Li Hanhou's life story is quite straightforward.
His family originally came from Ludong. His grandfather had moved to the northeastern provinces during the Guandong migration, and the family has lived there ever since.
Born in a small mountain village, Li Hanhou lost both his grandfather and father in his teens, leaving only him and his mother to rely on each other. Now, with his mother gravely ill, he brought her to Longhai City after hearing from villagers that the medical care there was much better.
But as a young man who had never left the mountains, he struggled to adapt to the bustling city. He tried two different jobs but couldn't keep them, and all their savings were drained by his mother's medical expenses. On top of that, he still owes money to the hospital. If the hospital staff weren't afraid of not being repaid, they would have expelled them long ago.
At this point, Li Hanhou had barely 200 yuan left. To save money for his mother's food, he hadn't eaten for two days himself.
"Dahan, if you starve and collapse, what will happen to your mother?"
Hearing his words, Xiao Chen felt a pang of sympathy. But Li Hanhou just smiled shyly, scratching his head, insisting that with his strong health he could go hungry for days without worry.
Xiao Chen shook his head—this kid really was too naive. He asked how Li Hanhou knew about the company's security guard recruitment. Li explained that Dr. Hua, the doctor caring for his mother, told him the pay was decent and encouraged him to try.
Grateful, he described Dr. Hua as not only skilled but also kind-hearted—without her help, the hospital might have already driven them away.
Xiao Chen felt comforted to know there was still kindness in this cold, concrete city. He told Li Hanhou to stay with him from now on. The young man readily agreed, promising to do anything as long as it wasn't illegal—because his mother had always told him not to. To him, her words were more binding than any royal decree.
Xiao Chen laughed. He knew Li Hanhou wasn't exaggerating about his strength—the man was frighteningly powerful, far more dangerous than even retired special forces soldiers who sometimes turned to crime after failing to adjust to civilian life. If someone like Li Hanhou ever went astray, he'd be a true walking weapon.
When Li nervously asked if he could get his salary in advance, Xiao Chen finally realized the urgency: the boy had no money left to support his mother. Xiao Chen immediately decided to take him to the hospital, planning to bring nourishing food rather than greasy meatballs.
But there was one small problem—Li's huge frame didn't fit into Xiao Chen's Maserati. When he learned Li had run over 30 miles to get there, Xiao Chen reluctantly called Qin Lan to borrow an SUV. After some playful back-and-forth, Qin Lan handed over the keys to her massive Hummer.
When Li saw the vehicle, his eyes lit up in awe. Sliding into the co-pilot seat, he sniffed curiously and asked why it smelled like a woman.
"This car belongs to a girl," Xiao Chen explained.
Li paused, then muttered with admiration, "I like this girl."