Chapter 47

Chapters 36-37: Past and Present

Wen Liang is now very reflective.

In his past life, not long after October, Ji Su became Gu Wenyuan's public girlfriend. The two often appeared together in public places like the playground and cafeteria. The boy was tall and handsome, charming and captivating, while the girl was pure and beautiful, gentle and graceful. They were hailed as the most compatible golden couple in Qingyi High School's sixty-year history, excelling in both appearance and talent, and were the envy or jealousy of all students in that era of white shirts and fluttering sleeves. The most sensational event at the time was when two or three dozen boys from different classes and grades got drunk in the dormitory to commemorate their brief infatuation and the sorrow of youth.

Their relationship continued until they graduated from high school three years later. Gu Wenyuan went to Tsinghua University, embarking on a more glorious life journey, while Ji Su, who had always excelled academically, only managed to get into Jiangdong University and then disappeared. It wasn't until Wen Liang graduated and started working that he occasionally heard from Tan Yu about Ji Su. It seemed that after graduating from Jiang University, she returned to Qingzhou to teach at a middle school and soon married a colleague. At that time, Gu Wenyuan was already a high-ranking official in the provincial Development and Reform Commission, becoming a mountain that Wen Liang could never surpass.

Gu Wenyuan's affection for Ji Su was no secret even in junior high school; otherwise, Wen Liang wouldn't have faced a disaster that almost ruined his life. But everyone who knew Ji Su knew that although she appeared gentle and kind, friendly to everyone, and popular among both boys and girls, she was, at heart, a very traditional good student and a well-behaved girl. In 1995, when early romance was considered a flood of monsters, how could she suddenly change and openly date Gu Wenyuan, appearing together everywhere?

In that era, a girl in an early romance, no matter how excellent her grades or how much she was loved by teachers and classmates, could not escape the label of "fallen"!

Was this the magic of love?

This confusion was not only felt by Bi Zhao, the class teacher of Class 3, but also by good friend Meng Ke, classmate and role-playing expert Ren Yi, and even by Wen Liang, who was always immersed in his own fantasy world to escape reality. However, given his state at the time, this confusion was buried deep in his heart, or perhaps he even felt a perverse sense of pleasure when he heard the news.

If you hate a woman, curse her to fall!

Because of Gu Wenyuan's background, the school didn't even intervene in this matter. People either despised, envied, secretly emulated, or sighed over it, but many still firmly believed that in high school, Gu Wenyuan and Ji Su's love was a symbol—of the beauty of love!

When everyone thought they would apply to the same university, graduate together, and live together, two vastly different acceptance letters sent them on separate paths. The direct result was that many people's beliefs collapsed, and they no longer believed in love, starting a life of debauchery in college. Various legends and academic papers about why they fell in love and why they broke up could become a best-selling love gospel.

After seeing that scene on the rooftop, Wen Liang finally understood why Ji Su had suddenly changed back then and ultimately altered her life's trajectory because of Gu Wenyuan. So, in a causal relationship, both Wen Liang and Ji Su in his past life were failures under Gu Wenyuan's shadow, equally pitiful.

The reason he held Xu Yao just now was because he remembered all this, but this life was completely different from his past life. Why did Gu Wenyuan suddenly start纠缠 (harassing) Ji Su recently and become furious and aggressive under the experimental building? Wen Liang was not stupid; even thinking with his gut, he knew it was because Gu Wenyuan's relationship with Ning Xiaoning was exposed during the last basketball game, and his jealous appearance was obvious to everyone. With this, it was clearly impossible for Gu Wenyuan to win Ji Su's heart with sincerity as before, so there was harassment, confession, conflict, and hatred, leading to Gu Wenyuan's cruelty and irrationality on the rooftop and Ji Su's humiliation and sorrow.

In his past life, although he might have made the same demands, Gu Wenyuan's attitude would have been a hundred times more gentle, and his methods a hundred times more elegant. No matter whether Ji Su refused or accepted, he would have found a way to win her over. The fact proved that he did, and Ji Su became his lover for three years. Although it's unknown whether the final breakup was due to Ji Su's insistence or Gu Wenyuan's boredom, at least it wouldn't have been as confrontational and insulting as today!

So, everything has its cause and effect, and Ji Su's current predicament is also related to Wen Liang.

Wen Liang quickly thought through these causes and effects at the door. Although he wasn't entirely sure, he was seventy percent confident. But because of this, he needed to know what decision Ji Su would make. If she refused, it would be easy to beat up Gu Wenyuan to prevent him from harming Ji Su out of anger, a physical task that was simple. But if, in such a humiliating situation, she still agreed to Gu Wenyuan's conditions, it would mean that if he took this step, he would have to take on the responsibility of saving her father, or it would be better not to help at all.

But the problem was that he knew nothing about the depth of Ji Su's father's involvement and had no confidence at all! At such a moment that could completely change someone's life, Wen Liang had to think for a few more minutes. But in the end, looking at Xu Yao's eyes, he softened and made the decision for Ji Su without waiting for her answer.

Refuse!

Then he took the burden upon himself. Economically, this was a bad deal; socially, it might be a good one!

"Wen Liang, come over and help me pull her up."

Xu Yao couldn't lift Ji Su, who was lying on the ground, so she held the umbrella and squatted beside her, trying to persuade her. Wen Liang walked over, letting the rain hit his body, and said coldly, "If you really want to save your dad, get up quickly, and we'll find a place to discuss it. If sitting on the ground could save your dad, you could sit there until you die, and no one would care." Seeing that Ji Su still had no reaction, Wen Liang softened and, to give her confidence, lied, "Trust me, I can't promise much, but I can help with the Qinghua Factory issue. The Party Secretary of the city, Xu Fuyan, is my future father-in-law..."

Xu Yao gave him an annoyed look but, unusually, didn't argue.

Ji Su looked up, seeing this muddy and wet teenager. His face was cold, his tone harsh, but his eyes were warm and full of concern. Although his words were unreliable, she still nodded and, with Xu Yao's help, stood up, her once vibrant body now lifeless.

Ji Su and Wen Liang were both in a mess and couldn't go to class. Xu Yao went to help them take leave, and then the three of them took a taxi to send Ji Su home. Ji Su lived in Huian Neighborhood, a residential building developed by a real estate company for Qinghua Factory employees in the early 1990s during the commercial housing reform. Some were sold at a low price to factory workers, and some were sold to the public, making it one of the better places in Qingzhou at the time.

Inside the house, Wen Liang found that the two-bedroom, one-living room apartment was simply decorated with no fancy furnishings, not looking very wealthy. But in those days, people's anti-detection awareness was high, and their homes were often very simple, while their outside residences were luxuriously extravagant.

Ji Su's mother, Su Rui, was at the hospital getting an IV, and no one was home. Ji Su had been sitting silently since the rooftop, only speaking once to give the taxi driver her address. Xu Yao helped her go to the bathroom to clean up, changed into clean clothes, and then sat on the sofa. Wen Liang took off his dirty coat and threw it outside, then, seeing the water stains on his pants, sat cross-legged on the floor and asked about the incident.

Ji Su knew little, only that her father was taken away by the police due to a large amount of money involved, and she knew nothing about the inside story. As Wen Liang and Xu Yao looked at each other in confusion, she suddenly remembered that her father had a habit of keeping a diary. She ran to the room, found a thick black diary, and gave it to Wen Liang. Wen Liang quickly flipped through it, finding no important information, but the feeling it gave him made him somewhat suspicious.

Ji Zheng was in charge of production at Qinghua Factory. After the former factory manager left, the new manager, Yuan Dazhu, was autocratic and nepotistic. Ji Zheng flattered and catered to him to barely keep his position as deputy manager. From the diary's complaints, it was clear that he was not a significant figure at Qinghua Factory.

How could such a person have the ability and courage to commit such a crime?

Ji Su buried herself in the sofa, head hanging low. She didn't know Xu Yao's identity and had little hope in Wen Liang. Following his instructions was just a last-ditch effort.

Wen Liang, of course, knew her thoughts, patted the diary, and said confidently, "Your father is innocent!"

Ji Su and Xu Yao's eyes focused on Wen Liang. Ji Su asked in a trembling voice, "You... how do you know?"

Ji Zheng!

The front page of the black diary read these two words, with elegant and powerful strokes, revealing the owner's ambition and aspirations. But such a person, under the pressure of Manager Yuan Dazhu, could only be a meek and marginalized figure. It was almost inevitable that he would do things to upset Yuan Dazhu.

Strangely, this was the first time Wen Liang saw this name, yet it felt somewhat familiar. Memories flashed through his mind, and many images from his past and present life became clearer. While flipping through the diary, he suddenly remembered where he had seen this name before.

Wen Liang clearly remembered that in his past life, after Qinghua Factory went bankrupt, Fan Hengan bought most of its assets at a very low price. Through a series of financial operations, including mortgaging the factory land and attracting foreign investment, he extracted a large amount of cash. He already had a business in daily chemicals, and with Qinghua Factory's advanced equipment and technical data, after optimizing production and adopting different management methods, he quickly recovered and became even more influential in Jiangdong Province, rivaling Gu Shitong.

In 1997, during the global economic crisis, Fan Hengan, due to overexpansion, faced serious cash flow problems. Despite multiple efforts, he still suffered a severe financial crisis, and many hidden issues were exposed. In early 1998, the prosecution charged him with numerous crimes, including bank loan fraud, money laundering, involvement in organized crime, tax evasion, and illegal fundraising. The once-famous figure fell from grace. Later, under the manipulation of certain people, many laid-off workers from Qinghua Factory, led by former deputy manager Ji Zheng, collectively petitioned for a thorough investigation into the factory's low-price sale and the accountability of former manager Yuan Dazhu, targeting Zhou Yuanting and Fang Mingtang, causing a stir in Qingzhou and drawing high attention from the provincial government.

Despite strong public sentiment in Qingzhou, after a series of negotiations, provincial leaders believed that reforms were a process of trial and error, and it was necessary to allow for mistakes. Zhou Yuanting, the main promoter of Qinghua Factory's bankruptcy and restructuring, was transferred to Guanshan as the last-ranked vice mayor, his political future dim but his personal safety intact. With Zhou Yuanting's precedent, Fang Mingtang, who seemed unrelated to Qinghua Factory, could have retired safely after stepping down as the head of the People's Congress, but for some reason, he got entangled in the Fan Hengan case and could not extricate himself. The once powerful figure in Qingzhou met the same fate as Fan Hengan, ending up in prison and fading from public view.

When Fan Hengan first took over Qinghua Factory in 1995, the city heavily promoted his actions as a significant contribution to Qingzhou's economic development, putting aside personal gains to solve the government's problems. Now, it was a great irony! So, someone had to take the fall. Zhou Yuanting was held responsible and transferred, and the main responsibility naturally fell on Yuan Dazhu.

The investigation results were mild. Although Ji Zheng had retained multiple pieces of evidence, many accounts had been destroyed during the restructuring, making it impossible to verify their authenticity. Yuan Dazhu was ultimately dismissed from all party and government positions, sentenced to three years in prison, and the matter was left unresolved.

This was the most sensational event in Qingzhou at the time. Wen Liang's father, Wen Huiming, had been demoted to an assistant researcher in the Quality Supervision Bureau due to a conflict with Zhou Yuanting but was still part of Qingzhou's political circle. Although Wen Liang didn't pay much attention to the matter, he learned a lot from his father.

Ji Zheng was first mentioned to him at that time. After the incident, Wen Liang heard his father, Wen Huiming, and Ding Mei often lament that Ji Zheng was a remarkable person. He was first retaliated against and forced to leave by Yuan Dazhu, then endured for years before seizing the opportunity to bring down Yuan Dazhu and avenge himself, a truly remarkable feat. The implication was that Wen Huiming, forced by Zhou Yuanting, was powerless to resist and could only mock himself.

Regardless, in that event that changed many people's lives, Ji Zheng was just a minor figure, and Wen Liang had forgotten about him. If not for seeing this diary and this name, which triggered many memories related to Qinghua Factory, Wen Liang would never have thought that this Ji Zheng was Ji Su's father.

This wasn't Wen Liang's fault. In both his past and present life, he had never paid any extra attention to Ji Su and knew nothing about her family. If not for recently plotting with his father about Qinghua Factory, he wouldn't have connected the two so quickly.

Since he understood this, Wen Liang was seventy percent confident that Ji Zheng was framed, and the reason was likely something he did that made Yuan Dazhu uneasy.

So, looking into Ji Su's hopeful eyes, he wanted to give this already fragile girl full confidence: "Yes, I'm sure!" He waved the diary, "After reading this, I even know the reason your father was framed. Don't worry, as long as we find someone to help, this matter will be resolved quickly."

"But I've read the diary, and I didn't find anything..."

Of course, the diary revealed nothing. Ji Zheng, being a smart person, wouldn't write too much in it. It was just a record of minor events at Qinghua Factory and literary complaints. But to convince Ji Su, Wen Liang had to act like a fortune-teller, saying, "If you could see it, you wouldn't be foolishly seeking help from others."

Despite her worries, Ji Su was speechless, and Xu Yao kicked him, scolding, "Are you trying to die?"

Wen Liang laughed, "I'm used to it. I have a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Ji Su, don't take it personally."

Ji Su understood that they were trying to distract her, and though weak, she managed a faint smile, "It's okay..."

Wen Liang saw that it wasn't working and knew that at his age, his words lacked persuasiveness. He had to use his future father-in-law as leverage, pointing at Xu Yao, "Xu Yao's father, my future father-in-law—Xu Fuyan!"

If Xu Fuyan knew he was being disrespected twice in one day, he would be furious, and "future father-in-law" would become "future violent father-in-law."

This time, it was effective. The surprise on Ji Su's face was the first sign of life since the rooftop. Seeing Xu Yao nod, Ji Su leaned back on the sofa, and tears finally streamed down her face.

This was the first time she had cried since her father's arrest. After experiencing several intense emotional swings, even a robot would break down. In her young mind, she thought that with the help of the city's Party Secretary, anything in Qingzhou could be resolved. Her mind relaxed, and she fell into a deep sleep on the sofa.

Xu Yao took a blanket from the bedroom and covered her, sitting beside her and looking at Ji Su's pale face. In just a few days, the girl who was always graceful, beautiful, and gentle had become as withered as a rain-beaten lotus. Xu Yao reached out, brushed the hair from Ji Su's face, and sighed softly.

"Wen Liang, I understand you were trying to comfort Ji Su. But I'm being honest, even if I mention this to my father, he might not help..."

Wen Liang smiled, "What if Ji Zheng is innocent, and he still doesn't help?"

Xu Yao was silent for a long time. Her usually cheerful and carefree face suddenly showed a hint of helplessness and sadness, "That's true! He... he is actually very difficult in Qingzhou... No matter what, I will always respect him..." She seemed afraid that Wen Liang would look down on her father or her, and turned her head away, not looking back.

Wen Liang had only meant to joke. He knew Xu Fuyan better than Xu Yao. Xu Fuyan wouldn't refuse; he would act when the time, reason, and chances were right, which was understandable.

And Wen Liang would give him those three necessities!

But in the face of a girl's complex emotions, even Wen Liang, who prided himself on being more skilled than perverted uncles and goldfish, could only end up in tears. He walked over, gently hugged Xu Yao, and stroked her long hair, saying softly, "He is a good father and a good father-in-law, and I respect him very much..."

Xu Yao, with her head buried in Wen Liang's waist, couldn't help but laugh, her tear-streaked face blushing, "Go to hell!"

Wen Liang squatted down, wiped away her tears, and asked softly, "Why are you crying?"

Xu Yao glanced at Ji Su and murmured, "I'm afraid one day, I'll end up like her..."

Wen Liang was shaken. This seemingly carefree and beautiful girl was far more intelligent than he imagined. Unable to contain his sympathy, he hugged her, and in a firm voice, said:

"That day will never come, I promise!"

Twelve words, each as solid as a mountain!

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