Rebirth: Fan Debiao rises from the Liaobei land

Fan Debiao's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm on the surface: "President Wu, where did you get that idea? What have I been hiding from you?"

Wu Derong placed his cigar on the ashtray, leaned back in his boss's chair, and said with a half-smile, "Well, Debiao, you've even booked a room here with a girl. What, are you keeping a mistress here?"

Fan Debiao immediately realized what was going on—Awei must have snitched. He quickly said, "President Wu, you've misunderstood. That's not my lover, she's my niece, my own niece!"

"A niece?" Wu Derong raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get a niece? I've never heard of her."

"My sister's daughter." Fan Debiao leaned forward. "Mr. Wu, it's a long story..."

"Then take your time, I have plenty of time." Wu Derong picked up his cigar and took another puff.

Fan Debiao recounted the whole story of Ma Dashuai accepting betrothal gifts, Ma Xiaocui running away from the wedding, and Yu Fugui demanding repayment of debts. After finishing, he added, "President Wu, I came to see you today because I want to borrow 30,000 yuan to settle this matter."

After listening, Wu Derong didn't say anything, but glanced at Fan Debiao and said, "Debiao, you're quite something. You handled this matter very well."

Fan Debiao was taken aback, not understanding whether Wu Derong's words were a compliment or an insult.

"I'll lend you 30,000 yuan." Wu Derong opened a drawer, took out three stacks of money, and threw them on the table. "And Debiao, when you take the money back, take my car. You can take that Mercedes."

Fan Debiao quickly said, "Mr. Wu, this is inappropriate..."

"What's inappropriate about it?" Wu Derong waved his hand. "You've been with me for so many years, it's time to show some pride. Go back to Majiabaozi, drive your Mercedes-Benz back, and let those old folks see that you, Fan Debiao, are doing quite well in the city."

Fan Debiao felt a surge of warmth in his heart and clasped his hands in thanks, saying, "Mr. Wu, then... then thank you very much. I promise to repay the money as soon as possible."

"Whether you pay me back or not is another matter." Wu Derong flicked his cigarette ash. "De Biao, what's your niece doing now? Does she have a job?"

Fan Debiao's heart skipped a beat again—oh no, just like back then, Wu Derong has taken a liking to Ma Xiaocui.

"Mr. Wu, the child is still young," Fan Debiao said cautiously. "She's only nineteen years old (by Chinese reckoning). I enrolled her in an accounting class."

"Study accounting?" Wu Derong nodded. "Sure, learning more is the right thing to do. After you've mastered it, you can come here for an internship. If you do well, staying on here won't be a problem."

As he spoke, Wu Derong tapped the envelope containing the money with his finger, but his eyes were fixed on Fan Debiao.

Fan Debiao knew perfectly well—this was a direct attack on him. He could only clasp his hands in thanks again: "Mr. Wu, then...then I thank you on behalf of my niece."

"No need to thank me, we're all family." Wu Derong stood up. "Go on, take the money back, and settle this matter. There's still a lot of work waiting for you when you get back."

"Okay, sure."

Fan Debiao picked up the money, put it in his pocket, and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," Wu Derong called out to him.

Fan Debiao turned around: "Mr. Wu, is there anything else you need?"

"Your niece..." Wu Derong thought for a moment, "What's her name?"

"Ma Xiaocui".

"Ma Xiaocui," Wu Derong repeated, "Okay, got it. Go."

Fan Debiao walked out of the office, closed the door, leaned against the wall, and let out a long sigh.

The money in my arms felt heavy, and so did my heart.

Fan Debiao shook his head. "Ma Xiaocui, all that mess you made with Boss Wu in your past life, I absolutely won't let you have anything to do with him in this life."

He went downstairs to the front desk. Avi was there checking accounts; when she saw him, her eyes darted away.

"Brother Biao..."

"Awei," Fan Debiao walked up to her and lowered his voice, "you were the one who told General Manager Wu about my niece staying here, weren't you?"

Awei blushed: "Brother Biao, I... I'm just doing my job. I have to register and report people staying at the hotel..."

"Alright, that's enough." Fan Debiao waved his hand. "From now on, please take good care of my niece. If anything happens, let me know first."

"I understand, I understand," Avi nodded repeatedly.

Fan Debiao turned and walked out. Reaching the door, he remembered something and turned back: "Oh, right, change my niece's room, move her to the fifth floor. A bit further away from the entertainment area."

"The fifth floor is all VIP rooms, the price..."

"Put it in my account," Fan Debiao said. "Deduct it from my salary."

"it is good."

By the time we got back to the small house, it was already getting dark.

"De Biao's back?" Commander Ma stood up. "How was it?"

Fan Debiao didn't say anything, went into the house, took out some money from his pocket, and slammed it on the table.

General Ma picked it up and his eyes widened: "Thirty thousand? Where did you get that?"

"Borrowed." Fan Debiao sat down. "Borrowed by General Manager Wu."

"Mr. Wu?" Ma Dashuai was stunned. "He...he really lent it to you?"

"Nonsense, where would the money come from if I didn't lend it to you?" Fan Debiao poured himself a glass of water. "I'll go back to the fort tomorrow and give the money to Yu Fugui."

General Ma held the money, his hands trembling slightly: "De Biao, you...you really are my brother-in-law! No, you're my brother!"

"Come on," Fan Debiao rolled his eyes at him. "Just don't cause me any more trouble in the future."

"No, no, I can't!" Ma Dashuai carefully placed the money on the table. "Debiao, how can I possibly thank you?"

"You're welcome," Fan Debiao said. "Treat Xiaocui better in the future, and don't sell your daughter so easily."

"No, never again!" Commander Ma patted his chest. "I, Commander Ma, swear to the light that if I ever do this again, the light will go out and I'll turn it off!"

Yu Fen came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands: "De Biao, the food is ready. Commander, don't just talk, help serve the dishes."

"Okay, sure!" Ma Dashuai scurried off to serve the dishes.

During the meal, Ma Dashuai kept putting food on Fan Debiao's plate, saying, "Debiao, eat this, it's delicious. Yufen, get Debiao another bowl of rice!"

Fan Debiao was both amused and exasperated by him: "Alright, alright, I'll do it myself."

"That won't do!" said Commander Ma. "You're my benefactor; I have to serve you well!"

Yu Fen laughed from the side, "General, that's enough. De Biao is embarrassed."

"What's there to be embarrassed about!" Ma Dashuai poured Fan Debiao another drink. "Debiao, let me toast you! From now on, if you tell me to go east, I'll never go west! If you tell me to beat a dog, I'll never chase a chicken!"

Fan Debiao clinked glasses with him: "Alright, enough with the formalities. Come back to the fort with me tomorrow, return the money to Yu Fugui, and settle this matter."

"Absolutely!" Ma Dashuai chuckled. "Let's go together tomorrow! Let's see if that old codger Yu Fugui still dares to act so cocky!"

"What are you going to do?" Fan Debiao said. "You stay at home, I'll go."

"That won't do!" said Ma Dashuai. "I have to go! I have to see Yu Fugui's face with my own eyes!"

Fan Debiao glanced at him: "Give me a break. You just want to get involved in anything that gives you face. Brother-in-law, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you're just a vain person who does useless things."

After dinner, Ma Dashuai insisted on washing the dishes. Fan Debiao squatted by the door smoking when Yu Fen came over and whispered, "Debiao, how's the interest on that 30,000 yuan calculated?"

"No interest," Fan Debiao said. "Mr. Wu didn't want it."

"Well...that's so embarrassing," Yufen said. "Why should they lend us money for free?"

Fan Debiao exhaled a puff of smoke: "Work hard from now on and make Victoria's business successful, that will repay the favor."

Yu Fen nodded, then asked, "What about Xiao Cui... does President Wu have any ideas about that?"

Fan Debiao glanced at her: "You noticed too?"

"I'm not stupid," Yufen said. "He asked Xiaocui why she wanted to come for an internship out of the blue..."

"Don't worry about this." Fan Debiao stubbed out his cigarette. "I'm in charge of Xiao Cui's affairs. She should focus on learning accounting, find a proper job, and not come to Victoria."

"What about Mr. Wu...?"

"I have a way." Fan Debiao stood up. "Alright, go to sleep. We have to get up early tomorrow."

At night, Fan Debiao lay on his makeshift bed on the floor, his mind replaying scenes from movies.

Tomorrow I'll go back to Majiabaozi, drive my Mercedes-Benz back, and slap 30,000 yuan in Yu Fugui's face. Then we'll call it even.

That's one thing settled, but there's another—we need to watch out for Wu Derong making advances towards Ma Xiaocui.

How to defend against it? A direct confrontation is definitely not an option. Wu Derong is now his boss and has lent him 30,000 yuan.

The only thing I can do is plead and stall for time. Once Ma Xiaocui has finished her studies, she can find a proper job and stay far away from Victoria.

There's also the lottery. The draw is at the end of June. If I win, everything's fine. If I don't...

Fan Debiao turned over and closed his eyes.

I'm not going to think about it anymore. There's always a way out.

The next morning, Fan Debiao went to Victoria to pick up his car. Wu Derong's Mercedes-Benz was parked in front of the door, gleaming.

When Da Liu saw him, he came over and asked, "Brother Biao, want to drive this car back?"

"Hmm." Fan Debiao opened the car door. "What, is it not allowed?"

"Great, fantastic!" Big Liu gave a thumbs up. "Brother Biao, you have to be the first to pick up your chopsticks when you sit down at the table!"

Fan Debiao ignored him, got into the car, and headed straight for Majiabaozi!