14: I wish we had met sooner.

Wu Fan stopped walking. "What is it? You want to go too?"

Dai Mao gave a shifty smile and said, "As expected of the beauty at One Foot Sea Bar. I'm very curious and want to go take a look."

Wu Fan got on his electric scooter. "Suit yourself. I'm leaving first."

Dai Mao shouted, "Brother Fan, can't you wait for me for a bit? The game is about to end!"

Wu Fan ignored him, having already plunged into the night.

When he walked into the bar, Qian Ning was performing "About Winter" on stage.

Gently I will leave you, please wipe the tears from the corners of your eyes. In the long night, in the days to come, my dear, don't cry for me... Her unique voice gave the song a distinct feeling.

Wu Fan walked straight to yesterday's spot and sat down.

Fei Wei walked over and curiously asked, "Wu Fan, what's going on? Did you bring your own guitar to perform tonight?"

Wu Fan placed the guitar in the corner. "Stop teasing me. If I could play the guitar, I wouldn't still be single right now."

Fei Wei sat down next to him, opened a beer, took a sip, and continued to ask, "Got a story there, huh? This guitar isn't meant for me, is it?"

Wu Fan pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "You're thinking too much. I could give it to you, but only if you waive the 150,000 I owe you. Deal?"

When Wu Fan divorced, his Ex-Wife left him the house but demanded he pay her 150,000.

If Wu Fan had sued in court at the time, he definitely wouldn't have needed to pay that money, as Liu Yue was the party at fault.

But Wu Fan didn't do that; he chose to pay the money.

Wu Fan didn't want to face the woman he had once deeply loved in court, and he wanted a complete break with her.

It was just 150,000; he just had to borrow it from Boss Fei.

Several years had passed since then, and he still hadn't repaid it.

Fei Wei laughed heartily. "You still remember owing me 150,000?"

Wu Fan formally poured Fei Wei a drink and respectfully offered a toast. "Having a brother like you in life is worth it."

Fei Wei's eyes reddened, and he became emotional. "When I opened the bar back then, I borrowed from all my relatives and friends, but no one trusted me. Only you gave me 100,000 without hesitation. I'll take this chance today to toast you in thanks."

He raised his glass and drained it.

Wu Fan hugged him, patting him on the back.

Good brothers, for life.

This was the first hug since the two of them had met, and the first time they had spoken so frankly about the past involving "money."

After Fei Wei went back to work, Wu Fan pulled out his phone, first transferred him 80,000, and then, after waiting for the cashback, transferred another 80,000. The 150,000 debt was settled.

The extra 10,000 was interest, just like when he had repaid Wu Fan years ago.

Wu Fan specifically only offered 10,000 in interest. Knowing Fei Wei, he definitely wouldn't accept more.

Fei Wei was slow to realize what happened, and when he discovered the money, he quickly ran over and asked in surprise, "Wu Fan, what's going on? Where did this money come from?"

Wu Fan said calmly, "The house back home was demolished, and I got some compensation money."

Fei Wei stared, his face full of doubt. "Is that true or false?"

Wu Fan exhaled a puff of smoke and said, "It's true, but it's not much, just under a million in compensation. My parents wired me 800,000, which is enough for me to live comfortably for a few years. But you have to keep this a secret for me, understand? To avoid unnecessary trouble. Even the gods don't know yet, and now you know, hehe."

Upon hearing this, Fei Wei nodded repeatedly. "Brother, rest assured completely. My mouth is sealed tight."

Wu Fan patted his shoulder. "Go ahead and accept the money."

"Alright."

Today, Qian Ning was wearing a white hoodie, casual pants, and skate shoes, looking very youthful.

She came down from the stage and walked toward their table.

Wu Fan leaned in and whispered to Fei Wei, "Brother, Qian Ning is here. Give me a chance; you can leave now."

Fei Wei glanced at Wu Fan in surprise, then secretly gave him a thumbs-up, turned around, and walked onto the stage.

He slung on the guitar, and Grass Chicken started playing the drum kit, preparing to perform Beyond's "No Longer Hesitating" together.

Qian Ning sat down, poured herself a glass of beer, and took a sip.

Wu Fan looked up at her somewhat indifferent face and asked, "What's wrong? Do you have something on your mind?"

Qian Ning smiled faintly and said, "Who doesn't have something on their mind?"

Wu Fan nodded. "There are many kinds of worries, but if it's about love, it's the hardest to cure."

Qian Ning's eyes darkened slightly, and she remained silent.

Clearly, what was on her mind was related to love.

Wu Fan refilled her glass with beer and sighed. "Forgetting someone is both difficult and simple. Starting a new relationship should be the best choice."

Qian Ning shook her head, and after a long pause, said, "Loving someone is so hard."

Wu Fan said, "We count as friends, right?"

Qian Ning curiously countered, "Why wouldn't we be?"

Wu Fan raised his glass, clinked it against hers, and after draining his drink, said, "As a friend, I don't want to ask what exactly happened to you in the past. Perhaps one day, when the time is right, you will naturally tell me. Right now, I just want to say one thing: when you're sad, play the guitar and sing a happy song, okay?"

He stood up, picked up the guitar resting in the corner, and handed it to her. "This is for you."

Qian Ning was clearly very surprised and didn't react immediately.

Wu Fan smiled and said, "It's purely a friend's blessing. Don't overthink it."

Only then did Qian Ning accept the guitar, immediately taking it out of the guitar case.

After inspecting it, her eyes shone brightly. "A fine instrument."

She said somewhat excitedly, "Wu Fan, I'll make an exception today and let you request a song. I'll go on stage and play and sing it for you using this guitar."

Wu Fan thought for a moment and said, "I'm honored. Would 'Ten Thousand Reasons' be alright?"

Qian Ning strummed the strings. "Of course, it is."

A rare, brilliant smile appeared on her face.

Wu Fan's breath hitched. Her smile was truly beautiful.

When Fei Wei and Grass Chicken finished their performance, Qian Ning, carrying the guitar, slowly walked onto the stage.

As soon as the patrons saw the beautiful woman return to the stage, a burst of enthusiastic applause and whistles immediately erupted.

Qian Ning, for the first time ever, picked up the microphone and said, "This song is specifically dedicated to a friend in the audience. Although we only met recently, I feel like we met too late. This might be the greatest reward I've gained from performing on this island."

She strummed the strings, glanced at Wu Fan, and began to sing:

Just when the relationship reached a point where it couldn't be saved, and you decided to leave, you asked me to find a reason to make you stay, but in the end, I still let you go. You said not to shed tears when breaking up...

"Brother Fan, nice work. That guitar was worth it." Dai Mao had arrived next to Wu Fan without him noticing.

He casually sat down, opened a bottle of beer, took a few sips, and continued, "Brother Fan, the girl on stage is gorgeous. I figured anyone you'd be willing to spend that much money on a guitar for must be an unparalleled beauty. I guessed correctly."

...