Shock for His Old Classmates

The car door opened, and an enormous figure squeezed out of the driver's seat with some difficulty.

He was a massively overweight man who definitely weighed over two hundred pounds. His round belly stretched his T-shirt so tightly it looked ready to split.

The moment he got out, he spotted Chen Lin and the others in the courtyard. He raised a pudgy hand and waved enthusiastically, his smile narrowing his eyes to slits.

"Brother Lin!"

That shout of "Brother Lin" rang out loud and strong.

The courtyard instantly fell silent.

Wang Ye, Li Jingwen, Si Qi, and Wang Ye's girlfriend, Zhang Panpan, all froze. They turned to Chen Lin in unison, their faces filled with bewilderment.

Who was this fat guy?

Chen Lin was just as baffled.

He stared at the enormous figure approaching him, studying him for a long while.

That face... looked a little familiar, but he couldn't place it at all.

Uncertain, he ventured, "Wang... Wang Shuo????"

Just then, the BMW's passenger door opened too.

A petite, sweet-looking woman stepped out.

Everyone was stunned when they saw her.

It was Yang Ni! Wang Shuo's wife! They had married last year, and Chen Lin and the others had all attended!

Holy shit! Then this fat guy... really was Wang Shuo?!

Wang Ye's mouth fell open wide enough to fit an egg. Pointing at the fat man who had reached them, he stammered, "M-Master Shuo? Y-your family sells pig feed, I know, but you haven't been sneaking some every day, have you?"

Li Jingwen looked as though he had seen a ghost too. "Fuck! You were still a handsome guy with a little extra weight at your wedding last year. It hasn't even been a year! How the hell did you end up looking like this?"

Wang Shuo chuckled, completely unbothered. He even thrust out his magnificent belly and declared proudly, "What can I say? Life's too comfortable. A carefree heart makes for a well-fed body!"

Beside him, Yang Ni looked helpless. "You really have no shame saying that..."

As he spoke, he turned to Chen Lin and threw an arm around his shoulders, nearly knocking him off balance with the force.

"Brother Lin! Look at you! Came back to the village to be a landowner? This farm stay's really coming along!"

Chen Lin didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this sudden enthusiasm. All he could do was pat Wang Shuo's thick back.

This wasn't a back. It was a wall.

Last year, he had only been a little overweight. This year, he had turned straight into a heavy tank.

The change in his size was ridiculous!

Smiling, Chen Lin ushered everyone into the living room. His old classmates sank onto the sofa and instantly abandoned all decorum.

Like Granny Liu on her first visit to the Grand View Garden, Wang Ye kept looking around, his eyes brimming with envy.

"Damn, this courtyard, this air! It's ten thousand times better than those pigeonholes in the city! Lin, are you planning to retire early and live the good life?"

Li Jingwen crossed his legs and immediately launched into his trademark sour remarks.

"Exactly! We're still slaving away for our bosses, while Boss Chen here has come home to be a landowner. Comparing yourself to others really is enough to kill you!"

The three men traded quips, dragging up one another's embarrassing school stories, and the living room soon filled with laughter.

As they chatted, Li Jingwen suddenly leaned over with a sly look and lowered his voice.

"By the way, Lin, that girl you were with in Magic City... you didn't bring her back?"

The moment he said it, Wang Ye and Wang Shuo fell silent in perfect unison.

They all knew Chen Lin's temperament. If he didn't bring something up himself, it usually wasn't good news.

But Chen Lin merely picked up his teacup calmly, blew on the steam, and answered without concern.

"We broke up."

A few words, spoken lightly.

The mention of Li Wei no longer stirred anything in his heart.

He had once thought she was his entire world. Now, looking back from a new height, she was merely a footprint along life's road, blurred long ago by the rain.

Seeing the mood turn awkward, Si Qi immediately laughed and gave Li Jingwen a smack.

"Quit sticking your nose where it doesn't belong! With Chen Lin's looks and physique now, he's practically testosterone on legs! If he wants a girlfriend, all he has to do is crook a finger!"

Chen Lin was amused.

There weren't any young girls, though.

Did an ice-cold, mature beauty count?

Just then, two graceful white figures sauntered out of the room with haughty feline steps.

"Master, are all these people your good friends?"

Clear Wind's soft, little-girl voice sounded in Chen Lin's mind.

Chen Lin answered inwardly, Yes, they're all close friends. Play with the girls for a while later.

"Okay! Okay!" Bright Moon's delighted voice followed right after.

"Wow!"

"What gorgeous cats!"

Si Qi's delighted cries instantly drew everyone's attention.

She hurried forward and gently scooped up Bright Moon, who had approached her willingly. She looked utterly unwilling to let go, her eyes sparkling.

"Oh my gosh! This fur is so smooth! It's like silk!"

Zhang Panpan and Yang Ni instantly melted at the cuteness too and gathered around. One stroked Bright Moon's head while the other scratched under the cat's chin, both completely smitten.

Even the men weren't immune.

Wang Ye scooped the livelier Clear Wind into his arms. Feeling that unbelievably silky fur, he let out an exaggerated cry.

"Holy shit! Has this tabby become a spirit or something? Those eyes are so expressive!"

Everyone crowded around the two kittens, exclamations of admiration rising one after another.

Before long, another sound came from outside the courtyard. This time, it wasn't an engine's roar, but the soft click of a car door closing.

Chen Lin went out to look and saw Zhao Jie and Su Mei approaching hand in hand.

It really did live up to its claim of being miles ahead. The car had arrived without making a sound.

"Jie, Su Mei!" Chen Lin greeted them with a smile.

"Chen Lin! Long time no see!" Su Mei replied with an easy smile.

Chen Lin's gaze settled on Zhao Jie. Seeing how dejected and utterly lost he looked, he asked curiously, "What happened to you, Jie? Get abducted by aliens?"

Zhao Jie heaved a long sigh and complained, his face full of grief and indignation.

"Don't even mention it. Su Mei listed my beloved Ghost Fire on Idle Fish... and then... someone snapped it up instantly..."

"Pfft!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Wang Ye, Wang Shuo, and Li Jingwen, who had just followed them out of the house, doubled over laughing.

"Legendary! Rest in peace, Jie!"

"That's what you get for blasting through the streets every midnight! Karma finally caught up!"

"Hahahaha! I can't take it! I'm dying!"

Si Qi gave Su Mei a thumbs-up. "All hail Sister Su! You've rid the public of a menace!"

Zhang Panpan nodded vigorously in agreement. "Sister Su, from today onward, you're my idol!"

Su Mei glared at Zhao Jie and snapped irritably.

"You've got some nerve complaining! That junk motorcycle of yours sounded like a tractor. Every time we stopped at a traffic light, people looked at me like I was some trashy biker chick! You completely humiliated me!"

Zhao Jie stiffened his neck and stubbornly tried to defend himself.

"That's not what it was! They were admiring us! They were jealous!"

"Heh!" Su Mei's cold laugh dealt a devastating blow.

Everyone burst into laughter again.

And just like that, they happily created a world where Zhao Jie was the only one suffering.

Chen Lin shook his head with a smile, then turned and brought two large plates of freshly washed fruit out of the kitchen.

One held cherry tomatoes, each as plump as a red agate, gleaming enticingly with moisture in the sunlight.

The other held several enormous sweet potatoes, washed perfectly clean and still covered in wet droplets.

His second aunt, Liu Shuqin, had grown them. He had only discovered they were ripe that morning and casually picked some to bring back.

Watered with spirit spring water, these ordinary fruits and vegetables had long since acquired flavors beyond anything mundane.

"Wow! These cherry tomatoes look amazing!"

The gazes of all four women-Su Mei, Yang Ni, Zhang Panpan, and Si Qi-were instantly riveted.

Su Mei casually picked one up and popped it into her mouth.

The next second, her eyes flew wide open.