Chapter 12 — One Dollar a Day, I Uncover a Conspiracy

He sat down, his voice calm.

“It's good for older people to be careful when spending.”

This sentence is said very beautifully. If I didn't know him well, maybe I would still trust him. He didn't sell right away. But it starts with everyday life.

“Do you live alone?”

I nodded.

“My husband is gone.”

He sighed, his voice full of sympathy.

“Elderly people living alone… is really not easy.”

As soon as this sentence came out, Chu Hieu Van's hand tightened under the table. I see. He continued, his voice low, knowing how to touch people's hearts.

"Children also have the difficulties of children, work, small children, financial pressure... sometimes they can't take care of their parents."

“We did this project… to fill that gap.”

I smiled slightly.

“Sounds reasonable.”

He pushed a stack of documents towards me.

“This is my premium package.”

I bent down to look. This version is much thicker than Ms. Trieu's version. The cover clearly states: Khang Tho Nguyen – High-end smart retirement plan The list of services is long. Health monitoring. Adjust nutrition. Expert consultation. Care at home. Emergency connection. Priority medical examination and treatment channel. Go to medical examination. Each entry is written very elaborately. Reading it up, it's like saving a life. Prices are near the bottom. Service fee per year: 49,800 yuan. Equipment deposit: 12,000 yuan. Health consultation fee: 8,800 yuan. Total: 70,600 yuan. Today's promotional price: 59,800 yuan. I looked up at him.

“Yesterday I heard it was 29,800 yuan.”

He was not embarrassed at all.

“You're looking at the higher package.”

“Where is higher?”

“She lives alone, and has a risk of underlying health conditions, so the package is often not enough.”

I asked directly.

“How did you know I had an underlying medical condition?”

He smiled very naturally.

“Customer service said you asked about your blood pressure.”

My heart is cold. I never said it. They assume... all old people have diseases. I sighed and deliberately complied.

“It's true that at this age, there are many illnesses.”

He immediately grabbed it.

"So we can't spare any money."

He turned to Zhou Xiaoyun.

“Is this your daughter?”

Chu Hieu Van nodded. His voice softened, but each word had intention.

“I understand that young people are under great pressure now.”

“But to be honest, if something happens to the elderly, the ones who have the hardest time are still the children.”

Chu Hieu Van's face changed slightly. He's so good. In one sentence, push all the pressure onto the children.

“Now I think 50,000 yuan is expensive.”

“But if you are hospitalized, a few thousand a day is normal.”

“Old people suffer, children suffer too.”

He looked at me, his voice lowered, as if he were telling an inevitable truth.

“I'm not threatening you.”

“But we have too many cases.”

“Some old people fall at night and are not discovered until the next morning…”

Chu Hieu Van's face paled visibly. I gently patted the back of his hand as if to reassure him, then looked up and asked Tham Kien Nghiep with a voice so calm that I felt cold.

“Your emergency joint service, specifically cooperates with which hospital?”

He paused for a very small beat, then kept his familiar smile, the smile of someone who has lied so much that he no longer finds it difficult.

“We have sources of cooperation on our side.”

“Which hospital specifically?”

“This will be distributed according to each elderly person's area.”

“Is there a cooperation contract?”

He laughed, as if the question wasn't worth answering clearly.

“Don't worry, all are official channels.”

I also laughed, but it was a smile that didn't carry any trust.

"I've been working in finance for thirty years. Official channels usually have clear contracts, invoices and cooperation agreements."

His eyes finally changed, from disdain to wariness, but in the blink of an eye, they returned to their calm expression.

“The better you understand finance, all of our revenues can be invoiced.”

“What does the invoice say?”

“Health Management Fee.”

“And the equipment?”

“The equipment is not sold separately, it is included with the service.”

“So why is there a deposit for equipment?”

He was silent for a beat, as if the question had just hit the right spot. Tieu Luu bowed his head, still holding the phone as if surfing the news, but I knew he was recording every sentence and every word. Tham Kien Nghiep glanced at him, his eyes somewhat searching.

“This young man keeps looking at his phone?”

Tieu Luu looked up and smiled innocently.

“I texted my mom.”

He didn't say anything more, but his back leaned deeper into the chair and his voice became a little less soft.

“Miss Ly, if you don't believe it, there's no need to register.”

I nodded, closing the document very lightly.

“It's not that I don't believe it.”

“I'm just afraid I've paid the money and if I want to cancel it, I can't get it back.”

He smiled, a smile carrying the familiarity of someone who had said this sentence hundreds of times.

"It's the same with the service industry. Once activated, there are costs that cannot be fully refunded."

“Exactly how much is deducted?”

“Depends on the situation.”

“What situation?”