A faint pancake aroma came from under the nose, mixed with the fragrance of eggs and coffee, and my stomach couldn't help but roaring protests.

Lance sat upright almost conditioned reflexively and looked around alertly. The familiar scene relaxed the tense heartstrings, and slowly leaned back. After touching the back of the sofa chair, he noticed that he was actually sleeping on the sofa. He thought about it seriously, but he couldn't remember when he fell asleep.

Looking back, Gao Wen was wearing an apron. After re-storing it, his hair that had grown to his shoulders was simply tied into a ponytail. He was putting the baked toast on the plate. He lowered his head and adjusted the angle. He could see two figures sitting on a rattan chair outside the balcony of the master bedroom. It was Theo and Ian. The two of them lowered their voices and discussed something, and they kept exchanging opinions...

"Are you awake?" Gao Wen's voice came from the direction of the restaurant behind him. "Wash and prepare for breakfast." Gao Wen put the plate on the dining table and walked towards the kitchen gently. "What is the jet lag in the air now? Theo said you just slept in the early morning. Do you want to go back to the room and sleep for a while?"

Lance looked down at the blanket covering him, lifted it open, and sat relaxed on the sofa in a daze. After waiting for a while, his head started to run again. "I don't know what the jet difference is now..." He was stunned for a while, and then stood up and walked towards the bathroom in the master bedroom.

"Good morning!" Ian and Theo noticed Lance immediately and greeted them. Lance waved at them and went straight into the bathroom to wash. After taking a hot shower, the sore muscles were relieved a little, and the dull brain finally returned to normal. The final moments of the "Raging Road" were completed, the victory of the Oscars, the opportunity for Oscar Night... His thoughts were slowly cleared, although he still didn't know which time zone he was in now.

"Good morning!" Lance returned to the restaurant barefoot and greeted him with a smile. Gao Wen pointed to the empty seat next to Theo, "Two parts syrup, one part butter, and one cup of coffee." There was a pancake on the seat. The translucent syrup and fresh sweet cream accompanied the embellishment of three strawberries, making people's index fingers excited.

She sat down familiarly, took two cherries from the fruit basket in the center and threw them into her mouth, then picked up the knife and fork, "You are the ones responsible for breakfast recently?" Lance looked at Theo and Ian, and the two were still talking. A thick stack of newspapers was placed on the table. Ian listened carefully while quickly flipping through the newspapers. Lance did not disturb them and said to Gao Wen.

"I am used to waking up so early every day, so I always have to find something to do. I ran five kilometers first, then went to the supermarket, and when I came back, I found that there was still a lot of time." Gao Wen joked, "I finally understand why people want to watch movies now."

However, Lance did not smile or refute, but put down the pancake on the fork with his right hand, and worried in his eyes. Gao Wen thought Lance did not understand his joke, "Because it was too boring, I watched the movie..." Gao Wen pointed to himself and again, obviously teasing Lance.

"Your joke is not funny at all." Ian interjected, complained about Gao Wen, and then turned around and started talking to Theo.

Lance waved his fork gently and said that he didn't care about Gao Wen's joke, "I just passed one third today, so what are you going to do if there are two thirds left?"

Anyone needs a goal, even on vacation, they need to find something that is "doing nothing" to do, such as sunbathing on the beach all day, or resting by the swimming pool all day, no one can really bear long-term boredom, even those elderly people whose half of their bodies are buried in the loess, let alone Gao Wen.

Although Gao Wen is "old" in the football field, in fact, he is not yet 34 years old. For society, such age is the time to start a career. Suddenly, Gao Wen said goodbye to the past decade to train and arrange daily life. This sudden chaotic rhythm after being tight to the extreme is often easy to cause disintegration. This is also the reason why life in retirement is extremely difficult. Many athletes are at a loss after retirement, and may even indulge in alcohol, drugs/pharmaceuticals and cannot extricate themselves.

This is what Lance is worried about.

Gao Wen understood Lance's concerns at once, and couldn't help but smile brightly, "Don't worry, I'll find something to do." However, Lance's eyes still did not relax. Not only Lance, but even Theo and Ian paused the conversation, turned to look over, and their eyes fell on Gao Wen's shoulders.

Chaos Film is now in full swing, and everyone is busy like a gyroscope and can't stop at all, but Gao Wen can't participate, as if he is just a bystander, especially when he just retired, this emptiness is even more irreparable.

A trace of warmth flowed through my heart. Gao Wen put down the knife and fork and smiled, "Since you mentioned it, I just happened to discuss it with you. What do you think about me changing jobs and becoming a commentator later?" Ian also put down the newspaper in his hand and temporarily put other jobs aside. "Actually, in the past two months, I have tried to completely relax myself. After all, for more than ten years, I have never really enjoyed the holiday, but I found that it is not that simple, I can always start thinking, and have various ideas in my mind. I have considered becoming a coach, maybe I can become an offensive team coach and provide some advice to the team; there are also professional fitness coaches. I think that under the name of Lance, I should be able to easily find countless jobs in Hollywood..." This made Lance and Ian laugh.

"I actually considered professional golfers. You know, many basketball players are like this after retirement." Lance rolled his eyes and responded, "There is also the commentator. In fact, espn tested my ideas not long ago. They thought I would become an excellent commentator and could also keep me in the league. You know, the game time is my working time."

Lance turned his head to look at Ian and Theo. The three brothers exchanged glances. Finally, Lance looked at Gao Wen and shrugged, "I think this is an excellent idea, and it is also certain that you can help when I need VIP rooms in the future..." Gao Wen couldn't help but smile, "So, yes, I support it."

"Work in Los Angeles?" Theo asked out loud.

Gao Wen nodded, "Yeah", dragging the ending, "Oh, by the way, Lance, I went to see the house, Malibu, on the hill next to Zuma Beach, two floors, more than 100,000 square feet, eight bedrooms, two pool houses, twelve bathrooms, a tennis court with a view of the sea, and a saltwater open-air swimming pool leading to the sea. By the way, my favorite is their wine cellar." Gao Wen talked endlessly, and then found Lance with a surprised expression on his face. He chuckled twice, "If possible, I think the four of us will separate and buy a villa each, which is the best idea. But Ian told me that it is impossible until the short seller in his hands will benefit next year. So, what else can I do if I don't live in your house?"

Theo raised his hand and patted Lance on the shoulder. This sudden action made Ian lower his head and hide the smile on the corner of his mouth. Gao Wen had a proud expression on his face. It was so difficult to finally make Lance prank for him.

Lance curled his lips, picked up his coffee, and said self-deprecatingly, "I think even if I borrow money from the bank, it's time to pay the interest." This made Theo shiver, "How much is the price of that house? My check book is in the drawer, just say hello to Percy."

"One eight million." Gao Wen gave the answer, and Lance gently closed his chin, "It was much lower than expected."

At this time, the real estate bubble had already appeared, and the prices of apartments and rentals were rising like crazy, but the prices of luxury houses such as villas were slowly falling. Therefore, when the real estate collapsed in 2007, the worst losses were the working people at the bottom.

"The previous price was 23 million." Gao Wen affirmed Lance's speculation.

"Lance, don't listen to what Gao Wen said." Ian waved his hand helplessly, "We are short now, betting that real estate will collapse, and then we will buy a house by ourselves. Isn't this a contradiction? If we really want to buy a villa, and wait until the market collapses next year before taking action, we may be able to get it if we don't have 15 million."

Lance waved his hand indifferently and said with a chuckle, "We are not a victim of this real estate crisis. There is no need to be careful about this price difference. You told me, right?" Seeing Ian's expression, Lance continued, "Besides, this apartment cannot be kept forever. Paparazzi already knows that it is troublesome to get in and out. Malibu is much more convenient, so are you and Theo. Stay in Los Angeles when you work. If you don't mind driving, go to Malibu. Anyway, it's less than twenty-five minutes away."

"That's it." Theo made a decision directly. Ian looked over in surprise, but Theo said naturally, "We have been working hard, not to save." Ian laughed in silence. In fact, this is also his usual idea. Only by learning to spend money can he know how to make money. However, in the past year, the economic pressure of Chaos Pictures and the pressure of the real estate bubble have really made him a little too cautious.
Chapter completed!