Collecting Rent From All Realms, Even Empresses Must Pay Tribute
Ch. 85 - Qiao Xin Buys Medicine

Ye Chuan couldn't help the ex-girlfriend situation. After all, he had been extremely poor back then, often freeloading off local businesses and even borrowing money from Luo Xi.

He had tried everything to earn money.

He had even cross-dressed to please his top online viewers. If it weren't for his voice changer malfunctioning, he might have actually earned some money.

["I'm a pretty-face streamer, subscribe for a thousand followers to see my face."]

His voice, supposed to be sweet and cloying, had suddenly changed back to his normal male voice, causing his top viewer to rage and report his livestream.

Thinking of that experience, Ye Chuan couldn't help but sigh.

He had been truly, desperately poor.

So poor that he was willing to trade his dignity for money, planning to buy it back later. But he clearly wasn't internet famous material; even his attempts at creating viral videos had failed miserably.

He had even considered selling his house, but no one would want to buy a dilapidated house in this remote urban village, and even if they did, it wouldn't fetch much.

And if he sold it, he would have nowhere to live in this city.

He couldn't just become a live-in son-in-law at Luo Xi's place, could he?

Well, it wasn't impossible, but Ye Chuan didn't want to go down that path. Who knew what the future held?

What if Luo Xi didn't like him?

And with his ex-girlfriends, they had been the ones who confessed first. 

After he agreed, he had only freeloaded meals, but he had also helped them with their coursework, bought them breakfast, and run errands.

Running errands and providing emotional support was also a form of labor in exchange for food.

Fair and honest, pure and healthy, no strings attached.

Of course, the relationships never went beyond holding hands. 

If they tried to go further, Ye Chuan would say, "We're still young, serving the country is our priority." (TL: This is a common excuse used in China to avoid relationships.)

Ye Chuan knew he wasn't entirely blameless, but he hadn't denied anything either. Most of his ex-girlfriends had decent things to say about him.

["Ye Chuan is good boyfriend material… for pretending."]

"It's different with you." So, facing Luo Xi's questioning, Ye Chuan looked at her and said sincerely,

"We've known each other for so many years, would I lie to you?"

Luo Xi mumbled, "Chuan Chuan, haven't you lied to me plenty of times before?"

"This father never lies."

"You're asking for a beating!" Luo Xi slapped his arm playfully.

Just as Ye Chuan and Luo Xi were joking around, Father Luo suddenly received a phone call.

Seeing the unfamiliar number, Father Luo was about to hang up, but noticing it was a local number, he answered, "Hello?"

"Is this Luo Jie's family?" a female voice asked.

Father Luo frowned. "Who is this?"

Father Luo didn't have many relatives or friends. His world revolved around Mother Luo and Luo Xi. 

He had contact information saved for his few friends, so he assumed it was a telemarketer or a scammer.

"Hello, did Luo Jie recently visit the hospital for treatment?"

"..."

"I'm Qiao Xin, CEO of Tianhai Group. My grandfather has the same condition as Luo Jie. I heard from the doctor that you have an ancestral remedy… and that Luo Jie's condition has improved. Would it be convenient to talk? I'm willing to pay for it, of course."

After listening to Qiao Xin, Father Luo understood her intentions.

That medicine was indeed miraculous. It seemed the doctor had leaked the information. But then again, there was no such thing as confidentiality in this world.

There were no secrets that could be kept forever, especially from those with money and resources.

Father Luo frowned. He had heard of the Tianhai Group, a large local enterprise. 

If what she said was true, it wasn't someone he, a middle-aged man running a barbecue stall, could afford to offend.

Just surviving each day was already a struggle. Offending such a powerful person wouldn't bring him any benefits; his barbecue stall might even be constantly inspected.

"That ancestral remedy belongs to our neighbor. I'll have to ask them," Father Luo said, not wanting to offend Qiao Xin.

"Okay, could you give me their contact information? I can offer you a ten thousand yuan referral fee."

Hearing that he could get ten thousand yuan just for providing contact information, Father Luo took a deep breath. "No need, I'll contact you later."

"Oh… okay."

After hanging up, Father Luo's expression was complex. He shouldn't have told the doctor.

Getting involved with such a powerful person, he didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. And it seemed that even Ye Chuan was involved now.

If the medicine worked, it wouldn't be a problem. But if it had adverse effects, or even worse, if something happened to the CEO's grandfather after taking it, the consequences would be disastrous, endless lawsuits and retaliation.

The thought made Father Luo's head ache.

"What's wrong, Dad? Who was that?" Luo Xi and Mother Luo noticed the change in his expression and asked.

Father Luo looked at Mother Luo, then at Ye Chuan.

"Ye Chuan, this is actually…"

He didn't hide anything and explained the situation.

"You're saying, a CEO heard about this and wants to try our medicine?" Ye Chuan said.

Father Luo nodded.

"Then it's fine, let them try it," Ye Chuan said, stroking his chin. He was confident in the effects of the pill.

Replenishing Qi and blood, even making you fly, was no problem.

Much more effective than ginseng.

Father Luo's concerns weren't unfounded. Ye Chuan hadn't considered selling the medicine before, but now that someone had come to him, he might as well go for it. 

He would be targeted whether he sold it or not.

He was a Foundation Establishment cultivator now; what could a mere corporation do to him?

At worst, he could send Lan Xiaoke to give them a 3D haunted house experience.

And these were just worst-case scenarios, assuming the medicine had adverse effects or even caused death, which Ye Chuan considered highly unlikely.

The system might be greedy, but the items it provided were genuinely good.

"It's fine, Uncle. Just make it clear that you're not guaranteeing any results, and there won't be any problems," Ye Chuan said.

"But what if something goes wrong…"

"We won't charge them for the first dose," Ye Chuan said casually. 

"This medicine isn't a one-time cure. If they want more, we can charge them then."

A free trial, then charge if it's effective.

That was reasonable.

Father Luo nodded. And they weren't selling the medicine, just giving it away.

"You're a young man, but you think things through better than I do," Father Luo praised Ye Chuan. "Should I contact her?"