"Waiter, two bubble teas, please. One extra sweet, one less sweet."
After exchanging pleasantries, Zhou Yan ordered two milk teas from the waiter. Then his expression turned serious as he looked at Lin Fan across from him.
"By the way, you said you needed to see me about something. What is it?"
Seeing Zhou Yan take the initiative to ask, Lin Fan did not beat around the bush and said frankly,
"I want to borrow twenty thousand yuan from you."
Zhou Yan was his closest friend. They knew each other so well that they even knew how many pairs of underwear the other owned and what colors he liked to wear. There was nothing to be embarrassed about.
Besides, Zhou Yan was different from him, an orphan. Both of Zhou Yan's parents held official civil service positions, and his grandparents owned several rental properties in Modu. He was a genuine second-generation rich kid—a detestable landlord.
Twenty thousand yuan might be no small sum to an ordinary person, but to Zhou Yan, it was nothing more than pocket money.
"That's all? It's just twenty thousand yuan. No big deal~"
The moment he heard that Lin Fan merely wanted to borrow money, Zhou Yan did not hesitate in the slightest. With a grand wave of his hand, he pulled out twenty thousand yuan in cash from the bag behind him and slapped it onto the table.
That extravagant gesture gave Lin Fan a fright.
"Why are you carrying so much cash around?"
Although he knew Zhou Yan was wealthy, he had never expected him to carry tens of thousands of yuan in cash with him.
After all, this was an era of mobile payments. Nearly everyone used their phones to shop, travel, and even transfer money.
Cash was inconvenient and unsafe, so very few people carried it when they went out these days, much less tens of thousands of yuan.
"The money on your phone is just a string of numbers. Only money you can hold in your hand is real money~"
"Listen. This is what money sounds like. I call it the most healing sound in the world~"
Zhou Yan grabbed the twenty thousand yuan in his hand and ran his fingers across the bills, producing a rustling flipping sound.
Looking at Zhou Yan, intoxicated by the sound, Lin Fan could not find a single word to refute him. He even found himself strangely agreeing with him.
Especially when he was so desperately short of money right now...
He had never thought money was all that wonderful before, but now, the sound of bills flipping felt like heavenly music. Maybe it could even cure depression on the spot...
"Here."
Zhou Yan placed the twenty thousand yuan on the table and pushed it toward Lin Fan.
"Thanks."
Lin Fan reached out to take it, only to discover that Zhou Yan's fingers were firmly pressing down on the bills.
Zhou Yan's joking demeanor vanished. With a serious expression, he looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then leaned over the table toward Lin Fan and asked in a low voice,
"Lin Fan, forget lending it to you—I'd be fine giving it to you as your brother. But tell me the truth. You haven't touched the white stuff, have you?"
Lin Fan rolled his eyes at Zhou Yan speechlessly.
"Do I look like someone who's touched that stuff?"
"Hmm... you really don't!"
Zhou Yan gave Lin Fan a serious once-over and shook his head.
People who had used the white stuff were often dazed, thin, and prone to going mad after being clean for a while. Then they would sink back into a listless state, neither human nor ghost.
Lin Fan, on the other hand, was full of energy and in excellent shape. No matter how Zhou Yan looked at him, he did not seem like someone who had touched that stuff.
"If it's not drugs, then what about gambling?" Zhou Yan continued asking, still unconvinced.
"No. You know gambling is what I hate most."
"That's true..."
Zhou Yan nodded, then began guessing to himself again.
"Then did you borrow money from some criminal gang and get forced into a high-interest loan?"
"No!"
Lin Fan frowned slightly, impatience showing on his face.
"Yanzi, are you lending it or not? Why are you asking so many questions? Are you checking my household registration?"
"Hehe, don't blame me for asking so much. You've never borrowed money from me before. I was just worried you might have gone down the wrong path."
Zhou Yan gave him an apologetic smile, also feeling that he might have asked a little too much.
Seeing that the other man was merely concerned about him, Lin Fan could not say much more. He only asked curiously,
"You've asked about gambling and drugs, and you even thought of loan sharks. Why didn't you ask about the remaining one?"
"That one? That's fine. How much money could that possibly cost?"
Zhou Yan froze for a moment, then realized what Lin Fan meant. His expression was utterly unconcerned.
"If you like that, I'll take you to get a foot massage later. I'll arrange ten for you!"
Lin Fan: "..."
"Forget it, forget it..."
Lin Fan was left speechless. He quickly waved his hand in refusal and casually came up with an excuse.
"I only borrowed money from you because I spent it all by accident while traveling. Don't overthink it."
"You should've said so earlier. Now I can relax."
Zhou Yan was relieved and finally removed his fingers from the twenty thousand yuan.
"Here, take it~"
"Thanks. I'll pay you back double later."
Lin Fan accepted the twenty thousand yuan and made his promise gratefully.
He normally would not casually borrow money from others, but once he did, he would definitely repay it, even if the lender was his closest friend. That had always been his principle.
"It's fine. There's no deadline. Pay it back whenever you want."
Zhou Yan waved his hand grandly, completely unconcerned, then casually changed the subject.
"Now that you're back, you probably quit your old job, right? What are you doing now?"
"Hmm... writing novels."
Lin Fan hesitated for a moment before answering truthfully.
"Huh?"
Zhou Yan looked startled, then suddenly wore an expression of realization.
"No wonder you needed to borrow money from me. So you're writing novels..."
Lin Fan: "..."
Lin Fan fell into an awkward silence, but he had no strength to argue back.
He really had come to borrow money because writing novels had not made him any money...
"Lin Fan, it's not that I want to criticize you, but you should give up writing novels. Writing novels is a dead end. You might even starve to death someday."
"How about I introduce you to another job?" Zhou Yan advised seriously.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Fan decisively shook his head.
"I've traveled for too long. I like living freely."
"Sigh, fine!"
Seeing how determined Lin Fan was, Zhou Yan stopped trying to persuade him. He pulled another twenty thousand yuan from his backpack.
"There's another twenty thousand yuan here. I'll give it to you too. You'll probably need it later."
"This forty thousand yuan should last until you give up. When you can't keep going anymore, just tell me."
Lin Fan: "..."
"Can't you hope for the best for me..."
Looking at the other twenty thousand yuan on the table, Lin Fan felt both touched and amused.
Zhou Yan laughed heartily and slapped Lin Fan on the shoulder. His expression turned serious as he changed his words.
"Then let me rephrase that. I believe you can definitely do it!"
After saying that, Zhou Yan desperately suppressed his upturned lips, trying not to laugh.
Lin Fan looked utterly helpless.
This guy did not believe in him at all. He was just enjoying the spectacle...
As the two talked, the waiter arrived at the table carrying two cups of latte coffee.
"Sir, your two bubble teas. Please enjoy."
The waiter placed the two cups of latte coffee in front of Lin Fan and Zhou Yan respectively. When she handed Lin Fan his, she deliberately gave him an extra glance and smiled faintly at him.
"Sure enough, men with good bodies are popular with women everywhere... Damn it!"
"Why didn't she smile at me? Looks like I need to put working out on the agenda!"
Zhou Yan took a sip of his milk tea, his expression extremely serious.
"Good luck~"
Lin Fan raised his milk tea, took a light sip, and encouraged him with a smile.
He knew his friend too well. Ever since college, Zhou Yan had constantly talked about working out. He got a gym membership wherever he went, but never actually showed up.
"This time, I'm absolutely serious!"
Zhou Yan looked solemn and earnest. After hesitating for a moment, however, he suddenly changed the subject and broke into a bright smile.
"But today is a good day for us brothers to reunite, so let's start tomorrow instead~"
"Tonight, we drink until we drop~!"
Before you continue