"Thank you, Brother Li!"
Fatty quickly pulled Chen Fan up. "Little Fan, it's been ages since we last met. Come on, let's find a place to have a drink and chat!"
Without waiting for a response, he dragged Chen Fan along.
Not far away, there was a restaurant. Fatty led Chen Fan to a window seat.
"Little Fan, why didn't you call me when you got out? I've missed you so much!" Fatty said, feigning anger.
The two had been close since childhood. Fatty's family wasn't well-off, and Chen Fan had often helped him out over the years.
Chen Fan smiled, "I just got back. I came to the county today to sell some medicine and make some money."
Fatty picked up the bottle of mineral water Chen Fan had brought. "What's this?"
"I brewed it myself. It's good for kidney health and sexual potency," Chen Fan explained.
Fatty shook his head. "Chen Fan, there are better things to do than this. Selling fake medicine could get you arrested."
"This isn't fake medicine, and it really works," Chen Fan insisted.
At that moment, a girl in a waitress uniform passed by not far from them.
Fatty suddenly got excited. "Right, let me introduce you to someone."
"Little Li, come over here. Meet my brother!"
Fatty waved, and the waitress walked over.
Pointing at the girl, Fatty excitedly introduced her to Chen Fan, "Little Fan, this is my girlfriend."
Then he introduced Chen Fan to Little Li, "This is my best brother, Chen Fan!"
The girl named Little Li was dressed flamboyantly. She glanced at Chen Fan with disdain.
Chen Fan was wearing shabby clothes, and his shoes were falling apart. He looked like a poor country bumpkin.
Little Li snorted, "Pang Lei, have some ambition. How can you call a pauper your brother?"
Fatty's face turned red with anger. He reached out to grab Little Li's clothes. "What are you saying? He's my best brother! How can you talk like that? Apologize to him!"
Little Li shook off Fatty's hand and shrieked, "Apologize to a poor country bumpkin? For what?"
Fatty was furious and slapped Little Li hard across the face.
Little Li was stunned for a moment, then she got angry.
She screamed and lunged at Fatty, clawing at his face.
Fatty was about to retaliate, but Chen Fan quickly held him back.
"Fatty, don't let this ruin your relationship because of me," Chen Fan said guiltily.
Little Li sneered, "What relationship? Pang Lei, let's take this opportunity to make things clear!"
Little Li gestured, and a man in a suit swaggered over, wrapping his arm around her waist.
Fatty was shocked and stood up. "What is this...?"
"We've been together for a while. Pang Lei, you have no money, no career. What future do I have with you? Can you even come up with the 200,000 bride price my dad wants?"
Pang Lei clenched his fists in pain. "I can earn the bride price slowly."
Little Li laughed coldly, "How much can a lowly security guard earn? Can your pitiful salary buy me high-end cosmetics? Can it buy me designer bags?"
"So, let's break up."
Little Li couldn't be bothered to say another word. She turned and left, holding the suited man's arm.
The two of them snuggled together, and Little Li seemed eager to bury herself in the man's embrace.
Fatty clutched his head in agony.
Chen Fan hadn't expected this turn of events either. He felt awkward, but mostly he felt sorry for Fatty.
"Fatty, don't be like this..."
"It's all because of money. But what can I do? I want to make big money too. But money isn't easy to come by!"
Fatty hung his head, his eyes red, tears slipping down his cheeks.
He clenched his fists tightly, his shoulders shaking as he fought to hold back his sobs.
It's all because of money. Poverty is the original sin, forcing a grown man to cry like a child.
Chen Fan pressed Fatty's shoulder firmly and suddenly said with confidence, "Fatty, do you believe that in the near future, you and I, we, will have money, lots of money!"
"We'll not only have money but also power. We won't let anyone bully us or allow anyone to shit all over us!"
Fatty looked at Chen Fan with red eyes and a bitter smile. "Chen Fan, stop trying to comfort me. I'm just a security guard, how is that possible?"
Chen Fan looked at him seriously. "It will happen, trust me, it will!"
Three years ago, Chen Fan would have thought the same as Fatty. He would have accepted his fate and lived as an ordinary person.
Even if he was bullied, he wouldn't dare to raise his head and say no.
But now, Chen Fan wouldn't be so spineless!
He would trample all those who had bullied them underfoot!
Just then, the restaurant door was suddenly pushed open, and the security captain Li Qi walked in.
Fatty quickly wiped his tears and stood up. "Brother Li, are you here for a meal?"
Li Qi waved his hand, his expression serious. "Pang Lei, you and your friend need to come with me. Sister Hong wants to see him!"
Fatty was stunned.
"Sister Hong wants to see Chen Fan?"
Chen Fan was slightly taken aback. "Who is Sister Hong?"
Chen Fan didn't know Sister Hong, but Fatty certainly did.
Sister Hong was the general manager of Ninety-Nine Supreme and a well-known businesswoman in Qingyuan County.
In Qingyuan County, few people didn't know Sister Hong.
It was said that Sister Hong was highly influential and well-connected. From top officials to the underworld, everyone gave her face when her name was mentioned.
Chen Fan hadn't visited Qingyuan County much before and had been in prison for three years, so it was normal for him not to have heard of Sister Hong.
Fatty was puzzled. How could a big figure like Sister Hong know someone from a small town like Chen Fan?
"Let's go, don't keep Sister Hong waiting!"
Li Qi said, turning to leave.
Fatty exchanged a puzzled glance with Chen Fan, who couldn't figure out the reason either.
But no matter how formidable Sister Hong was, she wasn't a tiger. There was no harm in meeting her.
So Chen Fan followed Li Qi without hesitation, and Fatty quickly followed suit.
Chen Fan had never been inside a high-end club like Ninety-Nine Supreme. As he walked through the doors, he could only think of one word.
Luxurious!
And another, the women here were all stunning and eye-catching!
Looking around, whether it was the female patrons or the service girls, each was dressed more stylishly than the last, with the latest trends.
Moreover, their outfits were quite revealing, with short skirts showing off long, fair legs that were breathtakingly beautiful.
Chen Fan's eyes couldn't take it all in, and he found himself momentarily lost.