Chapter 7 The Flies Fly Away

Wang Meifeng was in the middle of a scolding rage when Zhao Chen's sudden "concern" choked her. She subconsciously followed through with her complaint, "That's right! So annoying! My husband, a while ago, fell for some idiotic scam and invested in some 'high-return, guaranteed-profit' investment project! It's called... 'Jinxin Wealth'! He put in nearly a hundred thousand! It's almost due, and I haven't even seen a dent! I called them, and they kept making excuses, saying things like system maintenance and delayed payouts! It's so frustrating! That's money we've been saving for ages!"

Zhao Chen frowned slightly, his expression akin to listening intently and empathizing. He pulled out his phone and casually swiped across it, as if searching for something, muttering to himself, "Jinxin Wealth... that name... sounds familiar..."

He swiped a few times, and suddenly his fingers stopped. His brows frowned even tighter, and an extremely solemn and worried expression appeared on his face. His voice also lowered a few degrees, with a sense of urgency of "discovering that something big is wrong": "Oh! Aunt! You...you take a look at this!" He shoved the phone screen in front of Wang Meifeng.

On the screen, a push notification page from a reputable local financial news app appeared. A shocking headline in bold and red read:

Urgent Exposure! 'Jinxin Wealth' suspected of illegal fundraising fraud! Police have opened an investigation! Investors in many locations have lost all their money!] Below the headline, there are several photos of police sealing off offices and arresting suspects!

"What?!" Wang Meifeng screamed like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. She snatched Zhao Chen's phone away, her eyes wide as bells as she stared at every word on the screen. The color drained from her face in an instant! Her face, heavily powdered with foundation, was now as pale as a piece of cheap paper. Her lips trembled, and her knuckles were white from exerting so much force.

"No... Impossible! This... This has to be fake! Fake!" she muttered to herself in despair, her eyes frantically scanning the fraudulent tactics described in the news—high-interest bait, fake projects, capital pool operations... Exactly the same as her husband's description! And then there were the agonizing stories of the victims... She felt a chill run from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, and her head was spinning!

"Aunt, calm down!" Zhao Chen supported her shaky body at the right moment, his tone filled with "sincere" concern, his brow furrowed in worry. "This news was just released this afternoon! The police have opened a case! Please call your uncle and ask him to confirm if it's this 'Jinxin Wealth'! If it's true... we have to find a way quickly! If it's too late, we might not be able to get a single cent back!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Call! Call!" Wang Meifeng awoke, frantically pulling out her old, cracked phone. Her fingers trembled as she dialed the number, hitting the wrong button several times. She couldn't think of scolding Yu Ling or wondering if Zhao Chen was rich or poor. All she could think about was the hundred thousand yuan she'd lost! It was her lifeblood!

The call finally connected, and Wang Meifeng burst into hysterical sobs and questions: "Old Li! Did something happen to that Jinxin Wealth you invested in?! It's all in the news! It's a scam! The police are arresting people! Where's the money?! Where's my money?!"

A man's panicked and annoyed defense seemed to come from the other end of the phone. Wang Meifeng's voice suddenly rose, full of despair and anger: "What?! You don't know either?! You bastard! I told you not to vote! You didn't listen! Look at you now! It's all gone! It's all gone! I will never let you go!" She cried, her voice sharp and piercing, and her tears mixed with the smudged eyeliner and mascara, leaving two funny and embarrassing black grooves on her face.

She no longer cared about Yu Ling and Zhao Chen, nor did she care about maintaining her dignity. Like a mangy dog ​​with its spine pulled out, she stumbled towards the door in a daze, muttering nervously, "It's over... My money... I have to go back... I have to settle the score with them..."

"Aunt, please slow down! Watch your step!" Zhao Chen shouted from behind with "concern", his tone full of "sympathy".

Wang Meifeng turned a deaf ear to him and didn't even change her shoes (she had changed into Yu Ling's slippers when she came in just now). She opened the door and staggered out as if someone was chasing her. Her high heels made a series of hurried and rapid "thump thump" sounds in the corridor that gradually faded away.

The door slammed shut, isolating the crowd from the chaos outside.

Silence instantly returned to the entrance. Only the lingering scent of cheap perfume and the echoes of crying and screaming reminded them that what had just happened was not an illusion.

Yu Ling stared at the lightning-fast turn of events, then glanced at Zhao Chen, who looked innocent yet worried. She recalled Zhao Chen's perfectly timed expressions of surprise and concern, his gesture of handing her the phone, and the precise warning that had triggered panic. The entire process had been seamless, without a trace of stagecraft, yet it had precisely hit Wang Meifeng's sore spot.

Is this... really a coincidence?

She suddenly glanced at Zhao Chen's phone screen. The shocking news push was still there, and the release time was surprisingly... five minutes ago! That was when Wang Meifeng rushed in and started to speak out!

A chill mixed with a sense of absurdity washed over me. Was he just... playing with his phone? Or... precisely biding his time?

Zhao Chen seemed not to notice Yu Ling's inquiring gaze. He lowered his head to glance at the screen of his mobile phone, closed the news app casually, and put a gentle and harmless smile on his face again, as if the person who had stirred up the storm without making a sound just now was not him.

He raised his hand and gently brushed away the non-existent dust on Yu Ling's shoulders with extremely natural movements. His fingertips were warm and soothing.

"Okay, the annoying fly has flown away." He said in a relaxed tone, as if he had just driven away an insignificant insect, and looked at Yu Ling gently, "The steak seems a little cold? Shall I heat it up? Don't let insignificant people affect our Lingling's good mood and... delicious dinner." His last sentence had a slightly rising tone, with a hint of doting teasing, and his eyes swept over the flickering candlelight on the dining table.

Yu Ling looked into his clear and frank amber eyes, and then at the mobile phone in his hand that seemed to hide countless secrets. The huge doubt in her heart was like a stone thrown into a deep pool, stirring up circle after circle of ripples that could not be calmed.

This man...how much is hidden under his gentle and harmless appearance that she can't see through?

Before she could even think about it, Zhao Chen had already turned and walked towards the microwave (he insisted that microwave-heating steak was a waste of food, but at this moment, he was doing it for the sake of speed), his movements still calm and elegant. He picked up Yu Ling's steak plate, which she had only taken a few bites of, turned his head, and gave her a clean, slightly complimenting smile:

"Does what happened just now count as... a meritorious service in protecting the emperor?" He blinked, his eyes like a big cat that had successfully stolen some fish and was waiting for its owner's praise.

Yu Ling looked at his back, wearing the whale-shaped apron, then at the glass of red wine on the dining table, shimmering with alluring light under the candlelight. Then she recalled Wang Meifeng's pale, desperate face as she fled...

The doubts and shock in my heart were strangely replaced by a huge sense of pleasure mixed with a bit of schadenfreude and a hint of... indescribable warmth.

She couldn't help but burst out laughing, and all the frustration she had just felt disappeared. Her eyebrows and eyes curved as if they were filled with stars.

"Mm!" She nodded vigorously, her voice clear and crisp, with a sense of relief and a hint of cunning, as if she had just survived a disaster. "Your contribution is outstanding! Here's a reward...you can eat my steak too!"