"This is the life."

"Before I came to Peng City, all I saw on TikTok were videos of how glamorous it is. After getting here, I realized it was just endless tenement houses and pork knuckle rice. Thanks, Brother Chu, for showing me the other side of this city..."

Once they were the only two left in the room, Zhang Peng lit a cigarette, exhaled a long plume of smoke, and said with a heavy sigh.

Lin Chu smiled. He was about to say something modest, but then thought better of it.

"Where’s your hometown?"

"The Northeast?"

He could sort of tell from the accent; the regional characteristics were too distinct.

Zhang Peng grinned and nodded. "Yup. A small village near Da Xing’an Ridge. If you ever get the chance, you’re welcome to visit, Brother Chu."

"I’ll take you up on that."

"Work hard for a couple of years, and you’ll have it all."

Lin Chu first painted a picture of a bright future for him. "Now, let’s think about what to do tonight. Find some fun."

Zhang Peng caught on immediately, but he still asked, "Drinking? Should we get a couple of girls to celebrate? What about that student of yours?"

Lin Chu: "Too clingy. I’m not calling her over tonight."

Zhang Peng laughed. "That’s true. You’ve got to set the rules early on to make things easier later. Man, you really got burned bad. But then again, it was what’s-her-name who didn’t have the good fortune to enjoy this life with you. Maybe she was bad luck for you. The second you two broke up, the money started rolling in."

Lin Chu smiled and nodded.

He casually sent Lu Ming a message: "What are you guys up to tonight? The two of them?"

Lu Ming replied quickly: "We’re just deciding where to eat... Got something planned? I can send them home..."

He also caught on immediately.

Since Lin Chu sent a message instead of calling, it meant it was a boys’ night out—no girls allowed.

Lin Chu: "Yeah. Call me after you drop them off."

Lu Ming: "OKK."

After ending the chat, Lin Chu bounced on the sofa twice in a good mood. This was the unspoken understanding between men—they were pros at running interference for each other.

To perfectly coordinate with Lu Ming, Lin Chu then sent a message to Du Xiaoman.

"Babe, I have to talk business tonight. You go have your fun, be good."

Du Xiaoman: "Aww... Can you come keep me company tonight then?"

Young girls sure knew how to be coquettish.

It was hard to imagine that just two days ago when they first met, she had been as cold as ice.

A smirk appeared on Lin Chu’s lips. "Come to your dorm to find you... Would your roommates have a problem with that?"

Her: "..."

’What a perverted idea!’

"Can I come to your place... Where do you live?"

Reading the message, Lin Chu knew she was trying to probe for information. The girl might be young, but she wasn’t naive.

He smiled and replied: "I’m a poor man, can’t afford a house. I live in hotels day in and day out."

Du Xiaoman: ...

She was speechless.

’Poor man? What the hell!’

What kind of poor man could spend six million on a Lamborghini without batting an eye?

"Oh come on, stop joking. You aren’t just trying to play with me, are you?"

She bit her lip and pressed him.

Lin Chu: "Just because I can afford it doesn’t mean I bought it. I really don’t own a house. You can check with the housing authority if you don’t believe me. If that’s what you think, there’s nothing I can do. Don’t be a buzzkill."

"Of course not, I was just worried about you! (pout) (pout)"

Du Xiaoman sent back a reply.

Lin Chu decided not to reply at all.

’Why is everyone in such a hurry?’

’Isn’t there anyone out there who just appreciates my fine, muscular body?’

’Hmm.’

’Actually, there is.’

’Chen Jinyu.’

’A rich older woman really is different.’

’But she wants too much. She has her own money, so she’s not lacking in that department. But besides lust, she also wants love.’

’I barely managed to brush her off last night with a bunch of excuses. I don’t really want to provoke her right now, lest she get all clingy again.’

’Women are always greedy.’

Lin Chu now had a profound understanding: women were always attracted to powerful men, but they also had a natural desire to control them.

’Isn’t that a contradiction?’

’Such wishful thinking.’

...

"Come on, let’s go check out the kind of girls who can afford to stay at the Wanhao. To the pool."

It was still early, just past five o’clock, Lin Chu said with a smile.

Zhang Peng’s eyes lit up. "Let’s do it! When they were showing me around earlier, I spotted a few beauties. Damn, they were totally my type."

"Why didn’t you say so earlier?"

So, the two of them eagerly left the room, went downstairs, and headed straight for the heated pool on the 4th floor.

Next to the pool was the spa.

"She’s still there. Three o’clock, white swimsuit."

When they got there, Zhang Peng gave him a look and whispered. Lin Chu glanced over, his sharp Adam’s apple bobbing slightly. "So pale."

The turquoise water rippled. The pool wasn’t crowded—just a few girls and two old men, not together, of course. They were all swimming in their own lanes. The one in the white swimsuit was truly the most stunning.

Lin Chu had always felt that a swimming pool was like a magnifying glass. A girl with a good figure looked even more graceful in the water, while one with a bad figure was a real eyesore.

After buying a pair of swim trunks and taking a quick rinse, Lin Chu got into the water and casually swam a lap.

Suddenly, he realized...

He seemed to have gotten a little fatter. The skin on his stomach felt a bit loose. He’d been feasting and drinking these past two days without much exercise. Even though he was young and had a fast metabolism, it couldn’t hold up against daily binge drinking.

’Damn it!’

’I own a goddamn gym, and I don’t even have an eight-pack!’

’If I had muscles like Leizi, I could just flex them—BAM—and this pool would be the perfect place to show off.’

At that moment, Lin Chu secretly decided he had to start working out again.

’You only regret not having enough muscle when you need it.’

The girl in the white bikini even had defined abs. Not an ounce of fat on her, just a flat stomach with clear lines, exuding a kind of sculpted beauty.

Du Xiaoman’s stomach was also flat, but her muscles weren’t this defined. She couldn’t really compare.

A short while later, Zhang Peng arrived too.

He cannonballed into the water with a huge SPLASH.

The lifeguard glanced in their direction but didn’t say anything.

These fucking rich clients could get away with a lot. As long as they didn’t go too far, the staff would turn a blind eye. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Zhang Peng swam towards Lin Chu.

By then, Lin Chu was already on the other side, a few meters away from the girl in the white swimsuit, pretending to be resting.

Up close, he could see her more clearly. Lin Chu felt his heart race. He even felt a subtle sense of inferiority. He had only just come into money and, honestly, he still hadn’t become completely desensitized to beautiful women, especially not in a setting like this, stripped of any social halos. The thought of hitting on her was a mix of excitement and a faint trace of fear.

’Fuck, why can’t I drive my Lamborghini into the water!’

’The Yangwang could go in the water, but I guess it’s not high-class enough.’

’A girl of this caliber probably rides in a Rolls-Royce, right?’

’She doesn’t have a boyfriend, does she?’

All sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind. Lin Chu took a deep breath, finally settling on a positive one: ’This is a perfect training opportunity.’

’The power of the mind, just like muscles, needs to be trained.’

"Hey, beautiful..."

Lin Chu started treading water towards her. He had just called out when she, either not hearing him or pretending not to, instantly dove back into the water and began another lap. Her long legs kicked rapidly, her peach-like butt clenching and unclenching, outlining an exceptionally graceful curve. Even her feet were fair and delicate, as smooth as a baby’s.

Lin Chu: ...

’Fuck!’

The small setback only fueled Lin Chu’s competitive spirit.

’She’s mine for the taking!’

’I’m calling it!’

’Not even Jesus himself could save her!’

...

...