Chapter 96

Chapter 52: A Hot Potato

In fact, after seeing the huge sum of money in the passbook, Fang Mingyuan was indeed somewhat tempted. With this substantial capital, his entrepreneurial plan would be like a tiger growing wings or a trapped dragon returning to the sea. However, Fang Mingyuan quickly realized that this sum of money would bring him not only benefits but also a lot of trouble. The vivid cases of those who had once been ten-thousand-yuan households being overwhelmed by demands from all sectors of society, turning them into negative assets, always made him shudder whenever he thought about them. They were like the unfortunate priest in "The Scorpion King" who fell into a crack in the scorpion temple; every time he tried to climb out, countless hands would reach out to pull him back into the crack.

The theory that "it is not poverty but inequality that is to be feared, and not scarcity but instability" has deeply penetrated people's minds. Therefore, every pioneer who tries to break this taboo must take considerable risks. If Yu Qiuxia had given him cash privately, or if it were a bank account in Hong Kong or abroad, Fang Mingyuan might have accepted it with a smile. After all, he was not a saint, nor was he one of those morally high-minded "professors" who ignored reality. Although he did not expect any return when he saved the girl, if her parents were willing to thank him, he would not feel guilty about accepting it. Moreover, five million RMB was a mere drop in the bucket for the Guo family's shipping group, not a huge sum.

However, with the presence of Deputy Director Ning and the other two, and the fact that it was a domestic bank account in Fengyuan, a place with many people and many mouths, this meant that the existence of this sum of money would be known to many. In such a situation, it was not a valuable start-up fund but a huge hot potato! After the Guo Tianyu couple left, countless people would come to him for alms, demands, and even extortion! Moreover, many of these people had intricate ties with the government, and he could not refuse them!

As soon as Fang Mingyuan thought about this, he made up his mind: he could not accept this hot potato. However, directly refusing Yu Qiuxia was also inappropriate. Although he did not understand why this Mrs. Guo seemed to favor him, Fang Mingyuan understood the importance of face for people of high status in Hong Kong. If he repeatedly refused, it would certainly displease Yu Qiuxia. He had already had a disagreement with Guo Tianyu, and it would be unwise to offend this kind-hearted Mrs. Guo.

So, Fang Mingyuan quickly came up with a formal and dignified explanation. It was more to convince Deputy Director Ning and the other two, and the key was in his last two whispered sentences. He believed that with Yu Qiuxia's intelligence, she would understand his dilemma and, given her previous fondness for him, would not expose him. Moreover, this would greatly benefit the reputation of the Guo family's shipping group on the mainland! It was a win-win situation. As long as this Mrs. Guo was not a woman with a large chest and no brains, she would certainly see the benefits.

Sure enough, as expected, Yu Qiuxia only paused for a moment before understanding his intention. Her low, scolding voice was filled with charm, making anyone who heard it blush and feel hot. Fang Mingyuan slightly turned his face, not daring to linger on her face.

Yu Qiuxia did not realize the confusion her charming and scolding manner caused Fang Mingyuan. Instead, she felt even more fondness for this young man. Seeing that he could clearly recognize the huge risks involved with the large sum of money and decisively let it go, and even come up with a win-win solution on the spot, was truly remarkable for a teenager of his age.

Yu Qiuxia hugged her daughter again, looked at Deputy Director Ning and the other two, and smiled lightly, "Officer Ning, since Mingyuan has spoken, I, as his elder sister, will respect his opinion. You can take this passbook back to your bureau and set up a special fund to support the campaign against human trafficking!"

Deputy Director Ning quickly stood up. He had heard Fang Mingyuan's words and was not surprised by Yu Qiuxia's decision—after all, he was a seasoned veteran and could see that this Mrs. Guo had a special regard for this young man.

"Comrade, we really have to thank you. This time, we are benefiting from you. Mrs. Guo has already agreed to help us with a batch of police equipment, and you have donated this money, which is really..." Deputy Director Ning smiled at Fang Mingyuan while casually opening the passbook. After just one glance, he was stunned.

"Five... five million yuan!" He looked at Yu Qiuxia and then at Fang Mingyuan with an incredulous gaze, stammering.

"Five million yuan!" The room was like a well into which a large stone had been thrown, instantly causing a huge splash.

In Fengyuan City, most families' annual income was just over three or four thousand yuan. What did five million yuan mean? It meant the total income of a family for a thousand years! Such a huge sum made Deputy Director Ning's hand holding the passbook tremble—his police station's annual budget from the higher-ups did not even reach this amount.

"Five million yuan!" Fang Bin's face also changed. He had originally thought it would be a reward of ten or twenty thousand yuan, which, while not insignificant, was not much for the Fang family. But five million yuan was a huge sum!

"Mingyuan! You really plan to give this money..." He had not finished his sentence when he saw Fang Mingyuan giving him a series of meaningful glances. Although he did not understand why, he trusted Fang Mingyuan and swallowed the rest of his words.

Yu Qiuxia noticed this change and was moved. It seemed that this young man's status in his family was also high. The young man introduced earlier as his uncle seemed to be following his nephew's lead. If this were in a traditional family, or in Hong Kong or Southeast Asian Chinese families, it would not be surprising, as the eldest son and grandson traditionally held special positions. But was this still the case in mainland China today?

This young man is quite a mystery.