When Gu Shiyun was sent away, Gu Jingxu still didn’t feel anything was wrong. He thought after she stayed abroad for a few years, people in China would forget this incident, then Gu Shiyun could return and directly join the company.

In the past, Gu Shiyun had pretended to be naive and pure in front of him. Gu Jingxu had even worried about how such a gentle girl would manage in the business world.

But after this incident, though Gu Jingxu was angry that she had harmed Xue Jiao, a thought secretly rose in his heart—his second daughter was most like him.

To be precise, she was even more ruthless than him.

When did she first tell Li Wei that Gu Xue Jiao was wealthy and generous?

At just eleven or twelve years old!

Even when meeting with Li Wei later and paying her, she left evidence but also kept one hand in the most important place.

When things were exposed, she even had the rational thinking to extricate herself. This level of calculation—he didn’t have it when he was in his teens.

The business world was like a battlefield; Gu Jingxu never considered it a simple place.

Since Gu Shiyun had this kind of mindset, he would guide her well, and in the future, she would definitely become a great entrepreneur.

So when he had just sent Gu Shiyun abroad, his heart was still full of expectations.

But occasionally, Xue Jiao’s face would float into his mind. Xue Jiao was much prettier than Gu Shiyun, looking docile and clever, easy to love—but she wasn’t close to him…

Gu Jingxu shook his head, banishing Xue Jiao’s face from his mind.

Since he had made his choice, he couldn’t regret it!

Gu Shiyun… had more potential than Gu Xue Jiao!

Back at the company…

“Say that again?!” Gu Jingxu could hardly believe his ears.

The secretary stammered, his face turning pale: “The s-s-stocks… have plummeted…”

Gu Jingxu couldn’t help rushing over and grabbing the secretary’s collar: “Call a meeting! Everyone in for a meeting!!”

——

The meeting lasted until past one in the afternoon. No one in the entire company had eaten lunch, and the directors had all rushed over.

This involved their interests!

“This is malicious manipulation! Malicious manipulation!” Gu Jingxu’s eyes bulged, bloodshot, blue veins popping on his forehead, his temples throbbing as if something had rushed into his brain, feeling like it would explode at any moment.

Immediately, everyone lowered their heads, not daring to speak.

Only one major shareholder frowned, looking at Gu Jingxu and questioning: “Who is targeting us?”

Gu Jingxu was in a foul temper at this moment, his fingers trembling with anger. Hearing this, he immediately roared—

“How the fuck would I know?! Wang Gui! What are you paid for?! Who is behind this?!”

The man sitting below, who had been keeping his head down, shuddered and eventually stammered: “Don’t… don’t… don’t know. No… information at all. It’s probably a large financial consortium… I’ve already… inquired everywhere, but there’s no information…”

“Bang—” Gu Jingxu threw the documents in his hand, hitting Wang Gui in the face.

He completely ignored the resentment that flashed across Wang Gui’s eyes after being hit, only venting his dissatisfaction: “Who doesn’t know it’s a major capital player?! Buying so many stocks so quickly and then dumping them all—if not major capital, then what?! I’m asking you who you found out is behind this! Who made the move? Speak up!”

Wang Gui didn’t dare raise his head. If he could find out who it was, he wouldn’t be standing here waiting.

Gu Jingxu’s anger couldn’t be extinguished. A shareholder beside him suddenly questioned—

“Mr. Gu, have you offended someone? Such major capital wouldn’t do this kind of thankless task. Even if they profit from destroying us, it’s not enough to fill their teeth. So why would someone target us?”

“Offended someone? How is that possible?! When has Gu Jingxu ever interacted with those major capital players? How could I be stupid enough to offend them?” Gu Jingxu grew angrier. How could such a thing be suspected of him?

But clearly, others also agreed with this view. Another shareholder likewise frowned: “I also don’t think a major financial group would do this without reason. To be able to buy so many of our shares so quickly requires enormous liquid capital. Why would such a company bother with us small fry? This was premeditated!”

The shareholder sitting next to him agreed: “Mr. Gu, this isn’t the time to shift blame. The urgent matter is to find out which major capital player we’ve offended, and who is making the move, so we can adjust in time. Otherwise, with the capital they’re pouring in, our company… is in danger!”

How could Gu Jingxu not know the company was in danger?

But he still couldn’t think of who he might have offended, so he glared at the other shareholders—

“Have any of the directors offended someone?!”

“Who are you falsely accusing?!” One of the already angry shareholders began arguing with him.

At this moment, the project manager looked at his computer, and his face suddenly turned white.

After a long while, he swallowed and said: “Mr. Gu… Pengcheng has taken two of our projects… they’ve declared they won’t rest until we’re finished…”

“What?!” The shareholders were shocked.

Gu Jingxu’s forehead veins continued to throb, his fingers trembling more and more, his eyeballs looking like they might pop out.

His eyes stared fixedly at the project manager, his lips quivering. He clenched his teeth and spat out two words—

“Cheng Suo!”

That bastard who kicks people when they’re down!!

How dare he! How dare he!

The shareholders didn’t know which major capital was behind this, nor why. But, seeing Gu Jingxu’s attitude, Pengcheng’s move against them now was definitely due to personal grudges!

The shareholders were furious and couldn’t help questioning—

“Mr. Gu, what exactly have you done to offend these people?”

“If it’s not the major capital player speaking, why would Pengcheng move against us? It must be related to you?”

“What is this all about?”

“Mr. Gu, how many people have you offended?”

“Mr. Gu, you need to find a solution!”

…

Gu Jingxu’s lips trembled more severely. He clutched his chest forcefully, his vision alternating between darkness and light as if he were about to faint.

He clenched his teeth, summoning his spirit.

“Cheng Suo taking some of our orders won’t kill us. The key now is to secure our other orders. Seek help from companies we’ve worked with before. Also, reassure the shareholders and use all the money in our accounts to stabilize the stock market! We must withstand this crisis! Wang Gui, I order you to find out which company is behind this within two days. The project department and…”

Having been the boss for so many years, Gu Jingxu arranged things point by point, stabilizing the situation, and trying to find ways to save himself.

“Yes, the key now is to find the company behind this and solve the problem at its source.” The shareholders agreed.

They had all invested a lot of money in the company and naturally wouldn’t want it to go bankrupt. If that happened, they would have nothing.

Gu Jingxu nodded: “Right, we must quickly find the company behind this. Everyone keep an eye out for information! Also, the project department should ignore Pengcheng. Their company doesn’t have much to do with our industry; they can’t do much for us! Cheng Suo is just a small man who kicks others when they’re down. After we weather this crisis, we’ll settle accounts with him!”

He spoke harshly. Although the shareholders harbored some resentment towards him for offending Pengcheng and bringing trouble to the company, they didn’t say anything in the end.

For the company to weather this crisis, they still needed Gu Jingxu at the helm.

At this moment, the project manager’s terrified voice suddenly came out—

“Da Fa Real Estate is also attacking us!!”

Gu Jingxu’s vision went black, and his entire body fell backward.

Shocked by this sudden news, he fainted and collapsed on the ground.

“Mr. Gu—”

——

Gu Jingxu’s company was in chaos. The boss was in the hospital, the stock market was being manipulated by major capital, and the building was about to collapse.

Pengcheng and Yi Da Real Estate were attacking from the side, adding frost to the snow.

Plus, all those companies with good relationships with Pengcheng and Yi Da Real Estate were kicking them while they were down.

Gu Jingxu’s company had no hope of recovery.

And up until now, no one knew who had made the first move.

Many small companies sighed deeply. Gu Jingxu had fallen too quickly, making them all feel anxious.

But this did serve as a reminder to everyone—business is business, but people should still be principled.

The entire business world was saying that it must be because Gu Jingxu was unprincipled and offended someone, otherwise…

Gu Jingxu was just too unprincipled, always scheming against others, which led to his downfall.

Those companies he had schemed against all clapped and cheered.

Serves him right!

At this time, in W City.

“Sitong, as long as Jiaojiao is fine, that’s good. Your ex-husband isn’t a real man. Jiaojiao shouldn’t recognize him anymore!” Madame Qin, Chu Sheng’s mother, said with concern.

Li Sitong had poured her heart out to the person on the other end of the phone, and her mood improved.

It was fate. Because of the parents’ meeting, she had met Madame Qin, and the two hit it off immediately, becoming friends in private.

“After talking to you, I feel much better. I was really…” Li Sitong sighed, full of regret for her past self.

In the past, she had thought about changing her problems several times, but she had never recognized where her mistakes truly lay. It was only this time, after knowing what her daughter had been through, that it hit her like a hammer to the head, making her realize how wrong she had been before.

Madame Qin comforted her: “Living in this world, who hasn’t made mistakes? Just change for the better in the future. Jiaojiao has suffered so many grievances in the past. You should pamper her well in the future, let her live in honey! Gu Jingxu is just a fool who mistook fish eyes for pearls. With a girl like Jiaojiao, he cared more about that deeply scheming one!”

Li Sitong laughed coldly: “Thankfully, heaven has eyes. Gu Jingxu has gone bankrupt!”

“Bankrupt?” Madame Qin was startled. She had heard her husband say yesterday that Gu Jingxu’s company wasn’t doing well, but had it gone bankrupt so quickly?

“Yes! Retribution!”

“That is retribution…”

After hanging up the phone, Madame Qin smiled and turned her attention to Chu Sheng nearby.

“Oh? You’re not upstairs reading?”

“Gu Jingxu went bankrupt?” Chu Sheng took a sip of water and asked doubtfully.

Madame Qin nodded with a smile: “Yes, it’s truly retribution for him sheltering that daughter whose heart is black to the core!”

Parents also checked the school forum. When the first post appeared, Madame Qin was greatly shocked, never imagining that the well-behaved Xue Jiao was such a person.

Indeed, the second post made people angry and indignant.

No mother with children didn’t feel furious about this matter. Interfering in someone else’s marriage was one thing, but for the mistress’s daughter to harm the original wife’s child like this?

Indeed! This was retribution!

Chu Sheng was also surprised for a moment, then said: “Since he’s already bankrupt, they should be able to liquidate the assets quickly, right?”

Madame Qin was startled, then smiled and said: “You bookworm, your brain can think of this? Yes, yes, I’ll call your father and urge him to speed up the asset liquidation!”

After speaking, she left happily.

Chu Sheng put down his cup and went back to his room with his book.

Gu Xue Jiao’s classmate had been so troubled during this time, suffering such attacks. He wondered if she would be able to stabilize and perform well in the upcoming test.

He hoped she would stabilize and perform well. Otherwise, even if he won, it would be a victory without honor!

——

At Lin Corporation.

“Boss, Gu Jingxu has no hope of recovery. Cheng Suo and Yi Da Fa are also following with attacks.” Chen Yan reported respectfully.

When he heard the last name, Lin Zhihua’s eyebrows imperceptibly furrowed.

“Hmm, let them be.”

“Then next…”

Lin Zhihua raised an eyebrow: “Withdraw the funds and put them into the Lakeside project.”

“Yes!”

After Chen Yan acknowledged, he lowered his head and asked with slight confusion: “Boss, our attack on Gu Jingxu was…”

The secretary needed to understand the boss’s intentions. The big boss’s intentions this time… were truly unfathomable.

Why attack Gu Jingxu for no apparent reason? For that little girl?

Lin Zhihua lifted his head, nonchalantly: “It was deserved.”

Chen Yan: “…”

——

“Jingxu, what are we going to do?! This is too fast, isn’t it? How did we go bankrupt so quickly? Even the people handling the asset liquidation have come. I just went to withdraw money for medical expenses and couldn’t even take it out! By what right are they freezing our bank cards?” Wu Wanjun was still angry, her words huffing.

“Get out of here—” Gu Jingxu swept all the miscellaneous items from the cabinet beside him onto the floor, glaring at Wu Wanjun.

Bankrupt?

No! Impossible!

He wouldn’t believe a single word of it!

Wu Wanjun was startled by him and stood up, somewhat anxious: “Jingxu, are you alright? Jingxu!”

“Cough cough cough— Get out—” Gu Jingxu’s eyes rolled back and forth. Wu Wanjun was frightened and didn’t dare move.

The doctor rushed in at this moment, while providing emergency treatment to Gu Jingxu, he said: “Irrelevant personnel please leave! Do not stimulate the patient!”

Wu Wanjun was dazedly pushed out by the nurse, standing stupidly at the door.

It was a while before the doctor came out, frowning: “Family members should not stimulate the patient. The patient’s emotions are unstable now, and his physical condition isn’t good either. You absolutely cannot stimulate the patient now.”

“Alright…”

Wu Wanjun responded numbly. At this moment, she suddenly had a strange feeling—her life… might undergo earth-shattering changes from now on.

At this moment, her phone rang, and Wu Wanjun answered it.

“Mom, Dad went bankrupt?!” Even the usually calm Gu Shiyun panicked. All her arrangements and plans were based on returning to China and taking over Gu Jingxu’s company! How could the company go bankrupt right after she left?

Wu Wanjun came to her senses only when she heard her words, feeling at a loss: “Yes, yes, I don’t know how it suddenly went bankrupt! How is this possible?! Wasn’t everything still fine before? Now the bank cards can’t be used either, everything’s been frozen! Shiyun, does our Gu family have nothing left?”

The voice on the phone roared: “Why didn’t you notify me? Why did you wait until everything was seized before telling me?!”

Gu Shiyun was furious. After learning that Gu Jingxu had gone bankrupt, she quickly checked and immediately confirmed that the company had indeed gone bankrupt.

At that moment, her first thought was to transfer the existing assets!

She was conveniently abroad. As long as they transferred the money out, their family wouldn’t be completely destitute!

But now Wu Wanjun was telling her that everything had been seized and frozen?

How could it be so fast?!

It was ironic that Gu Jingxu would never know that the daughter he chose called back only to ask about assets, without a single word about his health.

“Shiyun, Shiyun, what should we do?” Wu Wanjun was still panicking.

“How would I know!!” Gu Shiyun roared. Her anger was no less than anyone else’s. “Our family is bankrupt! We have nothing from now on!”

After Gu Shiyun shouted, she hung up with a “bang.”

“Beep beep beep—” Wu Wanjun listened to the beeping sound, looking ahead with lifeless eyes.

The Gu family had gone bankrupt? Would Gu Jingxu have no money from now on?

Then what had she followed Gu Jingxu for in the first place?!

Indeed, Gu Jingxu was good-looking, but his stubborn and overbearing temper was unbearable. If not for the affluent lifestyle, what was Wu Wanjun following him for?

She felt somewhat lost, turned to look at the ward, and suddenly started crying.

Earth-shattering was no exaggeration. Would she, Wu Wanjun, have to live a hard life again?

Just at this moment, a nurse walked over.

“Gu Jingxu’s family member, hurry to the hospitalization department to pay the fees!”

Wu Wanjun’s vision briefly darkened.

——

While Gu Jingxu was in the hospital and the Gu family was experiencing earth-shattering changes, Cheng Suo and Li Sitong were taking Jiaojiao and Cheng Mingze to the gymnasium.

Today was the provincial middle school basketball championship finals!

Gu Jingxu had gone bankrupt, Gu Shiyun had gone abroad, and after resolving the unpleasant matters, even Xue Jiao’s mood had improved.

Although it was the championship finals, and it was the first time in so many years that the seventh middle school had made it to the provincial finals, plus with some players and parents wanting second-level athlete titles, this basketball game could be said to be fiery hot.

Xue Jiao and the others didn’t arrive late, but if it weren’t for the basketball team’s family members saving seats in advance, they wouldn’t have been able to find suitable seats.

This showed how many people had come today.

As soon as the three sat down, Cheng Mingze was called away.

He was a player and had to go change clothes, warm up, and listen to the coach’s instructions.

Since the forum incident, Xue Jiao’s position at home had reached an unprecedented high. Cheng Suo and Li Sitong carefully looked after her emotions.

Just like at this moment, they sat on either side of her, looking at her with affection.

“Jiaojiao, would you like some water?” Li Sitong asked.

“Jiaojiao, are you hungry? There’s bread here.” Cheng Suo asked with concern.

Xue Jiao: “…No need, no need.”

After a moment of silence, Cheng Suo casually said: “I heard Jiaojiao has a benefactor, whom you previously thanked during the math competition. I wonder if it would be convenient to invite him home as a guest?”

This was Cheng Suo’s probe.

After thinking it over, he still felt uneasy having an unknown figure around Xue Jiao.

Especially this person… who seemed quite extraordinary!

Gu Jingxu had fallen too quickly, with no one detecting who had made the move!

In such a situation, how could Cheng Suo not worry?

Although it seemed there was no harm to Xue Jiao for now, who knew about the future?

Xue Jiao was startled. Lin Zhihua?

She looked up at Cheng Suo, saw that he seemed to have said it casually, and shook her head.

She also didn’t know whether she should reveal Lin Zhihua’s identity…

“Classmate Gu Xue Jiao!!” A delighted voice came over.

Xue Jiao immediately felt relieved, and looked up with a smile: “Uncle Yi, Auntie Yi.”

“Yes!” Yi Dafa and Yi’s mother responded in unison, looking at Xue Jiao with happy smiles.

Yi Dafa saw empty seats beside them, which were in the first row, and sat down next to Cheng Suo, while Yi’s mother sat next to Li Sitong.

“Mr. Cheng, are you here to watch your son’s match?” Yi Dafa asked with a smile.

Cheng Suo quickly replied: “Yes, is Mr. Yi also here to watch Yi’s match?”

“You know my son?”

“Of course…”

The two men began chatting fervently. Yi Dafa had helped in attacking Gu Jingxu this time, and Cheng Suo was naturally grateful to him.

Plus, the two did business in the same city, so they naturally had connections.

Beside them, Yi’s mother and Li Sitong also started chatting.

Initially, Yi’s mother chatted with Li Sitong about some cultural activities, also talking quite animatedly.

Both women had good temperaments, and as they sat beside the enthusiastically chatting Yi Dafa and Cheng Suo, they also had a pleasant conversation, with Xue Jiao sitting in the middle with a helpless expression.

But very soon, the basketball match began.

By this time, Yi Dafa and the others had stopped talking, all focusing their eyes on the basketball court.

The seventh middle school as a whole seemed smaller compared to the sports high school, especially their team.

The sports high school was truly formidable. Among the seventh middle school players on the court, the most eye-catching were Cheng Mingze and Yi Tianyu.

These two played the best and looked the most handsome.

Whenever Yi Tianyu scored, Yi Dafa and Yi’s mother would wave and cheer.

Li Sitong covered her ears, which seemed shattered by Yi’s mother’s screams, looking at her shrieking in a daze.

When Cheng Mingze scored, Li Sitong and Cheng Suo applauded with restraint.

At most, Cheng Suo would say one word—

“Good!”

Soon after, Yi Tianyu scored, and Yi Dafa and Yi’s mother cheered.

Cheng Mingze scored, and Cheng Suo and Li Sitong cheered.

After a while, Yi Tianyu scored, and all four people cheered together.

Cheng Mingze scored, and all four people cheered together.

Finally, when the seventh middle school scored, all four people cheered together.

Xue Jiao: “…”

She reached out to touch her ears, which were truly… about to be shattered on both sides.

Although Cheng Mingze and Yi Tianyu were excellent, the sports high school was also truly formidable, consistently leading in points.

This match was intense, with a high level of activity.

The seventh middle school’s disadvantage compared to the sports high school became apparent—their endurance was lacking.

No matter how good Cheng Mingze and Yi Tianyu were, they couldn’t play the entire game, especially when the opponents kept substituting fresh reserves. The two’s speed appeared slower.

The seventh middle school could only substitute reserves as well, but unfortunately, they would lose several points with each substitution.

In the second half, Cheng Mingze and Yi Tianyu basically didn’t come off, and the opponents were guarding them tightly.

Not to mention Cheng Suo, Li Sitong, and the Yi couple—even Xue Jiao was fully focused, watching with tightness in her chest.

A game watched seriously didn’t seem long. Soon, the match approached its end.

The score was extremely tight, with just a one-point difference.

Cheng Mingze and Yi Tianyu both looked exhausted, but the coach didn’t dare substitute anyone. They had tried before—against the energetic sports high school, the others weren’t as effective as the tired Cheng Mingze and Yi Tianyu.

Finally, the countdown began, and the entire arena counted along.

Xue Jiao still didn’t quite understand basketball, but she knew there were five seconds left, but the basketball was still on the opponent’s side of the court. This seemed…

“Go for it—” Yi’s mother and Li Sitong had already gone crazy, competing to see whose voice was louder.

Xue Jiao couldn’t resist and shouted: “Go for it—”

As if capturing her voice in the air, Yi Tianyu glanced at her from the corner of his eye, then exchanged a look with Cheng Mingze.

“Roar—” Yi Tianyu let out a roar, throwing the basketball directly from this half of the court toward the opponent’s basket.

There is such a person who will give you infinite joy and infinite motivation.

In the years of youth, for one person, you become filled with strength and courage.

Those pure and beautiful moments may fade away in the river of time, or they may be worn away by life.

Life wears away edges, and it also wears away pure, innocent beauty.

But having once possessed it is the most extraordinary memory in an ordinary life.

The basketball hadn’t reached the hoop when it fell.

But—

A hand in the air caught it and pressed it in.

“Roar roar roar!”

“Ah—”

“We won—”

…

Not to mention the spectators in the back rows, even the two pairs of parents beside Xue Jiao stood up screaming.

After throwing the basketball, Yi Tianyu collapsed on the ground but was quickly lifted and tossed into the air.

In this match, he and Cheng Mingze were the winners.

One scored 22 points, the other scored 20 points.

What Yi Tianyu wanted to achieve should have been realized.

This group of players walked over, laughing and smiling. Their parents were basically sitting in the front rows watching the battle. In such an exciting moment, it was meant to be shared with close people.

Yi Tianyu and Cheng Mingze came over arms around each other’s shoulders, laughing. Perhaps they were too excited that their brains short-circuited.

Yi Tianyu did something that left people dumbfounded—