Chapter 234: Why Don’t You Two Lovebirds Just Get Locked Together Forever

"Oh no, oh no. Something must have happened," Grandma Lu fretted, trying to contact the caretaker she had arranged once more.

She said, "I can’t reach the person I sent to look after her! They’ve blocked me! Everything was fine yesterday. What’s going on?!"

Seeing Grandma Lu and Linnin so anxious, Gu Shengsheng grew worried as well. "Linnin, call the police. Take Grandma to the station and report this. I’ll get to the bottom of things on my end."

Lu Linlin nodded. "Okay, got it."

Gu Shengsheng, for her part, kept trying to call her grandma, but the call wouldn’t go through.

After thinking for a moment, she decided to call Zhao Dehai.

She said, "Mr. Zhao, I wanted to ask about that batch I dug up in the air-raid shelter—the nearly five hundred artifacts and the 50 tons of gold ore. How are they being handled? Is there any competition for them?"

Zhao Dehai chuckled. "I thought you were calling to rush me about arranging how many of the five hundred artifacts will go to your private museum. Don’t worry, I’ll fight for you."

Gu Shengsheng said, "...Has anyone approached you about this batch?"

’Perhaps a competitor found out about my relationship with Grandma,’ she thought. ’If so... this is not looking good.’

Zhao Dehai nodded. "Mhm, I’m looking into it. A lot of people have made contact; everyone wants a slice of the pie. But this doesn’t belong to those merchants in the first place."

As he said this, Zhao Dehai sounded surprised. "What’s going on? How did Chairman He’s name get on this?"

His tone turned grave. "I don’t know what happened, either. I have no idea how he managed it, but my superiors told me he gets to have a share."

Zhao Dehai was completely baffled, so angry he sounded like smoke was about to pour from his nostrils.

"I can’t believe it. Where on earth did he pull those connections from? I am firmly against this. Shengsheng, don’t worry, I’ll go handle it."

Gu Shengsheng said, "My grandma is missing, and I suspect it’s related to the He Family. Mr. Zhao, give me Chairman He’s phone number."

"Okay, okay, okay, I’ll send it right away. We’ll help look for her, too. You’ve called the police, right?"

"Mhm."

Gu Shengsheng nodded and hung up.

She clenched her fists. The He Family was like a ghost you couldn’t shake.

She’d thought they had finally quieted down, that their paths would no longer cross.

’I can’t believe they’re trying to just steal my things this time. Are they really using my grandma to threaten me?’

Gu Shengsheng’s gaze grew even more determined. All the more reason the He Family could forget about getting their hands on anything.

Sooner or later, Gu Shengsheng was going to bring the He Family down!

It was just too infuriating.

Just as she was about to call Chairman He, an unknown number called her.

’Could it be the kidnappers?’ Gu Shengsheng wondered.

She answered the call.

A hysterical voice immediately came through the phone: "Gu Shengsheng, what is wrong with you?!"

"What happened after you married into the Lu Family? Are you getting a divorce? And why did the Lu Family pull their investment from our company?"

"We told you to marry in her place, and you did! You didn’t properly serve your husband and raise children, and now you’ve been kicked out?!"

"I’ve said it before, the whole family prospers together and falls together! Look at you. I won’t even mention you swindling ten million from us. After all, I gave birth to you. I never thought you’d turn out to be this kind of person!"

Gu Shengsheng said calmly,

"I married into the Lu Family, and then I got a divorce. So what? I have the resources, and I have the money." Gu Shengsheng’s tone was completely unbothered.

"You people have nothing to do with me. If your family ends up sleeping under a bridge, I might even applaud you. I could even livestream it and make some money." Gu Shengsheng counted on her fingers, not at all angered by Song Shuhua, but instead infuriating the other woman to death.

"If I had known, if only I had known I shouldn’t have given birth to you! You bad seed! I went through hell to give birth to you, and you dare say such things."

Gu Shengsheng smiled. "Weren’t you the one who said it? The bond of raising a child is stronger than the bond of birth. You have a daughter now. You and I have no relationship."

"The Lu Family is gone, so how can they fund you anymore? You can all hold on tight to the Lu Family and go bankrupt together, though."

Song Shuhua was confused. "But didn’t Lu Shijing come back? Your life must be great now! You’re lying to me that the Lu Family is gone. How is that possible?"

"You should visit a big city when you have the time. Lu Shijing couldn’t care less about the Lu Family, and not everyone is as narrow-minded as you people."

Hearing the fury on the other end, along with the sound of someone frantically taking fast-acting heart medication, Gu Shengsheng lost interest in saying any more.

She then said, "I’m recording this. I do have some influence on the internet now, after all. I can release this later to blackmail you."

"..." Song Shuhua, who still had a torrent of curses ready, suddenly went silent. Her breathing was ragged as her daughter tried to calm her down.

Song Shuhua cursed weakly, "You really...! You’ve really opened my eyes."

Gu Shengsheng sensed she had quieted down. She said, "Have any of you seen my grandma?"

"Isn’t that country bumpkin back in the countryside! Why are you asking about her?" Song Shuhua snapped impatiently.

Then, a delicate, syrupy voice came through. "Mom, I’ve seen her grandma."

"Let me talk to my sister."

Gu Shengsheng had been about to hang up, but sensing a connection here, she patiently listened to the mother and daughter.

’No wonder...’ she thought. ’So that’s how the He Family knew to go after Grandma. It’s connected to this family.’

’But how on earth did Gu Rongrong get in touch with the He Family?’

’And how did she know about the conflict between me and them? Logically, there should be no way for them to be in contact.’

Gu Rongrong’s voice came over the line. "Siiiister~ Long time no see. Did you miss me?"

"No. Get to the point about Grandma," Gu Shengsheng said. "Stop the act. The only reason you got on the phone was to tell me something, wasn’t it?"

Gu Shengsheng knew this little sister of hers all too well. She wouldn’t have inserted herself into the conversation if it wasn’t deliberate.

"Grandma is my real grandma; she just raised you, sister. She comes to see me in Rui City all the time, and she always gets teary-eyed, saying how much I look like my birth parents." Her voice was dripping with smug satisfaction.

"And?" Gu Shengsheng asked. "Have you had any contact with her recently, in the last few days?"

"Did Grandma go missing?" Gu Rongrong suddenly laughed.

Now Gu Shengsheng was certain. It was definitely connected to her. This woman was truly unbelievable.

"Do you know where she is?" Gu Shengsheng asked.

"I don’t know, but I can help you ask around, sister. My network is very wide. You’ve been in Beijing City for so long, but your connections probably aren’t as extensive as mine."

"Oh, Grandma? She was taken away... and isn’t it all because of you? Look at yourself, earning so much money and acting so arrogant. Did you really think you could just come back and throw your weight around?"

"Sister, you’ve offended too many people. I don’t have to lift a finger for you to run into trouble. You’re a thorn in everyone’s side in Beijing City now."

Gu Shengsheng nodded. "Oh, you know so much. Is it because you got a boyfriend from Beijing City?"