Chapter 222: A Noble Man Doesn't Dwell on a Petty One's Wrongs
Seeing Tao Jingshen's posture and expression, Li Tang felt it was unlikely that he had come with hostile intentions. If anything, he seemed to be seeking reconciliation.
"How do you want to talk?" Li Tang asked.
"You and Lin Feiming, could we step outside? Somewhere quieter, less crowded," Tao said, leaning forward slightly, his face fixed in a bitter smile. "There are too many people here, and some things are better said in private."
Li Tang turned around and glanced at the crowd inside. Aunts, uncles, and cousins from the Lin family were all peering toward the door, faces full of curiosity and a trace of fear at the sight of Tao Jingshen.
He looked back at Feiming.
"What do you think?"
"Let's talk. What's he going to do to me?" Lin Feiming said, pushing himself up from the wheelchair, grabbing a crutch leaning against the wall, and hobbling toward the door.
It was broad daylight. Li Tang also believed Tao wouldn't try anything rash. He unlocked the iron gate and carefully helped Feiming down the stairs.
They stopped beneath a tree not far from the building. Tao Jingshen turned in a full circle to confirm no one else was nearby, then plastered on a contrived smile.
"Brothers, I'm older than both of you. So let me take the liberty of calling you my little bros. You've seen what I've done for you these past few weeks. Feiming, while you were hospitalized, I came by every few days. When the accident happened, I personally rushed you to the hospital. Your parents wanted the provincial hospital—I made all the arrangements."
Everything he said was true.
Feiming kept his mouth shut. He knew how cunning these businessmen could be. What sweet words might be hiding in the shadows?
"I've never mistreated my brothers."
Tao continued his heartfelt act. "We've worked together for two years. Honestly, we got along great."
Then he turned to Li Tang, his smile turning even more forced.
"I was blind, little brother. Where are you from?"
"Yanjing," Li Tang replied—a deliberate lie.
"Impressive! You don't seem like us at all. A totally different background."
After a moment of hesitation, Tao asked the question that had been gnawing at him:
"About you and President Geng… what's your relationship?"
"We're friends," Li Tang replied calmly, his tone flat as water.
"Friends…"
Tao had been thinking all day about the nature of Li Tang and Geng Feiran's relationship. From their interactions, they had seemed like equals—indeed, friends.
But the fact that Geng had personally come to the hospital and gone out of his way for Li Tang made Tao feel this was no ordinary friendship.
Feiming, meanwhile, kept up his fierce front like a porcupine on guard.
"Boss Tao, don't try to smooth things over with sweet talk. You said you came to discuss compensation—let's stick to the point!"
"Yes, that's why I'm here today," Tao replied, keeping his grip tight on the black leather briefcase under his arm.
From the shape and bulge of the bag, it clearly held a lot.
"I'm not backing down. The compensation is eighty thousand—not a cent less!"
His truck was wrecked—his only tool for earning a living gone. Feiming didn't even know how he'd support his family now. The only hope was getting fair compensation.
"I understand. I've thought seriously about your demand. I didn't agree earlier because I was strapped for cash—I've been trying to raise the money."
Tao, reluctant as he was, finally slipped the briefcase from under his arm.
With a whrrr, he unzipped it and pulled out a bulky parcel wrapped in newspaper—so heavy it looked like bricks.
He gritted his teeth, clearly in pain, and handed the heavy bundle over.
"This is two hundred thousand—compensation for your truck."
In the end, he had ignored his uncle Tao Jinshan's advice to prepare three hundred thousand. Instead, he withdrew just two hundred.
That was still cold hard cash out of his own pocket. Saving a hundred thousand meant saving months of work.
And with the processing plant shutting down temporarily, he had no idea when he'd start making money again.
Saving anything now was crucial.
"Two hundred thousand?"
Feiming took the bundle with both hands while propping himself up on the crutch.
He tore off the newspaper wrapping. Inside was stack upon stack of fresh bills.
A breeze stirred the crisp banknotes, releasing a distinct scent of money.
"These aren't fake, right?" he asked, pulling out a random 100-yuan bill and inspecting it thoroughly.
He checked five bills in total—all genuine.
"It's real. Just withdrew it from the bank," Tao said, wincing with each glance at the cash.
"One, two, three, four…"
Feiming counted—each bundle was ten thousand. Exactly twenty bundles. Two hundred thousand in total.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
He had never seen this much money in one place before.
What shocked him more was the sudden generosity. Tao had stubbornly refused to pay earlier—and now here he was, handing over not eighty, but two hundred thousand!
Naturally, he grew suspicious.
"You said eighty thousand. And you already gave me five. You only owed me seventy-five. Why give two hundred?"
It felt like a trap—a setup for extortion charges. What if Tao called the police to have him arrested?
You could never trust these guys.
"I remember you paid twelve thousand for the truck," Tao said.
"It broke down the day I bought it. I spent another three thousand on repairs. Total cost: fifteen grand!" Feiming corrected sharply.
"Right. Fifteen thousand."
Tao nodded, showing respect.
"The truck's gone. We're fully responsible. If we hadn't asked you to haul ore at night, on a dark, slippery road, this wouldn't have happened. We take full responsibility. So we'll cover the cost of the truck."
"What about the other fifty thousand?"
"Well, your leg's broken. You'll need time to heal. Could be months, even a year or more before you can work again."
Tao smiled warmly, as if he truly cared.
"So the extra fifty is for nutrition and lost wages during recovery."
"But you only wanted to give me five thousand before. Now suddenly you're so generous?"
"I told you, that five thousand was just a deposit."
Tao forced a smile.
"It's a lot of money—I needed time to raise it. I only had five thousand at the time. The rest I borrowed from friends just today. As soon as I got it, I came straight here."
"Is that so…" Feiming still wasn't convinced.
Tao sneaked a glance at Li Tang. Seeing the young man's expression soften, he let out a small breath of relief.
"Looks like I misunderstood you earlier," Feiming said, scratching his head. "Maybe I was being too greedy. I do have some morals. I shouldn't take more than I deserve. Let's do this—I'll take the original eighty thousand. You take the rest back."
"No, no. You have to take it!"
Seeing that Feiming was about to start counting and separating the stacks, Tao quickly stopped him.
"You must take all of it!"
He turned to Li Tang. "Right, little brother?"
"Yes," Li Tang replied, patting Feiming's shoulder.
"Take the money. If you don't, Boss Tao probably won't sleep tonight!"
"Exactly. You'll keep me up all night."
"Is this really okay?" Feiming was embarrassed. He felt like he'd pushed things too far.
And his earlier harshness toward Tao now felt unfair.
He hadn't expected Tao to repay bitterness with generosity, and then some.
"It's perfectly fine."
Tao finally felt at ease. He turned to Li Tang and bowed deeply.
"I misjudged you earlier. My attitude wasn't right. I'm here to sincerely apologize. Please, don't hold a grudge against someone like me."
His words were a clear plea for mercy.
He knew too well—if Li Tang said even a single word to Geng Feiran, his uncle Tao Jinshan could lose his job instantly.
Their shady nighttime ore-hauling operation? Impossible to keep hidden now.
Before Li Tang could respond, Feiming had already pulled Tao back up.
"Boss Tao, you don't need to bow! Honestly, I was the one who misunderstood you. You're a good man. I'll call you a friend from now on!"
"Boss Tao, you've earned my respect," Li Tang added with a faint smile.
"So we're good?" Tao looked nervously at Li Tang.
"We're good." Li Tang confirmed.
Tao exhaled, visibly relieved. But he still avoided eye contact with Li Tang.
Instead, he turned to Feiming. "If you're ever in Tongdu and need anything—just say the word."
"Absolutely!" Feiming grinned from ear to ear.
"I'll buy you drinks next time. I didn't know you were so generous!"
"I'd love that."
Tao nodded at Li Tang.
"Well, if there's nothing else, I'll get going."
Li Tang gave a slight nod and smiled.
As Tao disappeared down the road, Feiming stood there holding the cash, unable to stop smiling.
He had prepared for a long, hard battle to get compensation.
And now—he had it all.
"Boss Tao is someone worth befriending," he sighed.
"Be careful," Li Tang whispered as he helped Feiming back inside. "Guys like him can't be trusted."
"You're right."
Feiming wasn't blind—he'd seen Tao's 180-degree personality shift after Geng showed up.
"He probably only gave me that money because of Geng."
"It's what you deserved," Li Tang said.
"Thanks, Li Tang."
Feiming knew exactly why Tao had paid up.
But when facing him earlier, all of it had been a performance.
Better to part ways as "friends" and never see each other again.
Dealing with people like Tao was like bargaining with a tiger—danger was always lurking.
"Watch the step," Li Tang said as they climbed the dark stairwell.
As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he saw Feiming stop and pull out five thick stacks of bills.
"Take this," he said, stuffing the money into Li Tang's hands. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have seen a dime."
Li Tang grinned and shoved the money back.
"You trying to insult me?"
"I'm not a miser," Feiming insisted.
"You underestimate me."
Li Tang didn't know what else to say.
"Put it away. Don't act like a granny. If you keep pushing, I will be disappointed in you."
Clang!
The iron gate opened. Aunt Li Xiuhui poked her head out, clearly drawn by the conversation in the stairwell.
"What are you two whispering about?"
"Nothing, just chatting," Feiming said quickly, wrapping the money back up in newspaper before stepping inside.
There were still relatives at home. Better to keep the money out of sight.
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