"What?!" Grove thought he misheard; he slapped his cheeks, then asked again: "You said..."
"Yes." Negut interrupted him: "I said... I will cover all the medical expenses for your mother."
"You..." Grove stammered as if he couldn't believe what he just heard: "Do you know how much my mother's medical expenses are? Right now, we can only pay 50,000 credit points upfront, and then there are many other fees to pay."
"At least it will cost 100,000 points; do you know how much 100,000 credit points are? The income of an average Survivor is only about 30,000 credit points a month. You..."
"Then I'll give you 200,000 points," Negut said indifferently.
Grove: Σ (° ロ °)
"You... you mean..."
"Yes, what I mean is... I'll lend you 200,000 points, and if you become wealthy in the future, you can pay me back," Negut said.
Grove looked at Negut's calm and indifferent expression as if 200,000 credit points were 200 points, as light as a feather.
"But... I..." Grove stammered, trying to find a reason to refuse, but he realised he really needed the money.
Negut also knew Grove's situation well, so he immediately added: "I know this amount is huge, but no matter how much money it is, it can't compare to our loved ones, right?"
Grove opened his mouth wide, not expecting someone like Negut to say such things.
He thought Negut would force him to do strange or illegal things.
"But... I... you..." Grove stammered, trying to find the words: "I am Alec's friend; you and Alec are enemies..."
"Ah! Don't say that." Negut hurriedly interrupted Grove: "Actually, I don't consider him an enemy."
"On the contrary, thanks to him, I understood many things, and I have become a better person, and I want to be friends with you and Alec."
"Be friends with me and Alec?" Grove couldn't believe what Negut just said.
"Yes." Negut sighed, "Don't think that being rich means having many friends; most of them are just taking advantage of me."
"I am really lonely, and I need a true friend, not people who only flatter and focus on my wealth."
Hearing this, Grove realised... Negut seemed very pitiful and lonely.
'Maybe... he's right.' Grove thought to himself, 'If you have too much money, people will only surround you because of your money.'
Grove recalled... ever since he saw Negut at the academy, he was always alone, without any friends.
At this moment, Grove swallowed and said, "You... are you serious? You want..."
"Alright, don't talk too much; do you want the money to treat your mother or not?" Negut said impatiently.
"Of course!" Grove hurriedly took out his phone and completed the transaction with Negut.
Seeing 200,000 credit points easily transferred into his account, Grove felt like it was a dream.
No debt contract.
No other threats.
Negut didn't ask him to do anything.
No unbelievably high interest rates.
No need for him to mortgage anything, and no set time for repayment.
Very simple—a word, an action—and then 200,000 credit points were transferred to Grove.
"Alright, you can go." Negut waved his hand, suddenly remembering something; he immediately said: "Wait! This is a large amount of money... I hope you use it for yourself; don't lend it to anyone, understand?"
Grove felt confused hearing this, but he realised one thing: it seemed... he understood the meaning behind Negut's words.
'Maybe Negut knows I often lend money to Alec, and since Negut hates Alec, he told me not to lend money to Alec.'
'He said it in a way that I would understand, and I have no evidence to say he is threatening me.'
'How terrifying, it turns out... Negut is not useless; he is more terrifying than I thought.'
'But... Why did he ask me not to lend Alec money? Could it be that Negut knows some secret behind Alec's frequent borrowing?'
Grove thought carefully, feeling something strange. He knew Alec's family well; he also knew that his sister worked part-time with a decent salary, enough to support him in attending this academy.
However, Alec still frequently borrowed money from him. He felt sorry for Alec's situation, so he didn't refuse and lent him a lot of money.
Grove didn't even need Alec to repay, and he didn't ask why Alec borrowed the money.
At this moment, Grove still didn't fully understand Negut's request, but he nodded and said, "I understand. I promise you, no one can borrow money from me."
Seeing Grove's determined face, Negut nodded, smiling with satisfaction: "Good, you can go."
Grove was also very happy; he got out of the car and left.
At this moment, Uncle Wells, in the driver's seat, asked confusedly: "Young master, why did you lend him money?"
Negut sighed and said, "After looking at Grove's information, I felt he was very pitiful. His father went missing five years ago, and his mother worked hard so he could attend school."
"However, a few months ago, his mother fell seriously ill. Grove had to both earn money and take care of his mother, which was extremely difficult."
"But... because of that, I realised... Grove is a genius in the field of finance. Thanks to that ability, he earned enough money to cover all expenses, including tuition."
"I lent him money for two reasons. First, although his talent is not great, he has significant potential in business."
"He has been able to cover his mother's medical expenses until now, which confirms his ability. If I can befriend him, I can later bring him into my company."
"Secondly, he is truly a good and simple person, so I genuinely want to be friends with him."
Uncle Wells nodded slightly, then asked, "But... Why did you ask him not to lend money to others?"
Negut poured himself a glass of wine, took a sip, found it very unpleasant, put the glass down, and said, "As I said, he is simple and kind-hearted, so he is very easily deceived by others."
"I'm not a philanthropist who can continuously lend him money. Besides, if I lend him money unconditionally like that, he will see it as my duty and not appreciate what I give him."
"For me, 200,000 credit points is just a small number, like a grain of sand in the desert. However, I can turn those 200,000 points into a tangible benefit for the future."
Uncle Wells nodded slightly, smiling with satisfaction: "Young master, you have grown up."
Negut shrugged and said, "No, I just understand more things now. I'm still very foolish and need your protection, Uncle Wells."
"Of course!" Uncle Wells said with a smile, "Young master, I will always protect you."
At this moment, Negut suddenly felt a sense of unease, as if something terrible was about to happen.
'Strange, could it be that what I did earlier was wrong?'
'No, it wasn't wrong. I lent Grove money to save his mother; how could that be wrong?'
'It's just... Why is this feeling of unease so strong?'
"Young master..." Uncle Wells seemed to notice his thoughts and asked, "Are you okay?"
"No, I'm fine... It's just that I feel a bit uneasy." Negut said uncomfortably.
Hearing this, Uncle Wells asked, "Young master, do you need me to come to the academy with you?"
Negut frowned and then said, "Uhm! Bring a few more elite survivors; I feel like something terrible is about to happen."
He didn't dare ignore any sudden feelings of unease.
After all, he was a villain, and whenever a sense of unease appeared, it was likely that the protagonist was about to do something terrible.
Negut didn't dare be careless, so he immediately asked Uncle Wells to bring a few more elite survivors to protect him.
After all, Negut knew very well... Many antagonists die because they are careless and underestimate the protagonist.
…
Alec was also heading to class as usual, since the 'Rose' casino only opened in the evening, and he couldn't enter it now.
Suddenly, a familiar figure caught his eye, startling him, and then his emotions changed to excitement.
He hurried towards the familiar figure, calling out loudly: "Selvia, are you waiting for me?"
Selvia was standing in front of the classroom, looking like a perfect statue created by master sculptors.
Even though she was standing still, her charm made everyone gaze at her, unable to take their eyes off her.
With white hair and a white dress, she looked like an angel, untouched by the impurities of the world.
Alec saw that Selvia was even more beautiful than usual today, his heart beating fast and furiously like a war drum.
Selvia heard Alec's voice, slightly raising her head to look at him, her face still indifferent and dreamy: "No, I'm waiting for Negut."