013 The Proud and Wealthy Jiang Chen

The next morning, Fang Qingye got up, washed up, and put on a jacket, jeans, and sneakers. His parents were already gone, and he had no idea where they had gone. He left a note in the living room, then went downstairs and headed out of the residential compound. Across the street, he stopped at a small snack shop and ordered a bowl of fish soup noodles to go, along with a fried egg.

Before long, a white BMW pulled up at the gate of the residential compound—it was Song Dahai’s car.

Fang Qingye got into the front passenger seat and said, “Let’s go pick up Chen Meimei from the waterworks staff housing.”

“Alright,” Song Dahai replied.

He turned the car onto Youyi Road and headed northeast.

Chen Meimei’s parents worked as ordinary employees at the county waterworks, which had since been renamed Nanxin Water Services Group Co., Ltd. Their home was also in the waterworks staff housing in the northern part of the city. Fang Qingye called her, and when the car arrived at the gate, Chen Meimei was already waiting.

She was dressed in a light pink tracksuit, white sneakers, and carried a small black shoulder bag. Her petite figure made her look quite cute.

As soon as the car stopped, Song Dahai poked his head out the window, smiling warmly. “Chen Meimei, get in!”

The girl noticed Fang Qingye sitting beside the driver, nodded in acknowledgment, and took the rear seat. The BMW immediately turned around and headed toward Century Plaza, where they had agreed to meet.

Driving along Youyi Road, Fang Qingye noticed a white Volkswagen Polo ahead. After the traffic light, the Polo turned left onto Chaoyang Road, with Song Dahai’s car following closely behind.

“No way, is she going too?” Song Dahai muttered when he saw the Polo ahead.

“Who is she?” Fang Qingye asked curiously.

“That’s Qian Xiaoli’s car. She wouldn’t be going to Wolf Mountain too, right? Weren’t we supposed to not invite her this time? Maybe it’s just on the way,” Song Dahai said, trying to reassure himself.

But fate had other plans.

The Polo pulled over at the northwest corner of New Century Plaza. Parked nearby was a silver-gray Honda Accord, beside which stood a young man in a casual suit—the organizer of the event, Jiang Chen.

Three girls got out of the Polo as well: Qian Xiaoli, Shao Jing, and Wang Simin. They began talking with Jiang Chen.

So, they were all heading to Wolf Mountain together!

Seeing this, Song Dahai exclaimed, “Damn! What’s Jiang Chen up to? Wasn’t Qian Xiaoli not invited?!”

“Since they’re here, let’s just go with it. Hurry and park,” Fang Qingye replied, secretly amused.

Truly, enemies meet on narrow paths; this was about to get interesting.

The BMW pulled up behind the Polo. The three of them got out, and soon the group huddled together.

“Qian Xiaoli heard from Shao Jing that there’s an event today, so she wanted to join,” Jiang Chen explained to Song Dahai, only to be met with a glare.

Qian Xiaoli was tall, dressed in a gray tracksuit that accentuated her slender figure. She stood silently behind the group with her hands in her pockets.

Fang Qingye introduced Chen Meimei to the others; since they were all about the same age, no one said much.

At that moment, Jiang Chen spoke up, “Everyone! I’m covering all the expenses for today’s event. Dahai, don’t even think about competing with me!”

Song Dahai shrugged, looking indifferent.

“All right then, ladies, let’s head to the supermarket to pick up the ingredients for the barbecue. Choose whatever you like—don’t be shy,” Jiang Chen said and led the girls into a nearby large supermarket. Chen Meimei hesitated briefly but followed.

Now, only Fang Qingye and Song Dahai remained outside.

“That Jiang Chen is quite cocky now,” Song Dahai said, pulling out a pack of cigarettes, lighting one, and taking a puff.

Fang Qingye was aware of Jiang Chen’s background.

Jiang Chen’s father was a section chief at the Urban Construction Bureau, and his mother worked at a factory in the county. Their family was fairly average. With his modest salary at the Statistics Bureau, he couldn’t have afforded a Honda Accord worth 200,000 yuan—yet a few years ago, he made a fortune through stock trading.

Between 2005 and 2007, the A-share market experienced a massive bull run, soaring from 998 points to 6,124 points in one stretch. Stocks and funds sold like hotcakes, with many elderly people who didn’t even understand what a fund was rushing to banks as if they were shopping at a market.

Some people got rich from this.

Jiang Chen was one of them.

At the time, he was still in college. He encouraged his parents to buy stocks and funds, not only using their savings but even taking out loans from the credit union to invest!

More impressively, before the market peaked in October 2007 and crashed, he managed to sell everything in time.

He later confided he made nearly two million yuan.

He bought a car and a three-bedroom apartment in Jinghai. His manner with classmates became more confident and boastful.

Rumor had it that Jiang Chen orchestrated all this himself, proving he was sharp and daring.

Half an hour later, Jiang Chen emerged from the supermarket with the four girls, each carrying large bags. They loaded the supplies into the trunks of the three cars, ready to depart.

“Wang Simin, Qian Xiaoli’s car is a bit cramped. Why don’t you ride with me?” Jiang Chen suddenly invited.

Wang Simin, with an oval face, was a newly hired teacher at Starlight Elementary School in the county after graduation. Her father was a township secretary. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded in agreement.

The three cars slowly started, one after another, driving out of the county.

“Jiang Chen’s clearly chasing after Wang Simin,” Song Dahai said to Fang Qingye in the car.

“Obviously! Anyone with eyes can see that,” Fang Qingye replied.

In a past life, Fang Qingye recalled, the two had gotten married and even called him to invite him to the wedding banquet. But by then, he had already moved to Shencheng and couldn’t make it. Of course, he still sent a gift.

They left the county and got onto the provincial highway.

On both sides of the road were lush dawn redwood trees. Not far off were fields of wheat and rapeseed; the rapeseed flowers were in full bloom, a golden sea of vibrant color.

Fang Qingye felt joyful.

This spring scenery was truly beautiful—nothing like the concrete jungle of Shencheng.

At that moment, Song Dahai took out a CD and popped it into the player. Immediately, the voice of Phoenix Legend filled the car.

I’m gazing beyond the moon,

How many dreams are flying freely?

Yesterday’s sorrows have dried with the wind,

I want to meet you again on that vast road...

The melody was soothing, and it reminded Fang Qingye of the music video where two people drove a convertible, with Zeng Yi sporting a shaved head and sunglasses, exuding a carefree charm.

He softly hummed along.

But halfway through, Song Dahai suddenly thought of something and turned off the player.

“What’s wrong?” Fang Qingye couldn’t help asking.

“This song is a bit cheesy. I’ll change it,” Song Dahai said, pulling out another CD and inserting it. Soon a distinctive male voice sang.

The pure clay outlines the blue-and-white brush strokes,

The bottle depicts peonies like your first makeup,

The incense slowly drifts through the window, revealing my thoughts,

I stop my pen halfway on the paper...

It was Jay Chou’s “Blue and White Porcelain.”

Hmm... definitely more artistic.

“Chen Meimei, how do you like this song? It’s from Jay Chou’s latest album,” Song Dahai asked through the rearview mirror, looking at the quiet girl in the backseat.

After a moment, Chen Meimei replied, “Actually, I think that Phoenix Legend song is quite nice.”

Haha...

Fang Qingye laughed inwardly.

This guy was trying to impress her but picked the wrong tune.