When dinner was over, it was already late.
Chen Zemian lowered his head to unlock his phone and sent the beta invitation code for Peaceful Battlefield to Mr. Tang’s phone.
“The old man is quite trendy,” Chen Zemian said, a little surprised as he watched Old Master Tang’s car slowly drive away. “He’s actually interested in shooting games.”
Lu Zhuonian turned and walked toward the Pagani. “The old man is a famous gun god in the army and the number one sniper — the bravest among the three armies.”
Chen Zemian opened the car door and waited for the gull-wing door to rise. “Then will he think this game is childish?”
Lu Zhuonian took a long step and sat in the driver’s seat. “I don’t know. You didn’t invite me to play.”
Chen Zemian also got in the car. “Now it’s the beta stage; there are no players in the game. They’re all human-computer. And you’re so good at playing guns, I’m afraid you’ll find it boring.”
Lu Zhuonian had a blank expression on his face, slowly turned the steering wheel, and drove the car out of the parking space.
Chen Zemian was about to say something when Lu Zhuonian suddenly accelerated.
The Pagani roared to life and sped away.
The sudden force pressing against his back was so intense, it nearly scrambled Chen Zemian’s thoughts.
“Don’t drive so fast, I feel dizzy!”
Chen Zemian picked up his phone and sent an invitation code to Lu Zhuonian as well. “I sent it to you, I sent it to you! I’ll play with you when we get home. Drive slower — I’m going to get carsick.”
Lu Zhuonian slowed down the car. “Are you still drinking Xinglex Ice?”
Chen Zemian immediately said, “Yes.”
Lu Zhuonian turned on the navigation. “Aren’t you going to get carsick?”
Chen Zemian had an explanation. “That’s why you drink Xinglex Ice when you get carsick.”
Lu Zhuonian glanced at Chen Zemian. “When are you going to Sanya?”
Chen Zemian replied, “The 29th of the twelfth lunar month.”
Lu Zhuonian’s fingertips tapped on the steering wheel unconsciously. “It’s the day before the New Year; it’s hard to buy air tickets.”
Chen Zemian nodded sadly. “It’s super expensive — 9,800!”
Lu Zhuonian paused slightly. “9,800 is too expensive for an air ticket. Why not just ask me to return the 300,000 you paid in property fees?”
Chen Zemian didn’t intend to ask for it in the first place.
He had previously divided his finances into two parts: one for his own income and expenditure, and the other for what Lu Zhuonian, Xiao Kesong, Liu Hao, and others gave him.
The original plan was to calculate personal expenses separately and to account for the money needed for socializing with the young masters separately, but the calculations became a mess.
Before finding an accountant for himself, Chen Zemian decided not to calculate the accounts so clearly.
Because it was not clear at all.
Lu Zhuonian was so good to him — giving him a job, money to spend, and a car to drive. He even lived in Lu Zhuonian’s house. Even if the details such as water, electricity, and network fees were not counted, the two of them were basically in a state of financial confusion.
Apart from anything else, the six million was enough to pay the property management fee for twenty years.
Moreover, Lu Zhuonian was originally a very valuable person. Let alone spending 300,000, even if he spent more, it was reasonable.
For the above reasons, when Chen Zemian swiped his card to pay the property management fee, although he silently sighed, “It’s a lot of money,” he swiped it as a matter of course and did not want to ask Lu Zhuonian to return the money.
These reasons are simple and complex. Chen Zemian really didn’t know how to answer Lu Zhuonian’s sudden question.
If he said too little, it would be unclear. If he said too much, it would seem that he cared too much and didn’t treat Lu Zhuonian as a brother.
This is how it is to be friends with rich people. Lu Zhuonian waved his hand and gave him a car that was worth all his wealth.
For some reason, Chen Zemian felt a little depressed when he thought of this.
The huge gap between the two made him feel a little uncomfortable.
He attributed this feeling to envy, jealousy, and hatred.
It was a bit of hatred of the rich.
Another very unpleasant thing was that he didn’t even want to get the money back, but Lu Zhuonian asked him seriously, “Why don’t you ask me?”
It seemed that in Lu Zhuonian’s psychological expectation, he should get the money back to fit his character.
Is he so greedy and obsessed with money in Lu Zhuonian’s eyes?
Yes, he was originally this image in Lu Zhuonian’s mind, otherwise Lu Zhuonian would not have given him the six million.
The more Chen Zemian thought about it, the angrier he got. The angrier he got, the less he wanted to explain, so he said, “Haha, I just haven’t figured out how to talk to you yet.”
“…”
Lu Zhuonian drove the car into the parking lot. “Are you angry?”
Chen Zemian said, “No.”
“Don’t be angry.” Lu Zhuonian parked the car, took out his phone, and transferred the property fee to Chen Zemian. “I should have transferred the money to you when you said it this afternoon, but I forgot later.”
Chen Zemian took a deep breath and felt that he was so angry he was trembling.
He didn’t know why he was so angry. He even felt a little dizzy when he got out of the car and held the car door and swayed for a while before he could stand steady.
Lu Zhuonian came over, looked at him worriedly, and asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”
Chen Zemian shook his head and said, “I’m going to buy some Xinglex Ice.”
Lu Zhuonian frowned slightly, raised his hand, and touched Chen Zemian’s forehead. It was warm, damp with a thin layer of sweat. He thought he was tired from fighting and had no energy, so he said, “You sit in the car and rest; I’ll buy it for you.”
Chen Zemian didn’t want to be with Lu Zhuonian now. As long as they could be separated, it would be fine. He didn’t refuse and sat back in the car, continuing to be angry.
Lu Zhuonian’s back was tall and straight, and even when walking in the crowd, he had a sense of transcendence.
Chen Zemian picked up his phone, looked at the top transfer record, unlocked the screen, opened WeChat, found the chat box with Lu Zhuonian, clicked on the transfer, and was about to enter the number but couldn’t remember how much a cup of Xinglex Ice cost.
He was about to open Meituan* to check the price but felt that it was boring.
Meituan* is like a super app for lifestyle convenience in China—offering food, travel, entertainment, and home services all in one platform
So he turned off the screen and tilted his head to look out the window.
Even in the commercial district full of luxury cars, the Pagani Fengshen still stood out, attracting the attention of passersby.
Seeing a person sitting inside, they all showed curious and envious eyes.
But Chen Zemian felt that he should not be here.
This was not his car.
This was not his world.
He was just a ghost from another world, attached to Chen Zhe, living the life that Chen Zhe wanted.
If Chen Zhe’s goal was to become the number one younger brother beside Lu Zhuonian, he should have fulfilled this wish for him.
By the way, he had been just a younger brother from the beginning.
Whatever Lu Zhuonian thought, it had nothing to do with him. Anyway, in the eyes of these rich people, everything could be quantified with money.
He was the only one who couldn’t figure out the accounts.
Maybe in Lu Zhuonian’s view, his so-called “talking about feelings” was just because he was not qualified to talk about money with these young masters.
Chen Zemian was very sad.
Maybe he shouldn’t be friends with rich people at all.
For a moment, Chen Zemian even wanted to change his flight ticket to a place no one knew.
Anyway, no one would miss him even if he disappeared.
Xiao Kesong might miss him, but Xiao Kesong was heartless and would be having fun with others again in two days.
When Lu Zhuonian came back with the Xinglex Ice, Chen Zemian was already thinking about which city to settle down in after leaving Beijing.
Lu Zhuonian sat back in the driver’s seat and handed over two cups of Xinglex Ice. “One cup of matcha cocoa, and one cup of mocha cocoa. Which one do you want?”
Chen Zemian was depressed and listless. “Don’t I deserve to drink both?”
Lu Zhuonian originally wanted to say, “Your stomach will hurt if you drink so much,” but when he turned around and saw Chen Zemian’s face clearly, his pupils narrowed slightly. “Why are your lips so white? Do you have hypoglycemia?”
“Maybe.” Chen Zemian’s brain worked slowly for a while. “I didn’t eat dinner and had so many fights.” He muttered wearily, “I can’t win. Political Commissar Xue is too good at fighting.”
Lu Zhuonian inserted a straw and held the drink up to Chen Zemian’s lips. “Take a sip first.”
Chen Zemian lowered his head listlessly and took a sip. “What does this taste like?”
Lu Zhuonian directly put the straw into Chen Zemian’s mouth. “Don’t worry about the taste, drink it quickly, ancestor.”
Chen Zemian gently sucked the straw and drank his favorite matcha cocoa. He felt a little better and drank half a cup more.
Lu Zhuonian picked up his mobile phone to check and confirmed that Chen Zemian’s symptoms were most likely hypoglycemia.
Panic, hand tremor, dizziness, sweating, depression.
[Doctor’s advice: The patient should be immediately laid on his back to rest, loosen the clothes and belt, and be given oral sugar water or food containing 15 grams of sugar.]
He had already had the sugar water; just lay him down to rest.
Clothes… don’t loosen the clothes.
After all, there was a patient in the car now.
Lu Zhuonian leaned over, touched the button to adjust the backrest, and slowly reclined the passenger seat.
Still sipping from the straw, Chen Zemian gradually sank back with it, letting himself fall into the seat.
Lu Zhuonian adjusted the passenger seat and was about to step back when Chen Zemian suddenly stretched out an arm and hugged his neck.
“…”
Chen Zemian held the straw in one hand and hugged Lu Zhuonian with the other, suddenly feeling extremely rich.
Lu Zhuonian’s Adam’s apple slid. “What’s wrong with you?”
Chen Zemian didn’t say anything, just hugged him gently. The breath with the flavor of matcha and cocoa hit Lu Zhuonian’s ear sweetly.
Lu Zhuonian never knew that Chen Zemian was so fond of sweets. He was eager to move just by smelling the scent.
He suppressed the trembling in his heart. His tone was calm and deep, with no abnormality, and he woke up the human-machine skillfully. “Chen Zemian, speak.”
Chen Zemian said, “I don’t know, I’m a little sad.”
Lu Zhuonian held Chen Zemian’s hand and raised the Xinglex Ice cup to his mouth. “Drink a few more sips and you won’t be sad.”
Chen Zemian said dissatisfiedly, “You don’t know why I’m sad.”
Lu Zhuonian once again put the straw into Chen Zemian’s mouth and repeated the medical knowledge he’d just read on his phone screen. “When blood sugar decreases, brain activity slows down, self-control weakens, and more negative emotions are generated.”
Chen Zemian turned his eyes to Lu Zhuonian.
Lu Zhuonian paused for no reason; his proud memory blanked for a moment before continuing, “Including depression.”
Chen Zemian drank most of the cup of Starbucks.
His whole body felt sweet and cold.
Probably because of the increase in blood sugar, the symptoms were relieved, and he wasn’t so depressed.
Chen Zemian let out a long sigh. “It turned out to be hypoglycemia. I thought I had some kind of hypocritical disease. I suddenly felt hopeless and sad.”
Lu Zhuonian held the car door with one hand. “Can you let me go?”
Chen Zemian loosened his arm.
Lu Zhuonian was about to retreat but was suddenly hugged by Chen Zemian again.
“…”
Lu Zhuonian’s back stiffened slightly, and his pupils contracted violently.
Chen Zemian was so strong that even the other cup of Xinglex Ice in Lu Zhuonian’s hand shook and splashed a few drops on his clothes.
The dark brown stain slowly faded, and the unique mellow aroma of cocoa chocolate spread in the car.
But Chen Zemian didn’t care, and Lu Zhuonian didn’t care either.
Chen Zemian took another big sip of Xinglex Ice as if he was drinking a courageous wine. “I was unhappy just now because you transferred the property fee back to me.”
Lu Zhuonian lowered his eyes and looked at Chen Zemian.
In the narrow car, the two people were so close they were a little blurry in each other’s eyes.
“If I don’t want to spend this money, I don’t have to pay it,” Chen Zemian looked into Lu Zhuonian’s eyes. “You are my very, very good friend. Lu Shao gave me a job with a salary, gave me your favorite car to drive, and introduced me to Old Master Tang immediately after knowing that my game version license had not been approved… You also gave me money, although I don’t like this.”
Lu Zhuonian’s lips moved, wanting to say something.
Chen Zemian was quick and stuffed the straw of Xinglex Ice into Lu Zhuonian’s mouth. “I haven’t finished yet! You are not allowed to speak.”
Lu Zhuonian held the wet straw in his mouth. His throat was dry as if it was burning.
Chen Zemian’s fingers curled slightly and wrinkled the clothes on Lu Zhuonian’s back. “I know you always think more than me, and I also know that you rich people think differently. Maybe giving money and connections is your way of being good to your friends, but I don’t have these, or what I have is not worth mentioning to you, but you can’t think I’m stingy just because it’s not enough… just because it’s not enough.”
All of Lu Zhuonian’s restraint and suppression collapsed at this moment.
He obviously had a lot to say, but when it came to his lips, only four words remained, and they even sounded a little cold and stiff.
“No, I don’t want it,” Lu Zhuonian said.
He didn’t want it. Never.
But three hundred thousand was too much.
Lu Zhuonian’s fingers gently rested on Chen Zemian’s back, as if he wanted to let go but also wanted to hold tighter.
The sweetness of cocoa and the heavy breathing intertwined.
After about two seconds, or maybe longer,
Lu Zhuonian said again, “I only wanted a little bit.”
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
— Meituan* is like a super app for lifestyle convenience in China—offering food, travel, entertainment, and home services all in one platform
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Author: LazyHermitGal
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