Chapter 27

A large pot of chicken soup, a stewed old duck, and a few rustic dishes—this was how Lei Xihuan originally planned it.

However, as soon as he went in, he realized something was off. Why were there so many dishes?

Steamed abalone, cheese-baked Australian lobster, braised sea cucumber...

He glanced at Annie and saw her smirking. No need to guess, it was her doing again.

After arranging for the classmates to sit down, when he went to the kitchen to get the bowls and chopsticks, Annie couldn't help but boast, "How about it? Am I a qualified girlfriend? I can handle both the hall and the kitchen."

To be honest, Lei Xihuan never expected Annie to be able to cook.

His gaze suddenly fell on a lunch box carrier with the words "Shanming Grand Hotel" written on it. He laughed, "Yeah, yeah, your cooking skills can rival those of the chefs at Shanming Grand Hotel."

Her bluff exposed, Annie giggled.

"Hold on." Lei Xihuan suddenly thought of a very serious issue: "How did you get in? Didn't you say you gave me the key?"

"Let's eat." Annie darted out...

...

During the meal, the most pressing question on the minds of these classmates was where Lei Xihuan got all the money. How did he go from a poor boy to a rich man in such a short time?

Lei Xihuan didn't know how to answer, but Annie spoke up for him: "Actually, it's very simple. Brother Xihuan was fired from a hotel again..."

This was clearly a reference to Jiang Bin and Xu Yanyan, and their faces turned sour again.

"Later, Brother Xihuan returned to Xiantao Village and discovered that his grandfather was actually very wealthy, leaving him a large fortune... Brother Xihuan never mentioned it or used the money, to test himself..."

The level of storytelling... Lei Xihuan was speechless...

A large fortune left by his grandfather? How did he never know about it?

However, this did explain why Lei Xihuan had such a big villa and suddenly became "filthy rich."

"Low-key, low-key." Zhou Yaping sighed repeatedly, "We've been classmates for three years, and you've been fooling us for three years, pretending to be poor. No way, I need to calculate how much food you've eaten from me over the past three years."

Lei Xihuan was at a loss, as he was genuinely poor, with less than a thousand yuan in his pocket besides the villa.

He quickly poured wine for Zhou Yaping, who took a sip and suddenly spat it out.

Lei Xihuan thought it might be fake wine, but then he understood what was happening.

Yan Zilu walked in, looking disheveled.

His head and body were wet, with water droplets on his glasses, and his face was a picture of misery, making him look incredibly funny.

He tried to find a place to sit, but the strange smell on him made no one willing to sit with him. In the end, he could only sit alone in a corner, looking dejected.

Jiang Bin, who had been frustrated throughout, seized the opportunity to speak slowly, "Annie, I'm just saying, don't get mad. I heard many people are pursuing you, even foreigners. How did you end up with this..."

Although he didn't continue, everyone understood the implication.

Annie, however, leaned sweetly on Lei Xihuan's shoulder, "My Brother Xihuan is smart, capable, and hardworking. Those who pursue me are just stuffed dummies, how can they compare to my Brother Xihuan?"

This clearly included Jiang Bin in the category of stuffed dummies.

Jiang Bin never expected Annie to be so disrespectful to him. Seeing her affectionate demeanor, he felt a burning jealousy.

His mindset changed, and he looked at Xu Yanyan. She had seemed beautiful before, but now she looked unappealing.

First, Xu Yanyan's beauty couldn't compare to Annie's. Second, this trip to Xiantao Village was entirely her idea. If not for her, would he have suffered so much?

No way, he had to save face. Otherwise, how could he face his friends if this got out?

"Lei Xihuan, we have some unresolved issues. I apologize to you first." Jiang Bin unexpectedly poured himself a glass of wine and raised it, "Let's drink, and all is forgiven."

Lei Xihuan didn't expect his change in attitude, but since the other party was making peace, he didn't need to press the issue. He raised his glass and drank with Jiang Bin.

"Annie, do you know about a new activity in Yundong?"

As soon as Jiang Bin spoke, Annie became wary. She knew him well; he wasn't generous and would seek revenge for the slightest offense.

Sure enough, Jiang Bin continued, "Crab fighting."

This was a recent trend among the wealthy children in Yundong.

They would hire experts to train various sea crabs to fight, then compete to see whose crab was the strongest. Each participant would put up a sum of money, and the winner would take the prize.

The activity originated in Japan, and to that end, Jiang Bin had specially hired a crab-fighting master from Japan to select and train a powerful crab named "Bawang."

Bawang lived up to Jiang Bin's expectations, winning every battle.

Before Annie could respond, Jiang Bin said, "Lei Xihuan, I see you're good at raising fish. Raising crabs should be similar, right? The day after tomorrow, it's my turn to host. I formally invite you to come and fight crabs with me. What do you say, Lei Xihuan? Are you up for a crab fight? The prize is 50,000 yuan, and it's all yours if you win."

Annie secretly kicked Lei Xihuan under the table.

But to her surprise, Lei Xihuan immediately said, "Sure."

"Then it's settled. You and Annie come the day after tomorrow."

Jiang Bin was smug, thinking the poor boy had finally fallen for it.

Did he think he could just pick any crab? Crab fighting required specialized training and a significant investment of time and money. Out of ten selected sea crabs, only one might become a qualified fighting crab.

Moreover, those who raised fighting crabs were wealthy and wouldn't part with their prized crabs. Even if Lei Xihuan had money, he couldn't buy one.

Two days? Even two months wouldn't be enough.

Annie was frantic. How could this silly boy agree so easily?

It wasn't just about losing face; Jiang Bin would definitely use this opportunity to humiliate Lei Xihuan. Lei Xihuan might be able to handle it, but Miss Annie couldn't afford to lose face.

Finished, finished. Where could she find a fighting crab in two days? Seeing Lei Xihuan's carefree expression, Annie wanted to bite him right then and there.

But no, biting him would just give him an advantage.

Lei Xihuan had no idea how many thoughts were racing through Miss Annie's mind in such a short time. He truly didn't care. It was just a crab fight, right? It was crab season, so he could just pick the biggest one and might not lose.

"Alright, since we've agreed, let's eat, let's eat." Zhou Yaping, unaware of the gravity of the situation, was excited, "This chicken soup is fragrant. Three bowls of chicken soup, and even a god wouldn't want to be one."

"Leave some for us." Luo Yadane was upset and slapped Zhou Yaping's hand, "Three bowls of chicken soup? You've already had several bowls."

A burst of laughter followed.

Zhou Yaping, thick-skinned, didn't mind, "Think about it, how much food did Xihuan eat from me? This is compensation."

Luo Yadane glared, "He didn't eat much from me? I saw him huddled in the classroom, not going to eat, and I guessed he was out of money. I even went to the cafeteria to get him food. Who knew he was a real second-generation rich kid. Lei Xihuan, pay up."

"No money."

"Rogue."

"Rogue, so what? I just don't have the money."

Another round of laughter.

Lei Xihuan and his classmates chatted and laughed, completely ignoring Jiang Bin, Xu Yanyan, and Yan Zilu.

Annie, however, couldn't laugh. How could this heartless Lei Xihuan still be smiling? Miss Annie was already worried sick about the crab fight the day after tomorrow.

What would people say if her boyfriend couldn't even produce a decent fighting crab?

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