Without exception, they all received angry scoldings from their parents.
Some parents were even hung up on, and when they called back, the parents refused to answer.
"Oh no, my parents aren't answering my calls."
"Over six thousand! How can I possibly come up with that? Waaaaah!"
"Where did Su Qingjiao go? How could she do this? She said she was treating! Why do we have to pay for it? Waaaaah, what do we do?"
Several people covered their faces and cried out in pain.
A penny can drive even a hero to his death.
Zhou Yi crossed his arms and coldly observed the various expressions on people's faces. Just moments ago, everyone was happily posting on social media to show off, but now they were all sitting dejectedly in their chairs.
Even Xu Ping trembled as he took out his phone, his eyes reddening.
He seemed to have made a great decision before calling his brother, who worked at Zhou's company.
The call was quickly connected, and Xu Ping only managed to call out "Brother" before the person on the other end of the line noticed something was off about his voice.
Why is it so noisy over there? And is there crying?
"What's wrong? Tell me what happened first?"
His brother's voice was reassuringly calm, but the more reassuring it was, the more Xu Ping hated himself. Not only could he not help his brother in any way, but he was also causing his brother so much trouble.
The older brother is under so much pressure. Not only does he have to buy medicine for his mother's recovery, but he also has to take care of his younger siblings, pay his tuition, rent, and utilities...
My brother doesn't even have time to rest on holidays because of this family.
But he himself has caused such a huge problem!
Xu Ping's voice was choked with emotion. He pursed his lips and said, "Brother, I'm sorry... A classmate invited me to dinner, but after the meal, she disappeared."
“Our entire class is currently being held at the Black Pearl Restaurant. Those with money can pay to leave, while those who can’t can only wait for their families to come and pay.”
"Everyone has to pay... six thousand nine hundred and eighty-eight yuan."
"Brother, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!!"
Xu Ping apologized to his brother with a choked voice. He felt terrible, extremely sad and hated himself. He wished he could find a crack in the ground to hide in.
It's his vanity, his desire to save face, his wish to broaden his horizons, that led him to come and eat this meal that costs seven thousand yuan a meal.
It's all his fault.........
Seven thousand yuan is enough to cover the family's food expenses for half a year.
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a deep breath and a calm voice saying, "I understand."
"Remember this: there's no such thing as a free lunch."
"I'll take leave right away and come over. Send me the address."
With a flushed face and trembling fingers, Xu Ping sent the address to her brother, then could no longer contain her shame and frustration and collapsed into her seat.
He would rather his brother scold him.
Even hanging up on him in anger is better than saying nothing.
As he thought about it, the guilt and pain in his heart almost overwhelmed him. Xu Ping cried with snot and tears streaming down his face. Through his blurry vision, he caught a glimpse of Zhou Yi sitting next to him, leisurely eating sunflower seeds.
Everyone else was crying and calling their families, but Zhou Yi was the only one who seemed completely at ease.
Xu Ping momentarily forgot to cry. He reminded Zhou Yi, "Zhou Yi, you should call your family right away."
"If we can't pay, we might be detained. If this gets back to the school, they'll definitely give us a major demerit. What if it affects our graduation...?"
Zhou Yi remained very calm.
He pushed the complimentary sunflower seeds from the restaurant toward Xu Ping, saying, "You should worry about them. I can afford to pay for this."
“I saw you were on the phone just now. Your brother should be here soon, right? Crying won’t solve anything.”
"Have some sunflower seeds and wait for your brother to arrive."
Xu Ping: "......"
What time is it? Who but Zhou Yi would be in the mood to eat sunflower seeds?
After Zhou Yi's words, Xu Ping calmed down, but he didn't think Zhou Yi could afford the meal... After all, he had packed three extra meals! He wondered if he could get a refund?
I guess Zhou Yi was trying to stall, not wanting his classmates to see his mother coming.
I heard that Zhou Yi's mother went to the school; she was dressed very plainly and sloppily. But what can be done? He has no money, no ability, and even if he wanted to help, he has no right to.
Twenty minutes later, Xu Ping's phone rang.
"Brother, I'm on the second floor. The staff won't let us go out. Why don't you come up to the private room?"
After hanging up the phone, a bitter smile appeared on Xu Ping's pale face.
"Zhou Yi, my brother is here."
A few minutes later, footsteps were heard.
A man dressed in a white shirt and suit pants appeared at the door of the private room. His hair was neatly styled, and he looked like a typical office worker.
He just had a very humble aura. Perhaps he was doing the lowest-level job at Zhou's company. Because of the burden of his family, he could only submit to workplace injustice and suppression. He was very careful in dealing with things at work.
He bent slightly and spoke with the security guards at the door, looking very haggard. He skillfully took out cigarettes from his pocket and handed one to each of the guards.
"Brother, I'm sorry..."
Xu Ping walked over timidly, his eyes filled with self-reproach and shame.
Xu Ping's older brother walked towards Xu Ping and sighed heavily.
Seeing Xu Ping's half-dead expression, Xu Ping's brother managed a weak smile and comforted him first, "It's alright, it's nothing."
"Seven thousand yuan won't break us. Everyone stumbles sometimes. Just be more careful next time."
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