The landlady had also somewhat discerned Song Pengtao's intentions, but she was determined to get the money from him regardless.
"Who are you trying to fool by saying you have no money? Yesterday, when I went to Xiyun Road, I saw you…"
Song Pengtao: "Alright, alright, it's just a bit of rent, isn't it? Here, take it. Will that do?"
Song Pengtao hadn't expected such a coincidence—he had gone to a fancy restaurant to enjoy a meal, only to be spotted by this very landlady.
Fortunately, the landlady had mentioned the road name first. If she had mentioned the restaurant's name first, Gu Leizhou might have grown suspicious again.
After dealing with the landlady, Song Pengtao finally began to inquire about the car Gu Leizhou had mentioned.
"You bought a car? What kind of car? Where did you get the money?"
Gu Leizhou seemed completely unfazed by what the landlady had said about where she saw him yesterday. With a smug expression, he pressed a button on his car key.
The most eye-catching car in the yard beeped in response.
Song Pengtao had initially thought Gu Leizhou was just bragging recklessly, but upon hearing the sound of the car he had already noticed earlier, his entire demeanor soured.
"This is the car you bought? How is that possible?" Song Pengtao's eyes nearly popped out of his head, his resentment and frustration boiling inside with nowhere to vent.
Gu Leizhou nodded confidently. "Yeah, so? What do you think, Brother Pengtao? Don’t you think this car is nice too?"
Song Pengtao: "Where did you get the money? This car isn’t cheap, is it? Didn’t you run out of money just a few days ago?"
Of course, he thought the car was nice. It stood out among the other cars in the yard, clearly exorbitantly expensive. Even a blind person could tell it was impressive.
Gu Leizhou: "Ah, it’s a long story!"
Song Pengtao: "Then make it short."
"Well, it’s roughly like this: I came into some unexpected money—200,000 yuan. When I showed it to my brother, guess what? He thought I really hadn’t been wasting money recklessly. He didn’t know which shameless person had been spreading rumors to him earlier, saying I gambled and lost all my money. He felt he had misunderstood me, so he chipped in a bit more and bought me this car."
Song Pengtao couldn’t believe his ears. Setting everything else aside, he glanced at the gleaming car. Gu Leizhou had 200,000 yuan? And his idiot brother had "chipped in a bit"? This car was something he had never seen before, not even online. But what man doesn’t love cars? This brand was something he wouldn’t even dare dream of.
However, after hearing Gu Leizhou’s words, his heart sank like a stone. "Why would he give you money?"
Gu Leizhou: "It’s compensation for my brother misunderstanding that I gambled and lost all my money! But now that I think about it, I should probably thank the person who told on me to my brother. If it weren’t for them, my brother wouldn’t have felt so guilty toward me."
Song Pengtao: "But didn’t you actually go gambling? And didn’t you actually lose all the money he gave you?"
Gu Leizhou: "But when he asked me, I actually had money in my hands again!"
Song Pengtao took a deep breath and forced a strained smile.
"Your brother is really something! Feels like he treats you better than your own parents. You should work hard from now on to repay him." He said this with a twisted expression.
"Yeah, Brother Pengtao, do you think so too? Well, I guess I’ll just have to treat him better from now on!"
Song Pengtao: ??? Whenever he used to say things like this, didn't Gu Leizhou always angrily retort that his brother deserved it? Then he'd stubbornly refuse to let his brother have his way, insisting on dragging him along to play a couple of rounds instead? Why is he now going along with what he's saying?
Song Pengtao wanted to say more, but Gu Leizhou grabbed his hand and pushed him out, following with the keys in hand.
"Let's go, let's go! I already said I'm not feeling well. Brother Pengtao, you don't seem busy either, so hurry up and come with me to the hospital! We can talk on the way."
Song Pengtao glanced at the most eye-catching car in the middle of the yard and nodded.
"Leizhou, since you're not feeling well, why don't I drive for you?"
He tried to take the keys from Gu Leizhou's hand, but Gu Leizhou dodged him.
Gu Leizhou: "Brother Pengtao, didn't you say you don't know how to drive? I remember you telling me you really wanted to get a driver's license, but it's both time-consuming and expensive to learn here, and with a wife and kids at home, you couldn't even bring yourself to get a license. Since you don't have a license, how can you drive?"
Song Pengtao forced a dry laugh. "Ah, seeing such a nice car made me forget I don't know how to drive. Having such a beautiful car right in front of me really makes you wish you could just sit in it and touch it. Sigh, I've never seen such a nice car in my life!"
But he wondered to himself, had he really said that? Though, thinking back, he had fabricated quite a few lies in front of Gu Leizhou to play the victim and win his sympathy, so saying he couldn't even afford to get a driver's license was pretty typical.
Gu Leizhou picked up on his words. "Well, Brother Pengtao, today you can enjoy a bit of my good fortune! I'll let you touch it, just don't get it dirty. Your hands don't look too clean, Brother Pengtao—your nails and the gaps between your fingers are all grimy."
These words nearly made Song Pengtao crush his phone in his hand.
When they arrived at the hospital, driven by his desire to make things difficult for Gu Leizhou, Song Pengtao not only had Gu Leizhou checked for the discomfort he mentioned but also started urging him to undergo a full physical examination, insisting on the most expensive option for every test available.
Gu Leizhou was momentarily moved to tears. "Brother Pengtao, I never expected you to care about me so much!"
Song Pengtao felt smug inside. This full set of tests wouldn't be cheap, and the thought of Gu Leizhou bleeding money made him happy. He couldn't stand Gu Leizhou's obliviousness to his own good fortune!
But when it came time to pay, Gu Leizhou was in line to have his blood drawn. He waved his hand and said, "Brother Pengtao, why don't you go pay for me first? I'll head to the next department after my blood draw. You can wait for me there!"
Song Pengtao: ??? Who's going to pay?
"Leizhou, how about I go with you to pay later?" he said, leaning closer to Gu Leizhou and whispering, "You know I'm not exactly flush with cash."
"What?" Gu Leizhou exclaimed. "Brother Pengtao, you don't even have that much money?"
Song Pengtao's face darkened, wishing he could sew Gu Leizhou's entire mouth shut.
Though he was accustomed to playing the victim, it was only in front of Gu Leizhou, or at most in front of his landlord and those he owed money to. In public, he always cared the most about his own dignity. Now, with Gu Leizhou shouting like this, he felt utterly uncomfortable all over.
He didn’t dare to look at the gazes of the people around him, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that mocking eyes were fixed on him.
Gu Leizhou sighed with understanding, “Forget it. I should’ve known we should’ve gone for a cheaper checkup. I don’t have a single penny on me, so I’ll have to ask my brother for money again. Who knows if he’ll even give it to me? I’m already embarrassed for spending so much of his money.”
“You don’t have any money at all?” Song Pengtao suddenly looked up.
Gu Leizhou was puzzled but still nodded, “Of course. I spent all my money on the car. Where would I have any left? I can’t just make money appear out of thin air, and like you, Pengtao, I haven’t had a job in a long time either.”
Song Pengtao’s expression darkened further. On one hand, he felt the gazes of the people around him growing even more disdainful, and on the other, he worried that his 20,000 yuan commission might slip away. Moreover, if Gu Leizhou had spent all his money on the car, how was he supposed to complete the task assigned by the big boss?
And who said he didn’t have a job! This fool really thought everyone was like him? He, Song Pengtao, was currently doing his job, okay?
In fact, he was even drawing a double salary. During the time he’d been coaxing Gu Leizhou into gambling, he had already earned who knows how much in commissions from the casino, not to mention the extra money promised by the big boss!—Song Pengtao silently refuted Gu Leizhou’s words in his mind.
Gu Leizhou frowned at him and casually remarked, “Pengtao, I feel like you’re acting really strange today, jumping at every little thing.”
As he spoke, he even took two more steps away from Song Pengtao.
Song Pengtao: Hah, who’s the one jumping at every little thing?
But Gu Leizhou didn’t pay him any more mind, muttering to himself, “Ah, I was originally thinking of mortgaging the car to play a big hand. Now it seems I’ll have to rely on asking my brother for money. But if I do that, I can’t touch the car, so I’ll need to ask for some extra money for playing cards too…”
Song Pengtao: “!!! Wait!”
Gu Leizhou looked up, displeased and confused, “Pengtao, what’s wrong with you again? It’s only been three days since we last met, and I already feel like I hardly know you!”
Song Pengtao was left speechless again, but he forced another smile, “There’s no need for you to ask your brother for money again. He just spent money to buy you a car. If you ask for more, I’m afraid he’ll curse you behind your back! It’ll also strain your relationship with him. We’re good brothers! Just wait, I’ll go pay!”
Gu Leizhou hesitated, “That’s not right, is it? Pengtao, aren’t you short on money? My brother earns money easily. I should just ask him!”
Song Pengtao: “Hah, I should have enough to cover the checkup fees!”
Gu Leizhou refused again, “No! Pengtao, you’re already in such a tough spot! I can’t let you spend your money!”
Song Pengtao almost nodded in agreement, but unfortunately, he couldn’t! The value of the car he had secretly looked up earlier flashed through his mind, along with Gu Leizhou’s earlier muttering. Song Pengtao tried to sound as generous as possible, “Leizhou, don’t worry. I still have some savings! It’s just a pity I won’t be able to send money back to your sister-in-law. At most, she and your nephew will just have to suffer for a couple of days!”
Gu Leizhou once again resolutely refused his offer to pay the fees. "I can't let my sister-in-law and nephew suffer because I need a medical checkup! I must ask my brother for the money! Brother Pengtao, I know you treat me like a brother and think brothers shouldn’t worry about a little money, just like how I spent money on you before. But you have a wife and children, and you’re struggling so much, while I’m all alone. I absolutely can’t spend your money!"
Song Pengtao gritted his teeth, wishing he could tear Gu Leizhou to pieces. Earlier, he had just habitually added some pitiful remarks to his usual tactics, never expecting Gu Leizhou to be so infuriating!
In the end, he could only seethe inwardly while putting on a generous front, claiming he had forgotten about a card with plenty of money left on it and that paying the fees wouldn’t be a problem at all!
Author's Note: