Chapter 6

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The fact that Thomson could not borrow any money suddenly made the competition very interesting, and the audience was very entertained by the call.

However, Thomson was happy too. The last thing he wanted to hear was Little Gate’s voice on the other end of the call.

Not hearing him was more important to Thomson than any prize money, and at this thought, he let out a sigh of relief. He had finally gotten through the crisis.

On the contrary, Alice was restless. She was in this show not because of interest but for the prize money and more so, her and Thomson’s future.

Her parents had been dissatisfied with Thomson’s income and living situation ever since the beginning. Although her father had a good impression of Thomson, he gave her 30,000 dollars to buy a car to win her mother over and have her agree to their marriage.

If they still failed with her father’s help, she could only elope with Thomson, which they would certainly not receive her parents’ blessing.

How could a marriage without their parents’ blessing have a happy ending? This way, she would never be able to experience true happiness.

Upon thinking of this, she could not help but feel a little sad. However, she refused to give up because she loved Thomson a lot.

So, she turned her head and said to Thomson, “Does it matter whose money it is? Does it count if the woman borrows the money?”

The host looked at her and said, “It counts because there’s no separation between who borrowed the money and who didn’t, so the woman can do it too. All the best.”

Alice quickly took out her phone from her pocket, opened her contact list, and looked for a target that she could borrow some money from.

As time passed, the ranking kept changing. Now, the first place had already borrowed two million dollars, the second place had borrowed 1.5 million dollars, and other than Thomson, the rest had at least borrowed 300,000 dollars. Only Thomson’s column was marked 0.

In fact, the contestants’ performances were a huge aspect of the show. Through observing how different contestants borrow money, the show demonstrated how people’s creditworthiness differed.

Those with high creditworthiness could borrow hundreds of thousands from the bank even if they had nothing to pledge. However, for those who had a credit problem, borrowing money was not as easy.

Moreover, it was related to the contestants’ social circle. Some of their friends had a similar background to them and were not particularly rich, so it was futile to borrow money from their friends. While for people with a higher social class, their friends were very good at making money, and hundreds of thousands of dollars were just a small number. Hence, borrowing money was easier for them. 

All in all, it depended on the person’s credibility. If it was not too big of a problem, they could borrow as much money as they wanted.

Compared to other contestants, Thomson had nothing to lose. Although he did not manage to borrow any money, it was not too embarrassing.

That was because the main aspect of this show was to show people how difficult it was for people with a low social status to borrow money.

They had to put down their ego and call their so-called superficial friends, who only knew how to make a few nice remarks and dodge the topic.

Otherwise, they would find all kinds of excuses to justify themselves. For example, “I’ve been really anxious lately too because I don’t have enough money and I don’t think I can help you. I’m sorry. But if you encounter any trouble next time, give me a call and I will definitely help you. The timing just isn’t right this time, and my hands are tied.”

Most contestants who did not come from rich families borrowed money from their relatives, proving that family was indeed more reliable than the so-called brotherhood sometimes.

Some of the contestants were even lectured by their brothers when they called them for help. The ‘Bro Codes’ were thrown out the window, and it all boiled down to two words: no money.

This show revealed exactly how superficial brotherhood could be, but this was life. Everyone may seem like friends, but when one really needed help, they were all strangers. It was quite sad.

Nonetheless, borrowing money from relatives was not easy either. Although the probability of them helping was higher, their tone could be unbearable.

“Beep beep.” Alice’s call got through. She had searched her contact list for a long time before she finally decided to try her brother. Since they were siblings, Alice thought he ought to help her. 

“What’s up, my sister?”A voice came from the other end of the phone.

When the audience heard the response, they all agreed that he should be reliable.

There were even people who whispered, “It seems like women are more reliable at borrowing money. It’s really difficult for men.”

“Um, brother, I’m a little short of money recently, so I was wondering if I can borrow some money from you? Don’t worry. I’ll return the money to you as soon as I get through this hurdle. Please, you must help me.”

“Ah, this…” Her brother deliberately drifted off.

“What are you talking about? Is your disappointing sister asking you for money again? Don’t think I didn’t hear it!”

“You said that she has a job, yet she still borrows money from you all the time. Didn’t she already borrow it once? So what now? Is she treating you like a cash machine? Those who don’t know better would think that you’re a rich man!”

Annoyed, her sister-in-law spoke in a sharp and piercing voice.

“Enough. My sister must be facing some difficulties for her to look for me. We’re a family, and families are supposed to help each other. Stop nagging.”

“Why can’t I say it? I lent her 50,000 dollars last time, and it’s been so long but she hasn’t even paid me back. We need to stand our ground too. We’re not running a charity foundation.”

“Stop it! She didn’t say she wouldn’t return the money. Why are you in such a hurry? You don’t even need the 50,000 dollars right now. Can you stop arguing about this?”

Alice listened to her brother and sister-in-law’s argument, and a mix of emotions welled up inside her.

“It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have troubled you, brother. It’s fine now. Please don’t argue because of me.” Alice felt extremely guilty.

Her brother’s voice came from the phone. “Sister, don’t worry. I’ll definitely help you. We’re family, and besides, you’re my sister. If I don’t help you, who else will? Please don’t be angry. Your sister-in-law is a straightforward person, and she has no ill intentions. I’ll call you back later.”

With that, the call disconnected.

What was surprising was that this time, no one at the scene was discussing this matter. Everyone was silent.

It was all the same when they thought about their life experiences — borrowing money always caused a rift in the family. If they were to laugh at her now, they would be laughing at themselves.

Everyone in the audience exclaimed, “How realistic!”

Alice was filled with guilt as she hung up the phone. She felt very upset that she had hurt the relationship between her brother and sister-in-law.

The audience did not laugh at her. Instead, they sympathized with Alice, especially with her suffering and her situation.

However, when they thought about it from a different perspective, they realized that they were sympathizing with themselves.