Chapter 299 - 256: The Old Man and the Entrepreneur

Chapter 299: Chapter 256: The Old Man and the Entrepreneur

In the past, though Yu Dong had a regular job on the weekends, he also volunteered in his free time to help others, just like the volunteers who had once helped him.

But the elderly were a group that took a lot of time and effort to get close to. To win their approval, aside from deception...

"You gave them money?"

"Smart! I brought gifts for anyone who liked me. Those who didn’t... got nothing. On top of that, the director of the home wouldn’t receive any more donations from me. And then... all the dissenting voices vanished. I became the most popular entrepreneur at the nursing home."

Yin Shuangyang looked at Yu Dong, pleased that he had figured out his methods so quickly.

"You know, Yu Dong, you think the elderly are a hard group to change... and you’re right. I’m sure you think an ’elite’ like me is hard to change, too, right? But with people... from a three-year-old child to a hundred-year-old elder, one thing never changes: they’re all driven by self-interest."

"Give a three-year-old a lollipop, and he’ll be your best friend. Give an old person a gift, and they’ll like you. It’s human instinct! It’s carved into everyone’s genes! Even with the most despicable scoundrel, if he decided to leave his last possessions to you, your opinion of him would change. You’d start to think he had a good side after all..."

"Our worldviews might be different, but our interests are the same. Those old folks... even if they misunderstood me, cursed at me, or spat at me, I could still smile for a photo with them, donate money to them, and make them like me. Because I need the reputation, I don’t care about their transgressions. I just need to get them on the same boat of self-interest as me."

"I go to the nursing home to build my reputation, and they get gifts. We all get along just fine, and the whole affair of an ’entrepreneur showing his love at a nursing home’ becomes a heartwarming story for everyone to talk about."

"Human nature changes, but self-interest is eternal."

At this, Yin Shuangyang nodded at Yu Dong and said,

"Brother Yu, your noodles are here. Go on, eat."

Yu Dong picked up his chopsticks, but he just stared at the bowl of plain noodle soup, not taking a bite.

"President Yin, why don’t you just say what you mean."

"Brother Yu, you must have done your research on me before you came here. You probably have some preconceived notions based on my past, so you’re holding back... I get it. It’s only human!"

"But if you want me to bring you ’gifts,’ you can’t be ’spitting’ at me or pulling tricks behind my back. I need your information, and you need my money and influence. We’re both just trying to prepare for a better life after the apocalypse. Our interests are aligned!"

With that, Yin Shuangyang clapped his hands. A door at the front of the cafeteria swung open.

It revealed Xufeng, Zhao Youcai, and Huang Zhiqiang, who were bound, with gags stuffed in their mouths. All three had swollen faces, with trickles of blood at the corners of their lips.

Yu Dong shot to his feet, his eyes fixing on Yin Shuangyang with an icy glare.

"Yin Shuangyang! What is the meaning of this!?"

Yin Shuangyang held up a hand placatingly. "Brother Yu, calm down. I didn’t do anything to them besides ask a few questions. It looks a little scary, I know, but they’ll be fine after a few days’ rest. My men know what they’re doing."

"Let them go. Right now. Or you will die. I guarantee it."

A fire burned in Yu Dong’s eyes. This had touched upon his one absolute taboo.

"I know, I know. The ’infinite Reincarnator’... I don’t doubt you have the ability to kill me. Maybe in the next life, you’ll set some little trap and get me. But remember the story of the elderly and the entrepreneur? Our interests are aligned. We share a common goal. There’s no reason for me to make an enemy of you. I understand why you’d lie to me, but we need to walk this path together."

"Then you didn’t need to capture them. We were already supposed to be in this together."

"I didn’t want to grab them... but you’re an orphan! You have no family! My men did some digging... and found out the four of you from the dorm are famously close. And hey! These two buddies of yours are really something else. Tough nuts to crack! They went a whole night without once admitting they knew you were a Reincarnator. They’ve got guts!"

Yin Shuangyang pointed at Xufeng and Zhao Youcai, his eyes filled with admiration.

Yu Dong looked at Xufeng and Zhao Youcai. Their injuries were clearly much more severe than Huang Zhiqiang’s. Zhao Youcai was glaring at Yin Shuangyang with pure hatred, looking as if he wanted to kill him on the spot.

Xufeng, on the other hand, was looking at Yu Dong. He shot him a meaningful glance and shook his head firmly...

"This one, though... this big fella was a bit of a disappointment. Two zaps with a stun baton, and he spilled everything. He even gave me this..."

With that, Yin Shuangyang pulled ten lottery tickets from his pocket. Written on them were the numbers: [14 01 16 11 05 19 08].

The very same numbers Yu Dong had mentioned yesterday.

Yu Dong stared at Huang Zhiqiang in disbelief.

"Huang..."

Huang Zhiqiang lowered his head in shame.

"You gave him the lottery numbers... and they also know that you’re a Reincarnator. If I’m not mistaken, these three are your backup. Does this mean they didn’t turn into zombies after the apocalypse? It’s possible... with enough luck. You planned to play both sides, didn’t you? Cooperate with me on one hand, while having your roommates use lottery winnings to buy supplies and build your own shelter on the other? Why didn’t you just tell me? I told you to be honest with me... yet you were still hiding things."

Hearing this, Yu Dong suddenly understood the meaning behind Xufeng’s glance...

"That’s right! And why shouldn’t I? Is it wrong to have a backup plan? If you decided to go back on your word, I’d still have an escape route. It’s perfectly reasonable."

"But you should have told me. If our cooperation is going to be full of secrets, then it can’t continue. You’re a Reincarnator. You have knowledge from a past life that is impossible for me to obtain... Is this the only thing you’ve hidden from me?"