Chapter 86: Envy

Chen Feng hadn’t expected Qin Zhen to be interested in Wu Mengting.

Even though they were good friends, he still felt a bit uncomfortable and immediately shook his head. “Not her. I was talking about Lin Wan. She’s interested in you. If you’re interested in her too, I can formally introduce you two.”

Chen Feng wasn’t exactly lying. Wu Mengting really had no interest in Qin Zhen, and he had no intention of introducing her to him anyway.

“Lin Wan, huh,” Qin Zhen said, a little disappointed. He pressed on, unwilling to give up, “What about Wu Mengting then? Does she have a boyfriend? If not, you could help set us up.”

Chen Feng rolled his eyes and said bluntly, “She’s always liked me. She’s pursuing me right now, I just haven’t decided whether to accept her yet. So, for now, you can forget about it.”

“Damn! Didn’t you just say you already have two girlfriends?” Qin Zhen said, somewhat annoyed.

“Those two are sugar babies, they don’t count as proper girlfriends. It’s just in name. But with Wu Mengting, it’s serious. She really likes me and wants to play for real, the kind that leads to marriage and kids. I just got divorced, so I can’t accept her right away. For now, we can only get along as friends.”

In the end, Chen Feng was still unwilling to give Wu Mengting away to someone else, even his best friend, so he was very frank.

“Aren’t you just hogging the spot without doing anything?” Qin Zhen said, frustrated.

“You’re the one who’s a spot to be hogged!” Chen Feng shot back without courtesy. “Penalty, one can of beer, or I’ll go back and tell Wu Mengting what you said.”

Qin Zhen didn’t say anything, but he pulled the tab on a can, and with a few gulps, drank it all in one go. Then he quickly devoured two skewers of pork tenderloin and let out a drunken burp.

“What did you do to deserve a pure girl like Wu Mengting chasing after you? Is it because you have money now?” Qin Zhen asked with a mix of envy and jealousy.

Chen Feng smiled smugly. “It’s mainly because I’m handsome and have a charming personality.”

Hearing this, Qin Zhen let out another burp, then laughed out loud. “You still brag the same way you used to.”

Chen Feng didn’t get angry. He just smiled, took a sip of beer, and continued, “I’m really not bragging. To be honest, I don’t know why she likes me so much and has her heart set on me. I’ve already rejected her clearly a few times, but she’s just determined. She’s relentless. There’s nothing I can do.”

“That’s impossible,” Qin Zhen shook his head in disbelief. “If she didn’t know you were rich, would she fall for a divorced guy like you? Girls these days are very realistic. You don’t have money, you’re not that handsome, and you’re quite a bit older than her. What does she see in you?”

Chen Feng glared at him, annoyed. “Watch what you say. Am I not handsome? Can you not lie with your eyes wide open? I’m clearly very handsome. Back in our university days, we were both considered campus heartthrobs.”

Qin Zhen laughed. “You said it yourself, that was back in university. Now, look at yourself, 170 pounds. All chubby.”

“Maybe she just likes me chubby like this? Anyway, when she first expressed her feelings for me, she definitely didn’t know I had money. I didn’t have much money back then. But she just set her mind on me, plus we had several chance encounters. The most ridiculous one was when I took my mistress on a trip to the Northeast, and I actually ran into her. Tell me, if that’s not fate, what is? Maybe she also thinks our fate is destined, so she’s clinging to me and won’t let go.”

Hearing this, Qin Zhen was half-convinced, and a look of envy appeared on his face.

“Damn you, that’s too ridiculous. You went on a trip to the Northeast with your mistress and still ran into her? And she didn’t know that was your mistress?”

“She knew. I was honest with her right then and there, told her she was a mistress I was keeping.”

“And then?”

“Then she was really indignant. She felt she was better than my mistress and more suitable for me, so she kept pestering me. Later, we went our separate ways, but we ended up meeting again in Xiuzhou. After that, she started contacting me often. We got to know each other over time.”

“Damn! If you’re not bragging, then I have to admire you.”

Chen Feng shook his head. “I’m really not bragging. You know me, I wouldn’t brag about this kind of thing. I tell it like it is.”

“Alright. I’m getting jealous just listening to you. There aren’t many simple and pure girls like Wu Mengting these days. Meeting one is like winning the lottery. I think if you’re interested in her, you should seize the opportunity. Otherwise, don’t blame me for stealing her away.”

“Screw you,” Chen Feng rolled his eyes, annoyed. “You really are no good. You haven’t even broken up with your current girlfriend, and you’re already thinking about your brother’s woman.”

“Is she your woman right now?” Qin Zhen raised an eyebrow. “You don’t want her yourself, but you won’t let anyone else have her? Besides, it’s better to keep it in the family. It’s better for your brother to benefit than some outsider in the future.”

“Anyway, you can’t touch Wu Mengting. You just said yourself that you can’t stay in love for long. If you’re just playing around with her, it’s no big deal for you to just break up and walk away, but a stubborn girl like her might not be able to move on so easily. That’s the main reason I’m not willing to accept her lightly. She’s very serious about relationships, and her goal in dating is to get married and have a family. If it’s just for fun, it would be hurting her. I don’t want to hurt her, but I can’t bear to let her go either, so I’ve been dragging it out.”

Qin Zhen was speechless for a moment. He picked up a can of beer, tilted his head back, and drank it all, then casually tossed the empty can on the ground.

After a while, he sighed heavily. “You son of a bitch, you’ve really hit the jackpot. Why can’t I ever meet a girl I’m this happy with?”

“You’re blessed and you don’t even know it. Your current girlfriend chased after you too, and she even comes with a house as a dowry. What more could you be dissatisfied with? As for the woman being stronger than the man, with your current job and position, that shouldn’t be the case. Unless someone in her family is a higher-ranking official than you.”

“Damn! You were just advising me to break up, and now you’re saying this? Are you afraid I’ll go after Wu Mengting?”

“Yeah,” Chen Feng admitted frankly. “You don’t even like a girl like Lin Wan, so I think you might as well just make do with your current one. Save you from harming other women.”

Qin Zhen got angry and picked up a can of beer as if to throw it, but Chen Feng sat there very calmly, not moving, looking at him with a scornful expression.

Qin Zhen could only hiss as he opened another can, shaking his head with a bitter smile. “Maybe you’re right. I’m blessed and I don’t know it. I’ll see how it goes for a while longer. Next time, I’ll bring her out for a meal with you, and you can help me size her up. An outsider sees things more clearly. Tell me what you think then.”

“Sure! I’ll be honest. If I think she’s not right for you, I’ll definitely say so.”

“Okay. Bring Wu Mengting out too. I think if you feel she’s a good one, you shouldn’t be so indecisive. You’re a year older than me and don’t even have a kid. What’s the big deal about getting married again? Just because you’re divorced, does that mean you can’t get married again?”

Hearing this, Chen Feng could only smile bitterly to himself. He raised a can of beer in frustration and drank it all.

If it weren’t for his terminal illness, with a great beauty like Wu Mengting chasing him, he’d be a fool not to accept.

“It’s a long story. I’ll explain it to you in detail when I get the chance. For now, let’s just leave things as they are.”

Chen Feng didn’t want to tell him about his terminal illness just yet. However, when his condition worsened after some time, he could tell him then.

This guy was undoubtedly the most suitable person to handle his funeral arrangements.

“Then I have to tell you, you can’t waste a girl’s youth, dragging it on for years. It’s not a big deal for a man like you, but a girl can’t afford to waste several years with you.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll make a decision within a year at most.”

“That’s more like it. Come on, cheers!”

“Cheers!”

The two of them finished another can of beer.

“By the way, you said you’ve made a fortune. What exactly did you do to get rich? Don’t tell me you earned it through shady means,” Qin Zhen suddenly said, staring at Chen Feng with a serious expression.

Chen Feng was very calm about this and said with a smile, “You know me. I never get involved in shady business. I just told you, after the divorce, my luck with money has been off the charts. First, I bought a live goat to slaughter and ended up finding a natural goat bezoar, which is like a natural ox bezoar. You know about natural ox bezoars, right? Not the artificially cultivated ones. A few years ago, when there was a shortage, the price was hyped up to 100,000 yuan per gram. The price has dropped in recent years, but it’s still over 10,000 per gram. This natural goat bezoar is even rarer than a natural ox bezoar, and the price is even higher. I was lucky and got a piece, sold it for a lot of money.”

“…You’re not telling me a story, are you? Can something that magical really happen?” Qin Zhen expressed his disbelief.

“I’m not lying to you,” Chen Feng said with a serious expression. “I know it sounds bizarre, but that’s what happened. If you don’t believe me, then forget it. Actually, that’s not all. Later, I won the grand prize in the Super Lotto. I won’t tell you how much I won, don’t want to upset you. Anyway, I’ve already bought a house in Xiuzhou now.”

“Damn it! Although I don’t want to believe it, I know you wouldn’t lie to me.”

Qin Zhen said through gritted teeth. He originally thought that among the people he knew of his generation, he was doing the best. But now, compared to Chen Feng, he was far behind. At least for him to buy a house in Xiuzhou now, besides taking bribes, he would only be able to afford the down payment after working for a few more years.

“Haha. You know me well. You know that even when I brag, there’s a limit. I wouldn’t make up something so outrageous. By the way, I have a proper job now, which is a full-time stock trader. The two stocks I bought recently are soaring. If you trust me, you can take the opportunity to buy some. Make a small fortune with me.”

“Oh, what stocks?” Qin Zhen asked with great interest.

Chen Feng looked at the people at the surrounding tables and said, “I’ll send them to you on WeChat. Trust me, if you buy with me and sell at the same time, you should make a profit. If you lose money, it’s on me.”

“Alright. Remember to send them to me when you get back. I’ll take out all the money I’ve saved up for marriage over the years and go in with you.”

Qin Zhen still trusted Chen Feng a lot, even though they hadn’t been in contact for nearly three years.

Seeing that Qin Zhen still trusted him so much, Chen Feng was very pleased and said with a smile, “You’ve got guts. I told Lin Wan before, but she didn’t believe me. Serves her right for not getting rich.”

Qin Zhen said with a smile, “Anyway, you just said that if I lose money, it’s on you. I’m guaranteed to make a profit, so what’s there to worry about?”

“Damn! You actually took me seriously? I was just being polite. Didn’t you realize?”

“Anyway, I’m counting on you. At most, if I really make a fortune with you, I’ll give you a commission. Just treat you as a stockbroker.”

“Let’s talk about it after you’ve made the money. This time, I’ll guide you for free. If you want to follow me in trading in the future, we can calculate the commission then.”

Chen Feng wasn’t being polite with him either. The better the relationship, the clearer the finances needed to be, otherwise, they would eventually stop being friends.

After being friends for so long, they both had a tacit understanding of this point.

“Okay. If I make money with you this time, I’ll treat you to a big meal.”

“Haha, then it’s a deal,” Chen Feng said with a smile. “I mainly feel sorry for you. With your current job, you’ve made something of yourself, but without your own house here in Xiuzhou, you definitely can’t be assertive when it comes to marriage. So, I want to help you earn the down payment for a house first. How much do you have saved for marriage now?”

“A little over seventy thousand, less than eighty thousand.”

“Damn! You’ve been saving for years and only have this much?” Chen Feng was a little shocked. “I remember drinking with you three years ago, you said your monthly salary was over ten thousand, plus various allowances, subsidies, and bonuses, you could make around two hundred thousand a year. You don’t smoke or drink much, where did the money go?”

Qin Zhen scratched his head in embarrassment and said, “I’m in a relationship, aren’t I? During my leave, I often traveled around the world with my girlfriend. Of course, the expenses were high. Being able to save seventy or eighty thousand is already pretty good.”

Chen Feng shook his head as he listened. “You’re really willing to spend money on women.”

“Hehe, isn’t money earned to be spent? Plus, I never thought I would be discharged from the army, let alone be transferred to a job in Xiuzhou. If I were back in our hometown, I wouldn’t have to worry about buying a house at all.”

The housing prices in their hometown county were at most a little over ten thousand per square meter, while second-hand houses in Xiuzhou were now over fifty thousand.

Qin Zhen was from the county seat of their hometown. His parents were alive and well, and their family could be considered well-off there, with some savings. If he were to buy a house in the county, his parents could help, and he should be able to afford the down payment.

But in Xiuzhou, they were out of their depth.

“That’s true. But how can our hometown compare to Xiuzhou? Your development prospects in Xiuzhou are definitely better than back home. Anyway, don’t worry, follow your big brother, and I guarantee you’ll get rich.”

“It’s fine if you help me make money by trading stocks. But anything else is a no-go, it would violate organizational discipline.”

“Don’t worry. I also know your job is special now, otherwise, it wouldn’t be a problem for me to lend you a few million to buy a house first.”

“You’d be that nice, lending me a few million?” Qin Zhen looked at him with disbelief.

“What are you talking about? Remember we swore an oath back then, not to forget each other when we get rich, and whoever makes it big will take care of the other. I can definitely do it, but you, on the other hand, might not. Otherwise, why didn’t you contact me after you were transferred?”