On the other side, Jiang Zhou had just hung up the phone with his uncle Jiang Wenhai when the shrill ringtone rang again.
Caller ID: Li Mingxuan.
Jiang Zhou pressed the answer button.
"Hello?"
As soon as the phone was connected, what came from the other end was not a single voice, but a noisy and chaotic wave of sound. Li Mingxuan's signature loud voice was the first to be heard, with seven parts of ridicule and three parts of anger.
"Jiang Zhou! Where are you?! We agreed to welcome you, and we've already ordered the dishes, and you've stood us up again? Don't you consider us brothers anymore?"
"That's right! Brother Zhou, you are so unkind!"
"Three glasses of wine as punishment! No, three bottles!"
The simultaneous condemnation of his childhood friends instantly brought Jiang Zhou back to reality from the mind-shaking miracle that had just occurred.
Only then did he slap his forehead and remember.
He did promise Li Mingxuan and his childhood friends to have dinner together tonight as a welcome party for him.
But his cousin Jiang Yuan's sudden critical illness made him forget about this matter completely.
"Sorry, sorry guys."
Jiang Zhou rubbed his swollen temples, his tone filled with sincere apology.
"I have something urgent to do here, so I can't leave. I'll remember this meal, and when I get back I'll drink three glasses of wine as punishment. No, three bottles!"
He subconsciously responded using the other party's words, but Li Mingxuan and the others obviously didn't buy it.
"Again? What could be more urgent than your brothers welcoming you?" Li Mingxuan snorted, clearly unconvinced. "You just landed, not even a day has passed. Where are you going now?"
Jiang Zhou hesitated.
This matter was so unbelievable that I didn't know how to start.
He was silent for a moment before whispering three words:
"It has something to do with my cousin Jiang Yuan."
With a buzzing sound.
All the noisy sounds on the other end of the phone seemed to be cut off in an instant as if by an invisible big hand.
The background music that was noisy and lively a second ago was now filled with deathly silence, so depressing that it was hard to breathe.
Gangwon.
This name is a thorn that has been entangled in the hearts of this group of childhood friends who grew up together wearing open-crotch pants for more than ten years, causing pain and bleeding when touched.
No one would mention it easily, as it represents the pain and regret of being unable to do anything about it.
Jiang Zhou could clearly hear the brothers' breathing becoming heavy in an instant on the other end of the phone.
He couldn't help but sigh, breaking the oppressive silence.
"It's a good thing."
Just three words, but they sounded like a thunderclap, exploding in the deep, silent pool!
Li Mingxuan's voice was the first to be heard, trembling with disbelief: "Zhouzi...you...what did you say?"
"I said, it's a good thing."
Jiang Zhou's voice was not loud, but it revealed an unprecedented firmness.
"As for the specifics, I'm about to board a plane, so I can't explain it in a few words. I'll tell you in detail when I get back."
He paused, changed the subject, and put on a mysterious smile.
"However, as compensation for standing you up, I'll have the butler send something to each of you."
"You don't need to ask anything, and don't say anything."
"I promise that after you try it, you'll understand what I mean by 'good things'."
These words were like dropping a huge rock into a calm lake, instantly stirring up huge waves for everyone on the other end of the phone!
Curiosity is growing wildly in everyone's heart, overwhelming all doubts and worries.
The matter that made Jiang Zhou take it so seriously, even leaving Beijing immediately, was related to Jiang Yuan...
What on earth is that "you'll understand once you taste it" thing?!
The moment the phone was hung up, even the air in the luxurious box seemed to freeze.
The space that was filled with noise a second ago was now filled with only the heavy and suppressed breathing of a few men, as if their chests were being pressed down by an invisible boulder.
Gangwon.
This name is a curse and a taboo.
In the dead silence, Li Mingxuan slammed his phone on the table, causing the mahogany surface to shake. With bloodshot eyes, he grabbed his car keys.
"Eat shit!"
He let out a beast-like growl from his throat, his voice frighteningly hoarse.
"Let's go! Go to my house! Wait!"
No one objected.
The remaining few people stood up suddenly as if they were machines that were activated instantly. The chairs rubbed against the ground and made a sharp scream. Several figures rushed out of the box.
The roar of engines tore through the air of Beijing one after another, and several top sports cars rushed towards the suburban villa area like arrows.
The car lights cut through the darkness, but could not illuminate the anxiety in their hearts and the little bit of unbelievable, madly growing hope.
…
Li Mingxuan's villa was brightly lit.
When his Lamborghini did a tailspin and stopped in the yard with its tires screeching as they scraped against the ground, a steady black Bentley also slid silently to the door.
The car door opened, and an old butler in a neat tuxedo, with neatly combed white hair and wearing white gloves, walked down gracefully.
Li Mingxuan and a few childhood friends had just rushed out of the car when they bumped head-on into the old housekeeper.
"Master Li, all the masters."
The old butler bowed slightly, his posture impeccable.
"This is what Master Zhou ordered me to personally deliver to you."
As he spoke, he took out a... plain corrugated cardboard box from the back seat.
Li Mingxuan and his companions looked at the box, then at the old butler's serious expression, and were all stunned.
At this moment, the boundless expectations seemed to have been punctured with a small hole, and air was leaking out with a "hissing" sound.
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