Rebirth: I became rich by farming

Chapter 631: Chapter 631: Good Friend (1/5)

Fan Tianyu was truly spooked by yesterday’s video; every time Yu Duoduo got close, he would immediately sidestep to Mei Mengzhen’s side, using her as a shield. His expression, as if he were guarding against a flood or ferocious beast, amused Mei Mengzhen.

But she still played the role of protector when needed, not wanting any entanglement between Fan Tianyu and Yu Duoduo. The thought of those two together made her feel quite uncomfortable.

Mei Mengzhen casually leaned to the side, inadvertently blocking Yu Duoduo. Not long after, she got a call from Pei Ziyu. "Zhenzhen, where are you guys? We just got off the car and are walking toward the lobby."

"We’re waiting for you in the lobby. We’re a large group; you should spot us right away."

"I see a bunch of people, is that you?"

Mei Mengzhen hurriedly glanced toward the entrance and spotted four very eye-catching guys—in particular, Pei Ziyu stood out the most.

Mei Mengzhen waved and quickly ran toward Pei Ziyu, who strode over to meet her, catching her and immediately said, "Slow down, I’m not running."

"But I missed you."

Pei Ziyu didn’t buy Mei Mengzhen’s easy words, tapped her forehead with his finger, which only sparked envy from Tan Jia, "Hey, how come I don’t get treated that way."

"If you want that treatment, just make a request to Yiran. If you’re the one asking... Yiran would probably refuse outright."

Tan Jia was speechless, but Jin Zhan found the conversation amusing and couldn’t help laughing out loud, "Haha, Little Zhenzhen, long time no see, you’re still as adorable and witty as ever."

"What the hell is Little Zhenzhen?" Mei Mengzhen felt a chill at the nickname.

Pei Ziyu had already sent a warning look over, causing Jin Zhan to become timid and quickly turn his head. With so many people in the lobby, he hurriedly said, "Zhenzhen, are all these your friends? Aren’t you going to introduce us?"

By now, He Yiran had already walked over to Tan Jia’s side, whispering quietly together with evident intimacy that showed they were a couple. Fu Rui also approached her brother Fu Hao and began to act coquettishly. Although Fu Hao wore a poker face, he was quite indulgent towards his sister and checked to see if she had lost weight or seemed livelier after her outing; reassured, he relaxed.

At that moment, Jin Zhan was the only one left out; among this group, he only knew Fan Tianyu and it wouldn’t do for two grown men to stick together. So, it made sense for him to join Mei Mengzhen’s company.

In the blink of an eye, the group that had been with her a moment ago had arrived by her side. Mei Mengzhen glanced at them all before she couldn’t help but take another look at Yu Duoduo—the undisguised expression on her face was really funny.

Mei Mengzhen didn’t beat around the bush and started to introduce everyone, "Let me introduce my friends. There’s no need to introduce Yiran, Ruirui, and my brother; this is Yan Keke, my classmate, roommate, and business partner. These two are Lai Xixi and Tian Sha, classmates and close friends from different majors."

The message was clear—they were close. So, the four men politely nodded and acknowledged Yan Keke and the others.

Mei Mengzhen continued, "This is Liang Xiao, my childhood friend, and this one is my cousin, Fan Tianhua, Tianyu’s twin sister, whom you may have met at Xiyuan. This is my cousin Qi Yongwang, my cousin Wang Qiuhe, and this is my assistant Huang Jing."

Mei Mengzhen introduced Liang Xiao and Huang Jing just as she would her own family. The relationship felt intimate, and the four men greeted them kindly as well.

After introducing them, Mei Mengzhen deliberately paused. She pointed in Yu Duoduo’s direction, thought for a moment, and then said, "This is Yu Duoduo, a new friend that my childhood friend Liang Xiao met on the film set."

Hearing Mei Mengzhen’s introduction and the clear distinction in closeness, Yu Duoduo felt discontent. After all, Mei Mengzhen seemed to have a really good relationship with these handsome gentlemen, whose demeanor and quality surpassed Fan Tianyu by several notches. If she wasn’t close to Mei Mengzhen, she didn’t know whether these men would be willing to get close to her. Most crucially, she was ranked even behind an assistant by Mei Mengzhen, which was simply outrageous.

Unable to bear it any longer, Yu Duoduo put on a pitiful face after the introduction and plaintively said, "Zhenzhen, aren’t I your good friend? Why did your introduction of me sound so distant?"

The four men hadn’t thought there was anything amiss since Duoduo was a new acquaintance of Mei Mengzhen’s childhood friend and not close to her, which was perfectly normal. But now faced with such a direct question and a pitiful look, they couldn’t help but read more into it.

Naturally, their speculation wasn’t about Mei Mengzhen but about their subsequent treatment of Yu Duoduo. Although their time with Mei Mengzhen was limited, they knew enough about her disposition. Yu Duoduo’s pitiful act made it seem as if Mei Mengzhen had mistreated her, suggesting there was definitely a problem.

Mei Mengzhen wasn’t embarrassed by this situation. Facing Yu Duoduo, she honestly recounted the facts, "But we only met yesterday afternoon, besides saying hello we didn’t talk at all. This morning we just greeted each other. Does that make us friends? That term ’friend’ seems a bit cheap, doesn’t it?"

Smiling, Mei Mengzhen hit Yu Duoduo where it hurt. Yu Duoduo kept her pitiful face and shook her head. While it was true that such brief interactions didn’t make them friends, she retorted, "The moment I met Zhenzhen, I felt a connection, as if we shared a mutual understanding. I thought Zhenzhen felt the same. It seems I thought too much."

Mei Mengzhen nodded earnestly, "Yep, you really did overthink it. I believe friends should take time to get to know each other, understand each other’s nature and values, and build a strong foundation by sharing experiences. Whether the friendship lasts is all down to fate."

She was right—friendships are unpredictable; some people come together unintentionally and form long-lasting bonds, while others drift apart as they walk along. Moreover, everyone has friends for different stages of their life; no one can guarantee that today’s friends will be tomorrow’s.