“Fourth, you’re saying this villa is yours?” Cao Dayong asked incredulously.
Chen Xiao nodded and smiled, “How is it, quite spacious, isn’t it?”
“Don’t kid me… this villa must be tens of millions, where did you get so much money?” Cao Dayong didn’t believe Chen Xiao at all, thinking he had a bit to drink and was messing with him.
Chen Xiao thought for a moment and then said, “Well, it’s said this house can sell for over a hundred million, it’s indeed a bit expensive, but this house was given to me by someone, I didn’t spend a penny!”
Upon hearing this, Cao Dayong reached out and touched Chen Xiao’s forehead.
“I say, Fourth, did you take the wrong medicine, or drink fake liquor… who would give you such an expensive house? You’re bragging more and more, if you mess with me again, I’ll get angry!”
Chen Xiao smiled slightly, “It sounds quite absurd, but sometimes, the more absurd things are, the more they are the truth… Let’s go, come in with me first, and I’ll explain later.”
After speaking, Chen Xiao strode towards the villa.
The two security guards at the entrance, seeing Yang Zhen return, immediately straightened their backs and saluted, shouting in unison, “Hello, Mr. Yang!”
Seeing this, Cao Dayong was stunned again.
“This, this, this is actually true? This villa, it’s really Fourth’s!” Cao Dayong’s inner shock was beyond words. He thought that through years of hard work and struggle, his life had finally improved, and he had bought a house and a car with a loan. But compared to Chen Xiao, he even felt that life had become completely meaningless… This villa, he couldn’t afford it even if he worked for a lifetime, no, even for ten lifetimes…
Following Chen Xiao into the villa, Cao Dayong’s shock did not cease. It was getting late, and everyone had already gone to bed. Chen Xiao took Cao Dayong to the basement, where the soundproofing was good, so they could shout and yell as much as they wanted without disturbing anyone.
Chen Xiao arranged peanuts, sausages, and chicken feet on the table. As soon as the Erguotou was opened, a strong smell of cheap alcohol wafted towards them. According to the old rule, the two of them didn’t use cups and drank directly from the bottle.
Without any extra words, after taking half the bottle in one go, Cao Dayong rubbed two peanuts and popped them into his mouth. Chewing, he said, “Tell me, Fourth, where did you get this house? I guess it must be a wonderful story, and you have the story, and tonight we have the wine!”
“Damn, Third Brother, stop messing with me!” Chen Xiao cursed with a laugh, “If you were a girl, it would be fine, but you’re a grown man, what’s there to talk about…”
After a pause, Chen Xiao suddenly said casually, “I am Chen Laoda.”
“Oh… what?” Cao Dayong nodded, then finally reacted, his face filled with disbelief.
“You are the Jiangbei underground leader they talk about? Chen Xiao, are you telling the truth or lying?”
Chen Xiao looked at Cao Dayong seriously, “Do I look like I’m lying?”
Cao Dayong took a big gulp of white wine, trying to calm his nerves, but it was completely ineffective. His mind was in chaos, and he kept repeating to himself, “No wonder, no wonder…”
After a long while, Cao Dayong finally calmed down a bit, “You kid, what has happened to you all these years?”
Chen Xiao thought of the hundred years in his dream and said faintly, “A lot has happened.”
Cao Dayong sighed, “Alas, I thought my experiences over the years were quite rough, but compared to you, they are nothing. As the saying goes, a general’s success is built on the bones of countless soldiers. You must have paid a lot to reach your current position, right?”
Chen Xiao laughed heartily, “Third Brother, you watch too many gangster movies, don’t you? It’s not as formidable as you think. If I have to say anything, I can only say perhaps this is fate!” Although Cao Dayong and Chen Xiao were close brothers, Chen Xiao still didn’t intend to reveal some secrets to him. After all, he hadn’t even told his mother about those secrets. However, the more Chen Xiao spoke of it lightly, the more Cao Dayong thought he had guessed correctly.
“Brother, you’ve suffered a lot these years, but no matter what, you’ve finally made it! As your elder brother, congratulations!” Cao Dayong raised the wine bottle in his hand and took another large gulp.
Chen Xiao also raised his bottle and took a sip, saying, “Tell me about yourself, Third Brother, have you ever thought about continuing to be a doctor? You don’t need to worry about money at all, whatever you need, I have it.”
Cao Dayong thought seriously, and his expression showed his struggle. But in the end, he smiled and refused Chen Xiao’s kindness.
“Fourth, you have your destiny, and I have mine. I appreciate your kindness, but I still need to strive for my own life.”
“As long as you’ve made up your mind, remember to call me if you encounter any trouble in the future.” Seeing Cao Dayong say this, Chen Xiao didn’t insist. Everyone has their own path to walk, and he had no reason to dictate others’ lives. Sending charcoal in the snow was good, but it was unnecessary to chew the food for someone and feed it to them.
That night, the two brothers drank until dawn, talking about many things. However, most of it was reminiscing about the past, and there were some topics that Cao Dayong deliberately avoided mentioning. This made Chen Xiao respect Cao Dayong even more. If it were someone else, they would have seized such an opportunity to climb up. Cao Dayong didn’t do that because he knew that if he did, he might easily gain a life of wealth and status, but he would lose a lifelong good brother!
After drinking all night, Cao Dayong slept until the evening of the next day. By then, Chen Xiao was already dressed and ready, waiting for Cao Dayong to wake up so they could attend the class reunion together.
Cao Dayong, holding his throbbing head from the hangover, asked, “Fourth, are you sure you’re going to the class reunion today?”
“Of course, didn’t we agree?” Chen Xiao looked as if it were a matter of course.
“Alright.” Cao Dayong felt that with Chen Xiao’s current status, attending the class reunion might be too shocking.
At this moment, Chen Xiao suddenly said, “By the way, Third Brother, about what I told you last night, don’t mention it today, otherwise, we won’t be able to get along well with those old classmates.”
“No problem. By the way, Fourth, if Wang Dazhi also goes today, can you let him off the hook? After all, we were classmates, and it’s not good to make things too awkward,” Cao Dayong asked tentatively.
Chen Xiao smiled and replied, “Don’t worry, Third Brother. As long as he doesn’t come looking for trouble with me, I’ll pretend yesterday’s incident never happened! Besides, if I were to take him seriously, he would have been a corpse last night!”