Chapter 59

"Dad, I've set my eyes on a sports car."

After sensing everyone's thoughts, Zhang Xian seized the moment to make a request: the Wenjie M8 his father bought was decent, but it still felt too stodgy, mismatched with Zhang Xian's age.

Young people prefer something more flashy.

These past two days, Zhang Xian had been thinking about buying a car, but if he just brought one home, his dad would surely accuse him of wasting money, calling him a spendthrift.

This was the perfect moment to bring it up.

"Buy it!"

"If you like it, buy it!"

Zhang Dongshan answered decisively, but immediately lowered his voice to ask: "Xiaoxian, which car did you have your eye on? How much?"

Zhang Dongshan had made a bit of money recently, but altogether it was only a little over two million— if it was some expensive sports car, he truly couldn't afford it.

"Dad, no need for you to pay. Apple Fragrance and Tiemian have earned me a lot; it's more than enough."

Right now, Zhang Xian was far wealthier than his father, so he had no intention of having his dad pay for the sports car.

"Alright, if you like it, buy it!"

Zhang Dongshan actually wanted to advise his son to save money for a house or a wife.

But today wasn't the right time to bring that up— better to enjoy the moment.

"Xiaoxian, with your current status, finding a girlfriend isn't hard at all. What do you think of Qiaoqiao?"

"She seems quite interested in you. Shall I introduce her to you?"

At that moment, Zhang Pandi spoke up again.

Before Zhang Xian returned, she had been chatting with Zhang Laidi about how to help their younger brother quickly get over his breakup, and the two had coincidentally aligned with Han Ziwei's thoughts.

The best way to forget a romance is to start a new one.

Zhang Pandi immediately thought of her friend Lan Qiaoqiao; during their last dinner together, she'd sensed Lan Qiaoqiao seemed to have some interest in her younger brother, but back then Zhang Xian was still dating Chu Yourong, so she hadn't considered bringing them together.

Now that her younger brother was single, she could give it a try.

"Qiaoqiao's great!"

"Her figure is like a model's— even better than Chu Yourong's!" Zhang Laidi quickly chimed in.

Zhang Xian hadn't expected such a "breakup perk," and he reluctantly nodded: "Might as well get to know her."

Unconsciously, Zhang Xian's mind conjured the visual impact of Lan Qiaoqiao's long legs as she sat in the passenger seat.

A gentle, long-legged sister— how could anyone not love that!

The whole family enjoyed a lively meal; Zhang Laidi and Zhang Pandi decided not to leave, staying at home.

Big sister Zhang Xinan and her husband Zhao Shuyang were going home; Zhang Xian saw them off to the alley entrance, then retrieved from the Wenjie M8's trunk the gifts he'd bought for them while shopping.

"Big sister, brother-in-law, these are for you."

Thanks to his "Divine Angler" skill, Zhang Xian had been busy practicing these past two days and hadn't yet given the gifts to his big sister and brother-in-law; today was a perfect chance to hand them over.

"Xiaoxian, it's not even a holiday— why are you giving gifts?"

"And these are way too expensive!"

Seeing the LV and Chanel shopping bags Zhang Xian handed over, Zhang Xinan was momentarily stunned.

"I made some money. I bought gifts for Dad, Fourth Sister, and Fifth Sister too. Tiemian was such a hit—I got a big cut!"

"Thanks, Xiaoxian!"

"At my university, there are suitable girls—I'll keep an eye out for you."

Zhang Xinan was still pondering whether to warn her brother to spend less, when Zhao Shuyang already took the gifts with a smile and gave his wife a meaningful glance.

"Brother-in-law, you'd better keep your word!"

Zhang Xian had been sleepy from exhaustion, but Zhao Shuyang's words instantly revived him.

This brother-in-law was a professor at Beijing University of Technology—he had access to plenty of quality resources, like beautiful female teachers, innocent campus beauties.

Of course, campus beauties these days were probably no longer innocent, but their looks were definitely still top-tier.

"Mm, I'll keep an eye out for you."

Zhao Shuyang had just said it offhand, but seeing how seriously Zhang Xian took it, he mentally filed the matter away.

After all, his little brother-in-law Zhang Xian had good prospects; the young female teachers and students at school would probably like his type. If he succeeded in matchmaking, they'd thank him.

After watching his big sister and brother-in-law get into a taxi, Zhang Xian turned to walk back, but hadn't taken more than a few steps when he spotted a familiar figure under a streetlamp.

There sat Pang Fei beneath the lamp, holding a can of beer; he looked like he'd just been crying, still softly sobbing.

"Big Brother Fei, what's wrong?"

Zhang Xian quickened his steps and approached.

Pang Fei clearly hadn't expected to meet someone he knew so late; the sudden voice startled him. He looked up, saw it was Zhang Xian, wiped his tear-stained eyes with his hand, then stood up and feigned calmness: "Nothing. Sand got in my eye."

"I thought you'd broken up too, like me."

Zhang Xian casually remarked.

"So the news today was true?"

Pang Fei had seen the news too, but later Chu Yourong deleted the breakup post, leading netizens to speculate they might have reconciled.

"We broke up a few days ago—just announced it today."

"Sigh—we're both fallen souls adrift in the same world."

Pang Fei sighed, then said with a mournful face: "But I'm worse off than you—not just a breakup, I lost my job too."

"They say misfortunes never come alone—I've finally felt it."

People are often like this: when someone nearby is as miserable as you, or even more so, you're more likely to open up.

Pang Fei had originally planned to keep his ordeal to himself, but hearing Zhang Xian had lost even a celebrity girlfriend, he stopped hiding—after all, gloomy emotions needed an outlet.

"Xiaoxian, wait a moment."

Pang Fei said something, then ran straight to the supermarket; when he returned, he held several cans of beer, sausages, and peanuts.

"Let's chat for a bit!"

In the alley sat small stools where old men and women chatted and played cards; Pang Fei pulled Zhang Xian down onto one, opened two cans of beer, and handed one to Zhang Xian.

"I just finished working overtime on my project yesterday, and today I got the layoff notice."

"What kind of company is this, like it's my home? All lies! When they kick you out, there's not even room for discussion!"

As Pang Fei grumbled and complained, he gulped down a large mouthful of beer.

Zhang Xian took a sip too and comforted him: "It's just a job—lose one, find another. With your abilities, Brother Fei, finding a new one won't be hard!"

"Xiaoxian, I just can't swallow this!"

"Since joining the company, I've worked diligently, never complained, barely ever left on time—this month, to meet the project deadline, I worked overtime every single day!"

"Then, as soon as the project ended, our entire team got laid off—isn't that just throwing away the millstone after grinding the grain..."

Zhang Xian listened quietly; his workplace experience was limited, and he had little advice to offer.

"I told Xiangxiang about this, hoping for comfort, but she immediately broke up with me, saying she didn't feel safe with me!"

"What the hell kind of 'safety'?"

"It's just that she looks down on me for being unemployed, for not making money!"