Chapter Thirteen: Donuts

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the atmosphere began to loosen up.

Although many toasted Yang Jie, no one was trying to ingratiate themselves; they were simply curious to see if there was any opportunity for collaboration, utterly unaware of the vast gulf between themselves and Yang Jie.

Those present were mostly folks with modest assets who hung around Da Beautiful, along with some who had caught the wave of short videos and had become somewhat well-known streamers with millions of followers.

After the meal, Yang Jie held a cup of yellow wine, nibbling on pig snout and pig head meat, occasionally tossing a few peanuts into his mouth—living quite the carefree life.

Since his body had grown stronger, Yang Jie felt the greatest benefit was that no matter what he ate, he never suffered any ailments; conditions like gout or high blood pressure were completely immune to him.

A rather well-fed middle-aged woman smiled warmly and said, “You’re Yang Jie, right? I heard from Big Head that you’re doing quite well in Da Beautiful. Since we’re having this gathering, we thought we’d invite you over to get acquainted!”

Yang Jie glanced at her, clinked his cup lightly, and downed the wine in one gulp. He recognized this plump woman from short videos—she was a fairly positive-energy streamer.

From the accents around the table, it was clear most present were northerners, yet the dishes were all southern-style. Someone had put thought into this.

“Hmm, I’m a bit of a homebody. Usually, I’m either at home or at my factory and farm. So, in the Dragon Nation circle, hardly anyone knows me.”

Others toasted him enthusiastically, creating a lively atmosphere. One had to admit, northerners were gifted at setting the mood!

Yang Jie hadn’t felt this joyful for a long time. He immediately began to reciprocate the toasts. There was an undeniable natural harmony when people of the same culture sat together.

Of course, not everyone treated Yang Jie with respect. After all, he had arrived in a taxi and claimed his car window had been smashed—who knew if that was a lie?

Plus, Yang Jie and Li Siyao carried nothing particularly valuable, especially Li Siyao.

Some even suspected Yang Jie was a fraud, marrying Li Siyao just to get a green card.

Just then, the door was knocked on. Big Head opened it, and a man with a pockmarked face and a sleazy aura stepped in.

At the sight of him, the expressions of everyone present darkened. One young blogger slammed his cup down loudly, showing his displeasure.

The middle-aged man quickly scanned the room, surprised to find two big shots here today.

“Who are these two?”

Big Head shrugged without answering. The visitor was a guest, so he had to be welcomed.

After a few bites, the middle-aged man rolled up his sleeves and began to speak freely.

“Hahaha, Da Beautiful is the best— even the air smells sweet.”

Some sneered disdainfully.

“Oh, Sweet Donut, did you find a job?”

The middle-aged man’s expression stiffened for a moment but quickly returned to normal.

“I’m driving for Uber. The income’s not bad!”

The well-fed woman laughed immediately. “You don’t even have legal status. You must be using someone else’s Uber account. The cut they take from you each day isn’t small!”

Sweet Donut’s face darkened, but he noticed Yang Jie quickly changed the subject.

“This brother’s so strong-looking, where are you from?”

Yang Jie took a sip of the long-missed yellow wine and smiled. “I’m in a place you can’t handle. Honestly, I don’t think the air in Da Beautiful is good at all. It’s full of that pungent smell—like a pile of dog dung.”

Sweet Donut’s expression shifted instantly. He could tolerate insults directed at himself, but not when his spiritual home was disparaged.

“You haven’t been here long, have you? You don’t understand. Here, the main thing is freedom—do whatever you want!”

Yang Jie laughed. “Are you an idiot? Even the locals don’t buy into Da Beautiful. It’s just a slogan to fool you fools!”

Yang Jie’s cutting sarcasm hit Sweet Donut like a cat caught with its tail.

“How can you talk like that? Dragon Nation people should stick together when abroad! Besides, I have no grudge against you. Why insult me right away? Don’t you think Da Beautiful is full of humanistic care?”

Sweet Donut recalled how, when he first arrived, he bought five donuts and the server gave him one free. That had touched him deeply.

From then on, he earned the nickname Sweet Donut and even founded a party called the Sweet Party. Everyone laughed at him, but he was perfectly content, proud rather than ashamed.

Unbeknownst to him, the donut shop always gave one free donut for every five purchased—just a standard box.

As Yang Jie teased Sweet Donut, the others’ opinions shifted completely upon seeing the two laugh and chat.

“Hey, do you think Yang Jie is really a big shot? Why is he joking around with that big loser?”

“Who knows? Big Head said so, but maybe he’s a high-level con artist. There are plenty of scammers these days!”

“True. I think Yang Jie’s a fraud too. I don’t believe a wealthy man would wear non-branded clothes. And that big foreign guy next to him—I suspect he’s a local pretending to be foreign!”

Sweet Donut continued to boast to Yang Jie.

“You know, no matter how bad this place is, it’s still better than back home. This is human civilization, a beacon guiding people forward.”

His eyes gleamed with fanatic light.

Li Siyao smiled and shook her head; she had seen many such zealots.

“Brother, I guess you haven’t been here long either. I just arrived myself but understand this place better than you.”

Yang Jie scoffed. “Fair enough, I know all I need to know.”

Sweet Donut frowned. This big guy talked too big for his size.

“How much do you think dishwashing pays here monthly?”

“I don’t know.”

Yang Jie was momentarily dumbfounded. Returning from the Middle East, he never did dishwashing. Back then, they had over ten million dollars; who would wash dishes?

Yet Yang Jie’s ignorance only boosted Sweet Donut’s confidence. Here was a guy who had been here for years and didn’t even know that. Sweet Donut immediately took on the role of teacher.

“Let me educate you. Dishwasher pay is 2,800 US dollars a month—that’s nearly 20,000 yuan.”

“Probably don’t know that the aid station gives out supplies for free. Let me teach you how to save money!”

Those around them sneered at the duo—one bragging, the other pretending. Truly a match made in heaven.

They had already lumped Yang Jie in with the scammers because he couldn’t answer many of Sweet Donut’s questions, making him no different from a fresh arrival.

“Do you know about Da Beautiful’s free healthcare? You don’t have to pay for medical treatment here. Isn’t that infinitely better than back home?”

Sweet Donut’s face brimmed with pride, as if this country were his homeland.

Yang Jie smiled coldly. “Fool, there’s no free healthcare. You have to buy commercial insurance, and not all illnesses are covered. With no legal status, you probably don’t even have a Medi-Cal card, so you don’t even qualify for treatment.”

“If some idiot actually goes to the emergency room, that’s when the fun begins. The ER bills are harsher than Nie Feng’s forty-meter-long sword!”