Chapter 448 409: Too Young Before
Zhao Rong couldn't help but look at the truck full of cash and say to the beauties behind him, "Quick, look! A whole truck of cash. Could it all be a reward for me?"
When the three women saw the truck, they gaped in astonishment.
Lili said in disbelief, "If that whole truck of cash is a reward for Brother Zhao Rong, then he must have made over a hundred million..."
Yu Lan, doing the math, corrected her. "That truck has a full billion in it, not just a hundred million..."
Xuelian, having done her own calculations, discovered that the cash—stack after stack, pile after pile—amounted to several billion.
At that very moment, the parents of the boys Zhao Rong had rescued began arriving one after another in luxury cars to thank him. It turned out that these boys were mostly the wealthy second-generation of Xijing City, some even heirs to family businesses. Ever since the boys were kidnapped and had vanished, their parents had spent a fortune hiring all sorts of experts, private detectives, and even special forces to find them. However, their efforts were fruitless, and they received no news at all.
Today, with Zhao Rong having rescued all the boys in one fell swoop, the parents had pooled a large sum of money to express their gratitude.
Just as Zhao Rong was thinking the truckload of money was a reward for him from the Xijing City government, the parents rushed over and immediately surrounded him. "Young hero, thank you for saving our children!" they said gratefully. "We, the parents, have pooled together 5,000,000,000 in cash to thank you for saving their lives..."
When Zhao Rong heard that the truck full of cash was a thank-you gift from the parents, he politely declined. "Saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story stupa. I saved your children out of a sense of social responsibility, so please, take this cash back..."
Although Zhao Rong refused the 5 billion in cash, the parents insisted on giving it to him as a token of their gratitude. In their eyes, their children were far more precious than any amount of money.
Faced with so much cash, Zhao Rong still refused. "Now that your children have been safely rescued, you should take this money home and use it to properly educate them. Help them get into Peking University, Tsinghua, Harvard, or Stanford..."
Before Zhao Rong could finish, the parents immediately protested.
One of the bald-headed parents stepped forward, pointing at Zhao Rong. "Our family has a business that generates hundreds of millions a year! Is it wrong for me to give you a little money to thank you? No matter what, you must accept this truckload of cash. Otherwise, how can we parents possibly express our gratitude for you saving our children?"
A man who looked like an entrepreneur stared at Zhao Rong indignantly. "You saved our children! Is it wrong for us to give you tens of millions of US Dollars as a thank you?"
A female CEO grabbed Zhao Rong by the collar. "I was so busy with work that I didn't have my son until I was forty! And then, he was kidnapped. Do you have any idea how much money I spent trying to find him? Now you've found him for me, and I can't thank you enough. What's wrong with me wanting to give you some money? I'm telling you, if you don't accept this truckload of cash today, I'm not done with you!"
A man driving a Ferrari strode furiously toward Zhao Rong. He pulled a Swiss bank card from his pocket and handed it to him. "We are all generous people! Our annual incomes aren't just a hundred million; they're in the billions. So we want to thank you. Please accept this truckload of cash. Is there something wrong with that?"
Facing the group of demanding parents, Zhao Rong was completely baffled and muttered to himself, "It seems I can't refuse this truckload of cash even if I want to..."
His assistant leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Big Brother Zhao Rong, you have to understand, the parents of these boys you saved are all owners of family conglomerates or major corporations. They're tycoons, chairmen, CEOs. Five billion in cash is nothing to them. Just accept it."
Lili teased him, "Zhao Rong, I think you'd better accept this truckload of cash from the parents. It's a kind gesture. Otherwise, they'll definitely give you a hard time."
Yu Lan stepped forward to comfort the furious parents. "Uncles and aunties, Big Brother Zhao Rong certainly understands your kind intentions. You're giving him so much cash because you're so incredibly grateful to him. Now, I assure you, our Big Brother Zhao Rong will definitely accept your thanks, so please, don't be so agitated."
Xuelian elbowed Zhao Rong. "Big Brother Zhao Rong, you need to realize, this money is nothing to these parents. Just take it and save everyone the awkwardness."
Zhao Rong listened to the women, then looked at the parents before him, their faces flushed and veins bulging with emotion.
Forget it, I might as well accept the money, he thought, scratching the back of his head. If I don't, I probably won't even be able to leave this school.
Thus, Zhao Rong addressed the parents crowding around him. "Uncles, aunties, please don't be angry. You don't need to be afraid that I won't accept your gesture. I'm telling you now: I will accept the entire truckload of cash you've offered me."
When the surrounding parents heard that Zhao Rong, the great benefactor who had saved their children, agreed to accept the money, they were overjoyed and celebrated exuberantly.
An older man, who'd had his son at fifty, stepped forward and grasped Zhao Rong's hand. "Let me tell you, my son's life is more precious than my own, and it's worth more than the entire company I run! You saved him, so I must thank you profusely!"
A tycoon stepped forward and embraced Zhao Rong. "Our family has been a family of magnates for generations. Our wealth is passed down the male line, never to daughters. In my generation, due to infertility, I couldn't have a son. It was only a few years ago, through IVF, that I finally got my boy. You have no idea how devastating his disappearance was. It was a fatal blow. So when you found him for me, I honestly wanted to kneel down and thank you!"
A middle-aged woman wearing a large gold chain took a gold bar from her pocket and stuffed it into Zhao Rong's hand. "A great hero like you, who puts others before himself, should accept the wealth we're giving you!"
Listening to everyone, Zhao Rong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Uncles, aunties, everyone, I know you're all very grateful. So, please, don't say another word. I'll take the truckload of cash right now."
With that, Zhao Rong took out his Magic Ring and walked toward the truck. When he reached it, he activated the ring, preparing to store all the money inside. But before he could, one of the parents came over with a hundred burlap sacks. "Young man, do you need help? I brought these sacks to help you pack up the money."
Zhao Rong shook his head and pointed to the ring on his hand. "No need. I can easily put all the money from this truck into my Magic Ring."
Saying this, Zhao Rong made all the cash—and the truck itself—vanish into his Magic Ring.
When the parents saw the young hero take the entire truck, they cried out in astonishment, "Young hero, there are still two drivers inside the truck! Just take the money, but please, return the truck to the drivers."
Hearing this, he awkwardly brought the truck back out. As the large vehicle materialized and settled on the ground, the drivers immediately jumped out, looking dizzy. "What was that? It felt like we changed worlds just now. One second we were in another world, and the next we were back in reality."
Zhao Rong comforted the two drivers. "Sirs, my apologies. I accidentally took you into another dimension just now."
With that settled, Zhao Rong emptied the cash from the truck into his Magic Ring. When the parents saw that he had finally accepted their money, they hugged each other in excitement and joy.
Zhao Rong, however, felt he was becoming far too popular. The pressure was more than he could handle. He went over and whispered to the three beauties, "You all hold the fort for a while. I need to disappear for a moment. Otherwise, I'm afraid I really won't be able to leave."
After speaking, Zhao Rong quietly slipped away from the women's college.
When he reached the school gate, he let out a long sigh of relief.
The old saying goes, 'A man fears fame as a pig fears growing fat.' I was too young to understand it before, he thought. Today, I finally get it. It really is better to keep a low profile and just be an ordinary person.
As Zhao Rong was reflecting, Wang Guihua, dressed in all her finery, approached him. When she reached him, she spoke seductively. "Brother Zhao Rong, didn't you confess to me before? Didn't you say you liked me?"
Seeing the sexy Wang Guihua before him, Zhao Rong licked his lips and nodded. "Yeah, I did confess to you. Are you ready to accept me now?"
Wang Guihua didn't answer, only moving quietly closer to him.
Zhao Rong, meanwhile, was recalling the mission the chairman had given him for coming to the women's college. As long as you go to the women's college and win over Wang Guihua, your mission will be complete...