Chapter 231 Greed blinded him and devoured his caution.
As I pushed open the door, a delicious aroma of food wafted in.
Inside the main room, Li Fenfang was carrying a large plate of steaming, plump, white meat buns out of the kitchen. Seeing them come out, a smile immediately spread across her face.
"You're awake? Quick, eat a few while they're hot! Mom knows you still have to go to the hospital, so I made these especially for you. They're packed with filling! Eat them in the car, it won't delay you!"
"Thank you, Mother!"
Gu Baobao felt a warm glow in her heart, and went over to hug Li Fenfang.
Why are you and Grandma up so early? Why don't you sleep a little longer?
"I'm getting old, so I need less sleep."
Wu Guixiang also came out of the kitchen, carrying two bowls of thick millet porridge sprinkled with shredded red dates.
"Honey, have some porridge to warm your stomach first, then eat some steamed buns. You stayed up all night yesterday, you can't have an empty stomach."
Gu Dahe and Gu Jianqiang were also sitting at the table, watching her with smiles.
Gu Dongguo had finished eating and was checking the safety of the yard.
The family members deliberately moved quietly and spoke in hushed tones, as if afraid of disturbing them.
Gu Baobao knew that this was her family's way of showing their love and support for her.
She sat down and obediently drank her porridge and ate her steamed buns.
Lu Zhanming also sat down and ate heartily, occasionally putting some side dishes on Gu Baobao's plate.
A simple yet heartwarming breakfast makes one feel comfortable both physically and mentally.
After finishing her meal, Li Fenfang quickly wrapped a few more buns in oil paper and handed them to Lu Zhanming.
"This will help the baby eat something on the way, and you can eat too!"
"Oh, thank you, Mother."
Lu Zhanming accepted it.
Before leaving, Gu Baobao went to her grandparents' room for one last look.
The two elderly people had been awake for a while and were talking while leaning against the headboard. They looked to be in good health.
Upon seeing his granddaughter, he gave her another round of advice, telling her to take care of her health and not to overwork herself.
Snowflakes began to fall sporadically again, and the air was crisp and clear.
As the car drove out of the alley, Lu Zhanming, with one hand on the steering wheel and the other, handed the oil paper package to Gu Baobao:
"Wife, want to have another one while it's hot?"
Gu Baobao took it, opened the oil paper, and the aroma of the meat buns immediately filled the carriage.
She broke one open and held it to Lu Zhanming's mouth:
"You drive, I'll feed you."
Lu Zhanming took a big bite from her hand, chewing it with a smile on his face.
Gu Baobao ate in small bites herself, and after a few bites, she fed him another bite.
The carriage was warm and cozy, the aroma of meat buns mingling with the scents of each other, simple and ordinary, yet with a sweetness that seeped into your very bones.
In this day and age, food is precious, and no one will waste it.
Gu Baobao has a small appetite; she was full after eating most of it, and the rest naturally ended up in Lu Zhanming's stomach.
He held her hand and ate it bite by bite, finding the bun more delicious than any delicacy.
"Oh, right,"
Remembering something, Gu Baobao wiped her hands and took out a palm-sized, flat jade box from her cloth bag, which was actually a spatial storage space.
Upon opening it, one finds a dozen or so brown pills, each about the size of a longan, with a warm luster and a faint fragrance, neatly arranged inside.
"These are health pills that were made on the island before, the domestic version."
She explained,
"The ingredients are more substantial, and the effects are gentler and more effective. It mainly focuses on strengthening the body's foundation and regulating its basic functions."
Originally, I intended to provide them to researchers and distinguished predecessors who have dedicated themselves to their work for years, often at the cost of their health. I've prepared quite a few in the space.
She paused.
"The injured soldier last night... although the surgery was successful, he was severely weakened, and his recovery will be crucial. I'm thinking that once his condition stabilizes, we might consider using it on him. It should be of great benefit to his physical recovery and his ability to continue working in the future."
Lu Zhanming glanced at the pill and nodded:
"You can decide for me. This stuff is too effective, so we have to be careful when using it and report it to our superiors."
"I know."
Gu Baobao closed the jade box.
"We'll see how things go once he's out of danger."
The car drove smoothly toward the military general hospital.
The streets were exceptionally clean after the snow. Occasionally, children dressed in new clothes and wearing cotton hats would set off small firecrackers. With a crisp pop, a small cloud of smoke would burst open, and the festive atmosphere of the New Year had not yet dissipated.
On the other side of the world, in Manhattan, New York, as night falls, a completely different scene unfolds.
Lavoisier's office was brightly lit, and on his desk in front of him were several of the latest test reports and customer feedback.
In his icy blue eyes burned a mixture of excitement, greed, and the ecstasy of finally turning the tables.
After intensive expansion of production and careful packaging, the initial Angel Wings products have been delivered to the first batch of customers through discreet channels.
These customers are not the small group at the very top of the pyramid.
Those people are too cautious and value their lives too much; they would never easily try any new oral supplements that claim to boost vitality and slow down aging.
The first users were the newly rich or marginalized individuals who aspired to enter higher circles, had some financial resources but were not yet enough to be considered among the top big shots.
They desperately crave recognition and want to prolong their health to acquire more wealth, willingly, or rather, compelled to, act as guinea pigs.
The feedback so far appears to be positive.
The report shows that users generally reported increased energy, improved sleep quality, and reduced symptoms of certain chronic discomforts.
Two older users even claimed that they felt like they had returned to the state they were in ten years ago.
The simple biometrics test included with the product, provided by Lavoisier Laboratories, also showed a slight but encouraging increase in certain cell activity indicators in some individuals.
These feedbacks were carefully selected and amplified by Lavoisier, and reported to the wealthy and powerful patrons behind him.
The attitude of the investors has softened from initial skepticism and wait-and-see to some extent, and they are even becoming somewhat eager.
More funding has been committed, and higher-level cooperation has been put on the agenda.
Lavoisier seemed to already see an endless stream of wealth, and he envisioned himself standing at the pinnacle of biotechnology, being treated as an honored guest by the elite.
The shadow of the previous laboratory accident and the tight cash flow seemed to have vanished with the launch of this perfect product.
He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the dazzling city nightscape below, which resembled a galaxy, the wine in the crystal glass in his hand shimmering with an eerie light.
"Increase production! Accelerate the development of the second-generation product! We must seize this opportunity to firmly establish our position!"
He gave orders to his trusted aides behind him, his voice brimming with barely suppressed ambition.
"As for that core gift from the East... Tell the lab to speed up the analysis and fusion process! I want to see its perfect integration with our technology, as soon as possible!"
He has forgotten, or rather deliberately ignored, how coincidental and difficult the process of obtaining this gift was.
It also overlooked several outliers that were marked as fluctuating within an acceptable range behind those seemingly perfect initial data.
Greed blinded him and devoured his caution.
He was eagerly anticipating the moment when he was pushing all the chips of his business empire and future destiny, along with himself, toward the edge of the elaborate yet deadly trap that had been carefully prepared for him.
The car was parked in front of the military general hospital.
Gu Baobao and Lu Zhanming got out of the car and walked quickly towards the hospital building, stepping on the snow that had been swept but was still slippery.
On the first day of the new year, sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on the white snow, reflecting a dazzling light.
Amidst the serene and pristine surroundings, undercurrents still surged unseen.
But life and responsibility continue.
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