What followed was Gu Pengzhan's request to withdraw his investment. An Mingyue had warned him then that pulling out at that point carried risk, but Gu Pengzhan insisted on withdrawing anyway, and something in Gu Mengyao's face dimmed at the sound of it... Thinking that her father had done all of this for her sake, she could not hold back the tears that spilled from her eyes.

These few phone recordings were enough to prove the Ans' innocence, and only at this moment did Gu Mengyao believe it: the whole thing had been an accident. After all, faced with evidence like this, she had nothing left to argue. Even if the Ans had played some trick somewhere in it, to put it bluntly, Gu Pengzhan had only himself to thank.

They had warned you time and again, and you would not listen. So when the money was lost, whose fault was that?

"Yaoyao, this time you understand what our family has suffered, don't you?" An Jianwen said with a bitter smile. "In all of this, the Ans came out with nothing. It amounts to no more than using that money to buy those shares and those properties!"

"Could you send me those recordings?" Gu Mengyao asked, drawing a deep breath. Uncle Qing knew nothing of these matters, and the Ans had never explained any of it to him.

In An Jianwen's view, only explaining it to Gu Mengyao in person could produce this effect—and he had other business besides. This affair was merely the opening by which he meant to draw close to her.

"Of course." An Jianwen nodded. "But there is also a video of the signing here. You can have a look..."

With that, An Jianwen opened on his phone the video of Gu Pengzhan and An Mingyue signing the contract. The footage had of course been edited; whatever Gu Mengyao ought not to see was naturally not in it.

Watching her father in the video, laughing with such delight once the money was in his hands, Gu Mengyao knew that this had been entirely voluntary on his part—so this business really had little to do with the Ans... Of course, she thought so only because she had overlooked the hypnotist.

But who, in their right mind, would imagine a hypnotist's shadow falling across it all? And even an ordinary hypnotist would struggle to make it so seamless. A hypnotist from the Fire Wolf Gang, of course, was another matter entirely.

The Fire Wolf Gang was full of experts in human potential and its limits, and hypnosis is itself a form of suggestion that draws out human potential. So if Gu Mengyao weighed the matter from any normal angle, she could never have suspected a hypnotist.

"All right... I believe you. This matter has nothing to do with your family." Gu Mengyao was an upright and honorable woman; in the face of such evidence, she had no grounds to doubt the Ans any further.

"It's nothing. Without seeing it clearly, anyone would suspect our family!" An Jianwen said with a bitter smile. "I'll send it to your phone right now."

Gu Mengyao nodded. After receiving An Jianwen's message, she said, "I understand. This is not your family's fault—it is my father's, for being too eager for quick gain. Is there anything else?"

"This is a hundred thousand yuan. I heard Uncle Chu is badly in need of money just now, so I deliberately drew out half of my savings to give you..." As he spoke, An Jianwen produced the hundred thousand, though here he looked somewhat apologetic. "Because of what happened before, Father was temporarily relieved of his post at the company, so my allowance has shrunk a great deal. This is all I could manage..."

"This..." Gu Mengyao wanted the money badly, but she did not want to owe An Jianwen anything. A hundred thousand yuan would once have meant nothing to her; now she wanted it very much indeed. Yet to owe An Jianwen a favor over a hundred thousand yuan was something she was unwilling to do.

"Oh, just give it here!" Shen Yushu plucked the money out of An Jianwen's hand and announced, taking full charge, "I'll take it!"

"This..." Now it was An Jianwen's turn to be at a loss. His reason for producing the hundred thousand had been to curry favor with Gu Mengyao; he did not expect her to feel indebted, but at the very least it should have made her think well of him.

But once Shen Yushu took the money, everything was different. He had no need of Shen Yushu owing him a favor—the farther this little troublemaker stayed from him, the better; he could not dodge her fast enough! And yet, since Shen Yushu had taken the money, he certainly could not snatch it back. That would not only cost him face but make Gu Mengyao think his giving had not been sincere—a loss far outweighing the gain.

So, having reasoned it through, An Jianwen said generously, "It makes no difference who takes it. It is for Uncle Chu either way—it is a token of my regard."

"Thank you." Gu Mengyao had not taken the money with her own hand, and somehow felt easier for it.

"By the way, Yaoyao, the amusement park is now under our family's name as well. But my uncle is planning a second round of development on the land around it. Would you be interested in joining?" Only now did An Jianwen disclose the true purpose of his visit.

"What do you mean?" Gu Mengyao frowned. "The amusement park belongs to your family now. What has that to do with me?"

"My uncle means to build a wildlife park near the amusement park. It sits against the hills and by the water, with elegant surroundings, and Songshan City lacks a large zoo, so my uncle is going to test me—he is putting me in charge of the project!" An Jianwen said. "Yaoyao, I want to invite you to take part in the development!"

"Me? What would I do there?" Gu Mengyao still could not fathom what An Jianwen was after.

"Yaoyao, the truth is... seeing Uncle Chu like this makes my heart ache. Though these businesses now belong to our family, I think that is only temporary. As long as I work hard, I am sure that one day I will help you win them all back!" An Jianwen said.

"Win them back for me?" Gu Mengyao stared at An Jianwen in astonishment, thinking, is this man out of his mind?

"Yes. If I distinguish myself, I am sure Grandfather will agree in the end. But... the precondition is that you must be with me. If you marry me, then my fighting to win those businesses back for you will be entirely proper—after all, you would be my wife, and those businesses were the Gu family's to begin with. Then even if my uncle objects, Grandfather will surely give his consent!" Here An Jianwen added, not without pride, "Among the third generation, Grandfather is fondest of me!"

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