Unbeknownst to Meng Xuejun, an invisible net had already been quietly cast the moment he stepped into Jiangcheng University.
On the afternoon of the day Meng Xuejun left the Ye family, Ye Linchen was reading in her dormitory when her pager went off.
It was Ye Linnan calling.
On the other end of the phone, his voice was urgent and angry as he rattled off what had happened at home.
"Sis, you'd better watch out! Meng Xuejun, our gambling uncle is back from Hong Kong. He's owing a mountain of gambling debts, a whopping 80,000 yuan. He wanted my mom to pay it off for him, but she said no. Now he's got his eye on you and says he's coming to get money from you!"
"Mom was confused; she gave him your address!"
Ye Linbei snatched the phone: "Sis, don't be soft-hearted! He's a bottomless pit! He even tried to hit us today, but Mom stopped him. A person like that is capable of anything!"
The two brothers chatted back and forth, even repeating the gossip they had overheard from Meng Xuejun to Ye Linchen.
"...He also said that the big boss Meng Zihan was seeing outside seemed to be running a shell company. The two had a falling out, and he beat Meng Zihan half to death..."
Ye Linchen held the phone receiver and gave a cold laugh.
She was not surprised at all by Meng Xuejun's appearance.
Meng Xuejun is a gambler; sooner or later he'll squander all his money and come back to the Ye family.
The news about Meng Zihan, however, surprised her.
Ye Linchen knew how Meng Zihan's company was started.
She received the news the very day Meng Zihan hooked up with the big boss.
They also knew that Meng Zihan would not have a good ending.
Gu Jingran told her that the big boss's previous lovers all met tragic ends.
But I never expected the retribution to come so quickly and so tragically.
Assaulting someone is a serious offense.
That Hong Kong businessman named Zhou Shixian has such a despicable character.
Suddenly, another question came to her mind.
Given how despicable this Boss Zhou is, and the fact that Gu Jingran still has business dealings with him, is there any chance that he might accidentally offend Boss Zhou one day and then retaliate against Gu Jingran behind his back?
The moment the idea came to her mind, she felt nervous.
Ye Linchen quickly reassured his two younger brothers, telling them to be careful as the college entrance exam was approaching and to try not to go home.
Even if you go home, avoid direct conflict with Meng Xuejun; try to avoid him if possible.
After giving his instructions, Ye Linchen immediately hung up the phone and dialed Gu Jingran's number again.
The phone rang twice before being answered.
"What's wrong? Your voice sounds a bit off." Gu Jingran keenly noticed that something was wrong with her mood.
Ye Linchen didn't beat around the bush and told her everything about Meng Xuejun and what she had heard from her younger brother about Zhou Shixian and Meng Zihan.
Finally, he voiced his concern: "...That Zhou Shixian is such a bad person, isn't there any risk in cooperating with him?"
Gu Jingran on the other end of the phone was silent for a few seconds, then chuckled softly.
He reassured her, "Don't worry. Business is business, and people are people. I cooperate with him because I value his company's resources and channels, not his character."
Then, he patiently explained, "Zhou Shixian is not the top person in his company. There are several major shareholders watching him. He is just a director with some decision-making power."
"That's why he needed Meng Zihan to set up a shell company for him outside, so that he could easily engage in some shady business."
"As for Meng Zihan being beaten..."
Gu Jingran pondered for a moment and then told Ye Linchen the whole story.
“My assistant had already inquired about it. Things are more complicated than we thought. Zhou Shixian’s daughter is a ruthless character. After learning about Meng Zihan’s existence, she brought people to her door, blocked Meng Zihan, and beat her severely. If the neighbors hadn’t discovered it in time and called the police, she probably would have died.”
"When Meng Zihan woke up, he wanted to sue Zhou Shixian's daughter. Zhou Shixian threatened Meng Zihan to drop the lawsuit and eventually helped his daughter get rid of the case. Meng Zihan suffered a great loss this time, losing both his money and his reputation."
He spoke simply and bluntly, but Ye Linchen could still imagine how unbearable the scene would be.
Is Meng Zihan pitiful?
Maybe.
But Ye Linchen felt no sympathy for her whatsoever.
Even though she knew Zhou Shixian had a wife and children, she still willingly followed him and became his mistress.
This is the path she chose herself; she can't blame anyone else.
If you're determined to take a shortcut, you have to be prepared to take the risks involved.
“I originally had my assistant keep an eye on her because I was afraid she would come back and cause trouble for you.” Gu Jingran’s voice rang out again, with a hint of annoyance. “I didn’t expect that while I managed to keep an eye on Meng Zihan, I forgot about her father.”
He then dropped an even more shocking bombshell: "There's something else I just found out. In order to get rid of the Zhou family, Meng Zihan has hooked up with another boss. This person's surname is Zhang, and his business is even more shady than Zhou Shixian's. He's notorious for being ruthless in the underworld."
"Zhou Shixian is nothing compared to him. Meng Zihan has probably just escaped one danger only to fall into another. It's hard to say whether he'll even make it out alive."
After listening, Ye Linchen simply gave a faint "hmm".
"This is her own destiny, I don't want to interfere, and I can't interfere."
She didn't want to talk about Meng Zihan anymore, so she brought the topic back, "Let's talk about my uncle. He's already got my address."
"What do you plan to do?" Gu Jingran asked, his tone becoming serious.
Ye Linchen gave a cold laugh.
"What else can we do? He gambled away his debts, fled back to his hometown, and even went to his family home to threaten them. Every single one of these things is illegal. I've already gone to the police station and reported it to the police. Handing him over to the police is the best option."
She is no longer the pushover she was in her past life.
It's useless to try to persuade such scoundrels with family affection and reason; only the iron fist of the law can truly frighten them.
“You did the right thing,” Gu Jingran agreed. “However, you still need to be careful until the police find him. Try not to be alone these next few days, and call me whenever you go out.”
"Don't worry." Ye Linchen smiled, his laughter carrying the composure of someone who had been through many battles.
“I already have experience dealing with these monsters and demons.”
Meanwhile, Meng Xuejun, who thought himself an experienced "old hunter," was squatting in the grove opposite the dormitory building, his body covered in mosquito bites.
He scratched his arm in frustration, staring at the lights of the dormitory building not far away, plotting how to corner Ye Linchen tomorrow and make her hand over the money obediently.
He was completely unaware that he had long since transformed from hunter into prey, waiting for dawn to break him into the net that had been laid out for him.
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