Chapter 22 Childhood Friends

Zhou Jing's eyes flickered, and he scrolled through the chat history. This was a message from last night around eight o'clock.

[Li Xiaoyin: Bros, let's go eat! Everyone!]

[Xu Lingyun: As a qualified social outcast, I refuse to participate in any money-related activities.]

[Li Xiaoyin: Don't worry, this time it's on me. I have a big announcement to make!]

[Xu Lingyun: If you put it that way, I have to be there to eat well... and listen.]

[Zhang Xiao: What big news? Has someone finally agreed to marry you?]

[Xu Lingyun: Please tell me who the victim is. Is he currently in a stable emotional state?]

[Li Xiaoyin: Humph, you're all just talking nonsense! I'm telling you, this time I've really defied fate! Wahahaha!!!]

[Xu Lingyun: Got it, you hooked a sugar daddy.]

[Li Xiaoyin: Are you looking for a beating?!]

Zhou Jing's lips involuntarily curled up, and he relaxed completely.

Best buddies… This group chat, including him, has a total of four people, all close friends who grew up together.

They played together as kids, went to school together, and had a very good relationship.

It wasn't until graduation that everyone got busy with their own things, and they saw each other less often, but they still often chatted and joked in the group, and made plans to eat out together.

When he was in school, Zhou Jing was well-liked and had many friends, but only these three childhood friends could be called his best buddies.

He continued to scroll down through the message history.

[Li Xiaoyin: Seriously, how about a dinner tonight? If I don't tell you this good news today, I won't be able to sleep! (Rolling around)]

[Zhang Xiao: It's already past eight o'clock to be asking for dinner! Sis, don't just act on a whim. I already finished eating!]

[Xu Lingyun: Anyway, I'm free. I haven't eaten all day and I'm starving. As long as someone is treating, I'll crawl there!]

[Zhang Xiao: Seriously, what's the good news? You can just say it now.]

[Li Xiaoyin: No way, this is a major event in my life. It's not ceremonial enough to say it in the group. I have to say it in person.]

[Zhang Xiao: Could it be that you found a job like me?]

[Xu Lingyun: What, finding a job? Why would you willingly degrade yourself? We agreed to be noble freeloaders together! We agreed to fleece the interstellar colonialists! Everyone!]

[Zhang Xiao: Who agreed with you?]

[Li Xiaoyin: Zhang Xiao, give me a break. Can you even call what you're doing finding a job? You're just going to work at your own family's company! Your family pays you, and the money just stays within the family. What do you even earn? It's basically the same as pocket money!]

[Zhang Xiao: You don't have to be so blunt about it...]

[Li Xiaoyin: Zhou Jing, Jing Jing, why aren't you saying anything? When will you be free? Give me a definite answer!]

[Li Xiaoyin: Are you asleep, baby? Wake up! Zhou Jing!]

The following several messages were all tagging him.

Zhou Jing thought about it and picked up his phone to reply.

[Zhou Jing: I fell asleep earlier and didn't see my phone. I'm free during the day.]

After sending the message, he saw that it was getting late and planned to put down his phone and get something to eat.

However, he didn't expect to get a reply in the group immediately.

[Li Xiaoyin: Haha, Jing Jing finally surfaced!]

[Xu Lingyun: Good grief, what's your schedule like these days? You were asleep by eight o'clock last night!]

[Zhang Xiao: Jing, are you getting weak?]

Zhou Jing's mouth twitched.

What the heck, they're all awake at this hour? Do none of you need to sleep?!

[Li Xiaoyin: Yo, everyone's awake. Why don't we just go out for a midnight snack? We can talk about my good news then, and I'll be able to sleep tonight. Let's go, let's go!]

[Zhang Xiao: Eh, sounds good. I just got hungry from playing games.]

[Xu Lingyun: I was ready to starve for another day to mooch a meal, but we're eating now? Tsk, no challenge at all.]

[Zhou Jing: This is a little too sudden. I haven't even brushed my teeth yet...]

[Li Xiaoyin: Zhou Jing, come on! You just woke up anyway, just treat it as breakfast!]

Zhou Jing scratched his head.

Deciding to go out for a midnight snack in the middle of the night really was something a group of best buddies would do.

Nightlife in this era was already rich, and many shops were open 24/7... mainly because mechanical workers didn't need to rest and could be exploited indefinitely. Forget 996, it was all 007.

Zhou Jing thought about it and figured it wasn't a bad idea. He had just returned anyway, and the shuttle cooldown still had more than ten hours left. There was nothing urgent.

People are iron, food is steel. You get hungry if you skip a meal. It's the same no matter where you eat, and it saves money if someone else is paying. After all, he wasn't flush with cash right now.

Besides, Zhou Jing was also a little curious about what Li Xiaoyin's good news was.

Although this girl was usually like this, always shouting about finding an opportunity to defy fate and reach the peak of her life, given her financial situation, it was rare for her to be so excited that she was treating.

"Might as well go grab a bite."

With that thought, Zhou Jing didn't refuse. He decided on a late-night snack location and time in the group, put on his hoodie, and went out to meet them.

...

...

Even at midnight, the sky was rendered colorful by the flashing neon lights, like a city that never sleeps.

Zhou Jing took a public flyer to the meeting place.

As soon as he got out of the vehicle, he noticed a person squatting on the curb, wearing a long-sleeved coat with his hands tucked into the sleeves, like an old farmer.

The person also noticed Zhou Jing, his eyes lit up, and he hurriedly raised his hands above his head, waving repeatedly and shouting:

"Bro, bro, I'm here!"

Zhou Jing took a look and saw that the person was a handsome man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, but his chin was covered with a sparse stubble that he was too lazy to shave, and he exuded a decadent and lazy aura.

It was his childhood friend, Xu Lingyun.

Zhou Jing walked over: "Where are the other two?"

"Those two haven't arrived yet. I'm the first one here." Xu Lingyun was still squatting on the ground, looking up to answer.

Seeing this, Zhou Jing also squatted down, and asked strangely:

"You're usually late every time. Why are you here so early today?"

Xu Lingyun hummed: "I've been hungry all day, waiting to mooch a meal. Of course, I have to come early."

"It's just a meal, it shouldn't be that serious for you..."

"It shouldn't be, but my savings have their own ideas." Xu Lingyun shrugged.

Zhou Jing's mouth twitched.

He almost forgot that Xu Lingyun's life was quite stable - stably poor.

This childhood friend had a rough life. His parents were originally freeloaders, but because one of them had a physiological defect, they were unable to complete the three slots for the birth welfare allowance, and finally divorced. The mother formed a new family with someone else, and the father focused on immigration welfare subsidies and participated in one of the first batches of interstellar immigrants, abandoning him. From then on, he was left to live alone.

Xu Lingyun did not choose to go to a foster home and just grew up casually, without anyone caring about him.

He had also tried hard to change the situation, but it was never the case that a determined resolution could immediately reverse reality. Many times he didn't even know how to start. The life of poverty and hardship was sometimes like seaweed: the more he wanted to break free, the deeper he sank into it, creating a vicious cycle.

Later, Xu Lingyun just went with the flow. He had said more than once that his life plan was to live on welfare payments. Anyway, you basically wouldn't starve to death in this era. He might as well be a salted fish. He was really lying flat.

Zhou Jing shook his head, shaking off these thoughts.

He patted Xu Lingyun's shoulder and joked, "It's okay. With your looks, if you dress up a little, you can easily hook up with a rich woman and live the good life."

"Give me a break." Xu Lingyun rolled his eyes and said, "I'm not interested in doing manual labor."

After a pause, Xu Lingyun suddenly nudged Zhou Jing with his elbow and smirked:

"So, how have you been lately? I know there are a lot of older sisters who like gentle, refined young men like you. Quickly confess, have you been corrupted by the beauty of the world lately? Have you been dating?"

"I don't have the mind for that." Zhou Jing shook his head and smiled.

"That's right. I almost forgot. When we were in school, half of the female students who confessed were for you and half were for me. I at least agreed two or three times, but you didn't agree even once..."

As Xu Lingyun spoke, he hesitated for a moment and asked softly:

"You don't like girls, do you?"

"I think your brain is full of nonsense."

Zhou Jing said unhappily.

I was focused on studying, okay!

Xu Lingyun shook his head, pretending to sigh: "You definitely have a problem. With our looks, it's so hard to stay pure."

Zhou Jing rolled his eyes: "Just pretend. Do you think I don't know you'd blush if you held a girl's hand? And you're still pretending to be a love saint with me?"

"What blushing or not... I just have a lot of blood vessels in my face, and they accidentally get congested!"

Xu Lingyun said in embarrassment.

Zhou Jing was too lazy to call him out. He stood up, kicked Xu Lingyun's butt with his foot, and said:

"I'm not going to chat with you anymore. Don't squat here, go to the restaurant and wait. I'm a little cold."

After speaking, he was about to take a step when he noticed that Xu Lingyun was still squatting on the spot, looking up at him expectantly.

"What are you still squatting for? Let's go." Zhou Jing asked strangely.

"Give your bro a hand, I don't have the strength to stand up." Xu Lingyun reached out for a hug.

Nonsense, he's been hungry all day, of course he doesn't have any strength...

Zhou Jing was helpless and was about to reach out to grab Xu Lingyun when his movements suddenly stopped.

"Speaking of which, you didn't go to the restaurant earlier and were just squatting here, waiting for someone to arrive and help you up, right?"

"You're so clever. Hurry up and do it!"

Zhou Jing's face twitched. He grabbed Xu Lingyun's hand and pulled him up from the ground.

Xu Lingyun had a look of being saved on his face. His legs had gone numb from squatting for too long, and he groaned repeatedly, holding onto Zhou Jing and slowly moving.

Before long, the two of them finally arrived at the agreed-upon restaurant, found a booth in the corner, ordered drinks, and waited.

About five minutes later, a man and a woman walked into the restaurant. It was the other two childhood friends.

The man was called Zhang Xiao, a chubby little fatty wearing a woolen coat, with a beige scarf around his neck, and a well-made mechanical watch on his wrist. He looked like he came from a good family.

The other woman was Li Xiaoyin. Her clothes were simple: a wide white and green striped short-sleeved shirt, blue casual pants, and black and white sneakers. She had no other accessories.

Her skin was fair, her swan neck was slender, and her bare-faced features were not stunning, but she exuded a clean and lively air. She wore a neat ponytail that swayed as she walked.

Li Xiaoyin surveyed the restaurant and saw Zhou Jing and Xu Lingyun. Her eyes lit up immediately, and she directly greeted them loudly:

"Yo, brothers!"

Her voice was a bit loud, and the other diners in the restaurant couldn't help but turn their heads and give her strange looks.

Li Xiaoyin wasn't embarrassed at all. She gave a hearty smile and calmly raised her hand to gesture an apology to the other diners. Then, she ignored the gazes of others and jogged to the seats of Zhou Jing and Xu Lingyun, plopping down.

Zhang Xiao was a little embarrassed. He pretended not to notice the attention of the other diners, keeping his expression taut and his eyes straight ahead, following Li Xiaoyin to take a seat.

"You two came together?" Zhou Jing was a little curious.

"Haha, doesn't this guy have a car? My house is far away, so I had him drive me over."

Li Xiaoyin laughed heartily and slapped Zhang Xiao on the back, making a dull thud.

Zhang Xiao grimaced, rubbed his sore back, and said unhappily, "Let's order first."

"Order! Order whatever you want! It's on me today!"

Li Xiaoyin waved her hand grandly, her tone bold.

Xu Lingyun grinned: "No wonder you look so beautiful today. You hooked everyone's eyes as soon as you came in."

"Is there any necessary connection?" Zhang Xiao couldn't help but question.

"The person who's treating is always the most beautiful!" Xu Lingyun gave a thumbs up.

Zhang Xiao immediately became indignant: "I've treated quite a few times, too. I don't see you guys praising me."

"First, you have to have the basic requirements: to at least look like a person. Otherwise, praising you would sound like mockery. Do you have that requirement? Obviously, you don't."

"Hey, I don't accept that. You..."

Zhang Xiao rolled up his sleeves, ready to argue properly.

Zhou Jing rolled his eyes, not wanting to pay attention to the two of them bickering. He looked at Li Xiaoyin curiously.

"Did you find a job? Why are you so happy today?"

Li Xiaoyin waved her hand and said with a chuckle, "Not really. I haven't been looking for a job in the months since I graduated."

"Then what have you been doing? What's the good news you mentioned in the group?" Zhou Jing asked in surprise.

"Hehe, don't be shocked."

Li Xiaoyin smiled triumphantly, puffed out her chest with her thumb, and said loudly:

"Your girl, I'm a metahuman now!"

The air suddenly stilled.