Chapter 89: The Heartbroken Fat Wang

They went downstairs, got in the car, and the two figures—one big, one small—finally arrived at the company where Fatty Wang worked.

“Brother Wang, I’ve come to see you!” Before they even reached the security booth, Chang Yu began to shout loudly.

“Young man, who are you looking for?” An elderly man with a wrinkled face slid open the booth’s window and called out to him.

“Brother Wang, it’s only been a few days—why do you look so much older?” Chang Yu stared at the old man, bewildered.

What on earth had Fatty Wang been through recently? Not only did he look older, but he’d also lost a good deal of weight. How could someone change so much in just a few days?

“You’ve got the wrong person. My surname isn’t Wang, it’s Sun,” the old man replied, voice quivering.

“If you’re looking for a fat man named Wang, you’re in the wrong place. Just two days ago, Fatty Wang was fired by the company. If you want to find him, you’ll have to look elsewhere.”

“Fatty Wang was fired?” The news hit Chang Yu like a bolt from the blue, leaving him stunned and at a loss.

Chang Yu understood very well that Fatty Wang genuinely loved his job as a gatekeeper. He truly regarded it as his life’s calling, his career. Fatty Wang had once confided in Chang Yu that being a gatekeeper was his lifelong dream and pursuit, and Chang Yu had believed him completely. When Fatty Wang spoke of this, his eyes sparkled and his face was full of longing—the same look Chang Yu himself had worn when he spoke of building a riverside villa on Jiang Island.

It was easy to imagine how cruel it must have been for someone so passionate about his dream to be fired.

Just think: for a chubby man in his forties, being forced to abandon his dream could cause immense psychological pain.

Heavy-hearted, Chang Yu left the security booth, pulled out his phone, and called Fatty Wang.

“Hello, is that Yu?” The call connected, and a voice, heavy with fatigue and despair, came through from the other end.

Just from hearing this lifeless tone, Chang Yu could easily guess that Fatty Wang had been going through a tough time lately. At the very least, he was under tremendous mental strain.

“Brother Wang, I went to the booth to find you. An old man surnamed Sun told me you were fired two days ago,” Chang Yu said tentatively.

“So, you already know. I wasn’t sure how to tell you.” Fatty Wang forced a laugh.

“Don’t be upset, Brother Wang.”

Chang Yu wasn’t very good at comforting people; all he could do was repeat the old clichés.

“The boss must be blind to fire a dedicated gatekeeper with over ten years of experience like you. Nowadays, it’s hard to find someone as skilled, hardworking, and dutiful as you. Firing a rare talent like you is the company’s loss, the boss’s loss!”

After giving the company boss a piece of his mind from Fatty Wang’s perspective, Chang Yu finally remembered what concerned him most.

“Brother Wang, what exactly happened? Weren’t you doing well before? Why did the company fire you?”

“And besides, I don’t think your situation is hopeless yet. There’s still a chance—maybe your wife can help. She’s a deputy general manager and has a good relationship with HR. With her help, you might get your job back. Honestly, this is a small matter—just a gatekeeping position. It shouldn’t be hard for her to arrange.”

“Don’t say another word,” Fatty Wang’s voice grew increasingly panicked. “It was your sister-in-law who fired me!”

“What?” Chang Yu stared blankly at his phone, wondering if he had misheard.

Wasn’t his sister-in-law family with Fatty Wang? How could things turn out like this, with family members turning on one another?

“Sigh, to tell you the truth, my midlife crisis has come early,” Fatty Wang lamented. “It all started at a class reunion.”

“Your sister-in-law went to a class reunion a few days ago and found that all her girlfriends had married well. Their husbands were either big company executives, bankers who played the financial markets, or even officials. Compared to them, I—a mere gatekeeper—wasn’t worth mentioning. That made your sister-in-law, who’s always been proud, feel uncomfortable.”

“To make matters worse, a few jealous women at the party used my job to mock her in front of everyone, making her lose face.”

“When she got home, she took out all her frustration on me—accusing me of lacking ambition, complaining that I’m unaccomplished and can’t father children.”

“She said all I know is how to guard the gate, and even though I’m over forty, I just live off the two hundred-plus inherited apartments we have.”

“I couldn’t take it and argued with her a bit. I didn’t expect her to burst into tears, and the next day she went to the company and fired me.”

“Life is just too hard for me!”

Chang Yu was speechless.

Do all rich people live like this? He too wanted to be aimless and live off two hundred apartments—but fate simply hadn’t given him that chance.

“Brother Wang, listen to me,” Chang Yu said, choosing his words carefully. “I have a miraculous pill that treats infertility—just what you need.”

“I went through a lot to get it from my master—the same immortal sage I told you about who appeared to me in a dream.”

Chang Yu glanced down at Yangyang, who was still staring blankly, and pledged earnestly to Fatty Wang:

“Trust me, Brother Wang, this pill really works. Take it and you’ll definitely have a child. I stake my reputation on it!”

“One of my friends wasn’t even married, but after taking this pill, his kid can already run errands—and he’s a chubby boy, too!”

...

At Fatty Wang’s home, he eyed the pill Chang Yu handed him with suspicion, his face full of hesitation.

The pill was lustrous and round, exuding a pleasant, fragrant aroma. Judging by appearance alone, anyone could see it was a fine thing. But no matter how good it looked, it needed to be effective—otherwise, wouldn’t taking it be a waste?

“Is this pill really that miraculous?” Fatty Wang weighed it in his hand, clearly skeptical that it could cure his condition.

Besides, he wasn’t sure if there were any side effects. After all, this stuff hadn’t been approved by any health authorities.

“I swear it’s real! Don’t you trust me?” Chang Yu thumped his chest, looking every bit as if he genuinely had Fatty Wang’s best interests at heart.

Fatty Wang stared at him in silence for a long time before muttering, “I don’t believe you!”

“Who’d trust a lunatic like you? Don’t forget, the last two bottles of medicine I bought for you are still in my pocket! Those foreign imports were expensive, but you refused to take even one.”

“Brother Wang!” Chang Yu protested, both exasperated and indignant. “How many times have I told you? I’m really not sick!”

“The legendary Eastern Divine Continent truly exists, and so does the immortal sage from my dreams. I haven’t lied to you.”

“My expert friend has already given a personal diagnosis,” Fatty Wang replied, casting him a regretful look. “And you say you’re not sick?”

“Besides, your pill hasn’t been clinically tested—I can’t risk it. What if it’s poisonous?”

“I guarantee you it’s not. Just take it, you have nothing to worry about,” Chang Yu insisted confidently.

“I admit, curing years of illness with a single pill might sound absurd, but you really have no other choice.”

“All these years, you’ve seen every doctor, traveled everywhere, spent plenty of money, but science still can’t help you.”

“If science can’t solve your problem, why not try another approach—some mystical method?”

“You’re out of options anyway. What harm is there in trying my way? It’s just a small experiment.”

“If it works, everyone’s happy. If not, you lose nothing.”

“You must realize your situation is dire now. Your wife’s patience has reached the breaking point. If you don’t find a way to turn things around, this family crisis might even cost you your marriage.”

“Restoring your fertility, letting your wife have a child—this is the best solution.”

“As soon as you do this, the storm will pass, and your life will be happy again.”

“In short, it’s your choice: keep suffering, or trust me and make a change.”

After hearing Chang Yu’s words, a series of emotions flashed across Fatty Wang’s face in the span of ten seconds—hesitation, worry, anxiety, fear—until finally, he settled into calm.

It was the first time Chang Yu had ever seen so many vivid and complex expressions in a single face.

Chang Yu’s words had moved Fatty Wang.

After a long silence, Fatty Wang finally spoke. “You’re right. My situation is already terrible—how much worse can it get?”

“It’s just a small pill. I’ll take the risk!”

“If it really works, I’ll have a brand new life. If not, I haven’t lost anything. And if it poisons me, so be it!”

Having been persuaded by Chang Yu, Fatty Wang was now ready to throw caution to the wind.

If this pill could restore his virility and bless him with a son, his standing at home would soar—and all the marital discord would vanish.

Their affection would be restored in no time, unlike the current misery.

Frowning, Fatty Wang pinched the pill between his fingers, steeled his nerves, and with a grimace and a deep breath, popped it into his mouth, swallowing it in one gulp as if relying on sheer courage.

(End of chapter)