“Wenxiu…”

“I’m sorry, I really can’t help with this. If it’s not working out, just give up the business. You can still be a designer, and maintain your marriage with George. Please listen to my advice-“

Zhen Wenxiu was speaking from her heart, but before she could finish, the phone was hung up.

Zhen Wenxiu was shocked and angry:

“Why won’t Ji Ya listen to any advice? She didn’t use to have such a temper!”

Ning Haodong remained noncommittal, “That’s where you’re wrong – her temper has been like this since she was young, never changing. But back then, many people indulged her, so no one minded if she was temperamental. Does she think she can still act the same way now?”

When asking for help, one needs to have the right attitude.

If Ning Haodong were in Ji Ya’s situation today, he would show utmost sincerity when asking for help.

Humble yourself when needed – who gets angry while asking for favors?

If people can’t help this time for various reasons, who knows if they might help in the future?

Not helping might just mean missing out on gratitude, but if it leads to resentment instead, anyone would keep their distance from Ji Ya.

While Ning Haodong advised Zhen Wenxiu not to get involved, she felt melancholic: “She doesn’t even know – it’s not just because of Tang Hongen, her elder brother has been going door to door asking people not to lend her money. Sigh, the Ji family used to indulge her so much. Think about it – over ten years ago, during such a sensitive period, they still managed to send her abroad!”

Who knows how many connections it took to arrange her papers for going abroad?

And Ji Ya’s initial living expenses in America were gathered by the entire Ji family.

Zhen Wenxiu sighed about this – Ji Ya’s current state was the result of the entire Ji family’s indulgence.

They spoiled her until she became too stubborn, too difficult… and now that they stopped indulging her, Ji Ya’s personality was already set and impossible to change.

“She just hasn’t seen the situation. A father can spoil his daughter – with Old Ji as the patriarch, the Ji family had cohesion, and everyone followed Old Ji’s arrangements. But once Old Ji passed, the head of the Ji family became Ji Lin. How can a brother be the same as a father?”

A father can favor his youngest daughter among his children.

The other children might feel unbalanced, but in a family where the father has the final say, they must follow his instructions to help their sister.

A big brother can favor the youngest among his siblings.

But there can’t be any principles or bottom lines.

The elder brother has a wife and his children – if he stakes everything on his little sister, how are the others supposed to live?

Ji Lin’s decisive action this time, besides his wife’s insistence, also showed that the Ji family’s decline in these two years was unstoppable. Ji Lin must have felt it himself – he truly dared not let Ji Ya make demands and ruin the Ji family’s reputation! Such things spread particularly quickly. If Ji Ya burned Old Ji’s former students and friends this time, who would dare help other Ji family members in the future?

As Zhen Wenxiu muttered, Ning Haodong had to break it down for her:

“Think about it – why is Ji Ya seeking other ways to raise money instead of asking her wealthy American husband?”

“You mean-“

“I’m not saying anything specific, I can only guess. Maybe her American husband is in trouble too, maybe he doesn’t support her business at all. But I know one thing for sure – after Ji Ya’s remarriage, she hasn’t gained her in-laws’ approval or affection at all.”

Ning Haodong had heard they were a wealthy American family.

Ji Ya’s second wedding alone cost hundreds of thousands of dollars!

The family had even invested heavily in a golf course in Peng City.

If her in-laws liked Ji Ya, wouldn’t they help her through this trouble? This was just a loan for turnover, not borrowing without repaying… though who knows – maybe Ji Ya had precedents. If she had borrowed before without repaying, they might not trust her anymore.

Between people, losing trust is the worst.

Setting aside the crisis of personal character, at least in terms of capability, neither her married family nor her maiden family trusted Ji Ya!

Ning Haodong’s words gave Zhen Wenxiu goosebumps.

“Back then, they wanted to match Xuexue with Ji Jiangyuan. Thankfully it didn’t happen. Xuexue found her boyfriend at Cornell, studying the same major. I heard the boy is quite excellent in his field too. After they graduate together and enter an American firm together, that’s not a bad choice.”

Ning Haodong shook his head, “Ji Ya is Ji Ya, Ji Jiangyuan is another matter entirely. He’s Ji Ya’s son, but isn’t he also Tang Hongen’s son? I have high hopes for Ji Jiangyuan. He and Xuexue just weren’t meant to be, but if they had gotten together, I certainly wouldn’t have opposed it.”

Ning Haodong was a very practical person, pursuing advancement and benefits, even being scolded by his elderly father for it.

But people are complex – his pursuit of benefits didn’t mean he didn’t love his only daughter Ning Xue.

He hadn’t personally met Ning Xue’s American classmate’s boyfriend to judge him, but he had interacted with Ji Jiangyuan.

“Ji Jiangyuan’s future won’t be bad.”

Zhen Wenxiu was skeptical.

Really?

That child Ji Jiangyuan still had a future?

Tang Hongen had been completely won over by his new wife and stepdaughter – how would he still care about Ji Jiangyuan?

…

Ji Ya hung up the phone.

It was now seven in the evening.

George had been avoiding her these past few days, embarrassed that he couldn’t help.

Ji Ya didn’t want to find George either – if he could provide money, he would have done so already.

With Zhen Wenxiu being one of her few remaining hopes rejecting her, Ji Ya could only sit numbly in the bathroom.

She sat there in a daze, feeling completely drained.

After sitting for a long while, she struggled to stand up, went next door, and knocked on her son Ji Jiangyuan’s door.

Ji Jiangyuan was writing reports in his room. Harold was coming to China, the date getting closer, and Ji Jiangyuan had much to prepare. After clearing out all his stocks and giving Ji Ya 100,000 dollars, Ji Jiangyuan had to start over from scratch. Without capital, he naturally had to work harder.

He had just prepared coffee, planning to pull an all-nighter, when there was a knock at his door.

Opening it, it was surprisingly his mother.

After giving her the $100,000 check, Ji Jiangyuan no longer felt that all-encompassing, suffocating sense of control in Ji Ya’s presence.

He could deal with Ji Ya more easily now:

“Do you need something?”

Ji Ya was angry, “Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, the final payment deadline. Don’t you know that?”

“I know. But I’ve already helped you as much as I can. I can’t do anything more-“

Ji Ya quickly interrupted him:

“No, there is something you can do. I want to meet Tang Hongen once, but I don’t want others to know. You arrange to meet him for me, as soon as possible! You must have his contact information, right?”

Ji Jiangyuan hadn’t expected such a request!

This was insane, right?

He didn’t want to say it like this, but he really couldn’t control his sarcasm:

“…Have you not taken your medicine?”