Chapter 1183: The Gu Family Is Desperate For Money

As soon as Gu Zi heard the heavy tone in Jin Long’s voice, her expression changed instantly. Jin Long wouldn’t have called unless something serious had happened. Could it be her brother, Lin Cheng? Had something gone wrong with his leg?

But that didn’t make sense—she had just received a letter saying that her brother had been discharged from the hospital and was recovering at home. They even said he’d be walking normally again in no time.

Sitting beside her, Su Shen immediately noticed the shift in her demeanor. He gently patted her back, his brows furrowing with concern. “It’s exactly because we don’t know what’s going on that makes it all the more frightening,” he said into the phone. “Gu Zi is pregnant—please, don’t drag it out. Just tell us everything at once.”

Jin Long’s voice came through again, lower and grimmer than before. “Gu Shan and Zhang Mei accused Li Hua’s restaurant of selling food that had gone off overnight. They claim they ate it and got food poisoning. Now the police have taken Li Hua and all the staff in for investigation. The new restaurant opening has been completely shut down. And now the Gu family is demanding the Lin family pay five thousand yuan—or they’ll send Li Hua to prison. Auntie An Yun fainted on the spot from the shock.”

There was a heavy pause, and then Jin Long added, “Su Shen, Gu Zi… five thousand yuan isn’t a small amount, but it’s also not impossible. I can cover it for now if needed—just to get Li Hua and the others out. But the truth is, the situation hasn’t even been properly investigated yet. If we just hand over the money, aren’t we basically becoming the scapegoats? The thing is, Gu Shan and Zhang Mei packed their food and took it home. They didn’t even keep any leftovers as evidence. They claim they only got sick later that night, which makes the whole thing hard to trace.”

He paused, then lowered his voice even more. “But the Gu family… they won’t let this go. They’re desperate for money right now. Word is, Lin Miao invested three thousand yuan in some out-of-town venture recently—dumped it into a whole batch of shady projects. Then all the fundraisers vanished into thin air. The whole amount was lost. Apparently, Gu Shan was so furious he slapped Lin Miao across the face—twice. Everyone in the compound has heard about it. One of the regulars at the restaurant told me. I don’t think it’s just gossip.”

Gu Zi’s head swam from the deluge of information. Her vision blurred, and for a moment, the world tilted dangerously. She nearly fainted.

Su Shen caught her just in time, his arms wrapping around her as he held her up. “Gu Zi, why don’t you lie down and rest for a bit? I promise you—I won’t let anything happen to your sister-in-law.”

She leaned into his shoulder, trying to calm her breathing, struggling to process it all. Lin Miao again… That walking disaster seemed to show up wherever trouble brewed. So this time, she hadn’t just come to the capital to meddle in the case—she’d also tried her hand at investing? Seriously?

Gu Zi clenched her jaw. The original host even gave her the man, gave her back her identity—if she just lived her life quietly, it wouldn’t be half bad. Why does she always have to make a mess out of things she clearly isn’t capable of handling?

If what Jin Long said was true, then it was entirely possible that the Gu family really was cash-strapped because of Lin Miao’s failed investment. And now this restaurant incident had conveniently cropped up right afterward? The timing was suspicious—too suspicious.

Sure, five thousand yuan wasn’t an unmanageable amount. They could pay it. But just handing it over like that? It felt wrong. It felt like walking straight into a trap, like willingly becoming the patsy.

Yet with her being so far away from Guangcheng… how could she investigate the truth behind this incident?

On the other end of the line, Jin Long could hear the rustling and commotion. He knew Gu Zi was pregnant—her family had begged him not to tell her anything, afraid the stress might affect her or the baby. Jin Long had considered it too. But this wasn’t just any situation. If something happened to Li Hua and no one told Gu Zi until it was too late… she’d regret it forever.

So he made the call. No matter what, Su Shen was there—he wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

“Gu Zi,” Jin Long said, his voice steady, “don’t worry too much. We’ll figure something out. We’ll handle this.”

Gu Zi sat upright, still leaning against Su Shen for support. She took a long breath and then picked up the phone, her voice calm but firm. “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me. Who’s handling the case right now at the police station? And since my sister-in-law is pregnant, is she receiving any special treatment?”

Originally, Gu Zi had never expected to care much about the original host’s family—after all, she wasn’t really their daughter. But after spending time with them, she realized they were truly kindhearted people. Even the eldest brother and sister-in-law were warm, generous souls who treated her with genuine affection. Despite not raising her, once they brought her back into the family, they showered her with nothing but care and sincerity.

Their kindness had long since moved her. She no longer saw them as someone else’s family—they were hers now. Especially Li Hua, who treated her like a real younger sister. And now, Li Hua was pregnant, and having to go through something like this was terrifying…

Gu Zi couldn’t hold it in anymore. The tears came suddenly, pouring down her cheeks.

Su Shen held her close, his face dark with worry. He gently stroked her back, murmuring, “Gu Zi, don’t think too much. Your sister-in-law and the baby—they’re going to be just fine.”

There was a moment of silence before Jin Long spoke again. “Originally, Captain He was supposed to take the case,” he said, “but then the captain from another division objected—said Captain He was too close to Su Shen and should recuse himself to avoid suspicion. So the case ended up with that other captain. They didn’t give Li Hua any special treatment at first. It was only after I pulled some strings that they agreed to move her to a more comfortable holding room at the detention center.”

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