Chapter 171: Restraint
After this conversation, Shen Yan had gained some insights. Although there was no definite answer, she had pieced together some new clues, which was undoubtedly a significant breakthrough.
Before ending, she took out twenty dollars from her wallet and handed it over as promised.
This was a small agreement they had made long ago. As long as the other party was willing to help her find out information about the Shen family manor, she would pay twenty yuan as a thank you gift.
The other party took the money with a smile and said, "Thank you! If you have similar problems in the future, just come to me and I will definitely cooperate!"
His face was full of satisfied smile.
She added: "Also, due to some misunderstandings before, you were affected by some negative comments. I am really sorry. I hope you don't mind."
Her tone was sincere, and the apology came from the heart. After hearing it, the other party did not pursue the matter too much, but just waved his hand and said, "It's okay."
In her opinion, this seemingly ordinary meeting actually brought her a lot of gains.
Although she is still searching for a perfect plan, the path is becoming clearer step by step.
"But I have to make it clear that those increasingly outrageous statements were not spread by me."
The man who spoke was sorting the documents in his hand while carefully observing Shen Yan's expression. "I really just said it casually, saying that you and the Third Master might have some relationship. I just mentioned it privately to two or three friends, and I didn't expect it to be spread out."
He paused, his tone becoming even more humble. "As for those increasingly outrageous claims later on, about you once living in his house, and about you... ahem... Anyway, these things have nothing to do with you and me. Just let them go."
Recalling those rumors that were spread all over the place, the corners of Shen Yan's mouth twitched slightly, revealing an expression that could barely be called a smile: "It's okay, let's all go."
She suddenly thought of another question!
The conversation just now was like a spark, suddenly igniting a certain idea in her mind -
In fact, she and Song Weiwei don't like to pay attention to these gossips, and usually they hardly get involved in the after-dinner chats.
It is really difficult for them to grasp all the rumors and gossips.
They are now living in such an environment with undercurrents and dangers everywhere, where even a rumor may cause an uproar. If the information is delayed, they may suffer great losses.
Do they also need someone to collect and organize information for them?
Who is suitable for such a person?
She looked at her old colleague in front of her and her heart moved.
This person was an acquaintance of hers when she was in school. He was very sensitive to information and had good eloquence. He was especially good at catching the little secrets circulating in the streets and alleys.
But she quickly dismissed the idea.
She was very clear about the "glorious deeds" of the person in front of her in the past - when he was working at the school, he was reported by students for spreading rumors privately. As a result, he not only lost his job, but also lost his reputation in the circle.
What she needed was someone who could provide accurate and reliable intelligence, not a rumormonger who would exaggerate and turn a sparrow into a giant bird.
Afterwards, she and Song Weiwei said goodbye to their former colleague and walked back to the dormitory in the manor together.
The night gradually darkened the sky, and the evening breeze blew across their slightly tired cheeks.
As soon as they entered the dormitory, they happened to meet Li Tingting walking towards them.
The other person was holding a few books in his hands and walked over briskly. "You will read these tonight. Don't forget to study every day. I need to check your notes tomorrow."
After hearing this, Shen Yan and Song Weiwei nodded, took out the notes they had sorted out yesterday from the bedside and handed them to Li Tingting.
The two cooperated with her in the inspection and exchanged opinions in low voices.
Every night before going to bed, they would spend one or two hours reading and studying.
The contents of their books are not fixed either - once they finish reading the existing books, Li Tingting will replace them with new ones and continue the arrangement.
It seemed like this was a never-ending learning task, but they both knew in their hearts that this knowledge might be the best guarantee for them to stay grounded in the present and find a way out.
Chen Yan took the new book handed to her by Li Tingting and put it in the drawer casually, but a look of wanting to say something but stopping appeared on her face.
She hesitated for a moment, and finally asked directly: "Tingting, can I meet your sister? I heard that she works in the eldest lady's room."
She didn't want to use her connections covertly; doing so would not only go against her conscience but would also make her feel uneasy and guilty.
In contrast, she would rather be straightforward and state her purpose and ideas clearly to see if Li Tingting is willing to help.
Li Tingting's sister is currently her only channel to access the core area of the manor.
Ordinary people cannot enter that place at all, and the people inside rarely interact with the outside world.
She hopes that through this relationship, she can gain a deeper understanding of the true inside story of the manor owner's family, so as to have more favorable information and choices at critical moments.
Li Tingting looked at her with a complicated and wary look, her tone mixed with caution and a hint of hesitation: "What do you want to do? Why are you asking all this suddenly?"
She also knew that what she was about to do was definitely not aimless in Li Tingting's eyes.
After all, what happened between Shen Yan and Gao Zeyu had already been widely circulated in the circle.
Li Tingting had actually heard a little about the various disputes, rumors, and even the undercurrents behind the scenes between Chen Yan and Gao Zeyu.
When the scandal between Chen Yan and Gao Zeyu first broke out, there were constant rumors in the outside world, and many people took advantage of the situation to stir up trouble.
It was Li Tingting who stood up for her and kept those people with ulterior motives out - especially when she publicly rebuked Zhan Lan who came to provoke her, thus protecting Chen Yan's innocence and dignity.
The "person in the eldest lady's room" that Li Tingting mentioned was her sister.
The elder sister who holds a pivotal position within the manor is not only in touch with core affairs, but can even be said to be a very important link in the manor's high-level information chain.
She could actually explain these secret yet real relationships clearly and understandably to Li Tingting.
Because she believed that Li Tingting was not someone who did not know the importance of things.
So Shen Yan decided to tell Li Tingting the truth about her past experiences, her concerns, and the opportunities she really wanted to fight for.
She was as frank as she was when she faced Song Weiwei, without hiding anything or pretending.
She slowly explained the whole story, from how she met Gao Zeyu, the misunderstandings and struggles between them, to her current situation and her determination to break the impasse.
After listening, Li Tingting was silent for a few seconds, and then immediately understood Chen Yan's true intention - she wanted to use her sister as a channel to find a connection that could restrain the Third Master, or at least balance certain situations.
"I can't agree to this."
Li Tingting refused very decisively, without leaving much room for maneuver in her tone.
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