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The range hood in the kitchen of Kinmen Hotel is broken again.

Fatty Wang stood in front of the stove, fine beads of sweat glistening on his forehead.

The Kung Pao Chicken sizzled in the wok under the high temperature, and the aroma of chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns mixed with the smell of stale grease, filling the small kitchen of less than ten square meters.

He skillfully tossed the wok, and flames leaped half a foot high, illuminating his sharply defined profile.

"Master Wang, add another order for table number 7!" Waitress Afang called out, her voice almost drowned out by the noise from the kitchen.

Fatty Wang nodded blankly, his hands continuing their work without pause.

He has been in America for seven years and has almost forgotten his former identity, becoming the head chef of this small Chinatown restaurant.

Moreover, in order to come to America to pan for gold, he not only spent all his money, but also borrowed a large amount of money at high interest rates.

Life is like the food in this wok—if you cook it too long, it will burn; if you cook it too short, it will be raw.

But when he thought of Su Ning, who had just arrived, all his efforts seemed like a joke.

In Wang Pangzi's opinion, Suning is really too lucky.

Not only did the boss help me get a green card, but he also explained the Five Blessings Gang, the largest gang in Chinatown.

During a break, a Chinese chef next to me handed me a cigarette. "Hey head chef, the new guy, Suning, is pretty arrogant!"

Fatty Wang frowned, turned off the stove, and wiped his hands. "They're talented! There's nothing I can do but envy them."

"I heard that he helped his boss get a batch of goods a while ago, and then his boss valued him."

“Ah Dong, you’ve been in America for three years now. Don’t you understand that there are some things we didn’t do?”

"I know! I just feel unconvinced."

"Hmph! Wolves travel a thousand miles to eat meat, dogs travel a thousand miles to eat shit. Sometimes we just have to accept our fate."

"..."

Ever since Su Ning retaliated severely against the bullying Wang Pangzi at the beginning, Wang Pangzi had also thought about finding someone to teach Su Ning a lesson.

However, Su Ning quickly demonstrated his abilities and was gradually given more and more important roles by the boss, so Fatty Wang gave up his idea of ​​revenge.

The main reason is that the boss had already warned him that if he didn't listen, he would be kicked out.

……

It's quite surreal that the daughter of a mob boss would become a tool for obtaining a green card.

However, Suning was too lazy to pay much attention to these things, and just wanted to get his green card smoothly in two years.

As for the marriage with Emily, it will always be a sham.

Then Su Ning prescribed medicine for Emily and scheduled the next acupuncture session.

However, before leaving, Chen Zhiming promised that as long as Su Ning could cure Emily, the gang would help Su Ning resolve the green card issue immediately.

In the days that followed, Suning continued to work at the "Golden Gate Hotel," but the boss did not assign Suning any more tasks, perhaps due to Chen Zhiming's special consideration.

However, Suning really doesn't like America and doesn't understand why so many people are going to such lengths to come here.

While the dollars you earn are indeed very valuable, in the United States you spend dollars anyway, so the situation is pretty much the same regardless of the outcome.

It's even worse than the situation in China. You know, business is now allowed in mainland China, and there are actually more opportunities there than in America.

One day, Suning was greeting guests at the Golden Gate Hotel when several burly black men suddenly appeared, grabbed the bewildered Suning, and carried him away from the Golden Gate Hotel, stuffing him into a black Ford car.

The car quickly drove away from Chinatown, with Suning's back pressed tightly against the leather seats.

"Who exactly are you people?" he asked, his voice strained.

The elderly man in the passenger seat, his eyes filled with resentment, glanced at him in the rearview mirror: "Kinmen Chamber of Commerce. Of course, you can also call us the Five Blessings Gang."

Suning's stomach sank.

He had naturally heard of this Chinese gang—smuggling, gambling, loan sharking, and all sorts of evil deeds.

They also knew that Emily's father was the mastermind behind the Five Blessings Gang, but they couldn't understand why the Five Blessings Gang was doing this today.

"It's too late to back out now! Su Ning, don't worry, we Five Blessings Gang are all people of our word. Two years of marriage, cure Emily, green card, and $50,000. Otherwise..."

“Where is Attorney Chen? You really don’t need to do this.”

"Chinatown is full of people and eyes! It's impossible for Emily to receive treatment in Chinatown."

"Then why did you arrange for her to be used as a tool for obtaining a green card?"

"Kid, you've got some nerve! Do you know how many lives the Five Blessings Gang has on our hands?"

"Murder is illegal! There must be some benefit to be gained. I really don't understand what the point of you killing me is."

"..."

The car soon stopped in front of an old Victorian-style house.

Under the porch, a thin girl sat in a wheelchair with a wool blanket covering her knees.

Even from a distance, Su Ning could tell that the photo didn't capture the sharpness in her eyes.

“My fiancé? I’m so sorry to have to ask you to come here in this way.” Emily’s voice was like an ice pick.

"It seems the last treatment was very effective!"

"It's really great! I didn't expect you to surprise me like this."

……

Emily's bedroom is bigger than the entire apartment Suning rented in Chinatown.

The interior is a mix of Chinese mahogany furniture and European antiques, with several valuable ink paintings hanging on the wall.

The most striking feature was the bedside table filled with medicine bottles.

“Emily, you don’t really need to do this! Acupuncture three times a week, combined with traditional Chinese medicine.” After taking her pulse, Su Ning wrote down the pulse reading in her notebook. “It’s just liver qi stagnation and meridian blockage.”

“But the Western doctors said I have polyneuritis.” Emily pulled her wrist back, the movement aggravating the IV line. “They also gave me enough morphine to kill a horse.”

Actually, Su Ning had noticed the needle marks and bruises on the inside of her arm last time, and thought that the girl had some special hobby.

"I can help alleviate your pain, but I need your cooperation."

"Cooperate?" Emily sneered. "Like cooperating with this ridiculous marriage?"

She suddenly coughed violently, and a sickly flush rose on her pale face.

Five Blessings lawyer Chen Zhiming appeared at the door at some point: "Su Ning, the documents are ready. Go to the city hall to register tomorrow, and then submit the green card application."

Suning opened the thick contract; the terms were so detailed they were almost suffocating…

Joint accounts, joint rentals, frequency of social media interactions...

It even stipulates the number of public occasions that must be attended each month.

"You've done this kind of thing before." This is not a question.

Chen Zhiming smiled: "Leave professional matters to professionals. Emily needs a husband, and you need a green card. It's purely a business relationship."

That evening, Suning was arranged to stay in a guest room.

At three in the morning, he was awakened by a suppressed groan.

Following the sound, he arrived at Emily's door. Through the slightly ajar door, he saw the girl curled up on the bed, trembling all over, with the electrocardiogram monitor on the bedside table beeping rapidly.

"Emily, what's wrong?" Suning gently pushed open the door.

"Get out!" A pillow was thrown at me, followed by the sound of a glass shattering.

Instead of retreating, Suning advanced, quickly pulling out the silver needles he carried with him from his pocket.

“I can help you.” He held down Emily’s struggling arm. “You have to believe me! Otherwise, you wouldn’t have recovered so well.” Perhaps the pain overcame her pride, and Emily finally stopped resisting.

Su Ning applied acupuncture to her Hegu and Neiguan acupoints with considerable skill.

Fifteen minutes later, Emily's breathing gradually stabilized.

"Why did you come to America?" she suddenly asked, her voice tired but clear.

Su Ning paused in the act of putting away the needle: "Like most people, I thought this place was a gold mine."

"The results of it?"

"They found all the gold plastered on the Statue of Liberty." Su Ning chuckled self-deprecatingly. "And you? Why did you agree to this absurd plan? A mob boss's daughter doesn't need to earn this kind of money, does she?"

Emily looked out the window at the moonlit garden: "My father believes that a married woman is more likely to survive in gang warfare."

She turned to look directly at Su Ning and said, "Don't misunderstand! The only real thing about this marriage is the cost of breaking the contract."

"Understood! All I need is a green card. Once you've recovered your health, we'll be even."

"Don't worry! I won't go back on my promise to you about the Chinese restaurant."

The next morning, while Su Ning was brewing the first dose of traditional Chinese medicine in the kitchen, Chen Zhiming brought her the latest news from the Immigration Bureau.

“Someone reported a lead about a sham marriage.” His face darkened. “There will be interviews next week, and they might conduct a surprise inspection of your ‘love nest’.”

Su Ning stopped stirring the medicine jar: "We've only just met."

“So you need to get to know each other as quickly as possible.” Chen Zhiming tossed a bunch of keys down. “Move into the apartment today. Every detail must be perfect—shared bedroom, couple toothbrushes, a photo of you on the fridge… understand?”

"..."

The so-called "love nest" is a two-bedroom apartment in a high-end apartment building in the financial district.

Suning stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the lights of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Three days ago, he was an undocumented worker hiding in a Chinatown kitchen, but now he's the son-in-law of a Chinese gangster and lives in a million-dollar apartment.

“Your things are in the second bedroom.” Emily wheeled herself in and tossed him a folder. “Memorize the contents, including my favorite colors, foods, and the location of our first date.”

Suning opened the document and was shocked by the detailed "love story" inside—they met at the Asian Culture Festival at UCLA, dated for a year and a half, and he proposed to her last Christmas at Lake Tahoe...

It even included photoshopped group photos.

"These photos..."

“Even the FBI couldn’t find a flaw.” Emily skillfully injected herself with a drug. “There’s a Chamber of Commerce dinner tomorrow, and Father wants to see you.”

Su Ning's chopsticks stopped in mid-air: "Your father?"

“Chen Yongren, president of the Kinmen Chamber of Commerce.” Emily gave a sarcastic smile. “Or rather, the leader of the Five Blessings Gang. What, didn’t they tell you the bride’s full name is Emily Chen?”

The soup in the medicine pot suddenly boiled, just like Su Ning's thoughts at that moment.

He should have guessed it sooner—the Kinmen Chamber of Commerce, the largest Chinese restaurant in Chinatown, the gangsters who could easily get green cards…

Who else but the Five Blessings Gang?
“It’s not too late to back out now.” Emily coldly observed his reaction. “Of course! Nobody’s going to kill you! But you might have to swim back to China.”

Su Ning turned down the heat and filtered out the decocted medicine: "Drink it while it's hot."

He placed the bowl in front of Emily, saying, "It's a bit bitter, but better than morphine."

Emily raised an eyebrow: "That's it? Aren't you going to ask how many people my father killed? Aren't you worried about being sunk under the Golden Gate Bridge tomorrow?"

“I’m an illegal immigrant! I don’t need to think about all this,” Su Ning said calmly.

Emily took a good look at the man who was about to become her "husband" for the first time.

He was more composed than she had imagined; his eyes held neither the usual greed nor fear, only an almost obsessive focus.

“You’re really going all out for a green card,” she finally said.

Then he picked up the medicine bowl and drank it all in one gulp, immediately frowning.

The immigration raids came faster than expected.

At six o'clock in the morning on the third day, when the doorbell rang shrilly, Su Ning was lying on the folding bed in the second bedroom, studying Emily's medical records.

"Immigration Bureau! Open the door!"

Suning jumped up with a start and rushed into the master bedroom.

Emily had been awakened and was struggling to sit up.

Without saying a word, he picked her up and placed her on the master bedroom bed. He quickly pushed the wheelchair to the walk-in closet, then grabbed his own pillow and a few pieces of clothing and threw them on the master bedroom floor.

“Remember…” he whispered in Emily’s ear, “We couldn’t sleep last night because of your pain, and I stayed up all night with you on the floor.”

The doorbell rang again, accompanied by impatient knocking.

Suning buttoned two of her pajamas wrong and deliberately messed up her hair before opening the door.

Two immigration officers, expressionless, showed their identification: "Routine check."

The next forty minutes were like a meticulously choreographed drama.

Officials rummaged through the food reserves in the refrigerator, inspected the clothes hanging haphazardly in the closet, and even counted the toothbrushes in the bathroom.

Emily portrayed herself as a sickly wife dependent on her husband, while Suning perfectly embodied the role of a considerate fiancé.

"The photo is very sweet." The female official pointed to the "group photo" on the living room wall. "How did you two meet?"

“UCLA Asian Cultural Festival.” Su Ning naturally put his arm around Emily’s shoulder. “She was setting up a Chinese calligraphy stall at the time, and I was attracted by her calligraphy.”

This detail wasn't in the file; it was a calligraphy practice book he saw on Emily's desk.

Emily leaned against him, gently squeezing his palm with her fingers...

This was their first physical contact, and Su Ning could feel her cold fingertips trembling slightly.

“Ms. Chen, your condition…” The male official flipped through the documents.

“Polyneuritis,” Su Ning continued, his voice low. “We are trying a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine treatment. In fact…”

He hesitated for a moment, then took out an acupuncture kit and prescription from the drawer. "This is the treatment plan I designed for her."

This impromptu gesture elicited a flicker of surprise in Emily's eyes.

The officials carefully examined the prescription and acupuncture records, and their expressions gradually softened.

"I wish you happiness." As she left, the female official even smiled. "The marriage-based green card interview is scheduled for the 15th of next month."

"Thank you."

After the door closed, Emily immediately broke free from Suning's arm: "Suning, it seems we all underestimated you."

“There have to be some real details to make it believable.” Su Ning helped her retrieve her wheelchair. “Your calligraphy is indeed very good.”

Emily didn't respond, but Suning noticed that the tips of her ears were slightly red.

He pretended not to see it and turned to go to the kitchen to prepare breakfast and today's medicine.

As the porridge in the pot bubbled and simmered, he heard Emily making a phone call in the living room:
"Dad, he passed the test... no, he's smarter than I thought... okay, see you tonight."

Suning paused for a moment as he stirred the porridge with the spoon.

Tonight will be his first formal meeting with the leader of the Green Dragon Gang, the true mastermind behind this green card game.

Sunlight streamed through the window, and steam rose from the porridge in the pot. Everything seemed so ordinary, yet so unreal.

The porridge boiled over, and the overflowing rice water extinguished the fire in the stove with a hissing sound.

Just like his simple life trajectory, it was suddenly and completely changed by a fake marriage.

...(End of chapter)