Trouble at the Door

Filled with indignation, Chen Liuhe was completely oblivious to his own arrogance. He ranted on about how people failed to recognize his true talent. With his charisma and insight, he felt that not only should he be a small manager, but even a general manager would be a bit of an underestimation.

He looked up at the setting sun, stroking his stubbly chin with a look of wearied disillusionment. His melancholic aura could easily captivate any girl under eighteen.

Throwing away his cigarette butt, he stomped it out with his cheap Liberation shoes. With a casual flick of his barely-inch-long hair and a disdainful glance at the real estate company, he hopped on his bicycle and headed towards Hangcheng University.

When Chen Liuhe and Shen Qingwu returned to their place, they saw a red BMW parked outside the gate. A tall, graceful woman stood by the car.

Chen Liuhe frowned slightly upon seeing her. The observant Shen Qingwu softly asked, "Brother, do you know her?"

"Not really," Chen Liuhe replied. He parked the tricycle outside the gate and, ignoring the woman's hopeful expression, carefully helped Shen Qingwu off the tricycle. He then turned to the woman and asked, "What do you want?"

"I need your help," Qin Ruohan said quickly.

Chen Liuhe sized her up and said, "Then you should go back to wherever you came from. I have to cook and I'm busy."

"You're rejecting me without even knowing what I need?" Qin Ruohan's face tightened.

"Heh, I don't have the time to deal with your problems," Chen Liuhe waved her off and walked into the yard, clearly uninterested.

Qin Ruohan stared at Chen Liuhe, her face paling. She bit her lip hard, her expression full of helplessness and despair, with a misty layer forming in her eyes.

Shen Qingwu glanced at Qin Ruohan with a neutral expression, her face neither happy nor sad. Yet the look of despair on Qin Ruohan's face made Shen Qingwu's heart ache slightly, reminding her of a time when she too felt as lost and desolate.

A year ago, Shen Qingwu had experienced similar despair. Her grandfather had passed away, her brother had been imprisoned, and in the murky depths of the capital city, she was left to face disdain, ridicule, and even revenge alone.

At that time, she must have felt as helpless and forlorn as the woman before her.

"Facing a big trouble?" Shen Qingwu asked, her words tinged with an unexpected curiosity. Despite her young age, she was no longer the naive girl she once was. Years in the capital had seasoned her with a maturity that could only come from experience.

Moreover, Shen Qingwu was an exceptionally intelligent woman whose experiences over the past twenty years could easily fill a book with tales of hardship and complexity.

She wasn't inclined to pity or sympathize with anyone, but something about this woman, who deserved at least a ninety on her brother's scale, made her feel a brief moment of compassion.

Hearing Shen Qingwu's words, Qin Ruohan nodded with tears in her eyes. She truly was in dire trouble, otherwise she wouldn't have come to Chen Liuhe's doorstep. Her presence there was a clear sign that she had run out of options and saw Chen Liuhe as her last hope.

Shen Qingwu nodded and said nothing more, guiding her wheelchair into the courtyard. As Qin Ruohan looked disheartened, Shen Qingwu's voice came from inside: "The gate is unlocked. If you have something to say, come in."

Just as Chen Liuhe finished parking the tricycle and was about to start washing vegetables, he heard Shen Qingwu's voice and chuckled lightly. "What's this? Feeling a pang of sympathy?"

"Not really. I just think she's a lot like I was a year ago," Shen Qingwu replied flatly. This statement momentarily stunned Chen Liuhe, a chill crossing his face before it quickly vanished. He said nothing, only nodded with a smile, grabbing the vegetables and heading to the sink.

Shen Qingwu seemed to sense Chen Liuhe's inner turmoil. She approached him and gently tugged at his sleeve, whispering, "Brother, it's not worth suffering."

"I know. The Shen family has always been tough, with the strongest backbone in the world!" Chen Liuhe grinned, his smile free of bitterness or pain.

"Sit," Shen Qingwu indicated a small stool to Qin Ruohan.

Before Qin Ruohan could say anything, Chen Liuhe spoke first. "The fact that you came to my home means you're in serious trouble. It also means you've reached the point where you're grasping at straws, otherwise you wouldn't seek help from someone you barely know."

As he continued washing vegetables, Chen Liuhe casually said, "Such situations are usually tricky, and sometimes even life-threatening." He paused and then added, "To be honest, we have no family ties. Your safety and survival are none of my business. Why should I help you?"

Qin Ruohan took a deep breath, looking at Chen Liuhe's perpetually relaxed face and said, "I'm sorry, but I'm out of options. I've exhausted every possible solution, and my instincts tell me that only you can help me."

Chen Liuhe scoffed. "Instincts? How much are those worth? And why do you think I can help you, instead of just dragging me down with you?"

Qin Ruohan trembled slightly. "I don't know. I just know you're definitely not an ordinary person."

Chen Liuhe smiled. He didn't refute this but said, "First, tell me what's going on, then we'll see if I can play the role of a good Samaritan."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ruohan's face brightened. She wiped away the tears from her eyes, collected her thoughts, and began, "You saw what happened last night. Someone tried to harm me. They even hired a sniper to achieve their goal. Just as you guessed, they don't actually want to kill me; they've made such a big show just to intimidate me."

"This all started with my father. Though we're not incredibly wealthy, we're considered well-off in Hangcheng. Last year, my father opened an entertainment club that was doing great. But soon after, it came under the watchful eye of some criminal forces. They threatened and coerced him to give up fifty percent of the club's shares."

Qin Ruohan's face showed pain as she continued, "The club consumed all my father's energy and resources. He wouldn't just give it away or bow down to those forces. But soon after, he died in a car accident, and I took over the club."

Her face was wet with tears, but she instinctively lifted her chin, trying not to let the tears fall. Her lips were tightly pressed together, struggling to hold back her sobs.

Chen Liuhe interjected, "So, those who coveted your family's club started targeting you?" Chen Liuhe wasn't particularly shocked. His experiences had taught him that darkness exists everywhere, so such events were not surprising.

However, he did feel some sympathy for this woman's plight. Despite her affluent background, she faced such disasters and had even lost her family.

After a pause, Chen Liuhe said, "That's simple enough. Just give them fifty percent of the shares. After all, money can always be earned back, but if you lose your life, you lose everything."

Qin Ruohan became agitated. "Absolutely not! My father was murdered for this club. Now that it's in my hands, I can't let those butchers benefit from it. Otherwise, my father's efforts would have been in vain. His death would have been for nothing!"

Chen Liuhe shook his head. "That's just buying time. Understand?"

"I've considered what you said, but it doesn't work. They now see me as a helpless woman. They're no longer asking for fifty percent; they want two million to buy the entire club," Qin Ruohan said.

"Heh, those people really have no shame, so greedy," Chen Liuhe sneered. He paused and asked, "So, how do you want me to help you?"

"I want to keep the club. I want to fight them to the end," Qin Ruohan said, her eyes flashing with an unknown emotion that Chen Liuhe recognized as resentment and hatred.

"Last night, they gave me an ultimatum. If I don't hand over the club within three days, they'll have a coffin ready for me to join my father," Qin Ruohan said, taking a deep breath and adding, "They're desperate and ruthless. If they say they'll do something, they will."

Qin Ruohan fixed her gaze on Chen Liuhe. "If you help me, I promise you won't suffer. I've looked into you and know that you and your sister are reliant on each other. I know your sister is a top student at Hangcheng University, but you're struggling. You make a living by collecting junk, and your sister's health needs costly traditional medicine. I can help with these problems if you help me."

Chen Liuhe assessed Qin Ruohan, then chuckled. "You've done your homework well, hitting the nail on the head about our current situation." It wasn't surprising to Chen Liuhe that she knew these details; if she didn't have such skills, she wouldn't be much of a threat.

Touching his stubbly chin, Chen Liuhe glanced at the impassive Shen Qingwu and said gently, "Little sister, what do you think?"

Qin Ruohan's tragic fate didn't seem to affect Shen Qingwu much. She looked calmly at Chen Liuhe and asked, "What

do you think?"