Song Pengtao arrived at the payment counter. Along the way, he had mentally prepared himself for a significant financial blow, but when the nurse at the counter announced the amount he needed to pay, he still couldn’t believe it.
“How much? How much did you say?”
The nurse patiently repeated the amount.
Song Pengtao’s face turned pale, then flushed red. He first swiped a card, but the balance was insufficient. In the end, he had to switch to another card to complete the payment.
Holding the payment receipts, he felt as if his heart were being sliced by a knife. This was all money he had earned through hard work and skill—his own money! And now, so much of it had been spent in one go, all for Gu Leizhou!
Song Pengtao was utterly miserable. Every time he glanced at the receipts, his heart ached, but he still held them tightly, planning to show them to Gu Leizhou. He secretly vowed to make Gu Leizhou pay it back a thousandfold, ten thousandfold!
No matter what, he had to make Gu Leizhou compensate for that car! If Gu Leizhou didn’t pay it all back, he would never let it go!
But after running around all day, accompanying Gu Leizhou through the examinations and waiting for the results, he discovered that the person who had cost him so much money was perfectly fine.
“Didn’t you say you weren’t feeling well?”
Gu Leizhou nodded firmly. “Yeah, I really wasn’t feeling well! Maybe this hospital’s technology isn’t up to par? Brother Pengtao, how about we switch to another hospital?”
Song Pengtao: “…”
If they switched hospitals, wouldn’t he still have to pay for it himself?
“Let’s not. You look fine now. Are you really still feeling unwell?”
Gu Leizhou touched his head, then his chest, and finally stretched his body. “Brother Pengtao, now that you mention it, I do feel a lot better. Maybe it really was just from lying down for too long, like you said.”
Song Pengtao breathed a sigh of relief.
“But…” Gu Leizhou added, “Brother Pengtao, didn’t you just say that since we’re already at the hospital, we should get a thorough checkup? That way, we won’t waste the gas money for the car. I saw there’s also an oral examination. How about I go get that checked out while we’re here?”
Song Pengtao quickly grabbed him, forcing a smile. “Let’s not. I heard Brother Lei has come up with some new games. Why don’t we go play at his place for a while? There’s nothing wrong with your mouth anyway. Besides, I’ve heard that if the sterilization in the dental department isn’t done properly, it’s the easiest way to catch an infectious disease.”
As he spoke, Song Pengtao dragged Gu Leizhou toward the hospital exit. He regretted both his initial lack of resolve in letting Gu Leizhou drag him to the hospital and his later encouragement for Gu Leizhou to undergo those expensive tests.
He had never even allowed himself to take such tests in his entire life! As someone who only took painkillers when he fell ill, he had actually spent so much money on Gu Leizhou at the hospital.
Song Pengtao felt that if he stayed in the hospital any longer, he would suffocate within minutes.
Gu Leizhou still tried to argue with him. “The doctors here are professionals. How could they possibly fail at sterilization?”
Song Pengtao had no interest in debating whether sterilization could be done properly. Why would he care about that? In fact, if it really weren’t done properly and Gu Leizhou caught an infectious disease, he might even be willing to grit his teeth and spend the money to have Gu Leizhou treated.
But no matter what, at least he managed to pull Gu Leizhou out of the hospital lobby. Surely he couldn’t go back now to check on that broken body of his, right?
Gu Leizhou could tell from his expression that there was no more to gain from Song Pengtao at the hospital, so he simply drove away without a fuss.
"Brother Pengtao, you mentioned earlier that Brother Lei has some new games. Have you tried them? Are they fun?"
How could Song Pengtao possibly say anything negative?
"Of course they’re fun, absolutely thrilling! It’s only because I treat you like my own brother that I’d even go out of my way to find you at home."
Gu Leizhou pretended to be deeply moved, but he drove straight to Fanjin Restaurant.
At first, Song Pengtao sat in the car like a lord, enjoying the luxury vehicle, but the scenery along the road grew increasingly suspicious.
"Aren’t we going to find Brother Lei? This road…"
Gu Leizhou: "We have to eat first before going there. Brother Lei doesn’t provide meals, and I haven’t eaten all day because of the checkup."
Hearing this, Song Pengtao’s stomach began to rumble. When Gu Leizhou wasn’t looking, he shot him a glare.
If Gu Leizhou hadn’t eaten all day for the checkup, then he hadn’t eaten all day either while keeping him company!
He’d even forgotten about eating because he was so angry!
So Song Pengtao didn’t voice any objections.
But when Gu Leizhou parked the car, he sensed something was wrong.
"Do we really need to eat at a place like this? Couldn’t we just grab something cheap by the roadside?"
Gu Leizhou parked the car and got out on his own. "But didn’t you say before, Brother Pengtao, that eating is something you shouldn’t compromise on? 'When life is good, enjoy it to the fullest.' You shouldn’t mistreat your stomach, and if you have money, don’t be afraid to spend it."
Song Pengtao felt that Gu Leizhou was acting strange today, especially with these words. Was he mocking him for always tricking him into paying for meals?
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
Gu Leizhou was a complete fool. Not only would he never notice being taken advantage of, but even if he did, he’d probably just confront him directly—he wouldn’t resort to such tactics!
Still, he definitely didn’t want to eat at such a restaurant. It was one thing to trick Gu Leizhou into paying when he had money, but now Gu Leizhou was broke. How could they eat here? That would just be throwing money away!
"Leizhou, it’s fine to eat here when you have money, but the problem is we don’t have any right now."
But Gu Leizhou acted as if he couldn’t understand, dragging Song Pengtao into the restaurant. "Don’t be modest, Brother Pengtao. You paid for such an expensive checkup—how could you not have enough for a meal? This meal is to celebrate my good health!"
Song Pengtao tried to break free, but for some reason, Gu Leizhou was as strong as an ox, and he couldn’t pull away no matter how hard he tried.
He’d been so weak before—he couldn’t even lift a brick!
"After we eat, I’ll have to trouble you, Brother Pengtao, to ask a friend to help me mortgage the car. Then we can go to Brother Lei’s place and play for three days and nights straight!"
Song Pengtao, upon hearing this, felt as if a giant pancake was dangling in front of him, luring him forward. He was convinced he could get a bite of that pancake, so he steeled himself and stopped resisting entering the restaurant. Even when Gu Leizhou picked up the menu to order, Song Pengtao only watched with a slight pang of heartache but didn’t say a word to stop him.
After all, he’d soon earn it back. It wasn’t worth upsetting Gu Leizhou over such a small matter.
But he never expected Gu Leizhou to have so little restraint, ordering dish after dish. Song Pengtao coughed on the side as a hint, but the more he coughed, the faster Gu Leizhou ordered.
“That’s enough, Leizhou. There are only two of us—ordering too much will just go to waste.”
Gu Leizhou replied, “I haven’t eaten all day, Brother Pengtao. Trust me, I can finish it all. If I really can’t, I’ll just pack it up and take it home for the next meal.”
As he spoke, he turned to the waiter and ordered a bottle of wine. He didn’t ask for anything like an ’82 vintage or anything particularly high-end, but the wine at this restaurant wasn’t cheap to begin with, and what he ordered was mid-range.
Song Pengtao didn’t know how many deep breaths he took during the ordering process.
Gu Leizhou watched out of the corner of his eye, afraid Song Pengtao might faint at any moment.
He had no idea which pocket Song Pengtao’s card was in. If Song Pengtao really did faint, he’d have to use that card to pay!
He hated it most when people took advantage of others under the guise of brotherhood, especially when he was the one being taken advantage of. He hadn’t even thought of scamming anyone yet—and here someone was trying to scam him!
When the meal ended, Song Pengtao thought they could finally get down to business, only to turn and see Gu Leizhou, who had drunk half a bottle of wine by himself, completely drunk.
Worst of all, Gu Leizhou wasn’t asleep—his face was flushed, and he remained silent.
Song Pengtao tentatively asked, “We’ve eaten enough, shall we go?”
Gu Leizhou staggered to his feet. “Let’s go!”
But the next second, Song Pengtao saw Gu Leizhou holding his own phone, tapping away at something.
Song Pengtao asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Calling a designated driver. Can’t drive drunk…”
Song Pengtao replied, “Alright…”
But as soon as the designated driver arrived, Gu Leizhou gave the address to his rental apartment.
Song Pengtao said, “You must have made a mistake, right? Aren’t we going to Brother Lei’s place?” He hurriedly turned and gave the driver another address.
“Go home! Sleep!” Gu Leizhou, looking thoroughly drunk, nearly threw off Song Pengtao, who was trying to hold him back.
The driver looked at the two of them and finally asked, “So, who’s in charge here?”
Song Pengtao said, “Listen to me—he’s drunk!”
But the driver wasn’t so sure. “Who placed the order on the phone?”
Gu Leizhou, now sitting in the passenger seat, obediently raised his hand upon hearing the driver’s question. “It was me. Take me home, and I’ll give you a big thumbs-up.”
Song Pengtao pleaded, “Leizhou, didn’t you say we’d go to Brother Lei’s place after dinner? I’ve already set up the gathering. We can’t just not go now, can we?”
But Gu Leizhou acted as if he couldn’t hear him at all. “I want to go home, go home and sleep~”
Seeing the situation, the driver didn’t hesitate and drove straight to the address Gu Leizhou had given. After all, he was the one who placed the order. As for Song Pengtao’s claim that Gu Leizhou was too drunk to think clearly—well, wasn’t he a designated driver for people who’d been drinking?
Today he dared to dismiss the client's words as drunken ramblings; tomorrow he might very well receive a negative review.
In the end, Song Pengtao hurriedly got into the car, but the more he looked at today's two large expenses, the more painful he felt inside.
Tomorrow, once Gu Leizhou sobers up, he must make him lose all his assets!
No, wait—tomorrow, after he pawns the car, he should first squeeze as much money as possible out of him! Then lure him to Brother Lei's territory and make him lose everything!
Author's Note:
Thank you, my dear Mu Li, for gifting me so many nutrient solutions, and to my dear Li Yu for the landmine before the story began. Love you, dear!