Before the end of the workday Xu Ye got a call from Yang Fei, so he and Li Tongwen drove to the subway station and picked him up.

This guy had lost at least five jin over the summer.

He looked listless, like someone who had been hollowed out.

Xu Ye asked with a laugh, "What did you do all summer, dumbass?"

"Don't ask." Yang Fei didn't explain much. He just sighed and changed the subject. "The money I transferred you yesterday — you got it?"

"Got it."

Before the summer Yang Fei had borrowed three thousand from Xu Ye, the agreement being that he would pay it back in July. Xu Ye had never chased him for it, and it had only come through the day before.

Yang Fei rubbed his stomach. "Food first. I'm starving."

Xu Ye nodded. "Zhang Xinzhou's already waiting at the restaurant. He's bought a Civic, so dinner's on him tonight."

"Zhang Xinzhou's bought a car too?"

"Mm."

Yang Fei went still for a moment, his eyes a little lost.

Over the two months of summer, apart from the concert he had gone to with Li Lulu at the start of July, he had spent the whole time working in an electronics factory in Suzhou — ten hours a day at the least. He had only quit the day before yesterday and still hadn't come back to himself. He had gone somewhat numb.

In just under two months he had earned eight thousand four hundred or so. A thousand of it had gone on living expenses, and after paying Xu Ye back the three thousand there was only about four thousand left. And in his suitcase was an Estée Lauder skincare set worth 1,498 yuan.

By the time they reached the restaurant most of the dishes were already on the table. Yang Fei took a seat and started wolfing them down.

Because Yang Fei hadn't joined Qingye Investment, none of them — Zhang Xinzhou, Li Tongwen or Xu Ye — brought up the company at the table. It was understood without anyone saying so.

It…