TLSMLMMM Chapter 40

Five hundred thousand yuan…

It wasn’t just enough.

It was more than enough.

Chu Junlie knew what Si Yunyì said was true, but now that the bank card was actually in his hands, he still couldn’t help feeling overwhelmed with excitement.

With this money, every problem could finally be solved.

The old man would no longer have to worry about medical bills or delay treatment because of money. He could undergo surgery with peace of mind, recover properly, and even rent a better place to live afterward, giving him a stable life so he would never have to survive by scavenging again.

Earlier at the hospital, Chu Junlie had looked up the causes of liver cancer. Judging from what he had read, he guessed the old man’s illness had most likely been caused by years of drinking contaminated water.

But now, thanks to Mr. Si…

His good days were finally about to begin.

He could spend the rest of his life peacefully, just like any other happy elderly person.

“Mr. Si, I’ll definitely pay all this money back!” Chu Junlie declared firmly, gripping the bank card in his hand.

The corners of Si Yunyì’s lips lifted slightly. He tried to quietly pull his feet away, only to watch Chu Junlie happily tuck the card into his pajama pocket before dutifully returning both hands to cradle his precious cargo.

Every attempt to move only made Chu Junlie hold him tighter.

Si Yunyì tried to continue reading the documents in his hands, ignoring the warmth and sensation beneath his feet. But every time he unconsciously shifted them, they were gently but firmly returned to their original position.

Above his feet were Chu Junlie’s impressive pectoral muscles.

Below…

For some reason, Si Yunyì suddenly remembered Chu Junlie’s flushed confession:

“I like sleeping naked.”

Perhaps because he naturally ran warm, Chu Junlie’s body temperature wasn’t low to begin with. Si Yunyì could even feel it gradually rising, like a blazing furnace, until even his own feet had become pleasantly warm.

Si Yunyì endured it for a full hour before finally using “I should get some rest” as an excuse. He put away his documents and at last escaped from Chu Junlie.

The moment Chu Junlie heard that Mr. Si was returning to his bedroom, he obediently unzipped the front of his pajama top, letting the treasured feet he had just warmed slip away.

After putting on his slippers, Si Yunyì glanced down and noticed that Chu Junlie’s entire body had turned red, almost as though he had a fever. Even his neck was tinted crimson.

“Good night, Mr. Si.”

Chu Junlie zipped his pajamas back up and tugged at the fluffy white apron-like flap on the front, trying to hide himself.

When he heard Mr. Si reply, “Good night,” he returned to his own room with a blushing face.

Having just enjoyed a foot warmer worth tens of billions, Si Yunyì suddenly found his slippers… a little cold.

Sure enough—

It’s easy to go from frugality to luxury.

Going back the other way is much harder.

 

Early the next morning, Chu Junlie excitedly ran to find the old man, waving the bank card in front of him, unable to hide the pride in his voice.

“My husband lent me the money! I told him about the surgery expenses. Grandpa, guess how much he lent me!”

Seeing Chu Junlie so happy, a flicker of hope rose in the old man’s heart.

He ventured a guess.

“One… one hundred and fifty thousand?”

“No, no, no.”

Chu Junlie shook his head. Watching the hope in the old man’s eyes slowly fade, he could no longer hold back and excitedly announced,

“There’s five hundred thousand yuan on this card!”

“Five hundred thousand?!” The old man’s eyes widened in utter disbelief.

“Five hundred thousand?!”

“I told you my husband is incredibly good to me, but you wouldn’t believe me!” Chu Junlie said proudly, practically wagging an invisible tail. “Not only is this enough to cover your medical expenses, it’ll even take care of your retirement afterward!”

The old man murmured the number again.

“Five hundred thousand…”

The shock in his eyes slowly melted into deep, indescribable emotion.

“You don’t have to worry anymore now, right?” Chu Junlie beamed at him. “I’ll take you to the hospital right away. We’ll get you admitted first, and once the biopsy results come back, we’ll discuss the surgery with Aunt Wen.”

“…Your husband really lent you that much money?” the old man asked worriedly. “When did he say you have to pay him back?”

“My husband didn’t say,” Chu Junlie replied, remembering the previous night and smiling unconsciously. “He didn’t make a single demand of me. He even let me warm his feet.”

The old man looked at Chu Junlie’s lovestruck expression. Feeling much lighter himself, he teased cautiously,

“Your soul’s floating away, isn’t it?”

“You don’t understand.” Just remembering those beautiful feet resting against him was enough to make Chu Junlie blush.

“How could I not understand?” the old man chuckled.

“Feet white as frost upon the clogs—
They’ve stirred your heart.”

Chu Junlie looked at him in surprise.

“Grandpa, you know poetry?”

“My father taught me quite a bit when I was young,” the old man replied, sounding a little aggrieved. “Ever since you showed up, all you ever talk about is your husband. I can barely get a word in. How would you know I’ve studied a few things?”

“Then tell me more!” Chu Junlie said, his curiosity piqued.

“My ancestors were famous imperial physicians,” the old man began, his eyes lighting up. “Generation after generation, they served as doctors to the imperial court. It was practically a hereditary profession.”

“My father was an excellent physician too. He studied medicine from childhood and later opened his own clinic. Countless people came to him for treatment. No matter how difficult or unusual the illness, he could cure it with ease. People even gave him the title of ‘miracle doctor.’”

“Then… how did you end up…” Chu Junlie trailed off.

“It was a chaotic time,” the old man sighed. “My father spent most of his life healing others, but in the end, he didn’t meet a good fate. My mother and I were caught in a famine, and she passed away as well.”

He let out a long, heavy sigh as he recalled those years.

“I was still young then. All I had left was the medical text my father had written. I hadn’t inherited his extraordinary medical skills, so I didn’t dare treat patients myself. I could only survive because I knew how to read and write.”

“Later, life gradually improved. I met my wife, bought a house, bought a bicycle, and eventually we had a son.”

The moment he mentioned his son, his brows knitted tightly.

“My wife suffered terribly giving birth to him. We cherished him with everything we had.”

“Who could have imagined…”

“That he’d become the person he is today?”

Seeing the old man getting worked up, Chu Junlie gently patted his back.

“You’re a patient now. Don’t get angry.”

“Once your surgery is over, I’ll use the money my husband lent me to rent you a better place. You won’t have to go out scavenging anymore. You’ll be able to enjoy your retirement properly.”

The old man’s expression softened with comfort.

“Xiao Chu…”

“The day before my surgery… could you bring your husband to visit me?”

“Mr. Si is pretty busy,” Chu Junlie replied, patting him reassuringly. “But I’ll definitely ask him.”

“Don’t be afraid. I looked it up online. The earlier it’s discovered, the higher the success rate of the surgery. The procedure isn’t very difficult.”

“It’s actually quite simple.”

 

The afternoon after borrowing the money, Si Yunyì received a photo from his “Vegetable Dog.”

The old man had already been admitted to the hospital. Dressed in a hospital gown, he sat on the bed, looking a little embarrassed as he awkwardly flashed a “V” sign toward the camera.

Aunt Wen stood beside him, smiling gently at the lens.

Chu Junlie also sent a message saying that the admission procedures had all been completed. Now they were simply waiting for the biopsy results. Dr. Wen had been actively coordinating everything and had helped them tremendously.

Looking at the photo of the old man safely settled into the hospital, Si Yunyì gazed at it for a while before a faint smile appeared on his lips.

He exited WeChat and returned to his phone’s home screen.

The next moment, his phone vibrated.

It was Assistant Xu.

“Boss, people from the Tax Bureau have come to audit the studio.”

Si Yunyì paused, immediately sensing something unusual.

The studio’s tax records had never had any problems. Every year, the financial statements and tax filings were reviewed by professionals. There was absolutely no possibility of errors.

Under normal circumstances, the Tax Bureau wouldn’t suddenly conduct an on-site audit. Even if there were issues with a filing, they would simply ask the responsible person to come to the bureau for clarification.

Moreover, it was only December.

The studio’s annual income tax reconciliation wasn’t due until the end of May, and that was usually when Hong Kong’s tax inspection teams began auditing companies.

A sudden audit like this…

Was neither a routine inspection nor part of the annual tax settlement.

That left only one likely explanation.

Someone had reported them.

“Cooperate with them fully. I’ll be there immediately.”

Si Yunyì stood up from his desk, changed into outdoor clothes, called his driver, and arrived at the studio within half an hour.

The unexpected tax inspection had clearly unsettled the employees. Everyone could sense that something wasn’t quite right.

“Interesting, isn’t it?” one employee whispered, glancing toward the room where the inspectors were working.

“When the studio only handled charity projects and Boss Si was basically keeping everything afloat himself, these people never showed up.”

“Now that the studio has finally started making some money…”

“Looks like we’ve stepped on someone’s toes. Suddenly there’s a whole crowd of inspectors.”

“Keep your voice down,” another employee said while stroking the studio cat. “Assistant Xu told us Boss Si wants us to cooperate fully. We can talk about this after they leave.”

“I’m just worried,” the first employee admitted uneasily. “I want to work here for the rest of my life. I really hope nothing happens.”

“Nothing will happen,” another employee said, walking over with a cup of coffee.

“We’re not evading taxes, and the studio donates so much money every year. They can investigate all they want—we’ve done nothing wrong.”

“That’s true.” The employee nodded.

“If your conduct is upright, you don’t have to fear your shadow.”

Even so, the anxiety lingered. No one could really focus on work anymore, and their eyes kept drifting toward the office.

The elevator reached the floor.

Si Yunyì stepped out and entered the studio.

The once lively office instantly fell silent at the sight of their boss.

Si Yunyì looked around at everyone and gave them a small nod.

Just seeing him arrive unconsciously eased everyone’s tension.

And when they watched him walk steadily and calmly into his office, it felt as though they’d all swallowed a reassuring pill.

The anxiety weighing on their hearts finally lessened.

Assistant Xu had been waiting in the office early. The moment he saw Si Yunyì arrive, he let out a long sigh of relief.

“How are things now?” Si Yunyì asked as he took his seat behind the desk, his expression cool and composed.

“The Finance Director is currently receiving the inspection team,” Assistant Xu replied, concern evident in his eyes.

“We conducted an internal audit beforehand and didn’t find any problems. But this audit came out of nowhere. I tried asking their team leader indirectly about the reason, but all they said was that this period’s financial statements and tax payments were different from previous years, so they decided to conduct an inspection.”

Having worked for the Si family for so many years, Si Yunyì knew very well that significant changes in financial statements and tax payments alone were not enough to justify such a large-scale investigation.

Under normal circumstances, there would have to be not only major changes but also suspicious irregularities before the Tax Bureau mobilized a team like this.

The explanation they had given…

Sounded more like an excuse to conceal the real reason.

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