This news was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky, leaving the 12-year-old He Ya in a daze.
The He Family had gone bankrupt?
How was that possible?
Just the day before, her family had eaten premium king crab, with ice cream and caviar for dessert, and even the tea was brewed from dew collected from bamboo stems - a single dinner cost tens of thousands.
Moreover, the He Family company accounted for 20% of the entire jewelry industry's market value, and had even been fined for excessive monopolization in the past. They were an undeniable century-old aristocratic family, so how could they go bankrupt overnight?
He Ya shouted, "You're lying! Really, Li Xin, you've been listening to Yuan Luoyi's nonsense and you dare to spout such a ridiculous lie!"
The surrounding students were startled, curiously looking over to find out what had happened.
Li Xin said, "I don't know the details, the corporate battle was too complex. Even my dad didn't explain it clearly."
"It seems your dad lost to Yuan Ao, the eldest son of the Yuan family, in a merger and acquisition deal. With fifty-fold leverage, he was wiped out overnight, and now the He Family company has 98% bad debts."
"Your dad has been placed under a consumption restriction by the court, effective from today. For the next month, he can only spend 3,000 yuan, with all other assets used to repay debts."
At the mention of the Yuan family, all the students automatically lowered their heads and dispersed nonchalantly.
They were somewhat frightened - in their eyes, Yuan Luoyi was usually silent and reserved, showing little reaction even when ostracized. He rarely acted, but when he did, it was never ordinary - the He Family had been brought down.
With the backing of the mysterious and powerful Yuan family, Yuan Luoyi was practically an inscrutable genius, whose emotions were completely inscrutable.
He Ya still didn't believe it, furious, "Impossible! You're absolutely lying!"
Li Xin could only smile helplessly, "If you don't believe me, just look it up on your phone. This is a major news story - the He Family's industry is quite large, so their sudden bankruptcy has a big impact."
Disregarding the school's ban, He Ya took out her phone in public.
Entering the words "He Family bankrupt" and clicking search, a flood of news articles appeared.
The first was a news report that had already garnered over a million views.
The eldest son of the Yuan family, Yuan Ao, had just emerged from the stock exchange. Tall and slender, with handsome features and a somewhat sinister look in his eyes, he was bundled up head-to-toe despite the sweltering heat, striding forward.
He disliked exposure, but reporters swarmed around him, firing off questions one after another.
"Mr. Yuan, was defeating the He Family part of the Yuan family's development strategy?"
"Are you planning to enter the jewelry industry now?"
"We heard the Yuan family acquired all of the He Family's assets at 3% of their value, is that true?"
Yuan Ao didn't respond, retreating backwards as a group of bodyguards stepped forward to hold back the noisy reporters.
Approaching Yuan Fa, Yuan Ao said, "Your new sports car has been taken care of, go block the reporters."
Originally impatient, Yuan Fa suddenly became energized at the prospect of that beautiful red sports car, ready to put on a show.
Yuan Ao got into the car and left, while Yuan Fa stayed behind to answer the reporters' questions. Clearing his throat, he began his manipulative speech.
"Hello esteemed members of the press, I am the legal representative of the Yuan Group."
"The decision-makers of the He Family acted recklessly and unilaterally, willing to gamble with fifty-fold leverage to plunder the people's wealth, causing today's tragedy. Over a thousand creditors have now lost everything, unable to recoup a single cent."
"The Yuan family expresses deep sympathy, and has decided to acquire these debts at 3% of their value. This way, the creditors can still get some money back. The specifics are still being discussed, but if successful, restructuring the bankruptcy could also help stabilize the jewelry industry."
Those in the know all realized this meant the Yuan family really intended to acquire all of the He Family's assets at 3% of their value.
This price was practically highway robbery, but coming from Yuan Fa's mouth, it sounded like an act of justice - those people should even be grateful to the Yuan family.
Hands trembling, He Ya closed her phone, unable to speak for a long while from the shock.
So that's why last night's dinner was so lavish...
Thinking back, her parents had been constantly arguing and smashing things recently - it turned out the family's finances had serious problems.
The century-old He Family collapsed in her father's generation...
She herself had gone from being the daughter of the wealthy He Family to the daughter of a deadbeat overnight.
Tears welled up in her eyes. In the past, she had always bullied others by relying on the He Family's power and status, but now that she had lost her financial backing, her arrogance instantly evaporated, and she crouched down, crying uncontrollably.
She had even fantasized about the He Family one day surpassing the Yuan family, but reality had cruelly shattered her naivete.
A few follower girls ran over to console her.
"It's okay, even a scrawny camel is larger than a horse. The He Family still has many connections, you'll definitely rise again!"
Li Xin, however, felt no sympathy for He Ya. Every day, He Ya had made Li Xin do her homework, and if it wasn't done well, she would be dragged into a corner and slapped by each follower girl, while He Ya herself never raised a hand.
"I'm the daughter of the He Family," she would say, "my hands are too delicate. You're just a lowly person with such a rough face, so I won't hit you."
In fact, as one of the lowest-ranked students in Class C, Li Xin was constantly bullied by various wealthy girls. She couldn't even talk about it, or her father would face trouble. She spoke less and less, often crying in secret.
But Li Xin was lucky - whenever she was bullied to the point of breaking down, Yuan Luoyi would pass by, and those rich girls would scatter, saving her. So Li Xin was especially grateful to Yuan Luoyi, viewing him as her guardian angel.
This time, the He Family's assets would definitely be acquired by the Yuan family at a low price, and Li Xin's father would become an employee of the Yuan family.
In fact, throughout the company, everyone except the CEO He himself was celebrating.
After this wastrel's reckless mismanagement, the employees hadn't received their salaries for two months.
Meanwhile, Yuan Ao's strategic decision-making was extremely strong - even declining sunset industries could thrive under his leadership. Being acquired by the Yuan family was a cause for celebration, as they would surely get raises.
Changing bosses was a momentous event for them.
Many were writing job applications overnight, hoping to join the Yuan family through this opportunity, even though the Yuan family's hiring criteria were extremely stringent and they would normally have little chance of being hired.
"Ding ding ding!"
The gym teacher blew the whistle, signaling for everyone to gather.
Li Xin said excitedly to Yuan Luoyi, "Let's go join the gathering! I also have some good news to share with you. I suddenly had an inspiration and made an amazing promotional video that will definitely help you gain a lot of fans!"
Yuan Luoyi said, "Yeah, thank you for your hard work."
Li Xin's face turned red. "No need to thank me, I should be thanking you instead!"
The two chatted and laughed as they left. After talking to Yuan Luoyi, the previously introverted Li Xin finally dared to show her lively nature. She had encountered a kind soul.
In the afternoon, the school day ended, and the hard-working students could finally take a break.
The school heartthrob, Sen Junxuan, was crouching at the school gate, waiting. During the physical education class, he wanted to strike up a conversation with Yuan Luoyi, but Li Xin and Yu Hua were surrounding her, and Sen Junxuan wanted to be alone with Yuan Luoyi.
Perhaps he could reminisce about the beautiful memories from their childhood. Back then, Yuan Luoyi cared for him a lot. Whenever she had something delicious, she would share it with him. If she saw him feeling down, she would persistently ask what was wrong.
He just couldn't believe that Yuan Luoyi would stay cold towards him forever.
Three icy gazes simultaneously fell upon Sen Junxuan, and he instinctively shrank back. He turned around and saw Yuan Ao, Yuan Fa, and Yuan Yong, the three of them silently staring at him.
In an instant, Sen Junxuan felt like his brain had stopped functioning.
What? How did he deserve to have all three members of the Yuan family mobilized against him!
Yuan Luoyi walked out of the school gate with her backpack, brushing past Sen Junxuan. He deeply lowered his head, not daring to talk to her.
Meanwhile, Yuan Luoyi walked straight towards her brothers and happily went home with them.
Regardless of the situation, Yuan Yong had finally returned to the Yuan family, no longer having to wander outside. This was a cause for celebration.
