Chapter 75: Debts Unpaid

“You mean you can cure the poison?” Su Qingxue suddenly understood, her face lighting up with joy as she asked.

“This poison is indeed potent, but it won’t be the end of me. Go find me a small knife and some gauze,” Lin Feng instructed her carefully.

Su Qingxue nodded at once and went to fetch the tools for Lin Feng. When he received the knife, he slowly laid his palm flat and, despite the pain, began to painstakingly cut away the festering flesh from his palm. Blackened blood oozed from the wound as he worked.

Watching this, Su Qingxue’s heart ached. Once Lin Feng had scraped away all the necrotic flesh, she immediately stepped forward with the gauze and began to bandage his wound.

Lin Feng looked at her with a gentle smile, thinking to himself that with her by his side in this life, he could never let her down.

“Lin Feng, does it hurt?” Su Qingxue’s hands moved with the utmost care, afraid of causing him pain.

Lin Feng shook his head with a smile. “It doesn’t hurt. With you here, how could it hurt? My heart is too warm for that.”

“You’re impossible,” Su Qingxue muttered shyly, glancing at him. Of all times, he could still joke.

After Lin Feng’s laughter faded, his expression gradually grew cold.

He thought to himself that if the old Madam Su dared to be so brazen in her schemes, it was time she received a taste of her own medicine.

“Qingxue, there’s a gift for you in my pocket. Take it out and have a look,” Lin Feng said, returning to his senses.

“A gift?” Su Qingxue was confused, but reached her delicate hand into his pocket, searching for a moment before pulling out a contract.

She opened it curiously and her face brightened with surprise. “This is a new contract with Liran Group! Lin Feng, how did you manage this?”

“It was nothing—just a simple matter for me,” Lin Feng replied calmly, then added, “Chairman Zhou initiated this partnership himself. For Su Bank, this marks a new beginning. As long as we complete this cooperation, there will be a steady stream of new contracts in the future. No matter how ambitious Old Madam Su is, she won’t be able to swallow Su Bank whole.”

“But they’re coming to Su Bank tomorrow. Won’t that mean…” As Su Qingxue spoke, her heart filled with worry again.

“Don’t worry. They only think I’m certain to die. As long as I’m alive, she won’t have her way,” Lin Feng reassured her with a composed smile.

“You’re right. Lin Feng, I’m so glad you’re here,” Su Qingxue said, moved. Her gaze met Lin Feng’s, deep and affectionate. Before long, she found herself leaning closer, wanting to kiss him.

Lin Feng’s heart raced; it was the first time he’d experienced something like this with a girl. Seeing her lips draw near, he swallowed nervously, about to muster his courage to respond, but at that crucial moment, the office door swung open and a female assistant entered.

“President Su, I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” the assistant stammered, quickly covering her face with a folder in embarrassment.

Su Qingxue’s cheeks flushed crimson. Why did someone have to come in now? She quickly stepped away from Lin Feng, trying to compose herself. “What is it?” she asked sternly.

“These are last month’s financial statements, for your approval,” the assistant replied, hurrying over to hand her the documents.

Su Qingxue glanced through the report, pen in hand, ready to sign. Suddenly, she noticed that the bank had not only failed to turn a profit last month but had suffered a five-million loss.

Her expression turned grave. “What happened? How could we lose so much in a single month?”

“It was Director Zhao from Kangyang Construction. They still haven’t repaid their loan despite our urging,” the assistant explained earnestly.

“Him again?” Su Qingxue frowned, then said, “Send someone to the company and warn him that if he doesn’t repay soon, we’ll take him to court to protect our rights.”

“Yes, President Su.” The assistant nodded and left.

When she was gone, Lin Feng stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Are you familiar with this Director Zhao? Has he done this before?”

Su Qingxue sighed. “Don’t even mention it. Behind Kangyang Construction stands the province’s largest pharmaceutical group—far more powerful than Liran Group. I only established contact with him through some connections. But ever since we started working together, he’s been defaulting on his loans time and again. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Suing him was little more than a formality. His connections were formidable. If Su Bank ended their partnership, they would only invite unnecessary trouble.

After considering everything, Lin Feng suddenly said, “Why don’t you let me handle this? I might be able to get him to repay.”

“What? You’re not thinking of using force, are you? Zhao Kang of Kangyang Construction is not someone we can afford to offend,” Su Qingxue said worriedly.

“There are more ways to solve a problem than just force,” Lin Feng replied with a reassuring smile.

Su Qingxue found him mysterious, but based on his track record, perhaps he did have a way.

“All right, I’ll have my assistant take you to Kangyang Construction tomorrow. For now, I need your help with some things here,” she agreed readily.

“Of course,” Lin Feng replied.

He helped her with some work in the office, then, with nothing more to do, was assigned a private office by Su Qingxue to rest.

Sitting on the sofa, he began to meditate, circulating his inner energy to practice the Lin family’s cultivation techniques. But relying solely on internal energy was too slow. The only way to improve quickly was with elixirs—he’d need to find time to set up his own alchemy workshop. He couldn’t just depend on Li Bing’er’s promise.

Around three or four in the afternoon, Lin Feng was startled awake by his phone’s ring. It was a text from Bai Xiaoqian, asking if he was free.

He suddenly remembered he’d promised to go shopping with her that morning. He replied, telling her to wait for him at the entrance to the Central Mall—he’d be there soon.

After putting away his phone and finishing his practice, Lin Feng set off for Jiangcheng Central Mall.

Arriving, he glanced around and soon spotted a girl standing at the entrance.

She wore a pale blue short dress and white sneakers, her figure graceful and her hair styled in soft bangs—a picture of innocence.

“Hi, Lin Feng! Over here!” called the girl—it was Bai Xiaoqian. As soon as she saw him, she waved enthusiastically, her sweet voice ringing out in greeting.