Chapter 6: There Must Be Some Inside Track! Anxiety!

When Lu Feng arrived on the second floor with Yang Ming, Chen Bo was already waiting.

When Yang Ming first arrived with his people, the brothers downstairs had messaged Chen Bo, letting him know that the visitor was carrying a bag. He had already guessed what this was about; after all, the two parties had already completed one transaction.

Seeing the travel bag in Lu Feng’s hand, Chen Bo was somewhat surprised. "Brother Ming, it seems you’re looking after your brother with some big business."

It appeared the previous encounter was merely a trial. If this bag contained the same gold jewelry as last time, then Yang Ming must have secured some kind of channel and was on the verge of rising to power.

In today’s society, money is everything. Even in the underworld, one must be able to lead their brothers to make money; not everyone can keep a group together purely through loyalty like the man before him. Otherwise, even a small-time nobody could quickly gather a following if they had a profitable channel.

There was a guy in the county who had been delivering food just six months ago, but after finding a gray-market online channel, he instantly gathered dozens of people around him. Within half a year, he was driving a Ferrari and raking in 300,000 a day. However, he was too flashy and had already been targeted by the police; he was about to be locked away.

Although Yang Ming hadn't made much money yet, he was already considered an impressive figure. If he had secured a new channel, his momentum would surely be extraordinary.

"I actually have a batch of goods for you today, Boss Chen," Yang Ming said, gesturing for Lu Feng to open the travel bag.

When he saw the gold jewelry inside, Chen Bo, even though he had anticipated it, was still filled with astonishment. The intertwined gold shimmered with a dazzling brilliance under the lights.

"Brother Ming, you really are looking after me," Chen Bo said, unable to wait as he began to inspect the pieces. Based on his experience, there was at least eight or nine jin of gold here.

The more Chen Bo examined the gold, the more surprised he became. The purity was excellent, and some of the designs were so exquisite that if they were "washed" and sold, they could fetch a premium for their artistry. He had no idea where Yang Ming was sourcing gold of such quality.

Chen Bo finished his inspection quickly. After weighing the items, he said with delight, "Brother Ming, this batch of gold jewelry weighs nine jin and four liang—a total of 4,702 grams. At my current rate, that’s 1.589 million, but let’s round it up to 1.59 million."

"Fine," Yang Ming nodded.

Chen Bo asked with a smile, "Same account number? I’ll transfer it now."

"Yes, just send it to that account," Yang Ming confirmed.

Once confirmed, Chen Bo took out a bank security token, plugged it into a computer, and began the transfer. Large transfers of over a million were easily flagged or frozen if not handled through a security token.

Not long after, Lu Feng’s phone received a notification that 1.59 million had arrived in his account. The transaction was complete.

Chen Bo immediately added, "Brother Ming, since you’re looking after my business, starting tonight, I’m booking ten 'Perfect Ten' sets at the Zenith Bar for three consecutive nights. I’m inviting you and your brothers to go and have a good time."

A "Perfect Ten" set meant ordering ten bottles of Martell at once, a single purchase of over 10,000. When that happened, the bar would provide a dedicated emcee, beautiful dancers, and project the order on the big screen with all the lights focused on them, ensuring they had the prestige of being the center of attention in the entire club. Most people never got to experience something like that.

However, Chen Bo didn’t care about the 30,000. Once he processed and sold this gold, the total turnover would be nearly 2 million. Even after splitting the profits, he would pocket 300,000 himself. Spending 30,000 to build relationships didn’t hurt at all, especially since Yang Ming had helped him earn so much.

"Alright, I'll leave it to you," Yang Ming agreed with a smile.

The underworld values interpersonal relationships and social graces; some bonds are forged over drinks. If there were ever conflicts between their respective brothers, a few words from them could smooth things over, making it unnecessary to escalate matters and end up eating free meals in prison while sewing mailbags. After all, society had changed; harmony was the priority now.

This time, Chen Bo personally walked Yang Ming and Lu Feng downstairs and even saw them out of the teahouse, reminding them, "Brother Ming, see you at the Zenith Bar tonight!"

"Sure, we'll be in touch," Yang Ming nodded.

After leaving the teahouse, he drove a car and took Lu Feng to the hospital. Lu Feng immediately paid the 500,000 surgery fee, as well as the upcoming hospitalization costs, before joining his cousin in his mother’s ward.

His mother was still in a coma, on a ventilator. The cost of the ventilator alone was 3,000 a day—half a month’s salary for many people. It really served as a reminder to cherish one’s health; otherwise, when one person gets sick, it drags down the entire family.

When Yang Qingxue saw Lu Feng return, she walked up to him and said, "Lu Feng, the doctor just left. He said Auntie’s condition isn't looking good."

Lu Feng comforted her, "It’s okay, I’ve already paid for the surgery."

Sure enough, the doctor returned shortly after and told Lu Feng, "Mr. Lu, your mother’s surgery has been scheduled. The visiting specialist has arrived, and the procedure will be tomorrow night."

"Furthermore, the patient’s condition is quite serious. There is a high risk of vascular and blood infections post-surgery, so she will need to be in the ICU for observation. The costs will be high, and with the blood circulation therapy, it will come to about 20,000 a day. You should prepare the funds in advance; we will settle the total when she leaves the ICU."

"Understood, thank you, Doctor," Lu Feng nodded, taking a deep breath. Honestly, if he hadn't been able to enter the game world, he wouldn't have known what to do in the face of his mother’s illness.

Beside him, Yang Ming had already put an arm around the doctor’s shoulder and discreetly slipped a thick red envelope into the doctor’s coat, saying with a smile, "Doctor, I’ll leave my aunt in your hands."

"It’s no trouble at all. Saving lives is our duty," the doctor said, his face lighting up with a smile as he waved him off.

Seeing this, Lu Feng felt a sense of irony. Although he used to feel indignant when he read news about doctors accepting red envelopes online, now that it was happening to him, he felt strangely calm, devoid of any anger. Seeing the doctor accept it actually made him feel a bit more at ease. It was a strange reaction. At the very least, knowing the doctor took the bribe meant he would likely pay more attention to the case.

"Qingxue, you should go back and rest first. I’ll need your help looking after my mom after the surgery," Lu Feng said, handing her a bank card. "Also, take this 50,000 back."

Seeing this, Yang Qingxue immediately said, "Lu Feng, I didn't spend much. Auntie needs the money for her treatment right now, you keep it."

Lu Feng smiled and said, "Qingxue, I really don’t need your money. I’ve already paid the surgery fees in full."

Yang Qingxue urged anxiously, "Lu Feng, I looked it up online. The follow-up treatment for this kind of vascular disease costs a lot. You’ll need the money."

Hearing his girlfriend’s words, Lu Feng couldn't help but gently stroke her cheek with a tender expression. "Don't worry, I have enough for the follow-up costs too."

"Really?" Yang Qingxue asked, half-doubting.

"Really. Would I lie to you? Go back and get some rest!" Lu Feng nodded with a smile.

"If you don't have enough money, you must tell me. I’ll come back to keep you company tomorrow," Yang Qingxue said, finally taking the bank card before leaving the ward, looking worried.

As soon as she stepped out of the hospital, her phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, her expression darkened. It was her mother.

After a moment, she took a deep breath and answered. The moment the call connected, a roar came through: "Yang Qingxue, are you trying to be the death of me? I told you long ago not to date that Lu Feng, why won't you listen?"

"How is his family any different from your father’s back then? Even if he could buy an apartment for you to live in, I’d have nothing to say, but do you want to work yourself to the bone your whole life like your mother? Jiajia said you’re even thinking of giving your hard-earned savings to him. Are you really that stupid?"

Hearing her mother’s rant, Yang Qingxue could only sigh. Jiajia must have snitched; that girl really couldn't keep a secret.

Her mother sighed on the other end and finally said helplessly, "Forget it. His mother is sick, so maybe 50,000 could save a life. But you are going to go on that blind date with the guy Jiajia’s boyfriend introduced. He has a 1-million-plus apartment in the county, fully paid for, drives a BMW, and earns 20,000 to 30,000 a month."

Yang Qingxue wanted to reply, but realized her mother had already hung up. She couldn't help but sigh, feeling deeply anxious.