Chapter 58: Wen Ran: Pitfalls for Fathers Guaranteed

Lu Meiqin tugged at Wen Ran’s sleeve. "You silly child, that’s not a small amount. What's left after Song Jianshe pays everyone back won't be nearly enough. Surely you aren't thinking of chipping in your own money? We don't have any either."

"Mom, don't worry yet." Wen Ran intended to exploit the information asymmetry to fleece Song Jianshe, and she didn't explain herself too clearly in front of Factory Director Wei. "I've roughly calculated it. Even after he pays everyone back, along with the advance pay from the factory, plus the bride price he hasn't spent yet and the eighty yuan given to Su Hongyu, there's still a substantial sum left. I'll take this money to call off the engagement. Even if the Gao family is unreasonable, they wouldn't drive someone into a dead end—otherwise, what would become of the Gao family's reputation!"

"You're right. If worse comes to worst, I'll accompany you to the Gao family. Given my standing, Director Gao should be accommodating," Factory Director Wei said kindly. "Later on, I'll first have Song Jianshe get the accounts settled."

Wen Ran certainly couldn't let Factory Director Wei tag along; her ruse would fall apart the moment they got there.

She quickly said, "You're already so busy, and you still have to help him pay back what he borrowed from others. I can just go by myself."

"I'd better go with you!" Although Lu Meiqin thought it would be a good thing for Factory Director Wei to come along, since her daughter had declined, she felt bad about troubling the factory director further and decided to accompany her daughter personally.

Still, Factory Director Wei felt it was inappropriate. "Matters in the residential compound are easy to handle, and Song Jianshe's situation is also manageable. But you two are women after all, and I wouldn't feel at ease with you going to break off an engagement alone. How about this? I'll have Nanzheng go with you! He's big and tall, and just standing there will intimidate others by a few degrees, plus it'll give you some courage."

Knowing that any further refusal would only leave both Factory Director Wei and her mother uneasy, Wen Ran gave a perfunctory response. "Alright, if he's not busy, having him come along is fine."

Whether she would actually ask him along later was entirely up to her.

To her surprise, Factory Director Wei insisted, "Rest assured, he definitely has time. Even if he didn't, I'd make him clear his schedule!"

Wen Ran: "-_-||"

Lu Meiqin had no objections to Shen Nanzheng either. As for the rumored hidden ailment, it was only a guess. Seeing that he carried himself with integrity, he shouldn't be a despicable person. Once her eldest brother finished inquiring and confirmed the details, the matter could basically be settled.

Allowing the two of them to spend more time together wasn't a bad idea, so she didn't stubbornly object.

The evening grew later, and the night deepened.

Factory Director Wei led them inside.

After mulling it over and over, Song Jianshe still felt something was amiss. Convinced that being caught in the act was entirely orchestrated by Lu Meiqin, he pulled a long face and said, "Are you satisfied now? Do you think ruining me means your daughter will have an easy time? Don't forget the engagement with the Gao family hasn't been called off yet; don't celebrate too early."

"Watch your tone!" Factory Director Wei rapped on the table. "Do you even know what your current predicament is? What gives you the right to bark at others!"

Sure enough, Song Jianshe quieted down a bit, his voice softening. "I was just reminding her that framing me won't do her any good either!"

Lu Meiqin demanded angrily, "What did I frame you for? Did I pull down your pants and put you in Su Hongyu's bed, or did I make you deceive everyone by claiming Ranran had a terminal illness just to borrow all that money?"

Song Jianshe was in the wrong. "It's not like I insisted on saying Wen Ran had an incurable disease—Su Hongyu was the one who came up with the idea!"

Su Hongyu grew exasperated. "Song Jianshe, do you have no conscience? Wasn't I just trying to share your burden? If you didn't want to use that excuse, you didn't have to!"

Song Jianshe shifted in his seat. "Things have reached this point. What do you all suggest we do?"

Wen Ran had been waiting precisely for those words. "You'll pay back everyone you borrowed from, and I'll take the remaining money to break off the engagement!"

"You?????"

Song Jianshe had been fretting over this hot potato with no way to discard it, and now that the trouble had blown up, it was even harder to resolve. Even if the factory disciplined him, the engagement with the Gao family would still stand.

If the Gao family rejected Wen Ran and he couldn't produce a bride price, they would inevitably demand that Wen Xin be married off instead.

He had gone through all this trouble precisely for Wen Xin's sake; if she ended up having to marry into that family after all, the losses would outweigh the gains.

He asked again, "Are you really planning to break off the engagement yourself?"

"What else? Rely on you? You're completely unreliable!" Wen Ran made no effort to conceal her disappointment and disgust. "I just calculated that after paying everyone back, you should still have over a thousand yuan left. Give me the remaining grain coupons and meat coupons as well. I'll take them to call off the engagement!"

Song Jianshe understood that the factory's punishment would arrive imminently, and he would certainly have no ability to earn money to pay it back in the future.

If he mortgaged his house and used his advance pay to fund Wen Ran's engagement-breaking endeavor, the house would inevitably be confiscated by the factory as well.

Yet, if he refused to give it to her, he would be gambling with Wen Xin's happiness—and he didn't dare take that gamble.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "Are you certain these funds will suffice to break the engagement?"

"I can only say I'll try my absolute best. If you don't hand them over, there won't be a single sliver of chance." Wen Ran remained completely calm and collected; fleecing Song Jianshe of all his possessions was her ultimate goal.

Lu Meiqin glared at him. "You're still hesitating even now? Someone is cleaning up the mess you created, and you can't even be a little prompt about it!"

Su Hongyu chimed in with a sharp and acrimonious tone, "Song Jianshe, are you a fool? You don't even know what's going to happen to you next—why on earth are you bothering with her engagement?"

*Smack—*

Lu Meiqin delivered a sharp slap across her face, instantly leaving the imprint of five fingers.

"You little wretch! If it weren't for you, our Ranran wouldn't have been saddled with this engagement to the Gao family in the first place. Hand over the bribe money you pocketed too!"

"In your dreams!" If she hadn't been tied up, Su Hongyu would have lunged forward to tear Lu Meiqin apart.

There was no way she would spit out money she had already swallowed, especially since she had been dragged into custody precisely because of this mess; she was even less inclined to yield.

Wen Ran threatened, "This isn't a matter of whether you want to or not! Let me tell you, even without these eighty yuan, I can find a way to break off the Gao family's engagement, and I can also make the Gao family settle accounts with you. At that point, it won't just be a matter of eighty yuan anymore!"

Su Hongyu glared at Wen Ran. "Don't try to scare me. You cunning little girl, don't think I'll fall for your tricks again!"

"Ha!" Wen Ran sneered. "You can afford to be fearless before being arrested, but don't forget how you ended up in the security department! The Gao family despises this sort of thing the most. Just imagine what kind of good days you'll have ahead!"

Su Hongyu: "......"

Su Hongyu was genuinely terrified of the Gao family. If the Gao family discovered that she had taken kickbacks and caused a scandal, they would certainly not let her off.

Gritting her back teeth, she spat, "You're vicious!"

Factory Director Wei also felt the girl was quite ruthless, even suspecting that she could have smoothly called off the engagement without Shen Nanzheng lifting a finger.

However, it was better to let him participate in such a fine opportunity, lest he suffer from unrequited longing and toss and turn at night.

Seeing that even Su Hongyu couldn't hold her ground, and with his own leverage firmly in Wen Ran's hands, Song Jianshe made one last struggle. "Director, if I pay everyone's money back, can I get a lighter punishment? Su Hongyu and I were truly wronged—we had just taken our pants off, but we didn't do anything!"