After opening the shop, my father became the legal representative, and his business partner used the hotel as collateral to secure a loan of over three million yuan from Zuo Cheng."
"Later, Zuo Cheng came to us demanding money and produced a contract. In the end... the hotel was taken by Zuo Cheng as repayment. What's more, the hotel was valued at only two million yuan, and my father, as the legal representative, was left to shoulder the remaining one million yuan of the debt." Mu Qingqing's mouth curled into a bitter smile as she said, "And then, Zuo Cheng converted this sum into usurious loan shark debt. A year has passed, and according to them, it has now snowballed to over four million yuan!"
"Then where is your father's friend?" Su Nian asked.
"He... ran away," Mu Qingqing said. "Later on, we heard from my father's other old classmates that the man who partnered with my father was actually... working under Zuo Cheng."
"So..." Hearing this, Chu Hao narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Was all of this just a trap they set up? Didn't you call the police?"
"We did, but they have a contract. It says one million in writing, and they just use private threats to demand four million!" Mu Qingqing said. "They know a lot of thugs, and after we called the police, they kept coming back to harass us!"
"There's nothing we can do..." Mu Qingqing smiled bitterly. "My parents just have to go out every day and work multiple jobs, trying to pay it off!"
"Working odd jobs to pay off usurious debt—you'd never pay it off in a lifetime," Su Nian shook her head and said. "This Zuo Cheng... is truly not a human being!"
Chu Hao raised an eyebrow at Su Nian and said, "Miss Su seems to know this Zuo Cheng?"
"Yes!" Su Nian nodded and said, "We came to Jiangcheng intending to invest in some projects. Zuo Cheng has a fairly decent e-commerce platform under his command, which was originally one of my investment targets. I've been looking into it lately!"
"But a scumbag like that!" Su Nian said calmly, "I wouldn't invest a single penny in him."
With that, Su Nian smiled and asked, "Do you need... my help? Making Zuo Cheng go bankrupt and making him pay back their money is just a matter of a flick of the finger."
Chu Hao shook his head and said, "I also have some old scores to settle with Zuo Cheng. There's no need to trouble you with this matter. And thank you for what happened earlier."
"How are you going to thank me?" Su Nian's lips curved into a playful, enigmatic smile as she asked.
Chu Hao pondered for a moment, then looked up at Su Nian and said, "Miss Su and I have never met before, but since Miss Su was able to find me, you must have used quite a few means. I can promise you one condition, as long as it doesn't violate morality!"
At first, Chu Hao thought Su Nian had sought him out to save Jiang Ranran.
But today she had come looking for him again, which proved she had other matters in mind—perhaps hoping Chu Hao would step in to save someone else.
Chu Hao did not like owing people favors, so he decided to make this promise to Su Nian.
"Under the premise that it doesn't violate morality, any request at all?" Su Nian asked again.
Chu Hao nodded and said, "A word spoken is a promise made, provided it doesn't violate morality."
A smile crept up the corner of Su Nian's lips. "Since you put it that way, I actually do have something I need your help with!"
"Speak your mind!" Chu Hao said.
"Let's... get married!" Su Nian brushed a lock of hair away from her face, a faint blush blooming across her delicate cheeks.
Chapter 9: You Must Stand Up for Me!
"What!" Chu Hao thought he had misheard!
Two blushes bloomed across Su Nian's face. Completely different from the aggressive demeanor she had shown toward Zuo Cheng earlier, at this moment she looked just like a shy young woman, keeping her head down as she said, "I said... let's get married!"
Receiving confirmation once more, Chu Hao leaned against the counter's wall and stared at Su Nian in dumbfounded amazement.
After a long silence, he swallowed hard and said, "This... this is too rash!"
Su Nian looked up, her bright, watery eyes fixed on Chu Hao as she said, "Didn't you just say that as long as it doesn't violate morality, you would agree to any request of mine?"
Chu Hao nodded. "I did... but this... marriage..."
"Then let me ask you!" Su Nian looked at Chu Hao. "Does getting married violate morality?"
"Do you feel you're getting the short end of the stick by marrying me?" Su Nian asked again.
Chu Hao shook his head. "You're pretty, your figure is great, and by the looks of it, your family's financial situation is quite good. I'm just a country boy; I'm definitely not losing out on this deal!"
Chu Hao shook his head in bewilderment.
Su Nian smiled craftily. "So, there's nothing wrong with my request, is there? You just said you could agree to any of my requests—you're not going to go back on your word, are you?"
Looking at Su Nian's perfect figure and near-flawless face, Chu Hao felt a sense of unreality.
Thinking about how he had been plotted against by the Lin family and had his marriage engagement broken, only for a beautiful woman to suddenly appear before him and ask to marry him.
Chu Hao let out a long breath, then nodded and said, "Alright, I promise you. When?"
A flash of joy flickered in Su Nian's eyes, and she quickly said, "Right now. I even brought my household registration booklet with me. You should have yours on you too, right? Let's go get our marriage certificate right now!"
"Isn't this too fast?" Chu Hao was taken aback.
He had indeed brought his household registration booklet with him; after all, one of the purposes of this trip was to fulfill his marriage engagement.
"Do you want to back out?" Su Nian asked.
"Let's go then!" Chu Hao said.
Although it was a bit rash, Chu Hao... didn't refuse either.
An hour later, outside the Jiangcheng Civil Affairs Bureau, Chu Hao and Su Nian walked out in a somewhat dazed state.
In his hand was an extra red booklet featuring a photo of himself and Su Nian together.
As they stepped outside, a blush once more rose to Su Nian's pretty face, but the more Chu Hao thought about it, the more he felt something was amiss. He looked at Su Nian and asked with a frown, "You went through all that trouble to find me—your real purpose wasn't just to marry me, was it?"
"That's right!" Su Nian didn't hide it either.
"Why?" Chu Hao asked.
"As for that... you'll find out later," Su Nian said cheerfully.
Frowning, Chu Hao was about to ask something else when his phone suddenly rang in his pocket.
He took out the phone, and the caller ID displayed a single word: "Dad!"
This phone actually belonged to Su Nian, so Chu Hao handed it over to her.
When Su Nian saw the caller ID, her brows furrowed deeply. "I need to take this call."
With that, she walked away with the phone.
The bearded strong man followed closely by her side, not budging an inch.
Chu Hao knew this fellow had undergone physical training and possessed internal energy, though not quite at the level of immortal cultivation—he was a martial artist.
Chu Hao glanced over from a distance a few times and noticed that Su Nian seemed somewhat angry.
However, he didn't deliberately eavesdrop on what she was talking about, even though he could easily hear it if he focused his auditory senses.
He wasn't someone who liked to pry; if Su Nian was willing to tell him, she would naturally do so sooner or later.
Su Nian was on the phone for more than twenty minutes before she walked back toward Chu Hao. Her mood was clearly somewhat low, but as she approached him, she managed a slight smile, handed the phone back, and said, "If anyone calls this number, just don't answer it."
"Mm!" Chu Hao nodded.
"I actually had some other things I wanted to tell you," Su Nian said with a bitter smile. "But something has come up, and I have to go handle it right now. I'll come find you after I'm done!"
With that, she looked toward the man standing beside her.
The bearded strong man understood tacitly; he fumbled around in his pocket and pulled out a key, which he handed to Chu Hao.
Then Su Nian said, "This is the key to my place. The address is Building 6, Biqing Garden. You can go back there first, and once I'm done with my business, I'll come find you."
Chu Hao took the key.
"I'll be leaving first then!" Su Nian said to Chu Hao.
Chu Hao nodded. "Go ahead and handle your business!"
Su Nian got into the Maybach.
As the car drove away into the distance, a slight smile appeared at the corners of Chu Hao's lips. "Su Nian... the Su family of Yanjing. If I remember correctly, that should be Su Huaichun's family. This girl is clearly entering a sham marriage with me; I wonder what her true purpose really is."
With that, he smiled and shook his head. "Now that my eyesight has completely recovered, it's time... to handle my own affairs."
He stood by the roadside, thinking about hailing a cab, but after patting the money in his pocket, he decided to take the bus instead.
Chu Hao had come to Jiangcheng for two reasons. The first was, of course, to fulfill his marriage engagement; the second was to seek revenge.
Back then, when he was blind, a woman had saved him, and at that time, she had mentioned someone named Luo Qing of Jiangcheng!
This time, Chu Hao had come to find out why this person had attacked him, and he even suspected it might have some connection to his missing grandfather.
Over the past few days, he had also gathered quite a bit of information.
He remembered the person's appearance, and in Jiangcheng, there was indeed a Luo family—a family with deep roots in the city, having been passed down for several centuries.
The Luo family wasn't considered wealthy in Jiangcheng, but they ran a martial arts school. Business was good, and quite a few rich people came to them to learn a trick or two.
Because of their long heritage, the Luo family had connections in both the underworld and the legitimate world, and most people didn't dare provoke them.
Chu Hao planned to go take a look and ask whether there was someone named Luo Qing in the Luo family.
The Luo family's address was easy to inquire about, and he had already found it out. After riding the bus for half an hour, he arrived near the Luo family residence.
The Luo family was located roughly in the center of Jiangcheng, occupying a traditional courtyard house.
As Chu Hao walked over, his expression shifted slightly. He saw a car pulling to a halt right at the entrance of the courtyard in the distance.
He was extremely familiar with this car; it was none other than the one Zuo Cheng had been driving that morning.
The car door opened, and he saw a person whose face was completely wrapped in gauze step out from the vehicle. Judging by his figure, it was unmistakably Zuo Cheng.
At the entrance, a muscular man wearing a tank top was waiting to receive him. Seeing the man, Zuo Cheng burst into tears and wailed, "Uncle... you have to stand up for me!"
Chapter 10: Blood That Won't Stop
Looking at Zuo Cheng, the strong man frowned and asked, "What happened to you?"
"I was beaten up! I was beaten up!" Zuo Cheng said. "That bumpkin who has an arranged childhood marriage with Yiyi—I don't know how, but he got acquainted with Su Nian. Then I got beaten up by Su Nian's bodyguard, and now Su Nian's investment might fall through as well. Uncle, what am I going to do?!"
"The guy with an arranged marriage to Lin Qinyi?" The strong man's expression shifted. "Chu Hao?"
"Yes, it's him!" Zuo Cheng said hurriedly. "Uncle, you must stand up for me!"
They didn't notice that Chu Hao, standing some distance away, was twitching his ears slightly, clearly capturing every word they said.
A faint stir went through Chu Hao's heart.
Judging by the conversation, Zuo Cheng's mother must be a member of the Luo family. No wonder Zuo Cheng was so familiar with local thugs and quite adept at the ways of the underworld.
"Did you hook up with Lin Qinyi?" Zuo Cheng's uncle asked again.
"It makes me furious just thinking about it," Zuo Cheng cursed. "Lin Qinyi listened to me and plotted against Chu Hao, tearing up the engagement. But that old man in her family stubbornly refuses to let it go. How about this, Uncle..."
With that, he looked around before saying, "Be a bit ruthless and just get rid of that old man. The Lin family only has Lin Qinyi and her younger sister left. Her brain isn't big enough; with a little manipulation on my part, the Lin family's assets will all fall into my hands."
"Let's go inside first and talk!" The strong man took a deep breath. "That old piece of trash really should die anyway."
Hearing this, Chu Hao felt a mild sense of surprise!
Zuo Cheng's target seemed to be seizing all the assets of the Lin family, and behind this, members of the Luo family were pulling the strings?
Moreover, judging by Zuo Cheng's words, this certainly wasn't the first time they had committed murder.
Seeing this, a cold smile crept onto the corner of Chu Hao's mouth.
He didn't sympathize with the Lin family at all!
To put it bluntly, his connection to the Lin family lay in the friendship between his grandfather and Elder Lin.
Chu Hao had come to fulfill the marriage engagement, but the Lin family's attitude had been atrocious. From the very beginning, they had avoided seeing him, and when they finally did, it was all scheming.
Lin Qinyi also looked down on him from the bottom of her heart.
Whatever fate befell the Lin family had nothing to do with him.
However, Zuo Cheng still had to pay a price for what he had done.
Waiting until the two of them walked inside, Chu Hao finally approached the entrance.
The Lin family's main gate was tightly shut. He pressed the doorbell!
After a long while, the sound of the door opening rang out. A young man in his early twenties stood in the doorway, looked at Chu Hao, and frowned, "Who are you looking for?"
"Is Luo Qing here, please?" Chu Hao asked.
The young man looked at Chu Hao with a strange expression. "Luo Qing? We don't have anyone by that name here!"
Chu Hao was stunned for a moment, then said, "Sorry, I must have the wrong place."
The young man looked at Chu Hao and then closed the door.
"Could this not be the Luo family?" Chu Hao pondered for a moment, then turned and walked toward the bus stop.
……
The young man walked back into the courtyard and soon reached the living room. Seeing Zuo Cheng's battered appearance, he frowned and asked, "Cousin, what happened to you...?"
Zuo Cheng looked awkward. At that moment, the strong man asked, "Luo Hao, who was that at the door just now?"
"Don't know. Said he was looking for some Luo Qing. Sounds like he came to the wrong place," Luo Hao waved his hand and said, "You guys chat, I'm going to go play games."
"That person was looking for Luo Qing?" The strong man suddenly stood up and asked.
"Yeah, we don't have anyone by that name in our family, right?" Luo Hao said doubtfully.
"You ungrateful little brat!" The strong man glared at him and said, "Our ancestor was named Luo Qing!"
With that, the strong man hurried out anxiously.
Meanwhile, Chu Hao had already boarded the bus. With a furrowed brow, he felt somewhat at a loss.
Regarding the person who had blinded him, he only knew four words: "Luo Qing of Jiangcheng." As for anything else, he was completely in the dark.
Now, that clue had hit a dead end.
He took the bus and slowly made his way back toward the guesthouse.
As soon as he arrived at the guesthouse, he caught a whiff of a fragrant aroma.
"Brother, you're back!" Mu Qingqing was sitting right at the entrance. Seeing Chu Hao walk over, her face lit up with joy. "Come on in and eat."
"Uh, my eyesight has recovered now, you don't need to take care of me like this," Chu Hao said.
"I told my mom and dad about what happened today, and they wanted to thank you. By the way, where's the pretty older sister you're marrying?" Mu Qingqing asked, looking around.
"She... had something to come up and left," Chu Hao smiled. "Scallion and pork belly stir-fry?"
"That's right!" Mu Qingqing said. "Didn't you say it was insanely delicious when I gave you some last time? Come on in!"
Chu Hao didn't refuse and walked inside!
As soon as he entered, he saw Mu Qingqing's father sitting on a wooden stool, smoking a cigarette while wearing a deeply troubled expression!
Seeing Chu Hao walk in, the man put away his worried look and said with a smile, "Little Chu is back. Sit down, sit down!"
"Uncle... are you worrying about those millions in debt?" Chu Hao asked.
Hearing this, Mu Qingqing's father let out a long sigh and said, "Sigh... it's all my fault for trusting the wrong person."
"Actually..." Chu Hao looked at him and said, "Uncle, you don't need to worry too much. This matter... I might be able to help with a bit."
……
Meanwhile, in another part of Jiangcheng, inside a massive villa belonging to the Lin family.
Lin Qinyi had just finished using the restroom, a smile on her face.
She was in a very good mood today.
That country bumpkin Chu Hao's marriage engagement had finally been torn up. During this period, Elder Lin had insisted on having her marry Chu Hao, which had driven her crazy with annoyance.
How could a country bumpkin be worthy of her? Only a young talent like Zuo Hao was worthy of her.
Furthermore, they were classmates and knew each other's backgrounds inside and out.
Now that Elder Lin had relented, she had the opportunity to truly be with Zuo Cheng, and naturally, she was incomparably happy!
After finishing in the restroom, she washed her hands.
Suddenly, she felt a trace of warmth flowing from her nose.
She raised her head and glanced in the mirror, discovering that bright red blood was trickling down from her nose, looking particularly glaring against her snow-white skin.
She froze for a moment, then grabbed a tissue to wipe it!
Immediately afterward, however, the blood kept flowing and flowing, quickly staining the tissue in her hand completely red.
And... it showed no signs of stopping at all.
Chapter 11: Excuse Me, Do I Know You Well?
Inside the luxurious bathroom!
Lin Qinyi stared blankly at herself in the mirror, continuously pulling tissues and frantically wiping away the blood!
The tissues in her hand were stained a deep crimson.
She thought of what her grandfather had said—that when she turned twenty-eight, an illness would strike.
She had originally thought this was just a joke, a superstition of her grandfather's. Yet now, there were still three days left before her twenty-eight-birthday.
"How could this be?" she murmured to herself.
She wanted to call for help and took a step toward the bathroom door to open it. But the moment she took that step, a sudden wave of dizziness washed over her, and her whole body collapsed with a thud onto the floor.
……
As for Lin Qinyi's condition, Chu Hao was completely unaware of it.
At this moment, he was sitting across from Mu Qingqing's father. Mu Qingqing's father, named Mu Qiu, was an honest and steadfast man. Hearing Chu Hao's words, he shook his head and said, "Little Chu, you shouldn't muddy these waters. You're an outsider and don't know the situation in Jiangcheng. Zuo Cheng's backing is the Luo family."
"The Luo family used to run a martial arts school in Jiangcheng. Their ancestors were wealthy and powerful, and legend has it they even produced some kind of immortal or something," Mu Qiu said.
Mu Qingqing chimed in, "Dad, it's the 21st century already, stop talking about those old myths."
"This really isn't a myth," Mu Qiu said. "That person is considered a legendary figure in Jiangcheng's history; most of the native residents of Jiangcheng have heard his stories."
"What's his name?" Chu Hao asked.
"His name is Luo Qing," Mu Qiu said. "That's why the Luo family has a long heritage. Even though they might not have a ton of money nowadays in Jiangcheng, they have connections in both the underworld and the legitimate world. Zuo Cheng's mother is a member of the Luo family. Provoking him... won't bring you any good results."
With that, he let out a long sigh. "I'll just slowly pay it back. It's just hard on Qingqing."
"Listen to Qingqing!"