The Poor School Heartthrob Was Secretly a Financial Titan - Chapter 21

It was half an hour earlier than usual.

He got dressed, opened the door, and froze.

The light was on in the outer room, and Mother was standing in front of the stove. Father was sitting at the old dining table, drinking soy milk from a bowl, with half a fried dough stick beside the bowl.

“Dad, Mom?” Han Xuetao walked over. “Why are you up so early too?”

Zhao Xiurong glanced back at him and smiled: “Your Aunt Zhu brought over a new sweater pattern, saying that the guests need it urgently, so I’ll go take a look as soon as possible.”

Han Xuetao said, “Mom, don’t work too hard.”

“This little bit of work is nothing,” Zhao Xiurong waved her hand. “Mom knows what she’s doing. Sit down quickly, the noodles will be ready soon.”

Han Xuetao sat down opposite his father and looked at Han Defu.

“Dad, are you still going to work? You don’t have to go anymore if you buy out your years of service.”

Han Defu put down his bowl and mumbled, “Look at those former apprentices, they said they’d treat me to lunch, but they’re not coming back.”

He took a bite of the fried dough stick, his gaze falling on Han Xuetao, and instructed, “Keep that money safe. You’d better open a bank account and deposit it later. Do you want me to go with you?”

Han Xuetao quickly shook his head: “No need, I’ll save it while I’m going for a run later.”

Han Defu nodded and said nothing more.

The room was quiet for a few seconds, with only the bubbling sound of water on the stove.

Zhao Xiurong looked at her son, then at her husband, and suddenly felt a pang of sadness in her heart.

Look at other people’s kids, after the college entrance exam, which one of them doesn’t sleep in late at home and then go out and play?

My own husband is doing much better; he gets up even earlier than before, goes for a run every morning without fail, and then goes to work to earn money at noon.

The more sensible her son became, the more guilty she felt as a mother.

This child has always been a good student and has never caused them any worry. On the contrary, it’s the parents who are holding their son back.

Han Defu had the same thought.

He put down his bowl, thinking to himself: even after retiring, I can’t just sit at home doing nothing. Today I went to see those apprentices to ask if there was any work I could do. He’s an electrician, he has a skill, it’s better than just sitting around doing nothing.

Han Xuetao had no idea what his parents were thinking. He grabbed a fried dough stick and started eating it while changing his shoes.

After finishing a fried dough stick, I had changed my shoes.

“Mom, I’m leaving.”

“Hey!” Zhao Xiurong chased after him to the door. “Eat slowly, don’t choke!”

The door is already closed.

Han Xuetao hurried downstairs, a cool morning breeze blowing in his face.

He left home so early today because of what his father did yesterday.

His father returned the money to his eldest uncle, refusing the offer to change his school registration. This gesture moved him, surprised him, and immediately put him on alert—

The plan was disrupted.

The other party will definitely take action; they won’t wait until the college entrance exam scores are released.

His original plan was to lure Zhou Cheng into the trap and then close the net, followed by another operation.

Time is of the essence now.

He has a few things to do first.

Han Xuetao first went to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China at the street corner and deposited the eight thousand yuan his father had given him.

Next stop, straight to the collectibles market.

His target was the bank card.

In the 1990s, the bank card market was just emerging.

Some cards issued at that time, such as the ICBC 1987 Red Cotton Card and the CCB 1990 Dragon Card, are very valuable in the collector’s market because of their limited issuance and early issuance.

Of course, most of these cards are invalid, but a small number are still usable and can only be purchased through special channels.

Donglin’s collectibles market is located on the back street of the City God Temple, a narrow alley lined with stalls on both sides. Stamps, coins, old photos, used books—you name it, they have it.

Han Xuetao wandered around and finally entered an inconspicuous little shop.

The shop is small, with various old-fashioned bank cards displayed in a glass cabinet.

Behind the counter sat a thin man, around forty years old, squinting as he smoked. Seeing Han Xuetao enter, he raised an eyelid but remained silent.

“Brother Yao.” Han Xuetao walked over and stood in front of the counter.

The old demon glanced at him and exhaled a puff of smoke.

What do you want?

“Card. It works.”

The old demon narrowed his eyes and stubbed out his cigarette.

Who referred you?

Han Xuetao took out his notebook and wrote a line on it.

The old demon stared at it for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed.

“interesting.”

He bent down and took out an iron box from under the counter. He opened it and found dozens of bank cards inside.

Han Xuetao glanced around and knew he had come to the right place.

Old Yao may not be well-known now, but he has connections with banks. Most of these cards are genuine and usable.

Later, his operation grew larger and larger, attracting money launderers and fraudsters who came to buy his cards. Eventually, he was targeted by the police, arrested in 2005, and sentenced to death for a major transnational financial crime.

That was ten years later.

Now, he’s just an insignificant street vendor.

Han Xuetao picked out a few cards, paid for them, and put the cards away.

After buying the card, he deposited 30,000 yuan into it.

If you have a few thousand in one card, and several cards together, you’ll have exactly 30,000.

After finishing these tasks, he headed straight for the East City.

Bao Da’s accommodation was in an old residential building, on the third floor, with the window facing north.

Han Xuetao knocked three times, and the door opened a crack, revealing Bao Da’s face.

He went straight in and saw Liu Jun sitting inside, and a weight was lifted from his heart.

Liu Jun, being the clever fellow he is, knew he was definitely going to see him today, so he simply came directly to Bao Da’s place to wait. This saved him the trouble of making another trip.

“Master.” Liu Jun stood up.

Han Xuetao nodded and said without beating around the bush, “You leave immediately, leave Donglin, and don’t come back for the time being.”

Liu Jun was taken aback.

Bao Da chimed in from the side, “What about the 80,000 yuan? Are you just going to forget about it?”

Han Xuetao slapped him on the head.

“Cowardly yet greedy? You still want that 80,000? How about you take back that 830,000 too?”

Bao Da covered his head and remained silent.

Liu Jun said, “Those guys come from powerful families, so it’s not easy to get money from them. The risk is too great. Now we have their photos, and they’re panicking because they can’t find us. We can take them into our own hands at any time.”

Han Xuetao ignored this: “Let’s not worry about that for now. Liu Jun, you leave immediately. Don’t go home, leave right now.”

Liu Jun sensed something was wrong: “So urgent?”

“Things might change,” Han Xuetao said. “The sooner we leave, the better.”

Liu Jun looked at him but didn’t ask any more questions. He nodded, turned around, and left.

The door closed, and the footsteps hurried away.

Bao Da leaned closer, his heart pounding: “What about me?”

Han Xuetao stared at him.

Bao Da felt uneasy under his gaze, and avoided eye contact.

Han Xuetao took a slip of paper out of his pocket and handed it over.

“This is your sister’s address. I’ve done what I promised you.”

Bao Da was taken aback. He took the note and stared at the words for several seconds. His hand trembled slightly.

“You…you really found it?”

Han Xuetao said in a deep voice, “Before you leave, do one more thing for me.”