Chapter 1831 — Setting Terms
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
What followed was Gu Pengzhan's request to withdraw his investment. An Mingyue had warned him then that pulling out at that point carried risk, but Gu Pengzhan insisted on withdrawing anyway, and something in Gu Mengyao's face dimmed at the sound of it... Thinking that her father had done all of this for her sake, she could not hold back the tears that spilled from her eyes.
These few phone recordings were enough to prove the Ans' innocence, and only at this moment did Gu Mengyao believe it: the whole thing had been an accident. After all, faced with evidence like this, she had nothing left to argue. Even if the Ans had played some trick somewhere in it, to put it bluntly, Gu Pengzhan had only himself to thank.
They had warned you time and again, and you would not listen. So when the money was lost, whose fault was that?
"Yaoyao, this time you understand what our family has suffered, don't you?" An Liwen said with a bitter smile. "In all of this, the Ans came out with nothing. It amounts to no more than using that money to buy those shares and those properties!"
"Could you send me those recordings?" Gu Mengyao asked, drawing a deep breath. Uncle Qing knew nothing of these matters, and the Ans had never explained any of it to him.
In An Liwen's view, only explaining it to Gu Mengyao in person could produce this effect—and he had other business besides. This affair was merely the opening by which he meant to draw close to her.
"Of course." An Liwen nodded. "But there is also a video of the signing here. You can have a look..."
With that, An Liwen opened on his phone the video of Gu Pengzhan and An Mingyue signing the contract. The footage had of course been edited; whatever Gu Mengyao ought not to see was naturally not in it.
Watching her father in the video, laughing with such delight once the money was in his hands, Gu Mengyao knew that this had been entirely voluntary on his part—so this business really had little to do with the Ans... Of course, she thought so only because she had overlooked the hypnotist.
But who, in their right mind, would imagine a hypnotist's shadow falling across it all? And even an ordinary hypnotist would struggle to make it so seamless. A hypnotist from the Fire Wolf Gang, of course, was another matter entirely.
The Fire Wolf Gang was full of experts in human potential and its limits, and hypnosis is itself a form of suggestion that draws out human potential. So if Gu Mengyao weighed the matter from any normal angle, she could never have suspected a hypnotist.
"All right... I believe you. This matter has nothing to do with your family." Gu Mengyao was an upright and honorable woman; in the face of such evidence, she had no grounds to doubt the Ans any further.
"It's nothing. Without seeing it clearly, anyone would suspect our family!" An Liwen said with a bitter smile. "I'll send it to your phone right now."
Gu Mengyao nodded. After receiving An Liwen's message, she said, "I understand. This is not your family's fault—it is my father's, for being too eager for quick gain. Is there anything else?"
"This is a hundred thousand yuan. I heard Uncle Chu is badly in need of money just now, so I deliberately drew out half of my savings to give you..." As he spoke, An Liwen produced the hundred thousand, though here he looked somewhat apologetic. "Because of what happened before, Father was temporarily relieved of his post at the company, so my allowance has shrunk a great deal. This is all I could manage..."
"This..." Gu Mengyao wanted the money badly, but she did not want to owe An Liwen anything. A hundred thousand yuan would once have meant nothing to her; now she wanted it very much indeed. Yet to owe An Liwen a favor over a hundred thousand yuan was something she was unwilling to do.
"Oh, just give it here!" Shen Yushu plucked the money out of An Liwen's hand and announced, taking full charge, "I'll take it!"