Seventeenth Day (4) Reversal of Fortune

  The little fatty swaggered over with a wine glass in hand, his mouth mixing English words, looking pleased with himself, and even beckoned with his hand, as if he were a big director walking the red carpet. His face showed three parts satisfaction and seven parts arrogance, with an air of "I'm the only one who's talented" that kept flashing across his face.

  Honestly, with this expression, it's enough to give him two slaps.

  Sometimes people are really helpless, I'm really angry, and I also really want to hit someone, but I couldn't, because each of them has good intentions towards me, they're all my friends.

  But can friends just do everything without responsibility?

  We were in the dining hall of the inn, everyone else had gone to sleep, only our group was left. I looked at each person's expression, Xia Ai was angry, Xiao Pang was complacent, Xiao Bu Dian's face was full of excitement, Er Lüzi was surprisingly calm, with a look like when he was a child king.

  Hasn't everyone changed after all these years?

  I looked at Xiaopang, and I really wanted to know why they had to scare me like this. If there was no noble reason for this, I might have left in anger.

  Xiao Pang didn't realize the anger in my heart, he came to me with a smug expression, laughing and saying: "This isn't a bad idea, it's a great idea, only a genius could come up with this. If I tell you our plan, you'll definitely think it's all worth it. Right? Don't believe me, ask them, isn't my idea awesome? Can't it bring benefits to all our fellow villagers?"

  The two donkeys said, come on, hurry up and speak, Little Dingding is getting angry, can't you see?

  Little fatty looked at me and smiled, saying "You're not really angry, are you?" Xiao Ai, hurry up and coax him, hurry up and coax him. You've been complaining about Ding Gege every day, now that you see him, why aren't you talking to him? How fast have your feelings progressed these days? Now you're cooing over each other, tomorrow you'll be getting a marriage certificate.

  Xiao Ai raised her hand and said, "Do you believe I'll hit you?"

  The little fatty stuck out his tongue, then gently clinked his wine glass with mine and said, what's there to be angry about, it's all for the sake of art, you're sacrificing yourself for art. Just say, aren't you very scared, very believing in all this?

  I saw him take a sip of wine, his head shaking back and forth, with an air of complacency all over his face. I said, actually if it weren't for the fact that I'm still not sure whether you're my illusion or not, I should really give you a punch and beat you up. Otherwise, I might as well just beat you into a vegetative state, which would also count as helping you achieve your wish.

  I stood up and rolled up my sleeves. The little fatty retreated a few steps, then said, "Right, right, this is the effect we want. When you're in a situation, you can't see it clearly, but all of this is just a game we're playing with you."

  You said game? With just these two words, I should beat you to death. It seems that being a vegetable is no longer enough for you. Right?

  Two donkeys haha laughed, then kicked Xiao Pang'er in the back and said, "I'll do it for you." Good brothers haven't seen each other for many years, don't be angry, don't be angry. Xiao Pang'er, stop pretending to be a judge, hurry up and speak, otherwise no one will care if you get beaten.

  The little fatty picked up the cup of white wine and said to me, "Sorry, sorry, I apologize. Let's drink first as a sign of respect."

  I watched Xiaopang drink that glass of wine with a sincere face, and I felt a bit embarrassed to hold my face up, so I took a sip too, then said, "Is all this fake?"

  Xiao Pang said, "Of course it's fake. Where would there be so many ghosts and gods?" (I can still live for 30 days Chapter 107).

  I said, why did you guys want to... scare me.

  Xiao Pang said, "We're not just trying to scare you or play a joke on you. We've brought you back because there's something big waiting for you." Right? After so many years of being good brothers, reuniting is definitely going to lead to something earth-shattering. Where should I start telling the story from? I got a bit drunk, and it's a long story... where do you want me to begin?

  I'm saying, let me confirm one thing first, are you guys for real? Those curses of yours... You're a vegetable, you're paralyzed, and you... aren't you dead or something?

  Xiao Budo walked over with a smile and said, "Do I look like I'm dead? Let me bounce for you, bounce once and take a look, very lively."

  Xiao Bu Dian jumped up and down, looking like a monkey. Xiao Pang Er laughed and said, "We're all jumping around, I guarantee you're not hallucinating now." Really, or else bite yourself. Xiao Ai, go ahead and bite him.

  Xiao Ai was beside me, and I had just played a missionary with Feng Yue. She suddenly bit my arm without thinking, then spat it out and said, "It's so salty."

  This mouth really hurts, it seems it's not an illusion.

  I said, Second Donkey, I clearly went to your house and saw you, at that time I also saw Auntie. Auntie also said the same thing, could it be that Auntie's acting skills are so good?

  The two donkeys laughed and said, of course, I was not doing well in the past few years, just messing around with my brother-in-law in society, my mom was worried. It's not that we heard that we are going to do something serious now, so I said whatever it takes to cooperate with me. That day was just deceiving you.

  I said, Xiao Pang, even if Auntie cheated me, you saw it in the hospital, can't that hospital cheat me? Is it your family's hospital?

  The little fatty nodded solemnly and said, "It's really opened by my family."

  He smiled complacently and said, "You don't know, do you? This chain of urology clinics was opened by my family. I'm the general manager now, and also the largest investor in our business. Don't ask about these things anymore, hurry up and ask what kind of business we're going to do."

  I took a glance at Xiaobudian and Xiao Ai, it's clear that their curse is just an act without needing to ask. Since Xiaopang was eager for me to ask what they were going to do, I naturally wouldn't ask.

  He scared me for so many days, and I just want to suffocate him.

  I say, this thing is not right, absolutely not right. I received a time-space capsule for my birthday last year, did you guys start planning from that time? But why did it take eleven months to find me?

  Xiao Pang was about to proudly announce his grand plan, but I didn't ask him, so he swallowed the words and looked somewhat sulky. He sat down and told Xiao Ai, "You, as the secretary and financial director, can take care of this matter."

  Xiao Ai gave him a glance, then said, "Indeed, we started planning it a year ago. We came back a year ago and dug out the time-space capsule under this tree, and then conceived the idea of finding you. We reconnected with Uncle and Auntie, learned that you are a writer, got your address, and then sent you the modified time-space capsule by express delivery. Since then, our great director began his sinister plan."

  Xiao Pang'er laughed and said, "That's called a genius plan. You ask me quickly, what kind of genius plan I have."

  I coughed and said, I don't have any problems anymore. Anyway, you guys just tricked me into coming back to eat and drink together.

  Others really cooperated, cheering and starting to eat and drink wildly. Everyone came and went in an instant, and two bottles of white wine were drunk. Each person was drunk.

  At this moment, I am truly delighted. All of this is fake, which means not only will I not die, but my friends are also safe and sound here. We are eating to our heart's content, savoring every bite, and all our worries have been cast aside. Even the ticking sound in my ear has disappeared.

  After drinking for a long time and talking about many past things, I just didn't ask Xiao Pang what his plans were or why he wanted to scare me so much.

  Finally, Xiao Pang couldn't bear it anymore. He hesitated for half a day, picked up his wine glass and said to me, "If I drink this wine, will you let me say it out loud? Please, I'm about to suffocate."

  I also think it's almost time, I said to him, okay, drink and then speak.

  The little fatty drank the wine and patted his belly, saying with satisfaction: "I'm rich now, this isn't bragging. The family business is lucrative, my personal assets are... well, I won't mention the exact figures, but it's in the tens of millions." When people get rich, they become nostalgic. I'm not someone who forgets their roots after getting rich, I'm a very sentimental person and often think about the past. This place used to be our home, but later it was abandoned and nobody lived here anymore. We had a reunion once before, maybe a year ago, when we organized a gathering of friends. Everyone lives in the nearby towns and cities, but even so, it's not easy to see each other, right?

  A few people nodded, and the second donkey said that we really drank a lot that time, more than this time. Big love was also there. As we talked, we mentioned you. Although you left early, but you are in my brother's heart. Only Xiaoyi misses you the most, thinking of you for so many years without forgetting, and it was she who brought up your name at that time, right, Xiaoyi?

  Two donkeys patted their own chests, I was drunk and my emotions were at their most sensitive. I walked over and hugged him, then several people hugged together. Xiao Ai hugged my back and secretly pinched me once. That pinch was very light, as if to express how much she had missed me all these years, and also expressed how wronged she felt.

  I turned around and gave Xia Ai a big hug, until people behind me started cheering that I let go.

  The two donkeys said, "Xiao Ai misses you the most. For so many years, I've been thinking of you all the time." I said, "This time when you come back, let's get Xiao Ai married off!"

  Xiao Ai's face turned red as she lowered her head and said, "You're talking nonsense again, I'll beat you to death."

  Two donkeys stuck out their tongues and said, "Look, this is still shy. Who's always saying that Brother Ding is tall and short? This time the script was given to you, and you even modified it once, pretending to be a great lover. Why do you want to pretend to be your sister?"

  Xiao Ai said, "Isn't that because my sister is too serious and doesn't want to join our plan, so I had no choice?"

  The two donkeys said, forget it, I think you want to be the female lead, and only great love can tolerate your behavior. What I'm asking is, why didn't you act naturally, but instead pretended to be your sister?

  Xiao Ai said, when I was young, he followed my sister's butt every day, where did he have time to take care of me? If I didn't say I was his sister, I'm afraid he wouldn't even care about me. He might as well directly throw me into the wilderness and let me fend for myself. The female lead is thrown into the wilderness by the male lead, at that time your plan will be accomplished to nothing.

  I feel a bit awkward and want to explain but don't know what to say.

  Little fatty waved his hand and said, don't make noise, let me finish speaking, if I don't finish speaking, I will suffocate. At that time, everyone missed you very much, and also remembered the time-space capsule you buried before leaving when we were young, feeling it was also time to take it back, and it was also time for everyone to gather together. After returning, we took out the time-space capsule under the pagoda tree, looking at the desolate hometown, really felt very sad, really. Now there is money, but the hometown is gone, people say that a place you can't reach is called heaven, and a place you can't return to is called hometown. This saying is true.

  The two donkeys said, "Don't be so pretentious, okay? If you won't say it, I will."

  Xiao Pang said, I said, I said. Then we came up with an idea, wanting to use our own strength to make our hometown prosperous. This place doesn't have anything else, but it has mountains, ancient temples, and legends, so the only thing that can be thought of is tourism. Tourism is great, just simply doing it and making money. So we established a tourism company, started running relationships, and started finding the tourism bureau to develop this mountain's development permit. Then all the land here was bought from our former neighbors, really, everything you see now belongs to our company.

  I said, our company?

  Xiao Pang said, "Can we still forget you after developing our hometown? I am the chairman of this company now, and all the funds are mine, accounting for 80% of the shares. You four each account for 5%, don't underestimate this 5%. We are a tourism company that is going to be listed on the market. Xiao Bu Dian is the technical director, he was a programmer in the city before, with super strong abilities. Xiao Ai is the financial director, girls have more delicate thoughts. Er Lü Zi is responsible for security and overall development work. And this time we asked you back, because we heard that you are a successful family, so let you be the creative director, responsible for overall planning and scenic packaging."

  I say, everything here is abandoned and has become what can be packaged into?

  Little fatty laughed and said, "Do you think we've been doing nothing for a year? We wanted this effect. This place has no great advantage in terms of scenery, but the desolate mountains are unique. We registered a company, bought land, and ran for licenses. After everything was ready, guess why this place suddenly appeared on TV?"

  I suddenly realized and said, "Is this how you operate?"

  The little fatty smiled complacently for half a day, and the others were also very pleased. Then he said, of course, those students including TV stations and online programs are all the result of our company's money-making hype, otherwise do you think this place would suddenly become so popular?

  Xiao Bu Dian said, this place is really worth developing. I've been running in the mountains for days, thinking about whether I can find some beautiful scenery. Guess what? I actually found it! In the southeast, deep in the big mountain, there's a vast sea of flowers, all red and endless. It's really too beautiful. Let me show you.

  Xiao Buzhi took out his mobile phone, and the beauty of that photo stunned us. A vast expanse of flowers hidden deep in the mountains, stretching as far as the eye could see, left everyone gasping in amazement.

  Xiaobudian said, "When the weather clears up, I'll take you guys to see it. The place is easy to find, I remember it."

  Two donkeys said, do you still remember the place?

  Xiao Bu Dong said, "Of course, I have no problem with my memory."

  The two donkeys nodded and stood up laughing, saying "I'll go to the toilet, you guys drink first."

  (Two chapters today, and there's still one more chapter left, don't worry, the previous curse was indeed fake, the real curse has just begun, listen, can you hear the ticking sound in your ear?)