The two did not live or work in Shangjing, so they parted ways before Li Chonglou returned.
As for Fang Qian, Li Chonglou learned about her situation from Old Lin in the soul bottle. He obtained her contact information and explicitly told her not to worry about her illness, as he would take full responsibility for resolving it, considering it a repayment for saving his life.
Furthermore, fearing that Fang Qian might act rashly and attempt suicide again, Li Chonglou specifically instructed Li Wen to stay with her for a period. This also stemmed from a selfish motive. After all, one was unmarried and the other was unattached, and their ages were not too far apart. Although Li Wen was not exceptionally handsome, he was still a good-looking young man. Li Chonglou hoped to set them up.
This way, it would also help Fang Qian relinquish her feelings for him.
Upon his return to Shangjing, he immediately went to the location Zhou Tong had mentioned as containing the evidence.
It was a rented room. However, when Li Chonglou found the landlord and expressed his desire to retrieve some items from the room, he was suddenly informed that the room had been sublet.
"You sublet it?"
"Of course. He hasn't paid rent for a month. Should I keep it here at a loss?"
"What about the things inside?"
Li Chonglou's brow furrowed. Zhou Tong not paying rent? He couldn't fathom it. Zhou Tong hadn't been in trouble for long, yet the rent had been unpaid for a month. Was it an oversight or something else?
However, dwelling on it now seemed pointless. The most crucial thing for Li Chonglou was to secure the evidence.
The landlord's subsequent words made his brow furrowed even tighter.
"Things? He never even lived here. What things are there? Alright, I'm not talking to you anymore. If you want to take anything, talk to the new tenant. If they agree, then you can go in and get it."
After saying this, the landlord turned and walked away, clearly unwilling to deal with the matter further.
In the past, Li Chonglou might have resorted to violence to obtain the evidence, but now...
Li Chonglou sighed deeply and, following Zhou Tong's information, arrived at the door of the apartment Zhou Tong had been renting.
He rang the doorbell, and after a moment, a woman's voice came from inside.
"Who is it?"
"Hello, I need to see you about something," Li Chonglou stated directly.
"I told you I don't have any money! If you harass me again, I'll call the police!"
Hearing the sudden agitated voice, Li Chonglou's expression faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered.
"Hello, you've misunderstood. I'm not here to collect debt. If anything, I might be able to give you some money."
There was a sudden silence from inside, and then the door opened.
"You said you'd give me money? Let me tell you first, I'm not that kind of person."
A woman in her thirties appeared. Although she wasn't wearing makeup, it was clear she had good looks. However, at that moment, she appeared very haggard, with prominent dark circles under her large eyes.
Li Chonglou smiled and said, "Don't worry, I don't need you to do anything."
Since there was still an iron gate between them, the woman was scrutinizing him without reservation. She then asked, "Then what are you looking for me for? I don't know you."
Li Chonglou thought for a moment and decided not to reveal the true reason. Instead, he fabricated an excuse. "The place you're living in was rented by my ex-girlfriend. I want to win her back, so I need you to give the apartment back to me."
"Of course, I'll pay you double the rent. What do you think?"
Although this might cost him some money, it was better than letting the other party know his true intentions and then extorting him.
From what the woman had said earlier, this motive was quite likely, as someone burdened with debt might lower their principles at times.
However, to his surprise, the woman neither agreed nor refused but suddenly opened the door.
"Come in first and we'll talk."
Li Chonglou didn't think much of it and walked in.
Perhaps because she had just moved in, there weren't many things in the room. In a corner, there were stacks of bags and packages, likely items the woman hadn't unpacked yet.
The woman then walked into the room.
"Oh, by the way, what's your name?"
The woman's voice came from inside. Li Chonglou thought for a moment and then revealed his real name.
"Then I'll call you Chonglou. My name is Haiyan, but you can call me Xiao Yanzi too."
As soon as she finished speaking, the woman suddenly opened the door and walked out. She had changed her clothes and tied up her hair.
At this point, she seemed to have completely let down her guard around Li Chonglou. She walked past him openly and went into the adjacent bathroom.
"Wait for me, I'm going to put on some makeup."
Li Chonglou's brow furrowed slightly. "So, have you considered what I said earlier?"
"Wait a moment, I'll tell you after I finish my makeup."
Fine. Li Chonglou glanced at her bedroom. According to Zhou Tong, the evidence was hidden beneath the bed board in the bedroom.
Should he just take it and leave?
As he was contemplating, the woman suddenly spoke again.
"By the way, don't touch my things, or I'll call the police. Do you see that camera in the living room? I'm recording your every move. Don't you dare have any ill intentions."
Li Chonglou immediately dismissed the idea and could only wait there, bored and helpless, for the woman to finish her makeup. It wasn't until about half an hour later that the woman, with a new makeup look, walked up to him.
"You said you had money earlier, right?"
Li Chonglou's eyes narrowed slightly, and he nodded.
"Alright, now go get the money and come with me somewhere. Then I'll give you the apartment."
Li Chonglou breathed a sigh of relief at this, but he was also puzzled. "Where are you taking me?"
"Don't worry about it for now. You'll find out when we get there."
Haiyan turned and walked out of the apartment. Seeing this, Li Chonglou could only follow. He then went to the bank to withdraw some money at Haiyan's direction, which was twice the amount of the rent, and then followed her into an alley.
Before long, he understood Haiyan's intention.
The woman had actually brought him to a gambling den!
"Damn, you still dare to show your face? Don't you know Brother Dao is looking for you everywhere?"
As soon as they reached the entrance of the gambling den, a man said to Haiyan. Haiyan suddenly linked her arm with Li Chonglou's and said with a coy smile, "Don't you see my new boyfriend? My boyfriend is rich. Brother Dao's business will be settled soon."