Sent to the countryside, I turned the health center into a top-tier hospital.

"It's okay, when you get married again, I'll definitely remember and give you double." Old Liu awkwardly put away his phone!

Chen Ping glanced at the group, took out a cigarette and lit it for himself, without sharing with the others.

After taking a deep breath, he finally spoke: "Brothers, I remember our friendship, but I don't have any money, and Cui Ying isn't my girlfriend. We're just ordinary colleagues."

Everyone was stunned by Chen Ping's words, and then they all looked at Old Wang.

After all, it was Old Wang who told the three of them about this.

"Chen Ping, are you really willing to give up your girlfriend just to avoid borrowing money? Let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart."

When you were the purchasing director at the Municipal People's Hospital, did any of us ask you for a favor? No, right?

"Now that you've found a rich girlfriend, you're not happy about us lending you some money to tide you over?"

Old Wang was getting anxious, and his voice became very forceful.

Chen Ping smoked his cigarette without saying a word.

Seeing that Chen Ping remained silent, Old Wang spoke again, this time in a softer voice, as if pleading, "Chen Ping, we lived in the same dormitory for four years, ate from the same pot, and bathed in the same bathhouse."

Think about the brotherhood we've built over the years. Now that you're successful, don't forget your brothers.

Chen Ping looked at him, his expression growing colder and colder.

"I didn't become successful."

Chen Ping said calmly, "I'm divorced. I left with nothing, not a penny. I work at the health center, earning a little over three thousand a month, and I still owe money to others. How can I lend you money?"

Old Wang paused for a moment, but quickly continued, "You don't have money, but your girlfriend does. Aren't you two together?"

Isn't her money your money too? Besides, if you ask her, does she think she won't give it to you? With your relationship, lending her a few hundred thousand is nothing.

Old Liu nodded in agreement, "That's right, Chen Ping, don't try to play the poor card with us. That girl drives a Porsche, carries an LV bag, and has a nanny who drives a Mercedes. With those kinds of conditions, a few hundred thousand is nothing. We saw it all, so stop pretending."

Big Bear chimed in, "Chen Ping, stop with the nonsense. Just tell us if you'll help or not. Ten thousand yuan isn't much; it's just a matter of asking."

Zhang Hao put down his phone, crossed his hands on the table, and said in a slightly harsher tone, "Chen Ping, I'm not asking for money, I'm looking for a collaboration."

Your girlfriend's dad's company is quite well-known in Tianhai City. My engineering company is small, but it has the qualifications, the people, and the equipment; what it lacks is funding.

"You can act as a go-between for me. If it works out, I'll give you 20% of the shares. Where else can you find such a good deal?"

Chen Ping picked up his glass and downed the rest of his beer in one gulp.

The wine was cold, chilling him from his throat all the way down to his stomach, making him shiver.

He put down the cup, stood up, and said, "I told you, Cui Ying is not my girlfriend, I have no money, and it's impossible for me to ask her for money."

After saying that, Chen Ping picked up his coat from the back of the chair.

"Where are you going?" Old Wang was taken aback.

"I'm going back." Chen Ping draped his coat over his arm.

"Chen Ping!"

Old Wang slammed his hand on the table, causing the skewers on it to bounce and roll to the floor, untouched. "If you leave today, our brotherhood of so many years is over. Think it over carefully, is 200,000 more important than brotherhood?"

Old Liu also stood up, not as agitated as Old Wang, but his words were sharp: "Chen Ping, aren't you putting us in a difficult position? Zhang Hao came all the way from the provincial capital to see you, and this is your attitude?"

Da Xiong didn't stand up, but pointed at Chen Ping and said, "Chen Ping, you're not being fair."

Zhang Hao didn't move, sitting at the very back, looking at Chen Ping, and said his last words, "Chen Ping, think it over carefully. I won't force you. Call me anytime you've made up your mind."

Chen Ping stood by the table, watching them.

The faces of the four people were blurred in the smoke of the barbecue restaurant, as if they were separated by something.

He suddenly realized that he didn't recognize these people.

Or rather, he never really knew them.

He put on his coat, took out his wallet from his pocket, pulled out two hundred-yuan bills, and placed them on the table.

"This meal is on me, don't bother me again."

After Chen Ping finished speaking, he turned and left.

Old Wang's voice came from behind, urgent and angry, loud enough to be heard throughout the street, "Chen Ping! You're really leaving, aren't you? You've got guts! Don't regret it later!"

Chen Ping did not turn around.

He pushed open the door of the barbecue restaurant, and the night wind blew in, blowing on his face, feeling cool.

He took a deep breath, his lungs filled with cold air, which made him cough.

The streets were less crowded, and the streetlights were on, casting a long, solitary shadow of him.

He walked back along the road, his pace neither fast nor slow.

After walking a few steps, I took out my phone, glanced at it, and saw no new messages.

He put his phone back in his pocket and kept walking.

He didn't want to take a taxi; he just wanted to walk around quietly by himself.

I don't know when society started to become like this.

Brotherhood is worthless in the face of self-interest.

When I get married, no one comes; when I get divorced, no one knows; when I'm homeless, no one cares.

Once they found out they had a rich girlfriend, these guys swarmed over like cats drawn by the scent of fish.

How pathetic, how laughable...

Chen Ping walked slowly, lit another cigarette, took a deep drag, and then exhaled forcefully.

He wanted to vent all the frustration and unhappiness in his heart.

After walking for about ten minutes, my phone vibrated.

He took it out and saw that it was a message from Lao Wang, not text, but a voice message.

He didn't open it; he just deleted it.

Then I got another shock. It was a message from Lao Liu: "Chen Ping, Lao Wang drank too much. Don't take it to heart, but think about the money again. Everyone's struggling financially."

Chen Ping glanced at it for two seconds and typed a few words: "No need to consider it, I don't have any money."

After sending the message, he silenced his phone, put it back in his pocket, and quickened his pace to walk back.

One by one, the streetlights passed overhead, and his shadow moved from behind him to in front of him, and then from in front of him to behind him again.

He walked for more than half an hour until he reached the entrance of the residential area. The security guard recognized him but did not stop him.

He walked along the osmanthus tree and reached the villa entrance. The lights upstairs and in the living room were still on.

He rang the doorbell.

The door opened quickly, and Cui Ying stood in the doorway, wearing that white loungewear, her hair still loose.

She saw Chen Ping and looked him up and down, as if to make sure he wasn't drunk.

"Why are you back so soon?"

Chen Ping changed his shoes and went into the living room.

Cui Ying's mother wasn't there; she'd probably gone to her bedroom.

He sat on the sofa, leaned back, and closed his eyes.

Cui Ying walked over, sat down next to him, and smelled him.

"How much did you drink?"

Not many.

Chen Ping shook his head, then asked, "Is Uncle back?"

"Not yet." After saying that, Cui Ying looked at Chen Ping and asked, "What about your classmates? Did they leave?"

Chen Ping didn't speak, his eyes closed as if he was thinking about something.

Cui Ying looked at him for several seconds, then didn't ask any more questions.

She stood up, took a glass of warm water from the kitchen and placed it on the coffee table, then took a thin blanket and covered him with it.

Then she sat back on the sofa, leaned against the other armrest, hugged a cushion, and looked at him.

The living room was quiet.

The ticking of the clock on the wall, the hum of the refrigerator, and the low-frequency vibrations from some unknown appliance upstairs.

These sounds blended together, but instead of being noisy, they made people feel at ease.