Old Boss Lu was right; Shen Qingqing really wasn't a suitable match.
She offered no support at crucial moments. If he had chosen Lin Rui instead, he would have had the backing of not only the Lu family but also the Lin family. Everything would have been much better than it was now.
Given the situation, he no longer had any feelings for Shen Qingqing. He turned to her and said, "Let's break up."
Shen Qingqing had become immune to hearing these words.
The first time she heard them, she was terrified, but after hearing them so many times, she became indifferent.
"We're making dumplings at home today. Do you want to come over and eat?"
Ever since Lu Zheng had a falling out with his family, Shen Qingqing had brought him to her own home.
Shen Qingqing's parents were warm and caring, providing Lu Zheng with emotional comfort. They truly made it feel like home.
For a moment, Lu Zheng felt a tinge of guilt.
He had angrily suggested breaking up, yet she didn't seem to care and was still offering to make him dumplings.
But his softened heart hardened again in a second, and he said, "Sorry. I don't want to eat anything. We're breaking up."
Seeing the determination in his eyes, Shen Qingqing suddenly felt panicked.
The two argued on the street, and not far away, people who had seen the livestream whispered among themselves.
"Ah, isn't that the little green tea and Lu Zheng from the reality show? He looks decent, but who knew he was actually like this on the inside."
He had always been a golden boy; he had never experienced such a scene before.
The two had to temporarily cease fire and return to the car.
Before they could discuss their future together in detail, Shen Qingqing received a phone call.
The arcade and the kindergarten under construction were facing a catastrophic situation.
The previous arcade had been boycotted and vandalized with paint.
The arcade they had invested heavily in was consistently losing money.
Now they couldn't even pay their suppliers or their employees' wages.
There were also some issues with the construction of the kindergarten. The problem facing them now was money.
But all of Lu Zheng's cards had been suspended.
He was now penniless.
Where could he get that much money?
His father had money, but it seemed he wouldn't be willing to help.
Now there was also the 300 million debt from the TV show. They had no way to pay it.
For poorly managed businesses, there were agencies that could directly acquire the entire operation.
But the price would be only 1/10 of what they had invested.
For example, if they had invested 100 million, they would get at most 70 or 80 million in return.
The same applied to the kindergarten.
If they did that, they would suffer huge losses. But if they didn't, they wouldn't have money to pay others.
Lu Zheng thought about calling his close friends for help to tide them over, but he couldn't reach anyone.
Just like that, their relationship issues were put aside. They were completely inseparable when it came to money.
Initially, to get a larger share of the profits, Shen Qingqing had also invested, mortgaging her family's house and using up all their savings.
They were waiting to poach Shen Wei's business to make more money. No one had anticipated this outcome.
This time, Shen Qingqing was truly panicked.
For seven whole days, both of them lost ten pounds and received a court summons.
With no other choice, they gritted their teeth and sold these two businesses at a loss to the acquiring company, getting back 10 million. This money was barely warm in their hands before it was paid out to the employees.
There was no other way. The company had been sold, the business entity had changed, and they were afraid the workers' hard-earned money would go down the drain.
Everyone had gathered to cause trouble and had applied for labor arbitration because there were some irregularities in their social security.
So between compensation and wages, the 10 million was just barely enough.
After all this, the two of them were left with only 1 million in their accounts.
For ordinary people, 1 million might mean financial freedom.
But they really couldn't accept it. 1 million wasn't even enough for a high-end diamond necklace.
So they ended up fighting bitterly over money.
Lu Zheng was entangled in debt and lawsuits. Shen Qingqing was not only abused online but had also invested all of her family's savings and property.
Her parents were panicked.
Previously, they had been gleefully boasting to Shen Wei's parents about how their daughter had found a rich second-generation boyfriend and would surely be better off than Shen Wei.
Ending up like this, those words felt like a slap in the face, stinging hot.
They started contacting Shen Wei's parents again.
Everyone knew Shen Wei's parents were soft-hearted.
If they just apologized, they might be able to restore their relationship as relatives.
After all, it was Shen Wei's father who had led them to buy stocks before, earning them their first bucket of gold.
At that time, Shen Qingqing's entire family relied on Shen Wei's family for support.
But Lu Zheng's relationship with Shen Qingqing had given them some unrealistic fantasies.
Unfortunately, now everything was gone.
When the old couple tried to contact Shen Wei's parents again, they found they couldn't reach them at all.
All their accounts had been blocked.
When they tried to confront them at the kindergarten, they found that there were now very capable security guards who wouldn't let them in.
Moreover, as Starry Sky Kindergarten was an internet sensation, small-time streamers often came to livestream.
As soon as they thought about making a scene, cameras would precisely focus on them.
After Shen Qingqing had been cyberbullied, her parents became very afraid of cameras, fearing these people would expose them again.
Seeing this, they immediately turned tail and left sheepishly.
Unable to repay according to the terms, their house was taken by the bank.
The family of three had to rent a two-bedroom apartment.
With no money at home, they relied on selling Shen Qingqing's luxury goods to get by.
Lu Zheng had bought her quite a few before, mostly bags that girls love.
But when they tried to sell them, they realized luxury goods were indeed a tax on intelligence.
Things they had bought for tens or hundreds of thousands now couldn't even fetch half the price.
She had treated luxury bags as daily consumables, using them without the care that others showed. She had never taken them for maintenance. She even used to mock those who carefully nurtured their bags as country bumpkins who couldn't afford to use them properly. She had fully assumed the role of a wealthy young madam.
Her bags were scratched and severely worn. At the time, she had been proud of this, thinking it showed she could afford to not care.
The resale prices were even lower.
The most extreme case was a bag that cost over a hundred thousand, which was now only bought back for 8,000.
This was only enough for two months' rent. Life suddenly became tight.
...
When Shen Wei returned, she was attracted by a table full of delicacies prepared by Liu Chef.
Doctor Lu said, "Ever since Liu Chef found out you hadn't been eating well, he's been so worried that his lips have broken out in blisters!"
Everyone was incredibly happy to eat Liu Chef's food again.
They finally got to taste the delicious food they loved. Liu Chef had thoroughly spoiled their palates.
They couldn't get used to eating anything else outside anymore.
