Chapter 124: Money, money, money, break up, make money to support yourself...

This result was unexpected for Zhu Yingning, but upon reflection, it made sense. She was only briefly surprised before calming down and quietly listening to the crying on the other end of the phone. When Zhu Zhiwei had almost vented her feelings, leaving only soft sobs, she gently said, "Sister Weiwei, do you want to hear my thoughts?"

"You go ahead." Zhu Zhiwei wiped her tears, indicating that she was all ears.

She looked out the window at the dark twilight and said, "I've borrowed many books from Teacher Chen before, including quite a few detective stories. After reading so many, I've discovered that the motivations of normal people can be inferred by the consequences of their actions and the benefits they stand to gain. Huang Yuliang's attack on your store could have many consequences, the worst of which is that you won't be able to survive in Beijing and will be forced to leave."

Zhu Zhiwei hummed sullenly.

"Then why did he insist on forcing you to leave? Did he simply dislike you and feel like vomiting just being in the same city with you? I don't think so. Beijing is so big, and the chances of running into someone on the street are so slim. Why would he have to kill them all? The most likely possibility is—" She paused, then said, "He's afraid of you, so he had to drive you away."

Zhu Zhiwei was stunned for a moment, then repeated blankly, "He's afraid of me?"

How could it be possible? She was obviously afraid of him.

He has a successful career, money and a family, which is the pinnacle of what many men pursue throughout their lives.

But Zhu Yingning emphasized again: "Yes, he is afraid of you, even more than you are afraid of him, because you know many of his secrets."

She was stunned.

"He's afraid you'll tell these secrets to others."

"But..." Zhu Zhiwei offered a weak excuse, "I've already promised him that I won't betray him. My efforts have proven my sincerity. Why would he choose to target me rather than trust me?"

"People's perception of others comes from themselves. He doesn't trust you because he himself is unwilling to be sincere, so he doesn't believe that others will be sincere to him."

Zhu Zhiwei fell silent.

"Sister Weiwei..." She knew this might be difficult for her, but she had to speak up. "I hope you can muster up the courage to expose him instead of continuing to protect him. Although you don't have his social status or financial resources, you're not at a disadvantage in this game. His fear of you is the best proof of that."

After she finished speaking, she was silent for an even longer time, so long that Zhu Yingning almost thought she was going to hang up. Then she said in confusion, "But Ningning, how could I do such a shameless thing? I owe everything to him for raising me up. If he hadn't given me money, a place to live, and the opportunity to study, I might still be working as a waitress at a food stall. I can't be ungrateful."

After hearing her words, Zhu Yingning felt more regret and heartache than disappointment.

Is kindness a sin? No. But kindness can sometimes be a sharp weapon pointed at oneself, leading even when being harmed to believe one has received a favor. She knew it wasn't Zhu Zhiwei's fault; she had simply been brainwashed. The foundation of her upbringing was Huang Yuliang, and from now on, no matter how much she achieved through her own efforts, she would inevitably attribute it to him, slowly losing her self-awareness and confidence over time.

The most terrifying thing about mind control is not harming someone's body, but completely destroying her self-evaluation system.

She was also silent for a long time, slowly organizing her words. "Sister Weiwei, I also believe that people should be grateful for favors, but I don't think the so-called 'favor' includes one person using money to purchase the right to use another person's body or mind. He asked you to have plastic surgery for him, that's not a favor. Even if he gave you many benefits, it's not a favor. It's just a payment for his own selfish desires."

Zhu Zhiwei sighed: "...I'll think about it again, Ningning."

"Okay." She didn't push too hard.

**

Xu Sirui came back the next morning. Because Zhu Yingning had just talked with Zhu Zhiwei late at night, she unfortunately overslept. When she woke up the next morning, she could hear the voices of Xu Zhengkang and Xu Sirui talking in the living room outside.

She woke up instantly, jumped out of bed, and without even having time to brush her teeth, she sneaked out of the guest room door with her messy hair, hiding in the dark and observing them.

First, look at Xu Sirui. As expected, he's obsessed with the lawsuit. Then look at Xu Zhengkang. He's sitting on the sofa, reading a newspaper, calmly. When he hears Xu Sirui come in, he just glances at him indifferently and asks him with indifferent concern, "Did you go to your aunt's house to stay with your mother? If your mother is in good spirits, take her home to stay for a few days. It's not nice to have her always staying at her mother's house."

Xu Sirui's fury was punctured by Xu Zhengkang's words, and a bewildered look spread across his face. Zhu Yingning was also bewildered. Why did Xu Zhengkang act as if he didn't know Zhou Tianqing had been imprisoned? Was he truly unaware, or was he just pretending?

While she was confused and entangled, Xu Sirui had obviously made his choice. The confusion dissipated like mist, and he sneered: "How dare you ask?"

Xu Zhengkang was stunned for a moment, his face darkening. He shook the newspaper in his hand, making a rustling sound. "Xu Sirui, don't be so shameless! I'm talking to you nicely, and you're asking for a beating so early in the morning?"

Xu Sirui took a step forward and suddenly grabbed Xu Zhengkang's collar.

Xu Zhengkang was much heavier than Xu Sirui, weighing over 160 pounds. Zhu Yingning saw veins popping out of Xu Sirui's arms from the movement. What shocked her even more was that Xu Zhengkang's upper body was actually being pulled slightly into the air by Xu Sirui, his cheeks flushing red like a goose being strangled. He lowered his gaze, expressionless, and said, "You'd better not let me find the evidence for your report."

After saying this, he let go of his hand. Xu Zhengkang slumped back onto the sofa and angrily slammed the coffee table. The teacups on the coffee table clattered against each other with a chaotic sound. With a wave of his hand, he swept all the newspapers and magazines beside the coffee table to the floor.

Xu Sirui walked back to his room without looking back. On the way, his eyes glanced at Zhu Yingning, but he didn't linger on her for too long.

She stood in the corner with her shoulders hunched, and was about to slowly move to the bathroom to wash up when Xu Zhengkang called her, "Come here!"

Zhu Yingning had no choice but to walk over in a cold sweat.

He took a few breaths and asked her, "What's this report that bastard was talking about?"

She repeatedly observed Xu Zhengkang's expression and whispered the whole story.

Xu Zhengkang's expression changed, and he looked thoughtful. "Someone reported him and put him in jail early..." He waved his hand, letting Zhu Yingning go away. "I understand. Go do your own thing."

Zhu Yingning went to the bathroom confused.

While brushing her teeth, she stared at her dazed face in the mirror. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that Xu Zhengkang genuinely didn't know Zhou Tianlan had been reported. If this was acting, his acting was incredibly good, almost frightening.

But if it wasn't him, who else could it be?

**

Summer vacation had officially arrived, but their home was far from the relaxing and joyful atmosphere of summer vacation. Instead, it felt like a cemetery. Every morning when Zhu Yingning woke up, she felt like she was going to visit someone's grave.

Xu Zhengkang stayed home for the first few days, but later, due to constant conflicts with Xu Sirui, a small quarrel every day and a big one every three days, he gradually became less likely to come home and no one knew where he was staying outside. Sun Mingyuan and others often came to their house to look for Xu Sirui, and frequently took him out to play, but she could see that Xu Sirui was not in a very good mood.

She was also worried about Zhu Zhiwei's affairs and her own work.

As the store was short of funds and did not need too many people in the initial stage, one store owner and one customer service representative were enough. Zhu Yingning felt embarrassed to stay in the store and have Zhu Zhiwei pay her salary, so she planned to find a new job during the summer vacation.

She could wash dishes or make milk tea, but the hourly wage was too low. She had been in Beijing for so long and her thinking had improved. She realized that not only physical labor but also mental labor could make money. Moreover, she had the capital to engage in mental activities, such as tutoring. Her transcripts from her first year of high school were one of her assets.

Zhu Yingning began looking for a tutor.

She first targeted elementary and middle school students in the community, added them to a group of homeowners, and advertised herself there. Within two days, a parent actually contacted her and asked, "Can I try a class for free?"

She thought about it and agreed.

The trial class was so successful that the parents agreed to continue the class for the entire summer. Her child was in the eighth grade, about to enter the ninth grade, a critical period. One-on-one tutoring at an external tutoring center was too expensive, so the parents felt it would be more cost-effective to hire a high school or college student as a tutor.

After about a week of tutoring, the parent asked again, "The child of the family living upstairs is about to enter the third year of junior high school and plans to tutor with my child. Do you think we can add one more person?"

"Of course." Zhu Yingning nodded repeatedly. Anyone who has the opportunity to make money is a fool.

"I found you a new student, so please give my child a discount."

She agreed readily.

Not long after, the mother of the new child came up and said, "You gave xxx a discount, so give me a discount too. I don't ask for much, just the same as hers. If anyone around me needs a tutor in the future, I will recommend you to them."

Zhu Yingning still agreed. After all, the content of the lesson preparation was the same, only two copies of the materials needed to be printed. Her original hourly wage for teaching one person was 50, and now she teaches two people, which is reduced to 40 per person. The hourly wage is still 80, which is 30 higher than before. Why not?

She continued to teach and added students, and by mid-to-late July, she already had five students.

I don't know where Zhou Tianqing heard the news about her tutoring, maybe it was from Xu Sirui. When they met one day during the summer vacation, she smiled and said, "Yingning is a famous teacher now? Are you teaching during the summer vacation?"

"right."

“Have you considered the source of students for the new school?”

"I've thought about it, but I haven't started looking yet."

"Then let me recommend one to you." She said that she happened to have a friend whose child was in junior high school and also needed a tutor. The tutor didn't have to be there from Monday to Friday, but could be there on weekends. The hourly wage was 80, and she asked her if she was interested in taking the job.

Zhu Yingning almost nodded: "I'll take it, I'll take it!"

She felt that she was becoming more and more obsessed with money.

Fortunately, her money-loving nature infected more than just her. Throughout the summer vacation, although Xu Sirui was in a bad mood, she was still trying to find ways to make money.

He makes money because he doesn't want to ask Xu Zhengkang for pocket money anymore. As the saying goes, people fight for a breath of air and Buddhas fight for a stick of incense. Xu Sirui is usually listless and doesn't care about many things. He never makes things difficult for himself. He believes in retreating when encountering difficulties instead of facing them head-on. But this time, he wants to prove his independence.

Perhaps it was because his investigation into the report had been slow to progress.

He went to the police to ask, but the police refused to say anything, even the gender of the informant, on the grounds of protecting the privacy of the informant. He then thought that the informant might have come to the hospital in person to know about Zhou Tianlan's condition, so he wanted to ask the hospital for the surveillance footage in the corridor. But it was a pity that the hospital would give the surveillance footage to an outsider like him for no reason. He thought of several reasons, but none of them worked. Seeing that he was almost obsessed, Zhu Yingning had to remind him: "You don't have to go to the hospital to know about Aunt Zhou's condition. You may know someone in the hospital and ask someone inside to find out." This sentence made Xu Sirui wilted.

The investigation was completely stalled, and he couldn't prove that the report was Xu Zhengkang's doing. Xu Sirui felt like he was holding his breath every day, unable to breathe out or let it out. To avoid choking himself, he decided to break with Xu Zhengkang completely and earn his own living.

Unlike Zhu Yingning, Xu Sirui has absolutely no patience for teaching. He hates children and stupid people. He would rather jump off a building than think about patiently explaining questions to people with lower IQs than himself. His way of making money is playing games for others and developing games.

In 2012, web games such as 4399 and 7k7k were still very popular. It was not difficult to develop such games. Xu Sirui first tried it out with web games and saw good results, so he further studied how to publish games on Steam.

When they wake up every day, all they think about is money, money, and money.

Zhou Tianqing was worried that they would get sick from overwork, so at the end of July, he called Zhu Yingning out and said, "Yingning, I'll get you a Hong Kong and Macau Pass."

Her mind, which had been mired in the knowledge of the third year of junior high school, finally became clear. "Are we going to Hong Kong and Macau to do something?"

"Next month is Ruirui's birthday. I'll treat you guys to a trip to Hong Kong. Just to change your mood."

After being reminded by Zhou Tianqing, Zhu Yingning was surprised to realize that Xu Sirui's birthday was in a month.

On her birthday, Xu Sirui gave her a gift that was so thoughtfully given to her. It was only natural that she wanted to give him a substantial gift in return.