"Garlic prawns, Buddha Jumps Over the Wall chicken hotpot, roasted squab, steamed hairy crab, three flavors of crayfish, plus six types of cured raw seafood... Brother Cheen, this table must cost one or two thousand, right? Did you win the lottery or something?" Haozi asked, looking at Su Chen in surprise.
Even Yang Wei, who was standing beside them, was stunned. He knew Su Chen was normally a very frugal person—the kind who stretched every penny. Why was he being so extravagant today?
Usually, when they got together for a meal, it would only be a few dozen yuan per person after splitting the bill five ways.
Even doing that once a week, their total monthly expenses would only be around two thousand yuan.
This farewell dinner was undoubtedly a feast for them.
After placing the last dish, an assorted braised meat platter, on the table, the waiter walked over to Su Chen and asked, "Sir, all your dishes have been served. What would you like to drink?"
Su Chen didn't answer right away, instead looking over at Yang Wei.
Seeing this, Yang Wei shook his head slightly. "I drove here today, so I won't be drinking."
The others nodded in agreement. After all, none of them could hold their liquor well. It was better to just drink some juice and chat so it wouldn't affect work tomorrow.
Seeing that everyone was in agreement, Su Chen just ordered two pitchers of freshly squeezed juice.
The waiter was quick, bringing the two pitchers of juice in less than five minutes.
Su Chen filled his own glass before standing up. "I won't get all sentimental," he said. "In the future, if you ever need anything from me, Su Chen, feel free to call me anytime!"
Everyone else also filled their glasses.
After they clinked glasses one by one, Su Chen downed his drink in one go.
"Alright, no more dawdling. Let's eat!"
The words had barely left his lips before everyone dug in, especially Haozi. With a large prawn in his left hand and a squab in his right, he attacked the food like he hadn't eaten in eight lifetimes, wolfing it down ferociously.
Su Chen's stomach was growling with hunger too.
He had spent over two hours that afternoon packing up his rental apartment, selling off things he no longer needed for cheap. Then he'd argued with his landlord for a good half-hour to get his 500 yuan security deposit back.
Although five hundred yuan wasn't much—for the current Su Chen, it was an amount he could earn in mere minutes—it was still his hard-earned money. There was no reason to just leave it.
「The drinks had flowed and the dishes were savored.」
The meal lasted a full two hours. During that time, Su Chen ordered two more servings of crayfish and garlic prawns, but the vast majority of it ended up in the stomachs of Haozi and the other two.
Even so, Su Chen and Yang Wei were also feeling a bit stuffed.
"Ahhh~ That was amazing! How great would it be if we could eat like this every day!" Haozi leaned back in his chair, rubbing his round, bulging stomach with a look of pure satisfaction.
Beside him, Li Chao curled his lip. "In your dreams! With your salary of five or six thousand, after rent, utilities, food, and spending money—not to mention all the 'poverty alleviation' you do for those independent contractors in the apartments—you're crying poor by the end of every month. And you still dream of feasting like this every day? Go home and sleep on it!"
"Bullshit! As if you've never been. Who was it that kept going on and on in my ear for half a month about a new pair of 'independent contractors' that moved in near his place? A pair of sisters, wasn't it?"
"Pfft~ I went ages ago. And yeah, it was *nice*," Li Chao said smugly.
Watching from the side, Su Chen just shook his head. Haozi had tried to take him along for some 'poverty alleviation' before, but he had always politely declined. Back then, all Su Chen could think about was saving money.
He glanced at the time—it was already 9:30. He then said, "It's getting late. Let's call it a night."
"Alright~"
The bill for the evening was about what Haozi had predicted: a little over 2,100 yuan. Seeing that Su Chen and his friends were regular customers, the owner gave them a generous discount, knocking off over a hundred yuan and charging them an even two thousand.
As soon as they stepped out of the restaurant, Haozi sidled up to Su Chen and whispered, "Brother Cheen, want to come with us for some 'poverty alleviation'?"
"Us?" Hearing this, Su Chen glanced at Li Chao and Liang San. When they saw him looking, both of them turned their heads away in embarrassment.
"You guys go ahead. I'm not going," Su Chen refused without a second thought.
A flicker of disappointment flashed in Haozi's eyes. "Alright then. Brother Cheen, Brother Wei, we'll get going first!"
"Okay. Don't stay out too late, and be safe!" Yang Wei added.
The three of them waved to Su Chen and Yang Wei, then hailed a taxi from the side of the road.
Watching the three get into the cab and leave, Yang Wei turned and asked, "Want me to give you a ride back?"
"No need, Brother Wei. You should head back and get some rest. I can get back on my own."
Yang Wei didn't press the issue, since they lived in opposite directions.
"Alright, then! I'm heading out too."
"Drive safe."
Yang Wei nodded and turned to walk toward the nearby parking lot.
He had only taken a couple of steps before Su Chen called out to him.
"Brother Wei~"
Hearing his name, Yang Wei stopped and turned back, looking at Su Chen with a puzzled expression. "What's up?"
"If you run into any trouble in the future, remember to give me a call!"
Hearing this, Yang Wei just smiled without saying anything. He gave Su Chen a wave and turned back toward the parking lot.
As soon as he entered the parking lot, Yang Wei saw a yellow SUV parked diagonally across from his own car.
"Whoa~ This car is so cool!"
Compared to the other cars parked nearby, it was like the difference between heaven and earth.
As someone who knew a little about cars, he could tell at a glance that it was a brand-new Aston Martin DBX707, a top-tier SUV with a price tag of over three million yuan.
He circled the Aston Martin DBX twice, glanced around to make sure no one was looking, then took out his phone and leaned against the front of the car to snap a few pictures of himself.
"Not bad, not bad. Still as handsome as ever!" Yang Wei muttered to himself, admiring the photos on his phone as he sat in his own car, nodding in satisfaction.
Just as he was about to start his car and leave, a familiar figure appeared in his line of sight.
'What's Su Chen doing here? Did he come to get his car?'
Yang Wei was just about to roll down his window and call out to Su Chen when he saw him pull a car key from his pocket and press a button.
*BEEP BEEP~* The headlights of the yellow Aston Martin flashed twice.
Yang Wei's hand, on its way to the window switch, froze in mid-air. His pupils contracted, his face a mask of utter disbelief.
He watched as Su Chen opened the car door and got in. The next moment, a deep roar echoed through the parking lot.
'That... that Aston Martin worth over three million... it's really Su Chen's!' Yang Wei stared as the Aston Martin slowly pulled out of the parking lot, his mind still unable to process what he had seen.
SLAP! Yang Wei raised his hand and slapped himself across the face, the shock finally jolting him back to his senses.
He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, his trembling hands taking several tries to light it.
Yang Wei couldn't tell if he was shaking from nerves or excitement.
It took two consecutive cigarettes for Yang Wei to finally calm down.
'You sly dog. To think you hid it so well. We worked together for three years, and I never knew you were a rich kid.' In his mind, he had now pegged Su Chen as a rich scion who had been out in the world to gain some life experience.
Thinking back on Su Chen's sudden resignation, everything started to make sense.
'All that talk about wanting to go home... It must be because his family decided he'd had enough training and it was time for him to come back and take over the family business.'
When he remembered what Su Chen had said to him at the restaurant entrance, Yang Wei slapped his steering wheel in excitement.
'So that means Su Chen is my only connection in the world of the super-rich!'