Right in front of Qin Jiang, Gan Rui counted on his fingers as he did the math.
“So, for a shipment worth a hundred thousand, a thirty percent discount means I pay seventy thousand, right?”
The woman on the other end of the line had a gentle voice. “That’s right, President Gan. For just seventy thousand, you can buy out this entire batch of restocked goods.”
Gan Rui hesitated on the spot.
“A thirty percent discount is definitely a lot cheaper than my previous wholesale price, but I don’t have that much cash on hand right now.”
The woman’s tone remained just as warm.
“President Gan, headquarters is offering you a limited-time discount this time. You still have five hours to think it over. Please give us your decision once you’ve made up your mind, alright?”
Gan Rui wanted to say something more, but the woman had already hung up.
He thought for a moment, then eventually turned his gaze toward Wei Lan.
“Lan Lan, you heard that too. I’m still short seventy thousand for the stock. Do you think you could lend me some money?”
Wei Lan shook her head. “I don’t have any money to lend you. My monthly salary is only four thousand—where am I supposed to get seventy thousand?”
Gan Rui scratched his head.
“Why don’t you talk to your parents? Tell them you need the money urgently.”
“You know your mom and dad spoil you the most. Last time you said you needed cash urgently, they didn’t even ask any questions and just transferred twenty thousand over right away, didn’t they?”
Wei Lan shot Gan Rui a furious glare.
“That twenty thousand was for our rent!”
“You said back then that you’d cover half the rent and pay me back once you started making money. So what happened? You still haven’t shown any sign of paying me back!”
Gan Rui hadn’t expected Wei Lan to bring that up all of a sudden. Maybe because he knew Qin Jiang was live-streaming, he felt a little embarrassed.
He lowered his voice and said to Wei Lan, “Lan Lan, don’t make a scene. I’m at a critical point in my career right now. You heard it yourself—I’m now the exclusive distributor. From now on, everyone in this whole district can only get their supplies from me.”
“Do you know what kind of business makes the most money in this world? A monopoly!”
“Look at those gas stations, power companies, and mobile network providers—why are they so profitable? Isn’t it because of that?”
“I’m only short that seventy thousand from you. Trust me just this one last time. I’ll definitely pay you back ten times—no, a hundred times over!”
Gan Rui’s words instantly set the live-stream chat ablaze.
“Is this guy out of his mind? Does he even believe the things he’s saying? Comparing his products to gas stations and whatnot—who does he think he is?”
“I think he probably does believe it. After all, what he said earlier was a mix of truth and lies, plus he’s already sunk a hundred and fifty thousand into this—he has no choice but to believe!”
“Exactly. A lot of people trapped in pyramid schemes aren’t necessarily stupid. They get lured in by tricks at first, and most of them probably realize the truth halfway through. But so what? Not everyone can handle walking away from a sunk cost.”
Watching Gan Rui, who seemed almost frantic, Qin Jiang let out a sigh.
He knew that trying to make Gan Rui see reality at this point was pretty much impossible.
Because if you told Gan Rui that everything he was doing was fake—a scam—that would be the same as making him admit he’d been cheated and that the hundred and fifty thousand he’d poured in was gone for good.
For someone like Gan Rui, who wasn’t wealthy to begin with, that would be worse than killing him outright.
So, no matter how slim the hope, Gan Rui would force himself to believe that what he was doing was a legitimate business. As long as he could rope more people in as his downlines, he might just get himself out of this mess.
Gan Rui was about to keep pestering Wei Lan for that seventy thousand when Qin Jiang spoke up. “Mr. Gan, I don’t want to get involved in your business affairs, but are you still here to see a doctor or not?”
“If you’re not, please step out and don’t hold up my next patient.”
Interrupted while trying to ask for money, Gan Rui was deeply annoyed.
He was just about to snap back when suddenly he clutched his lower back and let out a pained cry.
“Ouch—my back.”
The Gan Rui who had been so brash just moments ago was now holding his back and slowly crouching down.
Before Wei Lan could even go over to help him, Gan Rui, gritting through the pain, lay down sideways on the floor.
Wei Lan asked anxiously, “Dr. Qin, please take a look at him—it seems like he threw his back out.”
Seeing Wei Lan so worried, Qin Jiang couldn’t help but think to himself: they say fools have luck on their side, and it looks like that’s true.
Gan Rui was clearly in way over his head, yet there was still a woman as sweet and foolish as Wei Lan worrying about him.
Qin Jiang crouched down beside Gan Rui and pressed a few spots on his lower back.
“Does this hurt?”
Gan Rui grimaced and shook his head.
“The places you’re pressing don’t hurt, but my back does.”
Qin Jiang understood immediately.
“This isn’t a muscle or fascia issue—it’s most likely a bone problem.”
“Come on, let me help you up and get you examined.”
Gan Rui wanted to lie there a while longer.
After all, lying sideways on the floor eased a lot of the pain in his back.
But remembering that headquarters had given him less than five hours to decide, Gan Rui had no choice but to grit his teeth, stand up, and follow Qin Jiang into the clinic for the examination.
Half an hour later, Wei Lan helped Gan Rui back onto the stool.
Qin Jiang held the detailed test results and delivered his diagnosis.
“The report is out. Your back pain is caused by osteoporosis, and it’s actually quite severe. If you don’t start treatment soon, there’s a high risk of fractures or even spinal deformation.”
Gan Rui listened in a daze, then asked suspiciously, “Hold on, Dr. Qin. I drink bone broth all the time—that’s my favorite. I also have milk regularly.”
“And besides, I’m still young. How could I possibly have osteoporosis? That’s just ridiculous.”
Qin Jiang handed the test report to Gan Rui.
“The report doesn’t lie. Your bone density is far lower than normal.”
“And how much of the stuff you eat actually gets absorbed by your body, and how much gets lost due to various factors—those are all uncertain.”
“The only thing I can say for sure right now is that, on top of osteoporosis, you also have Cushing’s syndrome. If you don’t get treated promptly, there’s a very real chance you’ll spend the rest of your life in bed, with tubes running all over your body.”
Qin Jiang said it flatly, but Gan Rui’s mind immediately conjured up that very image.
His face turned ashen, and no one could tell what he was thinking.
Wei Lan asked, puzzled, “Dr. Qin, what exactly is this… Cushing’s what—what kind of disease is that?”
Qin Jiang explained patiently, “It’s a condition caused by excessive hormone secretion, which triggers a series of physical complications.”
As he spoke, Qin Jiang looked Gan Rui up and down.
“His current physique and symptoms are already quite typical.”
