11: Chapter 11 Returning Home

The plane landed in Shenzhen at two in the afternoon the next day.

Li Xin walked out of the airport carrying his old backpack, and a familiar wave of humid heat hit him. Dubai was dry heat, like an oven; Shenzhen was humid heat, like a steamer. Both were uncomfortable, but at least he was used to this, and now with the temperature control function from the System, everything felt quite pleasant.

He took out his phone and turned it on; WeChat popped up a bunch of messages. Luo Maifa had sent seven or eight, ranging from "Are you there yet?" to "Are you okay?" to "At least reply to a message!", his tone growing increasingly urgent.

Yang Hong sent one: "Let us know when you're back."

Qiang Zi had three missed calls.

Li Xin first replied to Luo Maifa: "Just got off the plane, I'm back."

Less than ten seconds after the message was sent, the phone rang.

"You finally replied!" Luo Maifa's voice was so loud it sounded like it was coming from a megaphone, "How was Dubai? Nothing happened, right?"

"What could happen? It was fine." Li Xin felt a warmth in his heart.

"Did you make any money?" Luo Maifa asked, half-joking.

Li Xin thought for a moment and told the truth: "I made a little."

"Oh, how much?"

"Enough to treat you guys to a meal."

Luo Maifa laughed on the other end: "Alright, let's gather tonight. Yang Hong and Qiang Zi have been asking about you."

"Sure, you pick the place."

After hanging up, Li Xin called a taxi and gave the address of the school. In the car, he opened the system panel to check.

--- [Gold Search and Refining System] [Host: Li Xin] [Level: 2] [Current Detection Range: 55 meters] [Cumulative Refined Gold: 0.2 kg] [Gold Required for Next Upgrade: 20kg] (Tip: 19.8 kg of gold needed to upgrade) [...] ---

The mine he discovered in the Dubai desert had about 50 kilograms of gold, but it hadn't been mined yet. He had to figure out a way to get it out.

Summoning the Armed Squad was the easiest way, but he was unfamiliar with Dubai and it was hard to operate. Doing it after returning to the country?

That wouldn't work either; the mine was in Dubai, and he couldn't just take a team of people out of the country.

He thought about it and decided that the next time he went to Dubai, he would summon the Armed Squad directly and mine it on the spot.

Anyway, the System said the Armed Squad was absolutely loyal and wouldn't ask questions.

The urgent task now was to get 20kg of gold to complete the second upgrade.

The 55-meter detection range was still too small.

If he could expand it to 100 or 200 meters, he could find much more gold. The car arrived at the school gate, Li Xin paid the fare and got off.

It was class time, so there weren't many people at the gate. He crossed the playground and walked towards the dormitory building. When he reached the bottom, he saw someone squatting on the steps smoking.

It was Qiang Zi, a sturdy man over 1.8 meters tall, wearing a faded T-shirt, squatting there like a small hill.

"Qiang Zi?" Li Xin walked over, "Why aren't you at work?"

Qiang Zi looked up, his eyes lit up when he saw him, and he stood up and slapped him on the shoulder.

"You finally came back!"

The slap made Li Xin's shoulder ache, but he just smiled: "Didn't I say I'd be back in a few days?"

"You're a student, running so far away, how could I not worry?" Qiang Zi put out his cigarette, "Luo Maifa said you made money in Dubai? How much did you earn?"

"Enough for a meal." Li Xin smiled slightly.

"Alright, then you're treating tonight." Qiang Zi's mouth curled up.

"No problem." Li Xin was very straightforward.

The two went upstairs together, pushed open the dormitory door, and both Luo Maifa and Yang Hong were there.

"Li Xin!" Luo Maifa jumped off the bed and hugged him, "You finally came back! I thought you'd been sold off in Dubai!"

"Why would they sell me? I'm not worth anything." Li Xin felt speechless.

Yang Hong sat on the bed, adjusted his glasses, and looked him up and down.

"You've changed." Yang Hong said.

"How have I changed?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it. The whole vibe of you is different. You used to hunch a bit when you walked, but now you stand up straight. Your eyes used to dart around, but now they are steady, and you have a strong presence."

Li Xin felt a stir in his heart; Yang Hong's observation skills were indeed sharp.

"Maybe it's the good sunshine in Dubai." He brushed it off.

Yang Hong looked at him without pressing further. The four of them sat in the dormitory and chatted for a while, and Luo Maifa suggested going out to eat.

"A new barbecue place opened behind the school, I heard it's good. Li Xin is treating, let's go have a feast."

"Sure." Li Xin nodded.

The four of them left the school gate and walked for ten minutes, arriving at a shop called "Old Place Barbecue". The shop wasn't big, with seven or eight tables, half of which were occupied. The air was filled with the aroma of roasted meat and cumin.

They found a spot against the wall and sat down, and Luo Maifa picked up the menu and started ordering.

"Thirty lamb skewers, ten chicken wings, five chive skewers, five eggplant skewers, five enoki mushroom skewers, and a case of beer."

"That's enough, that's enough." Yang Hong stopped him, "We can't finish it."

"If we can't finish it, we'll pack it up." Luo Maifa laughed, "Li Xin is treating, shouldn't I get my money's worth?"

Qiang Zi slapped him on the back of the head: "You kid, that's all you can think about."

Luo Maifa rubbed the back of his head and laughed. The barbecue arrived quickly, and the beer was opened. The four of them clinked glasses, and Luo Maifa gulped down a large mouthful, burped, and asked: "Li Xin, what exactly did you do in Dubai? Don't fool me, tell the truth."

Li Xin took a bite of a lamb skewer and chewed slowly. He was thinking about how to say it. Tell the truth? No. The System couldn't be told to anyone. Lie? He didn't want to deceive these brothers.

"I did a little business." He put down the skewer and looked at them, "What exactly it was, it's not convenient to say right now. But I can tell you, I did make some money."

"How much?" Luo Maifa pressed.

"Enough for us to live well." Li Xin responded lightly. The three of them looked at each other, a bit skeptical.

"You didn't..." Luo Maifa lowered his voice, "Get involved in something illegal, did you?"

"No." Li Xin shook his head, "It's legal. I just made some quick money, but it's not stable, and I don't know how long it can last."

Yang Hong stared at him for a few seconds and suddenly said: "I believe you."

"Why?" Luo Maifa asked.

"His eyes don't look like he's lying." Yang Hong pushed his glasses, "And he's never been one to brag. If he says he made money, he made money."

Qiang Zi also nodded: "I believe him too. Li Xin isn't the type to mess around."

Luo Maifa looked left and right, then raised his beer can: "Alright, then we believe you. Come on, cheers!"

The four of them clinked glasses, and the atmosphere became lively again. Halfway through the meal, Luo Maifa suddenly sighed.

"What's wrong?" Li Xin asked.

"Nothing." Luo Maifa waved his hand, "Just some annoying stuff at home. My dad's business is getting harder and harder to run. He lost another sum last month, and my mom argues with him every day."

"How much did he lose?" Qiang Zi asked.

"A few tens of thousands. It's not much, but it keeps losing. My dad, he cares too much about face; even though it's not working, he's still forcing it."

Li Xin was silent for a moment. In his previous life, Luo Maifa's family business completely collapsed during his sophomore year, leaving them in debt. Luo Maifa was forced to drop out and work, living a very hard life, but now it was different. He had the ability to help his brother.

"Maifa," Li Xin looked at him, "What business does your dad do?"

"Logistics. It's transportation, he has a few trucks. It used to be okay, but in the last two years, the competition has been too great, and the profits are getting thinner."

"If he were given a sum of money, could he get the business running?" Li Xin paused.

Luo Maifa was stunned: "What do you mean?"

"I mean, if someone invested in him and let him scale up, could he make it work?"

"Probably... He's been doing it for over a decade, he knows the ropes, it's just that he lacks capital. The scale is too small, he can't take big orders. It's stuck in the middle." Luo Maifa looked at him, "You have money to invest?"

"I have a little."

"How much?"

"A few hundred thousand should be no problem."

All three were stunned. A few hundred thousand, for a student, was simply an astronomical figure.

"You... how much did you actually make in Dubai?" Luo Maifa's mouth was open wide enough to fit an egg.

Li Xin smiled: "Enough to use."

He didn't say much more, not because he didn't trust his brothers, but because he didn't want to expose too much too soon. He had $500,000 in his account now, plus the hundred thousand or so RMB left from selling the small gold bars, totaling about three million. Taking out a few hundred thousand to help Luo Maifa's family was absolutely no problem. But he couldn't just give it directly; if he did, Luo Maifa wouldn't take it.

He had to invest in a way that would make Luo Maifa feel like he was helping himself make money.

"How about this," Li Xin said, "You go back and discuss it with your dad. If he's willing to accept investment, I can invest 500,000. But I want shares, and it has to be done through proper channels."

"500,000?" Luo Maifa's eyes widened, "Where did you get so much money?"

"I told you, I made it in Dubai. Don't ask specifically how I made it, okay?"

Luo Maifa opened his mouth and looked at Yang Hong. Yang Hong nodded slightly.

"Alright." Luo Maifa took a deep breath, "I won't ask. But you have to promise us, don't do anything illegal."

"I know." Li Xin felt a warmth in his heart; he knew they really cared about him.

"Then it's settled. I'll go back and talk to my dad tomorrow." Luo Maifa replied with a smile.

Qiang Zi watched from the side and suddenly spoke up: "Li Xin, if you really have money to invest, can you help me with a favor too?"

"Go ahead." Li Xin turned his head.

"I have a comrade-in-arms, he's very close to me, and he hasn't been able to find a decent job since he retired from the military. He wants to open a small shop, but he has no capital. I really want to help him, can you..."

"How much money?" Li Xin didn't hesitate at all.

"About 200,000." Qiang Zi looked at him, his face full of expectation.

"Sure. Give me his contact information, and I'll talk to him." Li Xin replied with a smile.

Qiang Zi was stunned, probably not expecting him to agree so readily.

"You... aren't you afraid of losing it?"

Li Xin laughed: "If it's lost, it's lost. I trust you guys."

This sentence was said very lightly, but the three of them fell silent. Luo Maifa picked up his beer can, his eyes a bit red: "Brother, I won't say anything else. From now on, if you need anything, just say the word."

"Right, just say the word." Qiang Zi also raised his can. Yang Hong didn't speak, but he also raised his can. The four of them clinked glasses and drank it in one go.