Chapter 24
"Zhang Yue's case wasn't too hard to crack," Gu Changan said as he gently patted his daughter's head. He recalled the details of Zhang Yue's interrogation as he spoke. "He exploited his connection with Liu Yong, a mid-level manager at Fuhua Real Estate, and then took action."
"How much money did you give Zhang Yue?" Gu Xi asked, puzzled. "He's already a manager—how could he be so short-sighted?"
"Zhang Yue's brother-in-law lost a fortune in a failed business venture," Gu Changan explained. "Zhang Yue had guaranteed one of his loans, and ended up owing more than two million yuan in high-interest debts. With the interest compounding, the debt's now almost ten million."
"Ten million?" Gu Xi gasped in shock.
"Yes. People get greedy. His brother-in-law expanded the business recklessly, leading to a broken capital chain. If they'd stopped while they were ahead, they wouldn't be in this mess. But they wanted to hit the jackpot, so they not only poured in all their life savings, but also borrowed from friends, family, and even banks. Zhang Yue was desperate—he was cornered by loan sharks and decided to take a gamble."
"Dad, don't go easy on people like that," Gu Xi said seriously.
"I won't," Gu Changan replied, his voice hardening. "I treated him well. I never thought he'd stab me in the back over ten million yuan. If he had come to me for help, I wouldn't have turned him away. I might've made him work for our family until he paid it back, but that would've been far better than betraying me in secret."
A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "Since he chose to be disloyal, I won't show him mercy either. He'll pay for what he's done."
"Dad, calm down. He's not worth your health," Gu Xi said softly.
"I know," Gu Changan nodded. "They failed to bring me down this time, but I'm sure they've got more tricks up their sleeve. For your sake, and your mother's, I can't afford to fall."
"Dad…" Gu Xi's heart was filled with emotion. It felt so good to be protected by her father.
"It's a pity we only managed to catch Liu Yong from Fuhua," Gu Changan continued with a hint of regret. "We couldn't trace the source further. But we did find out where Fuhua's funding came from—it's linked to Gangcheng."
"Gangcheng?" Gu Xi frowned. "So… it's not connected to the Gu family in Beijing?"
"We can't say that for sure." Gu Changan shook his head. "Fuhua is a well-known real estate company in Jiangcheng, and I've never heard of them having any prior dealings with Gangcheng-based enterprises. Suddenly accepting such a large investment, without naming any specific partners—it smells fishy, doesn't it?"
"Maybe it's just a business secret?" Gu Xi suggested hesitantly.