Chapter 115: The Chilling Evidence

Hmph, before the police arrive, if you don’t tell me, change that cup of water. Once the police are here, you must swap it – are you that guilty?

Zhou Can sneered coldly.

Secretly having Mr. Li call the police was solely to nab the culprits red-handed with solid evidence at the scene.

The nervous behavior of the female secretary and Mr. Gui reassured Zhou Can.

This cup of water is 100% suspicious.

“Officer, here’s what happened: my girlfriend resigned, but they insisted on calling her into the General Manager’s office to sign something. Fearing for her safety, I rushed over and broke in. Luckily, she hadn’t even taken a sip of this water. Now I suspect it’s been drugged.”

Zhou Can briefly recounted the incident.

“Nonsense!”

Normally composed, Mr. Gui couldn’t help but shout at Zhou Can in anger.

“Is there a problem? Just have it tested and we’ll know.”

Zhou Can sneered coldly.

After hearing the whole story, two officers declared they would take the water for testing.

Mr. Gui had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

Suddenly, Zhou Can remembered something and dashed to the trash can to inspect it.

Sure enough, he discovered something new.

“Officer, this looks like a pharmaceutical package.”

He carefully brought the trash can over—avoiding direct contact to leave no fingerprints on the package.

The female secretary’s mental resolve was clearly not as strong as Mr. Gui’s.

Her face turned pale and her body trembled visibly.

“Old Song, did you call the cybercrime squad?”

“I’m going to the patrol car to grab something so we can collect evidence. Once this water is tested, if it’s indeed tainted, they won’t get away with it.”

The two officers quickly formulated a plan.

They gathered the evidence and sealed it off.

They also took photos of the scene.

Then they had the female secretary and Mr. Gui register their IDs.

The female secretary’s trembling voice revealed her extreme fear and guilt.

“Why add drugs to the water?”

An older officer questioned her sternly.

“No, it wasn’t my idea – Mr. Gui ordered me to do it! Please, I beg you, don’t arrest me…”

This woman probably got the secretary job solely for her looks, but her mental strength was far too fragile.

Before the interrogation even got properly underway, her tentative remark spilled everything.

Mr. Gui’s face darkened like a soiled rag.

“We now suspect you of criminal activity. Come with us to the station for further questioning.”

The police promptly took all four of them to the station.

This left the other employees at Bei Hai Lang Xing Company utterly bewildered.

“Officer, I have one more piece of information.”

“Go ahead!”

“It appears that Mr. Gui employed similar tactics on multiple women. If possible, I suggest you search his office and safe.” Zhou Can was merely passing on the information.

The rest was naturally left in the hands of the police.

Mr. Gui’s attempt to drug Su Qianqian qualified only as an attempted crime—hardly a criminal-level offense. But if they unearthed all of Mr. Gui’s dark deeds, he’d be screwed for life, bringing justice for the victimized women.

Mr. Gui, his face ashen, glared resentfully at Zhou Can, but said nothing.

Perhaps he never expected to be taken down by such a young kid.

……

After finishing their statements, Zhou Can and Su Qianqian were allowed to go home immediately.

As he left, he overheard the police discussing how videos, photos, and dangerous drugs had been found in Mr. Gui’s office – evidence of his abuse of several women. They were calling him nothing short of a beast.

Karma always comes around.

This time, Mr. Gui was completely finished.

“Brother Li, here’s some good news: Mr. Gui is done for. His abuse of multiple women is indisputable.”

Zhou Can, along with Su Qianqian, left the station and immediately relayed the news to Mr. Li.

“Well done! This calls for a celebration!”

Mr. Li replied with a terse eight-word remark, followed by a flurry of firecracker emojis.

A satisfied smile spread across Zhou Can’s face.

Holding Su Qianqian’s hand, he asked, “What’s for dinner tonight?”

“Let’s buy groceries and cook at home! What dish do you like?” Her joy was evident, seeing Mr. Gui finally behind bars.

She was even happier to have regained her freedom.

No longer under the control of that thug-run company.

“You can cook too?”

Zhou Can was pleasantly surprised.

In his mind, female celebrities were always pampered—maids at every turn.

“Hmph! What kind of look is that? As if I’m that helpless. What do you crave? I’ll cook it for you.”

Ever since falling deeply in love with Zhou Can, like most girls, her heart belonged solely to him.

“I love braised fish. Can you make it?”

Zhou Can cherished his angelic, kind-hearted girlfriend even more.

“Of course! As for everything else, I’ll handle it! People say to win a man’s heart, you first have to win his stomach. With you as an outstanding boyfriend, I intend to hold on tight. Seeing you rush into the General Manager’s office so desperately moved me to tears!”

Talking about it, she squeezed Zhou Can’s hand even tighter.

Looking at him with deep affection, she said,

“To express my gratitude, I’m going to cook you the most delicious feast ever.”

Genuine love begets genuine devotion.

Zhou Can had given her so much, and at last, he had won her heart.

“There are many ways to repay you—like giving myself entirely to you!”

Zhou Can teased with a laugh.

“You’re so naughty!”

She playfully scolded him.

“Let’s be honest—bad boys are irresistible!”

Zhou Can cheekily retorted.

After all, no one needs instructions on courting a girl; it comes naturally.

“No, you’ve got it wrong! Women aren’t attracted to just any bad boy. They prefer a man who’s capable with a hint of roguish charm,” she giggled in response.

“How about being my bandit queen tonight?” Zhou Can roguishly proposed.

His tone was full of playful swagger.

“Hehe~!”

Her laughter made her double over.

“What a mess you are!”

Zhou Can’s heart skipped a beat as he scooped her up by the waist.

“Ah… put me down quickly! There are so many people watching!”

The sudden move made her blush furiously as she playfully landed soft punches on Zhou Can.

Clearly, she was a very traditional girl.

After he set her down, her pretty face was bright red all the way to her ears.

“Don’t ever do that again, got it?”

She glared fiercely at Zhou Can.

“Understood—Bandit Queen!”

Zhou Can hadn’t expected her to be so delicate; after all, she regularly performed on stage and should be braver.

“What do you mean by ‘understood’?”

She pressed him for an explanation.

“This isn’t something you do in public. We can be intimate at home anytime.”

No sooner had he spoken than Zhou Can received another series of playful punches.

“Why did I end up with a rascal like you? Not a single serious word comes out of you.”

……

The couple bought some groceries, and Zhou Can even picked up a beer to properly celebrate her.

Back home, Zhou Can helped her in the kitchen.

Washing vegetables and soaking rice—it was the picture of young, happy domesticity.

“Zhou, you mortgaged this apartment! If you can’t repay the loan, we’ll lose the house!”

She asked anxiously.

“Not just this one—you wouldn’t believe it; I have two more as well!”

Zhou Can had taken out a total loan of 4.5 million.

The bank was ruthless.

Even though each property could sell for about 2.2 million in the market, the mortgage loans only cover a bit over 70% of that value.

That was thanks to the prime locations and huge potential for appreciation.

He had no choice but to mortgage all three rental properties.

The monthly loan interest was a massive expense.

Originally, he planned to sell the properties for quick cash.

Mr. Li advised against selling, arguing that selling and then rebuying would waste time and incur heavy taxes, brokerage, and agency fees.

Selling in a hurry would leave the buyer room to negotiate hard.

“Ah… how do you own so many houses? Weren’t albums supposed to be around 1.6 million? These houses are way more expensive. Mortgaging three of them—are you out of your mind?”

Su Qianqian was taken aback.

“Exactly what I was about to tell you. I mortgaged three houses—not only to buy your album, but I also partnered with someone to establish an entertainment company. Then I signed you to it, promoting and packaging you to help make your dreams come true.”

Zhou Can said seriously.

Su Qianqian covered her mouth, her expression a mix of excitement and shock.

Above all, she was deeply moved.

Zhou Can was determined to buy the album to help her break free from her contract. She soon realized her boyfriend was far more capable than she had imagined.

His financial strength was simply astounding.

At such a young age, owning three properties made him wealthier than 99.9% of his peers.

“You’re so good to me!”

She suddenly hugged Zhou Can, burying her head in his chest as she sobbed.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry! You should be happy, and then work hard to make your dreams come true as soon as possible.” Zhou Can quickly comforted her.

“Mm!”

She nodded vigorously.

“By the way, when you had your kidney test, what did they find? I didn’t see you on any medication.”

After all, Zhou Can was a doctor.

Based on his understanding of kidney disease, even moderately serious cases require a lengthy course of medication.

“I… I ran out of money and ended up with over 300,000 in debt, so I stopped taking the medicine,” she hesitated before confessing.

“Isn’t that reckless? Show me the test report. I’ll help clear your debt—no pressure. We can’t neglect kidney disease. If it develops into uremia, it’ll be a nightmare.”

Zhou Can reproached her, his tone a mix of heartache and anger.

She really wasn’t taking care of herself at all.

After reviewing her report, Zhou Can was stunned.

Her condition had progressed to the compensatory stage of chronic kidney failure.

As a professional, he knew this had advanced from chronic kidney disease to uremia. The only solace was that it was still early; while a complete cure was unlikely, proper medication could slow its progression.

That was the best-case scenario.

“The doctor said my condition is incurable—my only option is a kidney transplant. I never wanted to burden anyone, but that passionate night with you made me fall deeply in love. I’d never experienced love before; it’s been so wonderful. Zhou, don’t worry, I won’t burden you. I’ve made up my mind: I’ll earn enough money to repay you before death comes. Then, I’ll quietly leave this world. I hope to be the everlasting summer bloom in your heart.”

No wonder she had contemplated ending her life.

On one hand, she was crushed by the thug-run company and overwhelming debt; on the other, her failing health added to her misery.

This girl had suffered too many injustices.

Zhou Can wrapped his arms around her.

“What foolish talk? As long as I’m here, I won’t let such tragedy occur. From now on, all you need to do is follow your treatment diligently. Many have fully recovered during the compensatory phase of kidney failure with proper care. Even if you don’t fully recover, once my status in the hospital improves, I’ll find you a matching kidney for a transplant so you can regain your health.”

For now, things weren’t the worst.

At least Zhou Can still had plenty of time.

With ample funds and his high standing at the hospital, a transplant wouldn’t be impossible.

“Meeting you is truly wonderful!”

She clung to Zhou Can, tears streaming down her face.

“Time after time, you’ve rescued me from the abyss and given me hope in my darkest moments.”

Thanks to Zhou Can’s help, every formidable obstacle had been overcome.

It was as if nothing was insurmountable with him by her side.

……

The next day, Zhou Can took leave from the hospital and managed to register his new company.

Together with Mr. Li, he co-founded a media company named Jin Yu Interactive.

The name was conceived by Mr. Li, who believed that in the entertainment industry, presentation was everything—names had to be bold and authoritative.

After the company was established, the first artist signed was none other than Zhou Can’s girlfriend, Su Qianqian.

The album was the centerpiece of the company’s early promotion.

Zhou Can provided the funding, while Mr. Li handled recruitment, company planning, and artist promotion.

Additionally, Zhou Can was set to pay off Su Qianqian’s debt of over 300,000, though she stubbornly refused any assistance.

Faced with such an independent, self-respecting girl, Zhou Can had no choice but to comply.

Worried that her financial hardships might jeopardize her treatment, he immediately took her to the hospital to buy medicine and reminded her to take it on schedule.

She promised Zhou Can that for the sake of their bright future, she would diligently follow her treatment.

The days went by steadily.

Zhou Can would occasionally visit her.

Yet, their relationship remained within proper boundaries.

She was a very traditional girl, insisting that their first time be saved for their wedding night.

She believed that a girl who was too casual would be looked down upon by her husband.

Zhou Can respected her decision, admiring her strong principles even more.

In their passionate phase, they would either visit each other, easing their longing.

Strolling hand in hand, cuddling while chatting, watching TV, or cooking together—their life was happily sweet.

The company Zhou Can co-founded with Mr. Li, under Mr. Li’s experienced guidance in the entertainment industry, advanced rapidly.

Within less than a month, the company managed to propel one song from the album to the top of the charts on Kuwo, Douyin, and Baidu Music. Although it later dipped a bit, it still ranked in the top five consistently.

Su Qianqian’s workload also increased.

Mr. Li told Zhou Can that Su Qianqian was extremely dedicated at work and learned quickly.

Her singing technique, expressions, and interpretation of music all improved remarkably.

The company planned to record a new song for her soon.

He frankly remarked that in all his years in entertainment, he had rarely seen a female artist so talented and hardworking. He was very optimistic about her future.

Apart from her naturally sweet, gentle voice, her strong fundamentals in both singing and dancing impressed many.

Combined with her top-notch looks and figure, she was now receiving resources and promotion levels she never had before.

Her fame had far surpassed what she once enjoyed at Bei Hai Lang Xing Company.

Moreover, her popularity was rising rapidly.

Mr. Li also mentioned that, barring any unexpected issues, Zhou Can could clear his bank loans and lift the mortgage on the houses within three months.

Zhou Can knew the entertainment industry was lucrative, but he had never imagined it could be this profitable.

Of course, in any field, only the best thrive.

Ultimately, the big earners are always the top players.