A fierce battle of emoji warfare ensued.
In the end, neither side emerged victorious.
That evening, the four men gathered at the SK bar.
As soon as they met, Jia Kuan and Zhou Yi Ming began teasing Lin Fan, using Jian Ai as a pretext, inadvertently dragging Lin Shao Tao into the fray as well.
Jia Kuan: "How are things going with Jian Ai these days? Are you two inseparable now?"
Zhou Yi Ming: "You're asking that? Lin Fan's young and full of energy, how could he resist? I bet he's already made her his."
Jia Kuan: "No way, no way, are you serious?"
Lin Fan: "You two are messing with the wrong guy. You think I wouldn't do the same to Liu Ying Xia and Hui Zi? Stop bringing up Jian Ai, we have a pure, revolutionary friendship."
Jia Kuan: "Tsk tsk, you're such a hypocrite. How come I heard from my wife that you haven't even spared your new neighbor? You're too thirsty!"
Zhou Yi Ming: "Just how many have you gotten, buddy? One Jian Ai isn't enough?"
Lin Shao Tao couldn't take it anymore: "I hope you two break up soon, and then Liu Ying Xia and Hui Zi both run off to Lin Fan's place to keep Jian Ai company."
Zhou Yi Ming and Jia Kuan couldn't handle it anymore, so they shifted their fire to Lin Shao Tao.
The four of them, laughing and jostling, entered the bar.
Zhou Yi Ming also ordered a VIP booth, but he wasn't in a hurry to call for a princess. While they were there to have fun, there was serious business to discuss. They needed to get that out of the way first before calling for a princess.
After a few drinks and some light banter, Zhou Yi Ming formally presented his idea.
He had recently discovered a potentially lucrative business opportunity: starting a live streaming company. He wanted his brothers to invest some money if they had any.
However, at this point in time, live streaming hadn't yet exploded. It was in the early stages of development, and many people weren't even aware of what a live streaming company was.
After Zhou Yi Ming finished, Jia Kuan immediately chimed in: "You're saying live streaming is like a media company? You recruit young, uninhibited girls to dance and flaunt themselves in front of the camera."
Zhou Yi Ming countered: "That's crude! There are many types of live streaming, like gaming, companionship, dancing, product promotion… It covers a broad spectrum. From my observations, this is a project with immense market potential in the future. The sooner we get involved, the sooner we start making money."
Jia Kuan waved his hand dismissively: "Not for me. I feel like you're just starting a live streaming company to play around with streamers."
Zhou Yi Ming: "I'm the boss, what's wrong with having a little fun? It's just a side thing."
Jia Kuan: "Isn't Hui Zi fun enough?"
Zhou Yi Ming: "Cut the crap. I'm investing and laying the groundwork for a new industry, you know?"
Jia Kuan shook his head, indicating that he didn't understand.
He was the poorest among the four, and there was a reason for that. First of all, his vision wasn't that good. At his company, he was just a regular employee, and even his wife Liu Ying Xia held a higher position than him.
Zhou Yi Ming then turned to Lin Shao Tao, gauging his reaction.
If Jia Kuan, with his lack of investment vision, wouldn't go for it, surely he wouldn't either, right?
But Lin Shao Tao wasn't interested in the so-called internet economy. In his view, it was a virtual economy with no future.
"Don't look at me, I'm not interested in this project either."
"Why not?"
"Not interested is not interested. You can just do it yourself, Zhou boss."
Zhou Yi Ming didn't press the issue. While they were brothers, they couldn't force anyone into a business deal.
Though he was confident in his prediction that live streaming companies would have a bright future, nobody could guarantee that an investment would turn a profit.
Finally, he turned to Lin Fan. In terms of investment strategy, Lin Fan had a more discerning eye than he did. If Lin Fan didn't think it was a good idea, then he really needed to reconsider whether his own thoughts were flawed.
However, Lin Fan didn't disappoint him: "The two of them might not be into live streaming, but I am."
Zhou Yi Ming rejoiced: "Good... Lin boss has got vision, those two are just country bumpkins."
Jia Kuan: "You little rascal, how dare you insult me? Two drinks as punishment!"
Lin Shao Tao: "You're the country bumpkin, your whole family's country bumpkins."
Zhou Yi Ming ignored their insults: "Lin boss, then I'll head over to your company sometime, let's talk about it in detail."
Lin Fan raised his glass: "No problem."
As someone who had lived twice, Lin Fan had experienced the explosive era of live streaming in his previous life.
So for him, investing in live streaming now was a surefire way to make a profit.
With the business talk out of the way, it was time to party.
Jia Kuan was clamoring for Zhou Yi Ming to call for a princess.
He had been here a few times and hadn't gotten to play yet.
If they waited too long, the best princesses would all be taken by others.
Zhou Yi Ming immediately called the bar manager.
A line of princesses stood before the four men.
Compared to the last time, the quality was noticeably higher.
The four men quickly chose their princesses.
Jia Kuan selected an older one, probably in her early thirties, but she was dressed in a short skirt, black stockings, and high heels.
Zhou Yi Ming, as usual, preferred younger ones, looking barely eighteen, maybe even younger, but who knew their real age?
Lin Fan and Lin Shao Tao made more conventional choices, both in their early twenties, with fair skin and beautiful features.
With the princesses in tow, the four men drank even more merrily.
When they were feeling sentimental, they couldn't help but resort to clichés. Especially Jia Kuan, who would get sentimental when drunk and ask why, with such stunning looks, they were in this line of work?
But the princesses all had the same answer: a gambling father, a sick mother, a brother in school, a broken heart.
Jia Kuan was touched to tears. He ordered a few more expensive bottles of liquor.
Zhou Yi Ming, with a string of expletives, subtly berated Jia Kuan, calling him a goddamn sweetheart.
As the alcohol flowed, the four men's hands became more and more uninhibited. The four princesses became more and more compliant, like water snakes, rubbing against them and calling them "boss" and "brother," begging for more drinks.
There were no real feelings involved. It was all about the money in their pockets.
But for men, it was a foolproof formula.
Spending money to earn respect from these women was worth it.
Just as they were enjoying themselves, Zhou Yi Ming's girlfriend Hui Zi, along with her close friend Zhang Ming Ming and a group of eight girls from their dance crew, walked into the bar.
They were there to dance and unwind for the evening.
They entered the center of the dance floor and began to sway their youthful and graceful bodies with abandon.
They were professional dancers after all, so they moved with real energy.
But Zhang Ming Ming quickly spotted Zhou Yi Ming. She immediately stopped dancing and tapped Hui Zi: "Hey! Look, isn't that your old man right there!"
Hui Zi looked over and her face instantly turned green.
It was Zhou Yi Ming, of course. His hand was currently resting on the princess's small waist, and he was getting close to her curves.
She also recognized the other three men, they were all familiar faces.
Humph!
He had snuck out to have a good time while she wasn't paying attention. He was really pushing it.
Hui Zi pulled Zhang Ming Ming aside and said, "Come with me to find Zhou Yi Ming."
Zhang Ming Ming was hesitant: "I don't want to go. That's between the two of you. They always make up after they fight."
"No, you have to come, so you can be a witness. I don't want him to deny it."
"Fine, but who's that youngest one? He's so handsome."
"Want to play? I'll introduce you later."
"Oh, I didn't mean it that way."
"Don't worry, we're good friends. No need to pretend in front of me."
Hui Zi pulled Zhang Ming Ming towards the four men.
Zhou Yi Ming hadn't even considered running into Hui Zi while he was out playing with a princess.
When Hui Zi and Zhang Ming Ming stood before the four men, Zhou Yi Ming was so startled that he sprayed his drink everywhere.