Trillionaire's Slice of Life

The kitchen was constantly filled with the enticing aroma of food.

Through the semi-transparent kitchen door and window, a tall and handsome figure could be seen bustling near the stove.

In the warmly lit living room, Zhao Shuangshuang, dressed in hot pants and a small vest, her fair skin suggestive and enticing, suddenly shook her absent-minded roommate and bestie, then teased with a full face:

"Wen Wen, I really didn't see it coming. You kept it so well hidden. You never showed any sign before. I just tried to probe a bit and he didn't even give me a second glance. His mind is all on you, and on top of being handsome, he can cook and take care of people. Wen Wen, you've got good taste!"

At these words, Chu Wen, who was sitting quietly on one side, turned her head to glance in the direction of the kitchen. Having just changed into her home clothes in the bedroom, she now sat, dressed coolly, and spoke in an even and serious tone:

"Shuangshuang, have I ever lied to you? Or am I the type of person who lies?"

Zhao Shuangshuang, who had been all smiles a moment ago, saw her bestie's serious and stern expression and suddenly became hesitant. After a moment, once the shapely Zhao Shuangshuang shook her head, the serious-looking Chu Wen continued:

"So, we are indeed just ordinary classmates, and it's been a long while since we've seen each other."

Zhao Shuangshuang, with a small tear mole at the corner of her eye, looked at her serious-faced bestie and then turned to glance at the busy figure in the kitchen. The confusion-filled fiery girl frowned and said:

"What's going on between you two then? If he's just an ordinary classmate, why would you break the rules we swore on and bring a guy here?

And what's up with that guy? Coming to a girl's house for the first time and offering to cook? Have I gone crazy? Or are both of you just not normal?"

Noticing her bestie's slight dissatisfaction, Chu Wen fell silent for a moment, then, biting her lip, softly said:

"His name is Chu Mo. We are indeed just ordinary classmates, and it's been more than a decade since we last saw each other as primary school classmates... My front tooth was knocked out by him!"

"Heavens... So it's him? No wonder you brought him home. Tell me, is it to seek revenge?

I'll definitely help you with this. That jerk made you so miserable; we can't let him off lightly. What shall we do?

Get him drunk and knock out his front tooth? Or take a few compromising photos of him..."

Watching her bestie swell with righteous indignation, Chu Wen felt a warmth in her heart and after taking a deep breath, she gently shook her head and said:

"I've already forgiven him."

"...Or maybe we could scare him a little... What? Forgiven him? What's going on? How much have you suffered over the years? You didn't just forgive him because he made you that worthless meal, did you?

You're too softhearted!"

Chu Wen gently wrapped her arm around her bestie's, and after letting her calm down, she spoke in a subdued tone:

"He used to show up in my dreams all the time. In all sorts of jumbled dreams, I'd see him. I couldn't forget him even in my dreams.

Many times I thought, if I ever saw him again, I would knock out all his teeth so he could feel the humiliation of being teased. I also thought about publicly shaming him, making him utterly miserable. I imagined so many ways to get revenge on him...

But today, when I saw him at the exhibition stand, in a daze, I saw the shadow of a little boy standing beside him, just like how he used to be as a kid. That little boy frantically apologized to me then turned and left. At that moment, I suddenly realized...

That back then, he was just a clueless kid too, a child whose mind was filled only with games and frolic...

If I kept dwelling on it, I might never escape the shadow of those days. So... when I saw him today, I chose to let go. Perhaps now, he will no longer appear in my dreams!"

As a peaceful expression with a radiant smile suddenly dawned on Chu Wen, the initially indignant Zhao Shuangshuang also quieted down, and, tapping her friend's head, could only helplessly say:

"You big dummy!"

And just then, a warm voice came from the kitchen!

"Dinner's ready!"

Gently rising to her feet, Chu Wen stretched and took her best friend by the hand to join her at the dining table. Despite the simple assortment of dishes, the tempting aroma was enough to whet her appetite. With satisfaction welling in her eyes, Chu Wen said,

"It smells so good... Chu Mo, you must cook regularly for your girlfriend, that's why your cooking skills are so impressive, right?"

"I don't have a girlfriend. Cooking for myself is a necessity, otherwise I couldn't even fend for myself. I didn't have many ingredients today, so we're keeping it simple, but if I'm not too busy tomorrow, I'll treat you to a feast!"

As he spoke, he set three pairs of chopsticks on the table and, after bringing over the last dish, tomato and egg soup, he served rice for everyone and then took his seat with an expectant look on his face,

"Try it, does it suit your taste?"

Chu Wen across the table picked up a small piece of pickled cabbage with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. The tangy taste was quite appetizing, her eyes lit up, and the girl nodded vigorously with a smile, saying,

"It's really delicious, Xiao Shuang, you should try it too, it's definitely better than what you make!"

"Hmph, truly a fair-weather friend, all my years of looking after you have gone to waste!" Slightly miffed, Zhao Shuangshuang also picked some of the dishes and put them in her mouth. The frown on her face relaxed instantly, and even the way she looked at Chu Mo became strange.

Seeing that the two were enjoying the meal, Chu Mo felt a hint of satisfaction and started eating heartily with his bowl and chopsticks.

Not used to eating much for dinner, Zhao Shuangshuang felt almost full after just a few bites of rice. She ladled half a bowl of soup for herself and sipped it slowly, the curiosity still apparent in her eyes as she asked,

"So you're Chu Mo, right? You're the same age as our Wen Wen, but you must be a college student, right? What do you do for work now?"

Hearing this, Chu Mo swallowed his food and replied in a calm tone,

"I'm a freelance writer. I write articles for websites or magazines. It's a job that doesn't require much interaction with others. As long as I follow my heart and write the words I enjoy, it's quite freeing, so I really like this job!"

"Oh? So that means you're a writer, aren't you?"

Zhao Shuangshuang's eyes perked up with excitement, and the tear mole at the corner of her eye made her look even more charming as she asked eagerly,

"What major works have you published? Are you famous?"

Across the table, Chu Wen paused her eating, her face full of curiosity as she watched Chu Mo. Under the keen gaze of the two women, Chu Mo shook his head modestly, revealing a hint of embarrassment. He pushed up his glasses and then sighed,

"It's not as glamorous as you imagine. I've never published a book on my own, just write thoughts and feelings into articles, which I submit to various websites and some small magazines.

To date, I've probably published four to five hundred short articles, each earning between three hundred to five hundred. But recently, I've invested in a hotel and acquired thirty percent of the shares...!"

Before Chu Mo could finish his sentence, Zhao Shuangshuang suddenly burst into laughter.

"Here I thought you were some famous writer. You had me all excited for nothing. But it's not bad, you've made a little under two hundred thousand after graduation. Did you put all that money into the restaurant? No wonder your cooking is so good; you must be the chef at your hotel, right!"

Watching the girl across from him adopt such an obvious attitude, Chu Mo opened his mouth to explain several times, but upon seeing Chu Wen covering her mouth with her hand, trying to hold back laughter, he simply shook his head with a wry smile and decided not to elaborate.

It seemed Zhao Shuangshuang was not quite as friendly towards him as he'd thought.

But realizing that she was also defending Chu Wen made Chu Mo lose any sense of being upset.

"The three of us are quite an interesting bunch, aren't we? You're a writer, I'm a flight attendant, Wen Wen is a model. We really do cover different industries. Alright, I have to maintain my figure, so I can't eat too much at night. You two enjoy your meal, I have things to do!"

The girl in shorts and a tank top put her bowl and chopsticks back in the kitchen. After she returned to the bedroom, the dining room became very quiet.

And in that quiet ambiance, the usually reticent Chu Wen suddenly asked,

"What hotel did you really invest in? Driving a car worth millions, you can't just be a chef, can you?"