Chapter 111: The Test

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When Liu Yunfei discreetly slipped a thick envelope of cash into the doctor’s large pocket, the doctor immediately relaxed his furrowed brow, as if seeing long-awaited sunshine on a cold winter day—so radiant. Sometimes, one really wonders if the deep, bottomless pockets on white coats are just made for collecting money, since no matter how much cash is stuffed in, they never seem to bulge.

After some symbolic pretense of hesitation, the chief physician’s tone shifted: “But Old Dong’s condition is stable for now. The key is that he arrived in time. If we can operate quickly to remove the calcified tissue, there’s a chance for recovery, even full rehabilitation. However, the cost might be a bit high; lung surgery still requires advanced skills.”

“Then no matter what, you must personally perform the surgery. I’ll come back and pay whatever it costs. The most important thing is to save his life. I’ll remember this life-saving favor as a brother.”

“Hehe,” the doctor’s face blossomed into a bright smile, like a blooming winter jasmine, so dazzling you couldn’t even find his eyes with a magnifying glass. “Miss Dong, your son is really something. He’s got a promising future, destined for great things.”

Aunt Dong felt reassured hearing the doctor say that. She realized money really did work wonders. In no time, Liu Yunfei had gone from being a mere patient’s relative to calling the esteemed chief doctor “brother.” How wonderful it would be to have such a son. Quickly, she corrected, “No, no, this is just my daughter’s friend.”

“Oh, a prospective son-in-law counts as half a son. You two are devoted to your parents; you can rest assured entrusting your daughter to him.” Hearing this from the doctor after so long made Liu Yunfei feel especially good. The old man was quite endearing. He nearly wanted to plant a kiss on him. Just for those words, the money was well spent today.

After leaving the doctor’s office, Aunt Dong tugged at Liu Yunfei’s sleeve and pointed, saying the head nurse was coming, so of course, they imitated the usual ritual. Actually, the nurse wasn’t asking for much—just a thin little envelope with a few light papers to make things simple. The head nurse immediately checked the thick ledger. There were no beds available in this ward, but that didn’t matter—they arranged for Old Dong to stay in another ward on the same floor, which was even better.

With Liu Yunfei’s help, Old Dong was moved into the room, his belongings neatly arranged and everything settled. Liu Yunfei quietly went to the cafeteria to buy two boxed meals and ate together with Aunt Dong.

Aunt Dong looked at the young man in front of her while eating, feeling more and more satisfied like a mother-in-law admiring her son-in-law. The young man had a good appearance—thick eyebrows, bright eyes. She’d noticed Liu Yunfei’s considerate and tactful behavior. Such humble and polite young people were rare today. She naturally thought of Chen Zhiqiang, another young man, who was also good—honest, kind, hardworking—but when compared, it was clear who was better. Chen Zhiqiang was like a blade of grass, while Liu Yunfei was a towering tree; Liu Yunfei was a man destined for great things, Chen Zhiqiang only a mere laborer; Liu Yunfei a general manager, Chen Zhiqiang could only sweep the streets.

However, Liu Yunfei’s wealth was a bit worrying. Wealthy men can turn bad, right? But who says being rich means you’re not kind? He gave the doctor a generous, thick stack of cash, yet he bought himself a five-yuan boxed meal—strict with himself, generous with others. What spirit was this? The spirit of Bai Qiu’en, Huang Jiguang, Qiu Shaoyun! If Aunt Dong had to choose a son-in-law for her daughter, Liu Yunfei would be the one without question. If Liu Yunfei knew this, he would be embarrassed—he never imagined he’d be compared with revolutionary martyrs.

Thinking so, Aunt Dong spoke: “Yunfei, I really thank you this time. If you hadn’t helped, Old Dong might have passed through the gates of hell this time and never come back. Auntie knows the hospitalization money was from you, and she doesn’t know how to repay you.”

Aunt Dong tried to wipe away her tears. None of their relatives or friends had helped like this.

“Auntie, don’t be so formal. I don’t want repayment. If I can help, I will. After all, we’re neighbors. Don’t tell Qianqian about this, or she’ll be embarrassed when you meet,” Liu Yunfei said, surprised that Aunt Dong already knew, so he couldn’t lie.

“Auntie really likes you, you’re kind and considerate. But about Qianqian, she has to make her own decisions, right? We adults’ opinions she can refer to, but we can’t force her. We’re old now; we can’t control young people’s affairs anymore, understand?” Aunt Dong’s meaning was clear: the mother-in-law approved, but it was no guarantee. She could speak well of you, but ultimately it depended on Qianqian. If she didn’t want it, you can’t blame us.

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“Auntie, don’t worry. I’m not helping your family with any ulterior motives. My mother is about to establish a charity foundation dedicated to helping those in need.”

Aunt Dong only knew the Liu family lived in the building ahead and had never inquired about the parents. Liu Yunfei frankly shared his family background: his father was a civil servant, his mother a businesswoman, and their family harmonious, with filial piety all around. This made Aunt Dong even more determined to have Liu Yunfei as her son-in-law.

“Yunfei, it’s getting late. You still have classes this afternoon, right? Qianqian is in class now. She comes to see Auntie every night—you’re both still young…”

“I know, Auntie,” Liu Yunfei thought she was going to say it’s a bit early for them to consider such matters.

Seeing his meaning, Aunt Dong quickly added, “No, I mean you’re still young. Even if Qianqian is feeling down now, don’t lose heart. Life is long, and with Auntie’s help, it will work out sooner or later, understand?” Aunt Dong’s mother-in-law gaze admiring her son-in-law was back.

Having won the mother-in-law’s approval so quickly, Liu Yunfei felt like he was on cloud nine all the way back to school, smiling uncontrollably. Thinking of that blossoming rose-petal face—if it were planted at home and admired every day, it would be a sheer delight. He’d have to eat a few extra bowls of rice and change the sheets more often.

As he drove into the student parking lot, he saw Zheng Dayong and Xu Xiang standing beside his reserved parking spot. Xu Xiang was from the neighboring class, a trusted enforcer in Jiang Tao’s New Righteous Alliance club. He wasn’t very tall but was ruthless and favored by Jiang Tao. Needless to say, they were here to test Liu Yunfei.

“Liu Yunfei is here!” Zheng Dayong called out, nodding and bowing as he approached.

“What a coincidence. What are you doing here?” Liu Yunfei replied indifferently, still feeling uneasy about this guy spying on Zhang Xiaoli.

The two thought, “We’re just waiting for you here. What coincidence?”

Zheng Dayong kept smiling: “The boss is still mad at me? I was blind then. I didn’t know she was your pick. I swear, even if she stripped naked, I wouldn’t look.”

“Hmm?”

“No, wait, I still wouldn’t look if she didn’t strip.”

Liu Yunfei had no patience for these guys. “Your school uniform doesn’t fit well. Why is the front longer than the back? If they make new uniforms, I think they should make the front shorter and the back longer.”

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“No, it fits just fine,” Zheng Dayong said, baffled.

“Well, then the front and back length is just right when you nod and bow. I heard traitors in the old days dressed like that.” Liu Yunfei couldn’t help but laugh. Zheng Dayong really was a traitor type.

Zheng Dayong still smiled, but Xu Xiang snorted coldly, warning Liu Yunfei not to be too arrogant. He was the tough guy here and was also reminding Zheng Dayong to hurry up and say their prepared lines.

“Boss Liu, Xu Xiang and I are a bit short on cash lately, but his girlfriend needs to get an abortion. We were hoping you could sponsor us a bit. Can you help out?”

The two rascals thought this was a trendy excuse—girlfriend abortion sounded cool. But Liu Yunfei wanted to slap them. You don’t even have money for the abortion? Why didn’t you think of borrowing from me when you were fooling around? Can I borrow your girlfriend instead?

Still, thinking that if the abortion didn’t happen, the girl would suffer, Liu Yunfei, who had been kicked by them before, pulled out two bills and handed them over. Zheng Dayong didn’t take them, as planned. If he accepted, they’d ask for more to see if he dared refuse.

“Boss Liu, that’s not enough,” Zheng Dayong pretended to look pitiful.

Liu Yunfei was a bit annoyed. “You have no money and talk about a girlfriend? Fine, I’m in a good mood. I’ll help all the way.” He added three more bills and handed them over, ignoring Zheng Dayong’s pitiful expression as he turned toward the classroom.

“I told you he’s a softie,” Xu Xiang said disdainfully, watching Liu Yunfei’s back.

“I don’t think so. He’s just generous,” Zheng Dayong replied, no longer smiling, calmly watching toward the classroom.

“Whatever. If he’s timid, we’ll extort him. If he’s generous, we’ll recruit him to the New Righteous Alliance and slowly squeeze him dry. Haha, time to report to the boss.” Xu Xiang thought to himself that the 500 yuan would surely be split with him. The abortion story was fake; getting a girl pregnant at the beauty salon by the school gate—that was real.