The Action Began

Good things always came to an end, and a week passed.

Amid the villagers' eager anticipation, the family of three set off on their way back.

Gu Jia was eager to return to Shanghai. She'd spent this time organizing a lot of material and coming up with ideas, and now she was itching to roll up her sleeves and get to work.

Wang Yan wasn't in a hurry, though, and Xu Ziyan was even less so. Knowing he still had another week to play, he was so happy he was practically walking on air. The family vote was two to one, so Gu Jia had no choice but to go along with it.

In the end, they continued their leisurely journey, stopping in Ningbo and Zhoushan once more to go out to sea and visit Dongji Island, Mount Putuo, and other places.

After taking a big detour, they finally returned to Shanghai.

Once they got home, the three of them took a day to recover. They were all tired from the trip and just wanted to lie around doing nothing.

Even Xu Ziyan, who'd been bouncing around the whole way, had run out of energy.

That was only natural. They'd spent more than twenty days traveling, with over half of that time on the road. They'd rushed through so many sights that returning home felt a little strange.

Wang Yan had learned something from this trip, too.

Going out for a spin like this was really just about seeing something new. By the end, to be honest, it had become a little exhausting.

It was better to live somewhere for a while, experience it, and get to know it in depth. Only then could you have impressions and takeaways that weren't just skin-deep.

They slept comfortably in their big bed at home.

Xu Ziyan went off to kindergarten, eager to brag to everyone.

Gu Jia went to the dessert shop to meet up with the other wives. This time, she'd learned her lesson. She wouldn't foolishly think she was somebody important just because she was Gu Jia.

She didn't pick a fight with Mrs. Li and still greeted them warmly.

The news that Gu Jia had gotten together with Wang Yan had spread through the wives' circle during this time. That was only natural; a few of their husbands did business with Wang Yan, and they could learn about him by chatting with his subordinates. There were no secrets in this circle. Anyone who cared to ask could find out what kind of man Wang Yan was.

In the original story, Gu Jia had been far below their level, yet she'd managed to work her way up to the inner circle. Now that she was with Wang Yan, there was no question about it.

Even Mrs. Li came over to apologize, saying that it had all been her subordinates' doing and that she hadn't known anything about it.

It wasn't that Mrs. Li was backing down. If they were being honest, the Li family could crush Wang Yan. It was simply a way of acknowledging Gu Jia's new status and maintaining appearances.

Gu Jia could clearly feel the change in their attitude toward her, but she didn't know what was going on. She asked Mrs. Yu, whom she knew well, and only then learned the reason.

Once she understood, she couldn't help murmuring to herself, "So I'm Mrs. Wang now."

It was a strange feeling. Before, she'd had no powerful connections and had looked down on them from the bottom of her heart, thinking those women weren't all that special.

But now she was "Mrs. Wang," and she'd truly become one of them. Once she mixed with them, she realized how good it felt. She no longer disliked them or looked down on them. People were like that, after all. If you could lie down, why stand?

Besides, as someone who now benefited from the system, she might one day lose sight of her principles and do to the next Gu Jia exactly what they'd once done to her.

After the gathering, she met up with her best friends.

They'd stayed in touch during this time, mostly sharing pictures of good food and beautiful scenery to show off a little. They hadn't talked much beyond that. They were all busy; who had time to sit around chatting?

They met again at the same coffee shop, the three of them reunited.

When Zhong Xiaoqin saw Gu Jia, she excitedly rushed over and hugged her, clinging to her as she said, "Gu Jia, I missed you so much! Why did it take you so long to come back?"

Gu Jia smiled as she explained why, then told them both how much she'd missed them.

They ordered drinks, settled in, and started chatting.

"I saw the photos you posted. That tea plantation was so beautiful," Wang Manni said after taking a sip of coffee.

Zhong Xiaoqin nodded along beside her. She thought it looked wonderful, too.

"It was nice enough. Maybe I'll take you two there sometime." Gu Jia then told them about the place, happily soaking up their envy.

The three of them chatted for ages about the trip.

Mostly, the other two asked questions, while Gu Jia gave casual answers.

That was only natural. They often went abroad, and the places they'd visited in China were mostly well-known destinations with famous sights.

Some of the places Wang Yan and the others had visited weren't very famous, but they were just as beautiful. Sometimes, an unremarkable stretch of road or a nameless mountain could offer an unforgettable view.

You never knew what place, what moment, what thing, or what person might suddenly take your breath away. That was one of the greatest charms of traveling.

Once they'd talked enough about the trip, Gu Jia asked, "All right, enough about me. How have you two been lately?"

As she spoke, she looked at Zhong Xiaoqin. "How are things with Zhong Xiaoyang?"

At that, Zhong Xiaoqin looked conflicted. "Oh, the same as before. I don't even know what I should do. When I'm with Zhong Xiaoyang, I think about Chen Yu, and when I'm with Chen Yu, I can't help thinking about Zhong Xiaoyang. What do you think I should do?"

She looked at Gu Jia and Wang Manni, her face full of helplessness.

Gu Jia comforted her. "If that's the case, why not enjoy being single for a while? Maybe after some time, you'll figure it out."

Wang Manni chimed in, "Exactly, Xiaoqin. In your free time, why not take good care of yourself? You're naturally beautiful, and a little effort would make you even more stunning. Who knows, maybe some other handsome guy will confess to you."

When she finished, she and Gu Jia burst out laughing, making Zhong Xiaoqin blush.

"Oh, you're laughing at me again. You're always teasing me." She nudged Wang Manni beside her, looking every bit the coy young woman.

After they'd laughed and joked for a while, Gu Jia said, "By the way, Xiaoqin, speaking of Chen Yu, what's he been doing? I haven't heard anything about Teacher Chen in ages."

Wang Manni said nothing. She didn't know him well.

At the mention of Chen Yu, Zhong Xiaoqin's expression turned a little complicated.

Seeing that, Gu Jia grew interested. "What's with that look, Xiaoqin?" Wang Manni wore an equally curious expression beside her.

Under the gaze of two pairs of wide, inquisitive eyes, Zhong Xiaoqin said helplessly, "He's finally having a run of good luck. A while ago, he quit his job at the TV station because..."

Zhong Xiaoqin rattled off the whole story.

When she finished, Gu Jia and Wang Manni looked astonished.

Gu Jia knew Chen Yu well enough to realize he'd just gotten incredibly lucky, which was why she was so surprised.

Wang Manni, meanwhile, was astonished by Chen Yu's pay. She might not care about five hundred thousand after tax, but she knew it was rare to earn that much.

Wang Manni asked curiously, "He's doing pretty well now, so what did you mean by that look just now?"

"Oh, you don't know. Ever since he changed jobs, he's been busier and busier. Lately, he barely comes home," Zhong Xiaoqin explained.

After he started the job, Chen Yu had gotten busy the very next day. The company was in the middle of an acquisition, and all kinds of legal and financial matters needed to be thoroughly investigated. Otherwise, it could end up like Gu Jia's situation.

Besides, he was going to be the one in charge of the company, so he had to take responsibility for everything. Not wanting to let President Wang down, Chen Yu was working diligently.

Things had been manageable at first, while the acquisition was underway. But once it was complete and the company officially began operations, Chen Yu finally felt the pressure bearing down on him.

The pressure was entirely because Chen Yu lacked the ability and experience for the job. It was like a mountain pressing on him every moment. He had no choice but to work day and night, learning as he went.

Restructuring the company, assigning staff, finding news topics, and a dozen other things kept him so busy he lost track of day and night. He had no time to think about romance. He was lucky if he got any sleep.

Zhong Xiaoqin was happy for Chen Yu, given how far he'd come. What bothered her was that, as he got busier, she could clearly feel his feelings for her growing more and more distant during the little time they spent together.

When they'd first divorced, she'd known Chen Yu still wanted to be with her. Then Zhong Xiaoyang had started pursuing her, and she'd become a little infatuated with the feeling of two men doting on her.

Now Chen Yu was too busy to pay her any attention, and she'd begun to feel insecure.

Gu Jia thought, You two are divorced. Whether he comes home or not is up to him. What's it got to do with you? But she couldn't say that, so she asked, "So, do you regret it?"

At Gu Jia's question, Zhong Xiaoqin looked conflicted again. "It's not that I regret it. It's just... Oh, I don't know how to explain it."

Seeing her like this, Gu Jia and Wang Manni understood. She just couldn't let go of Zhong Xiaoyang.

Wang Manni offered a token bit of advice. "Then do what Gu Jia said. Enjoy being single for a while and think it over."

Gu Jia didn't want to keep talking about it; it wasn't going anywhere. She turned to Wang Manni and asked, "What about you? How have things been lately? Didn't you say a few days ago that you wanted to transfer to Hong Kong Island?"

At that, Wang Manni got annoyed. "Don't bring it up. Whenever I mention going to Hong Kong Island, Liang Zhengxian changes the subject."

"A couple of days ago, I said I wanted to go back with him, but he wouldn't agree. Then he left that very afternoon without even telling me. I don't know what's going on."

She told them what had happened with Liang Zhengxian, then asked, "Do you think there's someone else in Hong Kong Island? Maybe he just wants to fool around with me. Otherwise, why won't he take me home to meet his family?"

That was because of Wang Yan. Zhao Jingyu was busy moving assets and didn't have time to come over and make trouble for her.

Gu Jia had known the truth from the start but didn't want to upset her. Zhong Xiaoqin, on the other hand, was a little slow on the uptake and was busy analyzing the situation for them.

Wang Yan had gone to work early that morning.

Quite a few matters had piled up for him to deal with during this time.

Wang Yan had been keeping an eye on Chen Yu. Although he was busy, Chen Yu enjoyed feeling himself make progress every day. Let him play around with the job for now; Wang Yan didn't have time to manage him lately.

The operation against Old Liang's Family had begun several days earlier. That was why Liang Zhengxian had rushed back.

The Liang family owned a publicly listed company. Wang Yan sent all kinds of dirt to the Hong Kong Government and filed reports, leading to several senior executives being taken in for questioning.

A publicly listed company's market value was usually much higher than its actual value, and even the slightest disturbance could have a major impact.

The stock plunged, and Wang Yan's people took the opportunity to manipulate it, repeatedly pushing the price up and down to drain the family's funds.

To make matters worse, the family was also involved in real estate and had numerous projects in China. That business required heavy assets and consumed huge amounts of cash. Caught off guard, they were thrown into chaos.

They had plenty of loans, of course. When the drums beat for a fallen wall, everyone joined in; when a wall came down, everyone pushed. Calls came from all kinds of banks, all warmly asking how things were going and politely reminding them that their debts had to be repaid.

Still, after so many years of doing business, they had some goodwill with their creditors. More importantly, although Old Liang's Family had been caught off guard in the first wave and suffered heavy losses, they'd managed to hold on. So no one had forced them to repay their loans. Otherwise, they wouldn't have had even a shred of face left, and the seizures would already have started.

All sorts of scandals about the Liang family were also circulating. True or not, the rumors were certainly wild.

People could never get enough of gossip about a wealthy family. The stories spread far and wide, and there was no controlling them.

The members of Old Liang's Family had reached their current positions because they were all capable people. None of them was stupid.

It was obvious someone was targeting them, but no matter how much they investigated, they couldn't figure out who was pulling the strings.

Zhao Jingyu watched all of this unfold.

She wasn't stupid. It would take more than a day or two to bring down a business that large. If Liang Zhengxian came back and found out how many assets she'd moved, he'd tear her apart.

They were all too busy dealing with the crisis to pay attention to her, while Liang Zhengxian was still in China chasing women. The best course was to run. The day before Liang Zhengxian returned, Zhao Jingyu bought a plane ticket and left. She decided to wait a year or two before coming back; otherwise, she wouldn't feel safe.

Liang Zhengxian rushed back in a panic. His phone call hadn't made the situation very clear, but after listening carefully, he understood what was going on.

When his brothers and sisters saw him return, they exchanged glances and found their target.

His eldest brother was the first to speak. "You still have the nerve to come back? Did you cause this?"

Liang Zhengxian opened his mouth to defend himself.

His second brother piled on. "Who else could it be? You're the one chasing women all over the world. Who knows who you've offended?"

The rest of his sisters and brothers joined in, giving him a thorough scolding.

Even Old Master Liang began to suspect him, his gaze turning dangerous.

Liang Zhengxian felt deeply wronged. Do you think I'm as brainless as you? Don't I investigate before I chase a woman?

But their accusations made him doubt himself. "Could I really have offended someone?"

He began thinking of everyone he'd crossed, going over it from beginning to end and back again.

He counted up all the women he'd been with and all the men he'd trampled on over the years.

After thinking it over and over, the only person he could think of was Wang Yan. They'd had a minor disagreement recently. As far as Liang Zhengxian was concerned, it was nothing. Surely Wang Yan wouldn't try to destroy him over that.

But if there was a suspicion, he had to investigate. How could he be at ease without getting to the bottom of it?

They went back and forth without coming up with a solution. For now, their only option was to fight back. Old Master Liang told them to prepare funds to withstand the next wave of attacks, then waved them away.

Liang Zhengxian left the Liang family's Old House in a sorry state and returned to the home he shared with Zhao Jingyu.

On the way, he'd planned to blow off some steam. But when he got home, Zhao Jingyu was nowhere to be seen.

He didn't think much of it, assuming she'd gone out to take care of something.

He immediately took out his phone and called Zhao Jingyu.

When he heard the message, "Sorry, the number you dialed is switched off," he had a bad feeling.

He hurriedly called one of his subordinates to ask what Zhao Jingyu had been doing lately and where some of the money had gone.

"BOSS, well, Miss Zhao..." The subordinate rattled off the details.

Liang Zhengxian sat there stunned for a moment, then his phone clattered to the floor.

The subordinate called out, "BOSS? BOSS? Are you there?" Then, after saying something else, he hung up.

He had no idea what had happened to Liang Zhengxian, but everyone in Hong Kong Island knew about the recent trouble facing the Liang family. He also knew that many of the rumors about Liang Zhengxian going around were true.

Based on his years of experience, there was little chance the family could turn things around. His boss was about to be finished, and utterly so. He was the very picture of a ruthless capitalist, with no consideration for his employees. The subordinate was busy looking for a new job. He had no time to care about his boss. He could do whatever he wanted; it had nothing to do with him.

Liang Zhengxian sat on the floor in a daze. "Pick up! Pick up!" he shouted, using his shattered phone to try every possible way of contacting Zhao Jingyu. The outcome was inevitable: every attempt vanished without a trace.

After failing to reach her for a long time, Liang Zhengxian let out a roar and angrily hurled the phone against the wall opposite him, smashing it to pieces.

She'd taken most of his wealth, leaving him with practically nothing. And with the Liang family in its current state, he was as good as finished.

Zhao Jingyu hadn't been entirely sure that Liang Zhengxian's family would recover, so she hadn't dared to take things too far. Otherwise, he'd have been sleeping on the street for sure.

"You bitch! You filthy bitch! Zhao Jingyu, just wait till I get my hands on you! Ah..." Liang Zhengxian raged helplessly.

Wang Yan knew about all of this, of course. A cunning schemer hiding in the background naturally enjoyed the satisfaction of controlling everything from behind the scenes.

It was like how someone studying criminal psychology might feel compelled to revisit the scene after killing someone, just to see how things were going.

It was only the beginning. Just as Zhao Jingyu had thought, it would take time to bring down a business that large.

He'd only keep an eye on things for another day or two. After that, he didn't need to worry about it; he could leave it all to his subordinates. They'd handle everything perfectly.

There was a reason people said a starving camel was still bigger than a horse. The Liang family's business was mostly in Hong Kong Island and China, but it was only natural to prepare for a rainy day. Rich people liked to diversify their assets. It was normal for the Liang family to move some assets overseas and have some businesses there, but from what Wang Yan had learned, there wasn't much.

He didn't care if they went abroad and carried on living comfortably.

Their overseas property and businesses depended on their foundations and influence back home. They had connections with the upper class abroad, who were willing to give them some face.

But without their roots in China, they'd be like duckweed without roots. Would they be able to live comfortably abroad? Impossible.

Did they really think they could go abroad and be safe from everything?

Their former business partners wouldn't even look at them. They'd have no face, only the soles of their shoes. Who would they think they could cozy up to?

They'd have no influence or connections, and with all the ethnic issues, the locals wouldn't care about them. All kinds of problems would make their lives a misery.