—hasn't dated much, beautiful, gentle, cute, and innocent. A little shy. She said she wanted to meet you, but there were too many people just now, so I made a private group for you two."
"You two have a nice chat. I'm out, I won't disturb you."
"Hope you two bosses have a great time talking."
After saying that, he transferred group ownership to Lin Chu and left the group himself, showing great tact.
Lin Chu: "..."
'Well now, so the party organizer is also a matchmaker?'
'Unbelievable.'
'Then again, it's pretty normal. This kind of thing is unavoidable at any business function.'
'Forget business functions, it happens in any group. Even in night-running clubs, there are tons of people hooking up.'
'That phrase of mine about the dazzling world was no lie. I'm experiencing it firsthand.'
'But...'
'I can barely keep up!'
'Damn it all!'
'This 'Brother Fu' life is exhausting.'
'It's like girls are lining up to meet me.'
...
...