Time Travel: The Queen's Coronation

It's a rare trip back to Gyeongju, so of course I had to catch up with old friends. I invited a few close friends to get together in downtown Gyeongju this weekend. Looking at the people who showed up, I realized I'd never be able to gather all my friends!

Gyeongju is also a small place, and I ran into Rong Zixuan and his new girlfriend without any preparation! I was very calm, but Rong Zixuan seemed very embarrassed.

"Long time no see!" Rong Zixuan greeted me very unnaturally.

"Long time no see!" I responded with a smile.

"You are Wei Qing, right? I really like your works!" Rong Zixuan's girlfriend also took the initiative to talk.

"Thank you for your support!" I responded politely.

"Since we meet, let's have a cup of milk tea together!" Rong Zixuan's girlfriend invited.

"No, I'm with my friends. They are going to the bathroom. I'm just waiting for them here." I politely declined the invitation.

"It's okay, we're together!"

"They are coming out!" When I saw them, I felt like I saw my savior and quickly waved to them to come over.

"Isn't this Rong Zixuan? Are you here to treat us to a meal?" My friend Xiaoyue said to Rong Zixuan with a smile.

Rong Zixuan didn't dare to reply. He looked at his girlfriend, who said rudely, "There are so many of you. We don't have much money. We can't afford to hire you!"

"It's okay, we'll split the bill!" Xiaoyue continued.

"There are seven of you and only two of us. If we go AA, we will be at a disadvantage!" Rong Zixuan's girlfriend decisively refused.

“It’s not splitting the bill, it’s whoever orders pays!”

"Okay!" Rong Zixuan's girlfriend agreed reluctantly.

Although I was reluctant to have dinner with them, Xiaoyue and the others persuaded me to go.

We went to the most famous restaurant in Gyeongju, also the most expensive! Rong Zixuan's girlfriend looked at the menu with a serious expression, not ordering for a long time. Xiaoyue couldn't bear it anymore and said to her with a meaningful smile, "Since you haven't decided yet, let's order first!"

"Why don't we go to another restaurant? The food here is not to my taste!" Rong Zixuan's girlfriend said unhappily.

"This is the best restaurant in Gyeongju. Although the price is a bit high, it's worth it!" Xiaoyue explained while looking at the menu.

"But I'm still a student and I'm not well off financially! The cost of this restaurant is beyond our spending level!" Rong Zixuan's girlfriend answered guiltily.

"You don't have money, but Rong Zixuan should have some! And you are wearing all branded clothes! I don't even dare to buy your bag! You, a student, can already afford it, so are you still worried about the cost of these dishes? And we're even paying for it!" Xiaoyue continued to reply.

Rong Zixuan and her girlfriend looked at each other. Xiaoyue seemed to know something and said with a smile, "Could it be that Rong Zixuan spent all his money on buying you beautiful clothes and brand-name bags?" As soon as these words came out, Rong Zixuan and his girlfriend blushed and wished they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

"That doesn't matter. Wei Qing will treat us to this meal. She has plenty of money!" Xiaoyue was eager to watch the fun and patted my shoulder, asking me to treat them. Rong Zixuan and his girlfriend's faces became even uglier.

I was stunned and didn't say anything, because I knew Rong Zixuan had a strong sense of self-esteem and I was afraid that he would lose his temper. I didn't want to be photographed in public. After all, I was being closely watched by the media.

"You can't be so stingy! You don't even treat us to a meal! The clothes you bought for us just now were much more expensive than this. Now it's just a meal. They probably won't eat much, so please treat them!" Xiaoyue said while putting her arm around my shoulders and looking at Rong Zixuan's girlfriend, with a sarcastic and provocative tone.

"Okay, it's my treat, you can order whatever you want!" I had no choice but to agree.

Rong Zixuan's girlfriend's face turned even uglier. When it was her turn to order, she ordered the most expensive dishes crazily, which seemed to be a way of expressing her dissatisfaction with me. Rong Zixuan's girlfriend ate by herself and even deliberately turned the dishes around in the dish, stirring them up. Rong Zixuan's face became more and more embarrassed. He kept hinting at her, but she only intensified it. Finally, after she was full, she told Rong Zixuan that she was leaving without even looking at us. Rong Zixuan could only chase after her awkwardly.

"Serves you right!" Xiaoyue smiled proudly.

"You did it on purpose!" I asked.

"I did it on purpose! Let him see how foolish it was to abandon you! Look at his girlfriend, she's definitely a spendthrift and a vain person! In a small place like Qingzhou, Rong Zixuan's salary couldn't support her spending like that! His last girlfriend already put Rong Zixuan in debt, and he still hasn't learned his lesson!"

"Heavily in debt?" I was confused.

"That's right! Rong Zixuan doesn't earn much, but he loves to act rich and flirt with pretty female students in the university town! He even borrowed money from loan platforms to buy them designer brands! Last month, someone even went to his company to collect a debt!"

"Is this true?" I was shocked that Rong Zixuan still hadn't changed his bad habits and was borrowing money to spend on other women. He just didn't learn his lesson!

"Why would I lie to you! Xiaoli's company is in the same building as his. If you don't believe me, ask her."

"That day, the debt collectors rushed into their company and shouted Rong Zixuan's name. Rong Zixuan was so scared that he hid in the toilet. Later, their boss called the police, and the matter became a bigger deal. Everyone knew that Rong Zixuan borrowed money and didn't pay it back! People around him were staying away from him. His so-called buddies were also borrowed from by him, but they didn't pay it back. In the end, the brothers turned against each other!" Xiaoli added.

"All right!"

On the way back, I kept wondering how Rong Zixuan could have fallen so far. After all, he was a graduate of a prestigious university, so how could he have done so poorly? As I drove, I was so distracted by his change that I almost rear-ended the car in front of me. Fortunately, I reacted quickly and braked! I simply stopped by the side of the road to slow down and let my mind clear before continuing on.

Suddenly, I saw a few people dragging someone down an alley. The person being dragged looked very familiar. I took a closer look and realized it was Rong Zixuan! Several people surrounded Rong Zixuan, and a man kept pointing at him and saying something. He looked like the leader of the group, and judging by his attitude, he didn't mean anything nice. Rong Zixuan kept clasping his hands together and begging the other person. After a while, the other person made a gesture, and the people nearby attacked Rong Zixuan! They beat Rong Zixuan so hard that he curled up on the ground. I knew something was wrong and quickly got out of the car to stop them.

"Stop!" Those people ignored me. Instead, the boss came over to warn me to mind my own business. It is only natural to pay back debts. They are not afraid even if the police are called!

"I'll pay back whatever he owes me!"

The boss heard this and immediately stopped his men. He looked me up and down and said, "He owes a lot of money! Are you really willing to pay it back for him?"

"If you don't believe it, let's go to the bank and transfer the money right away! There's a bank right next door, do you want to go?"

Seeing how determined I was, the boss agreed to my request. I took the bank card out of my bag in the car, and the boss, half-believing and half-doubting, took Rong Zixuan with me to the bank.

"Tell me how much he owes!"

"Seven million including principal and interest!"

"You're asking for too much. It's not that much!" Rong Zixuan retorted excitedly, but was held back by his two subordinates.

"You've owed it for so long, and we're not doing charity, so of course there's interest! And the interest isn't high, so how can we lend you the money so quickly? There's no such thing as having the best of both worlds!" the boss said arrogantly.

"Okay! But where's his IOU or something? I want to see it!"

"It's all here!" the boss said, shaking a bag of documents. I reached out but was rejected by him.

"If you don't show me, how can I know you're lying to me? Besides, I'm just a woman. Are you afraid that I'll run away with so many strong men?"

The boss reluctantly showed me Rong Zixuan's IOU. It was indeed a large sum. It was very rare for someone in a small city like Qingzhou to owe so much money! It could easily rival the profits of a small company!

"Wow! What did you do to owe so much money? Can you spend so much money in a small place like Gyeongju? Did you buy a panda or an elephant?" I was surprised.

Rong Zixuan lowered his head and dared not speak. The boss said sarcastically, "I told you that you can't afford it!"

"Where's the account?"

"Can you pay it back?" The boss was very skeptical about my ability.

"I've called a lawyer over. He'll bring an agreement. If you sign it, I'll return the money to you, but you can't cause trouble for Rong Zixuan again!"

"A lawyer? Are you trying to scare me? Let me tell you, I was raised in fear!" The boss retorted me loudly.

"Keep your voice down! Your saliva is spraying on my face! Disgusting!" I wiped my face in disgust.

"Stop playing tricks here. I don't believe you anymore! Let's go!" After saying that, he wanted to take Rong Zixuan away.

"No, no, no! She is my ex-wife! She is very rich!" Rong Zixuan pleaded with them. When the boss heard the word "ex-wife", he immediately stopped, changed his expression, and smiled at me servilely.

"It turns out to be Mr. Wei! I didn't recognize you! This is my business card! Is it true that you were willing to pay back the debt for Rong Zixuan?" His expression was completely different from before, and he handed over the business card respectfully.

"It's Manager Huang! But we have to wait for the lawyer to come, and you also have to sign the agreement!" I said, looking at his business card.

"No problem! As long as you're willing to pay back the money, everything is fine!"

"But I'm curious. Seven million is no small sum in Qingzhou. How could you let him borrow it?"

"It's a waste not to take business that comes to you! And he studied abroad after all. We thought he was capable and wanted to start a business, so we borrowed so much money. Who knew he borrowed money to pretend to be a rich kid and seduce those female college students!"

"Can female college students use so much money?"

"Luxury cars, designer brands, travel, hotels—all that stuff costs money! A Porsche alone is almost three million! With so many girls, each bag costs at least tens of thousands. He can't even afford one with his monthly salary. His spending is greater than his expenses, so he has to borrow money! He gets carried away when a girl compliments him, which only makes him even more vain. He borrows more and more!"

"So that's how it is! Hey! Lawyer Zhang, here!" The Lawyer Zhang I had an appointment with arrived just in time.

Manager Huang read the agreement drafted by the lawyer and signed it without hesitation. "I believe that a wealthy man like Mr. Wei wouldn't care about such a small amount of money, so I'm not afraid of being cheated!"

"And you have to sign this IOU for me!" I handed a piece of paper to Rong Zixuan.

Rong Zixuan looked embarrassed and said, "There's no need for us to sign this agreement! I will definitely find a way to pay you back!"

"How are you going to pay it back? Let me do the math! Your monthly salary is only a little over 1400 yuan. If you pay me 12 yuan every month, you'll have to pay it back about 116 times. There are 20 months in a year, so it will take you 140 years to pay it back! You're in your s now. Are you confident you can live to be over ? And after you retire, can you guarantee you can pay me back yuan every month?"

The more I talked, the more ashamed Rong Zixuan became. Manager Huang interrupted, "That's impossible! So it's no use asking him to sign an IOU! He doesn't have the money to pay it back!"

"That's none of your business! I have my own way!"

"Then when can you pay me back? I have already signed the agreement!" Manager Huang asked with a smile.

"Once he signs the IOU, I'll transfer the money to you!"

When Manager Huang heard this, he immediately forced Rong Zixuan to sign, and then gave me the newly signed IOU and the original IOU. After that, I went to the bank and transferred the money to the account he gave me.

I walked out and gave the remittance receipt to Manager Huang, "Okay?"

Manager Huang saw the receipt and was so happy that his mouth stretched to his ears. "Alright, alright! Take care, Mr. Wei!"

I looked at Rong Zixuan helplessly and said, "Let's go!"