Lan Rouxue's tears fell like rain.
She clutched Ji Zhiyuan's sleeve. "If we delay any longer, the debt will balloon to over ten million. I can't come up with that much money. Zhiyuan, please help me. I'm begging you..."
Ji Zhiyuan's jaw tightened into a hard line. "He needs to learn his lesson, or he’ll keep making the same mistakes."
"If the Ji Group hadn’t fired him, he never would’ve gone to that teahouse to try his luck. This is all your fault!" Lan Rouxue burst into sobs. "You’re my boyfriend, yet how do you treat me? Firing me, firing my brother—people would think we’re sworn enemies..."
She pounded her fists against Ji Zhiyuan’s chest.
Rong Yu, seated on the sofa, arched a brow at the scene and said coldly, "Miss Lan, have you forgotten why you and Lan Zigang were dismissed in the first place?"
Lan Rouxue’s voice caught in her throat, her sobs stifled.
Ji Zhiyuan took a breath to steady himself. "Last time, I covered his losses. This time, I won’t. He needs to face the consequences, or he’ll never change."
"No, Zhiyuan! If he can’t repay the debt, the casino will cut off his fingers!" Lan Rouxue’s face twisted in panic. "He’s my only brother, my last remaining family. He hasn’t even gotten married yet—his life hasn’t even begun! It can’t end like this. Zhiyuan, for the sake of all these years we’ve been together, please help me..."
Ji Zhiyuan pressed his lips together.
He loved her. Seeing her cry tore at him, making it hard to stay firm.
But the truth was, he didn’t have that kind of money. All his assets were tied up, and he couldn’t liquidate them even if he wanted to.
He hesitated, considering asking his great-grandmother for help.
But Lan Rouxue saw the hesitation in his eyes and knew—Ji Zhiyuan couldn’t help her.
Her gaze shifted to Ji Zhouye. "If you hadn’t taken Zigang to that casino, he wouldn’t be trapped there now. It’s your family’s fault my brother is in this mess. You should be the ones to save him!"
"Hold on!" Ji Zhouye frowned. "What do you mean I took him there?"
"Wasn’t it you?" Lan Rouxue bit her lip. "You wanted somewhere exciting to unwind, so Zigang went out of his way to find that teahouse. You can’t just abandon him now..."
Ji Zhouye let out a disbelieving laugh.
In reality, it was Lan Zigang who had pestered him endlessly, calling him day after day, insisting he’d found a "great spot" and begging him to come along. Ji Zhouye had refused countless times before finally giving in.
If his great-grandmother hadn’t summoned him away in time, he would’ve been the one trapped in that casino, threatened with losing a finger.
Any sympathy he’d felt for Lan Zigang evaporated instantly.
Once, he’d thought Lan Rouxue was gentle and kind—the perfect match for his elder brother.
Now, her tearful, accusatory demeanor only grated on his nerves.
"Miss Lan, stop shifting blame. Neither of them has the means to help," Rong Yu said, resting her chin on her hand. "Let me give you some advice. Over the years, you’ve received plenty of expensive gifts from Zhiyuan. Sell them off—you could probably scrape together four or five million. That’d be enough to save your brother."
Lan Rouxue’s face went pale.
Those clothes, bags, shoes, jewelry—they were symbols of her status. If she sold them, how could she face her friends? Would they assume she and Ji Zhiyuan had broken up? Would they look down on her?
She looked up at Ji Zhiyuan, hoping for reassurance.
But he stood there, detached, as if none of this concerned him.
"You’re so cold. You don’t love me at all..." Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. "How could I ever love someone like you? Ji Zhiyuan, I hate you!"
Covering her face, she ran out.
Rong Yu smirked. "The gifts you’ve given her over the years must be worth at least eight million. Just because you can’t hand her money now, she suddenly hates you? How cheap her love must be."
"Brother, you really spent that much on her?" Ji Zhouye was stunned. "Was she only with you for the money?"
Ji Zhiyuan pressed his lips together. "She’s not like that."
Rong Yu interjected, "Then tell me—what has Miss Lan ever given you?"
Ji Zhiyuan paused, his mind blanking for a moment.
After a long silence, he recalled—Lan Rouxue had written him countless love letters.
She’d folded jars full of paper stars.
She’d given him a few paintings, simple landscapes...
But nothing beyond that.
Now that he thought about it, she had never spent a single cent on him.
Rong Yu took a sip of water. "Those were all handmade gifts—so precious. Meanwhile, you just threw money at her. No wonder she thinks you don’t love her."
Ji Zhiyuan rubbed his temples.
Something about his great-grandmother’s tone felt off.
Still, as her boyfriend, he couldn’t just ignore her family’s crisis.
He opened his mouth to speak.
But Rong Yu waved him off. "Don’t just stand there. Go."
This was the perfect chance for him to see Lan Rouxue for who she really was. That relationship should’ve ended long ago...
Ji Zhiyuan drove straight to Lan Rouxue’s villa.
She had just arrived home, her face still streaked with tears, when she saw Kou Xing playing a puzzle game with Lan Yue.
The sight of her distress immediately stirred Kou Xing’s concern. He rushed over. "Rouxue, what’s wrong? Tell me—I’ll fix it."
Her hands trembling, Lan Rouxue pulled out her phone.
The casino’s earlier demand for seven million had already surged to over ten in just an hour. She was on the verge of breaking down.
Kou Xing scanned the message and frowned. "Your brother owes that much? At this interest rate, it’ll hit twenty million in another hour. Do you even have that kind of money?"
"Selling my luxury items won’t be fast enough. I’ll have to sell this villa," she said, her voice shaking. "My brother can’t be hurt. He can’t..."
Kou Xing hesitated, then said, "A rushed sale will only get you lowballed. It’s not worth it. I’ll cover the debt for you—how about that?"
Lan Rouxue stared at him in disbelief.
Her boyfriend of four or five years wouldn’t lift a finger to help.
Yet this near-stranger was offering to pay millions without hesitation? What kind of trap was this?
"But I have one condition," Kou Xing continued. "You’ll have to help me take something from Ji Zhiyuan."
Lan Rouxue froze.
Now she understood why Kou Xing had sought her out the moment he returned to the country.
He hadn’t been pursuing her.
He’d been using her to steal corporate secrets from the Ji Group.
A bitter laugh escaped her.
Kou Xing’s voice remained calm. "At a time like this, Ji Zhiyuan can’t even solve your problems. He’s useless—worse than your ex-husband. I’m the founder of Kou Tech. The company is entirely mine. If you marry me, you’ll be the CEO’s wife—no one controlling your finances, no more humiliation. Just help me, and Kou Tech will surpass the Ji Group..."
