Love is a mistake that cannot be escaped

Chapter 357 Now even they themselves are in trouble

"Lin Jiaojiao, what do you want?" I gripped my phone tightly, forcing myself to calm down. Lin Jiaojiao chuckled on the other end of the line, her tone filled with undisguised malice: "Fu Yan, you don't naively think you can beat me, do you? That idiot Du Yue is barely holding on herself, how do you think you can fare any better?"

My heart tightened. Sure enough, Lin Jiaojiao was here to avenge Du Yue! "Lin Jiaojiao, what exactly do you want?"

"What do I want? Of course I'll make you taste what it's like to lose everything!" Lin Jiaojiao's voice became shrill. "Just you wait, Fu Yan, I'll make you and Gu Yichen pay the price for what you've done!"

Before I could say anything more, Lin Jiaojiao had already hung up the phone. I stood there dumbfounded, a chill running from my feet to my heart. Lin Jiaojiao's words were like a sharp blade, piercing my heart.

Fear and unease washed over me like a tidal wave, and I almost lost my balance. Gu Yichen noticed my distress and steadied me, asking anxiously, "What's wrong? What happened?"

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down, and told Gu Yichen about Lin Jiaojiao's threats. Gu Yichen's face immediately darkened after hearing my explanation. He gripped my hand tightly and said firmly, "Don't be afraid, I'm here. I won't let her hurt you."

However, things took an even worse turn than we had imagined. The very next morning, Gu's Group's stock plummeted without warning, and a barrage of negative rumors followed. Suddenly, Gu's Group was plunged into an unprecedented crisis.

As I stared at the constantly flashing news headlines on my phone, my heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand. The stock price of the Gu Group plummeted like a kite with a broken string, and all sorts of sensational rumors were spreading like wildfire online, as if overnight, that business empire that had stood for many years was about to collapse.

"How could this happen..." I muttered to myself, the phone slipping from my palm and falling limply onto the soft carpet, but it felt like it had hit the very tip of my heart.

Gu Yichen hung up the phone with a livid face, his sharp brows furrowed with gloom. He walked to my side and gently pulled me into his arms. "Don't worry, I'll handle it."

His voice was deep and firm, with a calming power, but I could feel the stiffness in his embrace and the worry and weariness hidden deep in his eyes.

These past few days, he's barely slept a wink, shuttling between the company and various factions, trying to turn the tide. However, it all came too suddenly, too violently, like a meticulously planned storm that has trapped us with nowhere to escape.

My phone rang again; this time, it was a colleague from the research institute calling.

"Hey, Xiao Fu, is it a good time to talk now?" The colleague's voice carried a hint of hesitation and unease.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem with the project?" A bad feeling crept into my heart.

“Sigh, Xiao Fu, don’t be too sad. We had no choice…” the colleague stammered. “It’s like this, our research institute received calls from several partners. They… they decided to terminate their cooperation with us and withdraw all funding and technical support…”

My head went blank, as if a thunderclap had exploded in my ears.

Cooperation terminated... Funds withdrawn... Technical support interrupted...

This means that my research project, to which I have poured countless hours and sweat, will also be forced to stop...

My vision blurred, and I almost lost my balance. I braced myself against the lab table, took a deep breath, and managed to steady myself. "I understand, thank you, I..."

"Fu Yan." Gu Yichen's voice sounded behind me, tinged with worry and heartache.

I turned around and forced a smile. "I'm fine. It's just that the project has run into some problems, but I'll handle them."

He stepped forward and gently put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't try to tough it out. Tell me what happened."

I took a deep breath and told him about the partner's withdrawal of investment. His expression also turned serious, and after a moment of silence, he said, "It seems that this matter is more complicated than I imagined."

"You mean, this isn't just business competition?" My heart skipped a beat, and I vaguely guessed what was going on.

"Lin Jiaojiao won't let this go." His tone was firm, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "She's trying to wipe us out."

I clenched my fists, a raging fire burning within me. Lin Jiaojiao, it's Lin Jiaojiao again! Why is she so vicious, driving us to this dead end?

"Don't worry, I will protect you." Gu Yichen pulled me into his arms. His embrace was warm and strong, as if it could dispel all the fear and anxiety in my heart.

“We’ll face this together.” I looked up at him, my gaze unwavering. “I won’t let her succeed!”

Over the next few days, we worked side by side. He traveled between companies to find new partners and stabilize market confidence, while I devoted myself to research projects to find new breakthroughs.

Late at night, I dragged my tired body home and saw that the study light was still on. Gu Yichen was sitting in front of the computer, his brows furrowed, holding several documents in his hand.

I walked over and gently put my arms around his waist. "Aren't you resting yet?"

He put down the documents, turned around and hugged me. "I can't sleep, I'm looking into some things."

"Is it about Lin Jiaojiao?" I asked.

He nodded. "I've found out that she colluded with several of Du Yue's former confidants to manipulate the stock market and spread rumors behind the scenes, all in an attempt to retaliate against us."

"I knew it was her!" I gritted my teeth, wishing I could tear her to pieces. "What should we do now?"

"Don't worry, I have enough evidence. I'll make her pay." A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. "I will protect you, protect our family, and never let anyone harm you." Lu Mingxuan's news was like a timely rain, relieving my immediate crisis. The new partner was powerful and agreed with the concept of my research project; everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction. I shared this joy with Gu Yichen, and a smile finally appeared on his tense lips, and the weariness in his eyes dissipated somewhat.

"I knew you could do it." He pulled me into his arms, his voice filled with pride and relief.

“I have to thank Lu Mingxuan for this,” I said, leaning against his chest and listening to his steady heartbeat. “If it weren’t for him, I really wouldn’t know what to do.”

Gu Yichen was silent for a moment, his tone carrying a hint of bitterness, "Yes, he helped you a lot."

I keenly noticed the change in his mood, looked up at him, and asked, "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing, I just feel like I'm not a very good husband."

“Don’t say that,” I cupped his face and said earnestly, “You’ve already sacrificed so much for me and this family, I…”

Before I could finish speaking, I was interrupted by a rapid phone call. Gu Yichen took out his phone, glanced at it, and his expression instantly turned extremely serious.

"What's wrong?" A bad feeling rose in my heart.

"Something's happened at the company." He hung up the phone, his tone heavy. "Lin Jiaojiao somehow got hold of a document that's enough to bring down the entire Gu Group..."