Noon.

Peng Bay No.1.

Lin Chu had stopped to buy something before arriving. He had already booked a private room and sent the details to Li Kai.

Li Kai had brought three people with him: the manager of a security company and two bodyguard candidates.

Wearing a backpack, Lin Chu arrived at the private room. He pushed the door open to see four men already waiting inside.

"Brother Chu..."

As Lin Chu entered, Li Kai stood up with a smile, but his eyes shifted slightly, nonchalantly scanning Lin Chu from head to toe.

Searching for any sign.

But he found nothing.

Lin Chu’s expression was calm, as were his eyes.

"Right. You three step outside for a bit. I need to talk to him about something in private."

Lin Chu nodded, speaking casually before Li Kai could even introduce the men from the security company.

’I’m the client, after all.’

Li Kai was taken aback for a moment, as was the security company’s manager. But the manager quickly recovered with a smile and said, "Alright, then we’ll execute our first mission: standing guard outside. President Lin, I guarantee not even a mosquito will get in."

He was making a joke, but it showed how slick he was.

Lin Chu couldn’t help but smile and nod, giving the manager a casual pat on the shoulder.

The three men left the room.

In the vast private room, only Lin Chu and Li Kai remained.

Lin Chu took out a pack of cigarettes, offered one to Li Kai, and lit one for himself. He exhaled a long plume of smoke. "Have a seat. First off, I need to apologize for poaching that girl at your party."

"Then, we’ll have a proper chat."

"You decide how we move forward from here. I’ll accept whatever you choose."

Hearing this, Li Kai was taken aback again. A bitter smile touched his lips as he waved his hand dismissively. "Hey, what’s there to say? That’s just how women are. It’s not like she was my girlfriend. It’s not that serious, really..."

Hmm?

Lin Chu was a little surprised to hear that. ’Brother Kai really is a man of decorum.’

’But maybe the more decorum a man has, the worse he loses in the game between men and women.’

’Worrying too much about others’ feelings just means you end up short-changing yourself.’

’And once you start feeling hard-done-by, you lose your charm.’

Sitting down, Lin Chu sighed softly. "Here’s the deal. First, I’m a greedy, lecherous scoundrel. I honestly just got carried away yesterday."

Lin Chu watched Li Kai’s expression as he spoke.

Li Kai gave a bitter smile and a wave of his hand. Taking a drag from his cigarette, he sighed. "Everyone has moments like that. Hey, I don’t blame you. She has her own two feet to walk on, what can I say?"

Lin Chu was speechless.

At that moment, Lin Chu genuinely felt that this guy was worth being friends with.

But his brow furrowed slightly nonetheless.

’Why the hell are you comforting me?’

’What kind of upbringing is this? Such a gentlemanly demeanor?’

"Alright, my second point. I’ve been burned by love too. Every man is like this. We all have that one unforgettable love, but I’ve been over that for a long time. Last night, over tea, I was pressing the issue, and that girl has absolutely no feelings for you. I could see you were miserable, so I decided to make you even more miserable. I won’t lie to you, last night... I sealed the deal. There’s no logic to this stuff. If you use the right approach, anything is possible. Deep down, you and her are just not cut from the same cloth."

As Li Kai listened, his eyes widened. He exclaimed in disbelief, "Holy shit! You really sealed the deal?"

He was genuinely stunned.

He knew Lin Chu had a way with women, but he never thought his game was this strong.

Lin Chu nodded nonchalantly, his eyes fixed on him.

Li Kai was speechless.

He let out a long sigh and looked away, a sense of humiliation washing over him.

But what could he do?

’Teacher Meng has dated before. He’d met one of her exes, but he had a girlfriend at the time, so it didn’t hit him this hard. But now... it only took a few hours. A few hours! One night at most! Women are such fucking bastards!’

"You’re not thinking of punching me, are you?" Lin Chu asked with a smile.

Li Kai licked his lips and seemed to deflate, leaning back in his chair. "It’s not that serious," he said, relaxing. "I just feel... she wasn’t worth it."

"Mm, I get it," Lin Chu said. "What you can’t forget is your past self."

"But then again, being unable to forget the past is a betrayal of the present."

Lin Chu said casually, taking off his backpack. He placed it on the table and pushed it toward Li Kai. "Open it. It’s a gift for you. You’re not getting any younger. You should get married. Consider it an early wedding present."

Hmm?

’What’s this now?’

Slightly curious, Li Kai opened the bag. His eyes were immediately dazzled by a flash of brilliant gold.

It was a bag of gold.

Gold.

An entire bag of it.

On top was a delivery slip: Gold 10kg, unit price 498 yuan per gram, total value nearly five million.

He was floored once again. Staring at Lin Chu in utter disbelief, he quickly tried to refuse. "No, Brother Chu, what is this? This is way too valuable! Are you kidding me? I can’t take this. Take it back."

Lin Chu didn’t say a word or reach for the bag. He simply looked at Li Kai with a calm gaze.

Li Kai met his gaze for a dozen seconds before finally breaking, unable to hold it any longer. He looked away, defeated.

"I told you, it’s a wedding gift."

"I’m not rushing you to get married. I’m just telling you, this is your wedding gift for whenever you tie the knot. I’m just giving it to you early. It doesn’t matter if we’re still friends by then."

"In a way, you can also see it as me paying for my own desires. I’m just an old pervert at heart, so what can you do?"

"You take it. Whether we’re still brothers after this is up to you."

"Even if we’re not, you’re still taking it. I never take back what I’ve given."

"I saw the memorial altar at your place yesterday. It got me thinking. I’m guessing that back then, maybe because of family issues, you felt a lack of love and tried to find it in a woman. But she doesn’t dote on you, and she doesn’t worship you. It’s a lost cause. A man needs to find a girl who both worships him and dotes on him. That’s the highest form of love."

Lin Chu gestured with his chin.

He offered him another cigarette.

Listening to his words and looking at the bag on the table, Li Kai’s lips trembled. His defenses were starting to crack. All those years, Teacher Meng certainly never doted on him. But right now, he felt like Lin Chu did.

This was so damn... hard to take.

’How am I supposed to judge Brother Chu?’

’Actually, there’s no need. He said it himself: greedy and lecherous.’

’But this fucking bag on the table is heavy. Five million! Besides your own parents, who would give you something like that without batting an eye?’

"I get it. Alright, say no more. Thanks, Brother Chu. But this..."

Lin Chu waved him off, speaking decisively. "Just put it away. I’m going to get the others. It’s almost time for lunch. Let’s eat."

With that, he got up and walked toward the door.

Just as he reached the door, Lin Chu suddenly turned back. "One more thing. This stays between you and me. No third person finds out. If word gets out, it’ll make me look like an asshole, and it’ll make you look like one too."

Li Kai was speechless... and nodded.

Lin Chu left the room.

Watching Lin Chu’s retreating figure, Li Kai let out a long sigh.

He genuinely felt that if he were a woman, he would have fallen for this man too.

When he’s reckless, he’s wilder than a stray dog.

But when he’s considerate, he’s incredibly thoughtful.

...

As Lin Chu stepped out of the private room,

a virtual panel suddenly materialized before his eyes.

[You have given an early gift of 4.98 million yuan to your friend, Li Kai. You have received a rebate of 9.96 million yuan.]

[Li Kai’s favorability toward you has surpassed 90. The 4th friend slot has been unlocked.]

[Li Kai: Favorability, 92.]

[Current Friend Slots (4): Wang Zhefei 100, Zhang Peng 100, Lu Ming 98, Li Kai 92.]

Lin Chu was speechless.

’Looks like my words really got through to old Kai.’

’Good enough.’

’Motherfuckers. They all talk a big game about their hearts being sealed in cement, but in the end, they’re all hung up on the past. What’s the point of that?’

’If you’re going to seal it, then seal it for real.’

...

...