Chapter 144: Chapter 144

Yunding Palace is just one hundred meters ahead, and it was obvious that Yin Chengde had inquired about her living here and came specifically to block her.

Shen Jianian hesitated for a few seconds, then pushed open the car door.

Yin Chengde eagerly watched this niece. She was raised delicately, her skin fair and rosy, and although her clothing style was simple, anyone with an eye for quality would know at a glance they were high-end. Not a trace of a fallen noble’s embarrassment could be seen on her, looking more like a wealthy lady than those actual rich daughters.

Fu Jichen’s affection for her was evident.

Back in Yicheng, he had heard how Fu Jichen, to win her heart, spent tens of millions at auctions on a cello and regularly sent top-tier jewelry and luxurious outfits to Rose Manor.

It was his previous shortsightedness, not knowing to treat this niece well, putting all his hopes on his own daughter, and in the end, gaining nothing.

The company was gone, the house mortgaged, decades of savings down the drain.

Yin Chengde grasped the edge of the seat, lowered his posture, and pleaded, "Jianian, your uncle is really at his wit’s end. Please help your uncle, considering I’m your only family in this world."

"We have long since had nothing to do with each other." Shen Jianian’s face was indifferent, sitting inside the car without getting out.

Yin Chengde’s gaze was scattered, borderline hysterical, a far cry from the refined and upright person he used to be. Shen Jianian suspected he had gotten into something unsavory.

"Jianian, you can’t just watch me die without helping. I really have no money left, and your aunt is sick. I can only turn to you..."

As Yin Chengde spoke, he tried to get into the car, but was pulled back by the driver’s arm, twisting him with his side pressed against the car.

Yin Chengde let out a miserable scream, his face turning pale.

The driver was an experienced fighter, with arms thicker than an average person’s thighs, showing no restraint, and with Yin Chengde’s frail figure, it felt like his arm was about to break.

Shen Jianian frowned slightly, gesturing for the driver to release him, and said coolly, "I cannot help you."

The driver let go, allowing Yin Chengde to break free. He held his arm in pain, glared at the driver, too angry to speak. His face white, he looked at Shen Jianian, "I don’t need you to help too much, just some money will do. Once I make a comeback, won’t I be your support? Now that you’re with the heir of the Fu Family, you need a respectable family."

Shen Jianian’s gaze was calm, "Yin Shuyao is now the daughter-in-law of the Qin Family, and the Qin Family is vast and wealthy. Can she not afford to help you?"

"You don’t know her situation, sigh..."

Seeing her willing to speak, Yin Chengde believed there was hope, his eyes becoming more eager and more humble.

Young girls are easily soft-hearted, especially his inexperienced niece. No matter how hard she might speak, she had a kind heart. As long as he begged a few more times, she would agree.

"Your cousin has not had an easy time in the Qin Family. Last month, she finally got pregnant, but that scoundrel Qin Fan brought a woman from outside home, and that woman, relying on Qin Fan’s favoritism, bullied your cousin. The two got into a big fight at home, and your cousin accidentally fell down the stairs, unable to keep the baby."

Yin Chengde was not intentionally playing the pity card; he was stating facts. When he mentioned these, his haggard face showed a few genuine traces of worry.

"The Qin Family is a place that devours people without leaving bones." Yin Chengde’s eyes were fierce, "When they acquired my company, they spoke eloquently, but after it was done, they placed me in a position without real power. I couldn’t bear that humiliation, so I left the Qin Corporation."

Shen Jianian sensed something was off and asked, "The acquisition must have paid quite a bit, enough for you to live comfortably for a lifetime. How did you end up in this state?"

"To ensure your cousin could marry into the Qin Family smoothly, the acquisition terms weren’t as good as you think." Speaking of this, Yin Chengde still held some resentment towards Shen Jianian.

If it hadn’t been for her reporting to the police, getting Yin Shuyao arrested, the Qin Family wouldn’t have suggested calling off the marriage, and their family wouldn’t have had to compromise to save it.

One misstep led to another, resulting in today’s irretrievable bleak situation.

"After I left the Qin Corporation, I tried to switch fields to start anew." Yin Chengde’s tone was sorrowful, "The funds weren’t enough, and no matter how much I gathered, I was still short. I trusted an old friend’s advice, trying to win back some money, but who knew they were all traps. The money kept getting sucked in, the house got mortgaged too, and we moved out from where we used to live, now residing in a rented place. Jianian, please, be kind, and help your uncle. Once I get through this, I will repay you."

After he finished speaking, Shen Jianian understood everything.

What startup, what comeback, they are all beautiful excuses. The truth is, after his career setback, he was coaxed into a gambling addiction.

He lost all his family assets, mortgaged the house, and now has no other means to get money. Yin Shuyao is not doing well in the Qin Family, and can’t help him often, so he’s targeting me, far away in Beicheng.

Shen Jianian thought wryly, in her uncle’s eyes, she’s probably not a niece, but an ATM.

"How much do you want?" she asked coldly.

A gleam flashed in Yin Chengde’s eyes, and he extended a hand, fingers spread.

Shen Jianian felt like laughing, "Five million?"

Yin Chengde’s chapped lips quivered, looking somewhat embarrassed, he said, "Fifty million. I want to venture into the smart home appliance industry, the initial phase needs technical research and development, the funding will be significant, but the market prospects are very good, it’ll definitely make big money. If you’re not assured, uncle can issue you an IOU, with interest calculated at twice the bank rate."

Shen Jianian really wanted to look in the mirror, to see if she looked like a fool, he just blurted fifty million as if that money was nothing.

Seeing her silence, Yin Chengde continued, "Jianian, I know fifty million is quite a lot, but Mr. Fu to you..."

Shen Jianian didn’t want to listen any further, especially not wanting to hear him mention Fu Jichen, she interrupted him, "You’ve got the wrong person, I don’t have that much money."

The driver, who had been observing the situation, felt that this man who had suddenly appeared was shameless. He claimed to be Miss Shen’s uncle, but how could an uncle ask his niece for money so matter-of-factly?

Fifty million, isn’t he afraid of bursting?

"If you think fifty million is a bit difficult, how much can you come up with?" Yin Chengde smiled sheepishly, his face turning red and then white.

Looking at his pretend pitiful demeanor, Shen Jianian thought about when he had no money to buy a house, he ran to Beicheng to ask her mother for money, was he also acting so pathetically then? Mother pitied him and gave him a sum of money without asking for it back, and what happened? He not only didn’t show gratitude but in her only daughter’s most difficult time, he shoved her into a pit of fire.

"I’m not lying to you, I really don’t have money, and it’s impossible for me to ask Fu Jichen for it either." Shen Jianian closed the car door.

Yin Chengde panicked, reaching out to stop her, but the driver next to him shot a piercing glance, Yin Chengde was cowed and dared not take further action, his arm muscles still ached from the tug earlier.

Watching the car disappear into the distance, Yin Chengde bit his teeth in hatred.

He traveled all the way from Yicheng to Beicheng just to ask Shen Jianian for money, who knew this girl was as hard-hearted as a stone, not willing to part with a single cent.

The phone in his pocket buzzed, Yin Chengde fished it out from the pocket, reaching in to pull the phone out.

It was his wife, Hu Yuzhi, calling.

After connecting the call, Hu Yuzhi asked urgently, "How did it go? Did you see that little bitch? Did she agree to give it?"

Yin Chengde rubbed his hair, cursing irritably, "You fool, who told you to give her so much money behind my back in the first place? If it weren’t for you making decisions on your own, would we have ended up ?"

From his tone, Hu Yuzhi knew he got no money, she raised her voice involuntarily, "Yin Chengde, who are you getting mad at? Is it my fault for this? That little bitch threatened me to repay the money we borrowed from her mom for the house, only then would she issue a letter of understanding, I’m doing it all for Yaoyao."

"Don’t mention her, it makes me mad just talking about her." Yin Chengde, looking at the wealthy villa district ahead, said through gritted teeth, "She’s dead set on marrying into the Qin Family, dragging the whole family down, just a jinx!"

Even though Hu Yuzhi was angry, she still cared for her daughter, and hearing her husband’s words, naturally, she wasn’t happy, "Blaming everything on the daughter, are you even fit to be a father? Wasn’t it you who was the happiest when she married into the Qin Family? And now you talk sarcastically. Yin Chengde, do you have a conscience?"

"What do you propose we do now?"

"Who knows what to do?!" Hu Yuzhi vented her anger, "When you asked me for the house deed, you swore up and down that someone gave you insider information promising a fortune, and what was the result? Lost the house! Poor me, living my whole life, still living in a rented house with you, living worse than a peasant woman, had I known, I should never have married you, such a loser!"

Yin Chengde threw the phone, the woman’s sharp scolding finally ceased.

He looked up once more at the distant villa district.

The cello Fu Jichen gifted to Shen Jianian is said to be worth thirty-six million, and what she holds should be far more than just a cello. Clearly, just letting a little slip through her fingers would be several tens of millions, yet she’s unwilling to help him, how can she be so heartless?