Chapter 46: The Fraudster

While Wang Yunfei and Chang Yong were plotting how to set a trap for Qin Feng, Qin Feng walked into the office of the Civil Affairs Division.

"Sister Lin, where is old Yang? Why isn't he here? I need to talk to him about the matter in Niujiaoshan Village." Qin Feng glanced around the office and asked Lin Xiaoyan.

"Yang Delin's wife suddenly fell ill. He called earlier saying an ambulance had already taken her to Shannan. He asked me to request leave for you; he has already rushed over."

"When did this happen?"

"Just a short while ago."

Qin Feng had spent the entire day in the village and had just returned.

"Did he mention what kind of illness? Is it serious?" Qin Feng asked again.

"I don't know, he didn't say, but judging by how panicked he looked, it must be quite serious."

"Alright, I see." Qin Feng nodded, then turned to another staff member. "Little Xue, take some time tomorrow to go to Qingjiang Village and verify the situation of the newly applied impoverished household."

After delegating the work, Qin Feng returned to his office. After a moment of thought, he decided to give Yang Delin a call.

"Hello, Director Qin, what is it?" Yang Delin's voice came through the phone.

"I heard your wife fell ill. What happened? What's her condition now? Is it serious?" Qin Feng asked.

Yang Delin remained silent for a long time on the other end.

"What's wrong?" Qin Feng had a bad predisposing feeling.

"A cerebral infarction caused by high hypertension. She suddenly collapsed and is still unconscious. The doctor says she needs craniotomy surgery, or she could lose her life at any moment," Yang Delin said, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"Then go ahead and do it immediately! What is there to hesitate about?" Qin Feng asked.

Yang Delin paused again without speaking, then said to Qin Feng, "The doctor here is looking for me, I'll talk to you later."

With that, Yang Delin hung up the phone.

Qin Feng was stunned, feeling that something was amiss in Yang Delin's words.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Feng called Hong Haifeng. "Director Hong, I have some urgent business and need to go to Shannan. Is the township's van available?"

"Brother, why are you asking me that? If you need the car, of course it's available. But the driver is on leave today, so you'll have to drive it yourself."

"No problem, I'll come over to get the keys right now."

"No need, I'll have Little Liu send the keys over to you. By the way, you're heading to Shannan, right? That's perfect. Hong Yue mentioned she wants to buy a computer, so you can take her along. Didn't you know a bit about computers? Help her out and give her some advice." Hong Haifeng hung up right after saying this.

Qin Feng was slightly taken aback. He wasn't sure if Hong Yue genuinely wanted to buy a computer or if Hong Haifeng had simply made up an excuse.

Qin Feng took the keys from Little Liu in the office, drove the township van, and headed to the health clinic.

When Qin Feng drove the car to the health clinic, Hong Yue was already waiting at the entrance.

Opening the door and sitting in the passenger seat, Hong Yue looked at Qin Feng in surprise. "Why is it you?"

"What? Didn't your brother tell you?" Qin Feng asked with a smile, accelerating as they headed toward Shannan County.

"He called me and said the township government happened to have a car going to Shannan, and told me to catch a ride to buy a computer. He didn't tell me it was you."

"If you don't want to come with me, I can turn around and take you back," Qin Feng said, knowing well that Hong Yue detested him.

"No need. Since I'm already here, you're not going to eat me, are you? What's there to be afraid of?" Hong Yue's words sounded more like an attempt to psych herself up and bolster her courage.

"I happen to have some urgent business in Shannan, and there are no minibuses heading there right now, so I asked your brother for the car. He told me you happened to need to buy a computer in Shannan, and asked me to bring you along so I could help you choose." Qin Feng explained the situation to her.

"My brother is a liar. There's not a single honest word in his mouth," Hong Yue said, feeling somewhat irritated.

Hong Yue had never held a good impression of Qin Feng. Coupled with the fact that she had just been tricked by Hong Haifeng, she was simmering with anger, so she remained completely silent for the entire journey.

Knowing that Hong Yue despised him, Qin Feng refrained from making small talk and courting annoyance.

The two of them rode in silence all the way, the atmosphere inside the car extremely awkward.

Qin Feng drove the vehicle straight into the Shannan County People's Hospital.

"Why are you bringing me to the hospital?"

"I have some business here. I'm going to check on a friend, and then I'll take you to buy the computer."

After parking the car, Qin Feng led Hong Yue upstairs, heading straight to the outside of the intensive care unit.

On the bench outside the intensive care unit, Yang Delin sat alone, smoking heavily. A pile of cigarette butts had already accumulated around his feet.

"Old Yang, how is the situation?" Qin Feng walked over and asked.

Yang Delin looked up at Qin Feng in surprise. "Why are you here?"

Seeing Yang Delin, Hong Yue was equally startled. Wasn't this the very man who had fought with Qin Feng that night?

"I brought a friend here on some business and happened to be in the area, so I came to check on your wife. How is she doing now?" Qin Feng sat down and handed Yang Delin a cigarette.

"She's inside the ICU. Because of the sterilization procedures and everything, the doctors won't let anyone in. Even if I went in, it wouldn't help; she hasn't woken up yet," Yang Delin said, taking heavy puffs of his cigarette.

"What did the doctor actually say?"

"The doctor strongly recommends immediate craniotomy surgery. If we don't do it, she won't survive."

"Then what are you hesitating for? Go ahead and arrange it right away."

"The doctor also said that even if the surgery saves her life, there is a ninety percent chance she will remain paralyzed and become a vegetative state," Yang Delin said, letting out a long, heavy sigh.

Hearing this, Qin Feng fell silent, and the expression on Hong Yue's face, standing nearby, also shifted.

Qin Feng sat with Yang Delin, smoking in silence for a long while before asking, "What are your plans then?"

"The surgery. It definitely has to be done, even if I know beforehand that she might end up as a vegetable," Yang Delin said with a firm tone.

"Then why are you still sighing here? Hurry up and have the doctors schedule the operation," Qin Feng urged.

Yang Delin didn't speak immediately. He took another deep drag from his cigarette until the air in front of him was thick with smoke.

"What on earth is wrong? Have you run into some difficulty?"

"The surgery requires a ten-thousand-yuan deposit immediately. I don't have that much money; I only have a little over twenty thousand in total, and my two children's school tuition is due soon. I've already called everyone I could possibly think of, everyone I could turn to, and I haven't been able to borrow a single cent." Yang Delin was a man of great pride. If Qin Feng hadn't pressed him, he would never have spoken of such a "humiliating" matter.

"Just because of this? Why didn't you tell me sooner? I knew when you hung up the phone midway that you must have run into trouble." As Qin Feng spoke, he pulled out his wallet, drew out a bank card, and handed it to Yang Delin. "There are exactly ninety thousand yuan on this card. Take it and swipe it first. I only have this much, so you'll just need to scrape together the remaining ten thousand. We'll figure out the children's tuition later—saving your wife's life with the surgery is what matters most right now."