The villa on the end lot had a huge yard. In addition to a neat, square courtyard of nearly one hundred square meters, there was a garden on the right and a gazebo on the left, where grapevines were sprouting green buds.

’A yard like this would have been perfectly ordinary back in my home village.’

But here in the heart of Peng City, it was a rare and luxurious estate.

Back when he was just another office worker, Lin Chu had sometimes thought about it. ’As a kid from the countryside, going to university and trying to put down roots in the city meant I was naturally saddled with the "debt" of at least one apartment.’

’Damn. All I can say now is, the "debt" is paid in full.’

The barbecue masters Li Haohong had hired were already here—three chefs and one assistant. The charcoal was burning, and all the ingredients were laid out.

They had even brought their own oven. A tinfoil-wrapped, marinated leg of lamb was first slow-cooked in the oven until it was about halfway done, then brought out to the charcoal grill to be roasted until the outside was crisp and the inside was tender and savory.

A Bentley pulled up to the gate. It was Liu Junfeng’s car. He was the first to arrive, seemingly in a hurry.

He handed Lin Chu a bouquet and a bottle of wine with a smile. "Brother Chu, congratulations on the new place! I happened to be in the neighborhood, so I figured I’d come over early to help out."

Lin Chu nodded with a smile, casually taking the gifts and setting them aside. "They’ve already taken care of everything. Have a seat."

He then offered him a cigarette.

Liu Junfeng lit the cigarette and exhaled a long plume of smoke. "This place is amazing. A house in Swan Castle... An uncle of mine used to live here. I’ve visited a few times."

Lin Chu shot him a look. "You’re not going to stop by and see him, then?"

Liu Junfeng pursed his lips. "He emigrated. If he hadn’t, he would’ve been put away."

Lin Chu was speechless. "What industry was he in?" 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"It had nothing to do with his industry. He just got too rich, too conspicuous."

"You know what that guy, Jack Ma, said? That the happiest time of his life was when he was making just twenty or thirty thousand a month. That’s such bullshit. I think the real sweet spot is when you have less than half a billion. That’s the most comfortable life. No bullshit to deal with, the bigwigs can’t see you, and everyone below thinks you’re a big shot."

"As long as you stay away from stocks, mutual funds, and random investments, and don’t try to run a factory, life is a breeze."

he remarked, a hint of emotion in his voice.

Lin Chu gave him a thoughtful look and slowly nodded.

’He’d heard similar arguments before, back when he was in financial sales chasing down clients.’

"What’s wrong? Did you run into some trouble?"

Lin Chu thought for a moment before asking. Liu Junfeng wasn’t his usual self today. ’Why is he suddenly complaining and waxing philosophical about life?’

He waved his hand with a smile. "Nah, it’s nothing. What kind of trouble could I possibly get into?"

Since he didn’t want to talk about it, Lin Chu didn’t press the issue.

"Weren’t you going to bring your girlfriend?"

Liu Junfeng laughed. "I came ahead of her; she’s taking a cab over later. She’s not really a girlfriend, though. Just a flight attendant I met on a flight to the Imperial Capital a couple of days ago."

Lin Chu said, "So suave."

As the two were chatting, Li Kai arrived with a gentle-looking girl on his arm. He was carrying a gift box in his left hand and a bouquet in his right.

To Lin Chu’s exasperation, however, the flowers he brought were roses.

’So... flamboyant.’

"You’ve really outdone yourself. Are you trying to mess with me? I’m genuinely scared of you. I’m going to buy a chastity belt tomorrow."

Lin Chu was quick to put what he’d just learned to use, borrowing a line from Brother Fei.

Li Kai flashed a roguish grin and set the gifts on a nearby table. "A chastity belt’s no use. Ever hear of a power drill? Now *that’s* true love. Congrats, bro."

"Hello, Brother Chu."

the girl beside him added with a smile. She had a sweet, demure look about her—gentle and refined.

"Welcome, welcome. Please, make yourselves comfortable."

Lin Chu said with a casual smile.

"I can help out. Is there anything I can do?"

the girl asked.

Lin Chu joked, "Just keeping your man in line would be plenty of help. Keep him away from me; I’m scared."

Li Kai was speechless.

As they all laughed and joked around, the atmosphere felt like it had returned to how it used to be. And yet, something felt different. It was less wild than their nights out at the club, at the very least. After all, they had all been through some things in the meantime.

’Coming to his house for a meal felt like a subtle transition from being simple drinking buddies to friends who were preparing to be in it for the long haul.’

As they chatted and laughed, guests began to arrive one after another.

Most of them brought girlfriends, giving the gathering the feeling of a family dinner, a proper feast.

’But Lin Chu couldn’t help but notice that his buddies had a surprisingly consistent aesthetic: their girlfriends all had the classic "internet celebrity" look—pale, skinny, and waifish.’

’People love to mock that look online, but in real life, it’s what they go for.’

’The body is brutally honest, after all.’

’Or maybe, just maybe, they wouldn’t bring their *real* girlfriends to this kind of gathering, to avoid killing the vibe.’

’Not that I was any different.’

’Heh.’

’Were there any saints in this crowd?’

...

In total, there were nearly twenty men and women gathered.

The commotion even attracted the security guards patrolling the residential complex. They came over to ask a few questions, putting on a very responsible air.

Lin Chu casually brushed them off.

With ingratiating smiles, they simply asked him to avoid blasting loud music and disturbing the neighbors.

Lin Chu agreed. He didn’t hold it against the guards—they were just doing their jobs. He just silently complained to himself. ’Fucking hell, do people in luxury neighborhoods not do outdoor barbecues?’

’What, is having a barbecue too low-class for them?’

’It’s my damn house. If I wanted to blow it up, that would be my business.’

...

When Zhang Peng arrived with four of his colleagues in two cars, he found the yard already filled with a warm and lively atmosphere.

After parking the cars, Xue Xiaojun and Liang Mo quickly started unloading cases of alcohol.

"This house is gorgeous..."

He Meng murmured in admiration. Carrying a plastic bag, she walked through the gate and immediately spotted Lin Chu in the middle of a crowd. She put down her things and quickly walked over.

"President Lin, we’re here."

Lin Chu smiled at her and casually introduced her to the others. "My assistant. Graduated from Peking University this year."

Liu Junfeng and the others immediately chimed in with a few smiling compliments.

’Damn, impressive.’

’To be fair, all the guys here had gone to college, but the number of degrees from top-tier universities was pretty low.’

’Of course, it wasn’t that they put much stock in diplomas themselves, but the caliber of one’s assistant reflected the boss’s own clout.’

Gu Jiayan stood off to the side, watching the scene with a calm expression as she pursed her lips.

She’d never imagined that her first real social event with her colleagues would be in such a "complicated" setting.

Soon enough, however, she put on her social mask, careful not to be a killjoy. She would respond politely if someone spoke to her, and when they didn’t, she would shrink back by the barbecue grill, content to be a wallflower and focus on watching the chef prepare the skewers.

’Watching the skewers grill was more interesting than socializing, anyway.’

The aroma of grilled meat now filled the entire yard.

It was past eight in the evening. Lin Chu scanned the yard; everyone who said they were coming had arrived.

"Alright, if I could have your attention for a sec. Thanks, everyone, for coming to celebrate my move this year. Whether we’re old friends or new, please make yourselves comfortable. Don’t be formal—we’re all on the same team here. If you drink, drink up. If you don’t, feel free to grab something else."

"Tonight’s main event is to eat and drink your fill. But in the future, who knows? We might be divvying up gold and silver."

"Come on, everyone! Let’s have a drink!"

...

...