Chapter 252: Real Name
“Zhu Yuanyuan?”
Xia He repeated the name.
“Yes. I can’t be certain about the exact Chinese characters, but that is definitely the pronunciation,” Liang Zhuo said.
The wealthy young friend of Liang Zhuo’s who had passed on the news about Wei Xiao had forwarded this information to Liang Zhuo, who in turn passed it to Xia He.
In exchange for the tip, Xia He had generously granted the Liang family a seat in a competitive bid, and Liang Zhuo’s sister, Liang Qu, had done an excellent job securing the deal.
Having received this new information, Liang Zhuo delivered it immediately.
“He didn’t say anything when he got to the bar, he just drank alone. My friend figured he was definitely dealing with something, so he kept throwing out topics, pretending to try and cheer him up.”
“When he got to the point of talking about how people in the circle were getting their private accounts exposed due to big data, Wei Xiao suddenly perked up.”
“My friend realized he had a shot, so he kept going, acting like he was an expert on the subject. Wei Xiao had already had quite a few drinks by then, and with the alcohol going to his head, he pulled my friend aside and asked if he could check someone out for him.”
“And that’s when he uttered the name ‘Zhu Yuanyuan’?” Xia He tapped his fingertips against the desk.
“That’s right!” Even though Xia He couldn’t see him through the phone, Liang Zhuo couldn’t help but nod vigorously. “My friend said there’s no one by that name in our circle. He asked if there were any other clues, but Wei Xiao wouldn’t say anything else. In the end, he even told my friend not to bother looking into it.”
Xia He couldn’t help but chuckle. “You weren’t even sure if this intelligence was useful, yet you dumped it on me?”
Liang Zhuo laughed obsequiously. “Isn’t it just a gamble? If it turns out to be useful, then I’ve hit the jackpot.”
“You can name your price now,” Xia He said. “This is likely a piece of intelligence I currently have a significant need for.”
Liang Zhuo’s heart skipped a beat. Xia He had said he had a “significant need”—what did that imply? It might even be worth a favor.
However, he kept a clear head; one had to know when to be content.
He took a few silent, deep breaths before smiling. “Didn’t you also say it was ‘likely,’ President Xia? Since nothing is set in stone yet, I’ve just passed along a word. It’s not much of a contribution.”
After a pause, he continued: “It’s actually my friend who’s in a bit of trouble. He’s offended someone who’s threatened to shut down his family business. His goods are currently stuck in the warehouse…”
“Have your friend send over a number; I’ll arrange for someone to coordinate with him,” Xia He said, cutting Liang Zhuo off before he could even finish.
Liang Zhuo let out a silent howl of triumph. He didn’t even have to ask who had been offended or what the goods were—to be able to issue such a promise directly was just too cool!
He replied briskly: “Sure! I’ll notify my friend immediately and text you the number.”
Xia He was noncommittal, then asked: “You don’t want any other compensation?”
“No, no. That last deal was already generous enough. Helping you out is the least I can do,” Liang Zhuo said sycophantically.
After hanging up with Liang Zhuo, Xia He arranged for his men to investigate the name “Zhu Yuanyuan” while simultaneously forwarding it to Gu Qinghuan.
Gu Qinghuan: [?]
Gu Qinghuan: [Could it be Xu Zhishu’s real name?!]
As expected, her first reaction was identical to his.
While he had indeed mentioned he would investigate Xu Zhishu, the fact that Gu Qinghuan could immediately make that connection showed she placed immense confidence in him.
Xia He felt a rare sense of pressure.
This time, it was purely a coincidence. Even though he didn’t know how Wei Xiao had found out, if that brainless idiot hadn’t been drunk, if Liang Zhuo’s friend hadn’t been present or hadn’t been so sharp, if Liang Zhuo hadn’t taken the intelligence seriously…
It had taken a stack of coincidences for him to obtain this piece of intel. He might not be so lucky next time.
If that were the case, how could he live up to Gu Qinghuan’s trust in the future?
He needed to become more powerful. Xia Nanzhi had been jumping around for long enough; it was time to pin her down.
With that thought, Xia He replied to Gu Qinghuan: [The characters might not be these exact ones, but the pronunciation is correct. This is just a name Wei Xiao revealed; I can’t guarantee it’s Xu Zhishu’s real name, but I will conduct a thorough investigation.]
Gu Qinghuan: [Got it. Can I tell Bao Qingsong?]
Xia He: [You can.]
Perhaps Bao Qingsong had his own special channels for information? It was good to have extra help.
Having received the news, Gu Qinghuan happily went to call Bao Qingsong.
Bao Qingsong was stunned: “Class monitor, don’t tell me you actually broke into the Wei residence to plant a wiretap!”
“I don’t use illegal methods!” Gu Qinghuan retorted.
Bao Qingsong was teasing, but his hands were already busy comparing Xu Zhishu’s age and searching for news from over a decade ago.
“By the way, class monitor, which characters do you think it is?” Bao Qingsong asked.
” ‘Zhu’ (朱) and ‘Zhu’ (祝) might be confused, but I’m inclined toward the former. As for ‘Yuanyuan’ (圓圓), considering Xu Zhishu’s age and naming trends back then, the ‘yuan’ for ’round’ (圓) is more common, isn’t it?” Gu Qinghuan said.
“Also, there’s another angle. Since Xu Zhishu’s identity was forged by Wei Yan, it’s highly likely that after she became pregnant with his son and won his favor, Wei Yan gave her the right to choose her new identity.”
“Names usually embody the aspirations of the person who chooses them, right? She chose the name ‘Zhishu’ (Knowing Books), which suggests her original name likely wasn’t very elegant, which is why she wanted such a scholarly one.”
Bao Qingsong had a sudden epiphany: “What you’re saying is very plausible. Then it should indeed be the common ‘yuan’ for ’round’.”
As Bao Qingsong went off to investigate, Gu Qinghuan watched how energized he was and suspected he was going to pull an all-nighter.
However, if she didn’t lack the ability herself, she would definitely be getting more and more excited as she dug deeper.
She thought about it and decided to verify it with her own cheat sheet: [System, is Zhu Yuanyuan Xu Zhishu’s real name?]
The system answered crisply: [Yes. The Chinese characters are exactly as the host guessed.]
Gu Qinghuan had even guessed the origin of the name “Xu Zhishu” correctly. The system felt its host was truly impressive today.
Gu Qinghuan let out a long breath: [A breakthrough, indeed.]
Progress had been so smooth that Gu Qinghuan felt surprised.
Xia He had only mentioned that Wei Xiao revealed the name, not how he had revealed it. Gu Qinghuan couldn’t help but be curious: how did Wei Xiao know?
Had Wei Yan told him, or had Wei Xiao seen some old documents of Xu Zhishu’s?
Whatever. It wasn’t worth worrying about. The stupidity of an enemy was always delightful.
“He really is a fool.”
A sneering laugh rang out. Xia Xiuzhu raised a glass of martini and toasted Xu Zhishu.
Xu Zhishu sat opposite him, expressionless, and showed no interest in the Manhattan he had placed in front of her.
Xia Xiuzhu didn’t mind. He drained the martini in one gulp and said in high spirits, “Wei Yan is indeed an excellent businessman. It’s a pity you understand human nature better than he does.”
Because I don’t have that kind of talent, I have no choice but to constantly study the psychology of others to get what I want from their hands.
Xu Zhishu thought this to herself. For nearly twenty years, she had successfully cultivated an image in Wei Yan’s mind as someone snobbish, a bit clever, and very tactful.
That was why Wei Yan believed her claim that Xia Xiuzhu had taught her what to say, and that she truly was having an affair with him.
So, he played along, pretending to believe her and comforting her by saying he wouldn’t overthink it, while in reality, he had already begun investigating her “affair” and arranging for the divorce.
The “evidence” Xia Xiuzhu had prepared in advance would also be dropped into Wei Yan’s hands bit by bit.
This way, Wei Yan would never notice her subtle movements of embezzling their shared assets.
Xu Zhishu didn’t intend to take too much. She only needed an amount that, even if Wei Yan discovered it, he wouldn’t care.
It fit her established persona perfectly. Wei Yan might even sigh afterward, thinking, “She’s finally been clever for once.” — That would be perfect. She had always been very tactful, after all.
Of course, that amount was already enough for her to enjoy herself recklessly for the rest of her life.
Chapter 253: Dispute
The period before the sports meet was easily the most relaxing time Gu Qinghuan had experienced since enrolling at Mingde.
No scumbags came looking for trouble, and nothing out of the ordinary happened in class; everyone was entirely focused on preparing for the upcoming sports meet.
If it weren’t for the system in her head chiming in to chat with her every now and then, Gu Qinghuan would have truly forgotten she even had missions to complete.
In contrast, Bao Qingsong was run off his feet.
First, he was working with his sister, Bao Rujian, to investigate the Zhu Yuanyuan matter. Second, there was a mountain of submissions on Mingde’s confession wall.
Thirdly… he had recently joined an online forum filled with tech wizards who were discussing how to utilize AI technology for data integration to provide support in missing persons cases.
Bao Qingsong had originally joined the forum to find information on Zhu Yuanyuan, but everyone there was preparing to use this technology to help locate trafficked women, children, and lost elderly individuals.
The students of Class Three also noticed that their Information Minister had been under immense pressure lately. Apart from attending regular classes, he was either at the library or clutching his tablet, typing furiously on a Bluetooth keyboard.
So, everyone reached a tacit agreement not to disturb him. Once this busy spell was over, they’d find out what the Information Minister had been up to!
On the other side, there was fresh gossip every single day at Lin Zhulu’s house.
Lin Zhulu’s mother, Lin Yueji, wasn’t the type to dwell on the past or live in regret; once she got divorced, she stopped paying attention to the Wei family entirely.
On the other hand, Lin Yueji’s younger sister, Lin Aiji, loved nothing more than hitting people when they were down.
From the day the trending topic featuring Xu Zhishu and Xia Xiuzhu broke, Lin Aiji had been keeping the Wei family under intense scrutiny.
And, she shared every bit of it with Lin Zhulu with great relish.
As Lin Zhulu munched on the latest updates regarding the Wei family’s divorce progress, she asked curiously, “Little Aunt, don’t you have work to do?”
Lin Aiji shot her a glance. “The child is all grown up and already starting to lecture her Little Aunt.”
Lin Zhulu ducked her head, and Lin Aiji reached out to pinch her cheek. “Don’t worry, gossiping doesn’t affect my work. The big families at the top have been making a racket lately, so it’s better for our family to just lay low.”
“Besides, this progress is actually pretty easy to dig up; it’s like someone is intentionally spreading it.”
Lin Zhulu said “Oh,” then added, “But I didn’t expect you to be so invested in this. I see my mom doesn’t care at all.”
“Your mother is magnanimous, but I’m different,” Lin Aiji chuckled. “I just love watching people I hate have a miserable life!”
Lin Zhulu thought: Well, I guess that’s a form of authenticity, right?
Life had indeed been miserable for the Wei family lately. Wei Xiao attended school every day simply because he didn’t want to stay at home.
Wei Yan’s attitude toward Xu Zhishu was incredibly cold. Although he hadn’t explicitly stated what he had found out, it was clear that things were looking grim.
Xu Zhishu’s attitude, meanwhile, was becoming increasingly hysterical. At first, she would try to play the victim, but as time went on, she became more and more haggard.
However, the more she obsessed over winning back Wei Yan’s heart and explaining herself to him, the less patience Wei Yan had as he watched her descend into disheveled madness.
Watching the situation between the two of them, Wei Xiao felt so tense he wanted to vomit.
From the moment Wei Yan revealed his intention to divorce, Wei Xiao realized this was Xu Zhishu’s scheme. Her incessant badgering would only accelerate Wei Yan’s annoyance and push the divorce to the forefront.
Seeing his father fall into the trap so easily made Wei Xiao feel it was absurd, but on the other hand, he wanted Xu Zhishu to leave as soon as possible.
As long as he behaved himself and acted ignorant, once Xu Zhishu was gone, his true identity would be buried in the past forever—no one would ever know.
After the sports meet concluded, Class Three’s results were neither good nor bad, and Chen Zelin didn’t care.
However, because Class Three had participated in the most fun events and placed well in the group categories, they actually won a “Best Participation Award.”
As for Bao Qingsong’s confession wall, it had successfully reeled in 27 people from the start of the sports meet until a week after it ended.
This meant the students of Class Three didn’t even need to gossip in person; they spent their days refreshing the wall, eagerly providing information and acting as meddling magpies building bridges for others.
However, after the bustling sports meet ended, before everyone could even prepare for the upcoming midterms, a major incident occurred in Class Two.
In full view of everyone, Wei Xiao and Su Lin got into a dispute, and Wei Xiao actually hit Su Lin.
Good news: Su Lin wasn’t seriously hurt.
Bad news: Qin Yue had his head smashed open.
Class Three and Class Two were nearby, and as soon as they heard the commotion, the “marmots” of Class Three swarmed the windows.
Although they didn’t know how the dispute started, seeing that it was Wei Xiao and Su Lin involved, the students of Class Three didn’t even hesitate to take Su Lin’s side.
At first, it was just Wei Xiao hurling insults while Su Lin calmly retorted, but as they went back and forth, Wei Xiao’s emotions began to flare.
Watching Wei Xiao grab Su Lin by the collar, the “capybaras” of Class Two hurriedly rushed in to intervene, dragging the two of them apart.
Qin Yue had been standing near the door of Class Two, and due to their bond in a study group, he rushed over without a second thought to stand in front of Su Lin.
Right then, Wei Xiao was struggling, and his hand happened to brush against something on a desk, which he threw directly at Su Lin.
With a loud “clack,” a stainless steel Lock & Lock container slammed into Qin Yue’s head, drawing blood instantly. He fainted on the spot.
Chaos erupted. The students of Class Three stood frozen for a second before scattering to make calls.
“I’ll call the ambulance!”
“Does anyone have the number for Qin Yue’s family?”
Gu Qinghuan, who had sprinted over from the Student Council the moment she received the news, arrived just in time to hear that last question and said immediately, “I have his brother’s number! I’ll contact him!”
“Everyone, stay calm! Stand where you are and don’t move!”
“Zhan Chuchen, go to the infirmary! Explain the situation clearly and bring the school doctor over!”
“Song Yi, restrain Wei Xiao!”
“Ming Xiaolan, go find the homeroom teachers of Class Three and Class Two! And remind our homeroom teacher to contact the principal!”
Because it was lunch break, the principal wasn’t around. The vice-principal came running, looking flustered, while the Dean of Academic Affairs, Zhang Xuehai, arrived first and was already maintaining order.
Gu Qinghuan contacted Qin Min, who in turn found Qin Yanxia; the latter was already on her way.
After the homeroom teacher of Class Two arrived on the scene, Song Yi released his hold on Wei Xiao and moved to stand in front of Su Lin.
When Chen Zelin saw the unconscious Qin Yue, he felt as if the sky were falling.
Fortunately, the school doctor checked him and said it wasn’t a major issue, and the bleeding wasn’t severe, but he still needed to be rushed to the hospital to check for a concussion.
Jiang Chuchu had been napping in her lounge during the lunch break; when she arrived, she didn’t have time to settle scores with Wei Xiao and hurried to accompany Qin Yue into the ambulance, taking the opportunity to call Qin Yanxia and explain the situation.
With Qin Yue loaded into the ambulance, everyone felt slightly more at ease. The only issue remaining was holding Wei Xiao accountable.
The vice-principal’s face was grim. “What exactly happened here?”
The students of Class Three quietly stepped aside. Their vice-class monitor was the victim of a heroic act, but the issue was primarily between Wei Xiao and Su Lin, so Class Three wasn’t going to get involved.
Chen Zelin stood to the side, clutching his chest and glaring at Wei Xiao, ready at any moment to demand justice for his student.
Su Lin spoke with composure: “Recently, several students have reported to me that Wei Xiao’s behavior was disrupting normal classes, so I took advantage of the lunch break to talk to him. He just told me to mind my own business.”
As the class monitor of Class Two, Su Lin didn’t usually manage much—mainly because the “capybaras” didn’t have much to manage.
But since her classmates were being bothered, she naturally had to have a word with Wei Xiao.
“I emphasized his recent disciplinary issues and told him that if it continued, I would have to report him to the homeroom teacher. He said, ‘Don’t think that just because you’re a class monitor, you’re something special—don’t treat a chicken feather as a token of authority.'”
“I told him I understood his family situation was complicated lately and that he was under stress, so everyone had been accommodating and hadn’t called him out to his face. That’s when he grabbed my collar.”
Su Lin remained calm, but the students of Class Three were shocked.
They had wanted to call him a cockroach just now, but it turned out the “Study God” had already stepped on the cockroach’s sore spot!
Chapter 254: It Just Had to Be You
The vice-principal wasn’t completely oblivious to the situation in the Wei family, and right now, he felt rather awkward.
Su Lin’s words sounded like quite a heavy blow on first impact, but she hadn’t done it on purpose either. It was Wei Xiao himself who insisted on interpreting it as poking his sore spot.
At most, one could only say Su Lin wasn’t very tactful with her words, but that was still no excuse for Wei Xiao to resort to violence.
Let alone throwing objects at someone. If it hadn’t been for Qin Yue, and that hit had landed squarely on Su Lin’s forehead instead…
The school was still counting on Su Lin to secure the top spot in the college entrance examination! How could they allow someone to smash the head of their star candidate!
At this thought, the vice-principal’s heart skipped a beat with lingering fear.
His tone toward Wei Xiao became exceptionally severe. “Wei Xiao, did things happen exactly the way Su Lin described?”
Wei Xiao didn’t utter a single syllable. Free from Song Yi’s restraint, and with everyone else maintaining a safe distance from him, he simply leaned against a nearby desk and, brazenly enough, completely zoned out.
The vice-principal felt his face losing ground. He knew the Wei family was a big deal, but Mingde didn’t exactly rely on a young master like him to keep its doors open! What kind of attitude was this!
Just as he was about to raise his voice to berate him further, a chaotic flurry of footsteps echoed from outside the classroom.
The students of Class Three, who were crammed into the corridor watching the scene unfold, were the first to see the newcomers.
Wei Yan and Xu Zhishu had actually both arrived. They were both dressed in business suits, looking quite formal at first glance.
Gu Qinghuan pulled Zhan Chuchen and Song Yi to stand a little further forward, blocking Lin Zhulu from view behind them.
Though the two were somewhat baffled by the request, their class monitor naturally had her reasons, so they complied without question.
Behind Wei Yan and Xu Zhishu, Qin Yanxia was also walking over briskly. By comparison, her steps were much more stable, though it was evident from her expression that her mood was quite grave.
The homeroom teachers of both classes explained the situation to the three of them separately. Qin Yanxia nodded along as she listened. “My husband has already gone to the hospital. I will handle everything on this end with full authority.”
Wei Yan’s complexion was incredibly dark. Once the explanation finished, he shot a fierce glare at Wei Xiao and barked, “Look at the mess you’ve caused!”
In comparison, Xu Zhishu remained the most silent, merely listening quietly from beginning to end.
After venting his anger, Wei Yan turned to face Qin Yanxia.
He naturally recognized her as the chairwoman of the Shengjing Group, and his attitude became significantly more polite. “Chairman Qin, everything that happened today is my son’s fault. We will bear the medical expenses in full.”
Qin Yanxia’s tone was indifferent. “And what about the apology? The one for my son, and the one for that young lady.”
Before Wei Yan could respond, Wei Xiao spoke up. “I’m sorry, alright?”
The students of Class Three: That is completely not alright!
Qin Yanxia was nearly driven to laughter by his audacity. “Is this the attitude you’re taking?”
Wei Yan couldn’t save face either. He barked at Wei Xiao to apologize properly, then turned around to snap at Xu Zhishu: “Look at how you’ve raised my son!”
Before Wei Xiao could even talk back, Xu Zhishu suddenly exploded.
Like a landmine being detonated, she shrieked, “How else was I supposed to raise him! Didn’t you teach him the exact same way?!”
“We already went to file for divorce today! Once the cooling-off period is over, a month from today, you and I will have nothing to do with each other!”
“You wouldn’t even grant me custody, and yet you expect me to raise the child!”
The “marmots” of Class Three exchanged frantic glances, pulling out their phones to fire off messages in the class group chat.
Ming Xiaolan: [So, the reason Wei Xiao was a walking powder keg today is because Wei Yan and Xu Zhishu went to file for divorce today?]
Xu Xinghe: [While it sounds perfectly logical, hearing Xu Zhishu vent like that makes me feel like something’s not quite right.]
Ji Tianxiao: [Yep, I’ll bet a meal on the second floor of the cafeteria that Xu Zhishu is acting.]
Ai Ning: [Since you’ve put it that way, there’s no need to even bet.]
Yao Shali: [I agree with Ji Tianxiao. Even if she’s completely breaking down in the heat of the moment, the information she’s spilling is just a little too convenient.]
Yu Xin: [What’s going on?]
Yu Xin had gone to the calligraphy club at noon and was currently on her way back to the classroom. The messages in the group chat left her thoroughly confused.
Gu Qinghuan: [It’s a bit complicated to explain. Just come back first, and we’ll talk face-to-face.]
Xu Zhishu’s sudden outburst had clearly stunned everyone present. Wei Yan was the first to snap out of it, his face turning an even uglier shade of red. “If you want to throw a temper tantrum, go do it at home! Don’t embarrass yourself here!”
Xu Zhishu’s eyes instantly welled up with tears that threatened to spill over.
She snapped her gaze toward the homeroom teacher of Class Two. When she spoke again, her voice carried a heavy nasal tone, making it sound as though she could burst into tears at any moment, and her words were entirely laced with bitterness.
“Teacher, you heard it yourself. This is the current state of our family. The next time something comes up, please just contact the child’s father directly. There is no need to contact me anymore.”
Having said her piece, Xu Zhishu took a deep breath and turned back to Wei Yan. “I will move out of the Wei family residence today. I am never coming back!”
With that, completely disregarding how everyone else viewed her, she marched out of the classroom.
Ji Tianxiao: [Brilliant, truly brilliant. If my mom saw this, she’d definitely record it to use as a study clip for acting.]
Bao Qingsong: [I recorded it.]
Shen Jianwei: [Hey, don’t violate people’s privacy rights!]
Qin Yue: [What did you record…]
Ai Ning: [Qin Yue!]
Lian Fenghe: [You’re awake!]
Xie Xiangxue: [How are you feeling right now?]
Jiang Chuchu: [I confiscated his phone. I’ll speak for him.]
Jiang Chuchu: [We did a CT scan, no concussion. The wound has been bandaged, but the doctor suggested staying overnight for observation. If everything is fine, he’ll be discharged tomorrow.]
Murong Tianjiao: [What an incredibly thick skull…]
Yao Shali: [I saw the stainless steel casing of that Lock & Lock container, it was literally dented.]
Jiang Chuchu: [What’s the situation with Wei Xiao and Su Lin right now?]
Coincidentally, Yu Xin had just made it back at this exact moment. Gu Qinghuan simply pulled her into the classroom to explain the situation, and sent a quick voice message to catch Jiang Chuchu up as well.
By the time the explanation wrapped up, the rest of the Class Three students had returned.
“What was the final outcome?” Gu Qinghuan asked.
Bao Qingsong replied, “Wei Yan said he would take Wei Xiao to the hospital to formally apologize to Qin Yue. Qin Yanxia left with the two of them, and the vice-principal tagged along.”
“Wei Xiao apologized to Su Lin too, but it was extremely half-hearted. Su Lin didn’t care either; she probably saw right through his lack of sincerity.”
“Oh, and the vice-principal also mentioned that Wei Xiao will face disciplinary action. As for whether it will be a formal demerit or a period of probation, that’s still to be decided.”
Gu Qinghuan felt a twinge of regret. “Why couldn’t they just expel him directly?”
That being said, Gu Qinghuan was well aware that expelling Wei Xiao wouldn’t be that simple; Wei Yan would definitely fight it.
Ji Tianxiao sidled over. “What exactly was Xu Zhishu trying to achieve by putting on such a performance today?”
“To announce in front of the teachers that she has nothing to do with Wei Xiao anymore, so they shouldn’t bother her in the future?” Yao Shali guessed.
Gu Qinghuan looked thoughtful. Yao Shali’s hypothesis made a certain amount of sense, and combining it with Xu Zhishu’s final words, using this as an excuse to move out of the Wei family residence was likely one of her objectives as well.
Bao Qingsong, however, was much more alert. “I need to give my sister a heads-up.”
He felt that Xu Zhishu was simply trying to run away. During this past period, he and Bao Rujian had gone to immense trouble just to dig up a tiny shred of information regarding Zhu Yuanyuan.
Fortunately, Gu Qinghuan had also provided the intelligence Xia He unearthed. Once Bao Rujian compiled and submitted it, the police took the matter very seriously.
By this stage, there was basically no need for the Bao siblings to investigate privately anymore. Once the machinery of the state truly began to turn, its power was not to be underestimated.
Gu Qinghuan pondered for a moment, then fired off a message to Xia He to briefly summarize the situation.
Xia He: [What’s your take on this?]
Gu Qinghuan: [It feels like she’s severing all her current connections, piece by piece.]
Xia He: [Mhm. She likely intends to make a break for it the moment the divorce certificate is in her hands.]
Gu Qinghuan: [But that’s still a month away, right? Isn’t it a bit too early to trigger a total fallout now?]
Xia He: [Oh, that might have a little to do with me.]
Gu Qinghuan: [?]
Xia He: [I’ve been hitting them too hard lately. Xia Xiuzhu has behaved himself significantly better and hasn’t contacted Xu Zhishu again.]
Xia He: [Losing Xia Xiuzhu as her leverage probably triggered a sense of crisis in her. That’s why she needs to make preparations ahead of schedule.]
Gu Qinghuan held herself back, deleting the words “It just had to be you” from the chat box.
Just a second ago, she had been thinking that Xu Zhishu was incredibly decisive. But why did it suddenly feel like Xu Zhishu was hovering on the brink of total ruin instead?
