Chapter 176: Benevolent and Charitable

Leaving the loan matters to Sun Tao and Shen Qian, Li Dong tidied up and left the company. As he arrived downstairs at the Global Building, several tabloid journalists rushed over.

"Mr. Li, can you share your current feelings?"

"Mr. Li, what do you think about Baidu's future? Do you believe its stock price will continue to rise?"

"Mr. Li, I heard you're still a student. Are you married?"

"Mr. Li, is it true that your uncle is a high-ranking official in Pingchuan?"

"…"

Li Dong remained calm, having grown accustomed to such scenes over the past few days.

Major newspapers wouldn't behave so trivially, constantly hounding him. The ones left were just tabloid papers.

Li Dong knew that as long as he remained silent, these tabloid journalists would disappear in a day or two. With so many events happening across the country daily, they wouldn't bother him indefinitely.

If Li Yan and Hong Xuyong were back in the country, these people might not have targeted Li Dong.

---

After finally squeezing out of the journalists' encirclement, Li Dong breathed a sigh of relief.

It seemed he should avoid coming to the company for the next couple of days. It was always like this, and Li Dong couldn't handle it.

Once in the car, Zhou Haidong and Cao Hongbing were already waiting for him.

With Li Dong's growing fame and the outrageous rumors about his net worth exceeding ten billion, he didn't feel safe going out without a few people accompanying him.

In these times, some people might take risks. If someone planned to kidnap him, where could he go to seek justice?

"Mr. Li, someone is following us. Should we try to shake them off?" Zhou Haidong asked, glancing in the rearview mirror.

Li Dong looked back and said, "Try to lose them. I'll lay low for the next couple of days, and things should settle down after that."

Zhou Haidong complied and started maneuvering through Pingchuan's streets.

After about half an hour, Zhou Haidong finally managed to lose the tabloid reporters.

Li Dong sighed again and said, "Go to Jiang University."

---

At Jiang University.

Green Meadow Pavilion.

Green Meadow Pavilion was an on-campus dessert shop, and due to the summer vacation, it was not very crowded.

When Li Dong arrived, Fang Qingfei was already there.

Seeing Li Dong, Fang Qingfei scrutinized him carefully before saying, "I don't see any difference. Even though you're so wealthy, you're still dressing like this? Aren't you embarrassed?"

Li Dong rolled his eyes and said, "One of my outfits is worth more than your annual salary. What's there to be embarrassed about?"

"Show-off!" Fang Qingfei muttered.

Li Dong was speechless. If he dressed poorly, she criticized him; if he dressed well, she called him a show-off. She was really hard to please!

But Li Dong was too tired to argue with Fang Qingfei. He sat down and asked, "Why did you call me? You sounded like you were on the verge of a serious illness over the phone. Now you're still in the mood for desserts—are you trying to deceive me?"

"Do you have to speak so harshly? Who's seriously ill?" Fang Qingfei, frustrated, was about to scold him, but then remembered she needed a favor and quickly softened her tone. "Don't be so mean. I need to ask you for a favor."

"What favor?"

"Borrowing money!"

Li Dong frowned immediately. Recently, many people had come to him for money. Now that they knew he was wealthy, everyone wanted to take advantage, but they didn't consider why Li Dong would give them any benefit!

Initially, he thought Fang Qingfei, despite her sharp tongue, was a decent person. But hearing her ask for money now, his opinion of her dropped significantly.

Although he felt uncomfortable, Li Dong asked, "How much?"

"Three hundred thousand," Fang Qingfei said, lowering her head and sipping her iced water, not daring to look at Li Dong.

Li Dong's frown deepened. In 2005, three hundred thousand would be enough to buy a one-hundred-square-meter apartment in Pingchuan.

Starting with such a large amount, Fang Qingfei's appetite was indeed quite big.

Feeling a bit stifled, Li Dong unbuttoned a button to relieve himself and said, "What's the reason?"

"No reason. I need it urgently," Fang Qingfei's voice grew softer.

"Not borrowing!"

Li Dong responded curtly, standing up and saying, "My money doesn't come from the wind. If you truly have an urgent need, I might consider it. But asking me to lend you three hundred thousand with no reason is unrealistic."

Fang Qingfei's face turned red. She grabbed Li Dong's arm and said, "I really need it urgently. You're the only rich person I know. Li Dong, can you help me this once?"

"Rest assured, I'll definitely pay you back. Give me some time, at most five years, and I'll return it!"

Li Dong stared at her for a while and then sat back down, asking again, "What's the reason?"

"For medical treatment. It's a serious illness. The doctor says if the surgery isn't done soon, she won't survive the summer," Fang Qingfei's tone was somber, and her eyes were slightly red.

Li Dong wasn't entirely convinced by her story. Many people had spun similar tales to him recently.

Illness, accidents, bankruptcies—he'd heard these stories often. Fang Qingfei's story sounded very clichéd.

Suppressing his doubts, Li Dong said, "Alright, I can lend you the money, but you need to take me to see the patient. Also, I need a written agreement. It's best if you can provide some collateral."

Fang Qingfei was first happy, but then felt embarrassed and annoyed, "Don't you trust me? If I had collateral, why would I ask you for money?"

"You're not clear in your explanations. How can I trust you? Three hundred thousand—ask around, who would lend that amount without any security? I'm willing to lend it to you because of our teacher-student relationship, but I want to see the patient and have a written agreement. Is that too much to ask?"

Fang Qingfei looked troubled, "But I really don't have anything to offer as collateral."

"Fine, no collateral, but a written agreement is still needed, and I must see the patient."

Fang Qingfei was still uneasy, "I can write the agreement, but can't you skip seeing the patient?"

"Why?"

"It's inconvenient…"

Seeing Li Dong about to leave again, Fang Qingfei reluctantly said, "Okay, I'll take you to see the patient. Can you not be so cold-hearted? Aren't rich people supposed to be benevolent and charitable?"

Li Dong sneered, "Being benevolent and charitable doesn't mean giving money away for free. Am I not charitable? Didn't I donate several million a few days ago? Have you seen anyone more kind-hearted than me?"

Fang Qingfei pouted, wanting to retort but biting her tongue since she hadn't yet borrowed the money. She suppressed her urge to complain.

After settling the bill, Fang Qingfei asked, "When can you lend me the money?"

"Anytime, but I need to see the patient first," Li Dong replied.

Although he didn't have much cash at hand, coming up with three hundred thousand wasn't difficult.

As for why he insisted on seeing the patient now, it was to prevent Fang Qingfei from deceiving him.

Li Dong felt that Fang Qingfei probably wouldn't cheat him, given their numerous past interactions. Despite her bad temper and arrogance, she wasn't likely to become a scammer.