"I’m just not willing to give up. If the guarantor could give our family some time to turn things around, allow us to apply for a loan extension, then our new product could hit the market in time, and there’s still a sliver of hope. Just one more step, just one more step... Your dad doesn’t know where he is now. Even though the workers say he ran away due to guilt, I know your dad. He wouldn’t run. I’m just worried..."

Mrs. Shi wiped her tears. She’s afraid her husband couldn’t take it and might do something drastic, leaving her and their daughter to fend for themselves.

She had wanted to raise their daughter in an ivory tower, free from worries all her life, but in the end, she couldn’t even protect her own honor at her old age. Her health deteriorated after giving birth to Shi Yu, and she couldn’t have more children. She and her husband never intended for their daughter to take over the family business. They planned to work until Mr. Shi retired, hoping their daughter would be a passive shareholder and live a stable life. Mr. Shi thought he could work for another twenty years, but all the planning in the world couldn’t withstand one twist of fate.

Shi Tou looked at her mother, seemingly aged by this crisis. She could no longer remain a carefree little princess in such an environment.

"Mom! Don’t we have an uncle in the capital? I’ll go find him and ask him to stand as our guarantor!" No matter what it took, she wouldn’t let the family fall like this.

"It’s useless... Don’t you understand? Friendships also have a price, just a matter of high and low. In his whole life, your dad made so many friends. Who has stepped up to solve our problems?"

Mrs. Shi said tiredly.

She and her husband had numerous friends for a lifetime, but no one could help at a critical moment. Some even tried to kick them when they were down, hoping to grab a share of the Shi Family’s downfall.

"I don’t believe it. Mom! Just wait for me! I will definitely come up with a way!"

Shi Tou rushed out, and as Mrs. Shi tried to stop her, Shi Yu turned around and said,

"Mom, just wait! I’ll definitely come back!"

Mrs. Shi thought for a moment, then lowered her powerless hands, letting the tears slide down her cheeks.

So be it. Now there were rumors that her husband had run away, and tomorrow workers might block the doorstep. It was better for their daughter to leave.

"Go, experience the cold realities and warm friendships of the world. You’ll grow up. In the future, your dad and mom can’t be there to protect you. The family is failing, and you should understand this... The world outside is not like the school times anymore."

Mrs. Shi said to the air, her heart aching like a knife. They were truly at the end of the road now.

Every family cherishes their children, but when the nest falls, how can any egg remain unbroken? The family used to protect her, but now the parents couldn’t even take care of themselves. They only hoped the child could see the reality sooner.

At that moment, Shi Tou had only one thought, her attitude was very resolute.

Previously, it was this family that guarded her. Now it was her turn to protect the family.

Because of last night’s fooling around with Yu Minglang, it was already noon by the time Qian got up. She yawned and turned on her phone, receiving a slew of missed call notifications.

Hmm...?

Why did Shi Yu call her so many times?

Qian knew Shi Yu was recently back in their hometown preparing for her wedding. She and Da Yi planned to go together once her vacation started, attend Shi Tou’s wedding, and then Qian’s and Da Yi’s afterward.

These three sisters were planning to get married one after another. Qian was busy these past few days and hadn’t called Shi Tou. Why did this girl call her so much late at night?

Qian tried calling back, but the line was already disconnected due to insufficient funds.

What was Shi Tou doing? How could she run out of balance?

Thinking she was just careless, Qian decided to go downstairs and top up some credit for Shi Tou later, to see what’s going on with this child.

She noticed her laptop was still plugged in, so she went over to shut it down. That’s when she saw Shi Tou’s messages from last night.

The first message was okay, just asking if she was around.

The second message said she was feeling down and wanted to chat.

The third message was just a crying emoji.

Qian pondered for a moment and decided without hesitation, grabbing her bag to go downstairs and top up credit for Shi Tou.

It was pouring rain and windy outside. Qian’s umbrella was blown out of shape, so she simply dashed into the rain, letting herself get soaked. There was a store selling mobile top-up cards outside the courtyard, and Qian jogged over.

"Boss, give me a top-up card!"

"Sorry, they’re all sold out. Please buy one at the service center. I’ll restock tonight."

Qian could only run to her car, driving away in wet clothes.

After getting in the car, she took her phone out of her pocket, seeing the casing was wet, and immediately wiped it dry with a cloth.

Qian cursed softly, took out the phone battery, hoping it would work once reinserted.

As she drove her little red car out, Shi Tou’s Beetle pulled up at the community entrance. The soaked Shi Tou got out, and the guard came forward to ask.

"Who are you looking for?"

"I want to find Chen Xiaoqian. I’m her friend."

"Wait a moment, I’ll make a call." The guard went to call, but there was no answer from Qian’s home landline. Shi Tou took out her phone to call Qian, realizing her balance was insufficient at some point.

The guard took Shi Tou’s phone to dial Qian’s number, but it was out of service area.

"Why don’t you wait here for a while?" The guard saw that Shi Tou was drenched, having no idea how long she had been caught in the rain, looking lost and forlorn. Seeing a young girl like this inevitably aroused sympathy.

Shi Yu shook her head, stepping out of the guardroom into the torrential rain, not getting back into her car, letting the downpour wash over her world.

She had driven over since last night, exhausted from the journey. After running into obstacles in the capital all morning, she didn’t return home but drove over to find Qian instead.

Not that she needed financial help from Qian, it was just out of habit that whenever she faced insurmountable difficulties, she would go to see Qian. Even just a glance would give her helplessness a place to rest.

But oh Qian, why, in my greatest hour of need, are you not there...

The cold rain, heartless people, shattered expectations, a despondent heart.

Shi Tou, who hadn’t closed her eyes all night, stood in the rain, looking at the tightly closed community gate. She once thought she was wealthy, not with money, but with friends.

But when something happened, not a single friend was by her side.

Fatigue and hunger eventually caused her legs to give in, and she collapsed in the rain.

The guard hurriedly called 120 and moved her into the guardhouse. The ambulance soon arrived, and the guard helped load her onto it, parking her car by the roadside to avoid obstruction.

Qian ran a long way before finding a service center. She topped up Shi Tou’s credit, seeing the water stains on her phone had dried, it seemed unlikely water got inside, so Qian reinserted the battery, and the phone powered on.

She immediately called Shi Tou, but the phone rang unanswered.

What on earth was going on with this child?

Qian then called Da Yi.

"Da Yi, have you been in touch with Shi Tou these past few days?"

"No... I’m also looking for her. She left me a message on QQ last night, but Second Brother forgot to tell me. He suddenly remembered it at lunch, but when I called, there was no answer."

Logically, based solely on a few missed calls and messages, one shouldn’t be overly worried. But with the years of friendship with Shi Tou, Qian understood Shi Tou’s character: Since coming back from the valley, Shi Tou was much more stable than before. She seemed carefree, but was tactful inside, and wouldn’t joke around so seriously.

Thinking this way, it must be something serious.