Chapter 336 I’m Trying to Figure It Out

Chapter 336: Trying to Find a Way

Jiang Yu and Lan Raoping wandered aimlessly down the street after leaving Dongmin Alley.

"Dongkelai has private rooms. How about I treat you to a meal, Department Head Lan?"

Lan Raoping pursed her lips, still reeling from her bad mood.

"Alright."

Jiang Yu frequented Dongkelai, so the restaurant reserved a private room for her.

They didn't eat much, focusing more on conversation.

"Jiang Yu, when did you find out?"

Jiang Yu paused mid-pour and set the teapot down.

"It's been a while. When Zhou Xue first bought the courtyard in Dongmin Alley, someone spotted Director Shao with her."

Lan Raoping gritted her teeth, swamped by a whirlwind of emotions.

If it weren't for her strong self-control, she would have gone all out against them.

She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

"No wonder you didn't persuade me to help Shao Jiakang like others did."

Jiang Yu was silent for a moment. "Even without this, Director Shao doesn't deserve your help."

He only cared about his own future and didn't care about Lan Raoping at all.

Caught up in it, she couldn't see clearly. After years of being influenced by others, she really thought Shao Jiakang was a good husband.

"What should I do now?" Lan Raoping stared at her, numb.

Jiang Yu said, "Department Head Lan, you should ask yourself: do you plan to stick it out with him, or divorce him and cut ties completely?"

Lan Raoping smiled bitterly. "Just thinking about him makes me sick. I can't act like it never happened."

"So, you choose to divorce?"

Lan Raoping sneered, balled her fist, and pounded the table, gritting her teeth.

"Not only will I divorce him, but I will also make them regret it! Shao Jiakang cares most about his reputation, so I will destroy his reputation."

Jiang Yu nodded. "Before that, I have a few questions for you."

"Go on."

"Shao Jiakang owes a lot of money. Did you know that?"

Lan Raoping looked bewildered, completely in the dark.

Jiang Yu studied her briefly, confirming she wasn't lying.

"The events before Shao Jiakang became factory director, I'm sure Department Head Lan knows more than I do, so I won't elaborate. The former factory director of the first factory's family faced a series of misfortunes, and He Tingyue suspects it was all Shao Jiakang's doing. He orchestrated a scheme, then offered timely help to the former factory director, giving him money to help, making the former factory director grateful and recommending him to take over as factory director."

As soon as Jiang Yu finished speaking, Lan Raoping denied it.

"It's impossible! At that time, my two children had just been in accidents, and all the family savings were spent."

Lan Raoping had heard such claims before, but she never bought into them because no one knew better than her that Shao Jiakang had no money at all.

The dowry from her parents had always been tightly hidden, and Shao Jiakang couldn't get his hands on it.

Jiang Yu went on, "So we think he borrowed money from someone and has been paying it back all these years, which is also why he had to embezzle."

Lan Raoping was greatly shocked. If this were true, how large a sum must he have borrowed to still be in debt now?

"The person who lent money to Shao Jiakang is crucial. The security team needs your help to draw him out."

Lan Raoping fell silent, her expression complicated.

"So you had this plan from the very beginning."

Jiang Yu shrugged, "He Tingyue doesn’t know about my plan yet. It only occurred to me today when I heard Shao Jiakang asking you for money."

Lan Raoping gave a bitter smile, "Jiang Yu, you’re really sharp. If it weren’t for your background holding you back, you’d have gone much further."

Jiang Yu was indifferent, "I am quite satisfied now."

"Alright, I will cooperate with you."

...

After leaving Dongkelai, Lan Raoping suddenly felt drained and didn’t want to go home.

She had started to doubt everyone around her, wondering if they had always known what kind of person Shao Jiakang was but never bothered to tell her the truth.

Including her mother-in-law, whom she had taken care of with all her heart.

Lan Raoping spent the night at the factory office, and the next morning, Zhou Xue showed up to see her.

Fortunately, her previous attitude towards Zhou Xue had not been very friendly, so now keeping a cold face wouldn't arouse suspicion.

"Godmother, you have no idea how much godfather has been suffering in there. He’s lost a ton of weight and looks worn out. His health is not good, and if you don't help him, he might lose half his life."

Hearing the word "godfather," Lan Raoping felt like she’d swallowed a fly, almost making her sick.

"I’m trying to figure something out."

Zhou Xue stomped her foot hard. Her worry for Shao Jiakang was real, and Lan Raoping didn’t doubt it for a second.

"Godmother! Godfather already said that all you need to do is get the money ready, and he’ll find a way out."

Lan Raoping turned away, saying stiffly, "It’s just about the money. I need to sell some stuff to get the cash, and that’ll take a while. Do you know anyone who can lend us money? High interest is fine, as long as I can pay it back once I sell the stuff."

Zhou Xue had considered borrowing money before, but it was from shady lenders. If she couldn’t pay it back, they wouldn’t go easy on her, and losing an arm would be the least of her problems.

But with Lan Raoping’s guarantee, she didn’t have to worry about repaying the debt, no matter how much she borrowed.

"Godmother, I know how to get the money!"

Lan Raoping spun around, her voice cold, "Then what are you waiting for? Go! Every day you stall, your godfather suffers another day in there."

Zhou Xue nodded without hesitation, "I’ll go right now! But godmother, you need to hurry too. The guy I’m dealing with isn’t on the up-and-up, and the interest is sky-high."

"I get it, go now!"

Watching her rush out, Lan Raoping finally couldn’t hide the disdain in her eyes.

Shao Jiakang had a knack for keeping Zhou Xue utterly devoted to him.

Within two days, Shao Jiakang was indeed released by the security office.

The moment he came out, Zhou Xue rushed up to him before Lan Raoping could, throwing her arms around him.

“Father, you're finally out!”

Shao Jiakang stiffened, not forgetting where they were, and quickly pushed Zhou Xue away.

“You're a grown woman now; you can't just hug your dad like that.”

Zhou Xue’s tears streamed down her face as she looked at him with resentment.

Shao Jiakang gave her a reassuring look and patted her shoulder.

“Behave.”

Pushing Zhou Xue away, he opened his arms to embrace Lan Raoping, but she stepped back.

Lan Raoping said coldly, “You haven’t changed your clothes in days. Go home and clean up first.”

Shao Jiakang smiled awkwardly. “Are you angry with me?”

Lan Raoping glared at him. “Aren’t the things you’ve done worth me being angry? You’ve been plotting behind the scenes for so many years, only to end up with nothing. Are you satisfied now?”

Shao Jiakang, hit where it hurt, didn’t look too good.

“But all my efforts over the years, what was it all for? It was all for our family!”

Lan Raoping questioned, “If it was for our family, then where did all the money you took go? Why didn’t I see you bringing it home? When it was time to enjoy the money, I wasn’t included, but when it’s time to cover your losses, you remember me?”

Shao Jiakang wiped his face, brushing away non-existent tears from the corner of his eyes.

“Actually, all these years I've been relying on friends to help search for our daughter, and all the money was spent on that. But I've come to deeply understand my mistakes—there won’t be a next time. I also know that all my past efforts were in vain, but I don’t regret it. I can start over.”

Lan Raoping stared at him hard. How noble, how moving.

If she hadn’t already figured out Shao Jiakang’s true nature, she might have hugged him and cried.

“Let’s not talk about it anymore. Let’s go home first.”