Chapter 10: The Power of Money is Truly Astounding

One of the characteristics of French cuisine.

The dishes are served particularly slowly.

Each course is served individually, with a 10 to 20-minute interval between each.

The first to be served was the appetizer: small bread rolls with dipping sauce, along with a bottle of red wine that Xu Shaochen had specifically ordered.

“Damn, I never thought I’d see this scene outside of a movie. Now, here I am, enjoying it myself.”

Zhou Fan swirled the glass of wine in his hand with exaggerated movements, taking a sip and savoring it as he spoke.

“Yeah, the lives of the rich are decadent, but so enjoyable.”

Liu Chao couldn’t help but exclaim, his gaze towards Xu Shaochen filled with envy. He decided to call his mom later to see if his grandpa had left him any inheritance.

Li Qi remained silent, busy taking photos with his phone to show off on his social media.

“Wow, Li Qi, are you guys at the Longteng Hotel? I’ve seen it online. You must have struck it rich!”

“Yeah, and you didn’t even invite us for the feast. We’re classmates, aren’t we?”

A ton of comments flooded in, most of them from girls—many of whom Li Qi could usually only admire from afar.

These girls’ WeChat IDs were ones that Li Qi had painstakingly acquired, all girls considered the prettiest in school. He even generously shared them with Xu Shaochen, Liu Chao, and Zhou Fan.

Looking at the familiar names in the comment section, Li Qi felt elated. He replied, “It’s not me; it’s Xu Shaochen. He’s a millionaire now. A mere ten to twenty thousand is nothing for him. Even millions are no big deal. He’s the one treating us.”

After sending that message, he immediately regretted it because no one in the comment section paid any attention to him after that. Damn, he should’ve just pretended that he was the one treating!

However, Xu Shaochen received a flurry of WeChat messages, mostly from classmates he usually didn’t interact with—mainly girls.

At first, he was confused. But after seeing Li Qi’s social media post, he instantly understood why.

Money really is a wonderful thing.

Suddenly, he noticed a familiar name among those who messaged him. It was Xie Wei, the campus beauty from their psychology department, who was also the dream girl of most guys.

But Xie Wei had always been aloof and usually had a cold expression. She was nicknamed the Ice Queen by many. Xu Shaochen never expected her to message him first, but he had to admit that the power of money was incredible.

Xu Shaochen’s lips curled into a mischievous smile as he replied, “Miss Xie, how about having dinner together tonight?” Xie Wei: “Sure, what time?”

Xu Shaochen: “I’ll call you. Make sure to dress beautifully.” Xie Wei: “How would you like me to dress?”

Xu Shaochen: “I’d prefer if you wore nothing.” Xie Wei: “You’re so naughty. I never realized you had such a bad side before. See you tonight.”

“That’s because you never had any interest in getting to know me better before.”

After he put down his phone, Xu Shaochen sighed. So this was the Ice Queen that everyone talked about. He used to think Xie Wei was truly cold-hearted, but now he knew she was only like that with poor guys.

But now, she was just another plaything for him to call and dismiss at will. So yes, money can indeed make anything possible.

“What are you four doing here?”

At that moment, a surprised voice rang out. A young man in a suit walked over.

When they saw him, the four of them frowned.

This person was Zhang Qingsong, their classmate and the vice president of the student council. He loved to make a big deal out of nothing and often made them do the dirtiest, most tiring jobs. He was always strutting around as if he owned the place.

“Can’t you see? We’re eating. What about you? What are you doing here?” Zhou Fan looked at Zhang Qingsong, speaking impolitely. He knew Zhang Qingsong came from a regular family. There was no way he could afford to be here.

A flash of anger crossed Zhang Qingsong’s face, and then he spoke in a mocking tone, “If the four of you can come here to eat, why wouldn’t I? What, did you guys win the lottery? I’d advise you to be careful with your money. Don’t act like nouveaux riches just because you have a little bit.”

“None of your damn business. I bet you’re just here to freeload some food.” Liu Chao sneered.

Zhang Qingsong looked as if he’d been deeply humiliated by the comment. His emotions were stirred up as he shouted, “Bullshit! Don’t act all high and mighty just because you’ve got some money. I’m paying today. Do you know who I’m treating? It’s Young Master Chen! Do you know what Young Master Chen’s family does? They own a psychological clinic. After graduation, I’m going straight to work for their company. You four better start thinking about your future jobs. When it comes to money, Young Master Chen could crush you four country bumpkins with his wealth.”

The four exchanged glances. No wonder this guy was willing to spend so much money here. He was just sucking up to someone for a job.

But isn’t he thinking a bit too far ahead? They still had two years until graduation.

“Tap… Tap… Tap…”

At this moment, the sound of footsteps could be heard, and a young man in a black shirt stepped into the restaurant.

“Oh, Young Master Chen, you’re early!” Seeing the young man, Zhang Qingsong’s expression changed instantly. He quickly put on a flattering smile and hurried forward to greet him.

Xu Shaochen, however, found this situation strange because that Young Master Chen was the very same Chen Yu—yes, the one from the bank, the one who Wang Ying had tried to cling to. It really was a small world.

Chen Yu’s gaze also fell on Xu Shaochen, and his expression turned slightly unpleasant. The humiliation from earlier that morning was still fresh in his mind.

Noticing Chen Yu’s gaze and expression, Zhang Qingsong quickly said, “Young Master Chen, those are just four poor nobodies. There’s no need to pay them any attention. Let’s go to the private room.”

However, Chen Yu’s expression only grew darker. If Xu Shaochen was a nobody, what did that make him?

“Heh, Young Master Chen, your face still hasn’t healed from this morning’s slap?” Xu Shaochen said with a chuckle, his eyes filled with ridicule.

“How dare you!” Zhang Qingsong shouted furiously, glaring at Xu Shaochen, “Xu Shaochen, how dare you speak to Young Master Chen like that! Apologize to him right now. Maybe if you’re lucky, Young Master Chen will be in a good mood and might offer you a few internship opportunities.”

“Smack!”

Chen Yu couldn’t hold it in any longer and slapped Zhang Qingsong hard on the face, shouting angrily, “Shut up!”

Zhang Qingsong’s behavior made Chen Yu feel like he was nothing more than a clown trying to impress Xu Shaochen.

Zhou Fan, Liu Chao, and Li Qi all had expressions of schadenfreude. They didn’t know why Chen Yu slapped Zhang Qingsong, but watching that idiot get slapped felt very satisfying.

“Young Master Chen, why… why did you hit me?” Zhang Qingsong asked, covering his face with a look of grievance. He was clearly trying to help Chen Yu.

Chen Yu shot him a vicious glare, then took a deep breath and lowered his tone, speaking to Xu Shaochen, “Mr. Xu, I apologize for the scene. It’s embarrassing.”

Although he was angry at Xu Shaochen, Chen Yu was still rational enough to know that he couldn’t afford to offend Xu Shaochen, so he offered an apology.

Of course, Zhang Qingsong had to bear the brunt of his anger. Gritting his teeth, Chen Yu snarled at Zhang Qingsong, “You still think you’re getting a job at our clinic? You can go eat shit instead.”

With that, Chen Yu turned around and left without looking back. His face had been thoroughly lost today, and in the same place, he’d stumbled twice.

Wow! Seeing this, everyone was stunned. Zhou Fan, Liu Chao, and Li Qi stared at Xu Shaochen in disbelief.

Zhang Qingsong’s face turned ashen. It felt like he’d just been slapped multiple times, and the stinging pain was unbearable.

He never expected the Young Master Chen he was trying to flatter to be nothing more than a lesser figure compared to Xu Shaochen. Looking back at his own actions, he realized how laughable he seemed, like a monkey jumping around for attention.

But what shocked him more was the question of why Chen Yu treated Xu Shaochen this way. Isn’t Xu Shaochen just a poor boy from the countryside? “What? Are you waiting for me to treat you to a meal, Vice President Zhang?” Xu Shaochen asked with a smile as he tossed a few hundred yuan on the floor, “For the sake of our being classmates, this poor boy will give you a bit of money for your cab fare. Take it and get lost.”

Zhang Qingsong’s face turned a deep shade of green, but he didn’t dare to say anything. He turned around and left, his back looking severely beaten down.