Fate? It really was fate!
Lin Xiyue sighed and asked, "Why did you become a mercenary? Aren't you afraid of dying?"
She and Natasha were best friends, close as sisters. She knew Natasha's older brother was a mercenary who spent most of the year abroad. She had also heard Natasha speak many times about the man who had saved her brother's life—a remarkably clever, fiercely loyal Chinese brother whose sharp tongue hid a soft heart.
Just yesterday, Natasha had come asking which Chinese gods existed, wanting to pray to a deity for his protection.
Lin Xiyue had always been curious about him. Chinese mercenaries were hardly common. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined it would be Chen Ge.
"The last couple of years, I was working at a restaurant owned by the cousin of the aunt's husband of my grandmother's paternal cousin's daughter-in-law," Chen Ge said. "Last August, I joined up as a mercenary. As for whether I'm afraid of dying? Of course I am. But I'm even more afraid of being poor. Being a mercenary pays well—a million yuan a year."
Lin Xiyue felt her brain short-circuit trying to parse that. What kind of relative was that supposed to be? Forget eight poles away—eighteen poles couldn't reach that far.
She didn't doubt his million-yuan salary, though. She firmly believed that wherever Chen Ge went, he was bound to make a name for himself.
Ever since childhood, Chen Ge had been that golden child parents always compared their own kids to. He was handsome, whip-smart, tall, and exceptionally strong. When he helped his grandparents with farm chores, he could hoist shoulder poles loaded with manure buckets that grown adults struggled to lift and take off running.
His eyesight was legendary, too. People from Jianchuan County No. 1 High School said that during his high school physical, his vision tested at an astounding 3.0—three times better than normal. Out of more than a billion people nationwide, probably fewer than ten thousand possessed eyesight like that.
Someone gifted with such extraordinary talents was never destined for an ordinary life.
"You really are something," Lin Xiyue said. "No matter what you do, you're incredible at it. In school, you were the top scorer in the entire prefecture, and now as a mercenary, you're hauling in massive cash. If I had to guess, you're making a million a year because of your raw strength and eyesight—probably working as a sniper or something, right?"
Chen Ge didn't want to reveal too much, nor did he care to brag.
"Yeah, something like that. Just don't go telling the folks back in the village what I'm doing abroad. You know how it is."
Lin Xiyue pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "Relax, I'm not a big mouth. Besides, my family moved to Kunming. We only go back to the village for the New Year. I plan to finish my master's at Moscow State University, head to Peking University for my doctorate, and eventually settle down in Hangzhou."
Chen Ge looked surprised. "Moved to Kunming? Your dad isn't farming Chinese artichokes anymore?"
"He is! My aunt runs the plantation base now. Back in August 2019, my parents, my older brother, and his wife went to Kunming to launch livestream sales and cross-border e-commerce. The company already employs over two thousand people."
Chen Ge clicked his tongue in wonder. Lin Xiyue's family had caught the rising wind at just the right time; their net worth had to be at least a hundred million by now.
"Heh, looks like you're soaking up all the good fortune, you little dark fatty," he teased. "Your family was rich when you were little, and now you're even richer. Miss Lin, are you looking for a kept man? I wouldn't mind living off a sugar mommy."
Lin Xiyue's face darkened like cast iron, and she threatened in a frosty voice, "Call me a dark fatty one more time, and I'll hack into your phone and computer and expose all your dirty secrets to the entire internet."
Hack his phone and computer?
Chen Ge's interest was piqued. He sat up straighter. "You're a hacker?"
"Not telling!" Lin Xiyue lifted her chin haughtily before steering the topic away. "Looking for a kept man? I could, but what kind of kept pretty boy would you make? Which part of you is even pale?"
She paused, then added, "Though come to think of it, you really are my type. You were handsome as a kid, and you're even more handsome now. Just look at that chiseled face, those sharp brows, starry eyes, high nose bridge, and that sun-bronzed skin. You're practically walking testosterone—so manly it hurts. And there's a heavy killing intent hanging around you. Have you actually killed people?"
Chen Ge subconsciously touched his cheek, shamelessly soaking in her compliments. He wouldn't mind if she praised him a little more; it was music to his ears.
"Killing intent? You can tell that just by looking? What a foolish question. I fight in battles every day. What do you think?"
Lin Xiyue froze, only then realizing how brainless the question had been. It was like asking a butcher if he'd ever slaughtered a pig, or asking a delivery driver if he'd ever delivered takeout.
"I really think you should switch careers," she urged earnestly. "Bullets and artillery don't have eyes. The battlefield is way too dangerous. Over the past few months, I've been following the war in Ukraine. It's so brutal—human lives are treated like weeds. One second a person is breathing, and the next they're blown to smithereens. If your grandparents knew you were doing this, it would break their hearts!"
Listening to her heartfelt pleas, Chen Ge felt a warm glow inside. He knew she genuinely cared about him.
"My fate is tough; I won't die that easily," he said. "Let's drop this and get back to discussing you keeping me as a kept man."
Lin Xiyue pouted. "I don't have the money to keep you. My living allowance is only a hundred thousand. I'm so broke I can barely afford pants."
"A year?"
"A month!"
Chen Ge's temple throbbed. He almost crushed his phone.
Lin Xiyue burst into smug, delighted laughter, leaning in close to the camera. "By the way, why does your personality seem completely different now?"
"I've gained perspective and figured things out," he said. "In this life, being happy is what matters most. Doing what you love, enjoying the beauty of the world. Even if the world is a mess, I can still make my own life beautiful."
Lin Xiyue nodded in agreement. "Good. That's the spirit! The meaning of life lies in refusing to conform. Giving up university to build a future abroad was definitely the right choice!"
"I think so too. I've never regretted it."
Having said that, Chen Ge shifted the conversation, asking with great amusement, "And what about you? How did your personality change so much?"
"People change! I got pretty, so naturally I got confident." Lin Xiyue blinked her large, expressive eyes playfully. "Do you have abs? Let me see! Big Sister will tip you!"
Her appearance clearly contrasted with her demeanor. She looked pure and sweet, yet profanities rolled off her tongue with ease, and she had a thoroughly dirty mind.
Chen Ge wasn't fazed in the slightest. To handle a girl with her head in the gutter, you had to be even bolder, or she would only tease you more shamelessly.
Extending his arm, he tilted the camera downward to grant her request.
"Hiss... Lord above, what kind of demonic build is that? A Ferrari face with a Rolls-Royce physique! Love it, absolutely love it! Let me see more... Hey! Natasha, what are you doing?!"
Just as Lin Xiyue was leaning in to get an eyeful of what she wanted most, Natasha snatched the phone away.
"Lin, Ge is my boyfriend. Please show some respect!"
The room fell dead silent. Lin Xiyue stared at Natasha, then down at the phone in her hands.
"Uh... wait, Chen Ge, are you dating Natasha?"
"No," Chen Ge said. "Someone like me could die on the battlefield at any moment. I shouldn't hold Natasha back. A girl as wonderful as her deserves a man who does honest work and can give her a stable, peaceful life."
Lin Xiyue looked at him with newfound respect. "Chen Ge, you really are the most incredible man I've ever met. If I were a guy and met a girl as sweet, innocent, and breathtakingly gorgeous as Natasha, my very first thought would be to lock her down and sleep with her first! Hahaha!"
Chen Ge couldn't help but laugh out loud. Lin Xiyue's personality was truly hilarious.
"Good thing you're not a guy, then. My principles are what my grandfather taught me growing up: know what to do and what not to do. Keep kindness measured, patience bounded, character upright, and conduct honorable! If I led Natasha on, that would be downright shameful."
Lin Xiyue was deeply struck. His character was truly exceptional—his moral compass was upright to an uncanny degree.
Chapter 26