UGB Chapter 54: Either way, I'm going to die, so I'll take one last gamble!
Chapter 54: Either way, I'm going to die, so I'll take one last gamble!
"Okay, I'll go back and rest first. I'll leave the crew's affairs to you, Director Lu."
Jiang Xinlan nodded. She had indeed been quite frightened today and had no heart to continue filming.
Shen Yu put his arm around her waist, nodded to Lu Chuan, and led her away from the film crew, driving back to the Yun Jing Tai villa.
When they got home, the two children rushed to their mother and showered her with concern.
With her little mouths constantly saying "Mommy, don't be afraid," Jiang Xinlan's chill was instantly soothed by the two children's soft words.
After coaxing the two children to play with building blocks in the living room, Shen Yu led Jiang Xinlan to sit on the sofa, poured her a glass of warm honey water, and gently comforted her:
"Don't be afraid, it's all over. With me here, no one can hurt you anymore."
Jiang Xinlan leaned against him, holding her water glass, and whispered:
"Shen Yu, I'm a little scared. I really can't understand who it is, and why they would spend so much money to deliberately harm me? I haven't made enemies with anyone, nor have I harmed anyone..."
"Don't even think about it. I've already sent Lu Zongming and the others to investigate. I'm sure they'll find out who's behind this soon."
Shen Yu touched her hair, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
He had barely finished speaking when his phone rang; it was Lu Zongming calling.
Shen Yu answered the phone and put it on speakerphone.
Lu Zongming's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Mr. Shen, we've found it! We've thoroughly traced the source of the anonymous account that transferred money to Zhang Lei, and the account holder is Li Qianqian! The anonymous phone number that contacted Zhang Lei is also registered under her name!"
Li Qianqian!
Jiang Xinlan was stunned when she heard the name.
Is it her?
A chill instantly surged in Shen Yu's eyes. He looked down at Jiang Xinlan in his arms and asked in a deep voice, "Do you know her?"
Jiang Xinlan snapped out of her daze, bit her lip, her eyes filled with coldness and confusion:
"I know her. She was my classmate in college. Six years ago, it was she who spread rumors about me all over the school, saying that I had a messy private life, that I was pregnant out of wedlock and dumped by my sugar daddy, which completely ruined my reputation. In the end, it caused me to be expelled from school..."
"I always thought she was just jealous of me back then, and that it was all in the past. But I never imagined that after six years, she would still hate me so much that she would even spend 500,000 to hire someone to hurt me and ruin me."
Jiang Xinlan simply couldn't understand what kind of deep-seated hatred could make Li Qianqian hold a grudge against her for six years and go to such lengths to destroy her.
Shen Yu held her tightly in his arms, his tone cold and firm:
"Forget about it. No matter why she hates you, I will never let her get away with touching my people. I will settle this score with her, interest and all."
The news that Zhang Lei and Xiao Wang were taken away by the police on the spot in the crew of "The Wind Rises in Chang'an" reached Li Qianqian's ears in less than half an hour.
In the hotel's deluxe king room, Li Qianqian hung up the phone call that had alerted them, then collapsed onto the sofa, her face ashen.
"He's been arrested... Zhang Lei has actually been arrested..."
She muttered to herself, her fingertips trembling uncontrollably.
Didn't Zhang Lei assure her that he was a perfect liar and that no matter how they investigated, they would think it was an accident?
How come they were taken away by the police in less than half a day?
Although Zhang Lei didn't know what she looked like, she always contacted him anonymously.
However, she transferred money to Zhang Lei twice, and the bank has records of both transactions.
Even if the money changed hands several times and was disguised, a thorough investigation will eventually lead back to her.
Moreover, although Zhang Lei didn't know what she looked like, he remembered her voice. Their first meeting was in a bar, a place with surveillance cameras.
Once Zhang Lei can't withstand the interrogation and gives her away, the police will be able to quickly locate her by following the clues from the bar and the bank card!
The thought of possibly being arrested made Li Qianqian feel as nervous and anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
Li Qianqian suddenly jumped up from the sofa and rushed to her suitcase like a madwoman, frantically stuffing her belongings inside, with only one thought in her mind.
That's running!
Run immediately, run back to Beijing overnight!
Only by returning to Beijing and hiding behind Jiang Manli, relying on the Jiang family's power, could she escape this calamity.
But just as she stuffed a wad of cash into her suitcase, her phone suddenly started ringing incessantly, displaying an unfamiliar number without a contact name on the screen.
Upon seeing this number, Li Qianqian froze instantly.
It's Jiang Manli.
She swallowed hard, nervously answered the phone, and before she could even speak, Jiang Manli's cold, cursing voice came from the other end.
"Li Qianqian! You good-for-nothing! I gave you five million, and this is what you did?! Jiang Xinlan is not only unharmed, but the people you hired have been arrested by the police! I think you have a death wish!"
Jiang Manli's voice was full of hostility, clearly indicating that she already knew everything that had happened on set.
Li Qianqian's legs went weak instantly, and she repeatedly bent over into the phone, her tone full of pleading and obsequiousness:
"Miss Jiang! I'm so sorry! It's my fault! That good-for-nothing Zhang Lei did a terrible job! I never expected Jiang Xinlan to be so resilient; even when the wire broke, she wasn't hurt at all!"
"What's the point of saying all this now?!"
Jiang Manli interrupted her sharply, her tone almost overflowing with disgust.
"Let me tell you, if Zhang Lei implicates you, you'd better keep your mouth shut and not utter a single word you shouldn't. If you dare drag me into this, not only will you be dead, but your parents back home won't have a good life either!"
A chilling threat traveled through the phone line, and Li Qianqian trembled, her back instantly soaked with cold sweat.
She knew Jiang Manli's personality all too well. This seemingly aristocratic heiress could be ruthless to the point that she couldn't handle her.
If she messes things up this time, even if she manages to escape back to Beijing, Jiang Manli will definitely not let her off easily. She might even make her disappear completely to keep her quiet.
Thinking of this, Li Qianqian felt both panicked and resentful.
She hated Jiang Manli's cold-heartedness, hated Jiang Xinlan's stubbornness even more, and hated herself for scheming so much only to end up in such a dilemma.
After hanging up Jiang Manli's call, Li Qianqian collapsed on the sofa, her heart pounding and her mind a complete mess.
If he runs back to Beijing, he will most likely be discarded by Jiang Manli after he has served his purpose.
If she stays in Jiangcheng, the police will soon trace her back to Zhang Lei, and she will face imprisonment.
Since it's a dead end no matter what, I might as well take one last gamble before running away.
Since I'm going to be ruined anyway, I might as well drag Jiang Xinlan down with me.
Even if she goes to jail, she will make sure Jiang Xinlan is completely disgraced and can no longer make it in the entertainment industry.
Perhaps in the end, Jiang Manli will forgive her for her mistake because of her good performance and the fact that she dragged Jiang Xinlan down with her. She will let her off the hook and not only let her go, but will also keep her around.