Everything I bought on online shopping platforms was genuine.

Chapter 1217 Brother, what kind of grievances did you suffer outside?

That's how people are. It's as if there's some kind of mechanism in the brain that makes us automatically switch back to the age and state we were in when we parted ways, even after a long separation. It's amazing.

It was as if they had just finished a very long summer vacation and were reunited when school started again.

Zhao Ziyu, differing from Zhao Zilong by only one character, sounds delicate and somewhat like a girl's name, but he is actually a typical burly northern man.

However, unlike last year, Lao Zhao, who used to be a fitness enthusiast with a muscular physique, has returned looking much thinner. His once rugged face is now so thin that his cheeks are somewhat sunken.

Her skin was whiter than it had been a year ago, not the healthy white like Lin Mo's, but a pale white, as if she hadn't seen the sun for a long time.

His beard was cleanly shaved, and he had a smile on his face, but he always seemed to be forcing himself to be energetic.

"Holy crap, Old Zhao!!! Godfather's here to pick you up, how about it, aren't you touched, hahaha!"

After hanging up the phone, the Sichuan girl shouted first, then went to the exit of the station, to the exit where you swipe your ID card, and waved to those inside.

Director Wang stepped forward and said, "Old Zhao, you're finally back! We thought we hadn't seen you yet. You've already boarded the subway!"

Lin Mo frowned slightly, but still smiled and said, "You've gotten so thin! I almost didn't recognize you! Is your workload that heavy?"

Listening to the three people's conversation, Old Zhao couldn't help but take a few quick steps, but he stopped ten meters away from the machine. He watched as the three people's eyes went from astonishment to confirmation, then to surprise, and then a mix of emotions such as heartache, longing, and nostalgia welled up in their big, double-lidded eyes. But in the end, it was a look of grievance.

It was as if he had suffered countless grievances and difficulties outside, and finally met someone who could understand him, and all his emotions burst out at once.

In just a moment, Old Zhao's eyes reddened and then filled with tears.

However, being a 1.85-meter-tall man from Northeast China, he took a deep breath, looked up, and forcefully held back his tears.

Seeing this, the three of them felt that Old Zhao was too excited. Lin Mo couldn't help but laugh and say, "What kind of grievances have you suffered outside, brother!"

Upon hearing this, Lao Zhao, who had been holding back, could no longer hold back and tears began to fall. He hurriedly wiped them away haphazardly with his hands, but the more he wiped, the more tears flowed, and he couldn't stop them at all.

Even though he wasn't crying, and there was even a smile on his lips, he gave them the feeling that he was about to break apart.

"Damn it, what are you crying for? What happened? Did your boss scumbag you at work? Be bold, quit this job! We won't suffer that injustice. Come to my studio, 10,000 yuan a month, five social insurances and one housing fund, and tell your boss to get lost!" The Sichuan girl shouted upon seeing this.

Lin Mo: "That's right. Although the outside world is a bit shady, we brothers are not what we used to be. We can't go anywhere without a bite to eat!"

Director Wang: "Old Zhao, your boss is really a jerk! How much work have you been given? Even if you work overtime every day, you shouldn't be this exhausted. You're so skinny you look like a ghost!"

You know, among the four of them in the dormitory, Lao Zhao was the best looking. He was a tall man of 1.85 meters, a typical Northeastern man with rugged features. Unlike the handsome men from the South like the Sichuan girl, Lao Zhao's handsomeness was the kind that belonged only to Northern men.

He's not wearing makeup, just pure rugged handsomeness, the kind where his height and facial features are right up against his face. But at this moment, he looks more than one level haggard. They say society toughens people up, but this is toughening him up too much!

If the three of them had chosen an easy dungeon during their internships, then Old Zhao must have chosen the hellish difficulty. "What are you looking at? Come out here!" Lin Mo waved.

Upon hearing this, Old Zhao quickly wiped his face, took a couple of deep breaths to catch his breath, and then swiped his ID card to come out.

"I really didn't expect you to come and pick me up!" Old Zhao said with a smile. This was the first thing he said. His voice was a little low, but at least the smile on his face was genuine.

As soon as they came out, Director Wang immediately took the bag from Lao Zhao's back. Lin Mo put his arm around Lao Zhao's neck and laughed, "Nonsense, you've been gone for more than a year. We've all been in the local area. How could we not come to pick you up when you come back!"

And hey, Lao Zhao, you've become a coward! How come you've gotten all sentimental after just one trip? Come on, look at me, buddy, how much of a change!"

As he spoke, Lin Mo raised his chin, looking quite pleased with himself.

He is now 179.9 meters tall, just a little short of 180 meters. Although his height has not changed much, he is very confident in his appearance. Otherwise, when he returned to the dormitory last year, the girl from Sichuan would not have said that he had plastic surgery.

"Awesome! If it weren't for the video posted by the Sichuan girl online, I wouldn't have recognized you on the street!" Old Zhao laughed.

Although Lin Mo's appearance has changed a lot, with the internet so developed now, Lao Zhao naturally pays attention to them and knows about their recent situation.

Hearing this, Chuanmei, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but say, "Hey, hey, it's time to speak up. Now Lao Mo and Director Wang don't call me Chuanmei anymore, they call me Chuanzi. I'm a real man now, okay?"

While you were away, I accomplished a lot of great things. A true man indeed!

In response, Lao Zhao raised his middle finger. Of course he knew what the Sichuan girl had done, but he was just a little uncomfortable with the term.

"Alright, let's stop standing here and come on, the car is right outside!" Director Wang said.

After saying that, the group turned to leave, when suddenly Chuanmei spoke up: "By the way, Lao Zhao, where's your girlfriend? Didn't she come back with you?"

Old Zhao paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "Their school's defense started early; they finished last month. Let's go!"

"Damn, why didn't you tell us your girlfriend was coming back? I heard she's moving dorms after her defense. We've got nothing better to do, so what, are you treating us like outsiders?" Lin Mo laughed.

Old Zhao shook his head: "It's not that I got it, it's that she said she didn't need it. Her dorm stuff was pretty good anyway, and she moved out a long time ago. If she really needed it, would I not ask you? Let's go!"

After saying that, the four of them walked outside together. As for when the art college next door would hold its thesis defense, they hadn't really paid attention to that. After all, even the thesis defense time of their own school was told to them by their class monitor.

All they knew was that the defense times for universities near the university town were roughly the same, but it was normal for there to be some differences between schools, since each school had different regulations.

But no matter what, they finally completed the last piece of the puzzle for their dormitory, which was quite an achievement.

Since that's the case, we might as well think about how to persuade Lao Zhao to stay a little longer, or better yet, not to leave at all. After all, the children are already suffering outside, so what's the point of them staying?

(End of this chapter)