Toastmasters 07

This made Xue Wanning feel somewhat uneasy—without Fang Zhiyi by her side, it felt like something was missing. Fortunately, after some time, Fang Zhiyi returned to normal life.

At the same time, he brought even more shocking news.

Qin Xiaocao had been confined by Fu Jingxuan. Because of the previous incident, Fu Jingxuan completely forbade her from going out alone and even confiscated her phone.

Hearing this, Xue Wanning felt a chill run down her spine. Remembering how she had once felt some goodwill toward this man, she now wished she could slap her past self.

Fang Zhiyi seemed to deliberately leave some responsibilities to her. Though Xue Wanning was only the acting general manager, she was still the face of the Xue family—so she had no choice but to step up.

Once she got busy, her thirst for gossip faded, and Fang Zhiyi also had more free time, often disappearing for entire days.

Then one evening, after working late, Xue Wanning was about to head home when she saw Fang Zhiyi sitting on the roof of her car. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Fresh gossip. Want some?"

At those words, Xue Wanning's expression changed. "Qin Xiaocao?"

Fang Zhiyi nodded.

"Let's go, let's go!"

By the roadside, a woman was supporting a drunken man. The two walked in silence until, suddenly, the man grabbed the woman’s face and kissed her.

"Whoa! Cheating! Cheating!" Xue Wanning was practically vibrating with excitement.

Fang Zhiyi said calmly, "It’s not cheating. That’s his white moonlight—his first love."

"Isn’t that still cheating?"

"Well, you’re not wrong."

"‘Not wrong’? I am right!"

"Fine, fine, you’re right."

The two watched as Fu Jingxuan and his white moonlight entered a hotel.

Xue Wanning leaned back in her seat, still stunned. "This is terrifying. He locks his wife up at home while he goes out to book a room with his first love?"

Fang Zhiyi glanced at her but said nothing.

Back home, Xue Wanning opened her thick notebook and solemnly recorded the day’s gossip.

A few days later, she received even more shocking news: Fu Jingxuan’s white moonlight was seriously ill and urgently needed a kidney transplant.

She stared at Fang Zhiyi. "It’s not what I’m thinking, is it?"

Fang Zhiyi nodded. "It’s exactly what you’re thinking."

"Damn it! That Fu Jingxuan is pure scum!" she exclaimed, agitated. "Aren’t you going to stop her?"

Fang Zhiyi paused. "Why would I? She wouldn’t listen to me anyway."

"Then I’ll stop her!"

"Miss, what right do you have to interfere?"

"I—can’t I just not stand by and watch?"

Fang Zhiyi stood up. "Miss, let me give you a piece of advice: don’t meddle in other people’s karma lightly, or you might end up dragged into it yourself."

Xue Wanning froze. For a moment, Fang Zhiyi seemed to transform before her eyes. But then she remembered how unreasonable those people were and bit her lip. "They brought this on themselves!"

The gossip was getting more and more surreal.

On the day Qin Xiaocao was discharged from the hospital, Fang Zhiyi asked if Xue Wanning wanted to go see her. For the first time, Xue Wanning refused. She said she found it horrifying—the more she learned, the scarier it became.

So Fang Zhiyi simply relayed the events to her.

Fu Jingxuan had lied, claiming the kidney was for himself when it was actually for his white moonlight. When Qin Xiaocao learned the truth, she slapped Fu Jingxuan, then turned to Gu Mingyu for comfort.

"Oh, and apparently Zhou Han overheard Fu Jingxuan and his white moonlight’s plan. That same night, he was hit by a car and is still in a coma," Fang Zhiyi added.

Xue Wanning was speechless. "Call the police!"

Fang Zhiyi shrugged. "No surveillance cameras, no witnesses on that street."

Xue Wanning shrank back, unnerved. "These people are terrifying."

Fang Zhiyi just gazed out the window in silence.

After a long pause, Xue Wanning tried to lighten the mood. "Hey, let me tell you something kinda funny."

"You know the Gu family, the big-shot tycoons? Their household is a mess right now. Rumor has it the old patriarch was quite the playboy in his youth, leaving bastards everywhere. Someone with too much time on their hands tracked down all his possible illegitimate children, and now the Gu family is receiving ‘young masters’ every day. The matriarch is furious—hahaha..." Xue Wanning laughed a few times. "Why aren’t you laughing? Isn’t this juicy?"

Fang Zhiyi just looked at her with a meaningful expression.

Goosebumps crawled up Xue Wanning’s legs to her back. "You... you did this?"

Fang Zhiyi nodded.

"What the—why?!"

Meanwhile, Gu Mingyu learned the truth about his real father from his dying mother. Encouraged by Qin Xiaocao, he resolved to take this step—for her sake, he had to do it.

But when he arrived at the Gu estate, he found several others already waiting there, leaving him confused.

"What are you here for?" an old man asked as he stepped out of the villa.

Gu Mingyu answered instinctively, "I—I’m here to claim kinship."

The old man didn’t seem surprised. "Oh," he said before walking away.

Baffled, Gu Mingyu waited until the old man returned, holding a stack of envelopes. He handed one to each person, including Gu Mingyu.

Opening it, Gu Mingyu found about ten thousand yuan inside.

"The patriarch isn’t well and won’t be meeting anyone today. The matriarch has made it clear: let bygones be bygones. Everyone should go their own way." With that, the old man turned to leave.

"Wait! I came to see my birth father!" Gu Mingyu panicked. He had swallowed his pride to come here—how could he just leave like this?

But the others ahead of him were already shouting:

"I demand to see my father!"

"I want to meet Dad!"

"I want my share of the inheritance!"

Security quickly arrived, and the crowd quieted down. Gu Mingyu was shoved out along with the rest.

Walking away in disbelief, he kept glancing back. Is this what the elite are like? So many illegitimate children? He thought of his earlier hesitation, then looked at the envelope in his hand. Something inside him shattered.

But the plot marched on. Even without the backing of a wealthy family, Gu Mingyu’s determination reignited the moment he saw Qin Xiaocao.

He would strive harder. Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—don’t underestimate the youth’s poverty!

However, he soon faced retaliation from Fu Jingxuan. After reuniting with his white moonlight, Fu Jingxuan realized he still couldn’t forget Qin Xiaocao. Finally, it dawned on him—she was the one he truly wanted.

So he set out to win her back.

At Qin Xiaocao’s request, Gu Mingyu also took in Zhou Han—partly because Zhou Han posed no threat, and partly to witness Fu Jingxuan’s ruthlessness firsthand.

Fang Zhiyi was eager to watch the drama unfold, but his employer worried for his safety and forbade him from getting involved.

He could only sneak in to observe when Xue Wanning was away on business. Thanks to the detective agency, he knew Gu Mingyu’s whereabouts better than anyone.

"Fang! Zhi! Yi!"