18: Chapter 18 My Unlucky Brother Actually Knows the Golden God

Wang Qiao rented a high-end apartment in a bustling area.

When Lin Ning arrived, Wang Qiao was packing his luggage with red and swollen eyes.

Looking at the two-bedroom apartment that looked like a typhoon had passed through, Lin Ning pulled Wang Qiao—who had been talking since opening the door—to sit on the rug between the coffee table and the sofa. He reached into the shopping bag he brought and took out two cans of beer.

"Tell me about it." Lin Ning opened a food container and pinched a piece of pig's ear with his hand.

Wang Qiao frowned. "Hey, use chopsticks! That's so dirty!"

Lin Ning laughed. "Still in the mood to be picky? Seems like you're doing okay."

That one sentence made Wang Qiao lose his spirit. He abandoned his upright posture and slumped back against the sofa with a long sigh. "Sigh..."

Seeing him like that, Lin Ning opened a beer and shoved it into Wang Qiao's hand. "Should I call Fengzi over too? So he can help you act out an eight o'clock melodrama?"

Wang Qiao said, "...Him help me? He'd more likely beat me to death!"

Lin Ning nodded. Not bad, he still has a clear sense of reality.

"Go ahead, you'll feel better if you say it. We used to forbid you from talking about anything regarding you and your girlfriend, but today I'm breaking that rule. You'd better seize the opportunity."

Wang Qiao took a gulp of beer, and his first sound was a whimper. "Waaah... Guoguo is gone..."

Lin Ning asked, "Did she find a new sucker?"

Wang Qiao choked up. "That man isn't good to her!"

Lin Ning countered, "But he spends money on her, and more than you ever did!"

Wang Qiao grumbled, "What exactly are you here for? Aren't you here to comfort me?"

Lin Ning rolled his eyes. "I'm here for the drama. I've been even more miserable than you lately, so I wanted to find some entertainment to cheer myself up!"

Wang Qiao: "..."

Wang Qiao put aside his dissatisfaction and showed a concerned expression. "Has the lawyer I introduced not helped you with the extension yet? You... your dad... no, don't worry too much. I can support you a little every month from now on. Now that Guoguo and I have broken up, I'll have some left over after paying my old loans."

As he spoke, he looked around at his former love nest. "I've canceled the lease on this place too. I'll rent somewhere cheaper, and I'll have even more left over. As brothers, we can help each other out; we'll get through this somehow."

Looking at Wang Qiao, Lin Ning felt too embarrassed to continue his sharp-tongued remarks.

He reached out and ruffled Wang Qiao's hair, smiling. "You're still in the mood to worry about me? I've already set up an installment plan. I pay a little every month, so I can afford it now."

Wang Qiao managed a grin. "That's good then. We all need to be okay."

Hearing his words, Lin Ning frowned.

Back then, Wang Qiao was the recognized school grass of their university—the kind of clean-cut guy with delicate features that girls like. Although he was the shortest in their dorm, he was still 1.8 meters tall.

But looking at him now, his posture was hunched, and his face and hair, which he used to groom meticulously every day, were messy and unkempt.

Lin Ning felt frustrated by his lack of resolve. "What kind of spell did that woman put on you? It's not like you haven't seen beautiful women before. You know her character better than anyone after being with her every day. She's a woman who only cares about money, with no morals and no heart. Is she really worth it? You slept together for four years; you've experienced everything there is to experience. Why are you still acting so devoted?"

Wang Qiao argued, "We once had the purest love. Can you please not talk about that beautiful memory like that?"

The answer "No" was written clearly across Lin Ning's face.

Wang Qiao's resolve weakened. "Fine, say whatever you want."

Lin Ning certainly intended to.

"Because of her, you've ruined your most precious years. You took out loans to pay off her debts and maxed out your credit cards to satisfy her vanity. If she had even the slightest intention of building a life with you, would she have ruined you like this? You even forgave her for cheating several times. What's the deal? Is she made of diamonds, or did you kill her entire family in a past life?"

"This time, if she gets dumped again and comes back to you, and you damn well reconcile with her, then don't contact us anymore. We can't take it!"

Wang Qiao said sorrowfully, "She won't be back. She's pregnant and getting married to that man."

Lin Ning was both speechless and wanted to laugh. "...Well, seems like the heavens have opened their eyes and let you off the hook."

Then, thinking of something, he asked, "How rich is that guy?"

Wang Qiao thought for a moment. "Pretty rich, I guess. I heard his grandfather's and maternal grandfather's families combined gave him nearly thirty houses from demolition compensation, plus a lot of money. He's the only child in his family."

Lin Ning couldn't help but mock him, "You sure did your research on your rival."

Then he brought up the business he just thought of. "Then go ask that woman for your money back. All the debt you owe was spent on her. If they don't pay up, go sue them."

Wang Qiao shook his head. "Forget it!"

Seeing Lin Ning about to get angry again, he quickly said, "I don't want to have any more entanglements with her. Lin Zi, I don't want to either, but if I mess up her marriage and she comes back to me, I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself and will forgive her."

Lin Ning was both angry and amused. He took a long gulp of beer. After all, this was his brother's own life.

Wang Qiao was an adult too, so Lin Ning decided not to advise him any further.

If you set aside that woman, Wang Qiao was actually a fairly rational and clever person. If it weren't for her, Wang Qiao would probably be one of the most successful people from their university class.

Wang Qiao was extremely good at socializing. He had a natural affinity and temperament that made it easy for him to make friends with people from different social classes and circles and then blend in.

Lin Ning sighed and lamented, "Is the feng shui in our dorm bad? Except for Fengzi, the three of us feel like we're 'not going to end well'."

Wang Qiao: "..."

Thinking about it, it really was true. He was stuck in Guoguo's quagmire, Lin Ning was stabbed in the back by his closest relatives, and Zhang Xueheng, not accepted by society or his family, had gone abroad.

Wang Qiao asked, "Should we go and pray?"

Lin Ning was speechless. "Is it useful for you to pray to Mazu every day?"

Wang Qiao got a bit angry. "Mazu told me every time that Guoguo was a rejected divination, but I didn't listen. And this time Mazu took Guoguo away directly, she's saving me!"

Lin Ning: "..."

You really can't say a single bad word about Mazu to a Fujianese person.

Lin Ning changed the subject. "Cough, do you have any news about Zhang Xueheng?"

Wang Qiao shook his head. "No. Since he left a message saying he was going abroad, there's been no news. He hasn't replied to any social media or messaging apps."

Lin Ning sighed. Forget it, just drink. His gloominess levels had reached their peak today; no need to add more.

Along with the cold dishes, the two of them finished all the beer Lin Ning brought and even drank two bottles of red wine that Wang Qiao had saved but Guoguo hadn't taken because she didn't like them.

The next morning, he was woken up by a full bladder.

Walking out of the room in a daze, he found that the living room had been tidied up. Trash bags were tied up by the door, clutter was categorized, and the floor had been mopped.

He praised with a raspy voice, "Old Wang has returned to the human world; the housework master is online."

"Lin Zi is awake?" Wang Qiao stood up from the sofa and turned to look at him. "Come here, let me introduce a friend to you."

Lin Ning was pulled over by Wang Qiao, who introduced him to the man opposite. "This is my friend, Tao Shuyu. Shuyu, this is my university brother, Lin Ning."

Lin Ning rubbed his eyes. Just as he was about to say hello, his gaze fell upon the head of the man named Tao Shuyu, and he instantly became wide awake. Gold. The light was so bright it made his eyes ache, and he subconsciously squinted.

A dazzling, almost tangible golden halo enveloped that line of text: [Tao Shuyu, Independent Investor]

"Hello." Tao Shuyu stood up and reached out with a smile. In a white shirt and casual pants, he had a gentle and elegant temperament, but his eyes were exceptionally bright, as if they could see through one's heart.

Lin Ning shook hands mechanically, his throat dry. "He... Hello."

Only one thought was in his mind: Holy crap, where did Wang Qiao meet such a golden, shining big shot?