Upon hearing Gu Jingran's question, Ye Linchen recounted the plan she and Feng Linlin had discussed in detail.

Gu Jingran remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"This method sounds good, but... have you considered that since Zhang Tingting was able to escape legal punishment, it means that her parents' power is much greater than we imagined? If the evidence you collect ends up in her parents' hands, it could very well backfire and cause you to suffer even more severe retaliation."

Ye Linchen was stunned for a moment, and after thinking about it carefully, he felt that what Gu Jingran said made a lot of sense.

Having lived two lives, she had never been exposed to the complexities of officialdom, and her thinking was too idealistic and simplistic.

She sighed, "Looks like I was too naive..."

But she didn't give up. Her brain raced as she began to think of new solutions: "Then... what should we do?"

Gu Jingran quickly comforted her.

"Don't worry, I have a way."

"Really?" Ye Linchen was delighted, but then worried for him, "Brother Gu, will this matter... affect your business?"

Gu Jingran chuckled lightly, his tone relaxed.

"No, they can't affect me yet. Don't worry, just do what you think is right. Remember to let me know if you have any evidence, and I'll also find someone to help collect it."

Ye Linchen quickly thanked him, "Thank you, Brother Gu!"

After exchanging a few more words, Gu Jingran said softly into the phone, "It's getting late, you should go back to your dorm and rest. Remember, no matter what happens, you must protect yourself."

Ye Linchen replied, "Okay, I understand."

After hanging up the phone, Ye Linchen had mixed feelings.

There was a sense of exhilaration at the rekindled hope, the joy of being supported by friends, and a touch of inexplicable unease.

She stared at the phone for a while before turning around and going back to her dorm room.

At this time, Wang Lina and Lin Xuemei had already returned.

When Lin Xuemei saw Ye Linchen, she immediately came over and joked with her.

"Xiao Chen, what happened? You look so happy, did you find some money?"

Ye Linchen laughed and said, "It's not that good. I just chatted with a friend."

Wang Lina heard about what happened this morning and asked her with concern.

"Xiao Chen, are you alright? Did that Zhang Tingting... do anything to you?"

Ye Linchen shook his head, his tone relaxed.

"It's okay, I've already taken care of it."

Wang Lina secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her calm demeanor.

She and Zhang Tingting were in the same class. Ever since she offended her, Zhang Tingting had been finding all sorts of ways to make trouble for her, leaving her feeling powerless and exhausted, both physically and mentally.

She complained to her parents, who said they would help ask around, but there has been no response so far. Meanwhile, Zhang Tingting is becoming more and more outrageous and arrogant.

It seems to be getting out of control.

She had previously made grand promises, saying she could protect Ye Linchen and Lin Xuemei, but now it seems that Zhang Tingting's background is much stronger than she imagined.

Not to mention Ye Linchen and Lin Xuemei, she can't even protect herself.

In truth, Ye Linchen was also implicated by her, and she felt full of guilt when facing Ye Linchen.

"Xiao Chen, you're amazing..." Wang Lina said sincerely.

On the other side, Gu Jingran sat silently in the car for a long time before taking out his phone and dialing a number.

The phone had barely rung twice when the person on the other end answered it impatiently.

A gentle voice came through the receiver, and the joy in it could be felt even through the telephone line.

"Hey, is this Jingran? Why did you decide to call home? Are you missing your parents?"

Gu Jingran's face remained expressionless as he simply asked, "Mom, how are you and Dad feeling? Are you busy with work?"

His parents worked in other places all year round and had no time to take care of him, so they sent him to his second uncle, who was Gu Yifei's father, to be taken care of.

He spent little time with his parents growing up. His parents would occasionally come home during holidays, or he would visit them in Beijing when he was on vacation, so the family could get together.

If you calculate it carefully, the number of times we meet in a year is probably less than ten.

Therefore, his relationship with his parents can only be described as harmonious, far less intimate than his relationship with Gu Yifei's parents.

Now that Gu Jingran has grown up, his parents are also getting old. Although they haven't retired yet, they have stepped down from the center of power and their work has become much easier. They have always regretted not being able to spend more time with Gu Jingran in the past and always want to make it up to him and get closer to him.

Although Gu Jingran did not reject his parents' good intentions, on the one hand, his parents worked in Beijing, while his career was centered in Jiangcheng.

Since the two are in different places, they can only communicate by phone.

On the other hand, he was used to being estranged from his parents, and suddenly becoming close to them was a bit difficult for him to adjust to.

On the other end of the phone, Gu's mother was very happy to hear her son's concern. She said cheerfully, "I'm in good health and not busy at work. Your father keeps saying he'll come to see you during the National Day holiday."

After telling her own story, Gu's mother inquired about her son's condition.

"How are you? Are you busy with work? Take care of yourself, don't skip meals when you're busy, don't ruin your stomach at such a young age..."

After asking a few questions, Gu's mother suddenly remembered something and asked again, "By the way, have you met any girls you like? You're almost twenty-nine, it's time to start thinking about your personal life."

Gu Jingran hesitated for a moment, but ultimately did not hide anything and briefly explained Ye Linchen's situation.

Mother Gu was overjoyed, and her voice even rose a few decibels.

"Really? That's wonderful! We can meet her when we come back for National Day, and then you can bring her to Beijing for the New Year!"

Gu Jingran smiled and said, "We haven't gotten to that stage yet, let's talk about it later." He then changed the subject, asking her, "Mom, have you heard of a girl in Beijing named Zhang Tingting?"

"Zhang Tingting?"

Gu's mother was taken aback when she realized that he had just finished talking about the girl he liked and then started asking about another girl.

After a moment, hesitantly asked, "This name sounds familiar... What's wrong, Jingran? Why are you suddenly asking about her?"

Although she wasn't particularly close to her son, she understood his personality very well.

He's not a fickle person; he just said that if he has a girl he likes, he won't have feelings for other girls.

There must be another reason for inquiring about this girl.

Gu Jingran then poured out everything Ye Linchen had told him.

The article included Zhang Tingting's various misdeeds during high school and college, and specifically emphasized that Zhang Tingting's arrogance and domineering attitude was inseparable from her parents' indulgence behind the scenes.

"Dad, Mom, if this is true, her parents are so indifferent to human life, letting her get away with it in Jiangcheng. They must have done other illegal and disorderly things!"

Mother Gu immediately took it seriously and asked incredulously, "Such a thing actually happened in the capital? Could it be just a rumor?"