"Damn, why is it so small? I thought it would be a bit bigger," Neo grumbled, his teeth clenched as he stood in front of the mirror, holding a shirt that was clearly too small. The white t-shirt looked more like something meant for a doll than for him.
"Temu really messed me up this time," he sighed, rubbing his temples before tossing the Barbie-sized shirt into the laundry basket.
He approached his cramped wardrobe and rummaged through it for several minutes until he finally found a suitable shirt to wear.
After putting it on, Neo admired his handsome features in the mirror for a moment, nodding in satisfaction before stepping out of the room.
---
As he walked along the side of the road, Neo felt unusually cheerful. Cars zipped past him in blurs while the golden sun hung high above, casting its warm glow on everything below.
Taking a deep breath, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. After fiddling with it for a moment, he placed it against his ear; it rang three times before being picked up.
"Hey bro, I'm almost there. Is your date ready?" Neo asked with a slight smirk.
A nervous voice responded from the other end. "Hey Neo, we're almost there but I don't think this is going according to plan."
Neo's expression darkened instantly as he slowed down. "What do you mean? Did something happen?"
There was silence for a few seconds before the voice returned with an air of helplessness. "You better come see for yourself."
With that, the call ended abruptly. Frowning deeper now and feeling a flicker of worry in his dark eyes, Neo quickened his pace.
---
"So this is what you were talking about?" Neo whispered to Francis beside him, disbelief etched across his face while frustration bubbled just beneath the surface.
"Yeah... I didn't expect her to bring her friends along for just a simple date," Francis replied with a bitter chuckle as he lowered his head slightly.
Neo clenched his fists under the table as he observed the group of women sitting across from them, talking and laughing as if they didn't even notice him and Francis were there at all.
On the opposite side sat five girls who each had their own beauty, especially the one in the middle with natural blonde hair, plump red lips, and big blue eyes framed by delicate features. They held menus and kept ordering extravagant food and wine while treating Neo and Francis like they were invisible.
Narrowing his eyes slightly at them, Neo turned to Francis and said quietly, "Hey bro, why did you let her bring her friends on this date? And who orders so much food?"
Francis gazed at the blonde girl with infatuation briefly before shaking his head at Neo's question. "When I went to pick her up at home, her four friends were already there. She said they were there to 'protect' her because they didn't trust me."
Neo was left speechless, facepalming in disbelief. "What kind of lame excuse is this? It's clear that all of them are just broke girls looking to mooch off you."
Francis fell silent at that remark. He wasn't exactly the chatty type; he was more of a super-rich introvert who preferred to hide away in his three-million-dollar gaming room rather than face the sun.
The restaurant buzzed with activity, the tantalizing aroma of expensive dishes wafting through the air, scents that could cover the light bills for some people. Waiters in fine uniforms moved briskly across the space with practiced ease.
This was the kind of place where even a glass of water could feed a homeless man for a month, and just hearing the soft music playing could give an average person a heart attack.
"Hey, it's not my fault this happened! You were the one who insisted we come here," Francis said, scrunching his nose as if disgusted by the sight of the restaurant. "By the way, why did you pick this place? It doesn't meet my standards."
Neo gripped his hair, fighting back the urge to punch Francis's smug face. But after a moment, he sighed; he couldn't really blame him, after all this guy grew up using hundred-dollar bills as toilet paper.
"Hey there, Mr. I thought you were on a date with our friend! Why did you bring this loser along?" A sharp voice interrupted their conversation.
Both Neo and Francis turned to see five girls glaring at them. Neo's gaze landed on a chubby girl with an angular chin that looked like it could slice through concrete and heavy makeup that made her resemble a low-budget zombie.
"Who are you calling a loser? I'm a person!" she shot back defiantly. Neo regarded her with disdain before continuing, "If this is supposed to be a date between two people, why did you all tag along?"
Before she could respond, another girl interjected sharply, pointing her bony finger at him like metal scraping against metal. "Hey! We came with our friend because we were worried about her safety! After all, women can be vulnerable, what if this guy tries something funny?"
Leaning slightly forward with a wide grin, Neo replied mockingly, "Oh really? Well then I'm also here to protect my friend because nowadays there are gold diggers around, and my buddy here is kind of innocent. What if you guys corner him into doing something 'wrong'?"
The table fell silent as everyone stared at Neo in shock; anger flushed red across the girls' faces as they pointed accusing fingers at him.
"Who are you calling gold diggers? We're just looking out for our friend's best interests!" one protested.
Neo's smile widened even more. "Well, that doesn't seem right to me. I think you're just hungry and want to use my innocent baby friend here to fill your stomach. After all, I bet you've never been to a restaurant like this..."
Before they could respond, Neo turned his attention to the beautiful blonde girl who had remained silent with her head lowered. He knocked lightly on the table. "Hey, pretty girl..."
She lifted her head and met Neo's gaze. Her face was calm, but her eyes betrayed a mix of helplessness and a hint of anger, anger that Neo sensed was directed at him.
"Why do you hang out with such toxic friends?" Neo asked, gesturing toward her four companions. "I mean, look at them!
They look more like a pack of hyenas than a friend group. Even my ex looks better than them! Why is such a beautiful girl like you associating with these low-class citizens?"
The silence around the table was deafening; even nearby diners turned their heads in curiosity, some giggling or choking on their drinks.
Francis felt his face flush hot as he covered it with his hands, wishing he could disappear into the ground.
The blonde girl stared at Neo in disbelief, her blue eyes wide as she shifted her gaze between him and her friends before finally resting on Francis, who seemed ready to meld into his chair.
"You... you...!" The four girls were left speechless, struggling to form coherent words. Initially excited about their friend dating a rich guy for potential perks, they now felt completely blindsided by Neo's comments.
"You... you what? I bet that girl has never had a boyfriend, and it's because of you! Just look at her, she looks prime Megan Fox. Honestly, I'm even jealous of this blockhead for dating such a beautiful girl, but here you are trying to ruin everything." Neo pointed at each of them, his fingers practically jabbing their faces.
"Seriously, look at the kind of food you're ordering. Damn! Even the wine costs more than three months' rent, and you're treating it like it's water. The main character hasn't even ordered anything yet!"
Neo was breathing heavily as he spat out his words. "If you aren't gold diggers, then what are you? Diamond diggers?"
The girls fell silent, too stunned to respond as they sat there frozen in shock.
"Come on, Francis, let's get out of here before I completely lose my cool. I don't want to abandon my gentlemanly demeanor." Neo stood up and dragged Francis toward the entrance.
"Gentlemanly demeanor, my foot!" Francis muttered under his breath, but warmth filled his heart as he glanced back at Neo with a genuine smile.
"Excuse me, sir; you haven't paid yet?" A waiter approached them politely.
Neo glanced at the waiter and gestured toward their table. "Dude, did you see us order? We didn't order anything, so we don't have any bills to pay, everyone pays for what they ordered."
"I'm sorry, sir," the waiter said quickly as he stepped aside in apology.
Neo nodded and walked out. Francis turned back to the blonde girl and offered an apologetic smile as he mouthed, "I'm sorry; I'll call you later."
She smiled warmly and nodded in response.
Meanwhile, the four girls remained frozen in place as they stared at the expensive bottle of red wine and dishes that could cover their mortgage. Their faces went pale.
-----
"Hey Neo," Francis caught up with him after they left the restaurant. "You didn't have to go that far; after all, they're women and deserve some gentlemanly treatment."
Neo slowed his pace with his hands in his pockets. "Bro, let me tell you something: people need to earn how they want to be treated. Just because they're women doesn't mean they automatically deserve princess treatment."
Francis thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. They continued walking toward the parking lot while chatting and laughing.
Suddenly.....
BOOM!
A deafening explosion echoed through the area, immediately followed by screams and sounds reminiscent of destruction.
The building Neo and Francis had just exited erupted into flames as tremors shook the ground beneath them. Huge spiderweb-like cracks spread everywhere while surrounding buildings began collapsing around them like dominoes, massive stones and steel bars raining down from above.
"What the hell is happening?" Neo exclaimed in shock as he stumbled onto the ground.
"Francis... are you okay? Where are you?" Neo called out frantically.
"Neo, I'm here..." Francis's frantic voice echoed, punctuated by coughs.
Hearing Francis's voice eased Neo's racing heart just a bit. But the trembling intensified as more buildings crumbled around them, accompanied by heart-wrenching screams. The ground continued to split apart, swallowing entire structures whole.
Scanning the chaos, Neo quickly spotted Francis. Relief washed over him, and he sprinted toward his friend.
Suddenly, another deafening boom shook the ground beneath him. Neo stumbled but managed to steady himself. As he looked up, terror gripped him, an enormous slab of stone was plummeting down at breakneck speed, and Francis stood directly in its path.
In that moment, an unexpected surge of adrenaline coursed through Neo's veins. Without thinking twice, he dashed toward Francis and shoved him out of harm's way.
A massive shadow loomed overhead as Neo raised his gaze. His eyes widened in fear as the scent of impending doom filled the air.
"Fuck me!"
BOOM! PLAT!