"What’s wrong?" Qian asked Shi Tou.

"Nothing... Qian, I—" Shi Touyu looked at Qian for help. She desperately wanted to tell Qian that she was feeling strange, always thinking about odd things. Only through pain could she find some sanity. She almost mentioned borrowing money. It was through sheer willpower and pinching herself that she managed to stay calm.

What’s happening to her...

She had made up her mind before coming; no matter how hard it was, she wouldn’t ask Qian for money. But why did staying by Qian’s side feel like being bewitched?

This look made Qian feel uneasy. Shi Touyu definitely had something going on, just as Qian wanted to ask, her elder brother called.

The investigation results came in.

Qian glanced at Shi Touyu. She couldn’t take the call in front of her, "Shi Tou, wait for me a minute. I’ll be right back."

She stood up and went outside to take the call.

In the private room, only Xiaoqiang and Shi Tou remained, which felt a little awkward. Xiaoqiang got up under the guise of going to the bathroom, settling the bill on the way. Seeing Qian on the phone outside, he joined her.

"What? Is the information accurate?" Qian was shocked by her elder brother’s words.

"Yes, it’s accurate. Things have gotten very serious. Her father now owes the bank 500 million and hasn’t paid up. They might start legal proceedings, and he has disappeared," the brother took some time to dig up the information.

"Such a large pharmaceutical company should be able to get some leeway!"

Qian was trying to process this in her mind. The Shi family had always been the leader in the pharmaceutical industry in her previous life. Years later, her family brought Shi Tou to her for treatment. At that time, the Shi family was still an industry giant. There were no signs of bankruptcy.

So where did it all go wrong?

Why is everything so different from her past life?

"This can only mean that her father made a wrong decision this time; he took too big a step and got tangled up. Trying to grow too quickly, he got choked."

One issue piling on another can be enough to bring a strong man down with even a little money involved.

This amount might not have been as difficult for the Shi family before, but after prolonged consumption, Mr. Shi reacted too slowly and got stuck.

"Elder brother, can you help?" Qian finally understood why Shi Tou was acting so strange. This girl, with such a big issue at home, why didn’t she say anything to her?

Usually, the one who can’t hide things, when faced with such a big issue, becomes even more silent.

"Qian’er... It’s not that I won’t help, but our family deals in real estate, and our working capital is accounted for. Moreover—"

"Alright, I got it."

Qian regretted it as soon as she spoke. She was too impulsive.

This isn’t her brother’s fault. In his position, he has his concerns too. Feelings are one thing, but business is business; he can’t drag his family into turmoil for the sake of her friends.

"My brother can provide a little emergency fund personally, but for her family, it’s just a drop in the ocean. Still, business is business, you should know that better than I do."

"I understand, I’ll think it over and contact you later." Qian hung up, troubled, noticing Xiaoqiang behind her, "You heard all of that?"

"Yes."

This situation was quite a surprise for Yu Minglang too.

Shi Touyu is Qiao Zhen’s wife and one of Qian’s best friends. No wonder she was so silent during dinner.

"Do you need me to help with the finances?" Xiaoqiang asked.

Qian shook her head, "What we can gather is far from enough, besides, money isn’t the only problem."

The Shi family’s operations had issues. Without addressing the root cause, it’s a bottomless pit.

Though Xiaoqiang could help, the business world is ruthless; without understanding the full picture, helping could drag his own family down.

million is no small amount. Yu Minglang, being the vice president, would need board approval to move such funds, which would be troublesome.

Those who can lend money in times of crisis are good friends, but you can’t jeopardize others’ money for one friend.

"Let’s go back. I must ask her myself." Qian decided her immediate priority was to discuss a thorough solution with Shi Tou.

But when they returned to the private room, it was empty. After asking the staff, they learned Shi Tou had left through the back door while she was on the phone.

The rain that had stopped for a while started pouring again, enveloping the city. Shi Touyu walked in the rain, letting it wash over her.

Just as Qian went out, she received a call from her mother, saying that employees from the pharmaceutical company had come to collectively demand their wages, blocking the house, and her mother advised her not to come home and stay with a classmate temporarily.

With the rain still pouring, she walked disoriented.

A passerby with an umbrella gave her an odd look, but Shi Tou kept walking.

Suddenly, she heard someone calling her name. She quickly hid behind a large pine tree in the greenery, listening to the voice draw nearer.

"Shi Touyu, where are you?"

It was Qian!

Shi Touyu covered her mouth, seeing Qian running through the rain, umbrella in hand, calling out her name.

Probably finding the umbrella obstructed her view, Qian closed it. She and Yu Minglang split up to search, but the overcast sky made it dark early, and the streetlights here were out, making it hard to see anything.

"Shi Touyu, come out! Don’t be a coward hiding like a turtle! If you can’t tell me what’s wrong, didn’t you once call me a dictator? Shi Touyu, you bastard!"

Exhaustedly searching and furious, Qian stooped at the roadside and shouted.

Shi Touyu covered her mouth, sobbing uncontrollably.

Qian, so particular about her image, was shouting in public. It showed that Qian had been pushed to her limit by her troubles.

Not finding her on his side, Yu Minglang ran over with an umbrella, seeing his wife getting drenched.

"Let’s go, we won’t find her like this. I’ll call people; we’ll find her for sure. Worrying like this won’t help."

The weather was terrible, and it was dark. Shi Touyu might have taken a cab far away. Searching like this would just be inefficient. Xiaoqiang decided to use a wide-scale search to find her.

"This damned girl! She’s driving me crazy!" Qian’s hair and clothes were soaked again, with water all over her face, but from his intuition, Xiaoqiang could tell she’d been crying.

"It’s okay, she’ll be fine, don’t worry; I’ve got this." He pulled Qian into his arms. Such a calm person, moved to tears; it showed this friend was crucial to Qian.

"That wretch! Let me find her, and I’ll smack her a few times. Let’s go; get me some people. We’ll comb through the city if we must, to find her!"

Knowing the Shi family was in trouble, Qian was particularly worried, afraid this girl might do something irrational. In the past, Shi Tou had severe psychological issues—they shouldn’t recur if she’s startled.

Besides, a beautiful young girl outside alone, without money and ID, was just too unsafe.

Watching Qian leave, cursing and ranting, Shi Touyu emerged from behind the tree, hugging herself helplessly. In this vast world, there was truly no place for her to return.