Li Du had seen the conversations in the group chat. A few months ago, they had been worriedly discussing him and seeking news about him. They even asked Su Nan who was in America that could go look for him in Flagstaff.
Later, Su Nan found out that the American University in Flagstaff had closed, then everyone understood why he had not appeared.
Mr. Li looked to be easy-going and simple, but he was actually a stubborn person. His classmates knew that about him and gradually stopped mentioning him.
He was grateful for his classmates' thoughts of him and responded: Many thanks for your thoughts, I've been busy looking for a job and so did not have time to keep in touch.
Yu Wenjie replied immediately: Luckily you appeared. If you hadn't, instead of thinking about you, we'd be reading about you!
Song Kaixuan then responded: Don't talk trash, Old Fish. Don't let your thoughts wander. Old Li, are you doing well?
Su Nan replied: Surely well (laugh), we've got faith in your ability. With his enterprising spirit and big d*ck, even if he were a gigolo in America, he'd be a star!
Xiao Yafei: (blush) Just came on to see this. Old Li, you've gone professional?
Li Du chuckled and then started to send them photos from the camera gallery on his phone.
Photos of the houses in Venice that he had taken, photos of the trees he had taken in Williams, photos of the bamboo forest in Flagstaff and photos of the spa he had visited in Carpenter Town.
Of course, he made sure to send photos highlighting the bustle of LA and charm of Venice.
With the surge of photos, Cui Zhonghua immediately sent a message: (cry) Hey hey hey. Am out with no data. Don't do this.
For a 2G network, the photos that Li Du had taken were too high in resolution and used up too much data.
Having seen the photos, the group was surprised and asked what Li Du was doing. Yang Jinlong asked: Are you now a photographer?
Su Nan said: Someone is learning from Edison Chen to bring along his camera when doing his hanky-panky (evil laugh).
Li Du said: No, I'm now collecting junk in America, and need to travel around. I've taken more photos since I've been traveling to quite a few places.
Su Nan reacted immediately: What the hell, storage auctions!?
Li Du: (silly laugh) Yes, that's it.
Su Nan said with concern: Then be careful. My classmate, whose family's also in this line, said that it's complicated business. These Americans play selfishly, don't fall into their traps.
Yang Jinlong asked: What're you guys talking about? I don't get it, please explain. The others sent similar messages.
As Li Du sipped his beverage, he typed out a brief job description for his former classmates.
He also mentioned his income, but he not only avoided stating his huge wealth but understated it by at least ten times the actual value.
This was to avoid any unnecessary trouble. Most of his classmates, except for the PhD students, were already working. Salaries in top-tier cities were about 4,000 dollars a month while those in second-tier cities was 3,000 dollars—his pay was too shocking in comparison.
Even so, when they knew that his monthly pay was more than ten thousand dollars in renminbi, they were stunned—all of them said they wanted to come to America to collect junk.
Having chatted with his classmates until midnight, Li Du was exhausted. He put away his phone, and snuggled Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles as he slept on the bed.
At this time, Hans and the rest had not returned. They were still having a good time at bars and clubs.
With the morning sun's rays shining through the window, Li Du woke up spontaneously. As long as he did not tap into the little bug's ability too much, he would always be filled with boundless energy.
As such, every time he got out of bed, he would naturally feel on top of the world and unbeatable. Pushing his chest out as he stretched lazily, he groaned. Then, he suddenly saw Ah Meow's and Crispy Noodles's eyes focused on his crotch.
As he stretched, his crotch jiggled.
Ocelots were especially interested in things that jiggle—it stared and then jumped up.
"Time deceleration!" Mr. Li shouted in fright, as he used a blanket to cover the lower half of his body, and then crouched down like he was trying to cover his ears from a thunderous sound.
Ah Meow pounced over with its claws extended and immediately tore a hole in the blanket!
Mr. Li broke out in a cold sweat—the saying that "men should not keep cats and women should not keep dogs" was very true. He had been very close to bidding a "happy life" goodbye!
Ah Meow was discontented and kept wanting to claw at him; Li Du exploded, "F*cking cat! Grabbing at everything and scratching at everything—you're killing me!"
After being scolded, Ah Meow left resentfully. Apparent on its face was its displeasure as well as a look as though it had been wronged.
At noon, Hans and the rest woke up and gathered before driving to Long Beach.
Meandering along the south of LA, Long Beach led toward the world's third-largest container port, after Singapore and Hong Kong.
This had formerly been an industrial town but had since been transformed. At both the beach and the city center area, hardly any traces of its former industrial roots could be found.
The subway in LA was very accessible. They could take the subway from the city center to Venice or Long Beach. It was quick, and there were many people—including beautiful women—to admire along the way.
As they drove along the highway, they stared at the many people on the beaches. Long Beach had many beautiful beaches—Golden beach, Sunshine beach, Glorious beach— people referred to the different areas of the coast using different names.
As the truck moved along the road, they noticed a few hitchhikers who were young, pretty girls.Upon getting their ride, the hitchhikers were usually happy to chat with the driver over an array of topics.
Often, truck drivers would pick up hitchhikers. In America, truck drivers were well-paid and highly qualified. Hence this was not a job that was regarded as lowly - truck drivers were also not looked down upon.
Having arrived at Long Beach city center, they found a motel and bought boardshorts, sunglasses, and all sorts of sunscreen. Then they dashed toward the beach, ready to surf the waves and sunbathe.
They had first arrived as just a group of men. But by the time they finally reached the beach, some girls had joined the group.
Adorable pets are always a good tool for drawing girls. These girls were not here for the men—half of them were attracted by Ah Meow and Crispy Noodles.
Li Du was not interested in these kinds of romantic encounters, so he did not try to flirt with any of the girls.
This caused Hans and the rest to sigh; what a waste of a brilliant chance!
Under normal circumstances, Long Beach's beach would only have two colors: the sand's golden shade, and the green from palm trees and shrubs. But, with the addition of people, it became more diverse.
With the sea breeze blowing, the waves in the distance lapped at the beach. Periodic screams could be heard, coming from those who had been slapped onto the shore by the waves.
A few well-built male and female surfers were riding the waves, as a helicopter hovered in the air. It was not clear if it was a rescue helicopter or one for sightseeing.
There were many tall palm trees along the beach, which were perfect for providing shade.
This beach was a pet-free beach, which meant that pets were not allowed to be brought in, in the event that they dirtied the environment with their excretions.
Li Du was frustrated and was about go in search of a beach which allowed pets. In the end, Hans gave some cash to a staff member, who smiled and handed him a plastic tag. "Have fun."
Mr. Li rolled his eyes.