"Fatty," Ye Chen said, walking over and giving him a punch.
"Hahaha, Little Chen!" Fatty responded, immediately giving Ye Chen a hug.
"Get off," Ye Chen said, pushing Fatty away. He looked him up and down and remarked, "You seem to have gained some more weight?"
"No way, I've actually lost seven ounces!"
"Seven... seven ounces?" Ye Chen shook his head.
With Fatty's size, losing seven ounces, or even seven pounds, wouldn't make a visible difference. He'd need to lose seventy pounds for it to show.
If Zhaotou was the fattest in their security team, then compared to Fatty, Zhaotou would seem like nothing.
Fatty stood at 1.84 meters tall and weighed 184 kilograms. To put it in perspective, his thigh was thicker than Ye Chen's waist. His arm was as big as Ye Chen's leg, showing just how big he was.
Though Fatty was large, he wasn't good at fighting. Whether it was in elementary school, middle school, or high school, Ye Chen had fought many battles on his behalf.
"Yeah, seven ounces. Isn't that impressive?" Fatty boasted.
"Impressive, indeed. It's no small feat for you to lose seven ounces," Ye Chen said, shaking his head.
"Come on, sit down. I've already ordered the food," Fatty said, pulling Ye Chen into a seat.
Hearing that the food was already ordered, Ye Chen shook his head. He knew that not only had Fatty ordered, but he had also likely paid.
"By the way, Little Chen, how's your workplace?" Fatty asked.
"It's alright. But it's not a place for people like us."
Ye Chen was right. Even though Fatty's salary was decent, spending at Ye Chen's workplace was beyond his means.
With a monthly salary of 17,000 yuan, that's about 200,000 yuan a year, not counting expenses. Even then, 200,000 yuan wouldn't buy much there.
He couldn't even afford a decent watch, let alone anything else.
"Another real estate company?" Fatty asked.
"No, it's a luxury mall."
"Ah! Damn, that place is even worse than a real estate company!" Fatty exclaimed.
Ye Chen shrugged in response.
Fatty wasn't wrong. Spending millions on a house meant you could live in it for seventy years. If you didn't want to live there anymore, you could sell it, potentially at a profit. But luxury stores were different.
A piece of clothing could cost tens or hundreds of thousands. These clothes wouldn't be worn often. Bags cost tens of thousands, yet served no practical purpose. Buying them meant a loss.
"Little Chen, there must be many beautiful women selling luxury goods! Any luck?" Fatty asked, winking suggestively at Ye Chen.
"Forget it. Those women all have their noses in the air. None would look twice at a security guard like me."
"True. But you should hurry up. Mom Chen is eager for grandchildren!" Fatty said.
Fatty referred to Ye Chen's mother as Mom Chen. Ye Chen's mother's surname was Chen, hence his name combined his parents' surnames.
"What can I do? I'm a man with nothing. What woman would want me?"
"Don't belittle yourself. At least you're better looking than me. If I can find someone, you definitely can."
"Wait, you found a girlfriend?" Ye Chen asked, surprised.
He couldn't believe someone would be interested in Fatty, not because Fatty was a bad person, but because of his size.
At over 300 pounds, Fatty's size was intimidating. Many had wet themselves just by being sat on by Fatty.
Fatty wasn't good at fighting, but anyone Ye Chen knocked down, Fatty would sit on. The sight was indescribable.
Being Fatty's girlfriend required immense physical resilience. Ye Chen couldn't imagine it.
"Yes! A colleague from my company. We joined at the same time," Fatty said, embarrassed.
"Congratulations!" Ye Chen said, clasping his hands together.
"So you need to step up too. We're the same age. Our kids should be the same age too," Fatty said, patting Ye Chen's shoulder.
"Have you met her parents?" Ye Chen asked.
"Yes, and we've set a date."
"What! That's fast."
Fatty rolled his eyes and said, "Fast? It's been three years."
"Damn! You kept this from me for three years?"
They shared everything. Though they didn't meet often, they talked on the phone regularly. During the Spring Festival, they spent all their time together. Yet Fatty never mentioned this.
"Ye Chen, don't be mad. I didn't want to tell you before it was certain. You know my situation. If it didn't work out, it would have been..."
"Alright, no need to explain. I get it. When's the date?"
"June 1st."
"June 1st? That's in a month!"
"Yes."
"How much was the betrothal gift?" Ye Chen asked.
In the city, betrothal gifts weren't common, as most were only children and it wasn't necessary. Marriage merged two families, so the betrothal gift stayed within the family.
But this didn't apply to Fatty. First, he was from the countryside. Second, given his appearance, without a betrothal gift, no one would marry their daughter to him.