First Hospital of the capital, Flame City. Mark Su was hospitalized here.
Worried about his company, Mark's condition never improved. The thought that the business he'd spent most of his life building was now on the verge of bankruptcy weighed on him, filling him with unbearable heaviness and pain.
“Sigh, these days have been so hard on Mira!” Mark Su took a spoonful of meat porridge his wife had fed him, sighing as he spoke. Even though he'd been stuck in the hospital, he knew his daughter had been running into walls everywhere, and the thought made him feel especially guilty. He blamed his own failing health.
“Enough, stop overthinking and focus on getting better.” His wife, Helen Tang, chided him gently, feeding him another spoonful of porridge. She added, “By the way, Mira just called—she’s coming to see you at the hospital.”
“Alright, I know.” Mark nodded, already deciding that when Mira arrived, he’d tell her to stop running herself ragged for the company. Once he recovered enough to leave the hospital, he’d declare bankruptcy to the bank himself. Though the thought made him bitter, he saw no other way.
About twenty minutes later, his daughter Mira Su appeared outside the ward, followed by a young man of about seventeen or eighteen.
“Dad, are you feeling any better?” Mira asked with concern.
“Still the same as always,” Mark Su replied with a smile, turning his gaze to Ian Song.
Ian Song didn’t dare be careless. He stepped forward, set down the fruit he’d brought, and greeted them politely: “Hello, Uncle Su. Hello, Auntie Tang. I’m Ian Song, Mira’s friend.”
“No need to be so formal, young man—please, have a seat.” Helen Tang said warmly, getting up to offer him her chair. The hospital room was cramped and didn’t have any extra seats.
“No need to trouble yourself, Auntie. I'm fine standing,” Ian Song quickly declined.
“By the way, young man, how did you get to know Mira?” Helen Tang asked curiously. Given Ian's age, she couldn’t imagine how he’d cross paths with her daughter.
“It’s like this, Auntie... I happened to run into Mira while eating in Flame City this time. When I heard Uncle Su wasn’t well, I wanted to come visit.” Ian simply explained how he’d once worked part-time at Mira’s café.
“That’s very thoughtful of you!” Helen Tang praised. She had a pretty good impression of Ian Song—tall, handsome, and well-spoken.
“Dad, I’ve got great news—our company’s funding is in! We can restart the project tomorrow!” Mira announced suddenly, handing Mark Su a peeled apple.
“What?!”
Mark Su’s hand shook and he nearly dropped the apple. He immediately sat up in bed, excited: “Mira, what did you say? You’re not tricking your dad, are you?”
The conversation between father and daughter caught Helen Tang’s attention too. She asked, a bit excited herself, “Mira, is the funding really secured?”
“It’s not just secured—the money’s already in my account!” Mira replied with a smile.
“How much?” Mark Su asked urgently.
Mira held up one finger.
Mark Su thought for a moment. “Even one hundred million is a lot. It’s barely enough to restart the project, and once we get going, it’ll be much easier to secure follow-up funding.”
“Dad, it’s one billion, not one hundred million!” Mira rolled her eyes.
“What? One billion!”
Mark Su was stunned, then overjoyed. With a billion in funding, finishing the project would be more than possible. He stared intently at his daughter: “Mira, tell Dad—what company did you get this billion from?”
“Him! Who else?” Mira pointed at Ian Song. “This local tycoon right here!”
The couple froze, their faces full of disbelief—and a bit of suspicion. Judging by Ian’s plain clothes, he didn’t look like a rich kid at all. How could he possibly come up with a billion in funding?
Seeing their expressions, Mira knew exactly what they were thinking. She added, “Dad, Mom, don’t underestimate him—he made 1.03 billion in a single morning!”
“No way!” Helen Tang blurted out. Even companies with hundreds of billions in assets might not make a billion in a day. How could an ordinary-looking teenager pull that off?
Ian finally got a chance to speak. “Uncle, Auntie, don’t listen to Mira exaggerate. I just got lucky today and made 1.03 billion. Opportunities like that might not come even once a year! It’s really not as wild as she makes it sound.”
“So how did you make it?” The couple grew even more curious.
“An elder of mine went to a jade-gambling house and happened to run into a betting match. I helped him pick a rough stone, won the bet, and he gave me 1.03 billion as a reward!” Ian said, half-truth, half-joke.
“Jade-gambling is a cut to heaven, a cut to hell!” Mark Su sighed, his gaze at Ian changing.
“Exactly! Gambling’s not a good habit!” Helen Tang agreed wholeheartedly.
For a moment, Ian looked a bit embarrassed.
“Dad, Mom, he’s not here to listen to you two nag!” Mira teased, reminding them.
The couple snapped out of it. Ian wasn’t actually their junior, so their comments were a bit out of line.
Mark Su hurried to make amends. “Sorry, Ian, your aunt and I just speak our minds. We didn’t mean anything bad—please don’t take offense!”
“You’re too kind, Uncle Su.” Ian replied with a smile.
“Good, good!” Seeing Ian wasn’t offended, Mark Su relaxed. “Now, Ian, you’ve injected a billion into this project. As your uncle, I can’t treat you unfairly. How about this—sixty percent of the shares go to you. What do you think?”
His previous partner had invested a billion too, and each of them held fifty percent of the shares.
But Ian’s help was truly timely—he not only restarted the project, but also saved the company from bankruptcy. Giving him an extra ten percent was only fair.
But Ian just waved his hand.
Seeing this, Mark Su’s heart tightened. Did he think sixty percent was too little?
Ian spoke again: “Uncle Su, I don’t want any shares. Just treat the billion as a loan to Mira. You can pay me back when the company gets back on track!”
Mark Su was truly surprised. His impression of Ian soared. “Ian, you’d better think this through. I’m not exaggerating—as your uncle, I promise this project will net at least three to five hundred million in profit once it’s done. Turning down the shares is a huge loss!”
“It’s fine, I’m still a student—I wouldn’t be able to spend that much money anyway!” Ian replied calmly.
Mark had made it clear how much profit was possible, but Ian showed not the slightest interest. At such a young age, he wasn’t moved by money at all, and didn’t expect anything in return for his help. Mark couldn’t help glancing at his daughter, thinking to himself, “If only Mira had been born a few years later—I’d definitely marry her to this kid!”