Chapter 24

《The Annoying Chubby Guy》

I am Xiao Che, a 26-year-old bachelor who recently divorced and, in order to escape a failed marriage, went abroad to seek a new life under the pretext of pursuing a career.

Through a friend’s introduction, I discovered a talent with great potential at Peking University, Du Hongting. After establishing contact, we maintained communication through calls and online chats without meeting in person.

Judging from his eloquence and manners, he seemed to be a mature and independent-minded young man who likely cared about appearances. In my imagination, he should be a cheerful and sunny youth.

Finally, when the time was right, I returned to the country to arrange a formal meeting with him. However, what I encountered was a listless, overweight chubby guy.

His obesity was somewhat hard to accept. A man who couldn’t manage his own physique likely had poor self-control and questionable lifestyle habits. As a potential teammate about to spend several years together, this gave me a headache.

But at least he was single.

I heard he had just been dumped by his girlfriend.

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As he stared at Chris Evans’ robust and full chest in the movie, he unexpectedly said, “Then it’s decided, it’s going to be you.”

From that moment on, the chubby guy decided to lose weight.

Initially, he resorted to starvation, eating only boiled vegetables and salads every day, making me think he was aiming to become a Victoria’s Secret supermodel. The outcome was him sleepwalking to the kitchen one night and eating up all the reserves in the open refrigerator.

Later, he tried yoga.

To be honest, seeing him perform those movements is like watching a massive ball rolling on a yoga mat. I really want to laugh…

Not long after, the chubby guy happily told me that he and his girlfriend had reconciled. Hmph. I felt inexplicably displeased. He came all the way overseas to work hard for love, forming a stark contrast with me, who had to go abroad to escape emotional wounds.

What’s even more annoying is that during the day, when trading is the most boring, exhausting, and mentally demanding, this guy chooses this time to call his wife. Due to the time difference, I could understand, but I couldn’t just sit idly by when he spent hours chatting on the phone. Is this guy here for technical analysis or a love affair?

After the call, he would diligently work on the issues that needed to be addressed, often working overtime. Staying up late at night is tough, and during the day, apart from work, he engages in a lot of physical activity. But he seems to do it without complaints or regrets. It’s as if the happiest thing for him every day is to exchange a few words with his girlfriend back in China—a true romantic.

It’s just that the more I see, the more I dislike it.

“My girlfriend is amazing,” he repeated like a broken record. Every time he made a new friend, he would tirelessly boast about his love story: “Without saying a word, she lent me money and encouraged me to work hard. She trusts me so much, cares for me, supports me, loves me wholeheartedly. Ah… why is she so good to me?”

At that moment, I felt like grabbing a mouse pad and smacking him to death. I really couldn’t stand people showing off their affection, especially when I heard that my heartless ex-wife had already found a new love back in my home country.

But that wasn’t the worst part. Do you know what I hated most about the chubby guy? One day at noon, under the bright daylight, he came to me looking distressed, with a bulge in his crotch area.

He actually asked me how to deal with being aroused by his girlfriend while she was half a world away! What does he mean, am I supposed to help him solve it? Damn it!

However, I still had some dignity left. I suggested he take a cold shower, and after an hour, when he returned, it was even more pronounced. This time, I dropped the big brother act and told him to solve it using the most common method men use—on his own. He went and did it.

When he came back, he looked even more pained, and he actually said he couldn’t solve it. He couldn’t? He couldn’t! Damn, he really couldn’t! Isn’t this a basic survival skill bestowed upon single men by the heavens?

He couldn’t even do this, and all these years, was he relying on real-life experience?! I suddenly understood something; the chubby guy mentioned being childhood sweethearts with his wife…

In that case, haven’t they been doing it since they were kids? Damn it, I won’t take this dog food! If you keep showing off your affection like this, you’ll lose me as your big brother, I’m telling you!

While the chubby guy’s relationship with his girlfriend was becoming more stable, his weight was steadily decreasing. His weight loss efforts were finally showing results.

Many of his clothes became too big, and both legs could fit into one pant leg. I heard that he hired expensive personal trainers, some of whom were celebrity-endorsed for weight loss. I couldn’t help but deeply suspect whether he was considering taking the idol route in the finance world. After all, even the big shots on Wall Street praised him as a clever boy. Wait a minute. Why am I described as a man while he is called a boy? Probably because of his fair skin, beautiful looks, youthful appearance, and, well, prominent… attributes. Not that I’m jealous. I’m just stating the facts.

The chubby guy agreed when he heard it, acknowledging that his white and tender muscles indeed lacked a bit of wild masculinity. So, he joined a one-month wilderness survival experience organized by retired special forces, conducted in a closed environment. I was a bit worried that he might not come back.

Luckily, he did return in the end. He had lost a lot of weight, had scars all over, and even peeled skin due to sun exposure. However, he looked much more cheerful. When walking together, girls always winked at him, saying he was very hot! These superficial girls never seemed to appreciate the charm of a refined gentleman like me.

Gradually, something seemed off. I often saw various beautiful women entering and leaving his room in the studio and collective dormitory. I suspected that after successfully losing weight, he felt he had the capital to fool around, perhaps engaging in extramarital affairs behind his girlfriend’s back.

So, one day, while he was resting in the dormitory, I took the opportunity to check under the pretext of borrowing a jacket. I actually overheard them discussing those kinds of things—too explicit, I really don’t want to say it.

Actually, I’ve always been curious about his motivation for losing weight. Why go through such painful efforts? What is driving such a strong will? So, one day, while he was working out in the studio, I went back under the pretext of fetching some documents to investigate. At that moment, I really wished, how should I put it? To gouge out my own eyes.

That chubby guy was doing one-handed push-ups with sweat pouring down his back. So, what was his other hand doing? On the floor, facing him, there was a photo of a girl – his girlfriend. While lifting himself with one hand, his eyes were fixed on her, affectionately calling out, “Wife.” When he put himself down, he kissed the photo and said, “Quick, praise me for being handsome!” And like that, I watched him do over a hundred, and the photo ended up smeared.

Why did I say I wanted to gouge out my own eyes? This brings us to another photo, of course, also his girlfriend’s. So, where was it placed? I really don’t want to say.