"Zijian, don't you think you're going a bit too far?" Peng Qin's expression darkened at Liu Zijian's increasingly harsh words. "Even if you want to defend Lin Mu, saying we aren't even worthy of carrying his shoes is a bit much, isn't it?"

"Hmph. Birds of a feather flock together," Gu Jie snorted. "Back in school, they were thick as thieves. I can't believe that after all these years, you're still so eager to be his dog!"

"His dog?" Liu Zijian stared coldly at Gu Jie, his face filled with unconcealed disgust. "Gu Jie, it's not that I look down on you, but someone like you? Even if you wanted to be a dog, no one would have you."

"You…" Stung by his words, Gu Jie could only retort sarcastically, "Well, it seems some people really enjoy being a dog!"

Liu Zijian laughed. "Is that what you all think? Yu Fei, you asked me here today because you wanted me to pull some strings for you, right? To help you secure the property management rights for Coiling Dragon Bay? To introduce you to the person in charge?"

"Well, let me tell you now. The person in charge of Coiling Dragon Bay is sitting right here. It's the very same Lin Mu you've all been mocking and ridiculing!"

"What?"

The world seemed to go dark for Yu Fei as he gasped, "Lin Mu is the owner of Coiling Dragon Bay?"

The others were just as stunned by the news, their mouths hanging open, completely speechless.

The Coiling Dragon Bay project was a massive undertaking worth billions. It belonged to Lin Mu? Did that mean Lin Mu's net worth was in the billions? Moreover, to be able to handle such a massive development, how powerful must his background be? You could figure that out with your eyes closed.

Looking at Gu Jie, Tang Man, and the others, Liu Zijian continued in a mocking tone, "And that's not all. That company you were talking about, Boheng Pharma? It's also one of Lin Mu's businesses."

"Ah?!"

Liu Zijian's words once again drew gasps of shock from Gu Jie and the others, their faces etched with disbelief.

A company as large as Boheng Pharma also belonged to Lin Mu? How was that possible?

At that moment, Tang Man and the others felt as if they'd been punched in the chest, and they struggled to breathe. They had always thought Lin Mu was just a lowly security guard at some company, earning a meager two or three thousand a month. They believed he had no future and was unworthy of sitting at the same table as them.

It turned out they were the unworthy ones.

Yu Fei's family was considered wealthy, weren't they? But compared to Lin Mu, what were they? They were less than nothing.

Lin Mu was someone they could never hope to reach.

Instantly, a wave of regret washed over everyone.

Peng Qin felt it most keenly. He had actually been on good terms with Lin Mu, but he had mocked him just to curry favor with Yu Fei. And for what? He was just an attending physician at a top-tier hospital, not even a department head yet.

What right did I have to look down on Lin Mu? How could I possibly compare to him? I'm not even worthy of carrying his shoes!

"You humiliate and mock him, and then you expect him to give you a set of skincare products? Have you no shame?" Liu Zijian's words were like a heavy slap, making everyone's faces burn.

"No! This isn't true!" Gu Jie clutched her head. "You're making this all up! If Lin Mu is as powerful as you say, why would he… why would he dress like that? And why wouldn't he dare admit it? It's all fake!"

"Right, it has to be fake!" Peng Qin added. "Zijian, I know you and Lin Mu are close, but there's no need to tell such blatant lies just to defend him. We all know what kind of person Lin Mu is. How could he become so rich in just a few years? This isn't a movie."

Peng Qin refused to believe that the Lin Mu from years ago—the one who ate steamed buns and fought over snacks with them—could now be a billionaire.

"Exactly, it must be fake!" Yu Fei didn't believe it either. Coming from a wealthy family, he knew how hard it was to make money. No matter how capable Lin Mu was, building such a vast fortune in less than a decade was simply impossible.

"Believe it or not," Liu Zijian said, his face devoid of emotion. "But I have to tell you one thing. As of today, our friendship as classmates is over."

With that, Liu Zijian turned and walked away.

After he left, the others stood there, stunned. He just left?

"How could he just leave? Why didn't he explain?" Gu Jie said coldly. Seeing no reaction from the others, she pressed, "This isn't real, right?"

"It's definitely fake!" Peng Qin said through gritted teeth. "If Lin Mu were really what Liu Zijian described, he would have said so from the start. I know him too well!"

"President Yu, what do you think?"

Yu Fei took a deep breath. "True or not, we can just go to the Coiling Dragon Bay sales office tomorrow and find out for ourselves."

Peng Qin's eyes lit up. "Right! We'll know as soon as we mention Lin Mu's name."

Yu Fei took Tang Man's hand. "Man, you didn't like our old place, did you? How about we go check out Coiling Dragon Bay tomorrow?"

"Ah? Oh, sure. Alright," Tang Man replied absently, as if just snapping back to reality.

"Xiao Juan, why are you so quiet?" Gu Jie asked, nudging her.

"Oh, it's nothing." Xiao Juan forced an awkward smile.

「Early the next morning」

Yu Fei and the others drove directly to the Coiling Dragon Bay sales office, ready to expose Liu Zijian's lies and confirm Lin Mu's real identity.

"Hmph, I already called and confirmed it last night," Yu Fei said with a confident smile, driving his BMW. "Coiling Dragon Bay used to be Haiyuan Tiancheng, an infamous abandoned project in Jiangling. It was eventually acquired by a company called Qin Corporation. The boss's surname isn't Lin at all!"

"President Yu, is that true?" Peng Qin's face lit up. "I have good news, too. The boss of Boheng Pharma's surname is Su, not Lin. So, Liu Zijian was just lying to us!"

"Hah. To think he'd tell such a lie just to protect Lin Mu," Yu Fei shook his head. "We're better off without a classmate like that."

Gu Jie scoffed, "That guy almost had me fooled yesterday. Good thing we didn't believe him."

Laughing and chatting, the group soon arrived at the Coiling Dragon Bay sales office.

As soon as they got there, they saw that the place was already crowded, and everyone seemed to be wealthy.

"Boss Zhang, Director Wang, President Wei? What are you all doing here?"

As soon as Yu Fei walked into the sales office, his expression faltered. He recognized these men as the heads of prominent property management companies in Jiangling, all more powerful than his own.

"Oh, if it isn't President Yu," a portly, middle-aged man said with a smile. "Looks like you're also here for the property management rights to Coiling Dragon Bay?"

Yu Fei was taken aback but quickly recovered. "Oh, yes. That's right."

Boss Zhang nodded. "I'm going to take a look over there. Let's chat later."

Though puzzled, Yu Fei didn't say anything more.

Just then, Gu Jie suddenly pointed. "Isn't that Tao Shiyu? What's she doing here?"

Everyone turned to look and saw Tao Shiyu standing nervously in a corner of the sales office, looking tense.

Yu Fei let out a cold laugh. So that's it. Lin Mu really put on a good show. We were almost fooled by them!

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