Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

Li Mengmeng looked at Bai Li.

She tried to speak several times, but swallowed the words back.

Xie Lingmo didn't urge her, but simply held her hand.

After a long while, Li Mengmeng lowered her head.

"dad……"

"My dad has been working on a big project with someone recently."

Bai Li asked, "What project?"

"Overseas island tourism development." Li Mengmeng sniffed: "That island doesn't belong to any country, and no one lives on it. It covers an area of ​​1,200 square kilometers."

"They plan to build hotels, casinos, airports, and docks on it, and also a duty-free city."

"The entire project is estimated to cost 20 billion."

Upon hearing this, Xie Lingmo straightened her posture considerably.

Bai Li moved closer: "How much did your dad bet?"

Li Mengmeng's tears flowed again:

"Two billion."

Bai Li frowned.

Even he had to recalculate that number.

He only has 20 million in his account right now.

Two billion is a hundred times all his cash.

In Ping County, this amount of money cannot be described as simply being wealthy.

Even if Li Fugui does nothing from now on, his family can still live a wealthy life for hundreds of lifetimes.

But he shot all of them.

"Those people made a deal with Dad back then," Li Mengmeng said haltingly, wiping away her tears. "Dad only needed to invest two billion."

"They will be responsible for resolving the remaining 18 billion."

"Once the island is completed, Dad will receive a permanent 12% share and won't have to participate in its subsequent management."

"My dad visited their company and even went to the island."

"The contract was also reviewed by a legal team."

Xie Lingmo asked, "Where was the initial contract signed?"

Hong Kong.

"What about the contracting parties?"

"I've never seen it before..." Li Mengmeng recalled for a moment, "It seems to be a company registered overseas."

Xie Lingmo gently squeezed her hand: "Continue."

"Dad took out all the money the company could allocate and sold several warehouses and shops."

"We also used several companies as collateral to borrow 100 million yuan from the bank."

"After the two billion arrived, those people invited my father to the island to discuss the start of the project."

As Li Mengmeng spoke, her body began to tremble again.

Bai Li raised his hand and patted her back.

"They've detained your dad?"

Li Mengmeng nodded.

"When Dad arrived on the island, his phone and passport were all taken away."

"Those people brought a lot of bodyguards, and they also had guns."

"They produced a new contract and asked Dad to sign it."

"The new contract states that the money Dad invested before was a non-reimbursable investment, he does not hold any shares, and he does not receive any dividends."

"They won't let Dad leave if he doesn't sign."

"He was held captive on the island for six days."

"Later, I couldn't hold on any longer and had to sign. They even recorded a video, making my dad say to the camera that signing the contract was entirely voluntary."

Xie Lingmo muttered under her breath, "A bunch of beasts."

"The island does not belong to any country; there are no police or courts that can handle cases there."

"After Dad came back, he consulted many lawyers."

"The lawyers all say it will be very difficult to handle."

"The signatory to the previous agreement has been deregistered, and the new contract states that all previous payments are voluntarily waived."

"Two billion, all gone, and we still owe the workers their wages."

Li Mengmeng lifted her face; her eyes were already swollen.

"Dad said that the workers have been with him for many years, and he can owe money to anyone else, but not theirs."

"So the villa, the car, the warehouse, and the real estate in Shanghai were all sold."

"After paying the workers' wages yesterday, we still need to pay off the 100 million loan by 6 million."

No one answered in the room, and Li Mengmeng's shoulders twitched slightly.

"Brother Bai Li..."

Li Mengmeng reached out and grabbed Bai Li's sleeve:

"sorry."

"Mengmeng is out of money."

"I can't buy you gifts anymore, and I can't give you my precious things as a bride price."

All I have left are the bracelets I stole before.

She became more and more aggrieved as she spoke.

"Waaaaah..."

"Mengmeng can only use those as her dowry."

Bai Li raised his hand and wiped away the tears on her face.

"To correct one thing."

Li Mengmeng looked at him, sobbing.

"I'm dating you not because I'm after your family's two billion."

Li Mengmeng's nose was red: "Besides this, and Mengmeng loves you and is cute, what else do you love about me?"

Without even thinking, Bai Li blurted out:

"You're good to me, and your cooking is delicious."

"Is this all?"

"And white silk."

Xie Lingmo raised her hand and slapped Bai Li's arm: "Can't you be serious for once at a time like this?"

Bai Li spread her hands: "She's stopped crying."

Xie Lingmo turned her head to look.

Li Mengmeng did indeed stop and was looking down at her gray lounge shorts.

A few seconds later, she looked up and asked in a soft voice, "What if I don't have money to buy new white stockings in the future?"

"I'll buy it."

"Where's your little skirt?"

"I'll buy it."

"Where's the milk?"

"purchase."

"What about imported beef and shrimp?"

"Buy them all."

Li Mengmeng moved closer to Bai Li and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Can Mengmeng still stay at your house?"

"Your room is still available."

She pressed her face against Bai Li's chest, and tears fell again.

This time, she didn't cry out loud.

Xie Lingmo sat down next to her and reached out to ruffle Li Mengmeng's messy hair.

"I never knew your family was so wealthy."

She is very familiar with the family business.

The Xie family is one of the leading businesses in Yunshi, with numerous subsidiaries and total assets of around 10 billion yuan.

There are still a lot of factories, equipment, land and equity there. If you really want to withdraw 2 billion yuan in cash, it will be a huge blow.

Li Fugui's success in Ping County was not solely due to luck.

Li Mengmeng leaned against Bai Li's chest and whispered, "It's gone now."

Bai Li helped her up from his arms.

"Alright, Mengmeng, I'm here to help you solve this problem."

After saying that, he reached into his pocket.

I just came across the card pack.

Then came the sound of a key being inserted into the lock from outside the door.

The door opened.

Li Fugui carried two empty thermos buckets into the house, wearing an apron stained with oil and with flour still clinging to his sleeves.

His hair was quite messy, he hadn't shaved, and he was wearing sneakers.

This man, who used to be offered cigarettes wherever he went in Ping County, had just returned from setting up his breakfast stall.

But his back remained straight.

Li Fugui raised his head and forced a smile.

"Mengmeng, Daddy's home."

"The steamed buns and tofu pudding are all sold out."

He was halfway through his sentence when he saw Bai Li and Xie Lingmo on the sofa.

Li Fugui stopped at the door.

"Xiao Li?"

What are you doing here?

He then looked at Xie Lingmo.

"This girl is...?"

Seeing that his father-in-law was still not despondent even after going bankrupt and could still go out to set up a stall, Bai Li felt much more at ease.

He stood up and took the initiative to introduce himself:

"Uncle, this is Xie Lingmo."

"She's also my girlfriend."

Li Fugui nodded blankly.

He glanced down at his apron, then at Li Mengmeng's red and swollen eyes, and knew that his daughter had most likely told Bai Li everything.

"Oh……"

"So...you're here to break up with Mengmeng?"