readytorunbook Chapter 149 Refusal of the Test
Chapter 149 Refusal of the Test
Zhang Liangjun stopped arguing with the two and took out his phone to dial Fan Shengmei's number. This was the first time Zhang Liangjun had called Fan Shengmei since he had saved her number.
"Fan Shengmei! What's going on in this room of Ode to Joy? Who are these three people?" Zhang Liangjun asked knowingly.
Fan Shengmei hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth, "Mr. Zhang, they are my parents' nephews. My brother got into some trouble back home, incurred debts, and ran away with my sister-in-law. My mother left all her money to my brother, and even our home was robbed, so my parents had no choice but to bring Lei Lei to Shanghai to find me."
"So you messed up the living room like that? That's no excuse! Fan Shengmei, you need to understand, this house isn't just for you to rent!" Zhang Liangjun's tone was a bit harsh. Guan Juer kept tugging at Zhang Liangjun's sleeve, signaling that he had gone too far.
Fan Shengmei choked up a little, "I'm sorry, I have half an hour left before I get off work. I'll go back and pack up right away after I get off work!"
Zhang Liangjun suddenly felt bored. It seemed like he had bullied Fan Shengmei, but the truth was that Fan Shengmei was in the wrong first. Could crying change the fact that she made a mistake? Just because you're weak doesn't mean you're right.
He looked back at Guan Juer and said, "Guan Guan, I think we made a mistake. We shouldn't have kept it from your mom! Just like Fan Shengmei, she kept it from us. I'll go with you to see your mom and we'll talk things out. I'm sure I can get your mom's approval, don't worry!"
Guan Juer's expression was somewhat complicated and conflicted, but she still nodded, "Okay, Brother Zhang, I'll listen to you!"
"Let's go inside and take a look. We'll take some valuables and private items, and leave the rest behind!" Zhang Liangjun led Guan Juer carefully into the bedroom. When they moved out earlier, they took most of their frequently used items, and later took some more. What remained were mostly things they didn't use often. Since they were renting, Guan Juer didn't consider Ode to Joy her home, so she didn't have many belongings.
After a quick tidying up, taking away the last few personal items and everything else, Zhang Liangjun and his companion returned to the manor.
The next day at noon, Zhang Liangjun picked up Guan Juer's mother, Feng Wenjia, from the high-speed rail station and brought her to the manor. Zhang Liangjun organized everyone to welcome Feng Wenjia, which frightened her. "Xiaojun, is your business really that big? Who are these girls?"
Guan Juer's mother only knew that Zhang Liangjun did business in Shanghai, but she never expected that Zhang Liangjun was so rich. This manor was just like the ones in TV dramas, a typical feature of a wealthy family.
Zhang Liangjun led Feng Wenjia into the study. Two hours later, Zhang Liangjun opened the study door and helped Feng Wenjia back to the small living room. Everyone else went to do their own things and would not return until dinner time.
When Feng Wenjia saw Guan Juer, her expression was even more complicated than Guan Juer's. "Guan Guan, you... never mind, after you get your marriage certificate, don't have a big celebration! I'll talk to your dad! Sigh... you..."
When Guan Juer saw that her mother had actually agreed, she happily hugged Feng Wenjia, "Thank you, Mom!"
Feng Wenjia left the next day. She had come to Shanghai on business and took the opportunity to visit Guan Juer. She just hadn't expected such a fruitful trip to Shanghai.
Feng Wenjia left, and Guan Juer treated Zhang Liangjun to a meal, exhausting all her strength before collapsing. "Brother Zhang, how did you convince my mother?"
“Your mother is very reasonable. As long as you communicate with her properly, how could she disagree?” Zhang Liangjun released Guan Juer and turned on another Yingying brand treadmill.
"I don't believe it, how could this be?"
No matter how much Guan Juer asked, Zhang Liangjun remained silent with a smile and said nothing more.
Five days after Feng Wenjia left, Zhang Liangjun received a call from Fan Shengmei, "Mr. Zhang, may I borrow some money from you?"
“I’m a businessman, you know. I can lend money, but I need collateral,” Zhang Liangjun stated the terms.
Fan Shengmei hesitated for a moment, "Mr. Zhang, can we not use the collateral? I will pay you back."
She had lent money to Guan Juer, Qiu Yingying, and Andy, but apart from Andy, the other two didn't have much money and didn't actively ask Zhang Liangjun for money. Zhang Liangjun had his subordinates pay for everything. The company had a considerable amount of money, but he certainly couldn't embezzle public funds just to borrow money, so he only lent them 10,000 yuan for emergencies. Andy's relationship with Fan Shengmei wasn't deep either, so she also only lent 10,000 yuan out of politeness.
This amount of money was a drop in the bucket for Fan Shengmei's family, but it could at least cover some of her father's hospital fees. That's right, Fan Shengmei's father was hospitalized again! Yes, hospitalized again!
Ever since Fan Shengmei secretly looked at Wang Baichuan's car rental information on her phone while he was taking a shower at the hotel, she was furious and had a huge fight with him in the bathroom. The two broke up completely after that, and because the insults she hurled were so harsh, there was no possibility of them getting back together.
Because Qu Lianjie lost his source of income and could no longer live a carefree life, and Fan Shengmei no longer had Andy to take her to high-end parties, after her father was hospitalized, Fan Shengmei had no choice but to put aside her pride and borrow money everywhere, instead of refusing Andy's kindness as she did in the original drama.
"Fan Shengmei, I think that human nature is the one thing you should never test."
Zhang Liangjun gave an open-ended answer, but Fan Shengmei understood what he meant. "Okay, I understand."
After hanging up the phone, Zhang Liangjun stopped worrying about Fan Shengmei's mess. Guan Juer was still considering opening a concert hall, and Zhang Liangjun was trying to find connections to help Guan Juer contact an orchestra. Compared to that, Fan Shengmei's situation was nothing.
Qiu Yingying has retrieved all the items from Ode to Joy. Although she lost two months' rent, neither Qiu Yingying nor Guan Juer asked for them back, which can be considered a final gift for Fan Shengmei.
By the time Guan Juer's concert hall opened, more than half a year had passed. While distributing invitations, Guan Juer found Fan Shengmei in her contacts. "Brother Zhang, should I give Sister Fan an invitation?"
“You can make your own decisions, you don’t have to ask me about everything.” Zhang Liangjun felt that Guan Juer was too dependent on him and lacked independence, so he often tried to train her.
Guan Juer eventually wrote an invitation and sent it to Ode to Joy. Because she had returned her apartment, Guan Juer didn't have the key, so she had to knock on the door. The person who opened it was a fierce-looking, tomboyish woman. "Who are you looking for?"
"I'm looking for Fan Shengmei. I made an appointment with her." Guan Juer didn't show any fear, because Zhang Liangjun was right behind her.
"Old Fan! I'm looking for you!" The fierce woman turned and went back into the house, shouting towards the middle room as she went.
Fan Shengmei came out with a face mask on, saw Zhang Liangjun, and quickly went back inside to change her clothes and took off the face mask as well. "Mr. Zhang is here too! Come in, make yourself at home!"
They were as polite as when they first visited.
"Sister Fan, how is Uncle's illness?" Guan Juer didn't know that Fan Shengmei had borrowed money from Zhang Liangjun, so she unintentionally brought up a sensitive topic.
“My dad… he’s gone!” Fan Shengmei said, her expression complicated. “My mom and my brother refused to mortgage the house because they didn’t have the money for the surgery. In the end, they died before they even left the hospital.”
In fact, this outcome was not beyond Zhang Liangjun's expectations. This family was somewhat abnormal, and the one who caused this abnormality was Fan's father. Without the protagonist's halo, his family could not have escaped danger, and it was only natural that they suffered the consequences.
For a long time, Fan Shengmei's relationship with her family became strained. But then her mother called again, saying she was short of money. After much hesitation, Fan Shengmei sent 30% of her salary back home, as if it were another cycle...