The banquet last night concluded with a slightly flawed ending, and Chen Fei set out early the next morning in his Mercedes GL400 for the journey home.

Chen Fei grew up in a place called Chengyang County, a famous scenic tourist county within Northern Mountain City's jurisdiction. It boasted spring-like weather all year round, pleasant temperatures, and humid air, earning it the reputation of being the most livable urban area within a hundred miles. Not only that, but Chengyang County was also home to a tourist destination renowned throughout the province and beyond—Emerald Lake.

"Ten acres of lotus flowers make a fish's world; half a city of willows brushes against the eaves."

This was a couplet written in admiration of Emerald Lake by some great poet or writer.

The morning sunlight sprinkled over the lake's surface, making it glitter and shimmer. Chen Fei could already see it from afar.

"Emerald Lake. It really has been a long time," Chen Fei said to himself, deliberately stopping for a moment. A smile touched his lips as he gazed at the familiar scenery. His home was nearby, so as a child, he would often gather his friends to play here after school. Sometimes, when he couldn't sleep, he would sneak out alone to admire the night view. Of course, he received his fair share of scoldings and spankings for it. Thinking about it now, it was actually quite amusing.

HUM!

Just as Chen Fei was suddenly lost in memories of the past, he seemed to hear a tremor from the void, a low buzzing sound. The Spiritual Energy inside his body reacted instantly with a sharp jolt, and his expression changed drastically. In the next moment, however, the strange phenomena vanished completely, as if they had been nothing but an illusion, as if they had never happened at all.

Chen Fei, however, did not believe it was an illusion. This… could it be… He stared at Emerald Lake, which shone like green jade, a sharp glint passing through his shocked gaze.

"You… you're Xiaofei?"

Just as Chen Fei was pondering whether he should dive into Emerald Lake to investigate, a familiar voice, tinged with surprise and uncertainty, sounded from behind him.

Chen Fei spun around, startled. On the walking path not far from where he stood, a woman who looked to be in her fifties was staring at him in disbelief. She was dressed simply, was lean and tall, and the traces of time were etched on her face. She currently wore a worried expression, as if troubled by something.

Next to her stood a slightly younger woman. Her clothes were clearly chosen with care and were meant to be sophisticated, but they seemed to lack taste. Because her skin was a bit dark, the bright, seemingly fashionable outfit she wore clashed with her overall image, creating an odd appearance.

"Xiaofei, it really is you! It's been such a long time," the woman in her fifties said. As soon as she confirmed it was Chen Fei, her worried face broke into a smile, though she still looked somewhat incredulous.

It was no wonder she had such an expression. Since Chen Fei had gone to university, he rarely came back. Plus, her family typically returned to their ancestral hometown for the holidays instead of staying in Chengyang County. The two of them had thus missed each other time and again. It had been at least a few years since they last met, so her surprise was understandable.

"Aunt Deng! It's you! It really has been a long time. How have you been?" When Chen Fei recognized the woman as Aunt Deng, who used to live across the hall from his family when he was a child, he was quite surprised, but also very happy.

As a child, he had been a real troublemaker, often getting into mischief with Aunt Deng's eldest son and frequently mooching meals at her house. But after he went to university and settled there, he rarely returned to Chengyang County, and their contact naturally dwindled over time.

Now, suddenly running into the familiar Aunt Deng from his childhood, he couldn't help but reminisce about those mischievous days. I really miss those times!

"You little rascal, I heard you've been in the city for almost five years. You didn't even think to come back and see us," Aunt Deng said, her tone a mixture of chiding and care. "So, how are things over there? Are you living well?"

"Cousin, who is this?" the fashionable woman standing next to Aunt Deng asked, tilting her head up before Chen Fei could even reply.

"Oh, look at my memory, I almost forgot to introduce you. Little Mei, this is Little Sister Lin's son, Chen Fei. When he was little, he loved to follow Yi Shu around and get into trouble. Oh, right, Xiaofei should be working in Northern Mountain City now, right? That's much better than our small county. He's a very fine young man," Aunt Deng introduced with a smile. However, when she mentioned the name 'Yi Shu,' a distinct shadow of worry crossed her face, causing Chen Fei to stiffen slightly.

"Oh, so you work in Northern Mountain City! Your income must be quite good, then?" The moment the fashionable woman heard that Chen Fei worked in Northern Mountain City, her eyes lit up, and she put on an expression of great enthusiasm and concern.

Clearly, for someone like her who had lived in a small county town all her life, a young man like Chen Fei, who could establish himself in the more prestigious Northern Mountain City, must be incredibly impressive and have a high income.

Most importantly, she knew a friend whose child worked in the city and earned a salary of ten thousand yuan a month. Goodness, ten thousand yuan! The men in her family would have to work themselves to death for two or three months to earn that much. How could one not be envious?

"Well, Aunt Deng, I actually just quit my job, so I'm currently unemployed," Chen Fei said somewhat awkwardly, scratching his head.

To be honest, when he was in Northern Mountain City or elsewhere, he didn't feel that being unemployed was a big deal. After all, people work for money, and since he wasn't short of cash, having a job was optional. But being asked by Aunt Deng, who had been so kind to him since childhood, made him feel inexplicably embarrassed and flustered, as if it were something to be ashamed of.

"What? So you're not working?" Upon hearing Chen Fei admit he was unemployed, the fashionable woman called Little Mei immediately lifted her chin, a look of disdain flashing in her eyes. Her tone made it clear she looked down on Chen Fei, this "jobless bum."

"Little Mei, Xiaofei is just a young man who recently graduated. It's perfectly fine to get a job right after graduation, and it's also quite normal to be unemployed for a while. You're being..." Aunt Deng, sensing the inappropriate tone in her cousin's voice, tried to smooth things over. Fearing Chen Fei would be embarrassed, she gave him an apologetic look, silently asking him to be patient.

"Cousin, don't talk about things you don't understand. What I can't stand about young people nowadays is how they just boast all day. Quit? If we managed to find a job in the city, would we just voluntarily quit? I don't think so! Hmph!" However, the fashionable woman, Little Mei, who seemed accustomed to being spoiled and arrogant, didn't stop. Instead, she continued in a condescending, world-weary tone.

After all, in her view, for a recent graduate to find any kind of job in a place like Northern Mountain City was like a pie falling from the sky. Who would possibly quit voluntarily?

Therefore, she was certain that Chen Fei was just bragging to save face. In reality, he probably never found a job in the city at all and had to come back to Chengyang because he couldn't make it there. That must be it.

"Little Mei," Aunt Deng said, seeing her cousin was going too far. She quickly tugged at her arm, signaling for her to stop. In her heart, however, it seemed she somewhat agreed with her cousin.

So, Aunt Deng put on a kind smile and encouraged Chen Fei, "Xiaofei, it's okay for young people to fail. It's just like us. We stumbled and fell many times when we were young before we finally built the decent lives we have now. Look, why don't you come back and rest at home for a while? Wait until you've put those troubles behind you, then you can go out and try again. Aunt Deng supports you! What do you say?"

Chen Fei could only manage a helpless, wry smile. "Aunt Deng, I really didn't come back because I couldn't make it there. I just quit because I ran into some unpleasantness." For heaven's sake! If someone on the level of Chen Fei, Young Master Chen, was considered 'unable to make it', then at least ninety-nine point nine nine nine percent of the people in Northern Mountain City would have to find a block of tofu to smash their heads against and go back to the countryside to farm.

"I say, young man, you've got quite an attitude! 'Just quit because I ran into some unpleasantness'? At your age, do you really have that luxury? Aren't you afraid of your bragging backfiring on you? Hmph!" But the fashionable woman, Little Mei, didn't believe him at all. She rudely interrupted him with a torrent of mockery.

"Little Mei, what are you doing?" Aunt Deng said, feeling awkward, but she didn't know what else to say. Perhaps by now, she too believed Chen Fei was just bluffing.

After all, no job anywhere is going to go exactly according to one's wishes. It's normal to have grievances. Who hasn't been wronged at work? If everyone just quit whenever they ran into something unpleasant, as Chen Fei claimed, wouldn't society fall into chaos?

But Chen Fei was a boy she had watched grow up, and they hadn't seen each other in so long. She couldn't bring herself to say anything harsh. Instead, she leaned in and whispered apologetically, "Xiaofei, I'm sorry. That's just how she is. She can't hold her tongue."

"Aunt Deng, you're too kind. It's alright. Why don't I come visit you another day?" Chen Fei replied with a smile, not letting it get to him.

"Alright, alright, Aunt Deng will be waiting for you. Go on, go see your mother now," Aunt Deng said with a nod, patting Chen Fei's shoulder. Although the fashionable woman had fallen silent, she still glared at Chen Fei with disdain. In the next moment, however, her scornful expression suddenly froze.

Because she saw Chen Fei pull out a car key and calmly walk toward the Mercedes-Benz GL400 parked by the side of the road!

The fashionable woman, Little Mei, who had been full of mockery and looking down on Chen Fei as a "jobless bum," blurted out, "Wait, wait a minute! Are you going the wrong way? Is that your car?"

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