Chapter 39: My Good Brother, Gao Yun

Diao Jun had the closest relationship with Gao Yun and was the least reserved. He clinked his beer bottle against Gao’s, clearly stating his intention to resign from his current company and open an online shop to continue the swimsuit trade.

"Done! Just wait," Gao Yun replied. He went to the bedroom to retrieve his banking security token and, upon returning to the terrace dining table, transferred 500,000 yuan via his phone on the spot. A moment later, a text notification confirming the arrival of funds pinged on Diao Jun’s phone.

Zhou Tian looked on, stunned. "Brother Yun, are you for real?"

Gao Yun waved his hand dismissively. "What kind of joke would that be? Who else here wants to do something?"

Diao Jun stared at his phone screen for over ten seconds, silent, his eyes slightly reddened. He patted Gao Yun on the shoulder, turned around, and went to the grill to tend to the food, perhaps needing a moment to collect himself.

Ah Hua watched with envy. "Yun, I’ve been wanting to open my own little bar. I’ve saved up over 200,000 yuan these past few years, but it’s not enough."

Gao Yun didn't hesitate. "No problem! Give me your bank account details. Once you get that bar up and running, we’ll have another base of operations."

Ah Hua recited his account number, and Gao Yun tapped away on his phone. Another transfer went through. Seeing Ah Hua grinning so wide his forehead wrinkled, Gao Yun felt a strange sensation, as if he had become a merciful Bodhisattva, surrounded by a faint, glowing halo.

"Ah, great mercy, great compassion, saving all beings."

Gao Yun felt a deep sense of fulfillment and immense satisfaction. He turned to Zhou Tian. "What about you?"

Zhou Tian scratched his head. "I don’t really have anything I want to do. Before..."

"Forget it!" Gao Yun interrupted, chuckling. "Wait until you’ve finished losing weight. Once you’ve shed the pounds, you’ll know what you want to do. I’ll give it to you then."

Gao Yun had always believed that a young man who was physically healthy and able-bodied, yet unable to control his own weight, possessed a somewhat immature and underdeveloped way of thinking.

Gao Yun had been overweight once himself. He knew the mindset of most overweight people, and he despised that lost, aimless version of himself from five years ago—negative, indulgent, pleasure-seeking without restraint, and completely purposeless, drifting through the world like a piece of used toilet paper.

If he had possessed the "I'm Not Interested in Money" system back then, how much of a financial reward would he have earned?

Gao Yun had thought about this seriously. For his five-year-younger self, the sum of all his attributes, skills, honors, and romantic status would have yielded an answer of zero.

When you face life and the world with a negative, indulgent, and unrestrained attitude, the world and your life will respond with the results born of that same attitude. Even if Heaven drops a pie in your lap, you won't be able to grasp it. That was Gao Yun five years ago, and that is Zhou Tian today.

"Then... then I’ll start by losing weight." Zhou Tian offered a bitter smile, then secretly resolved that it was time for a change.

He knew his state of mind had been wrong since his last breakup; he just hadn't been able to untangle the knot in his heart or figure out why. Now that Gao Yun had helped him loosen that knot, Zhou Tian felt a sense of relief. "Thank you, Brother Yun."

Liu Ximing laughed. "You pig, you should have lost it long ago."

Gao Yun glanced at him, thinking he might as well save everyone while he was at it. "What about you, old Liu?"

Liu Ximing paused, a meat skewer in hand. "I get a share too? I don't know what to do. Start a business? My company’s pile of problems is already enough to keep me busy."

Gao Yun said, "Don't be discriminatory just because you're a rich kid—besides, you're a fake one. How about this: pay off your credit card first. Use the rest for whatever you want, besides eating, drinking, and playing—and don't spend it all on women like last time."

Humiliation—naked, blatant humiliation—but I love it!

Liu Ximing’s dark face broke into an embarrassed grin. "Haha, alright then. I'll pay off the credit card first; I'm usually pretty strapped for cash. I'll pay you back once I have money in the future."

Of the five people present, only one remained. Wang Xiaole sat there, rubbing his shiny bald head, and smiled. "I’ll pass. I don’t have any use for money right now. I’ll come to you when I’m truly in a pinch later on."

Among the five, excluding the fake rich kid Liu Ximing, Wang Xiaole was the most comfortably off. He had saved quite a bit when he was younger, and running a music shop and training classes had earned him some money too; he certainly had hundreds of thousands in savings.

But since he was giving to others, he couldn't leave anyone out. Gao Yun thought for a moment and said, "Ah Hua has 200,000, and with my 500,000, that’s 700,000. It’s not much; it’s hard to make a high-end bar with that. Why don't you pitch in too? Make the bar a bit better, and while you're at it, ditch that Passat and get yourself a new car."

Wang Xiaole was stunned for a few seconds, not expecting to be forced to take money. But he felt that being polite now would be too much. He gave his bank account number and accepted with a smile. "Alright, done! I’ll help Ah Hua with the bar and get a new car!" After he finished speaking, he nudged Ah Hua. "Once that bar opens and turns a profit, we’ll pay Yun back."

"We absolutely will!"

Ah Hua set down his skewer, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "Gao Yun, the fact that you can lend us money this way is a kindness beyond measure. If us brothers don't have the ability to pay you back, so be it, but if we have the ability and don't pay you, we aren't human. I’d be damned!"

"I’ve decided: once the bar opens, all the profits are yours. I’ll feel at ease once I’ve paid back the principal and interest. But this kindness can never be repaid. I’ll remember this lift you gave me, Gao Yun, for the rest of my life!"

"Right! We have to pay it back!"

"We definitely will!"

"Whether you meant it as a gift or a loan, we have to pay this money back!"

"Come on, let’s have a toast—to paying off our creditor as soon as possible!"

Everyone echoed in agreement. The atmosphere shifted from the dismal, somber tone of discussing career struggles to one of lightness and joy.

Five hundred thousand RMB was enough to satisfy their current life goals, change their lifestyles, and elevate their quality of life. The world is fair; with no money, you have more worries; with money, you have fewer.

Gao Yun watched his friends smile and felt happy himself.

The six of them ate on the terrace, while Wang Lina ate in the corner of the living room just off the terrace, occasionally helping out. Whenever one of the brothers finished grilling, they would send some over to her.

The two tables weren't far apart, and the glass door between the terrace and the living room remained open. Wang Lina heard their conversation clearly. At first, she listened and laughed, but now, seeing Gao Yun give each of them 500,000 yuan, her eyes were filled with envy. She thought to herself that her boss was truly generous—giving away over two million, money most people couldn't save in a lifetime, half as a loan and half as a gift.

Half an hour later, they were full of meat and mellow with wine. Following Diao Jun’s poetry reading and Gao Yun’s "lecture," the party reached its most popular segment: singing.

Ah Hua took out a hand drum from under the table, gave it a couple of thumps, and winked at Wang Xiaole. "Guitar! Let's go!"

"You got it!"

Wang Xiaole picked up the guitar case standing on the floor, unzipped it, and took out his Martin D28. He strummed the strings a few times, the clear, resonant sound lifting everyone’s spirits.

Only then did everyone remember that Ah Hua had mentioned writing a song as a gift for Gao Yun. Aside from Diao Jun, who stood up to grab his camera to film, the others turned their attention toward the pair, waiting for their performance.

"Is it time to sing your gift?"

"What’s the song called?"

Ah Hua sat on his chair, the hand drum between his legs, a cigarette in his mouth, eyes squinted in a grin. "This song is called 'My Good Brother Gao Yun.' The melody is adapted from 'People in the Northeast are All Living Leifengs.' The lyrics were written a while ago, but while chatting during dinner just now, Brother Wang and I made a few tweaks. I hope everyone, especially Yun, likes it."

"We’ll like it, we’ll definitely like it."

The crowd cheered and applauded, and Gao Yun joined in.

Ah Hua cleared his throat to signal the start. Seeing everyone quiet down, he tapped the drumhead with both hands, and a lively, rapid rhythm filled the air.

"Dong-dong-dong~ dong-dong~ dong-dong-dong-dong~"

Wang Xiaole closed his eyes, swaying his head, clutching the guitar with a look of pure intoxication. His hands danced over the strings, and a lighthearted melody echoed across the terrace.

Seeing how skilled they were, it was clear they had rehearsed.

Ah Hua tapped the drum, his body moving to the rhythm. With a smile, he sang in a deliberately comical, off-key voice: "My brother is named Gao Yun~"

Wang Xiaole played the guitar and chimed in: "He's rich!"

Ah Hua sang: "He’s had five girlfriends."

Wang Xiaole added: "And they all fell through."

"Hahaha!"

The entire group, Gao Yun included, burst into laughter.

Ah Hua sang: "His ex is named Dalia, she wants to get back with him."

Wang Xiaole sang: "It's all good."

"Dong-dong-dong-dong~"

A crescendo of drumbeats followed. Everyone raised their hands, clapping along to the rhythm. Ah Hua raised his voice: "When Yun moved house he threw a feast, he wouldn't stop until you drank the least. He says..."

Wang Xiaole sang at lightning speed: "I never dump the girls I date."

Ah Hua sang: "I always take my love so seriously."

"Hahaha!"

The crowd laughed again.

Wang Xiaole added: "I don't really want to get married..."

Ah Hua sang: "I only love one person when I date..."

The way they sang it made it sound like pure irony. The laughter reached its peak, but the music suddenly paused for two seconds.

The melody remained the same, but the tempo slowed significantly. The guitar became soothing, and the drumming softened.

Ah Hua and Wang Xiaole’s expressions shifted from playful to suddenly serious. The laughter gradually died down; no one knew how the style had shifted from "Living Leifeng" to something like "Miss Dong."

After a tender interlude, Ah Hua lowered his voice and sang: "I really never dump the girls I date..."

Wang Xiaole’s husky voice was exceptionally affectionate: "I take my love especially seriously..."

Ah Hua hummed: "I only date because I want to get married..."

Wang Xiaole’s hands danced like butterflies over the strings. After a beautiful melody, he murmured in a voice barely above a whisper: "In this life, I only wish to love one..."