From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

Instantly, a strong chill crept up my back and spread throughout my entire body.

"How is it? Did you get through?" Su Qing was clearly flustered, her eyes fixed on me, her voice trembling slightly.

My expression turned serious, and I slowly shook my head.

To verify my hypothesis, I immediately went to the clothing store next door and asked the owner, who was arranging goods:

"Boss, could you tell me what time the pawnshop next door usually opens?"

The clothing store owner glanced up at the closed pawnshop and casually replied, "Something's not right with this store. It was closed all day yesterday. I thought they were taking a break."

As she spoke, she added, "By the way, quite a few law enforcement officers came yesterday, but I don't know what's going on."

Upon hearing this, I was stunned.

If something happened at home, why was the phone switched off? And there were no notices on the door!

A strong sense of unease instantly swept over my entire body.

Without further hesitation, I took out my phone, dialed the police, and calmly and clearly reported the whole story, the shop address, and the information about the collateral.

After the dispatcher recorded all the information, he told us to wait where we were, and the police would immediately dispatch officers from the nearest station to handle the situation.

After hanging up the phone, Su Qing, who was standing to the side, couldn't hold back anymore. Her big eyes instantly turned red, and her face was full of panic.

"No, they couldn't have really run away, could they? My bracelet..."

My mind is in complete turmoil right now.

This is not simply a monetary loss; it is a family heirloom passed down from Grandma Su Qing, and her most precious keepsake.

She became increasingly agitated, rushed to the glass door of the pawnshop, and kicked it twice, unleashing her pent-up emotions.

"Liar! This is outrageous! Running away for a single piece of collateral? Are you desperate for money?!"

Seeing her anxious, angry, and flustered appearance, I felt both heartache and helplessness, and quickly stepped forward to pull her back:

"Stop making a fuss, don't hurt yourself. Now all we can do is calmly wait for the police to arrive and investigate; there's no use in rushing."

Su Qing stormed over, still agitated, and said, "I just don't understand! He has such a big storefront, are you really going to run away for a bracelet? Is it really worth it?"

I stared at the tightly closed pawnshop doors, my eyes turning completely cold.

Yes, normal people don't need to.

But what if this isn't a simple scam and a getaway at all?

After waiting for another ten minutes or so, the police finally arrived.

As if grasping at a last straw, Su Qing immediately stepped forward and handed over the mortgage contract on her phone, speaking rapidly:

"Officers, please take a look! This is the contract for the bracelet I pawned, worth a full 300,000! I came here today specifically to redeem it, but the shop is closed and the owner's phone is switched off!"

The police officer took the contract and carefully checked the information. Then he took out his phone and tried to call the owner's number that was provided on the contract.

The busy tone sounded again, still indicating that the phone was off.

"Don't panic, wait here for a moment while we check the merchant's registration information," the police officer reassured them, and immediately dialed the internal office to verify the situation.

After a brief pause, the police officer, his face serious, turned to us and said in a somber tone:

"The situation has been investigated. The owner of this pawnshop is suspected of illegal fundraising and illegal usury, involving a huge amount of money. Our police filed a case against him the day before yesterday, but he has already fled."

With a loud bang!

The moment the police officer said those words, my mind went completely blank.

Su Qing was completely stunned, standing there blankly, her face turning deathly pale.

"Wha...what do you mean!?"

Her voice trembled, and filled with disbelief, she continued to press, "How could this be so sudden? Is your information wrong?!"

The police officer sighed and patiently explained, "I understand how you feel, but the situation is true. The whereabouts of the items involved in the case are currently unknown."

I couldn't hear what was said after that; only one sentence remained in my mind.

The items that were pledged are most likely unrecoverable.

"My bracelet..."

Su Qing's legs went weak, and she subconsciously took a step back, her eyes instantly reddening.

In all the time I've known her, I've never seen her so devastated and helpless.

Normally, she is charming and lively, fearless and invincible. Even when she is forced into marriage by her family and suffers all kinds of grievances, she always puts on a brave face and never shows weakness.

But this bracelet is different.

That was a family heirloom passed down from her great-grandmother to her grandmother, and then personally handed over to her by her grandmother!

It's a cherished memory passed down through generations in the family; it's unique and something that money can't buy.

She was just trying to help me, and in her haste, she mortgaged the most precious thing in her life without saying a word.

She never imagined she would encounter such an absurd natural and man-made disaster as her boss running away.

"How could this happen... How could this be..."

Su Qing's voice choked, her nose turned red, and her eyes instantly filled with tears.

"I'm just trying to help you... I want to help you get the courier station up and running. I'm thinking of redeeming it back in a month. I've planned everything out..."

Listening to her intermittent murmurs filled with self-blame and grievance, my heart felt heavy and aching.

It was because of her that she was implicated.

If I hadn't been short of funds, if I hadn't needed money to buy a car and expand my shop, Su Qing would never have mortgaged her most precious family heirloom.

She tried to help me out of kindness, but this is the result she got in return.

Seeing her trying to hold back her tears and put on a brave face, I felt so guilty that I almost overwhelmed myself.

I stepped forward, gently placed my hand on her shoulder, and said in a frighteningly deep voice, "Don't cry."

Su Qing looked up at me, tears welling in her eyes, and asked in a hoarse voice:

"Lin Ye, my bracelet... is it gone forever?"

"uncertain."

I took a deep breath and said to her, "Everything a human does leaves a trace. We must trust the police; they will definitely be able to find it."

I tried to comfort her with those words, but I knew the truth better than anyone else.

In such malicious cases of absconding, once valuable items are transferred privately and resold on the black market, they are essentially lost forever.

Once a family heirloom is gone, it's gone forever.

Just then, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind!

Yesterday, all the bad things happened at once: my courier station was seized, Brother Luo was reported and forced to close down, and the owner of this mortgage bank ran away overnight.

Everything happens on the same day!

What kind of coincidence could there be in the world?

My pupils suddenly contracted, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on my back.

Is it Fang Heng again?

Or am I overthinking it?

Even if he has a lot of power, surely he wouldn't be able to make a mortgage bank owner do something as outrageous as running away overnight?

This could land you in jail; the mortgage brokerage owner couldn't possibly agree to something so outrageous, could he?

But I don't know why, I just had a very strong premonition.

He's been watching me the whole time, so he must know that Su Qing gave me 300,000 yuan. How could he not know where she got that 300,000 yuan from?

She accurately predicted that this was Su Qing's biggest weakness, and she accurately predicted what I owed the most and what I cared about the most!