Chapter 5: They Say I'm Pretending
Sun Kai and Li Ming outwardly complimented, but inwardly cursed incessantly. They had been beaten down by society for two years and had come to terms with reality.
Working hard to drive a luxury car? Ha! Their efforts only bought their boss more luxury cars and a few more mistresses!
Wang Linlin smiled and said to Yang Xue, “Yang Xue, you were really wise to choose to be with our class monitor back then.”
Li Ming chimed in from nearby, “Right? If you were still with Jiang Jin, could you be riding in a BMW X5?” Then he added, “Jiang Jin did buy a car, but it’s just a Citroën C4, and a beat-up used one at that.”
Sun Kai couldn’t help but laugh out loud, “Haha, Jiang Jin even showed off that old junk on his social media. It kills me.”
Hearing this, Yang Xue frowned, displeased. “I was blind back then. I never thought he was so useless; he couldn’t even afford an iPhone.”
She had been attracted to Jiang Jin’s appearance at first, only to discover he was a poor kid after they got together.
While other girls received expensive makeup and electronics on holidays and birthdays, what she got were either handmade gifts from Jiang Jin or worthless flowers and stuffed toys.
On top of that, after Zhao Wen wrote her a love letter titled “My Wealthy Father,” revealing his father’s assets of fifty to sixty million, she dumped Jiang Jin.
Now, all she felt was relief.
Just then, a BMW 840i approached from afar.
Li Ming exclaimed, “Wow, what car is that? So flashy!”
Sun Kai studied the car and guessed, “That looks like the BMW 8 Series four-door coupe, right?”
Zhao Wen nodded confidently, “Definitely an 8 Series. That car isn’t cheap; even the base model costs over a million yuan.”
Most men loved cars, and the sight of a flashy, ostentatious luxury car immediately perked them up.
They were shocked when the BMW 840i drove straight toward them and blasted its headlights on!
The LED lights shone so brightly that Zhao Wen and the others felt as if they were staring at the sun.
Li Ming shouted, “Damn, my eyes are going blind!”
Sun Kai angrily complained, “What the hell is wrong with this guy, turning on high beams right at the hotel entrance? Does he have no consideration?!”
“Damn, so what if he’s driving a luxury car!” Li Ming and the others muttered discontentedly.
Soon, the 840i stopped in front of them, the engine cut off, and the lights went out.
Only then did Zhao Wen and the others turn to see Jiang Jin stepping out from the driver’s seat.
They looked dumbfounded, as if seeing a ghost in broad daylight, their mouths agape.
Zhao Wen forced a laugh, “Haha, the power of those LED lights is something else. They blinded me.”
Sun Kai agreed, “Yeah, I was blinded too. I even mistook the driver of the 840i for Jiang Jin.”
Li Ming added, “People say Audi has the best headlights, but BMW’s aren’t bad either… Wait, you saw Jiang Jin too?”
Sun Kai looked at Li Ming with confusion.
Zhao Wen, rubbing his eyes, froze as his neck stiffened and slowly turned toward Li Ming.
Yang Xue’s face darkened so much it seemed as if water was about to drip from it.
---
The most terrifying moment is when the air suddenly falls silent, the worst is hearing that your ex is living better than you.
Jiang Jin was actually driving a million-yuan luxury car? Impossible!
“Hey, what’s with those faces? Don’t recognize me?”
Jiang Jin approached them, waving his hand, flashing a set of white teeth.
Zhao Wen and the others looked exactly the way he wanted for his grand entrance.
“Not bad, Jiang Jin. Renting that car must cost a fortune for a day, huh?”
Zhao Wen exhaled mockingly, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
The others snapped back to reality—last week, Jiang Jin was still showing off his second-hand C4 on social media; now he’s driving a BMW 840i?
It had to be rented!
Sun Kai clicked his tongue, eyes gleaming with mockery, “Tsk tsk, Jiang Jin, you’re just coming to a reunion. Do you really need to dress like this?”
Li Ming shook his head, pretending to be serious, “Come on, Sun Kai. We have to understand Jiang Jin’s feelings. After all, it’s a reunion with old classmates. A little vanity is normal.”
Yang Xue sneered beside them, “Hmph, Jiang Jin, what are you trying to do? Make me regret my choices?”
“Then you’re overthinking. What you’re doing is just making yourself a joke.”
A trace of helplessness flickered across Jiang Jin’s face, “Uh...?”
(Man, these guys really have wild imaginations. How could my car be rented?)
Just then, Wu Qingya stepped out of the passenger seat.
The moment Zhao Wen and the others saw her, they gasped, their eyes nearly popping from their sockets.
In this age of the internet, they had seen countless highly edited beauties.
But compared to Wu Qingya, those photoshopped girls looked tacky and unbearably common.
Yang Xue’s expression darkened again.
She had always been the brightest girl in the crowd; any woman beside her could only play the supporting role.
Yet in front of Wu Qingya, she felt utterly crushed from every angle.
“Hi~ You must be Jiang Jin’s classmates. I’m Wu Qingya, Jiang Jin’s girlfriend,” she said, stepping gracefully to Jiang Jin’s side, naturally linking her arm with his and greeting everyone with confidence and ease.
What?!
Zhao Wen and the others were stunned.
Damn, this outrageously beautiful woman was Jiang Jin’s girlfriend?
No way!
“Heh, Jiang Jin, you rented your girlfriend too, right?” Yang Xue spat mockingly.
As soon as she said that, Zhao Wen and the others came back to their senses.
Right, if Jiang Jin could rent a luxury car, renting a girlfriend was only logical.
---
Zhao Wen shook his head and sighed, “Tsk tsk, Jiang Jin, how am I supposed to speak well of you?”
“A reunion is supposed to reconnect old friends. Doing this just makes everyone uncomfortable.”
Wu Qingya looked at Jiang Jin with a puzzled expression—had he slipped up somehow?
Jiang Jin, however, nonchalantly replied, “They think the car is rented. Well, I wouldn’t accept that reality either. Let’s not explain.”
Wu Qingya paused, then burst into a quiet laugh.
Zhao Wen and the others sneered; they had hit the mark, yet Jiang Jin refused to clarify, feigning innocence perfectly.
At that moment, Jiang Jin glanced at his watch and casually asked, “Haven’t the others arrived yet?”
Zhao Wen answered, “Oh, they’re already in the private room, just waiting on you.”
“If you’re any later, we wouldn’t wait here,” Zhao Wen added.
As the host, Zhao Wen had been outside to welcome their classmates who had traveled far.
Sun Kai and Li Ming, his sidekicks, stayed behind to keep him company.
Jiang Jin glanced at the five of them and said, “Then why are we still standing here? Let’s get inside.”
Zhao Wen asked seriously, “Are you really bringing this beauty in with you?”
Jiang Jin replied matter-of-factly, “Didn’t you say we could bring family members?”
Sun Kai teased with a smile, “Jiang Jin, you sure have a stubborn mouth.”
Zhao Wen smiled and took Yang Xue’s hand, heading toward the hotel entrance.
Sun Kai and Li Ming snorted and turned to follow.
Jiang Jin shrugged, opened the 840i’s trunk, and pulled out a black plastic bag.
Just then, his phone rang. He looked and saw an unknown number.
Curious, he answered.
“Hello, who is this?”
“Hello, boss. This is your secretary, Liu Sisi,” came a clear, pleasant voice from the other end.
Jiang Jin’s heart leapt; he hadn’t expected to have a secretary. This system was quite something.
“Oh, Secretary Liu, what can I do for you?” Jiang Jin tried to sound composed.
“Boss, the property documents for Supernova Special Materials Co., Ltd. have been organized. We need your signature for confirmation. Where are you now? I can bring them to you,” Liu Sisi’s voice was respectful and professional.
Jiang Jin thought for a moment and replied, “Then bring them to the Jinyu Mantang Hotel. Call me when you arrive.”
After hanging up, Jiang Jin thought: Damn, I actually have a secretary? This system is impressive! And her voice sounds so energetic! I wonder what she looks like.
With that thought, he turned to Wu Qingya and said, “Shall we go in?”
Wu Qingya nodded and extended her delicate hand, her expression tinged with a slight melancholy.