Chapter 248: Xiaolan's Brother

Though Wang Jie had matured a lot over the past year, he was still just in his early twenties. Fresh out of school, he was full of ambition, especially after seeing his former classmate Li Dong achieve such success.

But as he took the first step towards his dreams, reality hit him hard.

After hearing Li Dong's words, Wang Jie was stunned. He didn't think Li Dong would deceive him, as there was no need for that; Li Dong was now far beyond his reach and didn't need to trick his old classmate.

Li Dong patted him on the shoulder and said, "Forget it, just consider it a learning experience. The paperwork probably isn't done yet, so think of a way to transfer it. At worst, you'll lose around ten thousand yuan; it's a lesson learned."

Wang Jie finally snapped out of it and, with a苦 face, said, "Is this supposed to be comforting?"

Li Dong nodded.

Wang Jie couldn't help but smile wryly, "It doesn't sound much like comfort to me. You're so sure that I'm going to lose money? Ten thousand yuan isn't a small amount. You, as a big boss, might spend that much on a bottle of wine, but my parents work all year to save that much. If I lose it, it'll be devastating."

"Also, do you think anyone would take over now?"

Wang Jie shook his head and said, "Well, there's no use crying over spilled milk. I'll just have to deal with it."

Li Dong chuckled, "You're quite good at accepting reality. Are you getting over it already?"

Wang Jie replied helplessly, "What else can I do? The money's already spent. Crying won't help. I've had enough experience with this kind of thing. Being sad or desperate only makes things worse. Facing reality is what I need to do."

Li Dong laughed; Wang Jie was quite interesting.

Wang Jie continued to grumble, "And you, why did you choose today to tell me this? Couldn't you have picked another time? Today's my opening day; I was just starting to enjoy being a big boss."

"Fine, let's pretend I didn't say anything." Li Dong shrugged.

"Yeah, as if I could pretend I didn't hear it," Wang Jie replied grumpily. "If I lose all my capital, you'll have to give me a big red envelope when I get married. It better be enough to buy a house."

Li Dong chuckled, "You're thinking about marriage already? It's still a long way off."

"Long way off? Unlike you, who's in no hurry at fifty or sixty, I've already been on a blind date and found someone decent. I planned to bring her home for the New Year's to meet my parents. I was thinking of getting married next year, but it looks like it might be postponed."

Li Dong was a bit surprised. Next year? Wang Jie might not even be of legal marriage age yet, and he had just been dealing with Chen Yue's issues a few months ago. It seemed a bit off.

"Really getting married?" Li Dong asked.

Wang Jie didn't answer immediately. He handed Li Dong a cigarette and lit one for himself. After a few puffs, he said, "In these times, love is a luxury. It's enough to find someone you can live with and who has good character. The girl isn't bad; she's about my age and can manage a household. Though she's not as pretty as Chen Yue, I think she's a good match for me."

Seeing Wang Jie's calm demeanor while talking about Chen Yue, Li Dong smiled and said, "You sound older than me. We're the same age, but you talk like you're in your thirties or forties."

Wang Jie didn't respond. Checking the time, he said, "Let's go eat. We'll grab a quick bite for lunch, and I'll treat you to a nice dinner tonight."

"Fine, I'll treat you. Save some money for your capital."

"Alright, I was planning to take you for fast food, but since you're treating, I won't be polite. Lunch will be casual, but dinner will be at Dongping Grand Hotel."

"You're really not being polite!"

"Haha, serves you right for bringing me down today!"

---

By the time they finished eating, it was almost one in the afternoon.

Having agreed on the dinner plans for the evening, the two went their separate ways. Wang Jie had initially planned to accompany Li Dong around, but Li Dong noticed he was more concerned about his internet café and sent him off to handle that.

Li Dong didn't have Zhou Haidong drive and parked near the high school. He and Zhou Haidong wandered the streets to work off their meal.

Dongping's city center wasn't large; walking from the west side to the east side took less than half an hour. Li Dong quickly passed by the west street where the high school was located and reached the east street where his home was.

On the way home, Li Dong noticed a familiar storefront.

The sign read "Faraway Supermarket."

This was not the Dongping branch but the convenience store run by Li Dong's parents.

It seemed that since its opening, Li Dong had only visited once, and this was his first visit this year.

Compared to Pingchuan, Dongping's New Year's felt a bit subdued. In Pingchuan, Faraway Supermarket was bustling with people and activities. But in Dongping, except for a small event at the Dongping store, the convenience store operated as usual with no noticeable change in business.

Li Dong stood outside for a while before walking into the store.

After looking around, he didn't see Cao Fang.

The store had only a young girl working as the cashier and a middle-aged woman in Faraway's uniform attending to customers.

Li Dong glanced at the few customers, then asked the cashier, "Is the owner not here?"

The girl looked puzzled and hesitated, "Are you looking for the owner?"

Li Dong smiled, "Just asking."

"Oh," the girl glanced at Li Dong, thought for a moment, and said, "The owner is out. She'll be back later. If you need anything, you can wait."

Li Dong, just passing by, wasn't in a hurry to stay.

As he was about to leave, he saw Cao Fang approaching, accompanied by someone Li Dong was somewhat familiar with.

Chen Jing's eyes lit up when she saw Li Dong. Ignoring Cao Fang, she quickly approached him with a smile and said, "Xiaolan's brother, when did you come back? I just mentioned you to your mom, and here you are!"

Li Dong felt a bit awkward being called "Xiaolan's brother," but he smiled and said, "Just got back. Chen..."

He hesitated, unsure how to address Chen Jing. He wasn't fond of her, and calling her by name felt inappropriate, but she was an elder.

After a moment, Li Dong decided to skip the formal address and asked, "How's Xiaolan doing lately?"

Chen Jing, seeing Li Dong responding, cheerfully said, "She's doing well. It's the New Year, so I brought Xiaolan to the county to see her uncle. Xiaolan is at the market now. I came with your mom to pick up some things. Xiaolan's uncle insisted that she stay for dinner. Xiaolan's brother, what would you like to eat? My cooking's quite good. How about I make something for you to try?"

Seeing Chen Jing constantly mention "Xiaolan," Li Dong understood her intentions and quickly declined, "No need. I won't be eating at home tonight. I have some other matters."

Chen Jing looked disappointed but didn't press further.

Cao Fang waited for Chen Jing to finish before asking, "Why didn't you call before coming back?"

Li Dong sighed with relief and replied, "I came back to see a classmate's new store opening. I didn't plan to stay for dinner, so I didn't inform you in advance."

Cao Fang nodded and didn't ask further. She picked up some condiments and spoke with the cashier briefly.

The cashier, realizing Li Dong was the boss's son, wished she had performed better. She thought about how the supermarket was making a good income and regretted not making a better impression.

Noticing the cashier's distracted look, Cao Fang, feeling both amused and irritated, said, "Xiaoying, did you hear what I said?"

The cashier snapped back to reality, her face turning red, and stammered, "Got it, Sister Cao. You go ahead."

Cao Fang shook her head with a smile and didn't say more.

If Li Dong were his old self, Cao Fang would have been interested in matchmaking with the pretty cashier. But now, Cao Fang was extremely proud of her son and felt he was far above most people. Moreover, Li Dong already had a girlfriend from Peking University who was talented and beautiful, far surpassing Xiaoying.

Not lingering in the store, Cao Fang left after getting the items.

Outside, Li Dong said, "Mom, you head back. I have some things to do and won't be home for dinner."

He had planned to rest at home but seeing Chen Jing around, he decided to skip it.

The house was small, and spending an afternoon with Chen Jing would be uncomfortable for him.

Cao Fang quickly said, "You go ahead. Don't let it affect your work."

Chen Jing smiled, "Xiaolan's brother, you go on with your business. I'll head back first, but I'll let Xiaolan stay here for a couple of days so you two can catch up."

Li Dong was bemused but relieved that Chen Jing was leaving. As for Xiaolan staying, he didn't mind.

Li Dong nodded, "Alright, I'll take Xiaolan back in a few days."

Chen Jing's face brightened, "No need, just let Xiaolan take the bus back. It's not far."

"We'll see when the time comes."

Li Dong was too lazy to discuss further and hurriedly took his leave.

Once out of sight, Li Dong exhaled deeply and shook his head slightly.