I just got home after drinking with friends all night, tossing and turning the whole night. Outside, I suddenly knelt down with a loud thud, bowing my head. I think it’s worth recording and sharing as a funny story in life.

The cause was during our third round of drinking when we went out for late-night snacks. Suddenly, someone at the neighboring table started talking inexplicably about how bad Shenyang people are. My good buddy’s hometown is Shenyang, and hearing this, I couldn’t just sit still. At first, he loudly muttered a couple of words at our table, subtly implying it to the other side. But the other person responded even more passionately, and my buddy stood up directly to confront him.

Both sides started exchanging words, getting more and more heated, and it looked like they were about to fight. I immediately stopped my buddy from saying more, while toasting the other side and asking the waiter to bring two cold dishes. For the first time, the brewing conflict was finally suppressed.

My brother’s hometown is Shenyang, and he’s a pretty outstanding person. He studied at a university in Beijing, and he’s my direct junior. We became brothers through a formal blood oath at the Guan Gong Temple, cutting our fingers and sealing our bond. Before graduation, he passed the civil service exam for Shenyang and also got into a master’s program at the University of York in the UK, even earning a scholarship. Later, I helped him get a recommendation through family connections, and he went to work at a top state-owned enterprise’s international trade department in Beijing. He rose to department manager, then started his own business. Now in his early 30s, he has nearly 50 million in cash, settled in Beijing, and is among the top of his peers.

But his only fatal flaw is that after drinking, he occasionally “loses his mind,” and this “occasionally” is still sporadic, unpredictable, and sudden.

When I came out of the bathroom, I looked up and saw he was already fighting with the people at the opposite table. Both sides were in the early stages of a brawl. During the brief 30 seconds I returned to my seat, my mind was racing: how should I persuade him to stop? What can I do immediately to stop it? Thinking it over, verbal persuasion and physical pulling wouldn’t work—my buddy is in great shape, much stronger than me.

At that moment, I suddenly remembered a funny story my older brother, whom I respect very much, told me during a casual drinking chat five years ago: He said he once went back to his hometown for a gathering with childhood friends. After three rounds of drinks, he went to the bathroom. Passing by a private room, he heard loud noises inside. Curious, he peeked in and saw a good childhood friend (whom he had lost contact with) fighting with someone. The fight was so intense that bottles were already swinging, about to be smashed.

He told me: “I didn’t know what I was thinking at the time, maybe I was helpless and had no other way. I rushed into the room, ‘thud,’ and knelt down on the floor, then bowed my head with a loud bang. Both sides were stunned, and suddenly the whole room went quiet…”

Then, he started to mediate, communicate, and exchange words. In the end, both sides held hands, sang until dawn, went for late-night snacks, and became good friends…

Five years ago, I didn’t understand this at all. I told my older brother, “Bro, you’re awesome.” But I secretly thought, “This guy’s a bit crazy.”

But this brother has a good character, respected in the industry. Five years ago, his net worth was at least 500 million yuan, and he was a well-known artist.

Yes, I was walking back to the table when, in the last second, my mind quickly flashed back to this story my brother told me. Then, instinctively, I “thud” knelt down on the ground, and with a loud bang, bowed my head (I feel like I hit even harder than my brother did back then).

“Big brother, it’s all my fault. Can we just stop fighting?”

Both my brother and the people across the table were completely stunned… You can imagine what happened next—a fight was mysteriously stopped by my muffled head-bow.

I remember my brother told me at the time: “Can, you know, I know that whenever I tell others about this, they think I’m crazy or a fool. But I’m proud and confident. Because I solved the problem in the most direct way, quickly and effectively.”

Face means nothing. The person who can solve problems is the most impressive.

Yes, that’s why I wanted to record and share this story with everyone.

Last night, I also solved a problem, big or small. If I hadn’t knelt down and bowed my head, my good brother would probably have spent this Chinese New Year’s Eve in detention; his career, work, and future might have been affected.

I solved the problem, and I’m happy.

Face is worthless.

Inner strength is what truly matters.