Chapter 7: Tricked Again
“Son!”
It was Aunt Chen’s anguished cry. The laughter that had filled the air just moments before froze upon everyone’s faces.
“Aunt Chen, quickly, let’s get your son to the hospital!”
In moments of life and death, there was no time for pleasantries. Yang Fan, Zhang Chen, Wang Jie, and the others immediately lifted Aunt Chen’s son onto their backs, while Xu Zihan and her friends supported Aunt Chen herself.
“Haoyu, you drive your car and take them now. Your father will have your second uncle wait at the hospital. I’ll arrange things here for our fellow villagers.”
Liu Haoyu understood the urgency and dashed off. Truly, despite being a young man from a wealthy family, none of his past experiences compared to the intensity of this night.
“Everyone, please don’t worry—the bus will be here any moment!” Liu Mingfeng called out from the bottom of the stairs.
“Boss Liu, you’re such a good man!”
“We may not have much money as workers here, but we’ve got strength! In the future, just say the word—plumbing, bricklaying, window cleaning—we’ll be there, no questions asked!”
Liu Mingfeng waved his hand, though only he knew in his heart what he had truly gained that night. He had toppled Li He, acquired his company, and realized that even greater rewards awaited him.
His investments were now tightly bound to Yang Fan, and Ai Xiaomei’s burgeoning talents were beginning to show. He couldn’t help but marvel—though the world was vast, it seemed destined that the Liu family would rise. And as a businessman, how could he not dream of his enterprise becoming legendary?
“This is only my duty. If you wish, come to my company tomorrow. What I need most are loyal and righteous people like you!”
Ai Xiaomei quietly sipped her milk tea nearby, puzzling over what exactly a “bus” was—she simply couldn’t understand.
At the hospital, people were already waiting. As soon as Yang Fan and the others arrived, Aunt Chen’s son was taken into a VIP room.
The matter of money was settled. Now the greatest question was whether money could save a life. That was truly a dilemma. Yang Fan wondered if he should resort to extraordinary means, but after some thought, decided it would be safer to wait.
He hadn’t dared to try any of the medicines he’d drawn from the prize wheel, and even considered testing them on someone he disliked. Scanning the room, he thought that Liu Haoyu had once been such a person, but now they were all in the same boat.
“Xiaofan, thank you all so much today. I—” Aunt Chen grew more emotional, nearly kneeling to thank Yang Fan, but he hurriedly stopped her—such a gesture would only shorten his life!
“Aunt Chen, please, your son’s health is what matters most right now!”
“Exactly, Aunt Chen. If something this serious happens, you should let us know!” Xu Zihan gently comforted the distraught woman.
Liu Haoyu and the others offered their reassurances as well. Yang Fan, watching the busy nurses, was relieved when his phone rang. He stepped outside to answer, unable to bear Aunt Chen’s endless gratitude.
“Mom.”
He spoke outside for a while, and when Ai Xiaomei and the others arrived, Yang Fan handed the phone to her. Delighted, Ai Xiaomei chatted away, while the others went in to see the patient, leaving only Liu Mingfeng and Yang Fan.
“Brother, what brings you here?”
“I wanted to check in. Tonight has been quite the ordeal. So, how’s it looking inside?”
“Not great, honestly. We got him here in time, but Aunt Chen’s son’s condition can only be kept stable with medication. Even the specialists are at a loss,” Yang Fan explained.
“That’s troubling. I’ll talk to the hospital director again.”
“Sorry to trouble you, brother,” Yang Fan replied.
“Nonsense! You’ve already done me a great favor!”
“There you go again! You said we’re brothers, didn’t you?”
“Alright, alright, I won’t say it. But honestly, if the hospital can’t help, I know you have your ways,” Liu Mingfeng said with a smile.
Yang Fan paused, realizing how perceptive Liu Mingfeng was.
“Well, let’s keep that between us. I still need to experiment a bit—medicines shouldn’t be taken recklessly!”
Liu Mingfeng nodded. As the director became available, he went in to talk.
“Brother, mom says the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon—should we visit home?”
“In a while. There's still over a month before the festival.”
“Then will you reward me today? How about treating me to the mall—ten times!” Ai Xiaomei’s eyes sparkled mischievously.
“Ai Xiaomei, even if we have money, we shouldn’t waste it. Didn’t you watch TV yesterday? There are children in the mountains who don’t even have enough to eat. Don’t you have any compassion?”
“I do! Why don’t we donate all our money tomorrow then?”
Yang Fan ignored her. Just then, Liu Mingfeng came out of the hospital and, after a brief conversation, took his leave.
It was already past midnight. When everyone finally emerged, the bus took them all home in one trip. Zhang Chen, Wang Jie, and Xu Tao followed Yang Fan back to the garden apartments.
“Sister Zihan, can I sleep with you tonight?”
“Of course!”
With that little troublemaker out of the way, Yang Fan unlocked the door in high spirits. The others followed him in, and perhaps everyone was so exhausted that night, not a word was spoken; each found a corner of the sofa and quickly fell asleep.
Yang Fan himself felt no drowsiness. He gazed at the unusually lively fish swimming in the tank and smiled, nodding to himself.
The next day, when Yang Fan awoke, it was already noon. Worse still, it was Monday.
“Hey, don’t you all have work today?” Yang Fan shouted as he realized he’d skipped work, rushing from his bedroom to see Zhang Chen and the others still sound asleep.
The garden apartments were eerily quiet, everyone no doubt worn out from the previous night’s chaos. Ai Xiaomei, of course, didn’t need to work, and Xu Zihan wouldn’t start her shift until evening. But as for the rest of them, they’d all played truant from work!
“What time is it now?”
“It’s already noon!”
“This won’t do—I had an interview this morning!”
“I—”
“Enough. Let’s hurry out and regroup this evening!” At that, the four of them rushed out. After parting ways, Yang Fan realized he couldn’t simply walk to work—his company was too far. He waited and waited, but the bus never came.
Finally, a taxi appeared and Yang Fan flagged it down.
After twenty minutes, he finally arrived at his company’s building.
“That’ll be twenty yuan.”
Yang Fan patted his pockets—he’d forgotten his wallet. He tried to pay by phone, but his face darkened.
“Ai Xiaomei, you’ve really landed me in trouble!”
He tried to reach her telepathically, but she was still fast asleep. Calling her phone, he found it switched off. Xu Zihan’s phone was off as well.
“Damn it!”
Just then, a beautiful woman exited the company. Yang Fan thought for a moment, trying to recall her name.