Chapter 21: A Flowering Tree

The taxi was indeed fast, stopping in front of the Xiangjiang Grand Hotel in less than fifteen minutes.

Li Yi took out ten yuan to pay the fare.

Liu Ruosi frowned and said, "You clearly have money! Last night was on purpose."

Li Yi smiled and said, "Wouldn't it have worked if you hadn't fallen for it?"

Liu Ruosi huffed, "Rogue."

"Less than fifteen minutes ago, you were praising me as a gentleman," Li Yi said, somewhat speechless.

Li Yi's memory was good, and there was indeed a branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank here.

The spacious hall was crowded with people.

A security guard even looked at him suspiciously, only continuing his patrol after confirming he posed no threat.

Li Yi found a staff member and asked, "Excuse me, is there a window where I don't have to queue?"

The young woman found it amusing, "Comrade, everyone's time is equally valuable. If you need to, please queue up, okay?"

Li Yi said, "My matter is urgent; I need to withdraw money!"

The young woman, impatient, said, "Who doesn't have urgent matters? Go queue up."

Li Yi was taken aback, "Comrade, I really have an urgent matter. Don't you have a VIP window? Where is it?"

Just then, someone else came to ask a question, and the young woman ignored him.

Li Yi had to find it himself.

Liu Ruosi, who had never been in such a luxurious bank before, asked nervously, "How much are you withdrawing? A VIP window?"

Li Yi smiled, "How much do you need?"

Liu Ruosi smiled, "I need 100,000! Do you have it?"

Li Yi smiled and nodded, "Follow me." He had already seen the sign for the VIP room.

The door to the VIP room was closed, and a security guard was reading the day's newspaper at the entrance.

Li Yi tried to push the door open, but the security guard stopped him, "Hey, go queue up over there. This is the VIP room; you can't enter."

Li Yi got a bit angry, "Why is it so troublesome to withdraw money?!" He took out his card and waved it in front of the guard, "Look carefully, what kind of card is this?"

The security guard's eyes followed Li Yi's hand, and after a few looks, he finally recognized it. He quickly smiled, "Sorry, please come in."

Li Yi huffed, "What a lousy bank! So troublesome! I'll change banks soon!"

The security guard smiled and escorted Li Yi inside, then continued reading his newspaper. Suddenly, a news article caught his attention. This young man was the billionaire reported in the newspaper! Thinking of Li Yi's words about changing banks, he exclaimed, "Oh my God! If the manager finds out, it will be terrible."

Li Yi was in a bad mood. The service at the bank was really poor, incomparable to the future.

There was only one customer in the VIP room, who withdrew 20,000 yuan and left.

Next was Li Yi's turn.

Li Yi tossed his card and passbook inside.

"Hello, sir, what business do you need to handle?" A pretty girl inside asked. In every department, the key positions were always filled by beautiful women.

The girl's voice was sweet, and her attitude was good.

Li Yi's mood improved a bit, and he said calmly, "Withdraw everything."

When Liu Ruosi saw Li Yi flash his card and enter the VIP room, she was startled. Could it be that this guy really had a few thousand yuan?

The female clerk didn't say much, took the card and passbook, and swiped the card as usual. Li Yi entered the password.

The girl suddenly gasped, stood up in a panic, and stammered, "Sir, are you sure you want to withdraw everything?"

Li Yi glared at her, "Yes, what's the problem?"

The girl quickly said, "Sorry, I can't make that decision. I'll call our manager."

The manager arrived quickly. He was a man in his forties, wearing glasses, with most of his hair on top of his head gone, styled in a Mediterranean fashion. He scolded the clerk as soon as he arrived, "What's the matter? Don't be so dramatic! Be more composed."

"Manager, look, the customer wants to withdraw everything," the girl pouted.

"Let him withdraw if he wants to. Maybe he has an urgent need," the manager thought the clerk was incompetent and considered replacing her. The VIP room was such an important place; it couldn't be left to someone careless. After all, 80% of the bank's profits came from these 20% of VIPs.

"Manager, look, it's not a small amount. I can't make that decision," the girl pointed to the screen.

The manager came over and almost fell over. He counted the zeros again, confirmed there was no mistake, and broke out in a cold sweat. Eighty million! If such a large deposit was transferred out through him, his performance this year would be severely affected.

The manager quickly asked, "Sir, hello, do you need this large amount for an urgent matter?"

"No, I just want to change banks."

"Oh, sir, our Industrial and Commercial Bank is the best in the country. Why would you be worried about keeping your money here? Is there any other concern?"

Li Yi said, "It's too troublesome here. Asking for directions in the hall, no one answers for a long time. Entering the VIP room, there's a security guard blocking the way. I think I'll change banks."

The manager immediately understood. This man was clearly upset. He quickly opened the iron door, came out, and smiled, "I see, I'm really sorry. Our service was inadequate. Your criticism is justified. I will handle this seriously and ensure your satisfaction. How about this: keep the money here, and I'll offer you an interest rate 0.3 points higher, okay?"

Li Yi didn't say anything.

Liu Ruosi timely said, "Li Yi, why is it taking so long to withdraw money? I haven't had breakfast yet, hurry up!"

The manager, hearing this, gritted his teeth, "0.5 points higher!"

Li Yi was just putting on a show and didn't really want to transfer the money. He said, "Alright, then give me 200,000. I'll use it first. The rest, I'll keep here for now. We'll see how it goes."

The girl sighed in relief and quickly processed the transaction. Li Yi took the twenty stacks of new bills and smiled, "Miss, can you give me two bags?" The girl immediately found a black plastic bag.

Li Yi divided the money into two parts and put them in the two bags.

Liu Ruosi was in a state of shock. Who was this person? Twenty thousand yuan, carried in two plastic bags? Truly, one cannot judge a person by their appearance. This boy, who looked even worse dressed than her, was actually so rich?

A wealthy young man playing it low-key? Saving her, the poor Cinderella?

"Here you go!" Li Yi handed one plastic bag to Liu Ruosi and smiled, "Hold it tight. Your father's treatment depends on this money."

Liu Ruosi obediently said, "Okay."

Before parting, Liu Ruosi said, "I'll write you an IOU."

"No need, I trust you," Li Yi wanted to say he would give it to her but feared hurting her pride. Besides, with this excuse, he could see her more often.

Liu Ruosi couldn't help but look up at Li Yi. At that moment, she really believed it. Perhaps, the man in front of her was a tree she had planted in a past life.

A tree blooming with flowers, waiting for her to take a look.