Chapter 896: Medicine and Tea

Not long after, Lin Wanning received a call from Frank's agent, Smith. The other party haggled and offered a price—one million US dollars.

Lin Wanning didn't even think about it and rejected it directly.

"Mr. Smith, for this special medicinal liquid of ours, the cost alone is fifteen million US dollars. I don't do business at a loss. Sorry."

On the other end of the line, Smith's voice suddenly rose: "Impossible! Where in this world is there such an expensive treatment fee?"

Lin Wanning said unhurriedly: "Mr. Smith, you are very welcome to record this conversation of ours and play it for Mr. Frank. We have already thoroughly understood his condition—terminal bladder cancer, severe heart disease, and Alzheimer's. To put it bluntly, he originally wouldn't have lived past six months. But after our treatment, we guarantee he can live at least another ten years. If we can't cure him, we will provide a full refund. However, the prerequisite is—twenty million US dollars, not a penny less."

"You are simply asking for the moon!" Smith spat out coldly.

Lin Wanning laughed, her laughter carrying composure: "Don't be anxious. Play the recording for Mr. Frank and let him choose for himself—whether he wants to live another ten years, or keep those twenty million."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a long while before Smith gritted his teeth and spat out a few words: "You really are a vampire."

"I am no vampire," Lin Wanning said in a flat tone. "In Hong Kong, everyone calls me a living Bodhisattva. You tell Mr. Frank not to be a miser. You only have one life; once it's lost, it's gone."

Smith was choked up and couldn't say a word for a long time.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Wanning told He Yuzhu about this matter.

He Yuzhu laughed after hearing it: "Well said! What is this Frank's background?"

Lin Wanning flipped through the medical records: "He used to be a singer and even won an Oscar. His net worth is said to exceed three hundred million US dollars. But this person is stingy to the extreme and only wants to spend one million."

He Yuzhu slapped his thigh: "With that little money, let him go to hell!"

Lin Wanning hesitated slightly: "Then... if he is willing to pay ten million, should we do it?"

He Yuzhu thought for a moment: "Find a big lawyer in the United States and sign a contract with him. If cured, twenty million—and we can help alleviate the Alzheimer's part as well. If not cured, we won't take a penny. But you must have an authoritative institution perform the appraisal. We cannot let either side be the sole judge."

Lin Wanning's eyes lit up: "This method is good."

She called Smith back directly.

The other party was indeed extremely stingy; he hesitated for three full days before finally calling back.

"We are willing to accept this plan," Smith said on the phone. "But let's get the ugly words out first—if the symptoms of Alzheimer's cannot be alleviated, we won't pay a single cent."

Seeing that the other party was truly miserly, He Yuzhu proposed another method: "Wan Ning, you can add one more clause—it's fine if we don't take the money after a cure, but Frank must publish the news in major newspapers in the United States and accept interviews to help us promote this medicine."

In the days that followed, the lawyers from both sides picked apart the contract details one by one: which newspapers to publish in, how large the advertisements should be, roughly how much it would cost... everything was written down clearly. Even details like "to what extent the Alzheimer's should be alleviated" were debated until they were crystal clear.

After the contract was signed, Frank soon flew to Hong Kong and began receiving treatment.

This group of people was afraid that Lin Wanning would tamper with things, so they specifically brought a cameraman to follow and film the entire treatment process, turning it into a documentary.

But what they didn't expect was that the surgical process was completely normal—rigorous, professional, and high-quality.

The only difference was that Lin Wanning used the medicinal liquid three times during the surgery.

Frank's recovery speed was ridiculously fast, and the wounds healed almost visibly to the naked eye.

His old problem of being clear-headed one moment and muddled the next also improved greatly.

Except for his memory being slightly poor, all other symptoms of Alzheimer's were gone.

The agent was overjoyed, but still unwilling to shell out twenty million US dollars. He preferred to choose the second option—accepting interviews in major newspapers and promoting the miraculous efficacy of this medicine everywhere.

For a time, multiple media outlets in the United States were in an uproar, scrambling to report on this matter.

People fear fame just as pigs fear being fat.

Just when Lin Wanning was so busy she couldn't even take on all her clients, a scheme was also quietly unfolding.

Xia Luoke, the General Manager of the Johnson Group, said with a dark face to the Deputy General Manager, Luo De Li Ge Si: "We really underestimated this Lin Wanning. We tried every possible way to block her medicine, but never expected that she would use the hand of that miser Frank to break out of the encirclement instead."

Luo De Li Ge Si immediately leaned in: "Boss, give the order. Shall we get rid of Lin Wanning, or go after her son?"

Xia Luoke waved his hand: "Killing them is not the most important thing. The key is to obtain the formula for that medicinal liquid. I saw it with my own eyes in Frank's documentary; that liquid is truly effective—it's simply a miracle drug. Authoritative institutions have already appraised it, and Frank's condition has returned to the state it was in ten years ago. Think about it, what kind of concept is this? It's practically cracking the code of human genetics!"

Luo De Li Ge Si patted his chest and lowered his voice: "Boss, don't worry. I will arrange for someone to infiltrate right now; leave the matter of the formula to me."

Xia Luoke didn't even lift his eyelids and spat out a few words flatly: "If you can really get your hands on the formula for that medicine, I am willing to pay one hundred million US dollars."

Luo De Li Ge Si chuckled, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes: "Boss, there is an old saying in China: money can make the devil push the millstone. I have stayed in Hong Kong for ten years and know very clearly—in that place, there are people who would truly sell their own fathers for money."

Only then did Xia Luoke lift his eyes and stare at him for two seconds, his tone turning cold: "This matter can only be handled in the shadows. Once word leaks out and damages the group's reputation, you will have to bear it—if something goes wrong, it will be your personal doing."

Luo De Li Ge Si bent his waist, his face full of obsequious smiles: "Don't worry, Boss, I still have some acquaintances over there. This matter will definitely be handled beautifully for you."

Hong Kong, Hillside Villa.

He Yuzhu saw Lin Wanning walk in with a drooping face and felt a tightness in his heart: "Wan Ning, what happened? Why do you look like a frost-bitten eggplant?"

"Our sub-packaging pharmaceutical factory in Hong Kong has been infiltrated," Lin Wanning sighed. "Fortunately, that person is an orphan I saved when he was small. He secretly told me the situation. He said that there should be more than just him who has been bought off."

He Yuzhu frowned: "Even if someone infiltrated, you wouldn't have to be like this, would you?"

"You don't know," Lin Wanning gave a bitter smile. "At that sub-packaging factory, everyone knows A Long is the orphan I adopted. If even he has been bought off, who else can you say is innocent? It seems only the stone lions at the entrance are left."

He Yuzhu laughed instead: "Are you saying this was done by one pharmaceutical factory, or several?"

Lin Wanning shook her head: "More than one. At least several."

He Yuzhu's eyes darted, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly: "Then why don't we set a trap for them."

"What trap?"

"Let A Long spread the word—that the most important and core part of this medicine is the essential oil extracted from tea leaves."

Lin Wanning was stunned: "What are you going to do?"

"Scheme against them," He Yuzhu said with a smile. "It just so happens that the Liu Clan Group has a large, very old tea plantation in Hangzhou. They will end up changing from looking for medicine to looking for tea, and when that time comes, I will sell this ancient tea plantation to them."

Lin Wanning frowned: "Is that tea plantation yours, or is it leased? If it's leased, once they check the landholder, they'll dump you."

He Yuzhu said: "The Liu Clan Group bought the tea plantation a long time ago, but it was done under Shen Yan's name."

Lin Wanning's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands in approval: "In this way, not only can we divert their attention, but we can also swindle them out of a huge sum!"

He Yuzhu nodded: "However, you must play the part well; don't reveal any flaws."

Lin Wanning rolled her eyes: "A Long has known how to act since he was a child. He can perfectly play the role of a greedy mole."

"Is A Long trustworthy?" He Yuzhu asked.

Lin Wanning thought for a moment: "He is trustworthy. But you at least need to package the tea plantation, otherwise they'll find out the truth if they just ask around."

He Yuzhu pondered for a long time: "Fine, then I will make a trip to Hangzhou myself. Don't let any word of this leak out on your end, keep it a bit mysterious."

The two of them went over the details from beginning to end once more, and only then did they each set into action.