Chapter 270 - 141: An Embarrassing Mission

Chapter 270: Chapter 141: An Embarrassing Mission

Making this decision left the family heartbroken. Her second and third uncles smoked in sullen silence in the hallway, while her eldest uncle slapped himself, cursing his own uselessness.

But they were just an ordinary rural family of migrant workers. They didn’t even have the luxury of taking such a gamble.

Sigh...

Her second uncle took a deep drag from his cigarette, slowly exhaling the smoke into the air.

Meanwhile, her three aunts watched helplessly as Shen Qingning wandered toward the far end of the hallway.

Shen Qingning wanted to find a place to cry, but the beds lining the corridor were all occupied. Each one held a patient, and each one was a stage for the myriad struggles of ordinary life.

She could only slump down in a corner of the hall, bury her head in her arms, and weep. The old woman was her only family, her only anchor in this world. Not long ago, she’d been playing basketball and video games with Su Ran, and for a moment, she thought she had seen a glimmer of light. But reality had just dragged her back down to the bottom, back to where she supposedly belonged.

Her life was a gift from the woman in the ICU, and now that woman’s life was about to end, yet she was powerless to stop it. She couldn’t even summon the courage to say that one word: "Treat."

For what felt like an eternity, Shen Qingning’s life had revolved around hospitals—first the town clinic, then the People’s Hospital, and now this one, the most prestigious in the entire country.

She had grown thin.

Haggard.

Her heart ached with sorrow.

Yet she remained powerless.

Just then, her eldest uncle called to comfort her. He ended the call with, "Qingning, I have to go. I’m going to sign the papers now... Sigh..."

Hearing those words, Shen Qingning could no longer contain her emotions and broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

The tree wishes for calm, but the wind will not subside; the child wishes to support their parents, but they are no longer there.

She was experiencing the truth of that saying firsthand.

’I can’t let Grandma die. She has to live.’ Amidst her tears, a thought struck her. There was one person she could call.

She pressed the call button.

"Class President..."

...

Meanwhile, Su Ran stood by his window, gazing out at the Huangpu River under the night sky as he listened to Shen Qingning’s sobbing account.

Su Ran had said that seeing Shen Qingning was like seeing his former self.

He offered a few words of comfort.

"Saving her is the priority. We’ll talk about the money later."

He hung up, let out a sigh, and immediately dialed another number. Just like that, the matter was settled.

...

「Chengdu.」

「Huanhua Villa.」

A Maybach pulled out of the gated community and made its way to the hospital, where it came to a stop.

DING.

The elevator doors opened. A middle-aged man carrying a bag stepped out. His eyes swept over the patients lining the corridor as he walked, finally coming to a stop outside the ICU, next to a plainly dressed girl squatting on the floor.

The middle-aged man glanced at the Shen’s who were gathered nearby, his gaze finally settling on the frail, helpless-looking girl before him.

"Shen Qingning?"

At his words, her uncles and aunts froze, turning to stare at the distinguished-looking middle-aged man.

Shen Qingning, looking haggard, slowly got to her feet. She didn’t recognize him.

Her voice was raspy. "You are...?"

"My name is Li Tai. I’m a friend of Young Master Su," he said. "He asked me to come deliver the medical fees and see if there’s anything else I can help with."

He handed the bag to her.

"Here’s 500,000. Use this for now."

Just then, a professor hurried over and shook Li Tai’s hand. It was only from the professor’s deferential words that the Shen Family learned this Li Tai was the president of a major local real estate development company.

This was the same Li Tai whom Su Ran had helped by exposing a forged painting by Wang Changyue. It was also Li Tai’s praise of Su Ran in front of Shan Weizi that had led to that particular romance.

"Professor Wang, I’m entrusting this elderly woman to your care."

"We will do everything we can."

"Good. Thank you."

After seeing Professor Wang off, Li Tai turned back to Shen Qingning. Her clothes were plain, but a closer look revealed a pitiable charm. ’Looks like Young Master Su’s few hundred thousand has bought him another romance,’ he thought to himself. ’This girl will probably have to repay him by offering herself to him.’

"Young lady, don’t you worry. Everything will be fine. Your Class President told me to tell you not to thank him... Alright, I won’t disturb you any longer. I have to go. Here’s my card, and this is a keycard for the hotel across the street. Young Master Su had me book rooms for you all. There’s no need for you to keep vigil here. Go get some rest. Call me if anything comes up."

"Thank you, Uncle Li."

"Not at all."

Shen Qingning walked Li Tai to the elevator. When she returned, her aunts immediately pulled her aside, grilling her for what felt like an eternity. How did she know the president of a development company? And who was this Young Master Su, who could summon a major developer to deliver cash in the middle of the night with just one phone call?

Shen Qingning said nothing. She just found a quiet corner and called Su Ran.

This was the power of a social circle. It’s why some ordinary, working-class families would scrimp and save to send their children to elite schools. Education was important, of course, but what was more important was expanding their child’s network. When your friends and classmates are all wealthy heirs, getting things done becomes effortless. Even if your grades are a little subpar, your future prospects and opportunities will be several tiers higher than an ordinary person’s. Your path in life becomes much, much wider.

Of course, Shen Qingning’s classmates weren’t wealthy heirs. There was only Su Ran, a Divine Rich.

...

At that moment, Su Ran was lying in bed reading a novel when he answered Shen Qingning’s call.

"Thank you, Class President. I promise I’ll pay you back."

"Five hundred thousand? How are you going to pay that back?"

"I... I’ll... I’ll get a job and pay you back."

"How long would you have to work to pay that off? And you did just offer to let me charge you interest."

"...Then... Class President, how do you want me to pay you back?"

"Take a guess."

"Fine. I’ll give it to you."

"Give me what?"

"My first time."

"...I’m just kidding. Don’t worry about it. Pay me back whenever you have the money. It’s not like I’m hurting for cash. Mmm... take care of yourself. And if you lose so much as a single pound by the time school starts, I’m adding a point of interest."

"Okay. Thank you."

"No more ’thank yous.’ I’ll see you when school starts."

"Okay."

He had just hung up with Shen Qingning when a call came in from Li Tai.

Li Tai: "Your line was busy just now. I figured the little lady was calling you. So, was she moved enough to offer herself to you?"

Su Ran: "Behave yourself, President Li. She’s my classmate."

Li Tai: "She’s a pretty girl. Oh! Now I remember. Outside my office building at Taikoo Li, there’s been a young woman selling little trinkets every day for a while now. Standing out there in the biting wind... it’s enough to make your heart ache for her. That’s your classmate, Shen Qingning."

Su Ran: "Sigh... It can’t be helped. Her family is in a tough spot and desperately needs the money, so she has no choice but to sell things on the street. Keep an eye out for her, will you? If a suitable job comes up, try to arrange it for her."

Li Tai: "What’s her major?"

Su Ran: "Same major as me. When you’re developing a new property, you should hire her. She can take a Luoyang Shovel, poke around a bit, and see if there are any tombs underneath. If she finds one, you’d be out a fortune, wouldn’t you?"

Li Tai: "Hey, hey, hey! Don’t even joke about that. Discovering a tomb is a developer’s worst nightmare. The losses would be massive."

Su Ran: "Which is exactly why you should hire her."

Li Tai: "OK, no problem. By the way, come visit me in Chengdu for some tea when you’re free."

Su Ran: "I’ll be there."

To Su Ran, it was a simple, effortless gesture. To the Shen Family, he was a savior.

Money truly is omnipotent.

[Get some rest. Don’t overthink things. Your grandma will be fine. Good night.]

He sent the message, turned off his phone, and went to sleep.

...

「The next day.」

When Xiao Wanqing arrived at the hotel, Su Ran was already awake. They ate breakfast together, left together, and went to the airport together. After whispering a few sweet nothings, they waved goodbye and went their separate ways. Xiao Wanqing drove off happily in his Mercedes GLA.

’There would be plenty of time to see her again in the future.’ Now, it was suddenly time to move on to his second mission.

Time to go. Next up: the "baby-faced bombshell," Xie Yiren.