Bending over
Time flies by, and before we know it, another period of time has passed.
Qu Shiyao and Gu Yanxi maintained a stable relationship and occasionally complained about each other's recent situations.
Through Gu Yanxi, she naturally added Shen Qingyi's contact information, and the three of them would occasionally chat in a small group.
From the conversation, Qu Shiyao learned that the company that Gu Yanxi and Shen Qingyi co-founded had fallen into a difficult situation due to Si Cheng's intentional or unintentional suppression, and was basically in a stage of only spending and not earning.
However, she recently heard that Si Cheng had been in the hospital, which made her sigh: He must have done too many bad things and was being punished!
During this time, Su Wanwan seemed to have vanished into thin air, frequently disappearing without a trace.
Conversely, her name and figure frequently appear in the financial and social news sections.
She seemed to have transformed into a litigation expert, swiftly and decisively taking one familiar or unfamiliar face after another to court.
The apartment across from Qu Shiyao's, which belonged to Su Wanwan, had also been dark for a long time.
Occasionally, when glimpsed from afar on the street, one could see that in addition to Tan Zhendong, who was always by her side, Su Wanwan was accompanied by several imposing bodyguards, making quite a grand spectacle.
Meanwhile, Yi Yu has successfully started school and begun her new university life.
Despite his busy schedule, it did not affect his relationship with Qu Shiyao at all. On the contrary, their regular routine gave them more time to chat on the phone and go on sweet dates.
Meanwhile, an even more important statistic is quietly changing.
After a period of settling and the plot unfolding, their rating finally climbed to 9.3 points!
The number of fans who actually collect the content is approaching 80,000.
Compared to ratings, which require building a reputation, the number of favorites is obviously a easier metric to achieve.
Logically, as long as the number of valid collections reaches 100,000, Qu Shiyao's task will be considered successful, and she can immediately pack up and go home.
She even thought that perhaps once she, this variable, left, the world could automatically repair itself and return to normal, and Yi Yu would naturally be safe.
But... what if?
If she leaves, the world collapses due to the absence of a core figure, or continues to develop according to some kind of inertia.
So, will Yi Yu, who has the deepest bond with her in the current storyline and can almost be considered the new male lead, be the first to suffer an accident?
Even the system itself cannot provide a definitive answer to this question, as its database contains no relevant cases.
Therefore, Qu Shiyao cannot gamble, nor dares to gamble.
Before finding a foolproof way to ensure Yi Yu's absolute safety, she must work hard to push the rating towards that safety line.
-----------------
That day, Qu Shiyao and Yi Yu spent a long time cuddling together in the apartment.
As soon as I came out of Yi Yu's room, I looked up and saw Su Wanwan standing gracefully at the door of her own apartment, her face showing an undeniable weariness.
Standing beside her, as always, was Tan Zhendong, who was like a guardian angel.
"What's wrong? Why are you here today?" Qu Shiyao asked, somewhat surprised, as she took out her key and opened her door.
"I need your help with something." Su Wanwan's tone was very natural, as if she were just mentioning it casually.
She stepped into Qu Shiyao's room, while Tan Zhendong stood guard outside like a door god.
Qu Shiyao poured her a glass of warm water, while she herself expertly dug out a large box of family-sized ice cream from the refrigerator, returned to the sofa, and happily scooped out a large spoonful and stuffed it into her mouth.
Su Wanwan looked at the ice cream in her hand, then at the crystal-clear glass of water in front of her, and fell into a brief silence.
"What kind of help? Tell me." Qu Shiyao asked vaguely, her mouth full of cold ice cream.
“I want to eat this too.” Su Wanwan didn’t answer directly, but instead pointed her slender finger at the box of ice cream in Qu Shiyao’s hand.
System: [6] Is this what happens when the stingy host meets her eccentric sugar daddy? This is truly an eye-opener for me!
Qu Shiyao: "..." She looked at Su Wanwan's serious and somewhat longing eyes.
At that moment, she really wanted to say: Child! This food doesn't taste good! And wanting to eat everything will only harm you!
But what could she do? The other side was her sugar daddy!
Qu Shiyao, who had just sat down, had no choice but to resignedly lift her bottom again, forcing a warm smile onto her face:
"Yes, Miss! Which flavor would you like? I have vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry."
Upon hearing this, Su Wanwan's eyes lit up slightly, and she said almost without thinking, "Strawberry."
Qu Shiyao deftly took out another box of strawberry-flavored snacks from the refrigerator, handed it to Su Wanwan, and then slumped back onto the sofa.
She watched as Su Wanwan imitated her, carefully scooping out a small bite with the included wooden spoon and putting it into her mouth.
Immediately, the young lady's delicate brows furrowed almost imperceptibly, clearly indicating that the taste was far different from the top-quality handmade ice cream she usually ate.
Qu Shiyao wondered to herself: What is the young lady up to?
Experience the hardships of ordinary people?
Sharing joy with the people?
Based on her past behavior, shouldn't she have been able to order Tan Zhendong outside the door to immediately airfreight a case of Häagen-Dazs with just a glance?
"Let's get down to business," Su Wanwan said, putting down the ice cream she had only taken a bite of, looking at Qu Shiyao, her tone returning to its usual calm.
"I have a very important court hearing next Wednesday. I'd like you to come with me. You don't need to do anything, just... sit in the family section with me, okay?"
Qu Shiyao looked up and met Su Wanwan's gaze.
Whether it was her imagination or not, she could detect a very subtle, almost pleading look deep in the other person's seemingly calm eyes.
Regardless of whether Su Wanwan was her important sugar daddy, she had no reason to refuse just to improve the novel's rating.
Qu Shiyao nodded almost without hesitation: "Okay, no problem. Wednesday, right? I'll make sure I have time."
Seeing Qu Shiyao agree so readily, Su Wanwan's face instantly broke into a genuine smile.
Now that it was confirmed that Qu Shiyao would be going, Su Wanwan relaxed considerably. She picked up the glass of warm water, took a sip, and began to explain the situation. Her tone was calm, yet carried a subtle, almost imperceptible, coldness:
“My mother’s illness back then wasn’t just ordinary physical weakness. At that time, we consulted many famous doctors both at home and abroad, but they couldn’t find the exact cause. It wasn’t until recently that I finally learned the truth…”
She lowered her head, her gaze falling on her tightly clenched hands, her knuckles turning slightly white, and her voice lowered:
"It turns out that all of this stems from the cook in our family who has been cooking for over ten years."
"Some foods are fine to eat on their own, but when consumed with certain snacks or supplements, they can produce subtle toxicity that, over time, can silently destroy a person's foundation."
And she took advantage of this, day after day, tampering with my mother's diet, causing my mother's health to deteriorate day by day despite seemingly normal care..."
"Have you found out who's behind this?" Qu Shiyao asked at the opportune moment, her tone carrying just the right amount of concern.
The source of this information is naturally the system, and she herself did not directly participate in the investigation, so she needs to show the appropriate curiosity.
Su Wanwan fell silent, and the air in the living room seemed to freeze.
After a minute, she spoke slowly in a voice that was almost a whisper, yet filled with deep-seated hatred: "It's my father."
"Is there any solid evidence to support this?" Qu Shiyao felt that this matter was very troublesome. Such a secretive poisoning, even if the system deduced the truth through data, would be extremely difficult to transform into evidence that could be accepted in court.
"We've found some clues and circumstantial evidence," Su Wanwan said, her nails digging almost into her palms, her face full of resentment.
"But after evaluation, my legal team believes that the chain of evidence is not complete enough to directly convict him. So for now, we can only sue the vicious woman who committed the act!"
Her voice was filled with gritted teeth and hatred, hating the accomplice who aided and abetted evil, and even more so the cold-blooded and cruel biological father who hid behind the scenes.
"There must be more than just this one thing, right?" Qu Shiyao scooped up another large spoonful of ice cream and mumbled.
Based on her understanding of Su Wanwan's recent actions, the list of people sued by the young lady is frighteningly long. Although Su's father's name is not yet in the public reports, it may not have been announced yet.
"Of course not." Su Wanwan sneered, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.
"Although there is currently no conclusive evidence to definitively convict him of directly murdering my mother, I can sue him for multiple economic crimes, including illegal transfer of benefits, market manipulation, and misappropriation of huge sums of money!"
She picked up her water glass, took another sip, and tried to suppress her surging emotions: "Compared to that, I would much rather find direct evidence that he poisoned my mother and make him pay for his crime in blood!"
“But since this path is not feasible for the time being, it would be good to send him to prison first and strip him of the power and wealth that he depends on for survival.”
"You've already collected all the evidence of these economic crimes in just about half a month?" Qu Shiyao paused, her hand holding the ice cream pausing, a genuine look of surprise on her face.
Qu Shiyao was shocked by this efficiency! The legal process alone takes a lot of time, which means that Su Wanwan may have only taken a few days to collect the core evidence!
The system peeked out and whispered in her mind:
[Host, you don't understand, do you? For this young lady, many processes can be accelerated with money! This kind of efficiency is on a completely different track from how ordinary people like you play!]
Just as Qu Shiyao's eyes darkened, about to retaliate against the system's disparaging behavior, the system slipped away, having mastered various ways to save its life.
Su Wanwan glanced at Qu Shiyao and explained in a more tactful way:
"There is a group that specializes in uncovering hidden criminal evidence against major corporations and executives. For a sufficient fee, they can find the evidence you want in a short time."
She paused, then added meaningfully, "The price I offered was attractive enough, and thanks to the key clues and directions provided by the person you introduced earlier, they mobilized almost their entire team, so their efficiency was naturally high."
"Then he should have received the court summons by now, right?" Qu Shiyao threw the empty ice cream box into the trash can, wiped her hands, and asked:
"Aren't you afraid that he'll resort to desperate measures, teaming up with those you've already sued or are about to sue, and using his power to retaliate against you?"
She was somewhat surprised that Su Wanwan dared to run around with only Tan Zhendong by her side today.
"Isn't this you?" Su Wanwan suddenly tilted her head, looking at Qu Shiyao with an almost innocent and naive gaze, her tone carrying a sense of entitlement and dependence.
Qu Shiyao: "..." She almost choked on her own saliva.
"Young Miss! Even if I could take on ten of them by myself, I still can't stop someone from using dirty tricks!"
She was utterly speechless at Su Wanwan's inexplicable trust.
Why is she almost deified as a Super Saiyan in the eyes of the young lady?
"Just kidding." Su Wanwan couldn't help but chuckle when she saw that Su Wanwan was about to explode, and then she regained her serious expression.
"I have a professional team in charge of my travel safety and daily meals. My vehicles are subject to strict inspections on a rotating basis, and security at my residence has been strengthened."
"Besides, we live in a society governed by the rule of law. Even if they hate me, they wouldn't dare to go too far in public."
[Wow!] The system couldn't help but pop up again, conjuring a handkerchief to wipe away non-existent tears from the corners of its eyes.
[For the first time in my life, this old servant has actually heard the young lady joke! She's really grown up and understands humor now, I'm so touched, sob sob...]
Then, under Qu Shiyao's death stare, it shut its mouth and disappeared again at lightning speed, the whole action flowing smoothly.
"Alright, we've finished talking about business." Su Wanwan stood up, walked to the door, opened it, and gestured to Tan Zhendong outside.
Tan Zhendong immediately handed over a pink suitcase that looked expensive.
Su Wanwan took the suitcase, placed it casually on the bedside, then turned around and said to Qu Shiyao in a casual tone, as if announcing what they would be having for dinner:
"In that case, I'll stay here from tonight onwards."
Qu Shiyao looked up in confusion: "??? Didn't you rent another place across the hall?"
As Su Wanwan gracefully opened her suitcase and began organizing her pajamas and skincare products, she slowly replied, "Rent."
Qu Shiyao shuddered, and the next second, her waist naturally bent into a respectful arc, her face instantly plastered with a fawning smile:
"Yes! Absolutely no problem! My dear young lady! Stay as long as you like! Don't be shy with me! Make yourself at home!"
"Would you like me to help you put your suitcase away? Would you like to change the sheets and duvet cover? Is there anything else in this room that you're not satisfied with? I'll fix it right away!"
The system watched from behind her head as its host displayed this shameless and merciless behavior, bowing down to "five pecks of rice" in an instant, and could only sigh silently.
Alas, the host's bottom line of dignity, just like her integrity, is sometimes present and sometimes absent, fluctuating greatly.
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