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Reborn to Outshine My Ex and His White Moonlight-Chapter 371: Boyfriend?
Chapter 371: Chapter 371: Boyfriend?
"I just know it!" Aunt Yang straightened her back and blurted out, "Liu He knows perfectly well how good her relationship with Jiang Fen used to be, yet she doesn’t want to take us along. Clearly, she looks down on us."
"She’s the Second Madam now, a mere ten million probably means nothing to her. If she gave it to us..."
Hearing the mention of ten million, the group couldn’t help but start fantasizing.
Lost in their daydreams, they were visibly tempted.
Just as they were about to say something, one of the older women poured cold water on the idea.
"It probably won’t be that easy. Liu He’s naive daughter has gotten a lot smarter. Last time at the afternoon tea, she deliberately refused to let us invest. Liu He listens to her daughter the most, so there’s no way she’ll let us in on the profit."
Aunt Yang chuckled, "She does listen to her daughter, but she’ll feel too embarrassed to reject us outright."
"Do you have some kind of plan?"
"We just directly give the money to her, let her handle it for us. Then, whether we make money or lose it, we simply go to her for the money afterward."
"And if she refuses to pay back?"
"We accuse her of scamming us. She’s the dignified Second Madam of the Gong Family. She wouldn’t dare, and the Gong Family wouldn’t dare either. They’ll have no choice but to pay us back, no loss for us." Aunt Yang schemed aloud.
The other women thought it was a bit underhanded, but once they remembered Liu He made over ten million herself, they eventually agreed.
They looked at Aunt Yang and asked, "When did you get so cunning? Coming up with something like this."
Aunt Yang’s expression froze for a moment, then she forced a couple of dry laughs.
The video ended here.
Just from this video alone, it could at least prove that Liu He hadn’t defrauded them of their money.
But it wasn’t enough. After all, so many people had fallen for the scam, and Jiang Fen was still adamant about accusing Liu He of being the mastermind.
Lin Zhiyi’s instincts told her that there were still clues she had missed.
But the more urgent she felt, the harder it was to recall.
At this moment, Gong Chen stepped forward, took Gao Ting’s phone, and rewound the video.
"How does your mother know what the Second Madam prepared as Lin Zhiyi’s dowry?"
Gao Ting thought for a moment, "Could it be the Second Madam told my mom herself?"
Lin Zhiyi was just about to say that was impossible, but Gong Chen shook his head. "No, she’s heavily invested in Lin Zhiyi’s engagement."
Hearing this, Lin Zhiyi froze in place, surprised by Gong Chen’s response.
Gao Ting continued, "Now that you mention it, I do remember my mom getting a strange phone call a few days ago before she left the house. When she returned, she became insistent on mortgaging the house and car to invest."
Lin Zhiyi and Gong Chen exchanged a look. It was clear that Aunt Yang had someone advising her from the shadows.
It seemed the entire scheme to frame Liu He was concocted by this mysterious figure.
"Sis, I’ve told you everything I know." Gao Ting pointed at her phone as she spoke.
"Thank you. If the police need you to come forward later..." Lin Zhiyi knew it might be hard for her.
To her surprise, Gao Ting decisively nodded. "I’ll help, but can you guarantee that I can take my college entrance exam without interference? And that my family won’t be implicated."
"Yes," Gong Chen replied coldly.
Gao Ting glanced at Gong Chen, and just one look was enough to convince her that this man would keep his word.
"Then, after sending off the video, I’ll head out first."
A few minutes later, as Gao Ting put away her phone and prepared to leave, she gave Lin Zhiyi a meaningful look.
"Sis, is this the boyfriend you’re getting engaged to?"
Gao Ting, preparing for her college exams, was entirely focused on studying.
So she hadn’t recognized Gong Chen.
Especially since Gong Chen was dressed casually today.
Lin Zhiyi hastily shook her head. "No."
Gao Ting assumed she was just being shy and whispered, "You two look great together."
With that, she ran off.
Lin Zhiyi glanced at Gong Chen, slightly embarrassed, and was just about to explain when Gong Chen’s phone rang.
He took out his phone, and Sang Ran’s name popped up on the screen.
Gong Chen turned evasively to answer the call.
"What’s wrong? I’ll head over immediately."
Watching his back, Lin Zhiyi forced a bitter smile and began retreating step by step.
Gong Chen ended the call and turned around instantly.
"Zhiyi—"
The hallway was empty; Lin Zhiyi had long gone.
After leaving, Lin Zhiyi was approached by two bodyguards rushing up to her.
"Miss Lin, sorry, we were misled and sent elsewhere. Are you alright?"
"I’m fine. Let’s go."
Lin Zhiyi started walking forward, but the bodyguards stopped her.
"Miss Lin, the young master instructed us to ensure your safety. If you disappear again, we won’t be able to explain ourselves. The car is already waiting outside."
Not wanting to make things difficult for them, Lin Zhiyi nodded and followed them to the car.
By this time, the area around the school gate had quieted down significantly.
As the car started to move, Gong Chen rushed out and stared directly at Lin Zhiyi.
Lin Zhiyi, however, averted her gaze coldly and stared ahead.
On the way back, the bodyguard received a call and immediately turned to Lin Zhiyi with a grave expression.
"Miss Lin, the young master said your phone is off, and he needs to speak with you."
Only then did Lin Zhiyi realize her phone had run out of battery.
While placing her phone on a wireless charger, she took the bodyguard’s phone.
"What’s wrong?"
"Zhiyi, there’s some bad news. You’d better prepare yourself," Sang Li’s tone was unusually heavy.
"What happened?" Lin Zhiyi tightened her brow in worry.
"Check your phone."
Hearing this, Lin Zhiyi turned on her phone, which had just enough power, and found a high-view-count video alert.
The video featured a frail teenage boy lying on a hospital bed, holding an ID card shakily.
"I am reporting the Gong Family’s Second Madam for fraud and embezzlement. She tricked my mother into being a scapegoat. My mother is already in the late stage of liver cancer and still locked up by the police. I myself have leukemia and have nowhere left to turn..."
"The Second Madam’s daughter is hunting me down to silence me. I might disappear tomorrow. Please, I beg everyone to help me."
The boy’s weakened hand dropped the ID card as he collapsed onto the hospital bed.
The pitiful scene caused an uproar.
Netizens launched scathing attacks.
Lin Zhiyi gasped for breath and had to clutch the seat in front of her to stop herself from choking.
The boy in the video was none other than Jiang Fen’s son.
Their medical records were displayed in the video. No further explanation was needed—Liu He and Lin Zhiyi were branded as the culprits.
With the netizens keeping close watch, the police would likely be under even more pressure to get Liu He to confess.
As the Gong Family’s Second Madam, and yet the one the Gong Family refused to acknowledge, Liu He would receive no help and see ties cut instead.
Sang Li’s voice broke through the phone. "Did you see it?"
"Yes," Lin Zhiyi replied weakly.
"Don’t worry for now. I’ll have someone pick you up, and we’ll figure this out together," Sang Li reassured her.
Lin Zhiyi gave a soft acknowledgment and hung up.
As her arm dropped, a call came in on the charging phone from an unknown number.
She frowned but answered. A woman’s anxious voice came through.
"Hello, is this Lin Zhiyi?"
"Yes, and you are..."
"I’m Gao Ting’s math teacher. She was supposed to pick up her test papers, but I can’t find her anywhere. Her phone is off, and her classmates said she left with you and another man. So, I got your contact information from the school log. May I ask how you’re related to Gao Ting?"
"Gao Ting is missing? But she left before any of us did."
"How could this happen? I’ll keep looking."
The teacher ended the call.
Lin Zhiyi immediately dialed Gao Ting’s number, which she had just saved, but it repeatedly went to voicemail.
Recalling the evidence Gao Ting had given her, Lin Zhiyi knew she couldn’t let this go.
"Turn around, head back to the school."
"Miss Lin, the young master is still waiting for you. Why don’t I go back to the school to look for her? I’ll update you as soon as I have news."
The bodyguards were undoubtedly more capable of searching than she was.
With the online uproar still raging, Lin Zhiyi had to focus on damage control. She could only nod.
"Please, make sure you find Gao Ting."