Zhang Peng came out after washing his face in the bathroom. Seeing that a peaceful atmosphere had returned, he walked over.

"Brother Chu, I’m sorry. I had too much to drink earlier. I’m sober now." 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Lin Chu nodded with a smile. ’He’s really something,’ he thought. ’Getting more impressive by the day.’

His actions earlier had taken even him by surprise at first, but once he’d processed it, he had to give him a silent nod of approval.

People are forged by experience, after all.

The seat of power changes a man. It really does.

"President Zhang, let me offer you a toast. Hahahaha, I had too much to drink earlier as well, heh..."

Liu Junfeng raised his glass and walked toward Zhang Peng, a smile on his face. ’There’s nothing wrong with this,’ he thought. ’Harmony breeds wealth, after all. And it’s only natural for someone of Lin Chu’s stature to have "unwaveringly loyal" people under him.’

Zhang Peng clinked glasses with him. "I was impulsive, too. I’ve got a blunt personality and tend to speak my mind. My apologies."

Liu Junfeng nodded with a smile. "Me too. Hahaha. Bottoms up."

The two of them drained their glasses.

Wang Zhefei watched this unfold, then glanced at Lin Chu. ’Damn,’ he thought, ’the lucky son of a bitch really is a big shot now.’ But he also felt a surge of gratification.

’If you’re rich but have no backbone, aren’t you just a lamb to the slaughter?’

’Everyone would want to come up and take a bite.’

Lu Ming also walked up with a grin and had a drink with them. He knew both Liu Junfeng and Zhang Peng well, so he hadn’t wanted to see the earlier confrontation. But since it had happened, there was nothing to be done. It was good that things were patched up now. After all, it wasn’t a conflict over some fundamental principle.

It was like any big boss—once your operation grows, you’re bound to have so-called "factional struggles."

The game is the game, everywhere you go.

Thinking about this, Lu Ming couldn’t help but feel a little emotional. ’It’s been fast. Too fast.’ He had witnessed Lin Chu’s "rise" with his own eyes.

From that first gathering at the 404 Bar until now... it had only been a little over a month, but it felt like a lifetime ago.

’Fucking Peng City speed,’ he thought.

Li Kai watched, a smile on his lips. He was just realizing that Liu Junfeng must have run into some serious trouble. ’Financial problems?’ he wondered.

’Brother Feng used to be so smooth; he’d never acted this "desperate" before.’

Lin Chu then looked at Liu Junfeng. "Brother Feng, let’s talk privately for a minute. Come on, upstairs."

Liu Junfeng froze for a second, then smiled and followed Lin Chu through the door and up the stairs.

The two went up to the rooftop.

Lin Chu handed him a cigarette. "The moment you got here, I could tell you were stewing about something. What’s wrong? Did something happen?"

Liu Junfeng glanced at him, his lips pursed, and exhaled a long plume of smoke.

"I got screwed over. Hahaha... You want to hear about it? If not, I’ll shut up."

Lin Chu laughed. "Go ahead and tell me. It’s not about wanting to hear it or not."

Liu Junfeng said, "You can’t do anything about it. I didn’t want to trouble you. Telling you would just give you a headache for no reason."

Lin Chu said, "Tell me!"

He took a deep breath and looked up at the sky. "That piece of land I have, not far behind the club, there’s a small reservoir. When I first invested, they promised it was designated for construction. I didn’t think much of it and just built a place to live. Later, I wanted to build a small villa, but because of permit issues and a lack of funds, it never got done. So I just let it sit."

"Then, a couple of days ago, the environmental and water resource bureaus sent a notice. They said it’s an illegal structure and that no buildings are allowed within a three-kilometer radius."

"Now every building there has to be demolished. I’ve asked around everywhere. There’s no negotiating it; the decision is final."

"Heh. Just treat it as a funny story."

Lin Chu patted his shoulder.

He mulled it over.

’You couldn’t really say who was right or wrong here. It was a normal business risk. You win some, you lose some.’

’When he built it, he must have had that mentality of pushing the boundaries. If it worked out, great. If not, he’d figure something out.’

’A lot of businessmen get by like that. And Liu Junfeng himself is a pretty wild guy.’

Back when he was at that club, Lin Chu had thought about it. Such a beautiful mountain, the sea right below it, and a bunch of roaring sports cars on top... it seemed pretty polluting. But he hadn’t thought about it too deeply at the time. He just figured Brother Feng must have some amazing connections to secure such a one-of-a-kind location.

Now...

"How much did you put in?"

"Does the club itself make money?"

Liu Junfeng managed a smile. "It was doing okay before, making about a million or so a year. The problem is I sank my entire net worth into it. I was fucking planning to retire there. Goddammit, this whole thing is so fucked. I feel like I’m going backward in life."

"Back when I was working for a company, everything I did was a success. It was like I was a god of war, conquering everything in my path. Only after I struck out on my own did I realize that surprises lurk around every corner."

"Alright, I should just cut my losses and pull out. There’s nothing I can do about this."

"Didn’t you say you were going traveling? Go have some fun first, clear your head. We can talk about opportunities when you get back."

"You’re okay for basic living expenses, right?"

Lin Chu asked considerately.

’Business is like that; luck plays a huge part.’ When he was working in sales, he’d met plenty of bosses like this.

’When things were going well, they were really raking it in.’

’But when their luck turned, they couldn’t catch a break. Everything went wrong.’

’When fortune favors, heaven and earth conspire to help; when fate turns, even a hero is not free.’

Liu Junfeng took a deep breath. "Living expenses are definitely not an issue. I still have some savings. Don’t worry."

Lin Chu nodded.

He thought for a moment but decided not to say anything more. ’He can’t afford to be rash right now. The more anxious he gets, the more problems will pop up.’

"Let’s head back down."

"If you’re ever really short on cash, just let me know. I can’t promise a huge amount, but I can lend you a few million for now."

Lin Chu gave him his word.

Liu Junfeng nodded with a smile. "I know. Thanks."

Lin Chu kept waiting, expecting the virtual panel to suddenly appear and notify him that the fifth friend slot had opened, the intimacy level having been met.

But it didn’t happen, not even by the time they got downstairs.

’Which... was to be expected, I guess.’

’It was completely understandable.’

’The older people get and the more they experience, the more guarded they become. They believe in less, and the masks they wear grow thicker until they become a part of their face.’

’It’s inevitable.’

"Hey?"

Right before Liu Junfeng left, Lin Chu suddenly turned back and called out to him.

Hm?

Liu Junfeng stared at him.

Lin Chu said, "It’s a crazy world out there. Just be happy."

Liu Junfeng was taken aback for a second. He forced a smile that was a little pained. "Alright, alright. The rich are happy with their money, and the poor are happy with what they’ve got, is that it?"

Lin Chu waved a hand. "Come out with me tomorrow. We’ll do a good deed, build up some good karma, maybe turn your luck around."

"Where to? A temple?"

he asked, puzzled.

Lin Chu replied, "Nope. I’ll tell you tomorrow."

Liu Junfeng: ...

...

After a bit more rowdiness in the courtyard, the party broke up. Everyone helped clean up before heading their separate ways.

Lin Chu gently pulled Gu Jiayan’s arm. "I need to talk to you about something."

She froze, a little nervous. ’What could he want to talk about this late at night?’

Lin Chu saw her nervousness and smiled. ’What’s this? You think I’m going to hit on you?’

He said softly, "Tomorrow, I need you to make an appointment. We’re going to buy some things and visit that orphanage."

"Oh, oh! Okay, okay."

Gu Jiayan nodded vigorously.

’I didn’t expect Lin Chu to be so charitable,’ she thought.

’I only mentioned it once during my interview, and he actually remembered. And he’s really going.’

"Remember, in the afternoon. Let’s say two o’clock."

"Find out what they need and make me a list. In the morning, you can go buy the things that are easy to find—you’ll be reimbursed, of course. I’ll take care of anything that’s harder to get."

"That’s settled, then."

After giving his instructions decisively, Lin Chu gave her a habitual pat on the shoulder and turned to leave.

Watching Lin Chu’s retreating back, she pursed her lips, but a bright smile couldn’t help but form.

’This boss,’ she thought, ’seems... pretty nice.’

Lin Chu felt a faint sense of anticipation himself.

Heh.

’An orphanage.’

’This is fucking... brilliant.’

’The system doesn’t have an age limit, only a gender restriction. Aren’t all those little kids potential "brothers"?’

’The key is, kids are simple. Their futures are malleable. If I invest in them, I don’t have to worry about all the complicated social rules. I can farm money *and* change the destinies of a bunch of kids. This is building up some serious good karma.’

Thinking about it this way, Lin Chu felt he was actually quite noble.

Tsk.

’A person like me...’

...

...