Chapter 76: Trading a Kidney for a Stake

2022-05-20

Time flies by, and before I knew it the sweltering summer had slipped away, making room for autumn. The leaves on the trees had already started turning yellow and drifting down, as if to announce that autumn now ruled the city. Over a month had passed, and Dongxing City remained calm. Not a single major crime had happened—the city was finally enjoying a rare stretch of quiet.

That day, Gu Chen and I sat in the office popping edamame, playing mobile games without a care in the world.

Xiao Liu pushed open the office door, glanced at us, and said, “You guys still dare to eat edamame? Did you forget how Zhou Guo’s mother died?”

“Wasn’t it from scalding herself with soybeans?” Gu Chen said, shelling another handful. “What’s that got to do with edamame?”

Xiao Liu waved dismissively. “See, you city kids don’t get it. Don’t you know? Once edamame fully matures and dries, it becomes a soybean!”

“What?” Gu Chen’s worldview shattered. “I’ve always loved edamame and hated soybeans… You mean the only difference is puberty?”

Gu Chen’s comparison was spot on. I jumped in, grinning, “Guess you’re into the younger stuff then—so shallow. Me, I prefer someone a little older… But seriously, is that why you came to see us? You’re full-time, we’re slackers, shouldn’t you get back to work?”

Xiao Liu snatched away the bowl of edamame, stuffing them into his mouth as he spoke. “Just in time for your next assignment. I heard this one has a juicy bonus!”

“So what’s the job exactly?” Seeing Xiao Liu’s eyes sparkle, I couldn’t help but feel my curiosity growing.

He tossed the shells in the trash. “Come on, Team Leader Shao will explain it all.”

Standing outside the meeting room, I peeked through the glass. Judging by the atmosphere, this was no small matter. Team Leader Shao was giving instructions to a group as people trickled out. In moments, only Team Leader Shao, Mary, and Guan Zengbin were left inside.

We pushed the door open and walked in. Team Leader Shao stood with his back to us, eyes fixed on a whiteboard packed with photos and information. His hands clasped behind him, left index finger tapping out a quick beat on the back of his right hand.

I came closer and saw a photo of an older man at the center of the whiteboard. Beside it, a picture of a striking girl, seventeen or eighteen at most.

Without turning, Team Leader Shao pointed at the old man’s photo and asked, “Do you know who this is?”

The man in the photo wore a deep blue suit. There was no visible label, but you could tell it didn’t come cheap. A CANALI tie was draped neatly around his neck, giving him a refined air. His square face sported a meticulously groomed beard, and his brows hinted at a quiet authority—definitely not just some average guy.

Xiao Liu spoke up. “I think he’s the chairman of Rongding Group.”

Team Leader Shao nodded. “Correct. That’s him—Liu Yinyan, sixty-seven years old, chairman of Rongding Group. He started in Dongxing City with nothing and, over the decades, co-founded one of the city’s top venture capital companies with a few partners. He’s worth billions now. But he only has one daughter, who just turned eighteen.”

“So he had a kid at fifty? That’s what you call a late-in-life surprise.” Xiao Liu clicked his tongue, eyeing the photo. “She’s really pretty too. I wonder which lucky punk will get her hand someday.”

Mary chimed in, “Of course she’s pretty. Her mom’s a foreign celebrity. She was under thirty when she had the girl, and Liu’s daughter is mixed, which explains her good looks.”

I studied the photo more closely, finally seeing it—deep-set features, striking beauty. Liu Yinyan’s daughter could easily steal the spotlight.

Xiao Liu, not missing a beat, grinned, “Mary, you’re mixed too. If you were a little younger, you’d probably outshine her.”

Mary shot him a look. “You really know how to sweet-talk, huh? What are you after? I’m warning you, even if my dad’s got money, I’m flat broke. If you want to borrow cash, forget it! Just stick to playing the lottery—you never know, maybe you’ll hit the jackpot and rake in billions one day.”

Team Leader Shao cleared his throat, and Mary quickly straightened up. “Alright, joke’s over. About an hour ago, Liu Yinyan’s daughter, Liu Feier, mysteriously vanished from her own room. Nobody can get in touch with her, and it looks like she was taken. But so far, there’s been no ransom call. Our job? Find out where Liu Feier is now.”

Gu Chen shrugged. “You’re mobilizing the whole team for this? She’s only been missing an hour. Maybe her phone died. You know how girls are—they love to wander off and play.”

Guan Zengbin coughed. “Hey, who says girls just mess around? You ever see me go out to play?”

I ran my fingers through my hair, staring at the wall of photos. “Team Leader Shao, do you think something’s off about all this?”

He stroked his chin slowly, nodding. “You’re probably right. Liu Yinyan waited years to have a daughter—she’s his whole world. The guy treats her like a princess and practically posts eight bodyguards around her at all times. Yet Mr. Liu himself is the one who came to file the report. I think… yeah, it’s likely a kidnapping.”

“How can he be so sure?” I asked, feeling doubtful.

Team Leader Shao smiled. “Maybe you’re too young to know Liu Yinyan’s story. Back in the day, this guy was hardcore—if he hadn’t been, there’s no way he’d be chairman of Rongding Group. How else do you climb so high in venture capital?”

“What do you mean by that?” we all asked at once.

So Team Leader Shao began recounting Liu Yinyan’s early days.

Liu Yinyan wasn’t born in Dongxing City. Like so many young dreamers, he came here from a tiny village you’d struggle to spot on a map. Arriving as a teenager, he was completely inexperienced.

If things had gone the way they do for most people, Liu Yinyan’s life would’ve been ordinary: he’d land a job working manual labor, pick up a few skills, settle down at twenty-seven or twenty-eight with a wife, and the two of them would keep working in a rented apartment until they eventually had a kid.

In Dongxing, maybe they’d never even manage to buy a home of their own in their lifetime.

But Liu Yinyan dreamed bigger. He refused to accept a life like that. When he reached the city, he’d waited tables, worked construction—he’d done every lowly job you could imagine, and even brushed shoulders with the city’s wealthiest. One afternoon, while eating lunch at a construction site, he watched a luxury car roll up and a young man his own age step out, dripping with privilege.

The guy looked at him with pure contempt.

From that moment on, Liu Yinyan made a promise to himself: one day, he would stand among the city’s elite. But he knew education was his only ticket—nobody ever got rich on muscle alone.

This era rewards talent—brains that can create capital, not just brawn.

During those tough days, Liu Yinyan started from scratch, teaching himself everything about economics and finance. Every coin he made went into investing in himself. He was grateful he could just slip into any university classroom to learn, blending in thanks to his age.

He outworked everyone, sleeping only three hours a night.

People that harsh on themselves are either crazy or genius.

By thirty, he finally earned double degrees in economics and finance. At thirty-five, he joined one of Dongxing’s top venture capital firms, starting at the very bottom. All his coworkers laughed at him—he was a full decade older than most of them.

Then, at thirty-six, several company executives decided to launch their own business.

Liu Yinyan wanted in, but the execs only looked down on him. No capital, too old in their eyes… Venture capital wants youth and daring, they said—not someone too old to be taking risks.

Left out in the cold, he joined a different team—this one just a group of fresh-faced newcomers. Anyone with experience knew they were cannon fodder in the dog-eat-dog investment world.

But Liu Yinyan signed on anyway. Still, every startup needs an injection of cash, and he only had a year’s savings. With no funds, he couldn’t become a partner.

That summer was brutal. The rest of the team noticed bandages around his left waist.

They kept asking if something had happened to him.

He just smiled and said, “Didn’t earn much this year. A few days ago, I sold my left kidney. Now I’ve got money to join you.”

Everyone was stunned. Soon, the entire circle heard about it—how Liu Yinyan sold a kidney to buy his way into the team.

Back then, decades ago, Liu Yinyan was the butt of every cruel joke. Now, one sentence from him can shake an entire industry. The execs who turned him down regret it bitterly, while those who welcomed him into their partnership now rake in huge passive incomes each month.

When Liu Yinyan gave up his kidney, maybe he’d already foreseen his future.

High risk, high reward—maybe it was always his destiny to be a top player in venture capital.