These are all words of experience; repeated often, they become classics.
Zhuang Keluo wasn't entirely satisfied with Lu Chen's words, appearing somewhat disappointed and dejected. However, she knew this couldn't be rushed. As Lu Chen said, frankly, the easier something is to obtain, the less it's valued. Actually, from this perspective, Lu Chen is still a good man!
She had to say, "That's fine then, but Brother Chen, you have to promise me you'll seriously consider me. I know you're not the kind of person who climbs the social ladder, so I hope you won't dislike me because of my family background, okay?"
These words were quite persuasive, making Lu Chen feel a strong sense of sincerity.
He nodded and smiled, agreeing.
Zhuang Keluo then widened her eyes and asked, "Brother Chen, you don't have a girlfriend, right?"
Lu Chen thought for a moment. Shangguan Bei naturally didn't count, and Dong Qingqing, frankly, was essentially her sister and bed partner. Did Liu Li count? Actually, not really. He said, "No girlfriend!"
"That's good!" Zhuang Keluo's face lit up with a smile. "Oh my, that's wonderful!"
She was so happy she almost danced with joy.
In her heart, she thought: "Hmph, Shangguan Bei, you shameless brat! Saying my man is your boyfriend! I knew it! How could my man possibly be interested in a girl like you who can't even walk properly! Just you wait, he's mine!"
Lu Chen didn't understand Zhuang Keluo's complicated thoughts, nor did he know about the years of entanglement between her and Shangguan Bei. He only felt that her smile was a little strange, so he felt a vague unease.
Just then, his phone rang. It was Lu Chen's phone.
He answered the phone and heard a young, familiar, yet somewhat timid voice.
Lu Chen's eyes lit up: "Xiao Yi?"
The person on the other end of the line was Gong Jiu's younger sister, Gong Xiao Yi.
Actually, Lu Chen had wanted to go to that small hotel to find Gong Xiaoyi these past few days, but ultimately didn't. He knew the Gong family's current predicament; the 100,000 yuan he'd given them was enough, and it wasn't appropriate to show any more concern. After all, sometimes too much concern could hurt their dignity.
A family of four, with three members incapacitated, must be in a sorry state, and they certainly wouldn't want anyone to know too much about their plight. Giving them 100,000 yuan initially to help them through their immediate crisis, and then waiting for news, was the right thing to do.
Speaking of how to conduct oneself, Lu Chen didn't know why, but since running away from his arranged marriage, he'd learned a lot.
Meanwhile, Zhuang Keluo, hearing Lu Chen call out such a sweet, dependent name, immediately widened her eyes and perked up her ears. This couldn't rule out the possibility of a love rival.
Although, judging from the voice, the other person seemed only sixteen or seventeen years old.
However, sixteen or seventeen-year-old girls these days are quite mature and know how to find boyfriends.
Lu Chen wasn't thinking as much as Zhuang Keluo; he was just listening to what Gong Xiaoyi was saying. Gong Xiaoyi's voice was heavy with exhaustion, yet also tinged with joy. She said she had taken a week off to care for her parents and brother, and things were now mostly settled.
Her parents and brother were all admitted to the Fourth People's Hospital of the city. Her parents' conditions had improved, and her brother's leg had received basic treatment; although he was still under observation, at least they could breathe a sigh of relief.
Listening, Lu Chen's eyes involuntarily welled up with tears. He could almost see Gong Xiaoyi's frail body running up and down the stairs, single-handedly managing to settle three adults.
She had truly gone through so much!
How many girls at sixteen or seventeen were busy traveling, shopping, and experiencing budding romances? Gong Xiaoyi, however, was burdened by the weight of her family's financial situation. She even resorted to stripping in a nightclub to raise money for her family's medical treatment!
Thinking back to that night, Lu Chen still felt a chill run down his spine. If he hadn't gone there and hadn't seen Gong Xiaoyi dance that way, her life might have been ruined.
Gong Xiaoyi said softly on the other end of the phone, "Brother Chen, if you have time, please come see us. My parents and my brother really want to thank you!"
"Okay, I'll come over later!" Lu Chen said, then asked, "By the way, how's the 100,000 yuan going? Is it enough? If not, be sure to let us know!"
It probably wasn't enough. Gong Jiu's legs were at the point where amputation might be necessary, which showed how serious the situation was. And the two elders were suffering from illnesses caused by accumulated anger, so their condition was probably quite serious as well. Plus, hospitals these days are really lawless, overcharging everywhere. 100,000 yuan seems like a lot, but to treat three people, it probably wasn't enough.
Sure enough, Gong Xiaoyi was silent for a moment, then said sullenly, "It's enough, Brother Chen, don't worry. My teacher knows about my family's situation and has already called on the students to donate. They should be able to donate quite a bit."
This meant she didn't want to trouble Lu Chen any further, after all, he had already given 100,000 yuan.
Lu Chen smiled, "The students are quite kind-hearted. Let's leave it at that for now. Anyway, I'll come over to see you later."
Gong Xiaoyi replied, "Okay!"
Lu Chen hung up the phone, mentally calculating. He still had 70,000 yuan left from buying that car, and he had some of his salary saved up, so he could give another 100,000 yuan. That should be enough.
Zhuang Keluo asked warily, "Brother Chen, who is that Xiaoyi? What's her relationship to you?"
The jealousy in her tone was palpable to everyone around.
Lu Chen chuckled, not hiding anything, and explained the general situation of the Gong family.
Zhuang Keluo sighed upon hearing this, then said, "Brother Chen, don't worry! It's just a small matter, leave it to me. I can easily come up with three or five hundred thousand yuan. And I'll also encourage my employees at the car dealership to donate; they should be able to easily contribute ten or twenty thousand yuan each, right? Okay, all taken care of!"
She waved her hand decisively as she spoke.
Lu Chen could almost picture her asking his employees to donate? He figured this girl would try to force him to donate! Okay, how much the general manager would donate, how much the department managers would donate, how much the showroom manager would donate…
He wasn't keen on Zhuang Keluo being so generous. Donating thirty or fifty thousand yuan was fine; anything more wouldn't be an act of charity, it would just be doing him a favor.
Lu Chen said, "Alright, I'll handle it as I see fit. It doesn't need to be that much. But if you have something to do this afternoon, go take care of it. I'm going to the hospital to see my brother. If I need more money, I'll contact you again."
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Zhuang Keluo immediately said, "No way, I'm going to stick with you!"
Good heavens!
Lu Chen had a headache. This girl, does she intend to follow me forever?
He said with a wry smile, "Well, don't always follow me around. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, you know?"
"I know!" Zhuang Keluo nodded, but persisted, "But at least I have to stick with you this afternoon. I finally found you, we've reunited, so I should strike while the iron is hot and nurture our relationship, right?"
Lu Chen let out a soft "uh," completely speechless.
This was like a fire in the desert; he felt like he was being roasted alive.
After lunch, Lu Chen and Zhuang Keluo drank a few cups of tea and chatted for a while, but it was mostly Zhuang Keluo pestering Lu Chen to talk. Lu Chen managed to snag a few deals. Zhuang Keluo said her friends frequently hosted various banquets and needed a lot of desserts, and she would help Lu Chen get those jobs.
Lu Chen happily said, "Great! I'll give you a commission!"
"Okay!" Zhuang Keluo beamed, "I want a commission, but I don't want cash, I want intimacy. How about this, one hundred yuan for a kiss, anywhere you want, except for the parts that tickle me, okay?"
This is possible? Lu Chen broke out in a cold sweat, speechless again.
Although he liked beautiful women, and although Zhuang Keluo was definitely beautiful, this fiery attitude was really strange.
Around 2:30 pm, Lu Chen and Zhuang Keluo arrived at the Fourth People's Hospital of the city. Of course, Lu Chen was driving his newly bought Roewe W5. Along the way, Zhuang Keluo, becoming increasingly familiar with Lu Chen, became more and more unrestrained, complaining about how bad this low-end car was, her main point being that she still wanted to give Lu Chen a luxury car.
Lu Chen pretended not to hear, focusing only on driving. Then, a slender and familiar figure suddenly appeared before him—it was Gong Xiaoyi. She was carrying a bag of apples, walking across the street towards the hospital.
Clearly, she had bought fruit to take home for her family.
Ahead of Gong Xiaoyi, three or four men in camouflage uniforms were walking towards her, carrying several military binoculars—clearly selling binoculars. Selling military binoculars while wearing camouflage uniforms seemed quite professional.
A sense of unease instantly rose in Lu Chen's heart.
This time, it wasn't the warning of that hidden energy; in fact, anyone with even a little social experience would have been wary of those men in camouflage uniforms. Their faces carried an air of malevolence and hostility; they were clearly not good people.
Gong Xiaoyi, however, fixed her gaze on the binoculars, looking at them for a few more moments.
The men in camouflage uniforms caught Gong Xiaoyi's gaze and approached her, saying something. Then, Gong Xiaoyi smiled and accepted a pair of binoculars they offered, holding them up to her eyes.
Her fingers gently adjusted the focus.
Lu Chen felt a sense of foreboding.
Sure enough, after Gong Xiaoyi adjusted the focus, her body trembled slightly, then she slumped to the ground. The men in camouflage quickly caught her.
They looked around, supporting Gong Xiaoyi's clearly weakened body, and led her into a dark alley.
During this process, some passersby noticed something amiss, and some tried to stop them, but were glared at and turned away by the men in camouflage.
Lu Chen's face darkened. Because of the large crowd, it was inconvenient to pull over, so he stopped the car at the nearest stop, immediately opened the door, and rushed out. Zhuang Keluo froze, then called out, "Brother Chen, where are you going? Hey, hey, the car's parked right here!"
Lu Chen turned and shouted, "Help me park the car first, I need to take care of something!"
With that, he darted into the crowd and across the street.