C4 The Money Had Been Credited

Xia Ming's unexpected arrival caught Lin Shuyu and Lin Feng off guard.

"Hey, isn't this the brother-in-law who was salvaged from the garbage heap? Tsk, how intriguing... Weren't you busy attending to guests at the KTV? What brings you here to show off? A million, you say it as if it's nothing. Have you ever even seen a million?" Lin Feng scoffed with a sneer, "If you can cough up a million, I'll live stream myself eating dirt!"

Lin Shuyu's brow furrowed when she saw Xia Ming approaching. "Xia Ming, stop causing trouble. I've poured all my money into the company; I don't have that kind of cash!"

As the CEO of Lin's Group, Lin Shuyu's annual salary was in the millions, and she had accumulated a substantial amount of savings, well over ten million. Under normal circumstances, purchasing a million-dollar pair of earrings for her grandmother would have been no issue.

But with the company's recent financial crisis, Lin Shuyu, the naive one, had reinvested all her funds back into the business, leaving herself with just three hundred thousand. Buying those earrings was now out of the question.

"Isn't it yours, though?" Xia Ming said as he handed his card to the cashier. "Go ahead, swipe the card."

Lin Shuyu was taken aback, observing Xia Ming's demeanor, which hardly seemed like a jest.

Lin Feng chuckled mockingly from the sidelines, "Keep up the act; I'm curious to see how far you'll go."

The cashier wavered for a moment but eventually activated the POS machine and keyed in one million. "Sir, please enter your PIN."

There stood Xia Ming, still clad in his KTV waiter's uniform. It seemed unlikely that someone in his position could produce a million. Nevertheless, out of respect for the customer, the cashier went along with Xia Ming's charade.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

As Xia Ming entered his PIN and hit confirm, the POS machine began to churn out a receipt. The transaction had gone through?

The cashier was dumbfounded.

Lin Shuyu was dumbfounded.

Lin Feng was dumbfounded.

A smirk crossed Xia Ming's face as he turned to the sales associate and said, "What are you waiting for? Wrap it up. I've paid, aren't you going to sell it to me?"

"Oh! Right away, sir, just a moment!" The nearby sales associate snapped to attention and hurriedly fetched a box to package the earrings.

Xia Ming glanced over at Lin Feng with a cool gaze. "Lin Feng, didn't you mention something about live streaming yourself eating crap? Shall I help you out with that now?"

"This can't be happening..." Lin Feng's face flushed with alternating shades of green and purple as he snatched the receipt and scrutinized it. A string of zeros confirmed the amount: one million, no mistake.

Yet Lin Feng refused to back down so easily. His eyes darted about before he blurted out, "No, you're lying! There's no way you have that much money. You must have stolen it, that's the only explanation! Sis, you need to watch out, don't get dragged into this!"

Prompted by Lin Feng's warning, Lin Shuyu felt a surge of anxiety. "Xia Ming, how did you come into so much money?"

Lin Shuyu was well aware of Xia Ming's earnings from his job at the KTV. With a monthly salary of just over ten thousand yuan and living expenses to consider, saving five thousand yuan a month was commendable, but nowhere near a million.

The cashier also paused, considering the implications. If Xia Ming's million was ill-gotten, it was their duty to report it. They couldn't afford to take this lightly.

Xia Ming had anticipated Lin Feng's skepticism and had his response ready. "Heh, I've just been incredibly lucky lately! I won the lottery yesterday, and after taxes, I ended up with exactly one million yuan. Would you like to see the receipt?"

That explains it!

Upon hearing Xia Ming's explanation, Lin Shuyu, the cashier, and the sales associate all breathed a collective sigh of relief. Everything made sense now.

"But you shouldn't be so reckless with money!" Lin Shuyu chided Xia Ming, though her heart swelled with gratitude. He had not only supported her earlier but had also purchased a thoughtful gift for her grandmother.

"Buying a gift for grandma is the least I can do! It's a sign of respect and filial piety, isn't it, little brother Lin Feng?" Xia Ming said with a mischievous smile. "So, what's it going to be? Are you sticking around, or are you really going to go through with that live stream?"

"Hmph! You think you've won this round? Just you wait!" Lin Feng shot a fierce glare at Xia Ming and Lin Shuyu before swiftly turning on his heel and striding away.

As he walked, he dialed a number on his phone, "Brother Dao, I need someone sharp to handle a job for me!"

Humph!

A million yuan gift?

Let's see if you can cough up another million if that gift gets smashed!

...

Lin Shuyu and Xia Ming exited the jade shop side by side. Glancing at Xia Ming, Lin Shuyu felt a sense of disorientation, as if the man beside her had somehow changed, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.

Approaching the elevator, Lin Shuyu was about to descend, but Xia Ming caught her by the arm, "Hold on, don't rush off. Let's check out that clothing store! Honestly, I feel I owe you as your husband. You've been taking care of me since I was fifteen. It's about time I bought you a couple of outfits to show my gratitude."

Lin Shuyu paused, taken aback, "You're buying me clothes? Don't be silly... Xia Ming, you've just won a million yuan, but that doesn't mean you should spend it recklessly! And with the company facing such a crisis, if we go bankrupt, then we'll be... Oh..."

Lately, the stress of the company's troubles had left Lin Shuyu unable to eat or sleep properly.

Xia Ming looked at her with a pained expression and spoke gently, "My dear, don't fret over the company. I met with a classmate this afternoon who agreed to invest. The funds should be arriving shortly!"

"Your classmate agreed to invest? Xia Ming, please don't joke about this. I know most of your close friends, and not many are in a position to invest fifty million..." Lin Shuyu clearly didn't believe Xia Ming, her eyes betraying a flicker of disappointment.

So Xia Ming thinks he's on cloud nine just because he won a million yuan.

Just then, Ding Ling Ling!

Lin Shuyu's phone rang out of the blue. It was Tang Qian, the company's secretary, with exciting news, "Ms. Lin, it's fantastic news! A person claiming to be your husband's classmate just invested fifty million yuan in the company. Our financial woes are finally over..."

The secretary was still enthusiastically reporting over the phone, while Lin Shuyu gazed at Xia Ming, her face etched with confusion and her heart pounding with shock.

Did Xia Ming actually secure an investment for the company?

He has a wealthy classmate? Why wasn't she aware of this?

"Sister Tang, are you certain the funds have been deposited?" Lin Shuyu asked, her breath quickening and her cheeks flushed with excitement. If the 50 million yuan had truly come through, it would resolve the company's dire financial crisis, and she wouldn't need to ingratiate herself with the tycoons of River City for investment.

"It's absolutely certain... But what puzzles me is how readily the other party acted. They requested the company's account details and immediately wired the money! They didn't even sign a contract, just asked us to sign it and mail it back to them... At first, I suspected it was a scam..."

"Okay, I've got it! Keep this under wraps for now. Don't tell anyone!" Lin Shuyu ended the call with Tang Qian, then turned and studied Xia Ming with a complex look for a long while before finally speaking up. "Xia Ming, be honest with me, are you some kind of ultra-wealthy heir? From a powerful family?"