After a long while, Li Bin finally calmed the grievances and pain in his heart, furrowing his brow in deep thought.
Actually, he had wanted to ask his mother what she meant by his father's poor health.
But he couldn't muster the courage, afraid his father didn't want this "failure" to know, afraid his father would scold him again, saying he didn't need his concern, that he wasn't worthy of caring…
Li Bin glanced at his watch—it was already past 4 p.m. It was a two-hour drive to his family's home, and going now felt rushed.
Besides, he had a bad feeling about his brother Li Qiang's situation.
Before going, Li Bin decided to first gather some information about his brother.
After composing himself, Li Bin picked up his phone and dialed a friend he'd grown up with.
"Yo, Brother Bin!" The call connected quickly, and an excited voice came through, "You still remember your old buddy? Calling me up? When are you coming back? Let's grab some drinks!!"
"Jiezi, I'm planning to come back in a couple of days. What've you been up to? Heard you're doing well, huh? Big projects? Big boss now?" Hearing the warm, familiar voice, Li Bin immediately smiled.
"Psh! Don't listen to their bullshit! Just a small-time contractor. You know my uncle's war buddies with the boss of Senka Group around here. They toss him some projects, and since he's getting old and doesn't want to deal, he handed them to me."
"Jiezi, when I come back, you're treating us to a meal! Gotta break out the Maotai! You're a big boss now—your brothers are gonna eat you out of house and home!" Li Bin laughed, fondly recalling high school and college days when he'd return home and drink, eat late-night snacks, and mess around with Zhang Jie, Chen Xiao, Du Chen, and Shen Kai, his close buddies.
Thinking about it, it had been nearly two years since they'd hung out. After his wedding, they hadn't met again. It wasn't that Li Bin didn't want to, but back then, he felt too ashamed to face them.
In Li Bin's hometown, being a live-in son-in-law was humiliating, and since he was the least successful of the group, he couldn't muster the courage to meet up with his buddies.
"No problem! Brother Bin, however much Maotai you want, I'll have it ready! When are you coming? I'll give the other guys a heads-up, tell them to get leave from their wives!" Zhang Jie enthusiastically pounded his chest, shouting happily.
"Not sure yet, probably the day after tomorrow. I'll call you before I come." Li Bin said with a smile.
Hearing Zhang Jie's voice, Li Bin felt a sense of calm. These friends were like a safe harbor, a comfort to his soul.
Honestly, Li Bin missed them!
"Also, Jiezi, I haven't been home in a while. I need to ask you something—help me find out what my brother's been up to. What's the deal with his startup? How's it going?"
After some casual chat, Li Bin got to the point, asking seriously.
"You mean your brother Li Qiang? You don't know?" Zhang Jie's tone suddenly turned awkward and hesitant.
"No shit! If I knew, would I be asking you? From your tone, sounds like you know something. Spill it—everything you know!" Li Bin said bluntly, "Don't hold back! This is serious!"
"Ahem… I heard this secondhand… A friend at the police station mentioned your brother's situation… He was starting a business, right? Well… ahem… actually… he got scammed… They say he lost three or four million, sold the house, and racked up a ton of debt… And your brother still doesn't believe those guys were con artists… He's insisting on continuing the business… I heard he's now talking about some cross-border e-commerce thing… and he's been borrowing money left and right… Uh, Brother Bin! This is just hearsay! Don't take it as gospel!" Zhang Jie spoke cautiously, holding back a bit.
Li Qiang was, after all, Li Bin's brother, and Zhang Jie, hearing things secondhand, didn't want to say too much and risk ruining their relationship.
"Got it."
Li Bin nodded, his expression growing even graver.
His brother Li Qiang was very smart, always excelled academically, but he was spoiled, overly trusting, always chasing get-rich-quick schemes, and loved to brag and act wealthy. For Zhang Jie, a cautious guy, to say this, it must be true.
This time, his mother asking for money was likely at Li Qiang's urging.
The purpose probably wasn't for a house but to pay off debts!
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