Chapter 97 Investing Money "Hey, have you heard? Dong..."
"Hey, have you heard? The second daughter of the Dong family has a new boyfriend."
"Wasn't she completely devoted to that guy surnamed Yan before? How come she's suddenly seeing someone new?"
"I heard about it, I heard about it, how could I not have heard about it! I heard her boyfriend is a college student, hey, I really can't understand how a college student could be so foolish as to fall for her!"
"That's right..."
There was a lot of discussion in the alley. Mingxi went over to listen for a while. After all, no one had ever met them before, and everyone's curiosity was still very strong.
Ironically, the Dong family was the last to know that Dong Chunling had a new boyfriend.
When Dong's mother went out to buy breakfast in the morning, she heard people in line whispering to each other. She didn't realize who the person they were talking about was dating until she heard Dong Chunling's name. Then she realized that everyone was talking about her daughter.
Mrs. Dong's eyes widened. What?! Her daughter has a new boyfriend, and he's a college student?!
She had no idea about this!
Mrs. Dong couldn't sit still any longer. She didn't even bother to buy breakfast and turned around to go home.
Dong Chunling: "Mom, you're back. How about breakfast? Didn't you say you were going to buy steamed buns? What, are they sold out?"
Dong Chunling grumbled discontentedly, "Is it really that bad? It's not even 7:30 yet, and they're already sold out? Mom, maybe you should leave earlier next time. We'll just have some noodles for today. I want tomatoes..."
Before Dong Chunling could finish speaking, her mother interrupted her: "I overheard someone outside saying that you're dating someone new?"
Dong Chunling was stunned. Before she could speak, her father and older brother, who had come out after hearing the noise, interrupted her.
"What? You've got a new boyfriend?"
"Is your new boyfriend that guy surnamed Li you mentioned last time?"
Brother Dong immediately thought of Li Xiangdong, whom Dong Chunling had mentioned before.
This time, Dong Chunling did not deny it, and readily nodded in admission: "Yes, it is Li Xiangdong."
Brother Dong slammed his fist heavily on the table: "I knew it!"
When Dong Chunling introduced Li Xiangdong to them last time, he felt that Dong Chunling's words implied that her relationship with Li Xiangdong was not innocent. Sure enough, Dong Chunling was dating him.
Mr. and Mrs. Dong also remembered Li Xiangdong, whom Dong Chunling had mentioned before.
Mrs. Dong blinked, processing the news, and said, "Daughter, your father and I have no objections to who you're dating, but we are your parents after all, and we're a little worried. When would be a good time for you to bring this Mr. Li home so we can meet him?"
Last time, she suggested that Dong Chunling bring Li Xiangdong back, but Dong Chunling repeatedly declined and refused.
Dong's mother didn't think much of it, just that she was embarrassed.
Now that Dong Chunling has openly admitted to being in a relationship, surely she's not still embarrassed?
Could we bring Li Xiangdong home so they can see him?
Dong's mother looked at Dong Chunling expectantly. Dong Chunling bit her lip and said, "I have to ask Xiang Dong what he thinks. He's very busy and may not have time to meet with you."
Mrs. Dong patted the back of her hand and said, "It's okay. Tell him not to be nervous. Just come to our house and have a simple meal. He'll definitely have time for a meal, right?"
Brother Dong retorted sarcastically, "What's so busy he has? He doesn't even have time to go home with you and meet his family."
Brother Dong always felt that Li Xiangdong was not a reliable person, and he had a lot of doubts in his heart. At this moment, he spoke as if he were on steroids, wanting to go against Dong Chunling.
Dong Chunling was unhappy: "Xiang Dong is a college student and still has to attend classes at school, so he doesn't have much time to spare."
"undergrad?"
Brother Dong's eyebrows furrowed: "Didn't you say last time that Li Xiangdong was a black marketeer? How come he's a college student now?"
These days, people take going to university very seriously. Getting into university means you'll be assigned a good job and become a manager in a factory. So anyone who gets into university cherishes their university student status.
A college student, no matter how difficult his family's circumstances, would never resort to speculation or profiteering.
After all, if you get caught speculating or profiteering, you'll go to jail and be expelled from school.
If you can get into university, your future will definitely be bright. There's no need to do this. If you get caught, wouldn't that be a loss?
Upon thinking about it, Brother Dong realized something was wrong and grabbed Dong Chunling, asking, "You haven't been scammed, have you? Besides what Li Xiangdong said himself, does he have anything else to prove he's a college student? Did he show you his student ID? If it's not a student ID, do you have one...?"
Dong Chunling shoved Brother Dong and said unhappily, "Do you think I'm stupid? Of course I saw Xiang Dong enter the school."
Dong Chunling was smug; she wasn't some brainless idiot.
She had initially suspected that Li Xiangdong might be lying, but it was only after seeing him enter Beicheng University that she was certain he wasn't.
Brother Dong: "Getting into school doesn't mean anything. Why would a college student be involved in speculation and profiteering?"
When this was mentioned, Dong Chunling began to feel guilty.
Because the whole speculation story was fabricated by her.
Fearing her parents wouldn't believe the story of the inheritance being frozen by the bank, she cleverly fabricated a story about speculative business dealings.
Unexpectedly, Brother Dong is now becoming suspicious of Li Xiangdong's business dealings.
"The investment you mentioned last time, it wasn't proposed by Li Xiangdong, was it? You didn't give him the money, did you?" Brother Dong was even more perceptive than Dong Chunling.
Dong Chunling stammered, "No, no, it wasn't Li Xiangdong who suggested it, it was me. Anyway, don't overthink it, Xiangdong would never lie to me!"
Dong Chunling became increasingly guilty as she spoke, fearing that her lies would be exposed and her parents would be angry and refuse to give her the money.
How could Brother Dong not notice Dong Chunling's unusual behavior? He grabbed Dong Chunling's hand and said, "You're stuttering, which means you're guilty. Tell me, did you give Li Xiangdong money behind our backs? How much did you give him?"
He clenched his fists and pondered. Dong Chunling had spent all her salary over the years on Yan Zhiwen and hadn't saved a single penny. The only money she had was what she had asked Yan Zhiwen to repay when they divorced.
At the time, it was Brother Dong who negotiated with Yan Zhiwen. Yan Zhiwen only returned the dowry that Dong Chunling had given when she married into the family, as well as a portion of the divorce compensation.
Yan Zhiwen refused to pay, always claiming he had no money. Even when Brother Dong threatened to sue Yan Zhiwen for having illicit relationships, he denied it, and in the end, he demanded 500 yuan in divorce compensation.
Including the dowry, it only amounted to a little over six hundred yuan.
Brother Dong: "You didn't give all six hundred yuan to Li Xiangdong, did you?"
"No, brother, what are you talking about? What money? Xiang Dong has never asked me for any money." Dong Chunling argued while blinking rapidly and guiltily. Anyone with eyes could see that something was wrong with her.
Brother Dong was furious. He poked Dong Chunling's forehead and said, "Can't you use your brain? Do you believe everything people say? You call yourself a college student? Don't you even know your own situation? Do you think a real college student would be interested in a divorced woman like you?"
"You're talking nonsense!"
Dong Chunling shouted defiantly, shoving her older brother away: "Who said Li Xiangdong is a fraud? I saw him enter Beicheng University with my own eyes; he's a college student. Why would a college student look down on me? Love doesn't follow logic; it doesn't consider age or status. You don't understand what love is at all, and I'm not going to bother explaining it to you!"
After saying those words, Dong Chunling turned and walked away. As she passed Brother Dong, she deliberately raised her shoulder and bumped into him hard on the shoulder.
As she approached the door, she seemed to remember something and turned back, saying, "Also, the money wasn't asked for by Li Xiangdong; I gave it to him voluntarily, and he didn't even want to accept it. You're not allowed to call him a liar anymore!"
Dong Chunling stormed out of the house, thinking resentfully as she walked towards the yard, "Brother Dong is looking down on people by peeking through the crack in the door."
She just had bad taste before, falling for Yan Zhiwen. She's not really brainless. How could she not tell whether Li Xiangdong is a liar or not?
Dong Chunling came out in a huff, rushing out without looking where she was going. Before she even reached the alley entrance, she bumped into someone.
Mingxi clutched her arm: "Ouch, Dong Chunling, can't you watch where you're going?"
She had just walked out of the courtyard when Dong Chunling bumped into her.
Dong Chunling showed no embarrassment whatsoever: "I wasn't looking where I was going. Couldn't you have been watching? You knew there were people around, yet you still didn't move aside. You deserved to be hit!"
"Hey!"
Dong Chunling was the one who bumped into him first, and she was still so arrogant, so Mingxi was naturally unhappy.
Without wasting words with Dong Chunling, she took two steps forward and bumped into Dong Chunling's shoulder.
Mingxi was stronger than the average person, and Dong Chunling was not mentally prepared, so she fell flat on her backside.
Dong Chunling glared at him: "You!"
Mingxi: "I wasn't looking where I was going. Couldn't you have been watching? You knew there were people around, yet you still didn't move aside. You deserved to get hit!"
She returned Dong Chunling's words verbatim.
Dong Chunling was furious, but she couldn't do anything to Mingxi.
All he could do was clench his fists and pound the ground in frustration, a helpless rage.
"Hey, I heard from Aunt He that you actually have a college student boyfriend?"
Mingxi was actually too lazy to pay attention to Dong Chunling, but since she had been entrusted by the police, she didn't leave and asked Dong Chunling a question while she was on the ground.
When the topic turned to her boyfriend, Dong Chunling became smug again. She stood up, raised her head, and said, "What, didn't you not believe I could date a college student?"
She glanced at Mingxi disdainfully, displaying the smugness of a petty person who had achieved success.
Mingxi rolled her eyes, looked Dong Chunling up and down, and said feigning ignorance, "No, how did your boyfriend fall for you? What did he see in you? Is his family poor?"
Mingxi meant that Li Xiangdong was after Dong Chunling's family's financial situation.
Dong Chunling was naturally unhappy. With a sour face, she said, "What do you know? My boyfriend and I are truly in love. Our relationship has nothing to do with external conditions. He said that he values my noble and beautiful soul!"
vomit.
Mingxi felt nauseous, and Dong Chunling and Li Xiangdong were truly a pair of people who dared to say it and dared to believe it.
She rolled her eyes and said with certainty, "I get it, your boyfriend's family isn't well-off."
Dong Chunling: "No, that's not true at all. My boyfriend's family is well-off; they're rich! He's not after me because of my financial situation!"
Mingxi pursed her lips, deliberately feigning disbelief.
Dong Chunling was both angry and anxious.
Moreover, she felt a little uneasy when it came to money.
She agreed with Li Xiangdong that she would raise money for him to pay the bank fees so that his assets, which had been frozen by the bank, could be unfrozen.
But given the current situation, her family all think Li Xiangdong is a swindler and definitely won't give her any money.
Where else could she get money for Li Xiangdong?
The bank charges a handling fee of 20,000 yuan, which is no small amount.
As Dong Chunling thought about it, she couldn't help but look at Mingxi.
Mingxi must be quite wealthy, right?
Mingxi's father died in a factory accident. I heard that the factory paid a large sum of money in compensation when he passed away.
Dong Chunling's eyes lit up, and a plan came to her mind. She smiled and leaned closer to Mingxi: "Mingxi, we grew up in the same alley. I won't hide it from you. My boyfriend is a good catch, and most importantly, he's a businessman."
Dong Chunling was unwilling to tell Mingxi about the money Li Xiangdong's father had left for him in a foreign bank.
She was afraid that if she spoke up, Mingxi would have her eye on the money and want a share too.
Just use the excuse you gave your family.
Dong Chunling: "My boyfriend is doing business with foreigners, and he happens to be short of capital recently. Would you like to invest?"
Mingxi: "..."
She wanted to ask Dong Chunling if she was alright.
One second she was arguing with me, the next she was coming up to me and asking me to invest in her boyfriend's business.
No normal person would agree to that, right?
"Tell me in detail, what kind of business is it?"
Don't get me wrong, Mingxi is a normal person, she's just carrying out a task entrusted to her by the police.
Dong Chunling: "It's about buying goods from local factories and reselling them to people from Russia. Our goods are cheap, but they're expensive in Russia. It's a simple matter of buying and selling, making a profit. If you invest money, I guarantee you can double your principal in a week. How about it, are you in?"
Mingxi was not as easily fooled as Dong's parents, so Dong Chunling deliberately spoke vaguely.
However, it's not particularly strange that she's like this.
Many people are now engaged in cross-border trading, but it's definitely not appropriate to talk about it openly; it can only be described vaguely, and those in the know will naturally understand what it entails.
Mingxi understood perfectly.
She feigned surprise and covered her mouth: "Isn't your boyfriend engaging in speculation and profiteering?"
Dong Chunling said impatiently, "Whether it's speculation or not, you can make a lot of money anyway, are you going to invest or not?"
Instead of answering the question directly, Mingxi asked, "If I were to invest, how much money would I need to put in?"
Upon hearing this, Dong Chunling knew there was hope, and her smile became more genuine: "How much can you offer?"
Mingxi: "Tell me how much you want first. I have money. Several thousand or tens of thousands is nothing to me."
"Seriously, where did you get so much money?"
Dong Chunling glanced at Mingxi suspiciously.
She suspected that Mingxi was exaggerating. Even if Mingxi's family was rich, surely they wouldn't say that a few thousand or tens of thousands was nothing?
Mingxi feigned profundity: "Don't worry about where I get so much money. Anyway, I have money. Just tell me how much you want to invest."
Dong Chunling looked at Mingxi suspiciously, one glance after another.
Although her doubts hadn't been dispelled, seeing Mingxi's natural expression, which didn't seem like she was exaggerating, she tentatively asked, "You need to invest 20,000 yuan, do you have it?"
Mingxi scoffed and said disdainfully, "It's just 20,000 yuan, who do you think you are?"
Dong Chunling was taken aback.
If her family wanted to raise 20,000 yuan, it would be a huge financial burden, requiring them to mortgage the house. They never expected Mingxi to be so confident, as if 20,000 yuan was nothing to her.
Dong Chunling's eyes flickered. Where would the Ming family get so much money? Even if the factory lost money when Mingxi's father died, the compensation would only be a few thousand yuan at most, not tens of thousands.
Could it be that the Ming family has some other way to make money?
You never know!
There were rumors in their alley that the Ming family ancestors were high-ranking officials. Although the family had fallen on hard times by the time of Mingxi's grandfather, they still left her a lot of valuable things.
Otherwise, with Zhao Sulan's meager salary, how could she afford to spend money so lavishly, letting Mingxi eat whatever she wants and buy whatever she desires?
Dong Chunling was so engrossed in imagining a grand drama that she never considered that Zhao Sulan was simply willing to spend money on Mingxi.
"I can afford 20,000 yuan, but can you guarantee that what you're saying is true, and that if I invest it, your partner will double my money? What if you're lying, and my money just goes down the drain and I never see the light of day again?"
Dong Chunling: "Of course not, don't worry. What kind of relationship do we have? Why would I lie to you?"
Mingxi rolled her eyes to the sky.
Given her relationship with Dong Chunling, how could Dong Chunling have the nerve to say such a thing?
After Dong Chunling finished speaking, she realized that her words might not be very credible.
She pursed her lips: "Then what do you suggest we do?"
Mingxi thought for a moment and said, "I need to meet with your boyfriend."
Dong Chunling immediately looked wary: "What do you want to do? That's my boyfriend! Let me tell you, my boyfriend loves me very much, and no one can break us up!"
Mingxi rolled her eyes in silence.
Without even thinking, I knew what that idiot Dong Chunling meant.
Isn't it just to guard against her, afraid that she'll take a liking to Li Xiangdong?
Mingxi really didn't want to indulge her, so she retorted directly: "If you really can't handle it, why don't you spin around in the middle and shake the water out of your head? Do you think everyone is like you, with nothing but men on their mind all day long? I told you to call your boyfriend out because I need to talk to him about business in person. After all, it's your boyfriend's business, not yours. I won't feel at ease if I don't talk to him personally."
She waved her hand dismissively: "Of course, if you really don't want me to meet your boyfriend, then forget about investing money. At least you can hear a sound when you throw money into the water, but if you give it to your boyfriend and he loses it, or even runs off with the money, I won't even hear a sound."
As Mingxi spoke, she turned to leave.
As soon as Dong Chunling saw that she was about to leave, she became nervous and quickly stepped forward to grab the corner of her clothes.
"Hey, Mingxi, don't go yet. We can talk things over slowly. Don't just leave like that."
Mingxi: "There's nothing to discuss about this. I absolutely will not invest any money until I personally meet with your partner and clarify the business details."
Dong Chunling thought for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Okay, I'll talk to my boyfriend and see when it's convenient for us to meet up."
However, Dong Chunling is still Dong Chunling. She had just agreed to arrange for Mingxi and Li Xiangdong to meet when she added with concern, "But you have to promise me that you will only talk about business when you meet, and you are not allowed to have your eye on my boyfriend!"
She tried to say some harsh words to dispel any inappropriate thoughts in Mingxi's mind: "Even if you like my boyfriend, it's no use. He only has me in his heart and only loves me. Even if you offer yourself to him, he won't even look at you."
Mingxi scoffed, too lazy to pay attention to her nonsense, and walked away.
Arguing with Dong Chunling about this is a complete waste of time.
Since the important business had been discussed, Dong Chunling didn't stop Mingxi from leaving this time. She just called out to Mingxi's back, "Wait here. I'll come find you after I've discussed it with my boyfriend!"
Upon hearing this, Mingxi paused, then nodded behind her without turning her head to indicate that she understood.
She maintained her composure until she walked out of the alley and was sure that Dong Chunling could no longer see her. Only then could she finally break down and burst into laughter.
Wow... I never expected things to go so smoothly!
Bai Ling's original plan with Ming Xi was for Ming Xi to first subtly probe Dong Chunling to see if she could get any information about Li Xiangdong from her. If she couldn't get any information, she would have Dong Chunling arrange to meet Li Xiangdong, and then they would see what happened next based on Li Xiangdong's actions.
Arresting Li Xiangdong alone wouldn't be of much value; the real issue is the gang behind him.
However, Li Xiangdong was too cautious. Even after the police conducted a private investigation and followed him, they found no evidence that Li Xiangdong had met with his accomplices, and they couldn't even find any trace of his accomplices.
The police officers, of course, wanted to use Li Xiangdong to lure out the gang behind him.
Mingxi hadn't figured out how to provoke Dong Chunling into bringing Li Xiangdong out to meet her when, by sheer coincidence, Dong Chunling walked right into her life.
Of course, she couldn't miss this opportunity!
Mingxi took a deep breath, suppressing her excitement. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then hurried toward the address Bai Ling had given her.
While Mingxi began her own operation, Dong Chunling was also busy.
She was incredibly excited. She thought it would take a lot of effort to raise the 20,000 yuan in handling fees, but she never expected that Mingxi could afford so much money.
Overjoyed, she skipped class and headed straight for the address Li Xiangdong had given her.
Although Li Xiangdong usually lives at school, he left her an address, saying it was the house his father left behind. He would occasionally go back to visit, and she could go to the house to find him if she needed anything. If he wasn't there, she could just tell the neighbors.
Filled with excitement, Dong Chunling headed straight for Li Xiangdong's "home." As soon as she arrived, she saw Li Xiangdong carrying a washbasin out of the house.
"Xiangdong, you're home? Didn't you say you were going back to school last night?"
Li Xiangdong was taken aback; he hadn't expected her to come looking for him so early in the morning.
He pursed his lips and said, "Well, it's too late and I didn't want to go back to school. Um, what's up? Let's go inside and talk."
Without saying a word, Li Xiangdong pulled Dong Chunling into the house, closed the door, and turned around: "By the way, why did you come so early? Is something wrong?"
Being alone in a room with a man and a woman, Dong Chunling felt rather embarrassed. She glanced shyly at Li Xiangdong and said, "I've found someone who can help you pay the bank fees!"
Li Xiangdong was pleasantly surprised: "Really? Your parents are willing to pay?"
He thought he would have to work on Dong Chunling's parents' side for a while longer, but he didn't expect Dong Chunling to convince them so quickly.
As expected of his carefully chosen target, he was naive, rich, and easy to talk to.
Dong Chunling: "No, it's not my parents, it's our neighbor in the same alley, she's willing to pay..."
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Author's note: I'm late, so here's a humble apology on my knees (jpg).
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