Chapter 326 - 207: Jiang Sifan Discovers Lu Fan’s Secret Help — The Truth Is Revealed

Chapter 326: Chapter 207: Jiang Sifan Discovers Lu Fan’s Secret Help — The Truth Is Revealed

The next morning, Jiang Sifan had just arrived at his studio when he heard a knock on the door.

He opened the door to see a middle-aged woman of about fifty standing there. She was wearing a dark gray coat, and her face was etched with anxiety and fatigue.

The woman’s eyes were a little red and swollen, as if she had been crying.

"Excuse me, are you Jiang Tongxue?" the woman asked, her tone cautious and probing.

Jiang Sifan nodded. "I am. And you are?"

The woman quickly introduced herself. "I’m Xu Junjie’s mother. I... I’d like to talk to you about Jun Jie."

Jiang Sifan paused for a moment, then stepped aside to let her in. "Ma’am, please come in and talk."

Mrs. Xu entered the studio and glanced around. A complex emotion flickered in her eyes as she took in the simple furnishings.

She sat down in a chair, clutching her bag with both hands, looking somewhat ill at ease.

Jiang Sifan sat down across from her and said nothing, waiting for her to speak.

Mrs. Xu took a deep breath, then explained helplessly, "Jiang Tongxue, I came today to beg you to let Jun Jie off the hook. He’s still young and foolish. He’s made a lot of mistakes, and as his mother, I apologize to you on his behalf."

Jiang Sifan looked at her, his tone calm. "Ma’am, it’s not that I won’t let him off. He’s the one who’s been constantly targeting me—undercutting my prices, stealing my clients, and spreading slanderous rumors. You must know about all this. Suing him was a last resort, something I was forced into."

Mrs. Xu nodded, her eyes reddening again. "I know, I know all of it. It’s Jun Jie’s fault. He was being a bastard. But he knows he was wrong now, he really does. Can’t you be the bigger person and forgive him just this once?"

"Ma’am, I’m not the one who filed the lawsuit. It was a friend’s older sister. This needs her approval; I don’t have the right to withdraw the suit on my own," Jiang Sifan said after a few seconds of silence.

"Then who is your friend’s sister? Can I go see her?" Mrs. Xu asked quickly, taken aback for a moment.

"She’s my friend, and I have to respect her decision on this. If you’re willing to settle, I can ask her for you. How about this: leave your contact information, and I’ll get in touch with you after I’ve spoken to her," Jiang Sifan replied, shaking his head.

Mrs. Xu quickly took a piece of paper from her bag, wrote down her phone number, and handed it to Jiang Sifan with both hands.

"Jiang Tongxue, I’m counting on you," she said, standing up and giving him a deep bow.

Jiang Sifan quickly helped her up. "Ma’am, please don’t do that."

Mrs. Xu straightened up and looked at him, her eyes filled with gratitude. "You’re a good kid. If Jun Jie were half as sensible as you, I wouldn’t have to worry so much."

Jiang Sifan didn’t say anything, simply seeing her to the door.

After Mrs. Xu left, Jiang Sifan stood in the studio, lost in thought for a long time.

He took out his phone and called Jiali.

"Sister Jiali, there’s something I need to discuss with you," Jiang Sifan said.

Jiali replied from the other end of the line, "Go ahead."

Jiang Sifan explained that Mrs. Xu had come to see him, concluding with, "She’s willing to pay fifty thousand yuan in compensation and have Xu Junjie apologize in person. I wanted to get your opinion."

Jiali was silent for a few seconds, then responded, "Sifan, don’t make a decision on this just yet. Let me think about it, and I’ll get back to you."

"Okay. Thanks, Sister Jiali."

After hanging up, Jiali immediately called Lu Fan.

"Boss, Xu Junjie’s mom went to see Sifan." Jiali explained the situation.

After hearing her out, Lu Fan chuckled. "So the kid knows to go crying to his mommy now, does he?"

"What’s your take on how to handle this?"

Lu Fan thought for a moment, his tone turning serious. "Respect Sifan’s wishes. Let him handle it however he wants. Don’t worry about anything else."

Jiali replied, "Understood."

She hung up and called Jiang Sifan again.

"Sifan, you make the call on this one. You don’t have to worry about anything else," Jiali said.

Jiang Sifan was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Sister Jiali, I’ve thought about it. I think I’ll accept the settlement."

"Why?" Jiali sounded a little surprised.

Jiang Sifan’s voice was tinged with emotion. "The whole business with Zhuoyue Limited Company already caused a huge stir. On top of that, there’s another lawsuit that involves me. I don’t want to get tangled up in yet another legal battle over this thing with Xu Junjie. Of course, if he refuses to repent, I have no problem letting the law punish him severely. But for now, I’ll let his mom bring him to apologize to me."

After listening, Jiali responded, "Sifan, you’ve matured a lot through this."

Jiang Sifan paused, then gave a wry smile. "Sister Jiali, to be honest, some of my actions at the beginning were pretty impulsive, too. It’s only after going through a few things that I’ve slowly come to understand that some problems can’t be solved by just being impulsive."

"That’s the right way to think about it," Jiali said, pleased. "Don’t overthink it. Just focus on handling the matter at hand."

Jiang Sifan thanked her. "Okay, thank you, Sister Jiali."

After hanging up, Jiang Sifan sent Mrs. Xu a message, arranging to meet her in the afternoon.

That afternoon, Mrs. Xu arrived at the studio right on time.

Jiang Sifan got straight to the point, his tone serious. "Ma’am, I can accept a settlement, but I have conditions."

"Name them. I’ll agree to any conditions," Mrs. Xu nodded eagerly.

Jiang Sifan took out a piece of paper covered in densely written numbers.

He handed it to Mrs. Xu and said, "These are the losses I’ve calculated. From my clients being stolen to the impact on my business, it totals around twenty thousand yuan. Every item is substantiated; I’m not trying to rip you off."

Mrs. Xu took the paper, looked over it carefully, and affirmed, "Jiang Tongxue, you’re an honest person."

"The compensation is secondary," Jiang Sifan continued, shaking his head. "The most important thing is that Xu Junjie must apologize to me in person. If he doesn’t, I will see the lawsuit through to the very end."