"Beggar? Cai Lan, you're really good at flattering yourself. You look much more pathetic than a beggar now," Xu Tingyu scoffed, with a chill in her eyes.
Cai Lan was taken aback. A look of confusion flashed across his face, as if he couldn't tell who was pleading with whom.
"Moreover, you refused the 200,000 yuan just now. But if I find out the truth on my own, you'll get nothing." Seeing his confusion, Xu Tingyu threw him another olive branch.
Realizing that she wasn't joking, Cai Lan paused for a moment before finally giving in. "Fine, tell me who you want to know about."
When Xu Tingyu mentioned the name "Xie Shu", Cai Lan's relaxed expression suddenly tightened. Or rather, he became highly alert.
Xu Tingyu had been keeping a close eye on him and naturally didn't miss this. But she didn't say a word. Instead, she just stared at him, waiting for his answer.
After about a minute of silence, Cai Lan finally spoke. "Isn't Xie Shu abroad? I'm not very familiar with her. She's always looked down on me."
Xu Tingyu could tell that there was both truth and falsehood in his words. When he said the first half, he seemed a bit guilty. But when he said that Xie Shu looked down on him, he became indignant.
Given Xie Shu's personality, it was normal for her to look down on Cai Lan. Before Xie Yu promoted him, he was just a typical hooligan.
But Xu Tingyu didn't expose him immediately. Instead, she said, "You're her cousin. How come Xie Yu values you, but Xie Shu looks down on you?"
She seemed to be chatting with him casually, asking a very ordinary question. But this question ignited Cai Lan's anger.
What he cared about most now was others looking down on him. And the contempt from the Xie sisters hurt him the most.
"Yes, even an outsider like you can see it. But unfortunately, relatives can be so disgusting sometimes. I've worked so hard for them," he complained.
"Now that I've just made a small mistake, they kicked me out. They're really heartless."
"Miss Xu, please tell me, is this how people should act? And that Xie Shu, she's not a good person. She's never come back since she went abroad."
"I think she's been dazzled by the capitalist world and can no longer look up to us."
"By the way, Miss Xu, why are you asking about her? Did she offend you?"
Cai Lan first pretended to scold the Xie sisters, and then began to probe cautiously.
Xu Tingyu smiled faintly.
"Cai Lan, you're a bit smarter than I thought. Before I came to see you, I thought you were a useless piece of trash. But now it seems you have a bit of brains."
There was no real smile in her eyes. Instead, there was more coldness.
Cai Lan's ingratiating smile froze on his face. Just as he was about to get angry and turn hostile, he was pushed back by Chen Yan on the side.
"Behave yourself. Do you think you still have room to bargain after you walked into this room today?"
"Do you believe that I'll call your creditor right now? Which hand are you going to offer, your left or your right?"
Chen Yan played his role as a bodyguard dutifully, glaring at Cai Lan menacingly.
Cai Lan was pushed back into his seat. Finally, a look of shock and fear appeared on his face.
"What do you guys want? I don't know anything. I don't want the money either. I'm leaving."
He shouted that he wanted to leave, but was also afraid of Chen Yan. His whole body was shaking like a sieve.
Xu Tingyu looked at him calmly. "Xie Shu is dead, right?"
As soon as these words were out, the person who had been shouting just now fell silent instantly. But soon, he began to shake even more violently than before.
"I don't know. I don't know anything. Please don't ask me. I'm really not familiar with Xie Shu."
He was so scared that he curled up and buried his head in his arms. This was a typical defensive posture, indicating that he was really scared.
Xu Tingyu and Chen Yan exchanged a look. Then Xu Tingyu continued, "Is Xie Shu's matter related to the Qi family?"
Hearing the words "Qi family", Cai Lan quickly covered his ears. "I don't know. Don't talk nonsense."
That was probably the case. After waiting for him to calm down for a while, Xu Tingyu continued.
"Don't be afraid. No one else will know about this conversation today."
"I already know about Xie Shu. I came to you just to confirm it from your mouth."
She was trying to comfort him, but Cai Lan remained unmoved.
After that, no matter what Xu Tingyu said, he refused to say a word. He was like a completely different person from the arrogant one they had seen when they first came in.
Finally, seeing that they couldn't get any useful information, Xu Tingyu had no choice but to stand up and hand him a business card.
"Cai Lan, I won't force you. But if one day you want to have a good talk with me, or if you want to exchange the information you have for money, just call me."
After saying that, she and Chen Yan walked out of the private room.
"This guy has a tight mouth. At this critical moment, he still refuses to say anything. But why didn't you ask about the bankruptcy of the Xu family back then?" Chen Yan was a bit confused.
Cai Lan was the biggest beneficiary after the Xu family's bankruptcy. He must know the truth.
"Because there's no need to ask. It was him who was behind the scenes when the Xu family was in trouble," Xu Tingyu said firmly.
Over the years, she hadn't been completely in the dark. She had also found out a lot of useful information.
Cai Lan was involved in those underhanded tricks, but he wasn't the only one.
Back then, the Xu family was like a delicious cake in the eyes of many people.
The Xu family had a good start. They had accumulated their wealth since Xu Tingyu's grandfather's generation. And they had caught several business opportunities. After Xu Tingyu was born, the business was getting better and better.
But all this came to an abrupt end after Mr. Xu passed away.
As a self - made man, Mr. Xu had a unique vision and means. But he was a kind - hearted father, and he only had one son, Xu Jianmin.
So he raised Xu Jianmin to be a bit naive. This was a very nice quality, but it was fatal for a businessman.
The market was changing rapidly, and the competition was extremely fierce. Xu Jianmin's naivete made him make frequent mistakes after he fully took over the business.
Many people had their eyes on the Xu family. Cai Lan was one of them, and he was also the one who benefited the most. But he wasn't the ultimate cause of the Xu family's bankruptcy.
She had already investigated all these things clearly. The only thing she didn't know was what role Qi Shifeng had played in it.
She didn't ask Cai Lan because she knew he wouldn't say. He seemed to be very afraid of the Qi family.
"I'll go to the restroom. Wait for me. Then let's go to another place for dinner," Xu Tingyu didn't want to think about it anymore. She said to Chen Yan and then headed for the restroom.
Unexpectedly, she met someone she didn't expect outside the restroom.
"Why are you here?" Su Yue's eyes flashed with a very complex look when she saw her.
"What's wrong? Is there any rule that I can't come here?" Xu Tingyu originally didn't want to talk to her. But since she was blocking the restroom door, she had to spare a glance at her.