Cheng Xiaofan met someone at the Tang Dynasty Grand Hotel who turned out to be his college classmate, Li Weiguo.
Like Cheng Xiaofan, Li Weiguo was a poor kid from the countryside.
They had always been very good friends, as close as brothers.
However, in their third year of university, Li Weiguo’s father fell seriously ill and passed away, leaving the family with a heavy debt. He was forced to drop out and return home.
Years later, Cheng Xiaofan never expected to encounter him in Sakura Country.
"Li Weiguo, you're working here as a waiter?" Cheng Xiaofan asked curiously, noticing he was wearing a waiter's uniform with a towel draped over his right shoulder.
Li Weiguo, still looking as honest and simple as he did in college, scratched the back of his head and grinned, saying, "This hotel is mine. I'm the owner!"
Cheng Xiaofan laughed, "That's strange. If you're the owner, why are you wearing a waiter's uniform and doing a waiter's job?"
Li Weiguo chuckled, "The hotel was short of staff, and I wanted to hire someone, but the wages were too high. It's hard to make money these days, so I had to step in and fill the gap!"
Hearing this, Cheng Xiaofan looked around and said jokingly, "Li Weiguo, your business seems to be booming. Are you pretending to be poor, or what? I'm not going to ask you for money!"
Li Weiguo gave a wry smile and said, "Old classmate, it's a bit of a joke to tell. To be honest, this hotel originally belonged to my uncle."
"Not long after I dropped out and returned home, it was one misfortune after another. My mother passed away. I worked for people in nearby towns, working day and night without rest. After a few years, I finally paid off all the family debts."
"A little over two years ago, my uncle, whom I hadn't contacted for years, called me from Sakura Country. He said he was getting old and didn't have the energy to run his hotel anymore and wanted me to help him manage it."
"Under those circumstances, I came to Sakura Country. My uncle handed the entire hotel over to me, but then he suddenly disappeared."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Xiaofan seemed to sense something and asked with a frown, "And then?"
"Later, I found out that my uncle was a compulsive gambler. He had squandered all his assets and owed a large sum of money to others."
"When I took over the hotel, I realized it was just an empty shell. According to Sakura Country's laws, I became the legal representative of the hotel and was obligated to gradually repay all the debts my uncle owed, both principal and interest."
"..." Cheng Xiaofan was speechless.
To think that such an uncle existed in this world!
Li Weiguo had truly fallen into a pit of misfortune. After clearing his family debts, he had now taken on his uncle's debts in Sakura Country.
"How much do you still owe?" Cheng Xiaofan asked.
He wanted to help his old classmate settle all the debts at once.
Li Weiguo gave a bitter smile and said, "It's still over ten million yuan in Renminbi. If I can hold on for a few more years, I should be able to pay off the principal and interest."
Cheng Xiaofan smiled and said, "Old classmate, I'll give you twenty million to clear these debts as soon as possible!"
Li Weiguo was stunned for a moment, then he smiled again, "Xiaofan, don't joke with me. I know your family's financial situation wasn't great either. I heard someone say that after graduating from university, you worked for a big company but were squeezed out and returned to your village."
"Let alone you can't afford this money, even if you could, I wouldn't accept it!"
Cheng Xiaofan asked, "I can afford this money, so why can't you accept it?"
Li Weiguo sighed, "It's hard to survive these days. You should save this money for your future, for starting a family and a career. With your talent, you shouldn't be buried in a remote village for your whole life!"
Cheng Xiaofan burst into laughter and pointed to Bai Yiling beside him, smiling at Li Weiguo, "Li Weiguo, you underestimate me too much. I have a goddess like this by my side, and I'm not short of money!"
"..." Li Weiguo seemed to notice Bai Yiling for the first time.
How had Cheng Xiaofan, who was from a village, managed to get involved with such a beautiful woman?
Judging by the aura she exuded, she was definitely a goddess among goddesses!
He looked at Bai Yiling several times, his eyes wide like a fool's. He stared at Cheng Xiaofan for a long time before saying with heartfelt pain, "Cheng Xiaofan, Cheng Xiaofan, you've always been a bright and positive classmate in my heart!"
"You... you..."
Although Li Weiguo didn't say it directly, his meaning was clear.
You, Cheng Xiaofan, are so outstanding, how did you end up as a typical man who lives off his woman!
Cheng Xiaofan understood his classmate's implication from his tone.
He deliberately said, "Li Weiguo, listen to me. People should learn to adapt to circumstances at any time. As the ancients said, the wise man understands the times!"
"I don't want to hear it!"
Li Weiguo sighed, "Cheng Xiaofan, we haven't seen each other for years, and I find you've changed so much I can barely recognize you."
"Do you know how much I admired you when we were in college?"
"But—"
He asked unwillingly, "Xiaofan, tell me, did you suffer a major blow after being ostracized?"
Cheng Xiaofan shook his head and laughed, "I didn't suffer any blow. At worst, I went back to the village to farm. I've been living very well in the village these past few years."
"If I hadn't returned to the countryside, I wouldn't have had the chance to meet my goddess Bai!"
"Li Weiguo, get out here, old man!" As soon as Cheng Xiaofan finished speaking, a bald burly man with a pencil mustache entered from outside, smoking a cigarette.
He was followed by six young men with dyed red hair, dressed in kimonos, swaggering as they walked, looking like they were up to no good.
Upon seeing the bald man, Li Weiguo's face turned pale.
He hurried forward, took out two packs of cigarettes from behind the counter, and offered them with a fawning smile, carefully saying, "Mr. Jiushan, what a rare visitor. How come you have time to bring friends to my humble establishment today?"
*Slap!*
The bald man, addressed as Jiushan, slapped Li Weiguo hard across the face.
"Baga!"
Jiushan then kicked Li Weiguo in the abdomen, knocking him to the ground, and snarled, "Are you pretending to be ignorant? It's time to pay protection fees, and I'm here to collect today!"
Li Weiguo struggled to get up from the ground, clutching his abdomen, and said with a hint of pain, "Mr. Jiushan, didn't you just collect protection fees half a month ago?"
"Honestly, if you keep collecting like this, my hotel can't afford it and will have to declare bankruptcy!"
"You dare to talk back to me, you brat?"
Jiushan raised his hand and slapped Li Weiguo again, shouting, "Listen to me! My idol, Watanabe Iwao, and his Bat Gang were annihilated today, and I'm in a very bad mood. Don't pester me, just hand over the protection money!"
"If you anger me, do you believe I'll smash your hotel!"
"Smash it then, let me see!" At this moment, Bai Yiling stood up from her seat and said coldly to Jiushan.