Chapter 23: What Kind of Immortal Life Is This?

【Jingxi Electronics Factory】 livestream room.

"Holy shit, we got a fish!"

"This angler didn't get an air hook today!"

"Oh no, my air-hook persona is ruined!"

"You guys take a close look—is that even a fish??"

"Hahaha, I can't, I need to laugh for a bit first!"

"He's had air hooks for days, and finally catches a turtle!"

"Even through the screen, I can guess the old guy just cursed his head off!"

At first, the livestream viewers also thought Zhang Xian had caught a fish, but the physical difference between a turtle and a fish was too great—even with the camera far away, everyone could see that the angler who'd been getting air hooks every day had just caught a turtle.

The livestream room instantly exploded, waves of laughter seeming to spill over the screen and through the internet cables.

By the river.

Zhang Xian looked at the turtle, no bigger than a palm, wondering whether to put it back in the river.

But some turtles kept as pets were actually invasive species; releasing them carelessly could easily disrupt local ecology.

"Don't release it—I'll keep it."

"So cute!"

At that moment, Chu Yourong leaned over and said.

"Fine!"

Zhang Xian nodded; for the little turtle, this was a decent fate.

"Let me pet it~"

"Will it bite me?"

Chu Yourong carefully poked the turtle's shell with her finger; the little turtle immediately shrank its head back into its shell.

"Haha, such a coward!"

"Let's name it Dadan'er!"

"No, it should be Dadan'er—otherwise it'll get even more timid the more you call it!"

Chu Yourong immediately named the little turtle.

"You name turtles too?"

Zhang Xian found it amusing.

"Of course—everything I own has a name."

Chu Yourong tried to take the turtle from Zhang Xian's hand and whispered, "Remember—you're Dadan'er now!"

How boring!

Zhang Xian silently grumbled in his mind, then re-baited his hook.

Time slipped unnoticed into evening.

Zhang Pandi called to tell Zhang Xian and Chu Yourong to come home for dinner.

So the two of them got another air hook.

But this time, it wasn't a complete air hook—Chu Yourong gained "Dadan'er."

At the hutong entrance.

A group of people stood around a brand-new "Tesla Model 3," chatting.

"Dong Xu, this car must be expensive!"

"That's a Tesla—it's naturally expensive."

"Do you think I don't know what a Tesla is? I'm asking how much Dong Xu paid."

Liu Dongxu leaned against the car door, smugly tapping the roof: "I got the high-spec model—330,000!"

"The base model is only 230,000, but if you're buying a car, you might as well get the high-spec one!"

Liu Dongxu bragged excitedly to his neighbors, but in truth, he bought the base model—on loan—with a 70,000 down payment and a monthly payment of 5,000.

Liu Fusheng, who knew the truth, stood silently to the side—he'd accompanied his son to buy the car; originally, buying a car wasn't in Liu Fusheng's plans.

But Liu Dongxu insisted that marriage required a car; without one, Wang Jiajia wouldn't marry him.

Under Liu Dongxu's persistent demands, Liu Fusheng reluctantly gave in. He'd originally planned to buy a car around 100,000 for daily use, but Liu Dongxu thought that was low-status and insisted on financing a better one. He painted Liu Fusheng a big picture: his job offer was nearly finalized, his starting salary would be at least 25,000 a month, and paying 5,000 a month for the car loan would be effortless.

So Liu Dongxu financed this Tesla Model 3. Dongliutiao Hutong had only one lane and rarely saw cars.

A car entering this hutong usually meant one of two things: someone was moving in, or someone had bought a car and was showing off.

When Pang Dachun bought a car for his son Pang Fei, he'd driven it into the hutong too, making sure neighbors knew he'd bought his son a car—now Liu Dongxu was using the exact same formula.

"330,000!"

"Old Pang, this is way more expensive than your Camry!"

Wang Shulan said with a smile.

The car wasn't hers, but it belonged to her "nephew-in-law"—Wang Shulan felt proud by association.

Pang Dachun didn't respond, instead changing the subject: "Electric cars in Beijing don't even make it 600 kilometers in winter!"

"600 kilometers is plenty—gas cars can't even run that far on a full tank!"

Liu Dongxu immediately said.

"600 kilometers in winter? I doubt it."

Pang Dachun shook his head: "When it gets cold, batteries don't last."

"Uncle Pang, this is a Tesla—our battery tech leads the world, range isn't an issue!"

Liu Dongxu said, smug as ever.

"Fine, I don't get it either."

"You'll know come winter."

Pang Dachun didn't want to continue this topic.

At that moment, someone else in the crowd said: "Dong Xu and Xiaofei both have cars now—only Xiaoxian is left!"

"Xiaoxian doesn't even have a job—why buy a car?"

"I've seen Xiaoxian going out early and coming back late to fish—he doesn't look like he's looking for work!"

"Dongshan spoils his kid too much—I bet Little Liu will be living off him his whole life!"

"I heard he's even got a girlfriend—no job, yet he's already got a partner! This is all old Zhang paying!"

The topic had unknowingly drifted to Zhang Xiaoxian.

Everyone gathered here were nearby neighbors, all familiar with Zhang Xiaoxian's situation.

Just as the crowd was taking turns criticizing Zhang Xiaoxian, the subject himself arrived on his electric scooter.

"Whoa, this is lively."

"Whose car is this?"

Zhang Xiaoxian had no idea they were criticizing him; he stopped his scooter and asked.

"Brother Xian, I bought the car."

"Got time later? I'll take you for a spin!"

Liu Dongxu said with a beaming smile.

"Sure, I'll call you later."

Zhang Xiaoxian's mind raced—he immediately thought he could use Dong Xu as a free driver.

After dinner, Chu Yourong was going home; his father would probably make him drive her—perfect. He'd just invite Liu Dongxu along, and they'd drop Chu Yourong off together.

"Dong Xu, when you two go for a spin, make sure to pick up Jiajia—she'll be back soon."

Wang Jiajia had gone to the hospital for her prenatal checkup, but she told Liu Dongxu and Wang Shulan she was meeting a friend.

"Yeah, I already messaged Jiajia."

The moment Liu Dongxu bought the car, he told Wang Jiajia right away, even arranging to test the new car's suspension.

"Xiaoxian, is this your girlfriend?"

Wang Shulan looked at Chu Yourong sitting on the back of the scooter—she was wearing a mask and sun hat, her face completely hidden.

Of course, even if her face were visible, these old folks wouldn't recognize Chu Yourong—they'd just sigh: "Little Liu from the Zhang family got a beautiful girlfriend!"

"Yes, yes, I'm Zhang Xiaoxian's girlfriend."

Chu Yourong took the initiative to respond, then politely greeted everyone.

Most neighbors still didn't know Zhang Xiaoxian's girlfriend was a big star; they all stared curiously at Chu Yourong. Though she was wrapped up tightly, her figure, delicate features, and clear eyes were still visible—they could already tell she was a beautiful girl.

"Aunt Wang, Uncle Liu, Uncle Pang, you guys chat—I'm heading home for dinner!"

Seeing the crowd about to interrogate Chu Yourong like a household registration officer, Zhang Xiaoxian called out and sped off with her.

"No job and still finds such a beautiful girlfriend—Xiaoxian's got some talent!"

"Who knows where he found that fool—probably tricked her!"

"Little Liu from the Zhang family has always been smooth-talking—tricking a wife into coming home with him, I'm not surprised!"

"What a waste of such a good girl—so beautiful and even looks so sweet!"

"Lies always get exposed—I bet she'll run off soon!"

The crowd chattered on, one after another.

At that moment, a brand-new Wenjie M8 slowly pulled up to the alley entrance.

As a mid-to-large SUV, the Wenjie M8 was naturally much larger than the Tesla Model 3; parked side by side, the Tesla Model 3 instantly looked small in comparison.

"Whose car is this?"

"Looks like a new one too!"

"Is this car more expensive than Dong Xu's?"

Everyone's attention immediately shifted to the arriving Wenjie M8.

At that moment, the driver's window rolled down, and Zhang Dongshan stuck his head out with a grin: "Whoa, everyone's here!"

"Did you hear I bought a car?"

As he spoke, Zhang Dongshan opened the door and stepped out.

"Dongshan, did you buy this car?"

"Big Brother Zhang, looks like you've really made it!"

"Is livestreaming really that profitable?"

"Big Brother Zhang, this car must cost 400,000 or 500,000?"

The crowd asked questions one after another, examining Zhang Dongshan's new Wenjie M8.

"Full price: 450,000. Top-spec six-seater—with a big TV in the back row!"

Zhang Dongshan introduced it with a broad smile.

"450,000!"

"Big Brother Zhang, you've really made it!"

"No wonder everyone's scrambling to become an internet celebrity—it's so profitable!"

Everyone sighed in awe.

Wang Shulan's gaze toward Zhang Dongshan had changed—she now truly regretted not snatching him up earlier. In just a few days, he'd become a big online celebrity with hundreds of thousands of followers, buying a 450,000-yuan car without a second thought.

Hmm, it's not too late yet.

Old Zhang must still have some interest in me.

Wang Shulan muttered silently to herself.

"Old Zhang, buying such an expensive car—what are you planning to do?"

Pang Dachun walked around the car once, then asked.

"I bought this car for Xiaoxian."

"If you're dating, you need a car to get around!"

Zhang Dongshan patted the hood and added, "If I were driving it myself, I'd have bought the M9—steady and dignified. This M8 is younger and more lively!"

After hearing this, everyone exchanged glances.

"Old Zhang, you can't spoil your kid like this!"

"Exactly! Xiaoxian's been spoiled rotten by you!"

"Just now we were saying—this kid of Xiaoxian's doesn't even look for a job, just idles around all day. If this keeps up, he'll become a social liability!"

"Old Zhang, we've been neighbors for decades—I have to tell you: spoiling a son is like killing him!"

"Xiaoxian doesn't have a job, and now he's dating a girlfriend—your money pays for all his daily expenses! And now you buy him this expensive car? If you keep coddling him like this, disaster is coming!"

Everyone piled on Zhang Dongshan—though it sounded like they were giving him advice, most of it was just mocking and sneering at the Zhang family father and son.

You're "a failure as a parent," and he's "an uneducated good-for-nothing!"

What's infuriating is, you've lived in the same alley for decades—and yet you can afford a 450,000-yuan car!

Having lived in the same alley for decades, Zhang Dongshan knew these people well. Though they all seemed friendly on the surface, behind the scenes they were all competing and comparing.

Whose child got good grades, whose child became successful, whose child made big money...

These comparisons touched every aspect of life—not because anyone was truly malicious, but simply because human nature demanded it.

Many relatives and friends were the same: outwardly harmonious, secretly comparing everything. If one day you suddenly became rich, the ones who suffered most might be your own relatives or friends.

In this world, the only people who genuinely wish you well are probably your parents!

"I only have one son—Xiaoxian. Who else would I spoil?"

"Should I spoil someone else's son?"

Zhang Dongshan sneered, completely rejecting the PUA.

If they'd said all this a week ago, Zhang Dongshan might have taken it to heart—but now he knew his son wasn't idling around.

Just from the copyright royalties of Apple Fragrance, his son earned 300,000 yuan a day. Among all the kids in the alley, those earning 300,000 yuan a year were few and far between.

And your son earns in one day what others earn in a year—and you call that idling around??

But Zhang Dongshan could never reveal this. Earning 300,000 yuan a day was too shocking. First, these people wouldn't believe it; second, wealth must not be flaunted—quietly getting rich was the real rule.

Besides, his son Zhang Xian had told him he wanted to keep a low profile.

So for their accusations, Zhang Dongshan didn't bother explaining. He called out to Zhang Zhaodi, who was watching the "big TV" in the back seat, and the father and daughter went home.

"Old Zhang's completely unmoved!"

"He'll regret it one day!"

"Spoiling a kid like this, disaster is inevitable!"

"With a father like this, that kid Xiaoxian is ruined!"

"Zhang Dongshan got a little money and got arrogant—bought such an expensive car!"

"Exactly! 450,000 yuan! That's enough for a down payment on a small house in the suburbs!"

"That's the mentality of a new rich—probably made some money from livestreaming and blew it all on a car!"

After Zhang Dongshan left, everyone started chattering again, many with sour tones.

Wang Shulan leaned against the rear window, peering inside, whispering: "Where did this big TV come from? There's a TV in the car?"

"Auntie, there's a projector in the car."

"It's retracted when not in use."

Liu Dongxu explained. Because of Jiajia, he now called Wang Shulan "Auntie"—a clear sign of closeness.

"All flashy nonsense—I still think Dongxu's car is better!"

Wang Shulan, well-versed in social graces, immediately said.

"Shulan, you've got good taste. Sure, Zhang Dongshan spent 450,000 yuan on a car—but it's domestic, plain and simple, a no-name brand. Our Dongxu's car? That's a United States brand—a real one!"

At this point, Liu Fusheng took over.

He praised his own Tesla Model 3 not only because it was his family's car, but also because he feared Zhang Dongshan's expensive gift to Zhang Xian might trigger some trouble from his own son.

After all, in real terms, the car Zhang Dongshan bought for Zhang Xian cost twice as much as the one he bought for his own son!

Both were fathers—he was afraid his brat would throw a fit.

And Liu Fusheng had foresight: right now, Liu Dongxu was indeed feeling resentful. A returned overseas student driving a 230,000-yuan Tesla Model 3, while Zhang Xian—a jobless freeloader living off his parents—was driving a 450,000-yuan Wenjie M8!

Not only that, but Zhang Xian had Chu Yourong, a major celebrity, as his girlfriend.

He drove a nice car at night, and had another nice car to use during the day.

What kind of godlike life was this?!