Chapter 35: We Can Just Borrow the Money

The hall was so quiet that the dropping of a pin could have been heard. Everyone stared at me with their mouths agape, faces filled with shock.

I rubbed my hands together and forced a smile. "I know this decision comes as a surprise to everyone, but it is a last resort. Blackie is seriously injured and needs a large sum of money to save his life. This building was given to my sister and me by Third Master, and it is the only thing of value we have left to sell. Without Third Master, my sister and I wouldn't be where we are today. He once instructed me to take good care of Blackie and Little Monkey. Now that Blackie is in trouble, I cannot stand by and watch. Honestly, even without Third Master's request, I could never ignore his plight. Because… we have lived together for ten years; Blackie has long since become family to Sister Yan and me, as have you, Little Monkey and Liang! If it were any of you, we would do the exact same thing."

After this long speech, I struggled to keep my composure. I reached up to rub my face and smiled at the others. "Chen, Youyou, we haven't worked together for long, but I am honored to have shared these past few days with you. I would love to remain friends with you forever, but we can no longer be colleagues."

"No!" Youyou sobbed, covering her eyes. She bit her lower lip and looked at Sister Yan. "I—I l-love this pl-place, I love this j-job, I love b-being with all of you..." Overwhelmed, she couldn't finish her sentence and simply hugged Sister Yan, who had walked over to her, weeping softly.

Chen Yinan looked on with regret and asked, "Second-in-Command, have you really made up your mind?"

I looked at him and nodded with a smile. There was no way I would abandon Blackie, no matter the cost. From the very beginning, Sister Yan and I never considered giving up. Chen Yinan sighed and said nothing more.

Wen Liang looked at me, his face flushed with guilt. "Stone, w-why didn't you s-say something sooner..."

I patted his shoulder and laughed, "Don't you start acting like Youyou! It's your own lack of patience, and now you're blaming me?"

Turning my head, I spoke to Sister Yan, "Sister, go ahead and post the listing on the local online marketplace. It shouldn't be hard to sell. But there is one condition: we are selling for two million, and the buyer must pay a deposit of five hundred thousand immediately!"

The medical expenses were five hundred thousand, and Blackie would need proper nutrition afterward to fully recover, so we needed to set aside some extra funds for his ongoing care.

Sister Yan nodded and turned toward the desk, but a timid voice came from the side.

"Um, I know this isn't the best time to speak, but I feel I should remind everyone. Does the company really have to dissolve? It's only five hundred thousand, right? Can't you just borrow it or pool the money together?"

I turned, surprised to see someone standing at the entrance of the conference room. "Miss Xiangxiang, why are you here?"

Xiangxiang walked over, carrying her handbag, and pulled out a stack of cash. "This is five thousand—the payment we agreed upon. I came to pay you, not to eavesdrop on your meeting. But you should really consider what I said. It's only five hundred thousand; is it really that hard to raise?"

I looked at her, torn between amusement and frustration. "Miss Xiangxiang..."

"Stop," she interrupted, raising a hand. "My name is Zhou Le'er. Xiangxiang was just a pseudonym I used at SK."

I nodded. "Very well, Ms. Zhou. Perhaps five hundred thousand is nothing to you, but for us..." I gestured toward Sister Yan and Wen Liang. "Look at the three of us. Do we look like wealthy people? To be honest, we are kids who grew up in a scrap yard; it’s practically the same as an orphanage! Five hundred thousand is a fortune we have never even seen before. If there were any other way, or if we knew any wealthy friends, I wouldn't have taken this step."

After all, the Yan Hui company was the result of two years of blood, sweat, and tears from Sister Yan and me. More importantly, it was our foothold in Haizhou, the place that allowed us to search for our father among millions of people. If we lost this place, we would be like duckweed, drifting aimlessly—how could we ever find him then? But right now, saving Blackie’s life was paramount. Everything else had to be set aside.

Zhou Le'er curled her lip. "Just borrow it. It's better than selling the building for a pittance! How do you know you can't raise it if you don't try? Here, I have one hundred and fifty thousand. Take it as a loan. No need for an IOU; I trust you!"

Sister Yan and I stared at her in disbelief. Sister Yan shook her head. "Ms. Zhou, we are strangers. How could we possibly borrow your money?"

Zhou Le'er waved a hand. "I already said, I trust you! I don't need it right now anyway, so take it!"

"Why are you doing this?" I frowned, failing to understand her generosity. She was just a client; we had a transaction, and that was the end of it. Even if we were to become friends, that required time and shared history. For her to offer one hundred and fifty thousand so readily was frighteningly generous—she might be willing to give it, but Sister Yan and I didn't dare to take it.

Zhou Le'er sighed and glared at me. "Fine, I'll be honest! I didn't just come here today to pay you; I came to join you."

Sister Yan and I exchanged looks. Join us? What did that mean?

Zhou Le'er huffed. "When Boss Stone put that hidden footage on the big screen, it certainly exposed that scumbag and left him with no way to deny it, but it exposed me too! Now, I'm a complete laughingstock at SK. I lost my dignity and my money..." There was a self-deprecating smile on her face, but I could see the bitterness hidden behind it.

Chen Yinan raised his hand, looking embarrassed. "That's my fault! I thought we could do it anonymously, but I didn't expect it to drag you into it. I apologize; this has nothing to do with the Second-in-Command."

Zhou Le'er shook her head. "I didn't come to hold anyone accountable. I just felt that place was... unbearable. I wanted to work in a different environment. Nana told me you were hiring, so I came! I didn't expect that before I even walked in, I'd hear you talking about dissolving the company and selling the building. It just seemed like such a waste..."

I understood now. She had come looking for a job, only to find the company shutting down before she could even interview! In her desperation, she had offered her own savings to keep the company afloat so that she would at least have a job.

Chen Yinan slapped his thigh. "Exactly! Why dissolve the company? I don't have money, but my family... well, my friends have some! I'll ask them. I can't promise a huge amount, but two hundred thousand shouldn't be a problem! I’m calling them right now. Don't be in such a hurry to dissolve the company!"

"A-Nan, wait..." Sister Yan tried to stop him, but Chen Yinan had already run out with his phone.

Youyou grabbed Sister Yan's arm anxiously. "I-I h-have some too..." She held up a finger, gesturing repeatedly in front of Sister Yan.

Wen Liang widened his eyes. "One hundred thousand?"

Youyou blushed. "T-ten thousand!"

Wen Liang pulled out a card. "Is that your whole ten thousand? Can you spare another thousand? I have nine thousand here, so that makes twenty thousand between the two of us, okay?"

Youyou nodded, blushing.

My heart ached. I looked at Sister Yan, then at everyone else, and said with emotion, "Alright, the company won't be dissolved. I'll find a way to raise the rest!"