Chapter 64: Chapter 64 Doing a Good DeedDaya Bay was not a bay; once there was a river bend here, but the water has dwindled to a mere trickle nowadays. It’s over thirty kilometers away from the city center, considered a small town, and although slightly out of the way, it’s not too desolate.

    Li Yifei and his team’s warehouse was still some distance from the town, a twenty-minute walk away, and beyond the town there was a narrow road leading to the warehouse, appearing even darker.

    Not a soul could be heard on this road, nor was there any street lighting, but tonight the moon was full, as though it had just passed the fifteenth day of the lunar calendar; it was actually the seventeenth, so the moon was still very bright, which made it possible to make out the path ahead.

    He thought back to the day he met He Fangqing in the bar, which happened to be on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, a time for family reunions. Yet He Fangqing was divorcing her husband—no wonder she had gotten so drunk that day.

    When they reached the crossroads, Li Yifei didn’t immediately head down the small path. Instead, he stopped, turned to the girl named Little Hong, and said, "It’s not too late for you to regret this now."

    The girl paused mid-step, looking at Li Yifei in astonishment.

    Li Yifei gave a faint smile and said, "I know you actually don’t want to do this. You can still back out now, but if you go through with it today, you won’t be able to take it back later."

    Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes again and then streamed down her cheeks as she choked out, "I can’t... I can’t..."

    "Why can’t you?" Li Yifei frowned.

    "My father’s being hounded for debts, and if we don’t pay up, they’re going to kill him. I need the money, Brother Li, I need twenty thousand, will that do?"

    Li Yifei was startled and looked at her with a hint of playfulness, "You don’t seem to be worth that much, do you?"

    "Ah? Then how much am I worth?"

    "Seems like four or five thousand is about right?"

    The girl was stunned for a moment, then bit her lip and asked, "Brother Li, can’t you really give me twenty thousand?"

    Li Yifei shook his head, and the girl stared at him in a daze before finally saying, "Sorry, Brother Li, then I can’t go with you. I have to find someone who can give me twenty thousand."

    After saying that, the girl released Li Yifei and took a step back.

    Li Yifei had been testing the girl all along, and now he was sure she was telling the truth. He smiled faintly and said, "Even if you save your father this way, you would ruin your own life. Do you think it’s worth it?"

    The girl bit her lip and said, "I just want to do this once, and after it’s done, I won’t do it again. No one here knows me, and I won’t come back here in the future."

    Li Yifei let out a sigh and said, "Then I’ll help you, but I’ll need to borrow some money myself as I don’t have that much on hand."

    A look of surprise immediately spread across the girl’s face, and she hurriedly said, "Brother Li, are you really going to give me twenty thousand?"

    "Yes, I’ll give it to you," Li Yifei said with a slight smile. "You’ll have to come with me to where I’m staying first. I don’t carry that much cash on me, and I have to make a phone call to borrow some."

    "Alright, alright," the girl agreed quickly, nodding her head repeatedly.

    The two headed toward the warehouse. After a brief moment of excitement, the girl fell silent again, and her pace slowed once more. Li Yifei didn’t say much, instead contemplating who to call for a loan.

    In Mile City, Li Yifei didn’t know many people. There were his former security guard brothers, but they were all struggling and clearly without money. There were also the folks from the logistics department, but their relationship, while not bad, wasn’t close enough to casually ask for a loan. In the end, he thought of He Fangqing and Xu Yingying.

    If he opened up to He Fangqing, Li Yifei fully believed she would agree to help, but he didn’t want to borrow from her, as it would make their relationship even more complicated. So in the end, he made the call to Xu Yingying.

    As soon as the call connected, Li Yifei cheerfully greeted, "Hello President Xu." He needed a favor, so he dared not be impolite.

    "What’s up?" Xu Yingying was surprised to receive a call from Li Yifei at this time.

    "I’m in a bit of trouble and need some money. Could President Xu help me out a bit?"

    Xu Yingying immediately replied, "What happened? Didn’t I give you quite a bit not so long ago? Have you spent all that already?"

    "No, I need some money for something, but I’ve only got six or seven thousand on me. I’m short by fifteen thousand. Could you lend it to me first? I’ll pay you back slowly," Li Yifei said.

    "Alright, I’ll transfer it to you in a bit," Xu Yingying was very straightforward, not bothering to ask what Li Yifei needed the money for.

    "Thank you, President Xu. Whenever you need me, just say the word," Li Yifei responded politely with a chuckle.

    Xu Yingying didn’t say much more, and after a while, she sent a text message to inform him that the money had been transferred.

    Li Yifei looked at his phone and said, "Alright, the money is here."

    "But... the money is in your card," the girl fidgeted, biting her lip.

    Li Yifei couldn’t help smiling and said, "Well then, let’s go get the money now. An ATM can dispense fifteen thousand."

    The girl nodded repeatedly. Li Yifei had intended to go to the warehouse to get the money first, but the girl was already hurrying back. This made Li Yifei shake his head and simply follow her back. It seemed that the distance to either place was about the same, so it didn’t matter which one they went to first. Sёarch* The novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    After withdrawing the money, Li Yifei directly gave the fifteen thousand to the girl. She anxiously put the money away, and her face relaxed considerably. She then took out her cell phone, a type that came with a service plan and wasn’t even a touchscreen, which was quite rare for girls nowadays.

    As soon as she held the phone, the girl’s face immediately tensed up, her fingers trembling as she dialed a number, took a deep breath, and after the call connected, she said, "Manager Sun, this is Su Yiyi... I have all the money ready, and I’ll bring it to you tomorrow morning. You must not hurt my dad... There’s definitely money, twenty thousand, not a penny less... Okay, okay, I’ll definitely bring it tomorrow."

    After putting down the phone, the girl took a sigh of relief, while Li Yifei squinted at her and said, "Su Yiyi, it’s a really nice name."

    Su Yiyi’s face changed drastically, and she said in panic, "How do you know my name? Do you know me?"

    Li Yifei pointed to her phone and said, "You said it yourself."

    Su Yiyi was taken aback and then remembered that she had indeed said her name just now, and suddenly she didn’t know what to do.

    "Let’s go, I’ll withdraw the five thousand for you."

    Su Yiyi bit her lip and nodded, then silently followed behind Li Yifei.

    About fifteen minutes later, Li Yifei and Su Yiyi arrived at the front gate of the warehouse. The old man on duty saw Li Yifei bring a girl back and smirked ambiguously, then opened the side door for the two of them. Li Yifei led Su Yiyi inside.

    Once in Li Yifei’s bedroom, he took out his bag; he never deposited his money, always carrying it with him. But since he hadn’t brought much when he went out to eat earlier, he hadn’t needed to pay anyway.

    Li Yifei counted out five thousand for Su Yiyi, then looked at the thin stack that remained and could not help but smirk bitterly to himself. Just the other day, he felt like he had plenty, and now he was left with only a bit over two thousand and an additional fifteen thousand in debt. Being a Good Samaritan wasn’t something one could afford to be.

    By now, Su Yiyi had also taken the other five thousand. She came before Li Yifei, her face red and her hands fidgeting as she stuttered, "Brother Li, thank you, I... I... I won’t, I’m sorry, you said let me... whatever you say, I’ll... I’ll just do it."

    Li Yifei looked at Su Yiyi, his mind swirling with thoughts. He had spent twenty thousand after all, and getting involved with Su Yiyi seemed to be the natural course of things, especially since the girl was also pretty.

    But in the end, Li Yifei shook his head. This girl was not one of those women at bars looking for thrills. Taking advantage of her would give him a sense of guilt that didn’t sit well with him. He smiled lightly and said, "Who said I wanted you to do anything?"

    Su Yiyi was suddenly taken aback and said, "Brother Li... you..."

    Li Yifei patted her shoulder and said gently, "It’s okay, I know you are a good kid, a good kid with filial piety. Consider this money my help to you. Don’t sell yourself easily for money."

    Su Yiyi’s eyes widened in disbelief as she stammered, "Brother Li... you... you don’t want to buy me..."

    "No, you are indeed charming, but I can’t bring myself to do it," Li Yifei said, somewhat self-deprecatingly.

    Immediately, Su Yiyi’s eyes reddened, not from sadness but from being moved. She had thought that she wouldn’t be able to avoid her fate today. When she got the money, she was ready to face that storm, but unexpectedly, Li Yifei didn’t want her.

    "Brother Li... you are really a good person."

    Li Yifei chuckled and said, "Alright, don’t give me any more praise. Let’s go, I’ll take you home."

    Su Yiyi hastily said, "Then... then... this money, I consider it a debt to you, and I will definitely pay you back in the future."

    "No need. When I gave it to you, I didn’t expect you to pay me back. If one day, in order to repay me, you think about selling yourself again, that would be an even greater sin on my part."

    "But... but..." Su Yiyi vigorously shook her head, saying, "It’s not okay, Brother Li, I can’t just take your money for nothing; even if it’s a loan from you."

    Li Yifei had not expected the girl to be so stubborn, but he was even more impressed by her. He smiled and said, "Alright, alright, if you want to say it’s a loan, that’s okay. But you can pay me back whenever you have the money."

    "Okay, then I’ll write you an IOU," Su Yiyi said, pulling out a small notebook from her bag, tearing off a piece of paper, and conscientiously writing an IOU before handing it to Li Yifei.

    The handwriting on the paper was very neat. Li Yifei pretended to give it a glance and then put it away, not wanting to hurt Su Yiyi’s pride at that moment. When he put the paper away, Su Yiyi indeed smiled.

    "Brother Li, I... I still don’t know your name?" Su Yiyi asked a little shyly but expectantly.

    "My name is Li Yifei." He didn’t go for anonymity with good deeds; after all, he had given away twenty thousand, and it was only fair she remembered his name.

    "Then I’ll call you Brother Li."

    "Alright, it’s getting late. I’ll take you home."

    Su Yiyi nodded, just as she was about to leave when her phone rang. She quickly answered, speaking anxiously, "Manager Sun... What, how is that possible? Didn’t you agree to twenty thousand?... But... but... I don’t have that much money anymore, please, Manager Sun, I’ll bring you the twenty thousand tomorrow, don’t hurt my dad, I’ll find a way to get the money... Manager Sun, I beg you... Manager Sun! Manager Sun!"

    After calling out a couple of times, Su Yiyi despairingly hung up the phone, filled with pain, helplessness, and anger.