Chapter 110 He Withstood It

"Are you deaf? I said I'm not going, and that means I'm not going. I'm not gambling anymore, don't you understand?"

Er Gou's smile gradually disappeared.

He stared at Zhou Hairong and slowly spoke.

"You're dreaming! Once someone's been involved in gambling, how can they ever quit?"

These words struck Zhou Hairong like a thunderbolt.

He shuddered, his fingers unconsciously clenching the hem of his clothes.

"Impossible! With enough effort, what can't you achieve?"

He shook his head vigorously, trying to shake off the distracting thoughts in his mind.

"Oh!"

Er Gou sneered.

"I've seen plenty of people who have never truly quit. Do you think you can be an exception?"

Zhou Hairong opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

"Come on, gambling is all about luck, we can't keep losing."

Er Gou's tone softened.

"Win this one game, and you can do whatever you want from now on. Your life will turn around immediately. Trust me, just this one game."

"Then who will dare to look down on you? Who will dare to yell at you? You can make them feel the pain of their own face with just one gesture."

He described it vividly, his eyes filled with seductive allure.

Zhou Hairong's eyes were a little glazed over.

"Women, luxury cars, big houses—you can have whatever you want. Don't you want that kind of life?"

Er Gou seized the opportunity and desperately painted a picture of the wonderful life after he made a fortune.

Zhou Shufen grew increasingly panicked as she listened, her palms already damp with cold sweat as she stood in the shadows.

Her heart was pounding.

Without thinking twice, she turned around and ran home.

The moment I pushed open the door, I almost collapsed.

"Mom! What's wrong? What happened?"

Hearing the noise, Zhou Haiqing quickly ran out of the house.

"Quick...quick...come with me right now, something's happened at Hai Rong's place!"

Zhou Shufen squeezed out a few words with all her might.

"That...that person is here again...blocking his doorstep..."

"What? Okay, we'll be right there."

Zhou Haiqing's expression changed instantly, and he immediately nodded in agreement.

The two hurriedly left the house.

Qin Guifang held her slightly protruding belly, her fingertips trembling slightly.

She stared at the empty gate, her heart pounding with anxiety.

When they arrived, they saw Zhou Hairong shoving a man as thin as a bamboo pole out of the house.

Zhou Hairong's tone was very firm.

"I already said I'm not going! I won't walk that road again. If you still don't leave, don't blame me for turning against you, and don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Zhou Haiqing rushed forward and quickly blocked Zhou Hairong's path.

"Stop bothering my brother and get out of here. This isn't a place for you to cause trouble!"

Seeing that things were not going well, Er Gou retreated with a disdainful look on his face.

"Go ahead and leave! You've really taken my good intentions for granted. I came to advise you because I care about you, but you don't appreciate it. You'll get into trouble sooner or later!"

Until Er Gou's hunched back disappeared around the street corner.

Zhou Hairong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Shufen stood to the side, her eyes slightly red, feeling particularly gratified.

She saw that her son hadn't followed that person, which was already a significant improvement.

What brings you here?

Zhou Hairong only came to his senses at this point.

"Mom was so worried, she told me to come over right away. She almost cried on the way, afraid you would..."

Zhou Haiqing spoke urgently.

"Thank goodness you're alright. Was that person here to cause trouble? What exactly happened?"

"I'm not trying to cause trouble."

Zhou Hairong shook his head, his face somewhat gloomy.

“I met him at the gambling table before. His nickname was ‘Er Gou’ (Second Dog). We used to hang out together all the time. Back then, I lost money, and he lost money too. Even when we were broke, we'd still go back to gambling…”

A deep sense of regret and shame appeared in his eyes.

"You've stopped gambling, so why is he still coming to you? What's he up to? Isn't he trying to drag you down with him?"

Zhou Haiqing immediately understood the man's intention.

"He took advantage of your past weakness and wanted to drag you back into the mire!"

"Forget it, all gamblers are like that, they're not thinking straight."

Zhou Hairong sighed and patted his younger brother on the shoulder.

"I will no longer believe those lies."

With this whole mess today, I can't do business anymore.

Zhou Shufen stepped forward and said softly.

"Don't stand here, let's go home first. We can talk about it when we get back. It's windy outside, don't get cold."

The two brothers nodded, silently turned around, and followed her back.

After returning home, Qin Guifang finally felt relieved.

I was alone just now, and all sorts of thoughts were going through my mind.

Will I be scammed?

Will I incur gambling debts again?

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became, fearing that something terrible had happened.

"How are you? Are you all alright?"

She stared intently at Zhou Hairong's face, her voice filled with worry.

What she cared about most was never money or face, but whether her family members could be safe and sound.

"It's nothing, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Zhou Hairong's voice was low.

He dared not look his mother in the eye, his face full of apology.

He caused trouble for his whole family because of his own messy affairs.

"It's good that you're safe."

Qin Guifang nodded gently.

She reached out and patted Zhou Hairong on the shoulder.

As long as the person is safe, everything else can be managed.

Seeing the heavy atmosphere, Zhou Haiqing quickly helped her younger brother sit down on the sofa.

He took over the conversation and began to briefly recount what had happened.

"He's jealous."

After listening, Qin Guifang hit the nail on the head with just one sentence.

"Seeing that you've started living a proper life, no longer wasting your days, and even thinking about studying hard and starting anew, I feel resentful and come here to cause trouble."

Things that are obvious to outsiders can be very clear to the parties involved, but they often get stuck in them and can't get out.

Zhou Hairong has always been easily swayed by his emotions.

Fortunately, he held on this time.

If he can't resist and gets involved with that stuff again...

Zhou Shufen would definitely not care anymore; she would be heartbroken and utterly desperate.

Then he would be completely ruined.

The family got together and gave that guy named Er Gou a thorough dressing-down.

They only got up one by one and went back to their rooms to rest after they had vented their emotions.

After lying down, Zhou Shufen tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

Zhou Hairong must completely sever ties with those people and those things from the past.

We cannot let things remain unresolved, nor can we harbor any illusions.

Those people are like venomous snakes; the moment you let your guard down, they will crawl back and bite you, leaving you utterly ruined.

He pulled through this time, but who can guarantee it won't happen again?

Will there be an even more vicious provocation next time?

There are too many temptations; it's impossible to guard against them all.

If you give in even once, everything will be over.

She suddenly had an idea.

Why not find Zhou Hairong a boarding high school for repeat students?

Stay away from those old people and old stories, focus on your studies, and devote yourself entirely to learning.

Once I get into university, I'll move to a new city and start a completely new life.

A fresh start in life, a complete farewell to the past.

She thought this method was reliable.

This would both protect him from being dragged down and give him a proper path to follow.

This is undoubtedly the best choice compared to being bogged down in business minutiae.

She threw back the covers, sat up, and walked straight to Zhou Hairong's room.

After he responded, she pushed the door open and went in.

"Hairong, Mom just had an idea. I'm going to find you a boarding high school for repeat students. You should focus on your studies. Put these business and other chores aside for now. You have to fight for yourself this time."

She thought the idea was quite suitable, and that he would at least give it serious consideration.