Yu Fei had a strong impression of Lin Mu, but it wasn't a good one. Back in school, he had always looked down on classmates like Lin Mu—poor, ugly, tasteless, and without connections. He figured such a person would surely struggle after leaving school, and seeing Lin Mu's attire now, Yu Fei felt he had guessed correctly. Compared to his own clothes, Lin Mu's were like dirt next to the sky; there was simply no comparison.
"Lin Mu?"
A man in spectacles beside Yu Fei pushed them up his nose. "Haven't seen you in years. What brings you here? How've you been?"
The man's attitude wasn't enthusiastic; it was rather cold. As the saying goes, the clothes make the man. Judging by Lin Mu's attire, it was easy to tell how he was faring. His words were clearly ant to mock Lin Mu. Combined with Yu Fei intentionally withdrawing his hand earlier, it was a clear attempt to humiliate Lin Mu in front of everyone.
"Glasses?" Lin Mu nodded.
His relationship with Glasses was actually quite good. They had been friends in school; the two of them, along with Liu Zijian, often hung out together. But after Lin Mu dropped out and Glasses went to university, they lost touch. They hadn't kept in contact, so seeing Glasses now was a surprise to Lin Mu, but a happy one. From the looks of it, Glasses was doing quite well for himself.
"Hey, Lin Mu, is that any way to talk? You call him 'Glasses'?" Yu Fei said deliberately. "He's Director Wen now. You shouldn't be so casual."
"That's right," a plump girl said enviously. "Director Wen is an attending physician at a top-rated hospital and is about to be promoted to departnt head. His annual salary is between 100,000 and 200,000."
Glasses didn't say anything, clearly accepting the praise by default. A hint of smugness flashed in his eyes. It was clear what Yu Fei and the others said was true, and he was already reveling in the feeling of being a director.
Lin Mu smiled. "Sorry, old habits."
Back in school, Glasses always wore a pair of thick spectacles, so everyone had called him Little Glasses.
"Hmph, so habits are bad and need to be changed!" the plump girl said. "Speaking of which, Lin Mu, how are you doing these days? In case you didn't hear, Director Wen's salary is quite high, between one hundred and two hundred thousand a year."
As she spoke about Glasses, a flash of admiration appeared in her eyes.
Lin Mu knew that back in high school, this girl had utterly looked down on Glasses because he always hung out with poor kids like him. Who would have thought how much things could change? The sa girl who once despised Glasses now admired him. Lin Mu didn't dwell on it; he was just sincerely happy for his old friend.
"Last I heard, didn't Ye Tong introduce you to a job as a security guard? The salary isn't bad, right, Lin Mu?" Yu Fei said, deliberately trying to sha him in front of everyone.
"No way, Lin Mu? You're actually working as a security guard?" the plump girl said. "That's a nice way to put it. To be blunt, you're just a doorman..."
"Gu Jie!" Glasses cut her off. Her sentence was unfinished, but everyone knew what she was about to say.
He looked at Lin Mu with so surprise. "Lin Mu, what they're saying can't be true, can it? If things are really that bad, I can introduce you to a job. The pay isn't high, but at least it's more respectable."
He hadn't expected Lin Mu to fall on such hard tis. Although he now looked down on him, he rembered the days they used to play together, so he figured he could help a little. Of course, his offer wasn't sincere. He just wanted to show off his connections in front of Lin Mu. Back in school, he and Liu Zijian were often bullied, and Lin Mu was always the one to stand up for them. Though Glasses never said anything, he had always felt deeply inferior. But things were different now. The gap in their status was obvious. He was about to beco a hospital director with a limitless future. Lin Mu, on the other hand, was only getting worse off, a fact that gave Glasses a strange sense of pleasure.
Lin Mu smiled. "Thank you, but that won't be necessary."
"Co on," Yu Fei said. "We're all classmates here. If you're having trouble, just say the word. We'll definitely help you out, right?"
He sneered inwardly; his goal was to humiliate Lin Mu again and again.
"That's right, Lin Mu," said Gu Jie, the plump girl. "Look at President Yu, he's doing so well now. Instead of being a security guard, you could work on his construction site. President Yu pays well, two or three hundred a day. If you work hard, you can make over 10,000 a month. I heard a lot of his workers even have their own cars. By the way, Lin Mu, have you bought a car yet?" another girl chid in.
Lin Mu smiled slightly. "Not yet."
"Hey, Xiao Juan, you're going too far," Yu Fei said, feigning displeasure. "How much does a security guard make in a month? 3,000 at most? And you're asking if he's bought a car? Even if he could afford one, could he maintain it? Aren't you just trying to embarrass him? Hurry up and apologize."
Though he said this, he was laughing his head off inside. Lin Mu, just you watch. I'm going to ruin you!
"I'm sorry, Lin Mu. I can be a bit blunt. I didn't an to disrespect your profession," the woman, Xiao Juan, said with a smile. It was ant to be an apology, but it was clear to everyone she didn't an a word of it. She was looking down on him.
Xiao Juan ran a shop that sold *hanfu* and historical costus. She was wearing a *hanfu* herself and, as she spoke, deliberately covered her smiling mouth with her hand, the picture of affectation. One by one, they all chid in, eager to ridicule Lin Mu.
"I don't think it matters what you do for a living."
Just then, a timid voice spoke up.
From a corner, Tao Shiyu said hesitantly, "As long as you're earning a living with your own two hands, there's no sha in being a security guard!"
"Shut up!" Xiao Juan snapped. "Tao Shiyu, who asked for your opinion?"
"Exactly," Gu Jie added with heavy sarcasm. "Don't think I don't know that you're washing dishes in a restaurant. A dishwashing girl for a security guard—a match made in heaven!"
At her comnt, most of the people present burst into laughter.
Tao Shiyu's face turned crimson. She lowered her head and bit her lip hard. Lin Mu noticed that her hands, clenched together in her lap, were covered in calluses and cuts. It was obvious she'd had a hard ti these past few years. For so reason, Lin Mu felt a twinge in his heart. It was like he was seeing his little sister.
"Is this so funny?"
Amid their laughter, Lin Mu spoke.
The smiles on their faces froze. Yu Fei patted Lin Mu's shoulder. "Lin Mu, what's with you? We're all just joking around."
Gu Jie held back a laugh. "Lin Mu, can't you take a joke? Tsk tsk, and here I thought we were classmates."
"If I said you were as fat as a pig, and claid I was just joking, would you get angry?" Lin Mu looked at the plump girl, his eyes flashing with a cold light. "I'm sure you wouldn't get angry either, right? You fat pig!"
"You..." Gu Jie's face turned livid, and tears welled in her eyes. She hated being called a fat pig more than anything.
Lin Mu clicked his tongue. "Can't take a joke, huh? And here I thought we were classmates."
He threw her own words right back at her. It was like a resounding slap across Gu Jie's face. The others looked on, embarrassed and incredulous.
With a cold and aloof expression, Lin Mu looked over the crowd, his tone indifferent. "Now then," he asked, "do you still find this so funny?"
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