Chapter 121: Ten Thousand a Day

The next day, Hong Yu started his morning by calling Lin Shuyu.

To his surprise, she hadn't gotten up yet. It took a while for her to answer, and she explained that Wang Qi had spent most of the night yelling, leaving both her and the Chen family unable to sleep. Hong Yu was primarily concerned with whether Wang Qi had stayed over at the Chen residence. Lin Shuyu chuckled, saying that he certainly didn't have the nerve to stay after causing such a scene and had gone home immediately after his tantrum.

Hong Yu let out a sigh of relief. They chatted for a bit, and Lin Shuyu reminded him not to forget her grandfather's birthday, suggesting he should bring a gift.

After hanging up, Hong Yu frowned. He had no money on him. The funds given to him by Chen Dayong and the others as a sign of respect had been left in his room back home; he hadn't brought a single cent to Huaizhou, which was why he couldn't even afford a taxi when he first arrived.

"Sigh, I should have deposited that money into a bank account so I could at least use online payments," Hong Yu lamented. He had been so poor for so many years that he had never developed a habit of managing money, and now he was paying the price for his lack of foresight.

After thinking it over, he gave Liang Zhanpeng a call.

Liang Zhanpeng was stunned. He never expected that a dignified young master of the Hong family would actually need to borrow money from him. When he first asked how much was needed, he felt a bit uneasy. To his astonishment, Hong Yu only asked for eighteen thousand, claiming it was just to buy a small gift for an elder and wouldn't cost much.

At this point, Liang Zhanpeng wasn't just uneasy; he was shocked. While he didn't know the full extent of the Hong family's wealth, it was certainly in the trillions. With that much capital, even if it were just sitting in a bank collecting interest, the family would have earned over a hundred thousand in the twenty seconds they had been talking. That didn't even account for their high-yield investments, which made Liang Zhanpeng shudder just to think about.

Just as Liang Zhanpeng began to press for more details, Hong Yu hung up the phone. He felt that having to endure such a long-winded conversation just to borrow eighteen thousand was a terrible deal.

That evening, Hong Yu headed to the Pengzhan Hotel. Since the tycoons of Hannan were gathering there to discuss their strategy, he decided to stop by and listen in.

As he approached the entrance, Hong Yu clearly sensed an atmosphere different from the day before. The mood at the Pengzhan Hotel was incredibly tense. Security tape had been set up, and although he didn't count them precisely, he observed at least two hundred bodyguards, likely brought by the various moguls. Luxury cars of every make imaginable lined the area. Just as he was about to enter, his phone rang.

He assumed it was Liang Zhanpeng checking on his whereabouts, but the caller was an unknown number. He picked up, and a woman's voice came through on the other end.

"Are you the one asking my father for money?"

Hong Yu was taken aback. The woman’s tone was impatient and irritated, but her words made her identity clear. He had only asked Liang Zhanpeng for money recently. He hadn't expected Liang Zhanpeng to have his daughter reach out directly—perhaps he was just too busy today.

"Yes, I am," Hong Yu replied. "I've just arrived at the Pengzhan Hotel."

"Heh, I guess you really are in a rush for cash," the woman sneered. She got straight to the point: "I'm in the lobby of the Pengzhan Hotel right now. I'm very busy and can only give you one minute. If you aren't here in a minute, you can wait a few more days for me to get you the money."

*Beep, beep, beep—*

The line went dead. Hong Yu stood there, stunned. He hadn't expected her to be so rude and blunt; he figured Liang Zhanpeng hadn't told her his true identity, or she wouldn't have acted this way.

He walked toward the entrance, and no bodyguards stopped him. Yesterday's events had made him somewhat famous at the Pengzhan Hotel, and Liang Zhanpeng had specifically given orders to ensure no ignorant guards offended him.

Less than a minute later, Hong Yu reached the lobby. A woman in a skirt suit was pacing back and forth, looking extremely impatient. As she kept checking her watch, Hong Yu smiled and walked over. "It hasn't been a minute yet."

The woman looked him up and down, then sneered, "Just as I thought. You're the son of one of my father's old, impoverished friends, right?"

Hong Yu didn't know how to respond and could only shake his head with a bitter smile.

Just as the woman was about to say something else, a waiter rushed over. "Miss, there's a problem in the kitchen. The lobsters today aren't fresh enough. How should we handle this?"

The woman's brows furrowed. "Are you all useless? You knew so many distinguished guests were coming today, yet you cause such a mess!"

After scolding him, she immediately asked, "Is there fresh lobster at the fish market next door or at the other restaurants?"

"No! That won't work. The more rushed we are, the more likely we are to make mistakes. Forget the lobster; switch to tiger prawns. These wealthy guests have eaten everything under the sun, and they aren't here specifically to dine anyway!"

She rattled off instructions with fluid efficiency, causing Hong Yu to nod in approval. He thought that while she was arrogant and headstrong, she was capable and thorough—a true daughter of Liang Zhanpeng.

Once she finished, she checked her watch again. "That's five minutes. You're late."

Hong Yu's eyes widened. "You can't be serious? I arrived ages ago and even told you, but you were the one who got held up with other matters."

The woman scoffed, "Do you expect me to drop everything just for you?"

"Forget it, I won't waste any more time. Here is ten thousand; take it and leave."

She pulled ten thousand in cash from her bag and held it out. Seeing Hong Yu accept it without a hint of shame, she said impatiently, "People these days. When those other poor relatives came by, they at least said thank you. You, on the other hand, take it with such peace of mind."

Hong Yu smiled. "Well, it is only ten thousand. It’s such a small amount—"

"A small amount? You call this a small amount?" the woman said, shocked. "Yes, for the Liang family, this is pocket change! But you had to come all the way here to borrow even this little bit—what right do you have to say something like that?"

"I know that once this money is lent out, I'll never see it again, and the Liang family won't keep track of such a pittance!"

"If you had just taken it and left, I wouldn't have said anything. But given your attitude, I don't think I can let you walk away with this money so easily."

Hong Yu was speechless. The woman pulled a random waiter over to ask a question, then turned back to him. "As it happens, we're short-handed tonight. You can help out with some work."

"Ten thousand a day—you should consider yourself lucky."