At this moment, Wang Tengfei had lost all sense of reason.


He couldn’t bear to be humiliated by Ye Chen, whom he saw as nothing but a loser, in front of their classmates. With gritted teeth, he grabbed the firecrackers from Wang Daokun, threw them into his car, and lit the fuse with a lighter.


“You all better watch this!” he growled. “I’m not someone who can’t afford to lose! I don’t need Ye Chen’s pity!”


The firecrackers ignited immediately, crackling and exploding inside the car.


At first, sparks and flashes of light could be seen inside the vehicle. But soon, the car was engulfed in thick white smoke, and the sound of firecrackers reverberated through the air. Wang Tengfei’s heart bled at every pop, but the crowd of classmates surrounding him was thrilled, many pulling out their phones to record the spectacle for social media.


The 30,000 firecrackers went off one after another, quickly shredding the seats inside the car. The foam filling the seats was highly flammable, and combined with the firecracker powder, it soon ignited into flames.


No one expected that the firecrackers would start a fire in the car. The thick smoke had concealed the flames at first, but as the smoke began to dissipate, flames suddenly erupted, turning the car’s interior into a blazing inferno.


The classmates screamed in shock, and Wang Tengfei yelled in panic, “Damn it! Put out the fire! Someone put out the fire!”


He had initially thought that the firecrackers would, at most, ruin the seats and damage the interior. Worst case scenario, he’d have to spend tens of thousands, maybe even over a hundred thousand yuan, to repair the car. But he never imagined that the firecrackers would ignite a full-blown fire!


He frantically shouted for help, but no one dared to approach the burning car. Wang Tengfei quickly called 119 for the fire department, but all he could do now was stand by helplessly and watch his beloved BMW consumed by flames.


By the time the firefighters arrived, the BMW 540 had burned down to its steel frame.


The car was completely unrecognizable—it was impossible to tell it had ever been a BMW.


Wang Tengfei sat on the ground in a daze, staring at the charred remains of his car in utter despair.


If he had known it would end like this, he wouldn’t have challenged Ye Chen no matter what. Now, not only had he lost face, but he had also lost his car.


Meanwhile, Wang Daokun, though maintaining a neutral expression, couldn’t help but secretly give Ye Chen a thumbs-up for his cunning plan.


He turned to Wang Tengfei and said, “Tengfei, don’t be too upset. It’s almost time. Why don’t we head inside for the celebration?”


Wang Tengfei wanted to find an excuse to leave, but he realized that doing so would be letting Ye Chen off too easily. After all, his car was ruined because of Ye Chen, and he was determined to regain some dignity.


Standing up, he forced himself to appear composed and said, “Why would I be upset? I can afford to lose.”


Some of his lackeys quickly chimed in to save face for him:


“Yeah, Tengfei is rich—what’s a BMW to him?”


“Exactly! To Tengfei, it’s just a regular car.”


The group, eager to avoid further embarrassment for Wang Tengfei, stopped dwelling on the incident and followed Wang Daokun inside for the opening celebration.


Inside the restaurant, several banquet tables were set up in the main hall. At the front, a small stage displayed a banner that read, “Congratulations on the Grand Opening and Class Reunion!”


Classmates began presenting their congratulatory gifts one by one. Ye Chen also stepped forward with the scroll he had purchased and handed it to Wang Daokun.


“Congratulations on your opening, Daokun,” he said. “This is a little something from me and Churan.”


Xiao Churan added with a smile, “Daokun, best wishes for a prosperous business!”


“Thank you, thank you!” Wang Daokun beamed with gratitude, then leaned closer to Ye Chen and whispered mischievously, “You and our class beauty seem pretty close. Doesn’t look like the rumors are true! So, when are you having kids?”


Hearing their private conversation, Xiao Churan blushed. Ye Chen grinned and replied, “Stop being so nosy. You’ll know when the time comes. Don’t worry, you won’t miss the red envelope!”


“Haha, of course!” Wang Daokun chuckled. “When the time comes, I’ll make sure to give your kid a big, fat red envelope.”


At that moment, a woman with heavy makeup and ordinary looks approached them and asked, “Daokun, who are these two?”


“This is my college buddy, my best bro, Ye Chen! And this is our class beauty, Xiao Churan, who’s now Ye Chen’s wife,” he proudly introduced.


Turning to the woman, he added, “And this is my fiancée, Liu Lili.”


“Ah, so he’s the one who—”


Liu Lili almost blurted something insulting but quickly caught herself and changed the subject with a forced smile. “I’ve heard so much about you two! Truly a match made in heaven.”


Ye Chen pretended not to notice her initial reaction and handed her the scroll. “This is a small token of our congratulations.”


“Oh, you didn’t have to!” Liu Lili said, though she eagerly accepted the gift.


“We’ll let you two handle the guests,” Ye Chen said, leading Xiao Churan to their seats.


“Sorry about that, Ye Chen,” Wang Daokun apologized. “So many classmates to entertain today.”


After Ye Chen and Xiao Churan left, Liu Lili immediately unwrapped the scroll. Upon seeing the painting, she frowned. “What kind of cheap junk is this?”


“It’s a painting,” Wang Daokun said.


“Pfft,” Liu Lili scoffed. “Look at this worn-out mess. I bet it’s worth a couple of hundred yuan at most.”


“Who cares how much it’s worth?” Wang Daokun retorted. “It’s the thought that counts.”


Liu Lili rolled her eyes. “Please. Let me tell you something: don’t waste time with classmates like this. They’re just freeloaders who don’t even bring decent gifts.”


Wang Daokun’s face darkened. “Liu Lili, can you stop being so shallow?”


Liu Lili snapped, “Shallow? If I were shallow, would I have agreed to marry a poor guy like you? Don’t forget—most of the money for this restaurant came from my dad!”


Embarrassed and unable to argue, Wang Daokun fell silent.


At that moment, Wang Tengfei walked over, trying to regain his composure and swagger.


He handed over a thick red envelope and said nonchalantly, “Daokun, I wasn’t sure what to give, so here’s a little cash gift.”


Liu Lili quickly grabbed the envelope, feeling its heft. She could tell it contained several thousand yuan and immediately smiled obsequiously. “Thank you so much!”


Wang Tengfei waved it off. “I saw Ye Chen brought a gift earlier. What did he give you?”


Liu Lili snorted. “Some cheap painting from a flea market. Probably worth a couple hundred yuan.”


Wang Tengfei sneered, “A loser will always be a loser.”