Chapter 146 - 145: Charity Crowdfunding

Chapter 146: Chapter 145: Charity Crowdfunding

Gu Qingning, who had also just gotten back, tasted the stir-fried beef noodles the Yu Family Siblings had brought with them.

"This tastes amazing. It’s not too greasy, and the aroma is incredible. It’s like something a chef from a five-star hotel would make."

"This just proves that the best food is found on the streets."

Yu Xiangwan offered her praise, then briefly explained Zhang Bai’s situation.

"He’s so devoted to his mother. He’s willing to swallow his pride and isn’t afraid of the hard work of selling street food to pay for her medical bills. Now that’s a real man."

"Sister Xiang Wan, does that mean Zhiming doesn’t count as a real man?"

Gu Qingning teased with a laugh before sighing. "This is what it means to be forced by circumstances, to have to bow to reality just to make a living."

"I went through something similar tonight."

"I was with your nephew and Zhu Jun, and we waited for over two hours just to get a chance to talk to the person in charge. In the end, he brushed us off in less than three minutes."

Gu Qingning added indignantly, "In the past, if someone dared to be even three minutes late, I would’ve slammed the table and walked right out."

"Who would’ve thought I’d be groveling like this now?"

Yu Zhiming smiled. "You’re the ones asking for something right now, trying to secure a partnership. You have no choice but to be humble."

"Once you’ve made a name for yourselves, things will get better."

Gu Qingning grunted in agreement. "I guess I’m starting to understand just how hard it is to start a business. I can’t be a freeloader forever."

After a pause, she suddenly asked, "Zhiming, about that Zhang Bai... he’s working so hard at his stall to pay for medical bills. Can’t your hospital reduce or waive some of his mother’s fees?"

Yu Zhiming shook his head. "His mother is currently receiving treatment that’s basically hospice care. The goal is to reduce her pain and make her as physically comfortable as possible."

"This treatment isn’t strictly necessary. He could choose to stop it and take his mother home."

Gu Qingning let out a soft "Oh."

To put it bluntly, end-of-life care was about paying for comfort, and in doing so, buying a little more time.

For this kind of treatment, you get it if you have the money, and you leave if you don’t. Why would the hospital possibly waive the fees?

Yu Xiangwan let out a long sigh. "We just have to work hard and make money. Lots and lots of money."

"We need to achieve financial freedom. We can’t let a lack of cash be our downfall when it really counts."

Gu Qingning cheered enthusiastically, "Sister Xiang Wan, let’s work together to make your nephew’s design company a huge success and get rich!"

"That’s right! Grow and prosper, make big money..."

Yu Zhiming found it rather amusing as he watched the two women, all fired up, sitting on the sofa and earnestly discussing their grand plans to get rich.

He returned to his bedroom, opened his laptop, and pulled up the medical file of the handsome seventeen-year-old to continue his research.

The teen’s first fainting spell had occurred at the beginning of the year.

During a stage performance, he had suddenly collapsed on stage in full view of the audience.

According to his parents, the boy had been trained in dance, music, and other arts from a young age. Because he was exceptionally talented, he frequently had opportunities to perform.

But prior to that incident, the handsome teen had never once fainted on stage.

At the time, they had assumed he fainted because he was overworked from rehearsals and training.

However, after several more mysterious fainting spells, they realized something was wrong with his health.

Fortunately, after each episode, the teen would regain consciousness within a few to ten-plus minutes. He could move freely, and there were no lingering side effects.

’He performs on stage frequently, so a stress-induced syncope caused by anxiety and pressure doesn’t add up.’

’Could it be some form of Munchausen syndrome? Faking the fainting spells to get out of performances?’

Yu Zhiming reviewed the records of the dozen or so subsequent fainting spells. Three had occurred during breaks at school.

Two more had happened while he was out with his classmates.

This led Yu Zhiming to dismiss his theory about faking the spells to get out of performing.

’Faking a collapse while hanging out with friends? That would be taking the act way too far. He’d end up with no friends.’

Yu Zhiming noticed something in particular in the interview notes.

The handsome seventeen-year-old had lost his virginity just after he turned fifteen.

His first partner was the mother of one of his female classmates from dance training...

’Well, now,’ Yu Zhiming thought, clicking his tongue.

After getting a taste for it, the boy’s eyes were opened, and a steady stream of "good times" followed.

This detail in the record also ruled out the possibility that the boy was working himself into a faint just by fantasizing about an exciting life.

’Wait,’ a thought suddenly struck Yu Zhiming. ’The kid is exceptionally good-looking, and his private life is a mess.’

’Could someone have poisoned him out of jealousy or for revenge?’

’But why poison him just to make him faint?’

’Is the poisoner just too timid?’

’Or do they just want to ruin his artistic career?’

’After all, the chances of someone who faints intermittently performing on stage again are pretty slim.’

’Should I run a toxicology screen?’

Yu Zhiming shook his head again.

’Most foreign toxins are metabolized and flushed from the body within two or three days!’

Yu Zhiming reviewed his physical examination of the teen in his mind, confirming that he hadn’t missed anything or overlooked any minor physical abnormalities.

’This syncope case is a real head-scratcher...’

Suddenly, the door to his bedroom was pushed open, and Yu Xiangwan and Gu Qingning walked in together.

"Fifth Brother, Fifth Brother, quick, look..."

"Zhiming..."

As they spoke, two phones were thrust in front of Yu Zhiming’s face at almost the same time.

Zhiming focused his eyes and saw a video playing on the screens. It was that guy, Zhang Bai, dripping with sweat as he energetically cooked egg fried rice.

In front of his simple yet clean little stall, a dozen or so customers were lined up...

Yu Zhiming blurted out, "Is he... livestreaming?"

"No!"

Yu Xiangwan said indignantly, "A former manager from my company quit his job to care for his mother, and now he’s working himself to the bone at a street stall to pay her medical bills. I was just thinking about how I could help him."

"I thought about those online fundraising sites."

"But when I went to a fundraising website, I was shocked to see he was already raising money and had even uploaded this video."

Gu Qingning added, "And we found it on more than one fundraising site, this video of him raising money for his mom."

Yu Xiangwan said with a serious expression, "Fifth Brother, I’m starting to suspect this guy is just putting on a show."

"That he’s deliberately running a stall at the night market just to create some eye-catching gimmick to raise money."

Yu Zhiming said thoughtfully, "That’s a possibility."

"There have been reports in the past about people from these fundraising sites who basically canvass hospitals, looking for ’partners’ to fundraise for. Once they’re successful, they split the donations with them."

"All that negative press has made charitable people much less willing to donate. These days, if you don’t have some kind of eye-catching angle, it’s really difficult to raise money."

Filled with righteous indignation, Yu Xiangwan declared, "Fifth Brother, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to investigate this guy."

"I’m going to see if he’s really as dedicated as he claims, just wanting his mother to live out her final days in comfort."

"Or if he has some ulterior motive."

Gu Qingning asked curiously, "Sister Xiang Wan, how are you going to investigate?"

Yu Xiangwan snorted. "It’s simple."

"As the old saying goes, a long illness is the true test of a child’s devotion."

"All I have to do is observe how he takes care of his mother."

"When someone is caring for an elderly, seriously ill patient, you can tell at a glance whether they’re doing it from the heart or just going through the motions..."