Chen Zikang and Lü An never expected that they would sever ties with the Li family's business and its shipment of goods so soon.

Shortly after, the decision on how to handle the situation came down from above.

Because this batch of goods was delivered before the regulations were issued, it does not constitute a violation of the regulations. Therefore, all goods were returned.

Lü An went to find the families who had given him benefits in the past. They all turned around and accused him of not trusting them.

They clearly explained to him from the beginning that the higher-ups hadn't said how to handle the matter yet, and asked him to wait. It was their own fault for acting like frightened birds.

The more Lü An thought about it, the more something seemed amiss, so he sent someone to fetch the shopkeeper.

Unexpectedly, the shopkeeper had already left. He left a letter saying he was ashamed to see him again. The letter was particularly earnest, taking all the blame upon himself and saying that he hadn't considered things thoroughly.

This made Lü An uneasy. For a moment, she didn't know if she was overthinking things or if the shopkeeper was really colluding with someone.

Regardless of his thoughts, Xu Keke didn't keep any of the goods. After the government issued its decision, she sold them directly to the military.

This proves that the information Chen Zikang received back then was also true.

Lü An and Chen Zikang realized that they had been too hasty. In their haste, they had lost their composure and made a mess of things.

But it was too late to say anything then.

That's just how people are. If it's someone else's fault, they can still call them stupid. But if they know it's their own fault that caused this consequence, they feel an indescribable sense of humiliation and resentment.

After much deliberation, Lü An realized that she was the one who suffered the most loss. Although the money from the sale of that goods didn't go into Chen Zikang's pocket, it was given to Chen Zikang's own daughter.

Especially when Chen Zikang was arrested, he spent a lot of money trying to smooth things over.

Most importantly, the two families are no longer related, so there's no need to care about saving face.

He went straight to Chen Zikang.

At the very least, he should get his share of the capital back.

He arrived at the Chen family's house first. Unexpectedly, the Chen family had already divided their assets within a few days.

The third family moved out a long time ago. The other families, those with some cash on hand, also don't live here anymore.

Fortunately, he arrived a day early; a day later, even Old Master Chen might not have been able to find him.

It turns out that the Chen family's house in the city was originally arranged by the government. This arrangement was just for them to live in; it wasn't like the government was giving the house away for free.

Now, citing financial constraints and staff reductions, the government has not only taken back the house, but has also stopped paying Mr. Chen's consultant allowance.

Old Master Chen took out the little money he had left and went out to rent another place.

Why don't you go and stay with Brother Zikang?

Upon hearing Lü An's question, Old Master Chen's droopy eyelids suddenly lifted, and he looked at him in surprise.

In just a few days, Old Master Chen looked even older. He waved his hand with a wry smile and said nothing more.

Lu An suddenly had a bad feeling, so he hurriedly drove to Chen Zikang's residence in the city.

To my utter surprise, the house had already changed hands.

When Lü An asked if he knew where Chen Zikang had gone, the new homeowner immediately started cursing.

It turns out that Chen Zikang mortgaged this house when he borrowed money from Daxing Bank and private money shops. But before he absconded, he sold the house back to him.

The new homeowner had only lived there for a few days when several groups of debt collectors came.

Fortunately, the new homeowner had some connections with the government, so they didn't dare to do anything to him.

But now several families have contributed money, even the new homeowner has joined in, and they're digging three miles to find Chen Zikang.

The new homeowner even asked Lü An if he wanted money to help arrest Chen Zikang.

Lü An hurriedly waved his hand, saying that he had spent enough money on Chen Zikang.

Besides, with so many people demanding repayment, even if the person is found, it won't be his turn.

When Lü An saw this, he knew that his money was completely wasted.

But he was not satisfied, so he went to find Xu Keke again.

Xu Keke didn't let anyone stop her and went to see him herself. When he said he wanted money, Xu Keke just found it funny.

“Go find whoever you've been working with. And don't give me that ‘daughter pays for her father’s debts’ nonsense. Don't even mention that I've severed ties with him. Even if it hadn't been published in the newspaper, and he's still alive, you should be looking for him. If he's dead, you can go find his father. If that doesn't work…”

Lü An thought she would be asked to find Chen Zikang's son, but unexpectedly, Xu Keke said...

“He has no son; Chen Pu now takes the surname Li. Chen Zikang also has a daughter, who is his biological daughter.”

When Lü An arrived, he knew he wouldn't get the goods. Besides being unwilling to give up, he also harbored the intention of getting closer to Xu Keke.

Because now the Lü family has been isolated by all the merchants.

Business is all about connections. No business is run behind closed doors by one person. There must be buying and selling, a back and forth, for business to exist.

Seeing his intentions, Xu Keke laughed out loud, "You've probably forgotten what your sister planned back then. If I had been caught by that man, you wouldn't be unaware of what your sister had him do, would you?"

I never offended her. I just stopped her from bullying me, and she was so vicious. Later, your Lu family bailed her out of the police station, and she wasn't even scratched. But have you ever thought about what would have happened to me if she had succeeded?

Most importantly, I didn't know her at all before I joined the Chen family. My return to the Chen family won't bother her in any way, will it?

If Lü An were to rank the people he hates most in his heart, Chen Zikang would be number one, his sister would be number two, the departed shopkeeper would be number three, and his father would be number four.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!