Being carried onto an ambulance at the start? But this is America!

Li Ping called out from the stairwell, "All ready, Ms. Flora."

After a moment, Flora gracefully descended the stairs, her gaze sweeping over the clean basement and the two young men, covered in dust and sweat but with bright eyes, and she nodded in satisfaction.

"This is your payment."

She took out three crisp hundred-dollar bills from her small bag and handed them to Li Ping.

Li Ping took it, quickly twisted it – three bills, exactly three hundred.

There was no hush money or extra reward as expected.

A faint sense of disappointment crossed his mind, but he showed no sign of it on his face, and said gratefully, "Thank you very much, Ms. Lancaster. This money means a lot to our brothers."

Flora pointed in a direction, "You can clean up in the bathroom before you leave."

Li Ping and Li Fan couldn't get it.

At night, covered in dust and sweat, I squeezed into the public bathroom that the church provided for the homeless.

That experience wasn't very good.

"Ping," Flora suddenly called out to Li Ping just as he was about to take a shower, her tone casual but leaving no room for refusal.

"Come upstairs with me, there are some things to take care of on the second floor."

Li Fan shrugged and went to the bathroom first.

Li Ping's heart stirred slightly, and with a hint of indescribable anticipation, he followed Flora up to the second floor.

If he meets a rich woman, he wouldn't mind offering himself to her.

Unfortunately, Flora simply led him into a room that Nick had previously used.

Some men's clothing was scattered on the bed, an open cardboard box contained odds and ends, and a quilt was haphazardly crumpled up.

"Just throw all of these away. You can take the blanket if you don't mind."

Flora spoke in a flat tone, as if she were dealing with the most ordinary garbage.

"Okay, ma'am."

Li Ping responded, his secret expectation dashed.

"in addition,"

Flora bent over, her burgundy silk dress clinging to her body, outlining her breathtaking curves.

She took out a set of men's clothing, neatly folded and still with the tags on, from the low cabinet next to her and handed it to Li Ping.

"I bought this outfit but haven't worn it. The size should be right. If you don't mind, I'll give it to you."

It was a well-made casual suit, and the label indicated it was from a high-end brand.

For Li Ping, this was undoubtedly a precious suit.

"This is too valuable..." Li Ping said, somewhat surprised.

"It's just taking up space anyway. I'm tired. You can pack up and leave."

Flora didn't give him a chance to refuse, stuffing the clothes into his arms before turning and going back to the master suite on the third floor.

Without saying anything more, Li Ping quickly packed up the clutter in the room and transported it to the garbage room in one trip.

Then, he took the new clothes and went into the bathroom on the second floor.

On the shelf next to the sink, he inadvertently spotted a forgotten, uniquely designed pink energy massager.

Li Ping's lips twitched, a wicked thought playing on his lips.

"It seems that Mr. Nick... his own hardware is indeed insufficient to meet this lady's needs."

"Or perhaps Flora is a water mage?"

After taking a shower, Li Ping met up with Li Fan, feeling refreshed.

The two left home carrying three large cardboard boxes filled with their spoils and a suit of formal attire.

Property manager Tessa soon appeared in the patrol car and politely but distantly escorted them and their loot out of the gates of Blue Wave Manor.

Clearly, the prestige of upscale communities does not allow two temporary workers to swagger across the gates of those multi-million dollar mansions.

After the two left, Flora went to the bathroom where Li Ping was taking a shower, picked up the new energy magic wand, and quickly went upstairs.

Faintly, the sound of chanting incantations could be heard coming from upstairs.

She seemed to be doing it on purpose.

.........

Carrying three large suitcases, Li Ping didn't go straight back to the camp. Instead, he dragged Li Fan along and, following a guide provided on an online forum, found a community bank that supposedly had relatively lenient screening procedures.

Pushing open the heavy glass door, a blast of cold air mixed with a faint smell of disinfectant and paper hits you.

The marble floor is so shiny it reflects your image.

Li Ping tried to make his steps appear natural as he walked to an empty counter and handed over the fake California driver's license he had obtained through special channels.

It was printed with a name and address that were unfamiliar but somewhat similar to his.

"Open an account and deposit one thousand dollars," he said succinctly, his voice steady.

The teller was a middle-aged Latina woman. She glanced at the driver's license, then looked up to admire Li Ping's young but calm face that didn't belong to his age, and tapped a few times on the keyboard.

The verification process on the screen seemed to jump for a moment, but eventually it showed as successful.

Throughout the entire process, Li Ping's heart was pounding like a drum, but his face remained calm.

Li Fan, like a proper bodyguard, stood silently half a step behind him.

A few minutes later, a brand new debit card and deposit slip were pushed out.

The card was cold to the touch, yet heavy in their hand. This was their first legally linked bank card, despite the false identity behind it.

"Done."

As Li Ping stepped out of the bank, a cold evening breeze made him feel a damp chill on his back.

He needs money that can be transferred online to find someone to help him get a driver's license.

On the bus back, there were few passengers, and the engine roared wearily.

Ignoring the bumpy ride, Li Ping took out his phone and started chatting with the agent named White on WhatsApp.

This guy was recommended by Roland; he specializes in helping undocumented immigrants apply for driver's licenses.

"Are you there?"

White was very efficient, immediately sending over a clear price tier chart: "[California AB60 Driver's License All-Inclusive Service Price List]".

The forms were presented in a very professional manner, ranging from the most basic self-service application with all required materials (only a $50 guidance fee was charged) to the lowest level where no materials were needed, with each level clearly indicating the required materials and corresponding prices.

Li Ping glanced at it and his heart sank.

The list of required documents included his original passport, ID card, U.S. Social Security number (SSN), rental agreement, utility bills, bank records, and so on. He had none of them.

I have no choice but to tell the truth.

"Bro, in your situation..."

White's message quickly followed, his tone carrying a sense of worldly wisdom and composure: "It's a top-tier package, a flat price of 1,500."

Li Ping frowned, his fingers flying across the keyboard.

"Don't do that, buddy. I was introduced by lawyer Roland. She said it should be around eight hundred."

There was silence on the other end of the screen for two or three minutes.

Li Ping could imagine that the guy named White was probably investigating.

Sure enough, White's message popped up again, this time in a much warmer tone.

"Hey, so you're a friend of Attorney Roland! You should have said so earlier! Eight hundred it is, I'll give you the highest standard of service, absolutely great value for money, Bro!"

Clearly, Roland's name carries a good reputation.

Even at $800, the other party's profit is still considerable.

After all, in California, a place that specifically has AB60 driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants, the so-called strict review process actually leaves much more room for maneuver than one might imagine.

For them, manipulating internal processes and forging or circumventing certain certificates is an old trick.

Ultimately, the materials Li Ping needed to provide were simplified to the extreme: a basic information form plus a passport photo.

"However, Bro,"

White added, his tone becoming more serious, "I can help you with the document review and background check, but for the written test and driving test, you have to go to the DMV in person; there's no way I can do that for you."

"Don't worry, I'm a five-year veteran driver," Li Ping replied confidently.

"Impressive, that makes it even more secure!"

White seemed relieved. "Because you pay more than 90% of your clients, you're very sincere. After passing the written test, you'll get your study permit very quickly."

"When you schedule your road test later, I can help you get into a faster queue."

Then he sent me several files, which contained a simplified version of the written test question bank and precautions for the road test.

"For Roland's sake, I'll give you another perk."

White concluded by saying, "Do you need driving practice or a mock road test? I can arrange one for free so you can familiarize yourself with the test vehicles and routes here."

"Thank you so much, Bro!" Li Ping did not refuse.

Although I consider myself an experienced driver, the details of the road test in the United States are different from those in China. Having a mock test opportunity can greatly increase the success rate.

It seems like the eight hundred dollars I spent are getting better and better.

The bus swayed and lurched as it drove toward the familiar, dilapidated neighborhood, and neon lights gradually illuminated the streets outside the window.

Li Ping turned off his phone screen and leaned back in the not-so-clean chair.