novelraw Chapter 675 : Welcome Dinner
Chapter 675 : Welcome Dinner
Chapter 675: Welcome Dinner
The 18th day of the twelfth lunar month.
The other two brothers from dorm 519 finally arrived from out of town.
On this day, Chen Fan put aside company matters to specifically welcome the arrival of his good brothers.
Dorm 519's fifth brother, Han Xu, since going to study for a master's degree at a certain university in the north, had even put on a pair of square-framed glasses, looking scholarly and refined, his demeanor changing quite a bit.
In Luo Wenjie's words, this was called a "refined scoundrel."
The third brother, Sun Hao, specially rushed over from Pudong, and this time he even brought his girlfriend along.
The members of 519 finally got to meet the legendary best girlfriend representative they had only heard about but never seen during their four years of university.
The noon reception was at Chen Fan's home, with all members of 519 present except for Wu Di.
Chen Fan explained to Sun Hao and Han Xu that Wu Di was now a civil servant and couldn't easily take time off, but he would definitely attend the formal reception dinner in the evening. The two smiled and said it was no problem.
In the kitchen, Su Ruochu, Song Linlin, and Sun Hao's girlfriend Xiao Yu, the three girls were chatting and laughing while preparing ingredients.
Chen Fan, as the head chef, took on the responsibility of cooking the dishes.
In the living room, Ma Xiaoshuai and the others were chatting while cracking sunflower seeds.
"Brother Hao, it's only been half a year since we last met, how come you look so much thinner?" Ma Xiaoshuai asked with a smile.
Luo Wenjie teased from the side: "Do you even need to ask? He and his girlfriend were in a long-distance relationship for four years, now they can finally live together, of course they've been exercising day and night... But Brother Hao, you need to practice moderation..."
Sun Hao had a wry smile, "I'll moderate your face."
"I'm just tired from work."
Looking at the three roommates in front of him, Sun Hao sighed: "Brothers, thinking about it now, our school days were truly the best times. Carefree, doing whatever we wanted..."
"After graduating and entering society, I finally understood what social cruelty means."
"In these six months in Pudong, I've changed at least four jobs, and for the first two, I worked for two months and didn't earn a single cent..."
Ma Xiaoshuai asked curiously: "What happened?"
Sun Hao shook his head: "Ah, don't mention it. It's all hard-earned experience."
"Going to Pudong, I finally understood what human class disparity means."
"Brothers, in big cities, the rich are truly rich, and the poor are genuinely poor..."
Brother Jie spat out a sunflower seed shell: "You just stated the obvious."
Sun Hao sighed, "Before I went, I was full of ambition and confidence, wanting to start a new phase of life in Pudong."
"After I got there, I realized that in big cities, just surviving is a problem."
He glanced at Han Xu beside him: "Old Han is better off, he got into graduate school. To be honest, I regret it now. If I had known, I would have spent another year preparing for the exam."
Ma Xiaoshuai teased: "See that? This is typical of the quiet type with stories to tell. He's not saying much now, but tonight when we're drinking, we'll make sure he spills everything."
At this moment, Chen Fan, wearing an apron, brought out a dish from the kitchen. Seeing the posture of these four, he immediately started scolding.
"Look at you four guys, like landlords from the old days. Sitting on the sofa without moving an inch, just waiting to eat."
The four chuckled.
"Can't help it, who told you to be the best cook among us?"
Ma Xiaoshuai glanced towards the kitchen.
"Why did you come out?"
Chen Fan looked at the dining table: "Cooking five dishes is about enough, the three beauties inside are each preparing to cook one more."
"Don't just stand there, quickly take your seats."
Everyone sat down with smiles, and Chen Fan brought out a case of canned beer from the side.
"Since we have a formal reception dinner tonight, let's keep it simple for lunch today. I'll say it upfront, each person can only have three cans of beer, don't drink too much and affect the big dinner tonight."
Everyone smiled and had no objections.
"Let's start. Since we're eating at my place today, I'll take the lead and go first."
"Let's all raise our glasses to celebrate the return of our dormitory Brother Hao and Old Han."
Everyone stood up together, smiling, and clinked their cans.
Chen Fan put down his can and said with a smile: "Try it, you don't often get a chance to taste my cooking skills."
Ma Xiaoshuai laughed and said to Sun Hao: "You two must have some face. Usually when I ask this guy to cook a dish, he acts all high and mighty, won't even do it for money."
Sun Hao smiled and looked around the living room.
"Old Chen, did you buy this house?"
"Yes," Chen Fan nodded.
"Ah, I really envy you."
Brother Jie teased from the side: "Among our dormitory brothers, I guess only Fan brother has bought a house."
"And he even bought it while we were still in school."
Ma Xiaoshuai complained: "Don't compare with this guy, he's a freak."
Chen Fan laughed and threw a peanut at him, "You're the freak."
Sun Hao's envy was sincere.
"Ah, brothers, you don't know how expensive houses are in Pudong, very few people can afford to buy."
"Even renting is terrifyingly expensive, every month's meager salary ends up all going to the landlord."
Chen Fan laughed and knocked on the dining table.
"Alright, alright, you're complaining again. Let's drink first, you'll have time to tell your stories later."
The group didn't go anywhere all afternoon, staying at Chen Fan's house. After eating, the men gathered in the living room to play cards, while the three girls stayed in front of the TV watching shows and eating fruit.
It wasn't until evening that everyone got in cars to leave.
Sun Hao and his girlfriend sat in Chen Fan's car, curiously feeling the car's interior from the back seat.
"Old Chen, I remember you used to drive a Land Cruiser, right?"
Chen Fan explained while driving: "That car had an accident once, now I've left it at the company to use as a company car."
"This car is newly changed last month."
Xiao Yu quietly asked Sun Hao: "What kind of car is this?"
"Range Rover!"
Sun Hao asked: "This car isn't cheap, right? Over a million yuan?"
Chen Fan smiled without explaining: "About that."
"Ah."
Sun Hao sighed deeply, his expression instantly looking a bit dejected.
He wasn't beaten down by Chen Fan, as he had always been convinced of Chen Fan's wealth, since he had started making money since university.
What Sun Hao hadn't expected was that besides Chen Fan and Ma Xiaoshuai, even Brother Jie and Wu Di had bought cars.
Even though Wu Di bought a second-hand car, it was still a car.
Looking at himself?
He and his girlfriend were still struggling for work and monthly rent in Pudong.
It had only been half a year since graduation, had the gap between them already widened so much?
Thinking about it now, he really doubted whether choosing to go to Pudong after graduation was right or wrong?
If he had stayed in Yunhai, would it have been better?
Arriving at the dinner venue, as soon as they entered the hall, Sun Hao was shocked by the luxurious decorations.
"This... this must be at least a four-star hotel, right?"
"Five-star. The best hotel in Yunhai."
Sun Hao smiled bitterly: "Isn't it too extravagant to eat here? How expensive must one meal be?"
Brother Jie came over and put his arm around Sun Hao's shoulder.
"You don't need to worry about this. Brother Fan said he's treating tonight, so don't be polite with him, just eat freely."