Me! A high-ranking official!

Zhao Jianguo gave Zhou Mingyuan a deep look: "How to raise the money is not my concern. If I don't see the final payment by this time tomorrow, I don't mind personally killing you."

After uttering those harsh words, he turned and left the ward without looking back.

Arriving outside the hospital's inpatient building, the night breeze was slightly cool. He took out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, his mood inexplicably complicated.

Recalling Zhou Mingyuan's performance just now, he suddenly found that he was not so disgusted with this high-ranking deputy director-level official, and even felt a rare sense of admiration for him.

Zhou Mingyuan wields great power. If he really wanted to deal with a mere village official like Zhou Qingyan, he had plenty of ways to do so. He could have pretended to repay the money first, and then used his connections to investigate Zhou Qingyan once his condition had completely stabilized. He could have easily found an excuse to imprison him and recover the money. If it were any other ruthless person, they would most likely have chosen to kill him to eliminate any future trouble.

But Zhou Mingyuan did not do that. He was willing to risk losing his head by embezzling public funds and even sacrificing his political future, rather than using his power to retaliate. When faced with debt collection, he admitted that he had no money, but did not deny the debt.

Although this person is arrogant at heart, he is indeed loyal and righteous, and has a bottom line that cannot be crossed.

He could admire it, but he knew perfectly well that he absolutely could not risk his life and fortune. If he couldn't fill that 100 million yuan hole, the backlash from the money-making scheme would be something he couldn't bear.

Since Zhou Mingyuan has been completely drained, forcing him to his death won't help. The remaining large sum of money can only be managed by finding a way out on our own.

He stood in the night, lost in thought for a moment, when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. His fingers, holding the cigarette, paused slightly, and he immediately stubbed it out. He then turned and walked back towards the emergency room building.

Just as they reached the door of the VIP ward, before they even pushed it open, Zhou Qingyan's anxious and guilty voice came from inside.

"Brother, how could you take such a huge risk? Even if we sold all our family assets, we still wouldn't have enough to cover that amount!"

In the ward, Zhou Mingyuan sat slumped on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the night sky outside the window.

Zhou Qingyan gritted his teeth and continued, "This whole thing started because of me. Tomorrow I'll be discharged and go back to the county to get some funds out of the county's accounts for emergency use..."

"Xiao Yan, don't be ridiculous!" Zhou Mingyuan interrupted her in a deep voice: "I had already thought it through when I took this step. I will shoulder all the burdens myself, and I don't need your interference."

"Brother, what are you going to do to cover this up? That's such a large sum of public funds; what if it gets exposed..."

"I told you I'd handle this myself!" Zhou Mingyuan suddenly growled irritably. "Even if Mom loses her official position, and I'm already out of a job, I can't just stand by and watch you die!"

"Brother..." Zhou Qingyan's eyes were red and her voice was choked with sobs.

Zhou Mingyuan stood up irritably and waved his hand, "You go and rest well, I'm going out for some fresh air."

The ward door was suddenly pulled open, and Zhou Mingyuan rushed out with his head down, bumping right into Zhao Jianguo outside the door.

Upon seeing who it was, Zhou Mingyuan's face instantly darkened, and he stared coldly at him: "You've been eavesdropping on our conversation?"

He grunted, too lazy to explain, and simply said, "Come with me."

Hearing the commotion, Zhou Qingyan, who was in the ward, immediately shouted anxiously, "Zhao Jianguo, what are you doing? I'll figure out the money, don't touch him!"

"Don't worry, since we've already fought, I have no interest in fighting again." He replied in a deep voice, then turned and walked towards the end of the corridor.

Zhou Mingyuan hesitated for half a second, but still followed.

The two arrived at the hospital gate one after the other, and he sat down on a stone stool at the entrance.

Zhou Mingyuan stood a few steps behind him, his tone still cold and hard: "I'm completely broke when it comes to money. Even if you gave me another year, I couldn't conjure up 160 million."

He slowly raised his head, his gaze sharp: "I called you out to solve a problem, not to listen to your complaints."

Zhou Mingyuan frowned, looking at him suspiciously: "What's your plan?"

He looked directly into Zhou Mingyuan's eyes and abruptly asked a question: "Do you know any top billionaires who can pull out a billion yuan in cash anytime?"

Zhou Mingyuan was stunned, his face full of astonishment: "What do you mean?"

He looked away: "Saving me is also saving yourself."

He paused, then continued, "I still have the medicine, but it's extremely expensive. My bottom line is 500 million. It's not that I'm greedy, but I also have a reason to die if I don't get it. If you can contact a big entrepreneur whose life is hanging by a thread, and he's willing to spend 1 billion to buy his life, I can provide another pill. This money can not only pay off my debts but also plug the hole you embezzled."

Upon hearing these words, Zhou Mingyuan was deeply shocked and stared at the young man in front of him with a look of utter astonishment.

He finally understood Zhao Jianguo's plan and couldn't help but ask, "Why do you insist on having these 500 million? And why are you in such a hurry?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask." His eyes turned cold instantly. "Just tell me, is there such a person? If so, we can all live together; if not, then we can all die together."

Zhou Mingyuan was increasingly surprised. Zhao Jianguo's obsession with the five hundred million yuan had an inexplicable strangeness to it, but since he had brought it up to this point, there must be some unspeakable secret.

He lowered his head, quickly filtering through the network of contacts he possessed. After a moment, he slowly raised his head, his tone grave: "I do know of such a person, but I may not be able to connect with them."

"Who?"

"The gambling king," Zhou Mingyuan uttered two words, "He is currently in a top private hospital in the south, practically on the verge of death, relying entirely on high-tech equipment that costs a fortune every day to keep him alive. He controls an asset empire worth hundreds of billions, let alone 1 billion, he can come up with 10 billion if it can just keep him alive for a few more years."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Jianguo's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he made a deep decision: "You immediately find a way to contact his people. I can help him extend his lifespan, at the cost of one billion yuan in cash, and the faster the better."

At this point, Zhao Jianguo suddenly stood up, approached Zhou Mingyuan, and warned in a low voice: "The most crucial point is that my identity must not be revealed throughout the entire transaction."

"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." Zhao Jianguo understood this principle better than anyone. Once this miraculous drug that could pull people back from the brink of death was exposed, those tycoons who held immense wealth and supreme power would pounce on him like sharks smelling blood. He was just a grassroots township cadre, like an ant in front of those financial magnates and powerful figures, with no ability to resist whatsoever.

Seeing Zhao Jianguo's serious and wary expression, Zhou Mingyuan realized the seriousness of the matter. After a few seconds of silence, he nodded heavily: "Okay, I'll give it a try."

Zhao Jianguo nodded slightly, turned around, and strode into the night.

After speeding along, the SUV stopped again at nine o'clock in the morning in the courtyard of Luojia Village Committee. The intense tension and lack of sleep made him feel dizzy and lightheaded. He dragged his heavy steps back to the house, and without even taking off his clothes, he fell into a deep sleep on the bed.

I slept straight through until 2 p.m.