The Rogue Villager Chen Erbao

Wang Yong casually revealed the Patek Philippe on his wrist, stroking it as he spoke:

"Look at me. I'm wearing a 200,000-yuan Patek Philippe. Am I showing off? Man, you were always so obsessed with appearances back in college, and you still haven't changed!"

"..."

Chen Erbao shot him a speechless look. Seeing that Zhang Yiyi could barely hold back her laughter, he quickly changed the subject.

"Where's the room? Let's go on ahead. I've been starving all afternoon."

Wang Yong sullenly lowered his wrist and smiled at Zhang Yiyi.

"Yiyi, follow me… Rooms at this Binhe Hotel are hard to book. I had to pull some strings to get one. After all, this is a top-tier hotel. Without connections, you can't even get on the waiting list!"

He couldn't say a single sentence without showing off. That was just like Wang Yong.

Although Chen Erbao and Zhang Yiyi had expected this, they still felt embarrassed for him.

Arriving at the private room on the second floor, Wang Yong pushed open the door:

"Yiyi, come in. Er Bao, you come in too!"

Chen Erbao pursed his lips and followed Zhang Yiyi inside.

There were about ten people sitting in the room. Chen Erbao swept his gaze across them and saw they were all familiar faces!

"Hey, our great beauty is here!"

"The campus belle is finally here! We've been waiting forever!"

"Yiyi, over here!"

When everyone saw Zhang Yiyi come in, they all greeted her enthusiastically. A few of the girls chattered away and called Zhang Yiyi over.

This was perfectly normal. Back in college, Zhang Yiyi had always been warm and friendly, getting along well with all her classmates. Add in her good looks, and it was only natural that she was so popular.

Chen Erbao followed behind. At first, no one noticed him, until a heavyset guy looked at his face and exclaimed in surprise.

"Holy shit, Er Bao!"

"Haha, Zhao Hai, you old dog! Still just as fat?"

'Finally, someone noticed me,' Chen Erbao thought, greeting the man with a booming laugh.

Only then did the others turn to look at Chen Erbao.

"Damn, Er Bao, have you struck it rich? That's a sharp suit. You've got a great air about you now, too. You've really changed!"

Bai Ze exclaimed in shock.

Over with the girls, Wang Qinqin and the others were also full of admiration:

"In college, Chen Erbao seemed pretty introverted, always keeping his head down and not talking. I never expected such a big change!"

"Yeah, and how did I never notice before? He's actually kind of handsome…"

"..."

After the two of them sat down, the atmosphere in the room completely livened up.

Zhao Hai, Bai Ze, Chen Erbao, and Wang Yong had all been in the same dorm back then. While Wang Yong was urging the waiter to bring the food, the other three chatted on the side.

"Er Bao, you've really changed a lot! You used to be such a loser. When I saw you from a distance just now, I thought some big shot had arrived!"

Bai Ze was the same as ever, a straight-shooter who said whatever was on his mind.

Chen Erbao didn't mind. He really had been a loser back then.

"Let's not talk about that. We haven't seen each other in so many years, we have to have a good couple of drinks later!"

"No problem!" Wang Yong chimed in. "There's plenty to drink tonight. Let's make sure everyone has a great time!"

"Bai Ze, you probably don't know yet, but Chen Erbao is a big boss now. He runs his own business!" Zhang Yiyi said with a smile.

Bai Ze, Zhao Hai, and Wang Yong were all stunned. Wang Yong was the first to ask:

"Chen Erbao, what kind of business are you in?"

"Don't listen to Yiyi's nonsense… I'm just dabbling in the cosmetics business. It's a small-scale operation, nothing worth mentioning!" Chen Erbao said humbly.

Zhao Hai had been closest to Chen Erbao back in the day. He said, his eyes narrowing into slits:

"Brother Bao, you're so badass! You've gotta help a brother out in the future! WOOF WOOF!"

"WOOF WOOF! HAHAHAHA…"

Everyone knew the inside joke and burst out laughing.

The food wasn't ready yet, so everyone sat around and chatted.

"Zhao Hai, what have you been up to lately?"

Zhao Hai was about as tall as Chen Erbao, but a fair bit heavier. With his buzz cut, he looked tall, sturdy, and full of energy.

Hearing what Chen Erbao said, he frowned and heaved a sigh. "Right after graduation, my dad sent me to the army. I was there for two years, and since then I've just been at home helping with the family business. Haven't gone anywhere. Lately, they've been arranging blind dates for me!"

Bai Ze chimed in, "I'm not getting married. My family's been nagging me too, but I'm in no rush. I'll think about it when I'm twenty-eight, twenty-nine, maybe thirty! I haven't had enough fun yet!"

As soon as the topic of marriage came up, everyone suddenly found common ground.

Chen Erbao was twenty-six, but he'd started school late, so he was a year or two older than his classmates. Still, twenty-four or twenty-five was the age to be talking about marriage, so everyone sighed and lamented.

The girls were also troubled by this.

Wang Qinqin gave a helpless smile. "My family has already introduced me to several guys. You have no idea how ridiculous it's been. I've even met a thirty-year-old divorcé!"

"That's wild…"

"..."

After so many years apart, their bonds hadn't really changed, and there wasn't any of that messy, melodramatic, show-off bullshit—except for Wang Yong.

He was dying for everyone to see the watch on his wrist, so he took off his suit jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeves.

The dazzling watch face caught the light, glittering brilliantly.

Bai Ze asked whatever came to mind, never one to overthink things:

"Brother Yong, that watch of yours looks like a Patek Philippe, right? Awesome! I've been bugging my dad for one for ages, but he won't buy it for me!"

This question was exactly what Wang Yong wanted to hear.

He waved his hand, and although his tone was nonchalant, he couldn't hide the smile on his face. "Your family's business hasn't been doing too well recently, so you have a lot of expenses… My family is different. I don't have to worry about a thing, and we have plenty of spare cash, so if I want to buy something, I just buy it!"

Of the ten or so people present, Chen Erbao had the humblest family background. The others were, at the very least, from well-off families, if not second-generation rich kids.

Even Zhang Yiyi's family, with their few million in assets, didn't rank in this room.

The wealthiest, of course, was still Wang Yong's family, who were rumored to be worth several hundred million.

Wang Qinqin was also a hidden rich girl. She glanced at Wang Yong's watch, but her gaze fell on Chen Erbao:

"Er Bao is the one who's truly hiding his wealth. If I'm not mistaken, that suit is a not-for-sale item from May's, isn't it? Cost over a hundred thousand, right?"

Chen Erbao hadn't expected Wang Qinqin to have such a sharp eye. He gave an awkward smile. "I'm just a nouveau riche with no taste. I can't tell good from bad. It felt okay to wear, so I took it!"

"Now *that's* a classy flex!" Bai Ze clapped his hands and exclaimed in admiration.

'His suit wasn't cheap either. Why isn't anyone asking *him* about it?'

"Wang Qinqin, your eye is so sharp. Take a look and tell me where this suit of mine is from!"

Since no one was asking, he decided to bring it up himself.

Hearing Bai Ze, Wang Qinqin shot him a glance and couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"You're using your family's money. Chen Erbao earned his money himself. He's a self-made man. Are you two even in the same league?"

Bai Ze chuckled. "That's true, I can't compare. My Brother Bao is the real badass."

"A self-made man! That's truly amazing."

"I really never saw this kind of potential in Chen Erbao back in the day."

"He was so low-key. Who would have thought…"

The group's attention immediately shifted back to Chen Erbao, and the compliments flew.

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