Zhao Xiaoying saw the sincerity in Hu Tianhan's eyes, and that he had used his privilege for her sake was no small matter.
Those who could act in such a manner were trustworthy friends.
Bai Suxiang, unaware of the intricacies, couldn't discern whether Hu Tianhan was speaking the truth. She relied on her intuition to judge people.
Hu Tianhan's words seemed genuine, not fabricated.
"You can go back and consider it again. If there's truly no other path, it won't be too late to take this step!" Hu Tianhan's statement was the utmost he could offer.
Zhao Xiaoying remained motionless, repeatedly contemplating: if she couldn't get the money, how would she save her father? She hadn't considered the potential gains.
Seeing Zhao Xiaoying's silence, Bai Suxiang assumed she needed more time to think and got up, ready to pull her away.
"Alright, I'll sign. When can I get the money?"
As Zhao Xiaoying spoke, she pulled Bai Suxiang back to the sofa.
Hu Tianhan slowly stood up. Though inwardly ecstatic, he maintained an outwardly melancholic expression.
He pressed his lips together tightly and said with resignation:
"The earliest is 8 PM tonight, and the latest it will be in your account is before noon tomorrow. I still advise you to think it over. The company is willing to pay so much money, and they must have their reasons. Given your family's situation... sighs, I won't say more. If you've decided, I'll have someone make the arrangements."
Upon hearing that the money could be obtained quickly, Zhao Xiaoying couldn't afford to hesitate further. She roughly estimated that the money she could raise, combined with the amount from the mortgage, should be sufficient.
"Okay, okay, go ahead with it!" Zhao Xiaoying told Hu Tianhan.
"Aren't you going to consider it further?" Bai Suxiang, seeing Zhao Xiaoying agree so readily, tugged at her arm.
Zhao Xiaoying patted her hand and nodded.
Bai Suxiang said no more, understanding that Zhao Xiaoying had no other recourse.
Everything proceeded according to procedure. Hu Tianhan clearly explained where to sign on each form and how many documents required a signature. As for the necessary identification, such as the property deed, Zhao Xiaoying had it with her.
She had previously considered mortgaging it but had always held onto the idea of not resorting to this step unless absolutely necessary, so she kept it with her.
The moment Hu Tianhan took possession of the property deed, a flicker of triumph crossed his eyes. Only after looking sympathetically at Zhao Xiaoying and Bai Suxiang as they left the company building did he finally allow himself to revel in his joy.
When Liu Sandao learned of everything from Bai Suxiang, he sighed softly.
He hadn't expected to sigh, as if infected by some human emotion.
However, the most comforting aspect was that Zhao Xiaoying had ultimately not exchanged her lucky fruits for money, meaning she had managed to retain her two hundred lucky fruits.
Currently, the first priority for himself and Fu Ruhai was to report this matter to Zhao Qiansun as soon as possible, and to quickly sever the path through which the ancestor's roots were used to obtain lucky fruits.
After they agreed on a story, Fu Ruhai went to see Zhao Qiansun.
This time, he was not blocked at the entrance of Ru Yuan. The guard seemed to recognize him again, which made Fu Ruhai somewhat unaccustomed to it.
Most astonishingly, Zhao Qiansun began addressing him as "Xiao Hai" again, just as he had in the past.
Indeed, the people of the Heavenly Court acted in unusual ways.
This made Fu Ruhai miss the past even more, the days when he freely distributed lucky fruits.
There was no conflict, no schemes, no need to be deliberately distanced, nor was there a need for overly enthusiastic hospitality.
Although Zhao Qiansun called him "Xiao Hai," the distance between them was now greater than ever.
"Old leader, I've come to report a situation."
Fu Ruhai had wanted to call him Director Zhao, but then he reconsidered and addressed him as old leader.
Zhao Qiansun, still remembering Fu Ruhai's preferred beverage, naturally poured him a cup.
"Come, sit. Have some tea first, and then tell me the situation you want to report in detail."
Zhao Qiansun continued to pour the water methodically, motioning for Fu Ruhai to sit in his old usual spot.
From the moment Zhao Qiansun sat opposite him, Fu Ruhai began to launch into the well-rehearsed story he and Liu Sandao had concocted.
While listening, Zhao Qiansun merely nodded slightly, never interjecting.
Occasionally, when Fu Ruhai's throat grew dry, he would casually take several sips of the tea Zhao Qiansun had poured.
Zhao Qiansun, however, patiently refilled his cup, accompanying him with a smile, as if this were his office and Zhao Qiansun were the one serving tea and water.
From Fu Ruhai's account, Zhao Qiansun learned the origin of the remnant root capable of taking lucky fruits and who was using it to disrupt the rules of the lucky fruit system. However, with new tasks from above, these matters would naturally be handled later.
Fu Ruhai spoke at length. Seeing that his old leader did not object, he assumed he had received approval and felt a surge of joy.
Zhao Qiansun did not mention how the intruder issue would be dealt with, nor how the loophole of spirit roots taking lucky fruits would be resolved. He simply said:
"We'll discuss these matters later. Currently, the higher authorities have decided to release our lucky fruit system to other cities. Do you have any suggestions?"
"This, is that true?" Fu Ruhai was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.
If the lucky fruit system were truly to be opened to other cities, it would mean a significantly larger market, and also a far greater responsibility. But if even the release in Sandong City had such loopholes, wouldn't the future be even more...
"But, but the issue of that intruder stealing lucky fruits hasn't been resolved yet. If this continues, I'm afraid in the future..." Fu Ruhai said with concern.
"You don't need to worry about this problem. You just need to tell me your thoughts on 'taking the lucky fruit system out'," Zhao Qiansun said, his expression somewhat serious but not angry.
Fu Ruhai could only give a brief reply: "Of course, it's good. After all, the system has been running stably so far, and there haven't been any negative reviews."
In reality, he wanted to say that the system's release had been too smooth, so smooth that he hadn't distributed lucky fruits for a long time. However, saying so might lead to his removal from his position, so the words remained on his lips.
"That's good. The lucky fruit system has been running quite well up to now. This is also why I strongly recommended to the higher-ups to expand it, and the leaders do not object. Therefore, you should go back and prepare yourselves well. There might be significant adjustments to your work."
Fu Ruhai had no idea what adjustments would be made. He naively assumed that the outcome of his report might allow him and Liu Sandao to once again stand on the top floor of the Yaotian Building.
So, as soon as he returned to the office, he shared this news with Liu Sandao.
Liu Sandao was bewildered by the news, but one thing was certain: there would definitely be changes in their work.
Before they could bask in their excitement for too long, Bai Suxiang, after taking a phone call, told them:
"Something's happened!"