Chapter 26: Classmates

Of course, Chen Xiao would not refuse.

For no other reason than this: once someone joined him in his mischief, he was no longer a lone wolf!

In the morning, he received a message from Zhao Xiangjun: "There, I insisted on using such an expensive computer, and now they're spreading even more rumors about me!"

"What kind of rumors?"

"The company is saying I'm being kept by someone, and not just one person!"

"..."

"Do you believe it?"

"I don't!"

"It's true, why don't you believe me!"

Am I stupid? I believe you! With that fiery temper of yours, you're naturally not the type to be kept by anyone. Besides, what person being kept by someone lives such an ordinary life?

"If they said you were keeping someone, I'd believe it. I could provide firsthand testimony!"

"Hahaha, right, I'm keeping you too!" she replied with a burst of laughter.

"Then should I, the one being kept, go and show some extra devotion?"

"Just focus on your work. I'm fine. I've been used to this for years; there are all sorts of versions of rumors about me!"

She knew Chen Xiao was worried about her; she was very perceptive. There was a big difference between not caring about something and not understanding it!

Xu Wu also sent a message: "Chen Xiao, did China Inspection sign with you guys?"

"You have a sharp nose, reacting so quickly!"

"Chen Xiao, are you a man? Do you have any sense of decorum? Always taking advantage of people with your words!"

"I am a man, but I'm not *your* man, so why should I maintain decorum in front of you! The contract is signed. It wasn't much, only 9 million!"

Only 9 million—Xu Wu felt a sharp pain in her chest from anger, her 35C breasts nearly swelling to a 35D.

Bastard, stinky man, taking advantage of me and stealing my orders!

Xu Wu stabbed the small doll on her desk ornament with her pen, as if the little figure were Chen Xiao. Yes, Chen Xiao was a little villain!

At 15:00 in the afternoon, every department in the company was busy.

Having taken on several large orders over the past few days, all departments were working overtime.

"Where's Chen Xiao?" Feng Feifei came over to ask.

Yuan Kai said, "Manager Feng, he went out at noon. He didn't say what he was doing."

Ma Jing's eyes blinked, unsure how to speak up for Chen Xiao. He knew Chen Xiao had been invited out for tea by a few high school classmates and had slipped out since he had nothing on his plate.

Did this count as absenteeism? Would he be punished?

"Oh, then it's fine. I'll find him when he gets back."

That was it? Without even asking if he went out to slack off? Yuan Kai felt a deep sense of unfairness, but there was nothing he could do; that was the privilege of a top salesperson.

The Chunhui Club was a venue primarily for tea, business, and leisure.

Business was booming; by the time Chen Xiao arrived, there was only one parking space left!

Today, his high school classmates Tao Yong, Liu Bo, and Meng Jianshu had invited him for a chat. Among them, Liu Bo had come from their hometown and worked at China Mobile, making him quite influential among their former classmates.

Tao Yong worked at an insurance company, while Meng Jianshu was in the earthworks and construction project business.

These men rarely contacted each other; after graduation, they had all gone their separate ways, and opportunities to gather were rare.

Because of Liu Bo's arrival, and since he and Chen Xiao had maintained a decent relationship in high school, Chen Xiao came over in the afternoon.

Tao Yong and Liu Bo were already there. Seeing Chen Xiao arrive, they stood up to give him a hug.

Liu Bo had come to Jiangzhou for company training and, thinking of his old classmates, had reached out.

After exchanging updates on their lives, it turned out Liu Bo was now a minor manager. Since the cost of living in their hometown county was low, a monthly income of over 20,000 yuan was quite substantial.

Tao Yong claimed his annual salary was around 400,000 yuan, drawing continuous praise from Liu Bo.

Chen Xiao simply mentioned that he worked in sales for a tech company, with a low base salary and most of his income coming from commissions.

All salespeople in the world were like this; everyone was used to it.

At that moment, Meng Jianshu arrived. Everyone stood up to welcome him. He didn't come alone; he brought a flashy, showy woman with him.

He wasn't very old, but he was already somewhat stout. He walked with a bit of an outward toe-out gait, and combined with his potbelly, he gave off the vibe of a greasy middle-aged man.

The woman he brought was heavily made up; her pungent perfume could be smelled from a distance. She wore a short skirt that barely covered her buttocks and large-patterned fishnet stockings on her legs, giving her a very "worldly" air.

Looking closer, one could see her nose and eyes had been subtly tweaked, and it was obvious she had received "face-slimming" injections.

One could easily imagine that if she took off her makeup, she wouldn't dare step outside.

Meng Jianshu was very "street-smart." He had the beauty, named Lili, greet President Liu, President Tao, and President Chen!

Lili greeted them very obediently. After everyone finished introducing their situations, she was visibly more polite toward Liu Bo.

She was much more distant toward Tao Yong and Chen Xiao, because Chen Xiao was just a salesman, and while Tao Yong claimed a 400,000 yuan salary, his attire and demeanor suggested he was mostly blowing smoke.

Meng Jianshu was also very enthusiastic toward Liu Bo, insisting that his old classmate stay for a few days so he could take him around during his spare time!

He also mentioned a farmhouse in the outskirts of Jiangzhou that an old leader had recommended, suggesting they could all go there together.

He also instructed Tao Yong and Chen Xiao to bring their girlfriends, though he didn't ask if they had any.

As he spoke, he kept his arm around Lili's waist, as if having a girlfriend were a symbol of capability.

Tao Yong also worked in sales at the insurance company and felt that Meng Jianshu had more "substance," so the focus of the conversation constantly revolved around him.

He even flattered him, saying, "Among our classmates, President Meng is the one doing the best. To build such a big business at such a young age, you must already have a house and a car in Jiangzhou, right?"

Meng Jianshu said arrogantly, "I'm already looking at houses. I won't settle for anything subpar; it has to be at least 120 square meters with four bedrooms. As for the car, I've already bought one."

Tao Yong asked what kind of car it was. Upon learning Meng Jianshua had bought a BMW 3 Series, he launched into another round of praise.

At the same time, he added, "I'm also planning to buy a car soon. I've picked one out and negotiated the price. I'm planning to go pay the deposit in the next couple of days."

Liu Bo asked, "Old Tao, what car are you planning to buy?"

"An Audi A4. Around 400,000 yuan. Not expensive!"

*Holy crap, what kind of Audi A4 sells for 400,000 yuan?* Anyone who even bothered to look at an automotive website would not be so ignorant.

Everyone froze for a moment. Lili mocked him, "President Tao's car must be heavily modified. A friend of mine just picked up one for less than 250,000 yuan total."

Tao Yong hurriedly explained, "The versions are different. Mine is the PLUS version."

This triggered bursts of laughter from Liu Bo and Meng Jianshu. An Audi A4 had a "PLUS" version? If you're going to brag, at least try to be believable.

Chen Xiao said nothing, and no one asked him. For a salesman in Jiangzhou, buying a car or a house was too much of a luxury because of the unstable income and the heavy pressure of repayment.

He had a quiet personality and was happy that no one bothered him. One could say he was most comfortable with Zhao Xiangjun because she was also a quiet person who never said a word more than necessary.

Only when the two of them were alone would they bicker; that was a side of them only shown to each other, never to outsiders.

(End of Chapter)