Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

Just as Bai Li was about to leave, Wang Wei rushed out of the elevator.

"Holy crap! Brother Li! Wait for me!!"

He was panting heavily and covered in sweat.

Bai Li stepped on the brake and rolled down the car window.

"Let's talk on the bus."

Wang Wei paused for a moment, then grinned, revealing his signature憨厚 (honest and simple) smile: "Okay!"

Without any hesitation, he opened the passenger door and plopped down inside.

"Wow... this chair is so soft."

Wang Wei touched the center console, glanced at the two beautiful women in the back seat, and chuckled:

Hello, sisters-in-law.

Upon hearing Wang Wei mention "sisters-in-law," Bai Li gave Wang Wei a meaningful look, and Wang Wei immediately winked, as if to say, "Leave it to me."

Otherwise, how could the two of them get along?

That's what tacit understanding is—knowing each other's tricks without needing to communicate.

Zhang Qian blushed but did not refute.

Li Mengmeng gave a slightly disgruntled "they" as a greeting.

The car slid out of the parking space and headed towards the exit.

The atmosphere in the carriage only relaxed a little after they had completely left behind the group of students who were still standing there in a daze.

"That was so damn satisfying!"

Wang Wei fastened his seatbelt and slapped his thigh:

"You guys didn't see it just now, but when that idiot Zhao Gang was being pinned to the ground by the security guards, he was still pissing!"

"He's completely famous now, and he'll probably have to stay in a mental hospital for a while."

"but......"

Wang Wei turned his head and looked at Bai Li, who was driving. His small eyes, squeezed into slits by flesh, shimmered with a complex light.

There was a sense of loneliness and envy, but more than anything, there was excitement and relief.

"Brother Li, you're really awesome."

"Palamera... I can't even imagine it."

"We used to skip class together to go online. Who would have thought you'd be the most successful one in our class?"

Bai Li gripped the steering wheel, staring straight ahead, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Just lucky."

"Luck is also a form of ability." Wang Wei sighed and adjusted his seat back.

"Sigh, I thought I could finally make something of myself, but..."

"Forget it, let's not talk about it anymore. We didn't even get to eat the food that that jerk Zhao Gang made. Let's go get something to eat."

Bai Li glanced at him.

Wang Wei, though chubby in high school, had a bright look in his eyes and was always cheerful like a Maitreya Buddha.

But now, although the fat man is still smiling, the smile is only on the surface, and there is only despair in his eyes.

"Fatty," Bai Li suddenly spoke.

"what?"

"You just said you were on a diet?"

"Uh...yes." Wang Wei's eyes darted around, and he scratched his head. "I'm just too fat. I've developed high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. The doctor told me to lose some weight."

"fart."

Bai Li mercilessly exposed him: "A person's eyes can't hide anything."

Silence fell over the carriage.

The two girls in the back seat also stopped whispering and listened quietly.

Wang Wei opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but looking into Bai Li's eyes that seemed to see through everything, he could only smile bitterly in the end.

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you after all."

Wang Wei pulled out a crumpled pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from his pocket, intending to smoke them, but then glanced at the interior of the luxury car and the girl in the back seat, and withdrew his hand.

"Go ahead and smoke." Bai Li tossed him her cigarette pack.

Wang Wei took it, lit one, took a deep drag, and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, as if he wanted to expel all the pent-up emotions in his heart.

"I didn't want to say it, I was afraid of being embarrassed."

"As you know, I started dating right after graduating from university."

"Later, I set up a web series studio, which is to adapt novels into short dramas or comics."

"The profits were pretty good, just when I spent a lot of money to buy a new script..."

"That bitch..." Wang Wei's voice choked with emotion, "I gave her my heart, and I was thinking of saving enough money to get married."

"And what happened? Last month, she ran off with all the studio's cash flow and her 'white moonlight' (her first love/unrequited love)."

"Not only that, she also took out online loans using my ID card behind my back."

"I am now... not only penniless, but also heavily in debt."

In the end, this usually cheerful and optimistic person had tears in his eyes and his voice was trembling uncontrollably.

"Brother Li, sometimes I really want to... I really want to jump off the building and end it all."

"But I dare not. I still have my parents. If I die, they will have to bear all the debts."

Zhang Qian, sitting in the back seat, felt a pang of sadness.

She understands all too well the feeling of being betrayed by someone you trust, and being driven to the brink of despair by life.

If she hadn't met Bai Li, she might still be struggling in that quagmire, or even worse.

Bai Li understood perfectly; men understand men best...

This kind of thing is enough to shatter a man's illusions about love, and he may never believe in love again.

Even if he does manage to leave, he'll become a playboy who never opens his heart to women.

Bai Li reached out a hand and patted Wang Wei's shoulder heavily.

"It's alright, as long as my brothers are still here, that's enough."

Bai Li's voice was very steady, like a pillar of strength.

"Money can be earned back, and as long as you're alive, there's always a chance to turn things around."

"But..." Wang Wei wiped his face, "Hundreds of thousands, that's an astronomical figure for me."

"Alright." Bai Li interrupted him, stepped on the gas, and the Panamera roared onto the overpass.

"Let's talk about those unpleasant things later. I might actually be able to help you with this."

"Let's go get a good meal first, without all that fake sentimentality, just the few of us. That's what a real class reunion should be like."

Bai Li hadn't forgotten that when Lin Xiaoshuang's affection level reached 80, he rewarded her with the talent of a top-tier web series director.

"Where should we eat?" Wang Wei asked blankly.

"Let's go to Yutian Barbecue, the place we used to go to when we were in school." Bai Li looked at the two girls through the rearview mirror, and then at his brother beside him.

"Want to come together?"

Looking at Bai Li beside him, Wang Wei suddenly felt a lump in his throat, and tears streamed down his face.

That's what brothers are all about. They might have a sharp tongue normally, but in situations like this, they'll never look down on you, never abandon you, and never laugh at you.

Zhang Qian and Li Mengmeng in the back row exchanged a glance and both saw the smile in each other's eyes.

Li Mengmeng nodded: "Okay~"

Zhang Qian, on the other hand, had a look on her face that said, "I'm sticking with you no matter what."

"Wherever you go, I'll go."