NOVEL NEXT Chapter 15
Chapter 15: Acting Poor
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
He woke up in the morning, brushed his teeth, and washed his face. It was a new day.
Lin Fan opened Xia Wanqiu’s WeChat and saw the twenty thousand dollars she had transferred to him.
Xia Wanqiu knew that his life was difficult, so she used this method to help him. He only needed to help Xia Wanqiu make a vegetable salad every day.
He got along very well with Xia Wanqiu. Lin Fan smiled. Even if Xia Wanqiu was a big star now, she wouldn’t look down on him just because he had a lousy tricycle.
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After arriving at the restaurant, Lin Fan started his work for the day.
During the day, there were still some customers scattered around.
After these customers had eaten Lin Fan’s food, they were all full of praises.
“Wow, this hunk is so handsome. The food he makes is delicious too.”
“This lobster is too delicious. It’s tender and smooth. Boss, another plate of lobster!”
“Sigh. I still like the Egg Fried Rice here. It’s cheap and affordable. When did such a delicious restaurant open here?”
Lin Fan had been busy the entire morning. He smiled. In just one morning, he had earned over four hundred dollars.
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Although he didn’t lack money now, if his parents saw it, they would be very happy.
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This kind of life was not bad.
Lin Fan didn’t want to tire himself out either. The restaurant was only open for two hours in the morning and only open for two hours in the afternoon. He would close the restaurant at night.
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The restaurant only opened for four hours a day, so it didn’t matter how much they earned.
Ever since he had master-level culinary skills, the restaurant’s business gradually improved. However, there were only a few scattered customers every day.
It was easy to earn over a hundred dollars a day. Even if Lin Fan lost the system one day, he could still rely on the small restaurant to support himself.
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In the afternoon, Lin Fan rode his tricycle and went to the food market to buy many vegetables for Xia Wanqiu’s vegetable salads.
“Eh? Brother Fan? We’ve been looking for you for a long time. We couldn’t get through to you. I heard from my classmate that you’re here.” An honest-looking man drove his BMW 5 Series to Lin Fan’s shop.
“Gao Lixiong?” Lin Fan looked over. It was his high school classmate, Gao Lixiong. He had been doing well in Shanghai for the past few years.
“Brother Fan, long time no see. You’re still as handsome as ever.” Gao Lixiong got out of the car and immediately hooked his arm around Lin Fan’s shoulder. Their relationship wasn’t that distant.
“Lixiong, you’re getting fatter and fatter. You look like you’re 160-170 pounds,” said Lin Fan with a smile.
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“Haha, there’s nothing we can do about it. When we eat skewers and drink beer, We will slowly gain weight,” said Gao Lixiong.
In the BMW, a girl with 8/10 looks alighted. Her figure was not bad.
Lin Fan’s high school classmate, Zhao Lele. Although she wasn’t as pretty as Xia Wanqiu, she was still one of the few pretty girls in the class.
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“Lin Fan?” Zhao Lele looked at Lin Fan in surprise. When she saw Lin Fan riding on his broken tricycle, she was even more surprised.
“Zhao Lele?” Lin Fan smiled. “Lixiong, you’re good. You managed to woo Zhao Lele?”
“Aiya, no. Lele is a classmate. I brought her to Shanghai to play,” Gao Lixiong explained. He looked at Zhao Lele and chuckled.
“Shanghai is so big. The restaurant location you chose isn’t very good. There aren’t many customers, right?”
“Brother Fan, that’s not nice of you. You opened a small restaurant all by yourself. You know how much the cost of living is in Shanghai. If you have any difficulties, come find me. Brother Fan, do you want me to recommend a job for you? A monthly salary of 8,000!” Gao Lixiong patted his chest.
Zhao Lele looked at Lin Fan from the side and eventually lost interest.
Although Lin Fan was quite handsome, in this day and age, only those with money could afford a car, house and a stable life. For someone like Lin Fan, riding a tricycle and opening a small restaurant, he might not even be able to pay his monthly rent, right?
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Even though Zhao Lele still had some feelings for Lin Fan in high school, they were all gone now. In this era, material things were still very important. Zhao Lele could tell that Lin Fan was very poor but she didn’t say it out loud. She just kept a distance from Lin Fan. She wasn’t someone with a low EQ.
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Gao Lixiong, on the other hand, was pretty good. He drove a BMW 5 Series. It was said that he had a house in Shanghai and had an annual salary of 500,000 to 600,000 yuan. That was why she got into Gao Lixiong’s car.
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Of course, Lin Fan didn’t know what Zhao Lele was thinking. He said, “I opened a small restaurant mainly because I’m interested in doing so. As long as I can survive, that’s good enough. As for Lixiong, you’re doing really well now. You can even give me a monthly salary of 8,000 yuan.”
“Of course not. Brother Fan, I’m very poor now. How can I be doing well? I can only earn 500,000 to 600,000 a year. It’s not enough.” Gao Lixiong sighed, looking disappointed.
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In this era, showing off one’s wealth was like being a nouveau riche to others. The higher level of showing off was acting poor.
An annual salary of 500,000 to 600,000 yuan was equivalent to a monthly salary of 40,000 to 50,000 yuan. A normal person would not be able to reach such a high level, but Gao Lixiong was pretending to be poor here. More importantly, there was nothing he could say to refute that.
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“Sigh, Brother Fan, you know the price of houses in Shanghai. I worked for several years before I paid the down payment. With the money my father gave me, I bought a 200-square-meter house in Shanghai’s outer ring. I’m really poor. I don’t know when I’ll be able to afford a house in the middle ring. As for a house in the inner ring, I don’t even dare to think about it.” Gao Lixiong sighed.
After saying that, Gao Lixiong hammered his BMW 5 Series. He was too poor and had no choice.
Such showing off… If it was someone else, they might have wanted to kill Gao Lixiong.
However, Lin Fan didn’t care. He had a house in Shanghai’s inner ring. He had a Lake Heart Villa in Blue Wave Bay that was 700 square meters.
As for cars, he drove a BMW 5 Series. In Lin Fan’s eyes, he was indeed quite poor.
“Alright, why are you looking for me? Don’t tell me you’re here to recommend me a job,” Lin Fan said. He could tell that Gao Lixiong was acting.
“Well, Brother Fan, there’s a high school reunion the day after tomorrow. You have to come. Don’t worry about spending money. I’ll treat you. Xue Yaoting, Shen Jiarui, and of course, Zhao Lele are coming too. The girls will all be there. If you don’t come, those girls might not come.” Gao Lixiong chuckled.
“Class reunion?” Lin Fan was stunned. After all, it had been so many years since he graduated and he had never met his high school classmates again.
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“That’s right, Brother Fan. It’s at the New Era Lisheng Hotel. That’s a five-star hotel. I’ll treat you.” Gao Lixiong patted his muscular chest.
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“Sure.” Lin Fan nodded. He didn’t really mind. It was good to see his old classmate.
Normally, a class gathering was a gathering to show off. However, Lin Fan didn’t care how others showed off. No matter how much they showed off, they couldn’t compare to him.
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“Okay. Brother Fan, I’ll get going first. If you want to find a job, contact me anytime.” Gao Lixiong and Zhao Lele got into the car and left.
“Sigh, Brother Fan is really not doing well now. He looks quite miserable and he still wants his face. He refuses to let me help him.” Gao Lixiong said.
Zhao Lele nodded her head and looked at Gao Lixiong. Her attitude was completely different from how she treated Lin Fan.
“Lixiong, not everyone can be compared to you. You’re ambitious and hardworking. You have a house and a car and you’re passionate. Although Lin Fan is handsome, it’s not a good thing to be too prideful,” commented Zhao Lele.
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“Oh right, it’s a pity that Xia Wanqiu can’t come. She’s a big star. But Brother Fan is doing so badly now. I’m afraid Xia Wanqiu won’t bother about him anymore,” said Zhao Lele. She remembered that Xia Wanqiu had a good relationship with Lin Fan back then. However, with Xia Wanqiu’s status now, why would she bother about Lin Fan?
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Gao Lixiong nodded. None of his classmates could contact Xia Wanqiu. Even Lin Fan was no exception!
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