The original Fan Jialuo had always thought that Zhao Wenyan and Su Fengxi loved each other very deeply-so much that they would be with each other throughout their entire life; this was why he had always acted so crazy and desperate.

But now, after having heard their phone conversation, Fan Jialuo could only sneer at this depiction of 'true love'.

He quickly grew bored of browsing through Su Fengxi's numerous scandals, so he typed the five words 'Sichuan Movie and Television City' into the search bar.

As a result, he found that Sichuan Movie and Television City was a large-scale tourism and real estate project that was being led by Su Mian. Its business model was similar to that of Hengdian Film and Television City, and it was also stated that its total investment value was twice that of Hengdian, easily reaching 6 billion yuan.

Su Mian and Su Fengxi were both from the same orphanage, and could be regarded as childhood sweethearts. After graduating from high school, they entered the entertainment circle through Su Fengxi's connections and their popularity rapidly soared. They could be regarded as two of the most popular young stars of that period.

And during that period, there were countless sensational affairs that featured Su Mian and Su Fengxi as the main actors. In one such situation, they had even been photographed by paparazzi after staying overnight at the other's house. At that time, after the news was released, its aftermath and effect was so chaotic that it almost cut off Su Mian's path as a star. Su Fengxi hurriedly came out to clarify in response. Since then, their relationship has been viewed as truly worthy of representing the bonds between an older sister and younger brother.

For Su Mian, who could only earn money as a small star, to invest six billion yuan in one breath and build a project bigger than Hengdian was impossible. Some people whispered that he was being supported by a big shot from behind the screens; others said that it was Su Fengxi who had invested money; a number of people also said that he was involved in illegal financing in the private sector.

However, no matter how rumours spread online and in reality, the truth remained that Su Mian had managed to gather three billion yuan in reserve and one billion in advance investment funds for the purchase of land, and thus had officially launched the project.

Prior to the commencement of the investment project, Sichuan was to be classified as the South China free-trade area. As a result, there were various plans to develop the area's infrastructure, including the construction of an airport, a high-speed railway station, a bay bridge, and various other supporting projects. It was a special economic zone being vigorously developed by Haishi City. If the Movie and Television City was built in such a location, Su Mian would undoubtedly receive a hefty return.

To this end, in order to secure the land, Su Mian and Su Fengxi had really exhausted all their efforts. The relationship between them had grown even stronger, and all the money they could borrow between the two of them had been borrowed.

As long as they could endure for five years-for the first phase of the project to be completed-they just needed to wait a little for the investment to bear fruit and then they could soar again.

However, not long ago, the Haishi City government suddenly released news regarding the free trade zone. It was previously planned to be in Sichuan, but had now been changed to Dongchuan, and the previously promised airport, high-speed railway station and bay bridge infrastructure had also been moved to Dongchuan.

In other words, the so-called exceedingly valuable land in Sichuan, which had been bought by Su Mian, was now worthless.

The one billion yuan advance investment money had already been spent and not much of it was left. Furthermore, Su Mian still carried some debt, which he had borrowed for the planned construction work in the later stages of the project. Should he borrow more money? No one would be stupid enough to throw billions into this quagmire.

All of Su Mian and Su Fengxi's net worth had been invested into this project. It was even speculated that they might soon go bankrupt. If no one offered them a helping hand, they would definitely perish.

Clear-sighted people knew that the Sichuan Movie and Television City investment project was thoroughly rotten now. Whoever took over it was staring at a dead end.

If they continued to invest in the land, it was almost certain that they would not see any profit in the future; if they cut off the cash flow and the land was not developed by the next two years, then it would be reclaimed by the government. In short, the 2.87 billion that they spent on buying the land and the initial investment of 1 billion would all be wasted!

This isn't just a chaotic mess, but a raging fire pit!

And despite this, Zhao Wenyan, who was known as a smiling tiger and who built Zhao Group into an aircraft carrier that towered above the entertainment circle at a young age, was ready to jump into this pit of fire without any hesitation.

Just how was Su Fengxi able to persuade Zhao Wenyan into lending a helping hand in this kind of situation, one which was inevitably heading towards ruin? Why did Zhao Wenyan agree?

If any other bystander had been present and had heard the conversation between the couple, that person would undoubtedly attach the label of 'crazy' to Zhao Wenyan.

Even the powerful Zhao Family couldn't afford this kind of 'trouble' marring their skin.

How would Zhao Wenyan explain it to the Board of Directors? How would he explain it to his parents? Did he love Su Fengxi to the point of desperation?

Ordinary people would be unable to see through the murky circumstances and would hardly even consider any of it strange.

Yet in Fan Jialuo's eyes, it was like a pool of clear water, so clear that he could see to the very bottom. He wordlessly closed down each of the web pages, re-entered Su Fengxi's Weibo, and looked at the beautiful photos she had just posted, smiling with undisguised interest.

-

The landscape lighting design of Moon Bay Garden Community was very beautiful. There was a ground lamp every ten meters, which illuminated the surrounding area in a soft and gentle yellow glow. It exuded a pleasant warmth that was felt just by watching it.

Fan Jialuo stepped on the path lit by these lamps and walked on, before suddenly stopping at a corner, as if he had silently sensed something for a moment. Then he walked a few steps backwards and turned in the opposite direction.

He circled around from the back of Building 10 to reach Building 1. Then, as he was about to pull out the access card to his building, he noticed a figure sitting under a streetlamp not far away.

The man's coat had been taken off and thrown casually into the surrounding greenery. His tie had been messily pulled off, making the shirt collar look thoroughly dishevelled. His white shirt had black and red stains, even his trousers and the surface of his shoes were streaked with mud. In short, his appearance was completely messy, slovenly to the extreme.

Fan Jialuo put the access card back into his backpack and slowly approached the man. Light shone from behind him, and his long figure slowly overshadowed the man sitting at the edge of the greenery.

The other party raised his head. Due to the backlight, he couldn't see Fan Jialuo's face for a moment, and only registered a pair of extremely deep eyes.

The man raised a hand to cover his brow and his eyes slightly narrowed-as if he was trying to identify something-but there was no focus in his blank pupils.

It was not until that moment that Fan Jialuo realized that this person's ears had been badly wounded and that blood was still steadily flowing and dripping onto his shoulders and chest. The spots on his shirt were not stains at all, but blood; some parts had dried up and oxidised, thus turning a dark brown, while others were fresh, sticky and bright red. His right hand was wrapped in a thick layer of gauze, and blood was seeping through it. His exposed fingers were red and swollen, and seemed to show signs of inflammation.

If it had not been for the fact that it was a time of peace, Fan Jialuo would have thought that this person was a wounded soldier who had retreated from a battlefield, or a helpless child who had lost his parents in the war. He simply looked too miserable.

"Mr. Bai?" Fan Jialuo called as he bent down slightly.

The soft voice, sprinkled with a trace of spirituality, instantly dispelled the heavy black fog wrapped around the man. He blinked as if rousing from a dream, and the unfocused pupils slowly gathered light, as they focused on the man before him.

"I seem to have seen you the last time I came here." Bai Mu's voice sounded like a worn-out pair of bellows-it was too hoarse.

"Yes, that's right." Fan Jialuo retrieved a bottle of water from his backpack and said in a warm voice, "Your lips are dry and bleeding. Please, drink some water."

"Thank you." Bai Mu took the water bottle, with a somewhat helpless expression.

Bai Mu wasn't surprised that the other party knew him. He had been a regular face on the covers of business magazines before Bai Lin had left; before he had started suffering torment under this sinister fate. There was hardly anyone who didn't know that he was the successor of the Bai Family, and no one would deny his title as a genius of the business industry.

But now, he appeared as a bedraggled mess-completely downcast and tired-and after today, he didn't know whether he could even successfully survive tomorrow.

Thinking of today's encounter, Bai Mu's heart couldn't help but shiver. That one day's good fortune had only been for a moment. When he woke up the next day, he had returned to his usual self, somehow becoming even more unlucky than before, and fear for the end of his life felt even more closer than ever.

Today, he had originally come to rectify the landscape pool in front of Building 1. Although the feng shui of Moon Bay Garden Community was bad, he still wanted to try his best to save it.

In the process of dismantling the pool, a stone just so happened to fall from a gap in the excavator's claw, and it struck his ear, causing him to fall to the ground.

Although he was wearing a safety helmet, the shell of the helmet was thinner than paper. It cracked immediately, and the sharp edges of the helmet cut the back of his head. Then, after falling down, Bai Mu stretched out his hand to support himself, but in another unlucky coincidence, his right palm was fiercely pierced through by the sharp edge of a pickaxe that was lying on the ground next to him.

At that time, he had collapsed on the ground and could no longer push himself up. His ears, the back of his head and his right palm were covered with blood. This tragic scene thoroughly scared the constructors. Bai Mu's assistant immediately wanted to send him to the hospital, but he refused to leave. Instead, he casually bandaged the wound and walked to the construction area to check all the safety implements.

The helmet is thinner than paper. There must be something wrong with it!

Bai Mu checked all the safety equipment but was left shocked. The safety helmets, safety ropes, safety ladders, safety nets, fire extinguishers, and other such items that were purchased by the construction unit were all fake and shoddy products.

Not mentioning the fact that these items failed to protect the safety of workers, they could even become the main cause of the death. No wonder there were so many accidents on this construction site; it was all caused by these black-hearted construction teams!

Bai Mu quickly handled the matter regarding his injuries, then proceeded to hold a long and arduous negotiation with the construction unit, ordering them to bear all the responsibilities.

It was dark by the time he left the negotiation table, and he had not eaten, drank or rested for more than ten hours. He asked his assistant to bring the car over from the parking lot, but just when he had walked to the door of Building 1, he abruptly fell down. Suddenly, he experienced a headache and a stuffy chest. He couldn't breathe.

In that moment, he realized with great insight that-if he was tortured again and again by this misfortune- then he would really die, and that day might not be too far away. He felt that his current appearance really cut a sorry figure, not unlike a stray dog struggling pathetically whilst at death's door, and was unable to hide from the eyes of the youth in front of him. He tightened the bottle cap and whispered thank you again, but his face faced the ground to avoid the young man's gaze.

He felt very ashamed, as if he had done something wrong.

Fan Jialuo glanced at his blood stained hair and chuckled. "It's my luck to meet Mr. Bai at this time."

"What?" Bai Mu looked up at him, his face full of surprise. He didn't understand the meaning of the youth's words.

What's so good about a person who is about to fall? Who doesn't know that the Bai Family is currently only one step away from bankruptcy?

With one hand outstretched, Fan Jialuo's white palm spread out under the streetlamp, emitting a shimmering light, but these lights did not seem to come from refracted light, rather, they looked as if they had been generated and condensed in his palm, thus representing sanctity and hope.

"Mr. Bai, are you willing to spend 2,000 yuan to buy some luck from me?" he asked in a frank manner.

"Buy luck?" As Bai Mu unconsciously repeated these words, his expression showed some stupefaction. Then, he thought of the chance encounter that had happened last time, and remembered the light touch of the youth, his cool skin and the unique luck he had experienced after that.

He had tangled with this strange matter like it was a complex puzzle for a day and night before finally arriving at an answer. Now, it turned out that his conjecture was right. This man was the one who had brought him change and hope.

His dull eyes gradually lit up like the night sky and the only star reflected in them was Fan Jialuo.

"I do." He frantically opened his wallet and pulled out two thousand yuan in cash.

...

Frozenmirage: ...I do *and pulled out money ノ￣□￣)ノ ~┻━┻