Diary of Getting Rich Quick in the South

The call was answered quickly.

"Hello, who is this?"

I heard Brother Wang's voice on the other end of the phone; it sounded like he was playing cards, and it was very noisy.

I smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Brother Wang, it's me, Xiao Chen, Chen An."

"Chen An? Which Chen An... Fifty thousand, pong."

"Brother Wang, I'm Wang Long's cousin. We met at the club last time."

"Eight of Bamboo, hurry up and play your card, I'm going to win with a pure suit of all three suits... Oh, Xiao Chen, is there something you need? Nine of Wan."

I don't know if he really remembers who I am, but now I can only try anything as a last resort.

Without further ado, I stated my purpose: "Brother Wang, it's like this, my cousin told me that you lent him 30,000 yuan six months ago. I don't mean to rush you, but recently my cousin got into trouble and urgently needs money. Do you think you could..."

Before he could finish speaking, Brother Wang interrupted him.

"Xiao Chen, it's not that I don't want to pay you back, it's just that I'm a little short on cash lately, I can't even afford to fill up my car with gas... Hey! Give me the money!"

Then came the sound of shuffling the cards.

"Xiao Chen, I heard about your cousin's situation, but the economy is bad right now, and I really don't have any money. I'll pay you back another day when I have the money... three pieces..."

I knew it was impossible to get money from him, so I gave him a few perfunctory replies and hung up the phone.

Then I called Mr. Li.

Mr. Li still remembered me and kindly asked me if I had found a job and if I wanted to work for him.

But the moment I brought up money, his tone changed.

"Pay back the money? Pay back what money? Who told you I borrowed money from Wang Long? Do you think I, the CEO of such a big company, would borrow money and not pay it back? Do you have an IOU? Do you think Wang Long, a nobody, would lend me money?"

I was so angry at the rebuttal that I didn't know how to refute it.

Even if there was an IOU, I wouldn't know.

I suppressed my anger and quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Mr. Li, I must have misremembered. You didn't lend me any money. It's just that my cousin is in trouble and needs some money. Could you lend me some...?"

"You have the nerve to call me if you've misremembered? Alright, alright, I have a meeting now."

Hearing the busy tone on the phone, I still wasn't giving up, so I called the other three people.

One person hung up the phone immediately after I said the word "borrow money".

The other one said there was 150 yuan left in my card and asked for my card number, saying he would go to the bank to transfer the money to my card.

Do I need to go to the bank to transfer 150 to my account?

The last one was even worse. Not only did he ignore my cousin's affairs, but he also indirectly asked me about Su Wan's situation. I couldn't hold back and gave him a good scolding.

It's true what they say, once someone leaves, they become nothing; what a load of rubbish fair-weather friends.

My cousin used to always tell me how great his brothers were, but when trouble came, they ran away faster than anyone else.

It's not that I don't know her, it's just that I'm thinking about my sister-in-law.

"Stop hitting, it's useless."

Su Wan took my hand and gently shook her head: "The friends around your cousin are just fair-weather friends. They'll come to you when there's something to gain, but they'll run away faster than anyone else when something happens. It's a favor if they're willing to lend you money, and it's their right not to. You can't blame anyone else."

I said indignantly, "My cousin was completely devoted to them back then, sharing the profits. Now that he's down on his luck, he's not asking for money back, we just want him to pay it back. Is that so difficult?"

Su Wan shook her head and smiled bitterly: "That's how it is these days. The one who borrows money is the boss, while the creditor has to kneel down and beg for repayment. Forget it, let's figure it out ourselves."

I know that's the truth, but I still feel really aggrieved and think it's unfair to mention my cousin.

But then again, doesn't this indirectly suggest that my cousin is a bad person? Otherwise, why doesn't he have a single true friend?

For three consecutive days, we only managed to borrow 300,000 yuan, which Su Wan borrowed from relatives and friends. I didn't get a single penny.

With the company holiday over, I returned to work for the day.

Just sitting around doing nothing is useless. You need to do more outreach. If you happen to land a big order, it's not impossible to earn tens of thousands of yuan in commission from just one deal.

I had barely arrived at the company and hadn't even settled in when Zhang Dongting called me into her office.

"You were really hit by a car?"

Zhang Dongting looked me up and down suspiciously, finally fixing her gaze on my arm wrapped in gauze.

I raised my arm pitifully and said, "Mr. Zhang, I really was hit by a car, otherwise I wouldn't have stood you up. You have no idea how unlucky I was that day..."

Before I could finish speaking, Zhang Dongting suddenly slammed her hand on the table and shouted angrily, "Were you hit by a car, or did you get into a fight?"

"I……"

Just as I was about to continue my argument, Zhang Dongting interrupted me with a hint of sourness: "Chen An, you're something else! Chasing after several people and hacking them to pieces, and even willing to sell your heart, liver, spleen, kidneys, and lungs for your cousin-in-law, you must have moved Su Wan to tears, right?"

How did you know...?

I realized what I had just said.

Zhang Dongting is Su Wan's best friend. If she can't contact me, she will definitely contact Su Wan.

I scratched my head awkwardly and said embarrassedly, "I didn't think that much at the time. When I saw them trying to bully Sister Wan, I couldn't help but hit them."

"Yeah?"

Zhang Dongting gave me a strange look and asked with a half-smile, "But why do I feel like you see her as more than just a sister-in-law?"

My heart skipped a beat, and I forced a smile.

"Mr. Zhang, what do you mean by that? I don't understand."

"Yeah?"

Zhang Dongting leaned closer, staring intently into my eyes. I could even feel her breath on my face.

"Why do I have a feeling that you like her?"

My face was burning hot, and I hurriedly explained, "No, no, I really treat her like an older sister. It's not what you think. No one has ever been this kind to me except my mother. If you were the one being bullied, I would also take a knife and attack someone."

Even so, Su Wan's beautiful face and mature figure involuntarily appeared in my mind.

"real?"

Zhang Dongting's eyes lit up instantly: "If someone bullies me, you really would take a knife and attack them?"

I nodded vigorously and said with utmost sincerity, "Really, if anyone dares to bully you, I'll fight them to the death!"

"You said it yourself!"

Zhang Dongting suddenly laughed, took my hand, and said, "Let me see, how serious is your injury? Does it still hurt?"

I shook my head and said it didn't hurt anymore. I didn't even react when someone slashed me; it felt like I was punched.

Zhang Dongting pulled me to sit on the sofa, then sat down next to me, looking up at me curiously and asking.

"Tell me about what happened. It's the first time I've ever seen someone get stabbed in the street. I've only ever seen it in movies before."

The art style has become a bit strange, leaving me speechless for a moment.

She's a big boss, yet she's interested in this kind of street brawl.