"Waitress, two cups of pearl milk tea, please. One with extra sugar, the other with less sugar."
After some small talk, Zhou Yan ordered two cups of milk tea from the waitress, then straightened his expression and looked at Lin Fan opposite him.
"Right, you said you had something to talk to me about. What is it?"
Seeing Zhou Yan ask directly, Lin Fan was also not one to beat around the bush. He stated honestly:
"I want to borrow twenty thousand yuan from you."
Zhou Yan was his best friend. The two were so close that they even knew how many pairs of underwear each other owned and what colors they usually wore. There was nothing to be embarrassed about.
Besides, unlike himself who was an orphan, Zhou Yan's parents were civil servants, and his grandparents owned several houses in Modu to rent out. He was a rich second-generation kid, a veritable landlord.
Twenty thousand yuan might be a considerable sum for ordinary people, but for Zhou Yan, it was just pocket money.
"That's it? Just twenty thousand yuan, small matter~"
Upon hearing that it was only about borrowing money, Zhou Yan didn't hesitate at all. With a magnificent gesture, he directly took out twenty thousand yuan in cash from his bag and slapped it on the table.
The conspicuous flourish startled Lin Fan.
"Why are you carrying so much cash?"
Although he knew Zhou Yan was very wealthy, he never imagined that Zhou Yan would carry tens of thousands of yuan in cash.
It must be known that the current era was the era of mobile payment. Almost everyone used their phone to pay for travel, shopping, and even money transfers.
Cash was impractical and unsafe. Very few people carried cash when going out now, let alone tens of thousands of yuan.
"Money on the phone is just a series of numbers. The money you can feel in your hand, that's the real money~"
"Hear this, this is the sound of money. I'd like to call it the most calming sound in the world~"
Zhou Yan picked up the twenty thousand yuan and held it in his hand, his finger rubbing the banknotes, creating a rustling sound.
Looking at the enchanted Zhou Yan, Lin Fan couldn't find the words to refute him and even strangely felt a slight agreement with his words.
Especially for him, who was currently in desperate need of money...
Previously, he hadn't considered money that important, but now, hearing the rustling sound of banknotes was like listening to celestial music. Perhaps even depression could be cured instantly…
"Here."
Zhou Yan put the twenty thousand yuan on the table and pushed it towards Lin Fan.
"Thanks."
Lin Fan reached out to take it but found Zhou Yan's finger pressing the banknotes down firmly.
Zhou Yan's joking and laughing demeanor vanished. His expression became serious.
He glanced left and right to make sure no one was around, then leaned across the table towards Lin Fan and asked in a low voice:
"Lin Fan, don't even mention borrowing it. As your brother, I wouldn't mind giving it to you.
But you have to be honest with me, you didn't touch those white things, did you?"
Lin Fan rolled his eyes at Zhou Yan, speechless.
"Do I look like someone who would touch those things?"
"Mmm… you don't!"
Zhou Yan carefully examined Lin Fan and shook his head.
Generally, people who had touched the white things often had a confused mental state and a skinny body. After a period of withdrawal, they would go insane, and then fall into a state of lethargy, becoming inhuman.
The Lin Fan in front of him was full of vigor, and his physique was so excellent that no words could describe it. From any angle, he did not look like someone who had touched the white things.
"If not drugs, then what about gambling?"
Zhou Yan, still worried, continued to ask.
"No. You know I hate gambling the most."
"That's true…"
Zhou Yan nodded, then continued to guess on his own:
"Then did you borrow money from dark and evil forces and get forced into debt by loan sharks?"
"No!"
Lin Fan's eyebrows furrowed slightly, a look of impatience visible.
"Yan Zi, are you going to lend it or not, just say so. Why are you asking so many questions? Are you doing a household registration check?"
"Hehe, don't blame your brother for asking too much. You've never borrowed money from me before. I'm just worried you've gone astray."
Zhou Yan put on an apologetic smile, also feeling that he might have asked a little too much.
Seeing that the other was only worried about him, Lin Fan couldn't say much more, but only asked curiously:
"You've asked about gambling and drugs, and even thought of loan sharks. Why didn't you ask about the last one?"
"Oh, that one. That's not an issue. How much money could that possibly spend?"
Zhou Yan was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted, understanding what Lin Fan was referring to. His expression relaxed.
"If you want to, your brother will take you for a foot massage in a while. I'll arrange ten for you!"
Lin Fan: "…"
"No need, no need…"
Lin Fan was speechless. He immediately waved his hand in refusal and made up a random excuse:
"I only borrowed money from you because I was traveling and accidentally spent all my money, that's all. Don't think too much."
"You should have said that earlier! Now I can rest assured."
Zhou Yan was relieved and promptly released the twenty thousand yuan he was pressing down on.
"Here, take it~"
"Thanks. I'll pay you back double in the future."
Lin Fan picked up the twenty thousand yuan and promised with gratitude.
Generally, he wouldn't easily borrow money from others, but if he did, even if the other party was his closest brother or friend, he would certainly pay it back. This had always been his principle.
"No problem. No time limit. You can pay it back whenever."
Zhou Yan waved his hand magnanimously, not caring at all. He then casually brought up another topic:
"By the way, since you're back, you must have quit your old job, right? What are you working as now?"
"Mmm… writing novels."
Lin Fan hesitated for a moment before answering truthfully.
"Huh?"
Zhou Yan's expression showed his shock, which was then replaced by a look of sudden understanding.
"No wonder you need to borrow money from me. So you're writing novels…
Lin Fan: "…"
Lin Fan was awkwardly silent, but he was powerless to refute it.
He did borrow money because he hadn't made any income from writing novels…
"Lin Fan, I don't mean to criticize, but you'd better just give up on writing novels. Writing novels is a dead end; you could starve to death one day."
"How about I introduce a new job for you?" Zhou Yan persuaded seriously.
Lin Fan didn't hesitate at all, shaking his head in immediate rejection.
"After traveling abroad for so long, I've grown fond of a free and unrestrained life."
"Sigh, alright then!"
Seeing Lin Fan's strong determination, Zhou Yan didn't try to persuade him further. He took out another twenty thousand yuan from his backpack.
"Here's another twenty thousand yuan. I'll give it to you too. You'll definitely need it later."
"This forty thousand yuan should be enough until you give up. When you can't hold out anymore, let me know."
Lin Fan: "…"
"Can you be a little more hopeful for me…"
Looking at the additional twenty thousand yuan on the table, Lin Fan felt touched and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Zhou Yan burst into laughter, patted Lin Fan's shoulder, put on a serious face, and corrected himself:
"Then let me correct myself, I believe you can definitely do it!"
With that, Zhou Yan struggled to hold back the corners of his mouth that were starting to lift in suppressed laughter.
Lin Fan had a helpless look on his face.
This guy didn't trust him at all, he was just enjoying the show…
Just as the two were talking, a waitress came over to their table with two lattes.
"Gentlemen, your two cups of pearl milk tea. Please enjoy."
The waitress placed the two lattes in front of Lin Fan and Zhou Yan respectively. When she handed the cup to Lin Fan, she even gave him an extra glance and a small smile.
"As expected, a man with a good physique is popular with women wherever they go… damn it!"
"Why didn't she smile at me! It seems I must schedule exercise into the agenda!"
Zhou Yan sipped his milk tea, his expression extremely serious.
"You can do it~"
Lin Fan lifted his milk tea and took a sip, offering encouragement with a smile.
He knew his brother too well. Since university, he had always been complaining about exercising, buying gym memberships wherever he went, but he never actually went.
"I'm really serious this time!"
Zhou Yan had a serious and determined look on his face. After hesitating for a moment, the topic of conversation suddenly shifted, and a bright smile appeared on his face.
"But today is a good day for us bros to reunite. Let's start tomorrow~"
"Today, we won't go home until we're drunk~!"
———-