SAG -Chapter 58 A Delicate Balance

“Why?”

Sun Gaixin growled. He wanted to know why Hao Yuan was stopping him.

After a moment of silence, Hao Yuan replied, “If you want to call the police, I won’t stop you.”

“But from this day forward, don’t contact Miss Tian again.”

“That’s the boss’s decision.”

The moment Tian Ya heard that, she shouted, “Why? What exactly are you all afraid of?”

Even Tian Ya could tell.

Naturally, Sun Gaixin also understood what Hao Yuan was implying.

At that moment, he felt a chill spread through his entire body.

He had always thought Zhang Siyan was just an ordinary city girl who couldn’t help him achieve his career ambitions.

But ever since her suddenly reappearing father showed up…

Everything seemed different from what he had imagined.

Yesterday at the shopping mall, it had clearly been Zhang Ran who ordered Meng Mingxuan to beat him.

The reason Hao Yuan hadn’t stepped in then was also because of Zhang Ran.

Today, Zhang Ran had slapped him in public.

His parents had both had their legs broken by Zhang Ran.

More importantly…

He could clearly sense the fear of Zhang Ran in both his parents’ eyes—and in Hao Yuan’s attitude.

Fear.

That was exactly what it was.

He could understand why his parents were afraid.

But Hao Yuan?

That made no sense.

Even harder to understand was the fact that Tian Yaohui also seemed to know Zhang Ran—and was wary of him.

Otherwise, he would never have reacted the way he did.

After his initial fury subsided, Sun Gaixin quickly calmed down.

Only then did he realize…

Had I made a mistake?

Did I move too hastily?

Tian Ya noticed the flicker of worry—and even a trace of regret—in his eyes.

Instantly, panic welled up inside her.

Back when freshmen first enrolled, it had been Sun Gaixin who welcomed the new students.

She had fallen for the handsome, sunny senior almost immediately.

To get closer to him, she joined the student union and followed him everywhere.

Before long, however, she discovered he already had a girlfriend.

Back then, Tian Ya was proud.

“If you already have a girlfriend, then this lady isn’t interested.”

Although she didn’t quit the student union, she tried dating several other boys.

Yet as time passed…

She found herself liking Sun Gaixin more and more.

By her sophomore year, Sun Gaixin was about to graduate.

She finally confessed her feelings.

He rejected her.

At that time, although Sun Gaixin already had considerable ambition, he also possessed the confidence of someone who had always been the “perfect child.”

He firmly believed he could succeed through his own abilities.

To ordinary people, he had indeed become successful over the years.

But he also gradually realized something.

With the platform and resources available to him…

Achieving his ever-growing ambitions would be extraordinarily difficult.

Meanwhile, except for initially keeping her distance out of wounded pride, Tian Ya found herself unable to stay away from him.

Love, after all, rarely follows logic.

Eventually, Sun Gaixin seemed to change his mind.

He stopped rejecting her advances.

That was how things had reached this point.

Seeing the concern in Sun Gaixin’s eyes, Tian Ya suddenly panicked.

She tightly grabbed his hand, as though afraid he might disappear.

Sun Gaixin felt her anxiety.

He quickly suppressed his own thoughts and squeezed her hand firmly in return.

It wasn’t because he suddenly loved Tian Ya deeply.

It was because he knew that there was no possibility of reconciling with Zhang Siyan anymore.

If he angered Tian Ya now…

All the effort he’d invested over the years would amount to nothing.

Seeing both of them finally calm down, Hao Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Truthfully, he felt no sympathy whatsoever for Sun Gaixin or his parents.

If his own daughter had encountered parents-in-law and a husband like that…

He probably would have done the same thing.

Nor did he answer Tian Ya’s question.

He knew exactly what Tian Yaohui and the others feared.

They feared that mysterious method of Zhang Ran’s.

As long as they couldn’t crack—or understand—how it worked…

They had no choice but to play by Zhang Ran’s rules.

That was precisely why Tian Yaohui refused to call the police.

Even now…

He still had no idea how Zhang Ran accomplished those bizarre things.

Ultimately…

They only had one chance to eliminate Zhang Ran permanently.

It wasn’t that they had never considered doing so.

But they also knew Zhang Ran’s personality all too well.

If they failed…

His retaliation would inevitably follow.

And if they still hadn’t figured out his mysterious methods by then…

What awaited them would be a fate even worse than death.

They were no longer the penniless young men they once were.

Now they possessed wealth…

Status…

Power…

And futures they had never even dared dream about.

They no longer dared to gamble.

More importantly…

They feared Zhang Ran had left himself an insurance policy.

In one respect, Tian Yaohui was correct.

Their positions had indeed been reversed.

But by the same token…

The reckless risks they had once been willing to take—the fights they had dared to wage—the gambles they had dared to make—were things they no longer dared attempt.

Now, their plan was simply to compete with Zhang Ran through ordinary business means, following the same rules Zhang Ran himself had always observed.

In fact, just as Zhang Ran had said…

They viewed Zhang Sicheng and Zhang Siyan’s existence as a restraint upon Zhang Ran.

They believed he would no longer dare to use those mysterious methods recklessly.

In other words…

Zhang Ran’s mysterious abilities acted as a deterrent, preventing Tian Yaohui and the others from resorting to dirty tricks.

At the same time…

His children served as shackles upon Zhang Ran himself, forcing him to exercise restraint as well.

Without that deterrence…

Tian Yaohui and the others would never have waited this long.

Perhaps not long after Zhang Ran returned…

His house might already have “accidentally” caught fire.

As for Sun Ermin…

Both Zhang Ran and Tian Yaohui understood exactly what today’s incident represented.

It was a warning.

A clearly drawn bottom line.

The moment anyone crossed that line…

Zhang Ran would immediately turn hostile.

Although Hao Yuan understood all of this…

He didn’t explain it to Tian Ya.

There was no point.

These matters were far beyond anything she was qualified to be involved in.

Just then, a nurse walked into the ward.

The moment Sun Gaixin saw her, his expression darkened again.

He recognized her immediately.

She was Liu Lu—Zhang Sicheng’s wife.

He assumed she had come to gloat.

Just as he was about to lose his temper, he remembered Hao Yuan’s earlier warning.

In reality, Liu Lu knew nothing about what had happened.

She had simply been assigned to check on the patients.

She was surprised when she saw Sun Gaixin.

Then she noticed Sun Ermin and Zhao Chunlan lying in the hospital beds.

Combined with the doctor’s earlier instructions…

She immediately understood.

So these are the two patients whose legs were broken.

Her very first feeling was one of immense satisfaction.

Their family had suffered plenty because of Sun Ermin and his wife.

Although feeling this way wasn’t exactly fitting for a nurse…

She couldn’t help it.

Still, Liu Lu remained professional.

Despite her inner satisfaction, she hid it completely.

Pretending not to know them, she examined the patients, asked the necessary questions, and then left.

Afterward, she discreetly asked around.

When she learned that their legs had indeed been broken by someone…

She froze for a moment.

As her shift was ending, Liu Lu found Wang Jiajia.

She wanted Wang Jiajia to verify whether the necklace’s valuation was genuine.

“Jiajia.”

Wang Jiajia had been staring blankly into space.

She snapped back to reality upon hearing Liu Lu’s voice.

“Big Sis.”

“What were you thinking about?”

“Don’t tell me you’re in love?”

Liu Lu teased with a smile.

“No.”

“I’m not interested in dating for now.”

“Fair enough.”

“You’re still young. There’s no need to rush.”

“So, what did you need from me?”

“Do you want me to cover your shift? No problem.”

Liu Lu hurriedly shook her head.

“No, it’s about the necklace.”

“Hm?”

“It’s like this…”

“You know your brother-in-law and I finally got a new house.”

“But with our current savings, we simply can’t afford the renovation.”

“And if we spend everything on decorating it, we’ll have nothing left for emergencies.”

“So…”

“I’m thinking about selling the necklace.”

Only now did Liu Lu explain the true reason she had finally made up her mind.

If Zhang Ran agreed…

She was willing to part with it.

She and Zhang Sicheng only had about 200,000 yuan in savings.

If all of it went toward renovations…

They would have nothing left if an unexpected expense arose.

For both husband and wife…

Having no savings at all made them deeply uneasy.

Wang Jiajia looked surprised.

“Can you really bear to sell it?”

She had seen the necklace herself.

If it belonged to her…

She would never be willing to sell it.

Selling it would be easy.

Buying another one later…

That would be almost impossible.

Liu Lu nodded.

“I’m not saying I’ll definitely sell it.”

“I still need my father-in-law’s permission.”

“After all, it was his wedding gift to your brother-in-law and me.”

“But I wanted to ask about its value first.”

“If it really is worth one million yuan…”

“And if my father-in-law agrees…”

“I’ll probably sell it.”