The stock plunge was just the beginning. Subsequent misfortunes made Fu Yin realize who she had offended.
A breath of indignation filled Fu Yin's chest as she recalled the hint given to her when she inquired about it.
She had offended someone, but she didn't know who she had offended that was so formidable! The only person she had offended recently was Lin Yan.
Thinking of Lin Yan, a cold sneer tugged at her lips. The Meng family must have found out about Meng Shuo Jing and Lin Yan.
She refused to believe that the Meng family would stand by and watch their heir be with an ordinary girl with no power or influence.
Recalling the information she had obtained, her eyes welled up with such jealousy that they could drip blood. She chased after Meng Shuo Jing every day, yet couldn't even get a decent glance from him.
But he kept chasing after Lin Yan, always finding her at her school during holidays.
Was Lin Yan that amazing? Why wouldn't he even spare her a look?
"Why does our little god of wealth look unhappy?" a voice interrupted Fu Yin's thoughts. A person then sat down opposite Fu Yin.
"Xu Hao Rui, are you mocking me?" Fu Yin looked up and retorted irritably upon seeing who had arrived.
"How could I? I'm just concerned about you. You really don't seem happy, did something happen?"
Xu Hao Rui was aware of what had recently happened to Fu Yin. After all, many of those who had invested alongside Fu Yin had lost a considerable amount. While the sum wasn't particularly large for them, and investments always had their ups and downs, Fu Yin's previous investments had been so incredibly successful, she had never lost money – or rather, she had never lost money at all. Consequently, people had placed excessively high expectations on her.
She herself seemed to believe she could never lose money, which was why she couldn't accept this failure. Though he didn't know why she was so confident, he saw it as a good opportunity.
If she could truly achieve a hundred percent return, no, not even a hundred percent, as long as it was above seventy percent, then she would be worth his effort to approach.
She was at her most vulnerable now, the easiest time to get close to. He believed that with her help, he could surely show his grandfather his achievements, and perhaps he could even get a larger share of the company's stock.
"Don't you already know? Asking me again and rubbing salt in my wounds, is that amusing?"
Fu Yin found the person before her incredibly irritating, but remembering that he was the second young master of the Xu family, and that he had eventually inherited the Xu family in her past life, she could only suppress her temper.
"You lost some money in investments, so what? That's normal. Don't feel too burdened. Besides, you didn't lose that much, did you?" Xu Hao Rui consoled her, his tone dismissive, as if the lost money was nothing.
"But I didn't just lose money, I also offended someone. Though I still don't know who I might have offended," Fu Yin said with a wry smile.
"Offended someone? No matter who you offended, I can help you resolve it. After all, people still have to give our Xu family some face."
Xu Hao Rui didn't know who she had offended, but he believed he could help her. Offering help in times of need was always more touching than adding to someone's success.
"Thank you!" Fu Yin offered Xu Hao Rui a sweet smile.
Having Xu Hao Rui's help would be excellent. Although she could handle it herself, having assistance, especially from someone from a top-tier wealthy family like the Xus, was naturally better.
That smile sent a tremor through Xu Hao Rui's heart; it seemed to have entered his soul. For the first time, he felt that the prominent figure at school was truly beautiful.
"It's a small matter to me. Perhaps someone was jealous of your ability to make money. You should talk to your father. With the Fu family backing you, no one would dare to act against you," Xu Hao Rui speculated.
What kind of person could a young girl offend? At most, she made too much money and drew someone's envy.
"I hope so. But I really don't want to trouble my father. After all, you've probably heard that I only recently rejoined the family," Fu Yin's voice held a hint of grievance.
She always knew how to make people soft-hearted, and at the same time, she knew her greatest advantage.
Meng Shuo Jing's thoughtful demeanor and his attentiveness towards Lin Yan reassured Lin Yan's parents. Moreover, he had told them that his family was very pleased to know about his relationship with Lin Yan.
His sister, Meng Qing Yue, was a given. His father particularly admired soldiers and was very pleased to learn that Lin Yan was attending a military academy. He had repeatedly instructed Meng Shuo Jing to treat Lin Yan well.
Upon hearing Meng Shuo Jing say this, Lin Yan's parents, though feeling he was trying to comfort them, felt slightly at ease. At least this proved that Meng Shuo Jing truly valued their daughter.
"When did you tell your family about us?"
"I didn't. But someone sent pictures of us together to my sister and my father's phones," Meng Shuo Jing spread his hands.
"Who would be so bored?" Lin Yan said, though she seemed to already have an answer in mind. As expected, Meng Shuo Jing revealed the person she suspected.
"It was Fu Yin."
Indeed, only Fu Yin would engage in such a self-defeating and harmful act.
"It seems she hasn't given up on you yet!" Lin Yan said with a smile.
She already knew Fu Yin had been pursuing Meng Shuo Jing, not from the original story, but from Liu Jin Cheng. Although his intention was to tell Lin Yan how much Meng Shuo Jing valued her.
"Perhaps it's not just that reason. After all, she's always been very jealous of you, hasn't she?"
"She never liked me in the first place, and then the person she likes is chasing me. So she must hate me to death!" Lin Yan said teasingly, looking at Meng Shuo Jing's face.
"Sigh, this face is truly captivating!" Lin Yan reached out and caressed Meng Shuo Jing's eyebrows and eyes. "What should I do? Should I lock you up and keep you from seeing anyone?"
"If you wish!" Meng Shuo Jing said with a smile. He loved Lin Yan's possessiveness. "Actually, there's a better way to avoid this."
"What way?"
"Let's get engaged. Let's announce to everyone that I'm yours, and then no one with prying eyes will try to break us up. A permanent solution, what do you think?"
Meng Shuo Jing had always lacked a sense of security. Although Lin Yan had actively sought him out on her eighteenth birthday, they were geographically separated, and Lin Yan's school had too many male students, making him very uneasy. Even though he had given Lin Yan a ring, it was just a couple's ring.
He wanted a grand engagement ceremony to announce their relationship to everyone and to let everyone know that Lin Yan belonged to him.
From the first moment he saw Lin Yan, he had been planning all of this. It was just unfortunate that Lin Yan wasn't of age, and he himself was also a bit young. Otherwise, he would have coaxed Lin Yan into getting their marriage certificate.