The sentence Jiang Man uttered as she entered not only stunned me, but also changed Gao Ya's expression.

I was only here for the money, and I had no feelings for Gao Ya. So I quickly adjusted my mindset and said to Jiang Man, "You've come at the right time. I'm not here to ruin your relationship, but to clear up the misunderstanding between me and Duan Shenxing. As long as my matter can be properly resolved, I promise not to interfere with your relationship."

"Yes, now that things have come to this point, we really need to have a serious talk."

Jiang Man walked gracefully to the opposite side of Gao Ya and sat down with poise: "Before we begin our negotiations, I need to answer a few of your questions. The first is that Duan Shenxing's company is mine."

Gao Ya frowned slightly: "Yours?"

"Yes, you may not know this, but he is a son-in-law we took in, and this so-called company is our dowry for him. So it's useless for you to ask Duan Shenxing for money. You just said that you have worked as a secretary, so you should know that the legal representative of a company is not necessarily the actual controller, right?"

Jiang Man looked at Gao Ya with a calm expression: "If I abandon Duan Shenxing, he will still be that penniless poor boy, and you will get nothing but being tricked into having sex with him."

Gao Ya looked at Jiang Man with a skeptical expression: "Why should I believe you?"

"You don't need to believe me, I'm just stating the facts."

Jiang Man crossed her legs, revealing a section of her snow-white ankle in her trouser leg: "Actually, I envy you. You still have the opportunity to be a mother. Do you know why I married Duan Shenxing, this poor boy? It's because I was born with a disease and am infertile. If you are willing to give birth to this child, we can give you some compensation, and I can also accept you bringing the child to live with us. However, all of these conditions can only be fulfilled after the child is born."

Gao Ya was somewhat embarrassed and angry by Jiang Man's words: "What do you take me for? Your breeding tool?"

"Otherwise what? A woman who dreams of gaining status through her son, do you think we'll respect you?"

Although Jiang Man's voice was low, it conveyed an overbearing attitude: "Or is it that your IVF attempt failed?"

Gao Ya's expression changed immediately: "What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Am I talking nonsense?"

Jiang Man opened her handbag and threw a document in front of Gao Ya: "I've checked your resume. You did have an abortion during college, but that was probably because you were working as an escort behind your then-boyfriend Gao Qiang's back, right? We've also contacted the hospital in the south where you had artificial insemination. All the information is here... With our family's influence and legal team, it shouldn't be a problem to accuse you of extortion... You should pray that your IVF is successful. At least during your pregnancy, you'll be temporarily exempt from criminal punishment."

Oh, by the way! As far as I know, this child of yours isn't Duan Shenxing's. It's because a wealthy businessman in the south hired you as a surrogate because his wife couldn't have children! They probably valued your education and looks, but unfortunately forgot to check your character. I wonder if I tell that businessman about this, you'll still get the final payment.

"But you're quite clever. You can earn a retirement fund through surrogacy, and you also want to use it to tie Duan Shenxing down, making him your long-term meal ticket, and profiting from all the resources around you. You've really mastered this method."

"You, you..."

Gao Ya stared at the documents on the table, then looked at Jiang Man in horror: "How did you know all this?"

"I know a lot more, and I also know that you are Duan Shenxing's first love. The reason I didn't tell you everything is simply because I didn't want to ruin his memories of his first love, and I was just saving face for both of you."

Jiang Man leaned back, her face serene as she met Gao Ya's gaze: "I'll give you two choices. The first is to say nothing and leave immediately. I'll pretend you were never here and won't hold you responsible... I think you probably don't want to hear me explain the second option, right?"

Gao Ya looked at Jiang Man, her fear almost palpable. Her lips trembled for a long time before she finally picked up her handbag and hurriedly left the pawnshop.

I watched her elegant figure disappear through the door, completely stunned.

I thought that the trap set by Gao Ya would ruin me, but I never expected that Jiang Man's few words would cause her to suffer a crushing defeat and reveal so many secrets that I didn't know.

After Jiang Man and Gao Ya left, she smiled at me, who was still silent, and said, "Hey, what do you mean? I solved such a big problem for you, and you won't even offer me a glass of water?"

Back in the Far East, I clearly told Jiang Man my name was "Duan Tao," but she just spoke with Gao Ya using my real name, which made me suspicious: "How did you find this place? And how do you know my real identity? Are you investigating me?"

"You're a really strange person. You can be all smiles and pleasantries when trying to blackmail you, but why are you so wary of me, your savior?"

Jiang Man pouted: "I overheard Gao Ya's offer to you outside the door. As for your claim of investigating you, that's true. I've told you before, I'm a private investigator, and I belong to a very powerful organization. Since you want to cooperate with me, of course I have to conduct a thorough investigation of you! I just really didn't expect that you were actually Duan Jinyan's son. If I hadn't witnessed the scene of your father and son breaking up in the Ze Wang Tomb, I would never have trusted you given your status."

I picked up the cigarette case on the table: "When did you arrive in Shenyang?"

Jiang Man swung her toes and replied, "I just arrived today. However, some of my colleagues were investigating you beforehand. They originally thought Gao Ya was your girlfriend, but based on the feedback, I found that this woman is not simple. They found out that she was in Shenyang today, so she just happened to be passing by."

Lately, I've been struggling to find Duan Jinyan, so I was both surprised and delighted by Jiang Man's arrival: "So, did you come to help me out of this predicament, or do you want to discuss a collaboration?"

Jiang Man didn't beat around the bush: "Both. To be precise, I wanted to talk to you about cooperation, and incidentally helped you solve a small problem."

My eyes lit up: "Have you heard anything about Duan Jinyan?"

Jiang Man wrinkled her nose and glared at him, saying, "Duan Shenxing, no matter what, we're business partners, and I even saved you such a large sum of money. Even if you don't thank me, you should at least atone for deceiving me with a fake name back then, right? I flew for several hours to get here, did I come here just to be interrogated by you?"

"Oops, it's my fault!"

My mind was in turmoil from all this sophisticated talk, and realizing I was being disrespectful, I immediately stood up and said, "What would you like to eat? It's on me, but let's skip the drinks."

"Pah! You think I'm sophisticated? You're trying to take advantage of me? I won't allow it!"

Jiang Man rolled her eyes dramatically, then glanced at her watch: "I've heard there are quite a few night markets in Shenyang. Take me there."