Chapter 654: Chapter 526: A Fate Worse Than Death

The Zhao family’s driver saw his madam leaving and immediately approached to take the gift bags held by the client manager and another bank employee.

After Deputy Bank Manager Zhang led his subordinates back into the bank.

Mrs. Zhao asked Ning Youguang, "Little Ning, did you drive here?"

"Yes," Ning Youguang said with a smile.

"Then let’s eat something nearby. What would you like to eat?" Mrs. Zhao remembered what Ning Youguang had told her earlier at the bank, about having classes in the afternoon.

"I’m fine with anything," Ning Youguang replied.

"There’s a Harbour-style restaurant nearby, called Fu Garden. The food there is quite nice. If you’re okay with it, let’s go eat there," Mrs. Zhao pondered for a moment and added, "If you weren’t busy this afternoon, I would definitely take you to a private estate with authentic flavors to try their Buddha Jumps Over the Wall and fish maw. The taste is really amazing."

"It’s a pity I don’t have the chance," Ning Youguang chuckled. "But the tea restaurant sounds great too. Lately, I’ve been craving barbecue."

"Okay then, you can ride in my car," Mrs. Zhao said happily. "The barbecued meat at Fu Garden is really good, especially the roast goose, their signature dish. The best part is how quickly they serve. After our meal, I’ll have the driver bring you back here to pick up your car."

She glanced at the diamond-encrusted Patek Philippe watch on her wrist, realized it was past twelve, and added— "It’s not far, less than a kilometer. Walking would take a while, but driving makes it quick."

"Thank you, Aunt Zhao."

"No need to thank me, silly. It makes me so happy that we finally have a chance to have a meal together."

...

In the public restroom of the Idol 6688 training camp.

Xie Yizun entered the bathroom only to hear someone inside talking on the phone.

"Tomorrow’s the finals!!! Sis, can you please not bother me right now?"

"Your family is having such big trouble lately, and it won’t help to find me... But how can you blame me?!"

"Can you be reasonable? I only hung out with you a couple of times, okay?!"

"Can you stop acting crazy? I didn’t even know what your family does before. Now that there are problems, and no one is paying attention to you, you keep pestering me. Do I owe you?!"

"..."

That voice—

Xie Yizun recognized it as the trainee who had invited him out previously.

He wasn’t trying to eavesdrop; he just heard the conversation for as long as he was in the restroom.

When he was done, pulling up his pants, flushing the toilet, and opening the stall door, he happened to hear the person on the phone hanging up impatiently—

"Get treatment for illness, take medicine if needed, don’t contact me again! Bye!"

After hanging up, the person muttered a few curses, "Mental case!", "Unlucky!", "Damn it, so damn annoying..."

Xie Yizun heard the latch of the door next to him, knowing the person was about to come out.

He immediately quickened his steps to leave, but still didn’t manage to avoid being called out.

"Xie Yizun."

"Huh? You’re here too?" After organizing his emotions, Xie Yizun turned to smile.

"Don’t pretend. I’ve been on the phone for so long; don’t tell me you didn’t recognize my voice?" The other person stuffed the phone into his pocket and rolled his eyes.

"I was wearing headphones, really didn’t hear anything," Xie Yizun pointed to the Bluetooth headset on his ear.

His headphones were actually silent, but the other person didn’t know.

"Oh, wait, don’t go. I need to tell you something." The other person glanced at his headphones, turned on the faucet, and quickly washed his hands.

Then, taking a few steps to catch up with Xie Yizun, "Do you remember the girls who came to the training camp previously?"

"What girls?" Xie Yizun looked confused.

The trainee saw his pure, intricate, and beautiful face seemingly without any impression, with flashes of complex emotions in his eyes, "It was when your brother-in-law came to pick you up, those girls who drove Ferraris, remember?"

"Oh, you’re talking about them, what’s up?" Xie Yizun remembered.

The trainee’s face revealed anxious emotion, "It’s that sister who wanted to get out of the car to flirt with you, and wanted you to drink with her. Do you still remember her?"

"A bit." Thinking of her made Xie Yizun’s expression show some disdain, "Why suddenly bring her up to me?"

He indeed didn’t have a good impression of her.

The trainee looked at him with complex emotions, "It’s her. Lately, she’s been calling me a lot, dozens of times a day. I’m almost driven crazy by her."

Remembering the conversation he overheard, Xie Yizun blinked, "She’s been calling you a lot? Trying to get you to hang out with her?"

"Hang out for what?" The trainee looked disgusted and impatient, "She’s not interested in hanging out anymore."

Seeing his genuinely bad expression, Xie Yizun asked, "What’s happened to her?"

The trainee frowned deeply and sighed, "Her family company’s had major trouble lately. I heard about stock pledging, asset pledging, bank loans pressing, everything you can think of. Anyway, her family finances are in deep trouble. All the money in her family’s accounts got frozen and taken by the bank, her parents’ film company executed over five hundred million, the cultural company’s under their group executed more than eight hundred million..."

"Ah?" Xie Yizun was taken aback, "How did things get so bad?"

"I don’t know what’s going on; anyway, she’s been calling with these stories lately, it’s really tragic." The trainee couldn’t figure out how this sister’s family’s business fell apart so suddenly.

From what he knew, her family was quite influential in Beijing, had resources in the entertainment industry.

This was why he agreed to hang out with her.

"They fell so rapidly. Did her family get involved in some business they shouldn’t have?" Xie Yizun speculated.

"She didn’t say." The trainee pursed his lips, showing hints of coldness, "But I guess they crossed some lines they shouldn’t have; otherwise, it wouldn’t have happened so fast."

"Oh." Xie Yizun felt somewhat regretful, "She must be having a hard time now."

Although he had a bad impression of her, he remembered how generous she was when reaching out to him.

Someone who loves to spend money for amusement, now with the family funds gone, must be going through extremely tough times; it’s something you wouldn’t even need to consider.

"Not just a hard time..." The trainee frowned tightly, "It’s almost a living hell for her."

"What do you mean?" Xie Yizun was surprised, "A ship as big as her family’s should still be substantial, even if their businesses have problems, can’t they live like ordinary people?"

"It’s not that simple." The trainee shook his head and sighed, "Last week I heard people saying her Ferrari was taken by the bank for debt. Just now she said her dad had a stroke overnight from going gray-haired and was rushed to the hospital." 1314