Brothers Reunited

Chen Pingsheng jolted awake from his daydream—caught in the ultimate dilemma: should he choose the goddess-like Liu Yifei or the ever-charming Yang Mi?

Ah, men… Once they start dreaming, they get lost in it.

"You haven't messaged Zhang Tao or Liu Jing yet, right? Let's meet up with them later for a meal."

Gao Hu grinned, showing his teeth. "Nah, man. The moment I arrived in Beijing, I had to let my best bro know first. Speaking of which, most of our crew went to Shacheng after middle school, while a few followed you to Beijing to sell fruit. Who would've thought you'd all make it big?"

"It's all part of the journey," Chen Pingsheng said. "When we first got here, we lived like stray dogs. I still remember the first time I went to my mother-in-law's house—knocked for ages, and she wouldn't even open the door. Now that I have some money, all I want is to treat my wife and kid well. And, of course, bring my old brothers together to do some business. If we can make a decent life out of it, that's enough for me."

"You better treat your wife right."

Despite his carefree attitude, Gao Hu was actually a decent guy—just unlucky in love. The best relationship he ever had was with a foot-washing girl.

"Back then, your wife was a total knockout," Gao Hu continued. "Everyone adored her—whether at school or outside. I mean, maybe not a ten-mile queue of admirers, but at least three and a half miles' worth, easy."

He chuckled. "But you, you sneaky bastard, were smart. You were already fighting for her back in kindergarten. By elementary school, you were bringing her snacks every day. In middle school, you even waited for her outside the school gates. Then in high school, she went all in—didn't even bother with college and married you straight away. No matter what anyone said, she never regretted it. She stuck with you through thick and thin, moving from place to place, working her ass off."

"But now, you guys have finally made it. Life's getting better. If you ever betray her, even I would look down on you."

Of course, he only said that because Chen Pingsheng had way too many beautiful women around him.

Any other man would've felt like he won the lottery just marrying someone like Song Yanxi.

A good wife lifts a man up.

For a man, finding the right woman is everything.

"Haha, speaking of this, we really need to have a word with Zhang Tao and Liu Jing later."

Chen Pingsheng took Gao Hu to Shijingshan—where Tengsheng's headquarters looked more like a proper big company.

At least now, it had two office floors, with over a hundred employees bustling around.

He didn't come here often, but whenever he did, he was the Chairman.

Whoever saw him had to stop whatever they were doing and respectfully greet him with a "Good day, President Chen."

Gao Hu was envious as hell. The dreams they had back in school—his bro had actually made them come true.

This was the life men dreamed of.

Since the brothers were back together, of course, they had to celebrate. Zhang Tao had bought a BMW 5 Series, and Liu Jing had an Audi X7.

Both were now making well over a million a year.

Thinking back to the hardships they endured when they first arrived in Beijing—it was enough to make a grown man cry.

Luckily, Old Chen was a genius. He led them into business, and they all thrived.

Now, when they walked around, no one dared to call them outsiders anymore.

"Listen, Huzi, if Old Chen is asking you to come to Beijing to open a hotpot restaurant, don't even hesitate. You have no idea how powerful he is now. Making a few million a year? Piece of cake."

Zhang Tao was being brutally honest. At their current rate of growth, Tengsheng Fruits would be one of Beijing's top fruit companies in just three years.

By then, as original shareholders, they'd be making at least several million a year, easily.

Chen's wife, Song Yanxi, was now diving into high-end beauty businesses. He himself was running an entertainment company.

And now, he was planning to open a hotpot chain—clearly, he had confidence in his moves.

"Man, stop thinking about Shacheng and your measly hundreds of thousands a year."

Liu Jing added, "In Beijing, making that much is nothing. Hell, we used to sell durians from tricycles. Now, we run fruit supermarkets. You know Old Chen's wife, right? Ever since she got into real estate speculation, she's been holding onto a few properties. She doesn't even have to work—just sits back and watches the value go up. Every year, she makes at least ten million from it. Think about that for a second."

It was an insanely profitable game, no doubt.

Just the two properties she had—the mansion in Wanliu Academy and the luxury apartment in Dongcheng District—had skyrocketed in value.

No wonder everyone was rushing to buy property the moment they got money.

"You bastards… So you're the ones driving up real estate prices?" Gao Hu cursed.

"Bullshit. You think a couple of us could cause that?"

Liu Jing smirked. "If Old Chen hadn't taken us along for the ride, we'd still be clueless country bumpkins, working ourselves to death for some rich guy."

"Fuck…" Gao Hu muttered. "I don't even understand you guys anymore. I'm just a damn good chef. And here you assholes are, talking about capital and investments like some high-class elites."

"Damn, the gap between us is real."

"Exactly," Zhang Tao grinned. "Might as well accept reality. Old Chen is already climbing the ladder of the capitalist class. If he's calling you, what's there to hesitate about?"

Gao Hu sighed. "It's not that I'm hesitating… It's just, after so many years in Shacheng, there are a lot of girls who like me. If I leave, who's gonna keep them company?"

"Oh, get the hell outta here," Zhang Tao scoffed. "You, a guy who's been dumped four times in six years? Who'd be blind enough to fall for you? Honestly, you should let Old Chen take you out to experience Beijing's nightlife. Pretty sure you'd be too busy to even pull your pants back up."

They'd been brothers for decades—there was no need for politeness.

True friendship meant speaking your mind, cracking jokes freely.

At lunchtime, instead of going to some fancy restaurant, they just found a roadside stall, ordering barbecue and beer.

It wasn't about money.

It was about their youth.

Back then, every one of them had those ridiculous, spiky "kill horse" haircuts. They'd crowd into tiny internet cafes, hammering keyboards like their lives depended on it.

And when they saw a pretty girl outside? They'd casually brush back their bangs, trying to look cool—hoping to catch her attention.

Looking back now, it was so childish. So dumb.

But wasn't that just how youth was?

Now, sitting together, reminiscing about past crushes and stupid stunts…

They couldn't help but laugh.

Time waits for no one.

When they were young, they always wondered what life would be like at thirty.

Now that they were thirty, they realized… it was just this.

Maybe a bigger belly. Maybe more money, maybe less.

"Come on, let's have a toast—to our youth."

"A toast? Nah, we're drinking straight from the bottle!"

"Yeah! Screw the glasses, bottoms up!"

Hitting thirty, it was hard not to put on weight—except for Chen Pingsheng, who never ate late-night snacks.

Meanwhile, Zhang Tao and Gao Hu had already developed beer bellies.