Wang Tengfei had lost all reason.
He refused to let that loser Ye Chen get the better of him in front of their classmates.
So he steeled himself, took the firecrackers from Wang Daokun, and tossed them straight into his own car.
Then he picked up a lighter, grabbed the firecrackers' fuse, and said coldly, "Watch me! I'm not a sore loser! And I sure as hell don't need Ye Chen's pity!"
With that, he flicked the lighter on.
The firecrackers caught in an instant and exploded inside the car with a deafening crackle!
At first, flashes of fire could still be seen inside the car, but it soon filled with thick white smoke. The incessant explosions made Wang Tengfei's heart bleed, while their classmates watched the spectacle in excitement.
Quite a few classmates had already pulled out their phones to record it, planning to post the whole thing on short-video platforms later so netizens could see this rare stunt too.
The thirty-thousand-firecracker string kept exploding, soon tearing the seats of the BMW 540 to shreds. The seats were stuffed with foam, all of it flammable, and the firecracker powder fed the flames until it caught fire.
No one had expected the firecrackers to set the car alight, and with white smoke filling the interior, they couldn't even see the fire.
But when the firecrackers had nearly finished exploding and the smoke began to clear, the flames inside suddenly burst out, and the entire cabin became a sea of fire!
Their classmates cried out in alarm, and Wang Tengfei blurted out in fright, "Fuck, put it out! Hurry, put it out!"
He had thought a string of firecrackers would, at worst, wreck the seats and damage the interior. At most, he'd have to spend tens of thousands, or even over a hundred thousand, to have the car restored to its original condition.
But he had never imagined the firecrackers would start a blazing fire inside the car!
He shouted for someone to put it out, but no one could help him put out the flames inside the car with their bare hands. He hurriedly dialed 119, then stood there in despair, watching the fire engulfing his beloved car grow larger and larger until it was finally swallowed by a sea of flames.
By the time the fire engine arrived, all that remained of the BMW 540 was its frame.
Looking at the frame, one couldn't even tell it had once been a BMW.
Wang Tengfei slumped to the ground, watching his beloved BMW turn to ashes in despair, his heart filled with anguish.
Had he known this would happen, he wouldn't have provoked Ye Chen and challenged him to a contest even if someone had beaten him to death.
Now he had not only lost face, but lost his car as well...
Wang Daokun's face showed no expression, but he found it rather funny and quietly gave Ye Chen a thumbs-up.
Then he said to Wang Tengfei, "Tengfei, don't be too upset. It's about time. Why don't we head in and eat first?"
Wang Tengfei had wanted to find an excuse to leave, but on second thought, that would let that bastard Ye Chen off too easily!
No matter what, his car was wrecked because of Ye Chen, so he had to get even!
So he got to his feet and said, feigning composure, "What do I have to be upset about? I made a bet, and I can accept losing."
Several classmates who liked to fawn over him came forward in agreement. "Brother Fei is so rich. What's one BMW to him?"
"Exactly! To Brother Fei, it's just an ordinary car for getting around!"
Everyone knew Wang Tengfei cared about saving face, so they dropped the subject and followed Wang Daokun inside for the opening celebration.
Inside, several banquet tables had already been set up in the main hall. Above the small stage at the front hung a banner celebrating the class reunion and the restaurant's opening.
Many classmates presented their gifts. Ye Chen also took the antique painting he had bought, walked up to Wang Daokun, and said, "Congratulations, Daokun. This is a little opening gift from my wife and me."
Xiao Churan smiled and added, "Congratulations, Wang Daokun. May wealth pour in from every direction!"
"Thank you, thank you." Wang Daokun hurriedly thanked them, then leaned close to Ye Chen's ear and said with an animated, mischievous grin, "You and the class belle seem pretty close, not like what people outside have been saying! When are you having a child?"
Xiao Churan heard the two whispering and couldn't help blushing, while Ye Chen said with a smile, "Don't be so nosy. We'll tell you when we have one. You won't get out of giving a gift!"
"Of course, of course!" Wang Daokun nodded repeatedly. "I'll be sure to give the child a big red envelope!"
Just then, an ordinary-looking woman wearing heavy makeup came up beside Wang Daokun and asked, "Daokun, who are these two?"
"This is my best friend from college, my brother through thick and thin, Ye Chen! And this is our campus belle, Xiao Churan. She's Ye Chen's wife now."
After introducing the two, Wang Daokun introduced the woman beside him. "This is my fiancée, Liu Lili."
"Huh? He's the one who lives off a wo..."
Liu Lili blurted it out, but quickly realized she had misspoken. She hurriedly changed her tune and said with a smile, "I've always heard Wang Daokun mention you two. You really are a talented man and a beautiful woman!"
Pretending he hadn't heard, Ye Chen handed the antique painting to Liu Lili. "This is a little token from us."
Liu Lili smiled. "Oh, you're already here! Why bring a gift?"
Even as she said that, she hurriedly accepted the gift box.
Ye Chen said, "You two go ahead and get back to work. We'll find somewhere to sit."
"All right." Wang Daokun said apologetically, "Sorry, Ye Chen. There are so many classmates here, and I have to greet them all."
As soon as Ye Chen and Xiao Churan walked away, Liu Lili hurriedly opened the gift box Ye Chen had given them. Finding a scroll inside, she frowned. "What did your classmate give us?"
Wang Daokun said, "Can't you tell? It's a painting!"
"Tch." Liu Lili curled her lip in disdain, unrolled the scroll, and glanced at it. "What a piece of junk. It's old and shabby. I'd say it's only worth a hundred or two."
Wang Daokun said seriously, "Why do you care how much it's worth? It's a gift from a classmate. The gift may be modest, but the sentiment is what counts."
Liu Lili said, "Oh, spare me. I'm telling you, keep your distance from classmates like that from now on. The two of them gave us this little piece of junk. It's not even enough to cover the cost of their meal!"
Wang Daokun's face darkened. "Liu Lili, are you really that snobbish?"
Liu Lili flew into a rage. "Wang Daokun, how can you say that? I'm snobbish? If I really were snobbish, would I have gotten together with a pauper like you? Don't forget, my dad put up more than half the money for this restaurant!"
Wang Daokun looked a little awkward, but for a moment he was also at a loss for words.
Just then, Wang Tengfei walked up to them. He had recovered considerably from the car fire and was putting on an arrogant air again.
When he reached them, he handed over a thick red envelope and said casually, "Daokun, your restaurant's opening, and I didn't know what would be suitable, so I figured I'd just give you a big red envelope."
Liu Lili hurriedly took it while thanking him. One squeeze told her there had to be at least eight or ten thousand in it, and she immediately said ingratiatingly, "Oh, thank you so much!"
Wang Tengfei waved a hand and asked her, "I saw Ye Chen come over with a gift too. What did he give you?"
Liu Lili gave a derisive chuckle. "A painting. Who knows which secondhand market he dug it up from? I'd say it's only worth a hundred or two!"
Wang Tengfei sneered. "A diaosi is a diaosi after all!"