The crowd seemed to be gloating as they looked at me with sympathy.
"These days, there are always people who don't know the meaning of death."
"Sigh. Once he suffers, he will learn his lesson. Living in Longfu Well is already amazing enough, and he's from the Zhang family in the capital … This kid really doesn't care about the consequences!"
Their discussion made Brother Biao proud. He cleared his throat, and the crowd immediately quieted down.
"Hey, can you guys calm down? Don't make me sound like a bully. I've always done things with virtue. But Young Master Zhang has a bad temper. Maybe he'll just chop off his third leg and feed it to the dogs!"
The surrounding men unconsciously clamped their legs after hearing this punishment.
Although Brother Biao kept on bragging, I pretended not to hear him. My eyes fell on Tang Mengyun.
"Miss Tang, what's the situation with your dad?" I couldn't help but ask.
Her face was gloomy, and she slightly lowered her head. "He's an idiot. He's obsessed with getting rich, so he asked his friends for a loan to start a business. In the end, he lost everything and ran away without paying back the money. In order to make sure nothing happens to my mom, I have to pay twenty thousand kuai of interest every month for the past year. Now that it's almost the New Year, they want me to pay it all at once. I can't afford it."
As she said that, Tang Mengyun's beautiful eyes started to well up with tears. I was surprised at first, but then I realized that this kind of situation was quite common. If it was in the 70s or 80s of the last century, going into business was definitely a wise choice. However, nowadays, all kinds of industries had gradually entered a saturated state, and it wasn't easy to be a trendsetter anymore.
At first, I thought that Tang Mengyun was a gold digger. However, as I got to know her better, I realized that she had a lot of pain that no one knew about. The twenty thousand kuai of interest every month was pressing on her. Only those who had experienced it could understand this kind of feeling.
When I had caused trouble at school, my sister-in-law had given twenty thousand kuai to the teaching director in order to protect me. That was how the incident was resolved. I had always been worried about that money, and I didn't know how to pay her back. If it weren't for my luck and the help of a benefactor, I'm afraid I would still be an ordinary student.
No wonder Tang Mengyun was a live streamer and went to film. Living in a place like Beijing, even if she lived frugally, she still had a lot of expenses, not to mention a girl like her who cared about her face.
Although it was not a good character to worship money, there were very few women who completely ignored money nowadays. Even in this era, it was impossible for them to be completely immune.
Putting aside her superficiality, Tang Mengyun was not that bad. At least she took the high interest for her mother's safety. That alone was worth praising.
"Alright, if that's the case, haven't you already paid back a lot of interest?" I smiled embarrassedly.
"Yeah, around three hundred thousand kuai. I earned that money through my own efforts. Don't misunderstand," Tang Mengyun explained.
In fact, she had a high standard when it came to choosing a boyfriend. Take the rich man who had sent her gifts as an example. Tang Mengyun had only seen him on video. She had never met him in person. As for her first time, a director had taken it away from her. Before he had taken her, he had promised her that she would at least be the second female lead. However, when the shooting started, he told Tang Mengyun that there was a change in the plan. Someone had directly replaced her, and Tang Mengyun only had a few lines.
She was enraged. She didn't want to film, but when she thought about the monthly interest, she didn't have a choice. For that meager salary, she had to shamelessly do the shooting.
In addition to acting, she also had to be an escort for the director. That was the darkest period of Tang Mengyun's life. She had seen through many things, but she did not intend to give up. That was how the entertainment circle was. It was easy to be exposed. Some people became famous overnight. It was this kind of unattainable hope that supported the actors at the bottom.
Compared to filming in other cities, it was much easier to be a female streamer. She just needed to study how to control the audience's mind and how to flirt with them without getting banned. That way, she could maintain a good income.
Although Tang Mengyun had thought about asking her relatives and friends for help, or asking her rich classmates to pay back the debt, every time she had to ask them, she gave up on that idea. After all, she had to maintain her image. Not to mention whether they would agree or not, at least she would lose her face.
Nowadays, there weren't many young people who didn't care about their face. Even in front of their families, they preferred to only report the good news. If there was any pain, they would just swallow it.
"It's okay. Since you met me today, it means that God cares about you. I'll help you settle this," I said seriously.
Whether it was money or peace, it wasn't a problem for me. But for Tang Mengyun, it was something that had been bothering her for a long time.
"Ah …" Tang Mengyun was a little surprised. She couldn't hide the joy in her eyes. She thought that it was good enough that I didn't watch them make a fool of themselves, but I was still willing to help them. Moreover, I already knew that the other party wasn't an ordinary ruthless person, but I still said those words.
Regardless of whether I could settle it or not, at least it showed my friendship. Her heart was beating fast. It was a kind of excitement that she had never felt before. Compared to the illusory God of Wealth in the broadcast room, the living person in front of her was much more reliable.
"Xiao Zhuang, don't be impulsive. How about this? If you have some spare money, you can lend me 2 … No, 1.5 million. I will pay you back in five years. Is that okay?
No matter what, you shouldn't have a conflict with the Zhang family. It's easy to get into trouble! "Tang Mengyun couldn't help but persuade me.