Chapter 47: Borrowing Money? (Chatting About Five Yuan)

"Do you know why she's called Lai Di?"

Zhang Xian pointed at his fourth sister and asked Yang Dawei.

"Her parents wanted her to have a younger brother."

"That's right—I'm that younger brother!"

Zhang Xian shrugged lightly.

"Wait, you're my little brother-in-law?" Yang Dawei gasped.

"Get lost, get lost—who's your little brother-in-law!"

Zhang Xian rolled his eyes at the guy: "Stop pestering my fourth sister, or I won't be polite!"

As he spoke, Zhang Xian handed his fourth sister the LV and Chanel shopping bags, then stretched his wrists like in a kung fu movie. Read novels daily with an extensive library, ttkS. tw available anytime.

At this point, his height advantage became clear: Zhang Xian was 183 cm, Yang Dawei about 173 or 174—roughly a ten-centimeter difference—and Zhang Xian stared with wide, bulging eyes, instantly overwhelming him.

"You've misunderstood—I'm truly sincere about your sister, may heaven and earth bear witness!"

Yang Dawei put on a look of deep grievance.

Zhang Xian waved his hand impatiently: "Enough, enough, stop acting!"

"You've ruined at least eighty or a hundred women—what are you doing pretending to be so heartfelt here?"

"Wait, how do you..."

At Zhang Xian's words, Yang Dawei froze in shock—he'd built a sincere-lover persona with Lai Di, claiming he'd only ever been in love once, and that was long ago.

Yet this "little brother-in-law" had just stripped him bare.

"Yang Dawei, out of respect for you being a client of our law firm, Lai Di hasn't taken any legal action yet—but your constant harassment already constitutes hooliganism. If you keep this up, we'll have no choice but to call the police!"

At this moment, Li He spoke up.

"No need, no need."

"I just got stuck in a rut—I won't bother you anymore!"

Seeing his sincere-lover image collapse, and faced with Li He's threat, Yang Dawei lost all spirit. He gave a forced laugh, shook his head, and slunk away.

"Zhang Xiaoxian, why are you here? And where did all these things come from?"

After Yang Dawei left, Lai Di shook the shopping bags in her hands and asked.

"I bought them!"

Zhang Xian smiled: "I made some money, so I got gifts for you all—Big Sister, Second Sister, Fifth Sister too."

"You didn't need to buy such expensive stuff!"

"Are you even going to live sensibly anymore?"

Lai Di frowned. Her job at the law firm was exhausting—she worked late almost every day. Though she knew her father had become famous with "Apple Fragrance," and knew Zhang Xian wrote the song, she had no concept of how much money a single song could earn.

"Fourth Sister, you need to change your mindset!"

Zhang Xian shook his head. Lai Di's reaction was just like Pan Di's before—no wonder they were twins.

"Do you know your current status?"

Zhang Xian asked.

"My status?"

Lai Di blinked: "An intern lawyer!"

"True—but you have other statuses too!"

Zhang Xian grinned smugly: "You're also the daughter of famous singer Zhang Dongshan, and the older sister of renowned musician Liù Gǎn."

"You're both a second-generation star and a star-sister—your spending habits need an upgrade!"

Hearing this, Lai Di fell silent. She knew her father and brother well.

Her father, Zhang Dongshan, was best at exaggeration—in plain terms, he was a braggart.

Even she and Pan Di had privately nicknamed their father "Brags-Dad."

Her brother Zhang Xian had inherited their father's bragging gene—he could talk anyone into anything and still puff himself up, yet he did have some talent, otherwise he couldn't have written songs in high school.

But before, when they bragged, Lai Di just listened. Now it was different—"Apple Fragrance" had gone viral.

The titles "famous singer" for her father and "renowned musician" for Zhang Xian weren't pure self-promotion anymore.

"Even if you made money, how dare you spend it like this!"

Titles were empty—Lai Di asked the most practical question.

"A few million."

Zhang Xian gave a number that could withstand scrutiny.

"A few... million!"

Lai Di's mouth dropped open. She knew the entertainment industry paid well, but she never imagined it paid this much—her father had just gone viral with one song, and already earned so much!

She looked down at the LV and Chanel bags in her hands, then broke into a bright smile: "Fine, forget what I said earlier!"

Online, there were endless jokes about "sister-sucking." Before, Zhang Xian had been exactly that kind of brother—but times had changed. Now, as his sister, she was finally being repaid.

"By the way, Zhang Xiaoxian, we're going out to dinner with your girlfriend."

"Aren't you coming too?"

As they walked toward the parking lot, Lai Di suddenly asked.

"Dinner with my girlfriend?"

"Chu Yourong?" Zhang Xian frowned suspiciously.

"Of course—who else would your girlfriend be?"

Lai Di had always found it surreal that her brother was dating Chu Yourong—she simply couldn't understand what Chu Yourong saw in him.

Admittedly, her brother Zhang Xian wasn't bad-looking, but in an industry packed with handsome men, he had zero advantage.

"You're having dinner with her? Why?" Zhang Xian didn't answer directly, but asked a counter-question.

"She's our client—she successfully reached a settlement on the case we handled, so she's treating us to dinner to show her gratitude. Besides me and Da He, the lead lawyer on the case, Jiang Lawyer, is coming too."

Previously, Chu Yourong had hired Zhang Laidi's law firm to negotiate the contract termination with Rongshu Entertainment; if they could reach an agreement, fine, but if not, they'd have to take it to court.

The result was that Zhang Xian already knew: Chu Yourong had achieved her goal of terminating the contract.

"Oh, I see!"

Earlier, when Zhang Laidi came home, she'd mentioned in passing that she had a big case to handle and had to keep it secret—it turned out to be Chu Yourong's case.

"You guys go ahead—I've got nothing to do with this dinner."

Zhang Xian wouldn't show up uninvited; that was just asking for trouble.

Besides, he'd been running around all day—his activity level had already exceeded the limit. He needed to go home and lie down. He'd deliver the gifts for his eldest sister and brother-in-law tomorrow.

After all, he was just a jobless drifter with plenty of time.

After dropping off Zhang Laidi and Li He at their rented dormitory, Zhang Xian took Zhang Zhaodi home.

He parked the car and walked down the alley, where from afar he saw several neighbors gathered outside Liu's door, holding a meeting.

Liu Fusheng was beaming as he said: "The suburbs are a bit far, but with today's transportation, commuting isn't a problem at all. When our grandson grows up, his household registration can be under mine—it won't affect his schooling!"

"Old Liu, how much is a 100-square-meter house?"

"Suburban houses are cheap now—only a bit over 1.6 million."

"Wow, that's really cheap!"

From the neighbors' conversation, it was clear the Liu family had bought a house—likely as a wedding gift for Liu Dongxu.

Liu Dongxu was right there in the crowd, but his smile looked stiff. When he saw Zhang Xian, he seemed to spot a savior and hurried over.

"Big Brother Xian, you're back! I've been looking for you—can we step aside and talk?"

Liu Dongxu grabbed Zhang Xian and pulled him away from Liu Fusheng and the others.

"Dongxu, bought a house? Congratulations."

Zhang Xian pulled out a cigarette and offered one.

"Don't mention it!"

Liu Dongxu took the cigarette, looking troubled: "The monthly mortgage is over seven thousand, the car loan is five thousand—combined, it's twelve thousand. The pressure is huge!"

"If it's so much pressure, why buy it?"

Zhang Xian exhaled smoke. What kind of economic environment was this? Leveraging up blindly was just asking for trouble.

"I blew it too far—I've been job-hunting nonstop, but my dad and Jiajia kept pressing me, so I lied and said I got a job with a twenty-thousand-yuan monthly salary."

"After we got married, Jiajia said she wanted to buy her own place, and the wedding gifts we received were perfect for the down payment!"

"Now the house is bought—but how do I pay the loan?"

Liu Dongxu was genuinely panicked now, rubbing his hands nonstop, the cigarette tucked behind his ear untouched.

"So what do you want from me?"

Zhang Xian flicked ash from his fingertip, silently thinking: Is this kid going to ask me for a loan?

But you help in emergencies, not chronic poverty!

"Big Brother Xian, can you lend me some money?"

"I'll just hold out for a few months—I'll pay you back as soon as I find a job!"

Zhang Xian had guessed right—it was indeed a loan request.

"Dongxu, you know my situation—I'm entirely supported by my dad and my girlfriend."

"I really can't help you with this."

Zhang Xian helplessly spread his hands.

Liu Dongxu, as if he'd already expected the answer, showed no disappointment. Instead, he quietly pulled a notebook from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Xian: "Big Brother Xian, I know asking for money is hard on you. How about this—can you help me submit my song to a music company? Or could your family's Xianyu Music take it?"

Uh…

Zhang Xian blinked, then realized: Brother Dongxu was playing the "choose the lesser of two evils" tactic.

When you want someone to do you a favor, first ask for something harder—once they refuse, you reveal your real, easier request.

At that point, they usually won't refuse anymore.

And Liu Dongxu's real intention right now was to get Zhang Xian to help him sell his song.

"Dongxu, since when did you start writing songs?"

Zhang Xian, feeling a bit exasperated, opened the notebook Liu Dongxu handed him. The first line bore a large title: "Bitter Orange"!