Although large-scale fishing was not possible, this time, Hailong found the right place. At the bottom of this underwater canyon, he discovered ten gray safes.
Hailong remembered that Qiao Zhenyuan had mentioned the gray safes. There were actually ten of them. He tried lifting one with one hand and found it weighed at least 300 kilograms. Together, they weighed nearly 3 tons. He could only carry one at a time. Although it took some effort, the Dragon King could still manage it.
Hailong controlled the Dragon King to grab one of the safes and swim back to the abandoned shipyard. Just this one trip had already left the Dragon King quite exhausted.
While the Dragon King was resting in the abandoned shipyard, Hailong controlled his soul to return to his body and then picked up the phone to call Qiao Zhenyuan.
Qiao Zhenyuan had already finished work and was sitting at home, scolding his younger brother, Qiao Yu. Su Xiaomei, worried, watched her husband with a furrowed brow and her dejected brother-in-law. For over a month, Qiao Zhenyuan had been working hard, but he had only managed to borrow over ten million from his friends.
Last night, Qiao Zhenyuan and Su Xiaomei returned home. Not long after, Qiao Zhenyuan's father also arrived. A late-night visit must have been for something important.
Qiao Zhenyuan quickly invited his father in and said, "Father, you're not in good health. Why did you come out so late? If you needed anything, you could have just called, and I would have come back."
Qiao Zhenyuan's father sighed and said, "Zhenyuan, Father knows that I was wrong to force you to help Qiao Yu. But over the years, I have always felt guilty for spoiling Qiao Yu. All the family resources have been given to you, and Qiao Yu has received nothing. Moreover, I have focused most of my energy on you and neglected his education, which has led him to become an unskilled and useless person. I really feel guilty about it."
Qiao Zhenyuan knew how much his father had worked for him over the years. Looking at his colleagues, who were all in their fifties, he was the only one in his forties holding a prominent position as the Secretary of the Donghai City Municipal Committee.
As for his younger brother, what others saw as spoiling was, in fact, favoritism. As a father, Old Qiao had focused all his energy on his eldest son and neglected his youngest.
Qiao Zhenyuan said, "Father, don't worry. I will do my best to help my brother through this difficult time."
Qiao Zhenyuan's father nodded and then took out a credit card from his pocket, handing it to Qiao Zhenyuan. "I've saved up about 2 million. Take it to pay off Qiao Yu's debts. Although it's not much, I will continue to find ways."
Qiao Zhenyuan knew that his father had been a very clean and upright official before retirement, with a high reputation in Donghai City. Otherwise, how could he have achieved his current position? It was all because of his father's decades of good reputation. So, his father couldn't possibly have so much money. Knowing his own family, Qiao Zhenyuan estimated that his father's card had at most 300,000 yuan.
Qiao Zhenyuan anxiously said, "Father, where did you get so much money?"
Qiao Zhenyuan's father said, "I sold the house and added some savings to make up this amount."
Hearing this, Qiao Zhenyuan became furious and sternly said, "Who dares to buy your house? They are defying the heavens, not even respecting me, Qiao Zhenyuan?"
Old Qiao, being an optimistic person, chuckled and said to Qiao Zhenyuan, "It's fine. You're not a big official. Why shouldn't people buy my house? We need to pay off Qiao Yu's debts first."
Qiao Zhenyuan felt extremely frustrated, pushed the money back into his father's hands, and said, "Father, take the money back. I don't want it. You have been honest all your life and have worried about me all your life. I can't let you live without a house in your old age. Tomorrow morning, I will borrow money from our relatives and friends, even if it means losing face, I will definitely borrow enough money."
Old Qiao felt a warm feeling in his heart. They say raising a son is for old age, and having such a son made Old Qiao feel content. However, he still gave the money to Qiao Zhenyuan and said, "The house is sold, so take the money. I have a pension from the state, and I'm not short of money. There's an old house in the countryside that I have already cleaned up. I will move there tomorrow. But, my social abilities are limited. From now on, our Qiao family will depend on you." With that, he turned and left.
Qiao Zhenyuan, in his forties, watched his father, who was bent over, slowly walking down the stairs, and tears streamed down his face. He firmly thought, "No matter what, I must borrow this money tomorrow. Even if I have to sell my own house, I cannot let my father suffer in his old age for us."
The next morning, with his wife's help, Qiao Zhenyuan tidied his sleeves, said goodbye to his wife, and left home. Su Xiaomei knew Qiao Zhenyuan's pain. Her family had done their best to raise ten million yuan, which was their limit. The rest could only depend on Qiao Zhenyuan. She said, "Be careful on the way."
Qiao Zhenyuan gave his wife a smile and left home.
In Donghai City, the Qiao family was a large clan, and everything depended on the efforts of their ancestors and parents. They worked diligently and fought hard, eventually securing a place for the Qiao family in Donghai City. Among the family members, his position as an official was the highest, and the business was best run by his second uncle's family. However, his family had a conflict with his second uncle's family in the past, leading to a strained relationship. The main reason was that his second uncle's business was in other places, not in his jurisdiction, and they rarely needed his help, causing a poor relationship between the two families. Moreover, he and his cousin, Qiao Zhenguo, had been competing secretly to see who was the most outstanding person in the Qiao family.
Thinking about it, he had to admit defeat this time. He didn't know if his admission of defeat would help him borrow more money. Reluctantly, he went to Qiao Zhenguo's office, knocked on the door, and saw Qiao Zhenguo's mocking gaze. Qiao Zhenyuan's face turned purple, and he didn't know how to start the conversation. He had never felt so humiliated.
Qiao Zhenguo didn't say anything, just sat there with a mocking look. Since he was the one asking for help, Qiao Zhenyuan had to harden his resolve and walk to Qiao Zhenguo's desk, saying apologetically, "Zhenguo, I have a favor to ask."
As a successful businessman, Qiao Zhenguo had already heard about Qiao Yu's situation. After all, a project worth over a billion yuan losing all its money was a big event.
Knowing that Qiao Zhenyuan had no way to help Qiao Yu pay off such a huge debt, he had been waiting for Qiao Zhenyuan to come to him. A gap of three billion yuan, no one but him could help Qiao Zhenyuan.
Seeing Qiao Zhenyuan's appearance and hearing his pleading tone, Qiao Zhenguo felt extremely satisfied. When had Qiao Zhenyuan ever spoken to him in such a humble manner? Every time, he had always spoken in a condescending tone, relying on his position as the top official in Donghai City. Seeing Qiao Zhenyuan's humble appearance, Qiao Zhenguo felt extremely pleased.
Leaning back in his chair, Qiao Zhenguo chuckled and stopped the red-faced Qiao Zhenyuan, saying, "Cousin, I know what you want to ask. I don't know how much of the three billion you have raised, but the maximum I can help you with is one billion yuan. That's the best I can do as your cousin."