Chapter 68 Even without love, I still need money...
Zhuang Jingxuan leaned against the door frame, smiling as she looked at Chu Ci.
Without waiting for Chu Ci's reply, he sauntered in and sat on the sofa.
Chu Ci then noticed that she was wrapped in gauze on her leg, and was clearly still injured.
Sitting on the sofa, Zhuang Jingxuan looked around with great interest.
"When I was a ghost before, I could never get in. Now I finally know what your parents look like."
Chu Ci put the half-folded gold ingot into the small basket and looked at her in surprise:
"You're being discharged from the hospital already?"
“Yes,” Zhuang Jingxuan winked at her, “Yesterday, the underworld messenger sent me into my body, and that’s when I woke up.”
"Lying in the hospital, I thought about it all night."
She leaned back against the sofa and slightly raised her chin.
"I've made up my mind. I'm going to take back what's rightfully mine."
Seeing Chu Ci staring intently at her, she assumed Chu Ci disagreed with her idea and frowned as she explained:
“Let me tell you, that property originally belonged to me. Saying ‘my share’ is already giving way to my parents!”
"According to my grandfather's will, they are both in charge of managing the money, and they will have to give it to me in the future!"
Her family situation was complicated; her parents' love story was very cliché, which can be summarized as a mundane tale of a rich girl and a man from humble beginnings.
Moreover, this man from humble beginnings is exceptionally assertive, while the rich girl is exceptionally timid.
As a result, after the rich girl's father died, the man from humble beginnings rose to power and seized most of the rich girl's family's business.
The only difference from mediocre stories is that although the rich young lady is timid, she is not love-struck.
On the contrary, she was just as promiscuous as the man from a poor background.
Zhuang Jingxuan: "My dad is a womanizer. He changes women more often than he changes clothes."
"My mom is a little better in this regard, but she still changes boyfriends regularly."
"But what they have in common is that they both like to spend money on their mistresses."
"As far as I know, over the years, at least one-tenth of my family's assets have been spent on their mistresses."
"My dad spends company money, and my mom spends the private money my maternal grandfather left her."
"No, part of that money is mine!"
Finally, Zhuang Jingxuan slapped her thigh and said, "Now they all have new children, and it seems like they've settled down, but they'll only spend more money on the new children."
"If they keep squandering like this, not a single penny of the money my grandfather left me will ever reach me!"
Chu Ci looked at her, "Then what do you want to do?"
"What else can we do? We'll rob it, of course!"
Chu Ci: "How do we steal it?"
Zhuang Jingxuan paused for a moment, then said, "...I haven't decided yet."
Chu Ci: "..."
She couldn't help but laugh out loud, "You thought about this all night, and this is all you came up with?"
Zhuang Jingxuan's straight back hunched over, and she couldn't help but sigh, "Sigh, all I did last night was make up my mind..."
She lowered her head, looking dejected.
“If it weren’t for this car accident, my parents would actually be very good to me.”
So she couldn't understand why her parents wanted to give up on her.
Is it really because of the new baby?
She was about to say something when someone called her from the hallway.
"Miss?"
"Miss Xuan?"
An elderly woman with gray hair and glasses walked in, panting.
Helplessly, he looked at Zhuang Jingxuan and said, "Miss, you should have gone to see the master and madam first since you're awake. Why did you come to a place like this?"
Zhuang Jingxuan rolled her eyes and loudly complained to Chu Ci:
"See? My parents sent someone to spy on me."
"Miss!"
The elderly woman with gray hair said helplessly, "How could you say that about the husband and wife?"
"During the time you were in a coma, your husband and wife couldn't eat or sleep well, and they were extremely worried about you."
"You're being incredibly inconsiderate by talking to Mr. and Mrs. like that."
"Hehe." Zhuang Jingxuan's eyes almost rolled to the sky.
"I might believe you if you say you're not eating well. But I don't believe you're not sleeping well."
She scoffed, staring at the old woman. "If the two of them don't sleep well, how could they have three children?"
The old lady's expression suddenly changed. "Miss, who told you all this?"
Her eyes darted around, and she stared at Chu Ci with wide eyes. "You said that?"
"Who do you think you are, slandering my husband and wife, and saying such things to our young lady!"
Chu Ci, who was caught in the crossfire: "..."
She chuckled twice, speechless, but before she could say anything, Zhuang Jingxuan retorted.
"Don't change the subject. Just tell me, do they have a new child?"
The old lady pursed her lips, her face conflicted, unsure of how to begin.
Zhuang Jingxuan snorted heavily, "Stop pretending with me. I'm not dead yet, and they want the child. They obviously wish I were dead!"
"Oh dear, miss, how could you say such a thing!"
The old lady frowned with a mournful face, "The master is so old and still doesn't have a son. You have no idea how people outside laugh at him."
"Besides, he has a son, who is your own brother, Miss. He can support you in the future and prevent our family from being wiped out!"
Zhuang Jingxuan almost laughed when she heard her words.
"So, you know that my dad married my mom, but he also had a mistress and fathered illegitimate children outside the marriage. He's just squandering his family's wealth!"
old lady:"……"
She looked distressed. "Miss, I..."
"No, no, no, I, I, I!"
Zhuang Jingxuan stood up, swaying slightly, almost ruining the imposing aura she had painstakingly built.
Chu Ci quickly steadied her, saying, "Be careful."
Zhuang Jingxuan leaned against her and snorted coldly at the old lady.
"Tell me the truth, what's going on with my mom? When did she start dating her lover?"
The old lady sold Zhuang Jingxuan's father quickly, but when it was Zhuang Jingxuan's mother's turn, she started to hesitate.
Chu Ci could roughly tell who the old lady was, and said gently:
"Grandpa, are you sure the man Xiaoxuan's mother found is alright?"
As soon as she asked the question, the old lady's expression became conflicted.
Zhuang Jingxuan's eyes darted around, her voice no longer so aggressive, and she pulled Chu Ci beside her.
"Grandma Housekeeper, do you know who she is?"
The old lady, known as "Grandma Housekeeper," squinted at Chu Ci and shook her head.
"It looks familiar, but I can't remember why."
Zhuang Jingxuan: "She is the most famous spiritual medium in this area. Her fortune telling and face reading are very accurate."
After saying that, she plopped down on her chair.
"Just tell my mom that I'm going to hang myself and ask her to come here to find me."
“If she doesn’t come to me, I’ll go to her lover’s company and cause a scene, ruining the reputation of her son’s father!”
"Anyway, I have nothing to lose, so let's see if she really loves her little lover!"
The housekeeper: "..."
She glanced at Zhuang Jingxuan, whose face was contorted with anger, and said helplessly, "Miss, Madam is currently pregnant..."
"We only let her come because she was pregnant! Once she gives birth, and her little lover is just like my dad, she'll have nowhere to cry!"
Hearing her say that, the housekeeper's face showed a hint of hesitation.
Seeing that she was starting to waver, Zhuang Jingxuan quickly grabbed Chu Ci's arm.
"If you don't believe in her abilities, go and ask around. Everyone around here knows the name of Master Chu!"
The housekeeper stared at Chu Ci's young face for a while, clearly not believing it.
But Zhuang Jingxuan opened the window and was about to jump, so she had no choice but to contact Zhuang Jingxuan's mother.
"Alright, alright, Miss, calm down. I'll go find Madam, I'll go find Madam, okay?"
The old lady sighed, turned to leave, but took two steps and then turned back.
She looked at Chu Ci with an apologetic expression.
"Miss, I was rude just now."
"Please keep an eye on our young lady and make sure she doesn't do anything foolish."
Before Chu Ci could nod, Zhuang Jingxuan waved her hand impatiently.
"Okay, okay! Go on now!"
"I won't die until she gets here!"
"But I'm only waiting for her for two hours. After two hours, I'm going to make a scene at her lover's company!"
The old lady looked at her and sighed, then went back to look for someone helplessly.
Watching her leave, Zhuang Jingxuan limped to the door and looked around, only to find that the person had indeed entered the elevator.
She pouted and plopped down on the sofa when she got back.
"I'll wait here for two hours. If she still hasn't called my mom back in two hours, I'll go to her lover's company and make a scene!"
Chu Ci continued folding the small gold ingots without looking up:
Do you know where his company is located?
“I know more than just where his company is; I even know how many women he took to hotel rooms last month!”
Chu Ci: "..."
She stared in astonishment, her eyes wide with disbelief, at Zhuang Jingxuan.
"You...you really..."
"It's true! I swear on my father's neck, it's absolutely true!"
Zhuang Jingxuan held up two fingers.
She said angrily, "That man was obviously after my mom's money. I followed him for a long time when I was a ghost!"
"That bitch is even more of a womanizer than my dad, except she's a bit younger!"
After she finished speaking, she seemed to realize something and slapped her thigh.
"Wait a minute, my mom... she doesn't actually like this kind of thing, does she?"
Chu Ci did not answer her question.
She was folding paper ingots, leaving Zhuang Jingxuan muttering to herself beside her.
More than an hour later, they still hadn't seen Zhuang Jingxuan's mother.
They waited until Grandma and Chen Xinxin returned with the purchased items.
Their hands were full, and Chu Ci reached out to take them, but Zhuang Jingxuan stepped back first.
"Grandma, let me help you!"
Grandma smiled politely when she saw this enthusiastic stranger.
Looking at Chu Ci, he asked silently:
Who is this person?
Chu Ci thought for a moment and mouthed, "Friend."
Grandma nodded, looking at Zhuang Jingxuan's adorable baby face, and asked with a smile:
"Daughter, would you like some water? Grandma will get you a drink."
My granddaughter didn't have many friends before, but now that she has finally made more, she is very enthusiastic towards each of her granddaughter's friends.
Zhuang Jingxuan said obediently, "Grandma, I'll just drink water."
But Grandma still gave her a drink and asked with concern, "Did you come to see Aci today because you need something?"
"Yes, something is indeed happening." She nodded readily. "But the person in question hasn't arrived yet; I'll have to wait a while."
Grandma nodded in sudden realization.
Chen Xinxin sorted the things they bought, and when she looked up, she saw two familiar figures.
"Grandma, Aunt Jun and Sister Zhenzhen are here."
"Ah-Jun and Zhen-Zhen are here?"
Grandma stood up and just then saw the landlady leading Cheng Zhenzhen into the room.
Upon seeing Grandma, the landlady smiled shyly and said, "Grandma Dan, good morning."
"Oh, you're too kind," Grandma teased. "Do you want something from me?"
Seeing how direct she was, the landlady didn't beat around the bush either.
"What else could it be? It's just about Zhenzhen renting a house, isn't it?"
She sighed, "These past two days, my husband and I have searched all over the neighborhood, but we still haven't found a suitable house."
"Sigh, I knew the houses here were expensive, but I didn't expect them to be this expensive!"
Today, Cheng Zhenzhen wore makeup and bright nail polish, and she no longer looked listless.
She looked at her fingernails and said nonchalantly, "My salary is high now, it can easily cover the rent."
The landlady rolled her eyes at her, "You can't just use all your money to pay rent."
"Besides shelter, you don't need food, drink, or clothing!"
Chen Xinxin listened quietly to their conversation, and her movements as she tidied up her things gradually slowed down.
When the landlady brought up renting the room again, she hesitated before raising her hand:
"Auntie, what kind of house are you looking to rent? How about sharing?"
Grandma clapped her hands excitedly as she thought about Chen Xinxin, who was about to go to stay at the hotel.
"Oh, right! There's a house right here!"
She walked up to Chen Xinxin and introduced her to the landlady, Aunt T: "This is Xinxin, she's still in school."
“She’s going to stay somewhere soon, and the house is just sitting empty anyway, so we might as well rent it out.”
As she spoke, she smiled and looked at Cheng Zhenzhen, "Xin Xin comes back once every two weeks, and each time she only stays for two or three days."
"It's called a shared apartment, but it's really no different from renting the whole place!"
The landlady hesitated for a moment, but Cheng Zhenzhen, who was beside her, had already stood up and reached out her hand to Chen Xinxin:
"I'll treat you to lunch today, shall we talk?"
Looking at the bright nail polish on her hands, Chen Xinxin nodded.
Although it was still early before lunchtime, the two decided to spend some time together and give it a try, so they went out early.
After watching the two leave, the landlady couldn't help but ask the old lady:
"Danpo, that child looks to be in high school, and he lives alone?"
Grandma briefly recounted Chen Xinxin's family situation and sighed, "This child is so pitiful!"
“She lost her parents and was still in school. I introduced her to Zhenzhen in the hope that she wouldn’t just sit around and do nothing.”
"If she rents out the house, she can save more money from the rent."
Grandma emphasized, "This child has a good character, you can rest assured!"
Hearing her say that, the landlady sighed instead.
"Grandma Dan, I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me, I... I'm not worried about Xin Xin, I'm worried about my Zhen Zhen!"
Even though she was her own daughter, the landlady had to admit that Cheng Zhenzhen had gone too far in the past.
Xin Xin has a bright future ahead of her, so Zhen Zhen shouldn't lead Xin Xin astray!
Grandma was initially a little worried, but then she thought they were overthinking it.
"Xin Xin spends most of her time at school, so what kind of impact could she have?"
"Besides, Zhenzhen graduated from a prestigious foreign university. Even if she was immature before, things are different now."
Seeing that she still looked worried, Grandma turned to ask Chu Ci.
"Aci, don't you think so?"
Chu Ci folded the gold ingots and chuckled, "Didn't those two go and talk? They'll say if it's not a good fit."
Zhuang Jingxuan nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, I think so too!"
The landlady sighed nervously, "That's true, let's see what the two parties involved think."
While her old friends were around, Grandma dragged the landlady to He Lihua's house to play mahjong.
Only Zhuang Jingxuan and Chu Ci remained in the room.
Seeing Chu Ci calmly folding the gold ingots, she was first curious as to why the underworld official thought this thing was a treasure.
But he quickly became impatient.
He paced around the room.
"Oh dear, why isn't my mom here yet? Why isn't she here yet..."
With two hours to go, she gritted her teeth.
"Fine, if you're ruthless, don't blame me for being unjust!"
She limped out, her fists clenching tighter and tighter.
"I'm going to her lover's company and causing a huge scene!"
She finally waited for the elevator to come up, and as soon as the door opened, she met the eyes of her mother, whose belly was slightly protruding.
Seeing the way her daughter looked like she was about to grind her teeth to powder, Zhuang's mother knew what her daughter was up to.
She supported her back as she stepped out of the elevator, cursing as she did so.
"You brat, couldn't you have waited a little longer!"
"How long does it take me to get from my home to this godforsaken place? Can't you use your pig brain to think about it?!"
"You're so impatient, like you've just exploded with firecrackers! Do you want to fly to the heavens?!"
Chu Ci paused in his folding of gold ingots, finally realizing where Zhuang Jingxuan's fiery temper came from.
Both mother and daughter were hit by firecrackers.
But... how cowardly can someone with this kind of temper be?
Zhuang Jingxuan never expected that after she finally woke up, her mother would start cursing at her.
Her eyes widened, her expression hurt, and she shouted back:
"I was in a coma for six months, and this is the first thing you said to me when you saw me?!"
Mrs. Zhuang rolled her eyes at her daughter and turned to walk into the shop.
"You mean this is the fortune-telling shop that's really good?"
She entered the room, supporting her back, and her expression changed as soon as she came in.
"Master?" she called out softly, smiling as she looked around the room.
Seeing that there was only Chu Ci inside, she asked in a low voice:
"Miss, is the master here?"
Zhuang Jingxuan squeezed in from behind, "She's the master!"
Aunt Zhuang: "..."
The smile faded from her face, replaced by suspicion.
She looked Chu Ci up, down, left, and right carefully, then turned to look at the housekeeper who was beside her.
The housekeeper nodded. "Madam, I've inquired about her; she's quite capable."
"People around here say she's an amazing fortune teller! She's even been in the newspapers!"
Aunt Zhuang's mouth was slightly open, her eyes still showing a mixture of belief and doubt.
Seeing that her own mother didn't believe her at all, Zhuang Jingxuan opened her mouth: "So, in the end, the one you don't believe isn't the master, it's me, right?"
She pointed to her mother's protruding belly and said, "I was only unconscious for a short time, and you're already pregnant!"
"Don't think that just because I'm unconscious, I can't hear you and my dad talking."
"Our family clearly has so much money. Even if I had become a vegetable back then, you would have had more than enough to support me!"
"And what happened? Neither of you wanted to pay for my upbringing, and you both had babies like you were in a competition!"
"Where do you two put me?!"
Zhuang's mother was initially a little guilty after hearing what she said, but when she heard Zhuang's father mentioned, she immediately straightened up.
"What do you mean? Are you only my child? Your father should contribute money too!"
"I'm your mother, but why should I pay for everything myself? Your father has money for his mistress, but no money to support you?"
"Your dad is a scumbag. Do you expect me to spend my whole life with a scumbag for you?"
"I have the right to pursue better people!"
Zhuang Jingxuan stared at her blankly, then suddenly fell silent.
Feeling guilty under her gaze, Zhuang's mother plopped down, not daring to look at her daughter's face.
Zhuang Jingxuan pursed her lips tightly, her voice hoarse, "Of course you have that right, so..."
"You admit it yourself, you don't love me, right?"
Aunt Zhuang muttered a curse, "So many problems every day!"
She stood up and walked out, annoyed: "I shouldn't have come to see you today! You're just like your father!"
She quickly entered the elevator, as if something dirty was chasing her.
Zhuang Jingxuan shouted from behind, "You dare to lose your temper with me! You dare to curse at me!"
"Do you really think that man likes you? She's just like my dad; she only likes your money!"
"He's not a better person at all. Your taste in men is still so bad!"
"You know about him going to hotels with women, right? But just like you do with my dad, you don't dare say anything!"
"All I do is pray he comes back! But he'll never come back! My dad won't, and neither will he!"
You'll regret this!
But Aunt Zhuang didn't even turn her head.
The housekeeper looked at her, then at Zhuang Jingxuan.
He shook his head helplessly and finally followed Aunt Zhuang.
After Zhuang Jingxuan shouted, her face turned bright red with anger.
As the numbers on the elevator screen dwindled, she slumped onto the sofa, her eyes red, and suddenly let out a self-deprecating laugh.
"Sometimes I feel that my mom still loves me quite a bit, but other times I feel..."
"It seems like she vented all her resentment towards my father on me."
"So no matter how much I make a fuss, she always seems impatient."
"If I hadn't threatened her with her lover today, she probably wouldn't have come at all..."
Chu Ci looked at her quietly for a while, then asked, "So what do you plan to do?"
Although Zhuang Jingxuan's mother's words were unpleasant to hear, a few of them made sense.
"There's nothing I can do." Zhuang Jingxuan wiped away her tears.
“My grandfather knew long ago that the couple was unreliable, and he had already planned out an escape route for me before he died.”
She stood up and walked out, still limping.
But his hunched back seemed to have become much more determined.
"Even without love, I still have to get my hands on the money."
"Oh, right."
Zhuang Jingxuan suddenly turned around, took out a checkbook from her bag, filled in an amount, and handed it to Chu Ci.
"My life is precious, this is your reward."
Chu Ci glanced at it and saw that there were many zeros on it.
She returned the check, saying, "I can't accept it."
Zhuang Jingxuan smiled and said, "Okay, I know your rules."
She haphazardly stuffed the check into her bag, saying, "It's really inconvenient for you to open your shop in a residential building."
“I have assets on this street, let me help you open the shop outside.”
Before Chu Ci could refuse, she reached out to stop her: "My life is very precious, it's worth this much money!"
“And don’t worry,” she said, raising her chin high, “I’m just lending you the shop, not giving it to you directly.”
After saying that, she made a phone call as she walked towards the elevator, asking someone to come and pick her up.
She didn't see Zhuang Jingxuan again for the next few days.
Chen Xinxin and Cheng Zhenzhen became roommates. The landlady moved her daughter's things over and kept reminding her not to disturb Xinxin's studies.
Since having a roommate, Chen Xinxin's personality seems to have become much more cheerful.
Seeing Chen Xinxin and Cheng Zhenzhen getting better and better, Chu Ci couldn't help but think of Zhuang Jingxuan.
From the television, everything seemed quiet, as if nothing major had happened.
It wasn't until the victim of the "Five-Faced Female Corpse Case" began holding her funeral in their building that Chu Ci finally saw news about Zhuang Jingxuan on television.
She began to use her grandfather's will to fight her parents for the inheritance.
The father and his mistress were holding a pair of twins, while the mother, heavily pregnant, was arm in arm with her lover, standing in front of the media and hurling insults at Zhuang Jingxuan.
Zhuang Jingxuan was surrounded by several bodyguards in black and lawyers, who walked straight through the reporters' encirclement.
The doll-like face behind the sunglasses was expressionless, only her tightly pursed lips revealed that she was not calm.
"Aci?"
Grandma came to call her.
"Are you ready? We'll go pay our respects and be right back. Hurry up and pack."
"good."
Chu Ci changed into a black outfit, buttoned up the last button, and turned off the TV.
"I'm ready, let's go."
She and her grandmother arrived at the funeral home where the mourning hall was located; He Lihua and Master He were also there.
But Master He didn't look well, and her daughter wasn't with her either.
Grandma quietly asked He Lihua, "What's wrong?"
"Well, what else could it be?"
He Lihua arrived early and witnessed the whole thing. She explained to them in a low voice.
"Master He's daughter, Li Meiyun!"
"That day when we went to the fortune teller, didn't he say that the murderer and Li Meiyun's boyfriend were good friends?"
She pointed to the family members dressed in mourning clothes, "They just lost their daughter, and the whole family is still trying to cope."
"Master He brought Li Meiyun to pay respects, but she was unhappy and they had a big argument."
"The deceased's mother got agitated and said that Li Meiyun indirectly caused her daughter's death. Li Meiyun was shy and ran out crying!"
Grandma frowned: "No way, this timing is wrong!"
The time of the deceased's death coincided with the time they moved.
But at that time, Li Meiyun and her husband were still very much in love!
“At that time, Li Meiyun didn’t know her colleagues, let alone the murderer. How can it be said that she indirectly caused the death?”
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