The city where the Luo family resides is both ancient and bustling. Due to its distance from the political center, certain clans in the city dominate with an iron fist, mostly having military backgrounds that make them untouchable.

To get a share of the pie in such a city, relying solely on oneself is absolutely impossible. Therefore, many businessmen without connections will choose to join forces with politicians. This so-called alliance between officials and merchants is the only way to obtain what they desire amidst the intertwined network of capital protection and rent-seeking. It is an intangible temptation that no one can resist.

The sentence '罗爸爸走的就是这条路。' translates to "This is the path that Father Luo took."

However, if you often walk by the river, how can your shoes not get wet.

The Luo family was not originally from this city. When Luo Yuan was just a baby, his father brought his wife and children to this city. With his clever mind and bold tactics, Luo's father managed to establish himself here. After more than twenty years of hard work, Luo's father may not be as influential as the local elites, but he is still a well-known figure in the local business community. He has been featured on the cover of the local financial magazine multiple times and has also received titles such as "Top Ten Outstanding Individuals" and "Top Ten Outstanding Entrepreneurs" in the local area.

In theory, a motivational story like this should have a perfect ending, but in reality, it is precisely the opposite.

The director in charge encountered some trouble.

The head of the bureau is not an important position. It's just that because of his opportunistic seating arrangement, he has enjoyed abundant benefits. Over the years, he has built up a wide network of financial connections and made a fortune. With excessive wealth, his heart became unrestrained. Once one's heart becomes unrestrained, the sense of crisis fades away, and one becomes arrogant. When facing a crackdown, there is no time to hide anything, and he is directly exposed as a typical example.

The worms had been causing trouble for a long time. But when they finally faced serious consequences, they panicked. These people had immersed themselves in limitless desires for money and wealth for a long time. They were delicate and precious, and could not endure even the slightest amount of interrogation. With a little pressure, everything came tumbling out. Not only did they expose a group of corrupt officials, but also a long list of bribing businessmen.

Mr. Luo is one of them.

Due to the issue of the company's business operations, Mr. Luo and this bureau chief have become particularly close, being considered major figures on the bribery list and exemplifying the severity of their misconduct.

He knew that he probably wouldn't be able to pass this test. Over the past few days, he had secretly sold off the company's shares and sold off his properties. All the stocks and funds that were movable had been sold off, and he had consolidated all his savings into one account. He intended to voluntarily surrender and confess the facts, surrender his personal assets, in order to receive a lighter punishment and give his wife and children a chance to recover.

"Yuanyuan, I still have some time left. Shall I send you and your mother to the United States?" Luo's father finished speaking and asked, his voice exhausted to the point where it almost couldn't be heard, sounding like a plea.

Luoyuan didn't hear what his father asked at all. All he could hear echoing in his ears was that phrase, "Dad might go to jail." How could this happen? How could he end up in jail? He didn't know anything yet, how could a good person like him be going to jail?

Luo Yuan stood still in confusion, looking at his father.

The ashtray on the tea table has piled up into a small mountain, and the entire study is filled with smoke. Luo Yuan is having difficulty breathing, so he walks slowly to the window, pulls open the curtains, and rolls down the car window. He takes a deep breath of the cool, fresh air that rushes into his nostrils. Luo Yuan turns around and asks his father, "Does my mother know?"

"I didn't dare tell her," Dad Luo said. "Your mom, in her whole life, hasn't suffered much. I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to handle it... Yuan Yuan, Dad doesn't have any money left. I originally saved some for you all, but they've already investigated and discovered it. It's futile to hold onto it, so we might as well turn it all in."

"I know you have some money on you, and that apartment near the school is also under your name. Find some time to sell it. With everything added together, it should be enough for you and your mother to go abroad for a while," said Dad Luo as he smoked his cigarette. "Your mother has a shop under her name, it's not big and not worth much, but unless it's a critical moment, don't ask your mother for it. It's something she brought from her natal family, and with your maternal grandparents and their family no longer around, it's meant as a keepsake for her."

"Pa." Father Luo lit another cigarette and continued, "You should find a time to deal with the child in your stomach. It's really not suitable to keep carrying him in this situation... Yuan Yuan, Dad knows he has let you down. Please forgive Dad and live a good life with your mom. Take care of her."

"Dad, please stop talking..." Luo Yuan could no longer hold back, tears streamed down his face, "Don't say anything..."

Luo Yuan was in a state of daze. Just a moment ago, he was downstairs boasting to his mother that the person he liked might soon develop feelings for him. And then suddenly, he was struck by a bucket of cold water poured over his head.

He even felt like he might be dreaming, but this dream was just too real.

After a while, he asked, "Will I definitely go to jail? Is there really no one who can help me?"

Father Luo shook his head, with a bitter smile, he said, "When it comes to situations like this, it's best if you can avoid them. If they don't take the opportunity to step on you, then consider yourself lucky. Who would dare to approach? I don't want to make things difficult for them either. Since they've done it, they should bear the consequences. It's just that it's hard for you and your child."

Luo Yuan plopped down on the couch.

The paragraph translates to: "Crashing down like a collapsing skyscraper! The glory of the Luo family lasted for over twenty years, but in the end, it came crashing down. The world is fickle and people's hearts are cold. The bitterness that follows can only be tasted by themselves."

Luo Yuan finally agreed to his father's request to go abroad, but there were still some matters he needed to handle. Luo's father had no time to spare for him and told him to handle it on his own.

Luo's father came back for a visit, but left without eating. Luo's mother pulled Luo Yuan aside and asked what they had talked about. Facing his own mother, Luo Yuan couldn't hide his emotions, so he simply said, half-truth and half-lie, that there was some trouble at his father's company and his father had come back to say hello and would have to stay at the company for the next few days to deal with the issues. He might not come back. Although Luo's mother was skeptical, she couldn't find any flaws for the moment, so she let him go with a mixture of belief and doubt.

Luo Yuan made an excuse that he had something to attend to and quickly left home as if escaping.

He first went to the bank and withdrew all the money from his cards, totaling less than 400,000 yuan. After that, he went to the real estate agency to inquire about the market price of his apartment. He left his name and contact information with the agent, asking to be notified if anyone wanted to see the property.

In the end, he took a taxi to the hospital where Ye Zhe'an's younger brother was located. Instead of looking for Ye Zhe'an, he directly found the attending physician for Ye Chengxi by inquiring around, inquiring about the cost of the kidney transplant surgery.

The doctor told him that the cost of the kidney transplant surgery was just a small part of it. The major expenses would come from postoperative measures to prevent rejection and infection, as well as the recovery costs. In addition, there were fees for pre-surgery examinations and kidney procurement. All in all, it would cost at least eight hundred thousand yuan to afford the initial two years of treatment.

This is just a smooth situation. But if there is an infection, this amount of money will be far from enough.

Luo Yuan closed his eyes. Eight hundred thousand. Currently, the total amount of money in his bank account was not more than four hundred thousand. He still had a long way to go before reaching eight hundred thousand, unless he sold the house as soon as possible.