Chapter 473 We Are Friends Now!
Song Wenrou said she wasn’t good enough for Lin Mu?
This statement instantly plunged the private room into silence.
Even Tao Shiyu looked up at Song Wenrou. Seeing her mournful gaze, which didn’t seem like a lie, Tao Shiyu’s own expression grew dimmer.
"Wenrou, saying that makes us all feel utterly ashamed." Tang Man looked a bit embarrassed, but she quickly managed a faint smile. "You were our class belle. Countless guys were after you. How could Lin Mu possibly not be interested in you?"
Song Wenrou glanced at Lin Mu, pursing her lips without speaking. Ye Tong, for her part, had been silent from the moment she walked in.
Watching this, Yu Fei’s expression turned ugly with anger. He was sure that Song Wenrou was saying this deliberately to protect Lin Mu’s dignity. But there was no way Yu Fei would let Lin Mu get away with it. He was here today to thoroughly humiliate him!
Yu Fei took out a pack of cigarettes, tapped it on the table a few times, and said, "Come on, everyone, have a smoke."
He went around passing them out, even offering them to the female classmates as a gesture. However, when he got to Lin Mu, Yu Fei pretended not to see him, ignoring him completely.
"President Yu, did you forget Lin Mu? I remember he smokes too." To curry favor with Yu Fei, Glasses chose to humiliate Lin Mu in front of everyone.
"Oh?" Yu Fei slapped his forehead. "My bad, my bad. It’s been too long, I completely forgot. Lin Mu, I’m so sorry."
Saying this, he took out his pack again as if to offer one, only to open it and exclaim, "Ah, apologies. Looks like I’m all out."
"So you won’t be having one, Lin Mu. You don’t mind, do you?"
Yu Fei was smiling, but his eyes were ice-cold. Of course, he had more cigarettes in the pack; he just refused to give one to Lin Mu. This was no longer just verbal humiliation; it was a direct slap in the face.
Lin Mu’s eyebrows twitched, and he was about to react, but Song Wenrou placed a hand on his and stood up.
While everyone watched in confusion, Song Wenrou picked up the teapot, and Ye Tong quickly grabbed the teacups. One held the cups while the other poured, and they began serving tea to everyone.
"Ah, thank you, thank you."
Everyone beamed, especially Glasses. The way he stared at Ye Tong, his eyes were practically burning. However, Ye Tong just shot him a glare and handed a cup to Gu Jie, who was sitting next to him.
Glasses’s expression froze, and he sheepishly pulled his hand back.
This time, holding the teapot, Song Wenrou asked, "There, is that everyone?"
Tao Shiyu pointed out, "I don’t think the class president has any."
"Oh, look at my memory." Song Wenrou smiled apologetically at Yu Fei. "Class President, my apologies. I forgot you drink tea too."
She then deliberately shook the teapot. "Oh dear. Sorry, Class President, the pot’s empty."
The crowd fell silent.
They had clearly heard water sloshing inside the teapot. Song Wenrou was deliberately humiliating Yu Fei to get even for Lin Mu.
Yu Fei’s face flushed the color of a pig’s liver.
Nearby, Tao Shiyu covered her mouth, trying desperately to stifle her laughter.
Even Lin Mu was surprised; he hadn’t expected Song Wenrou to be so protective of him. Thinking this, he decided to let it go.
But Yu Fei was different. Having been accustomed to a life of luxury since childhood, he always got what he wanted. That changed in high school when he developed a crush on Song Wenrou, only for her to be stolen away by Lin Mu. He then tried to pursue Tao Shiyu, but discovered she was also getting close to Lin Mu.
New grievances piled on old grudges, and a vicious glint flashed in Yu Fei’s eyes. He was about to explode with rage.
Just then, Liu Zijian arrived.
"Ah, Zijian, what took you so long?" Upon seeing Liu Zijian, Yu Fei became incredibly enthusiastic, quickly pulling him over to a seat. "Come, Zijian, sit, sit."
Once Liu Zijian was seated, Yu Fei began the introductions. "Everyone, let me introduce you to the most low-key member of our class, Liu Zijian. This guy is incredible. He’s now the deputy general manager at Boheng Pharma, and I hear he even knows the owner of Coiling Dragon Bay. How about that? Impressive, right? Makes you jealous, doesn’t it?"
"Oh my God. Boheng Pharma? Coiling Dragon Bay? Liu Zijian is that amazing?"
"Wow, who would’ve thought? Brother Jian, you’ve become so successful!" Glasses said, looking at Liu Zijian with pure envy, his tone dripping with adulation.
"I heard Boheng Pharma is one of the top companies in River City. Several of their products are supposed to be incredibly effective."
"More than that, Boheng Pharma also has a branch in Jiangbei. They’ve been on the financial news several times."
Gu Jie looked on expectantly. "Liu Zijian, Brother Jian, could you maybe give us a few boxes of your skincare products? I tried them once at a friend’s place, and the results were amazing."
Boheng Pharma’s skincare products weren’t just effective; they were also outrageously expensive. A top-tier set cost over one hundred thousand yuan, something only the truly wealthy could afford.
Liu Zijian was about to explain when he noticed Lin Mu sitting in the corner next to Tao Shiyu. Everyone else, even the non-smoking girls, had a cigarette placed in front of them. Liu Zijian was immediately displeased.
He walked over and sat down right next to Lin Mu.
"Hey, Manager Liu, what are you doing over there? I saved this spot specifically for you!" Yu Fei stood up, intending to pull Liu Zijian over. He had reserved that seat for Liu Zijian, a seat he hadn’t even offered to Lin Mu.
"It’s fine, I like it here," Liu Zijian said, shaking his head.
Yu Fei was a bit frustrated. He knew Liu Zijian and Lin Mu were on good terms, but he forced a smile and said, "Manager Liu, didn’t you say you’d introduce me to the person in charge of Coiling Dragon Bay? Are they here yet? How about an introduction for your old classmate?"
"An introduction?" Liu Zijian paused. A quick scan of the room told him everything he needed to know. He glanced at Lin Mu and said, "They’re probably not here yet."
"Alright, we’ll wait then." Though disappointed, Yu Fei decided to wait patiently. Securing the property management contract for Coiling Dragon Bay would be a massive windfall for him.
Xiao Juan suddenly spoke up. "Speaking of Coiling Dragon Bay, I heard the apartments there are selling for 150,000 per square meter now!"
"My god! 150,000? Who could afford that?!" Gu Jie exclaimed, covering her mouth in shock.
"That place is special," Yu Fei said, blowing a smoke ring. "It’s known as Jiangling’s Cave Heaven and Blessed Land. Forget 150,000—people would buy it even if it were 300,000! I’m planning to buy a unit in a few days. It’ll be the marital home for Tang Man and me."
"Wow, I’m so envious!" Gu Jie gushed, cupping her face. "Tang Man, you’re so lucky!"
Tang Man smiled demurely, but a hint of smugness flashed in her eyes. Glancing at Song Wenrou and Tao Shiyu only made her feel more superior.
"By the way, Lin Mu, where are you living now? Did you buy a place or..."
Before Tang Man could finish, Gu Jie cut in coldly, "Him? He can’t even afford a car, much less a house. He’s obviously renting."
Liu Zijian was about to retort, but Lin Mu shot him a warning look. Fuming, Liu Zijian leaned back in his chair and said nothing, his face grim.
"Lin Mu, this is... for you."
At that moment, Tao Shiyu took an envelope out of her bag and handed it to him.
"This is...?" Lin Mu was confused.
Tao Shiyu forced a smile. "It’s five thousand yuan. I knew back then that the money came from you. I figured it out. Please, take this as me paying you back."
Lin Mu was taken aback. He could see that Tao Shiyu was not doing well. Her face showed the strains of hardship, and her eyes held a deep sadness. The outfit she wore was outdated, likely something she had owned for years and rarely wore. Her purse was probably her most expensive accessory, but even it was scuffed and worn, making her look quite shabby.
And yet, she was giving him five thousand yuan. Back then, Lin Mu had only secretly tucked one thousand yuan by her door.
Lin Mu accepted the envelope, took out one thousand yuan, and smiled. "I’ll take back what was mine. That’s enough. You should keep the rest."
"But..." Tao Shiyu began to protest, but Lin Mu looked at her with a firm gaze.
"Do you not consider me a classmate anymore?"
Tao Shiyu’s eyes reddened. She nodded, her voice choked with emotion. "Yes, of course. You’ve always been my best classmate!"
Lin Mu smiled gently. "From now on, we’re friends."