11: 11. Mom is proud of you

Lu Feng's lips curved into a smile.

Everything was under his control. If he said he wasn't tempted by a million yuan, that would be impossible. He was truly short on money now, extremely short on money.

A million yuan would allow his father to stay in the best hospital, the best ward, and receive the best treatment. It would also relieve his mother from too much toil.

So, Lu Feng wanted this money, but he couldn't take it from Xu Wenjie.

After entering Xu Ting's dream, from her fragmented past memories, he knew that Xu Ting had a clear sense of gratitude and resentment. She was never stingy with those who helped her, and she disliked owing favors.

This was also the reason Lu Feng chose to help her.

It would allow him to vent his anger, achieve peace of mind, and also receive a generous reward.

Therefore, facing Xu Ting's offer of a million yuan, Lu Feng did not decline but accepted it frankly.

He gave a bank account number. Xu Ting gestured to her secretary, who immediately took out a tablet and operated it. In a moment, the million yuan was successfully transferred.

Lu Feng also took out his phone and called his mother, Lu Xiaoli.

As soon as it connected, he heard his mother's flustered voice: "Son, I was just about to call you. I was just buying groceries, and my phone, I don't know what happened, there's a sum of... a lot of money transferred to my account. So many zeros, I can't even count them all. Is there something wrong with my phone, or did the bank make a mistake, or is it... some kind of scam..."

His mother was completely at a loss.

Seeing this, Lu Feng comforted her: "Mom, don't worry, this money is fine. It's from me... um, I just helped a company, did a good deed, and they rewarded me."

"Ah? Son, you're not joking, are you? What kind of help is worth a million yuan?" Lu Xiaoli was half-believing, half-doubting.

Xu Ting, who was nearby, suddenly reached out and gestured for Lu Feng to give her the phone; she would explain.

Lu Feng handed her the phone. Xu Ting said very naturally: "Hello, Auntie, I am Xu Ting, the Chairman of Donghai Group."

Lu Xiaoli had never seen such a situation. Hearing that the other party was a Chairman, she became even more flustered and quickly said: "Ah, Miss Xu... you... hello."

Xu Ting smiled gently and said: "It's like this, your son, Lu Feng, just helped our group a great deal, so this money is a reward from our group."

"This, this... isn't it too much...?"

Xu Ting shook her head and said: "No, Auntie. Compared to the help Student Lu gave us, this money is already insignificant. Please accept it without worry."

"This... this... well, alright then. Thank you, Miss Xu. Xiao Feng has always been a clever child since he was young. Thank you for giving him this opportunity. For him to receive your recognition..."

Lu Feng quickly took the phone back and interrupted: "Cough, cough, cough... Mom, do you believe it now? You take this money first. Don't be so frugal anymore, alright?"

"I know, I know, son. I'm proud of you!" Lu Xiaoli secretly wiped away a tear.

After hanging up, Lu Feng's heart was restless for a long time. His Adam's apple bobbed as he smiled at Xu Ting: "Chairwoman Xu, thank you. It was a pleasant cooperation. Goodbye."

Xu Ting handed him a business card: "If you ever need help in the future, feel free to contact me."

"Mm!"

Watching Lu Feng's retreating figure, Xu Ting sighed: "The younger generation is truly pushing the older one. Are all students nowadays this amazing?"

The secretary pursed her lips and smiled: "Chairman, not all students are like Student Lu. I think we should keep an eye on such talent. Perhaps we can recruit him into our group in the future."

Xu Ting nodded noncommittally, keeping Lu Feng's name in mind... On the other side, after Lu Xiaoli hung up the phone, she couldn't suppress the excitement in her heart. She didn't even bother to buy groceries and rushed home.

Their house was in the old town of the small town, where a large area consisted of old, dilapidated buildings. These buildings were over fifty years old, with worn exteriors and aging facilities. The living conditions were very poor, and mostly elderly people lived there.

When Lu Xiaoli opened the creaking iron gate, Lu Zezhou, Lu Feng's father, was sitting on a chair on the balcony, his face pale, performing peritoneal dialysis on himself. His back looked incredibly thin in the sunlight.

Seeing this scene, Lu Xiaoli couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. She whispered: "Old Lu."

Lu Zezhou turned around, smiled, and said: "Wife, you're back? Oh, didn't you buy any groceries?"

Lu Xiaoli shook her head, walked over, and held his hand, saying: "Shall we go to the hospital for treatment?"

Lu Zezhou couldn't help but laugh: "How expensive is dialysis at the hospital? Each time costs several hundred yuan. It's fine if we do dialysis at home, and it's less trouble."

"You don't have to worry about money anymore. Our son earned a million yuan," Lu Xiaoli said with a hint of pride.

???

Lu Zezhou's eyes widened, then he laughed helplessly: "Are you daydreaming? Our son has a million yuan?"

Seeing that he didn't believe her, Lu Xiaoli immediately took out her phone, opened the banking app, and showed the deposit amount on the screen to Lu Zezhou.

Lu Zezhou initially didn't care, but then his face froze. He reached out with a trembling hand to the screen, counting the zeros one by one.

He counted again and again before looking up at his wife, utterly shocked: "This... this..."

Lu Xiaoli seemed to know what he was asking and said: "Yes, our son sent it to me. It seems he helped some Donghai Group, and they gave him a reward. The Chairman even specifically explained it to me..."

Donghai Group!?

Lu Zezhou had worked in Jiangcheng, so he had naturally heard of this real estate group; it was quite famous.

However, he couldn't for the life of him figure out how his son, a high school student, could have helped them so much that they would reward him with a million yuan.

It was too incredible, he couldn't understand it!

"No, I'm going to call our son and ask."

Lu Xiaoli quickly stopped him: "No, no, no, the Chairman is with Student Lu right now. Don't call, you'll disturb them from their important business. Call later!"

Hearing this, Lu Zezhou had no choice but to put down his phone.

The shock on his face had not yet faded, and he also realized that he might... no longer have to worry about treatment costs, and he wouldn't have to endure the pain repeatedly at home.

Lu Zezhou pondered for a moment and said: "Of this million yuan, transfer three hundred thousand to our son first. He needs money for living expenses outside, and he's already interacting with people at the Chairman's level. No matter what, having some money on him will prevent him from being too passive in social situations."

"Then what about your treatment?"

"Oh, kidney failure dialysis is just a last resort; it treats the symptoms but not the root cause. To get better, I need a kidney transplant, but it's not likely to be my turn anytime soon. So, this money is enough, more than enough."

...