Yang Yi was feeling dejected with the whole affair about him going to prison. Sadly, he didn't have much of a choice.
"I asked you many times. You're the one who chose to come. Now you tell me you don't want to go to prison? Is that still appropriate?"
"Not appropriate but I still don't want to be imprisoned."
"Sorry, I'm afraid you no longer have a choice."
Danny wasn't sorry. He played the role of a judge and made the decision on behalf of Yang Yi. He earnestly said, "Originally, you would need to commit a crime which is neither to light or severe. The plan was for you to get imprisoned for three years in Pelican Bay State Prison. Not only was it going to be difficult, you would have to be under detention until the verdict has been announced. The whole process would take a very long time. But now, someone is actually willing to spend money to send you to prison. Moreover, it's Pelican Bay State Prison. Do you know how lucky that is?"
Yang Yi replied bitterly, "Fine, I'll go to prison!"
Danny spread his arms and said solemnly, "You said you were willing to pay whatever the price was. So, it was just all talk? If you don't even dare to enter prison, would you dare to risk your life in the future?
Yang Yi was inspired by what Danny said. Danny made a very reasonable argument. If prison was the most suitable school for him, why shouldn't he enter? Was he not going to enter just because of the bias surrounding a prison?
Seeing that Yang Yi turned silent, Danny solemnly continued, "I have my reasons when I say you're lucky. Think about it. If you had to commit a crime to get sentenced to prison, wouldn't you leave behind a criminal record? Once you leave behind a criminal record, your fingerprints and facial profile will be in the system even if you use a fake identity. That's going to be detrimental to you. Now, this is different. There is an idiot willing to pay money for you to enter prison on his behalf. Do you know what this actually entails?"
Yang Yi cautiously asked, "Since I'm going to prison on behalf of someone else, I won't be leaving behind a criminal record, right?"
Danny laughed, "That's right. It's going to be someone else's photo, fingerprints and name. There won't be a criminal record when you're released from prison. You will still have a clean and innocent record. Not only will you get to learn what you need in prison, you will also be paid for it. Fuck! Don't you think you're damn lucky?"
Yang Yi scratched his head while he talked, "What you said is pretty flawless. I will go to prison then."
Danny snapped his fingers and said, "A wise decision. Raymond, you should explain the details."
Raymond immediately explained, "Sure, the employer's name is Benjamin Park. He is 24 years old, a Korean American. His dad is Park Ji Il and he runs a huge company in Korea. The key point is he is very wealthy."
Danny nodded, "So, who is responsible for this matter right now? Who should we talk to? Should we be looking for Par Ji Il or Benjamin Park? Have the police and warden side of things been settled? At what stage is this whole matter?"
Raymond replied with a smile, "As I mentioned we're in luck, everything has been settled. What's pending now is a substitute who is willing to be imprisoned. As you know, the crime rate amongst Asian Americans is very low. We have been searching over the past few days but it's not exactly easy to find someone who is willing to get imprisoned for five years in exchange for a hundred thousand dollars. Park Ji Il is already thinking about increasing the amount. As for who is responsible for this matter? That would be my younger brother."
Danny happily said, "You actually brought your little brother into this line of work as well? Great! Call your little brother to arrange a meet up. If he has no problems with this guy, we'll take payment immediately."
Raymond then took out a phone and said, "I will make the call then. Although this little brother looks a bit too handsome, it shouldn't be too much of a problem."
Just when Raymond was about to make the phone call, Yang Yi couldn't help asking, "Sorry for interrupting, didn't you mention two hundred thousand dollars just now?"
Danny's let his face fall to his hands. Raymond looked at Danny and asked in surprise, "He doesn't understand?"
Danny dropped his hands and helplessly said to Yang Yi, "How could you not be sensible? Do you even need to ask? Of course, half of it is Raymond's cut. Do you think he has too much time on hands so he can help others with this kind of matter? Dimwit, it's how he makes a living."
Yang Yi wanted to say that taking half the payment was far too ruthless.
In the United States, a person on average made about slightly over thirty thousand dollars a year. The middle class household income was in the fifty thousand dollar range while any income above a hundred thousand dollars belonged to the high income group.
Although the middle class had a household income in the range of fifty thousand dollars, it's usually not something made by a single person as most individuals made less than fifty thousand dollars a year. As the average personal income was thirty thousand dollars a year, any personal income below twenty thousand dollars fell into the low income group.
Since he would be receiving a hundred thousand dollars for being imprisoned for five years, it translated into an average income of twenty thousand dollars a year. The amount couldn't even be considered high. It wasn't surprising they hadn't managed to find anyone yet.
Nonetheless, there was no need to talk about a hundred thousand dollars, even ten thousand dollars would be a windfall for Yang Yi.
Just when Yang Yi was about to express his thought, Danny gave him a weird look, "What are you thinking about? Do you think the money is for you? Come on, do you think I would take the risk of flying here while wasting my time to help you for free? Do you think the word idiot or benevolent is written on my face?"
Yang Yi could only stare at Danny speechlessly.
Danny continued with a shrug, "So, regardless of how much you are being paid for getting imprisoned, it's between Raymond and me. You're here to learn, not to make money. So, the windfall is mine and has nothing to do with you."
Yang Yi lowered his head and replied gloomily, "I can only agree than. The money should be your reward for bringing me here. In fact, I still need to thank you."
"You're absolutely right. Now, come over here."
While Raymond was on the phone, Danny took Yang Yi aside and whispered to him, "I can now tell you your teacher's name is Zhang Yong. His nickname is Earthworm. It's also possible he is using another name in prison. It definitely won't be Zhang Yong though. You don't have to mind it too much. Finding him will be very easy."
Yang Yi asked in curiosity, "Is this Zhang Yong very skilled?"
Danny replied in a very serious tone, "That's a given. Although he is not the most skilled person I have ever met, but his skills are definitely the most comprehensive. He used to be a hitman and a mercenary. He has even worked in a spy agency before. Now that he is in prison, he will have ample time to teach his students."
Yang Yi immediately asked, "Once I am in prison, I just need to use you as my reference when I meet him right? He will definitely teach me right?"
Danny gave it a moment of thought before nodding, "It shouldn't be a problem since he owed me a favor. Since I am the only one who knows he is hiding in this prison, I will announce it to the rest of the world if he refuses to teach you. You can use this to threaten him. In any case, you should only use it as a last resort. It would be better for you to please him instead."
Yang Yi asked in surprise, "That can't be! Shouldn't he be awaiting my arrival? I might still need to threaten him?"
Danny gave Yang Yi a pat on the shoulder and laughed, "I have faith in you! You can definitely accomplish it!"