Lin Xiaozhe never expected that Li Qiang, a young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, would also embark on a path of crime.

Back when we were in high school, we got along quite well.

His family lived in a small town, very close to the school. His parents worked away from home, and he lived with his grandmother. For a long time, Lin Xiaozhe stayed at his family's house for free.

Every morning when he wakes up, he has already prepared a hot breakfast.

They were very close back then.

Lin Xiaozhe was heartbroken to see him turn into a liar. As a friend, he couldn't just stand by and watch him walk down a path to prison.

When Li Qiang saw Lin Xiaozhe say he wanted to invest 100 million, he thought he was joking. He said seriously, "Xiaozhe, I'm serious. I'm not kidding you. I've poured all my savings for buying a house into this. I was supposed to get married this year, but I postponed it."

"A total of 800,000 yuan, which is what I've saved over the years plus what my parents gave me, our whole family's savings."

Lin Xiaozhe was shocked.

It turns out that Li Qiang wasn't lying, but was being lied to, which fits his tall and honest image perfectly.

It's fortunate that he mentioned it in the group chat; otherwise, if he had been scammed out of everything and couldn't get married or buy a house, he would have had nowhere to turn for help.

Hearing Li Qiang say this, some people in the group asked him with some skepticism.

"Ten percent interest a month, you can recoup your investment in a year. Li Qiang, are you sure? Have you received the money?" Zhao Tiegang asked.

"Would I dare tell you this if I couldn't get it? Of course I got it. I already have the 80,000 from last month (photo of banknotes)." Li Qiang continued, "See that? It was just issued yesterday. It's so thick. I've never made money so easily in my life."

"You're really paying me? Good for you, Li Qiang." Wang Xiaomei said.

"I'll invest 100 million." Lin Xiaozhe.

Li Qiang: "Xiao Ze, I've already said all this, why don't you believe me? If you don't believe me, fine. We were such good friends back then, would I dare tell you if it wasn't true?"

"I'll really invest 100 million." Lin Xiaozhe.

"You're so boring. By the way, is everyone here? Let's get together for a meal, and I'll give you a detailed introduction." Li Qiang organized the group.

This kind of investment involves a huge amount of money, and it's unreliable to talk about it online; you have to explain it to them in person.

"I am here."

"I."

"Tell me where you want to meet."

"Go to the Fu'an Restaurant in town, hurry up, lunch is on me."

Li Qiang had recently made some money and offered to pay the bill.

Lin Xiaozhe smiled. Li Qiang was such a person, generous and rarely argued with anyone. He was also very popular.

[What's going on? Someone's actually vying with Young Master Lin to pay the bill!]

[Looking down on my, Young Master Lin's, financial power?]

Young Master Lin bought the entire restaurant.

[Yay, my favorite part—the class reunion bragging scene—is here!]

"Young Master Lin, bring your Lamborghini and give them a little financial shock."

[Let's not flaunt our talent this time, let them know just how much Lin Shao is worth in Bullfighting.]

Lin Xiaozhe noticed that many fans in the live stream thought he was about to start showing off.

That's completely wrong.

As a streamer with impeccable values, what's the point of showing off this in front of his old high school classmates? It just makes him seem so insignificant.

Moreover, these classmates had a good relationship back then, so they wouldn't intentionally pretend. Of course, if they were forced to pretend without realizing it, there was nothing that could be done about it.

"You underestimate the streamer's vision."

"I can't drive luxury cars, I drive my dad's little electric car."

After finishing his sentence, Lin Xiaozhe took his phone, went to the yard, told his mother that he wouldn't be having lunch, and then rode his electric scooter straight to town.

Lin Xiaozhe's hometown is very close to the town, only a ten-minute walk away. The so-called Fu'an Grand Restaurant is actually just a small two-story restaurant in the center of the street.

When they arrived, they saw Li Qiang chatting with three old classmates in front of the restaurant.

Li Qiang put his arm around Zhao Tiegang's shoulder and patted his chest with a sense of loyalty, saying, "How about that? Am I being a good friend? I didn't tell anyone else about this way to make money, but I told you guys."

"If we can really make a fortune this time, I'll give you a two-thousand-yuan red envelope, to say the least," Zhao Tiegang said with a smile.

"By the way, do you know Lin Xiaozhe? Isn't he working away from home? It seems like he's coming too," Wen Xiaomei said.

Li Qiang's eyes lit up with joy when he heard this, and he said, "Really? I haven't seen him in a long time. He was such a good student back then and got into a good school. He must be doing quite well now. I'm not so lucky. I can only stay in this small town, get married, buy a house, and make do."

Wen Xiaomei frowned and said, "Sigh, me too. I got married at twenty-two. My husband is a good-for-nothing. I've had to borrow money from my mom for baby formula lately."

Zhao Tiegang also sighed without saying a word.

Li Qiang knew that Zhao Tiegang had recently gotten divorced and was struggling financially.

"It's alright, it's alright. We've made a fortune this time, and we'll all be able to live a good life." Li Qiang said, looking up as a small electric scooter slowly drove up and stopped not far from them.

Upon closer inspection, it really was Lin Xiaozhe.

Although so many years have passed, I still remember the general outline clearly.

Li Qiang was tall, standing at 1.88 meters. He picked up Lin Xiaozhe and carried him, but he didn't expect that Lin Xiaozhe, who looked short, was quite heavy.

"What did Xiaoze eat to grow up so heavy? Does he have a girlfriend yet? Bring her out so we can see her." Li Qiang chuckled.

Lin Xiaozhe smiled and said, "No, I'm single. I only need to eat my fill so the rest of the family isn't hungry."

It had been many years since they last met, and they had both changed a lot. There was a bit of awkwardness between them, and they didn't know what to say for a moment. Fortunately, Li Qiang was good at livening up the atmosphere.

"I'm paying today, you hear me? Order whatever you want. I made 80,000 last month, how much can you eat?"

Li Qiang spoke loudly as he led them into the restaurant.

[The streamer is a bit socially awkward, but becomes incredibly socially adept when caught in a scam.]

You call this a grand restaurant?

The average spending per person should not exceed fifty yuan.

[How can you bear to see Mr. Lin, who's so successful, treat his old classmates to this?]

[I suggest Young Master Lin write a check and buy the shop outright, just to show off.]

[All they think about is showing off. The streamer's money didn't come from thin air.]

After sitting down, we still had to wait for a few more people, so we chatted for a while instead of starting the meal.

"Xiao Ze, what kind of business have you been doing lately?" Li Qiang offered Lin Xiao Ze a cigarette, but Lin Xiao Ze shook his head and declined.

"I'll be a streamer. By the way, you guys don't mind if I do a live stream, right? I won't film your face."

When Lin Xiaozhe brought it up, they all shook their heads.

"Then streamers must make a lot of money, right?" Li Qiang's eyes widened. He had heard online that streamers could earn tens of thousands of yuan in a single PK battle.

Lin Xiaozhe shook his head and laughed, "I don't make money, I'm just a small-time streamer."

After saying that, Lin Xiaozhe took out three cell phones from his pocket and put them on the table, which surprised everyone.

"These latest Apple phones cost over ten thousand yuan each, and you're carrying three with you when you go out? And you call yourself a small-time streamer? Xiaoze, you're not being honest." Li Qiang was shocked.