My Nemesis Has Finally Gone Bankrupt Chapter 100

Chapter 100:

On the day Qin Man’s company officially began operations, Ji Ran sent a painting. Qin Man had the artwork hanging on his office wall taken down and replaced it with Ji Ran’s painting.

Half a month later, Ji Ran stepped into Qin Man’s company for the first time.

Sitting on the sofa, he frowned and said, “…. I just bought it casually; it’s not as expensive as your original painting.”

“I just wanted to hang what you gave me,” Qin Man smiled.

A few employees came in, and Liu Chen first greeted Ji Ran, followed by the others, who said, “Mr. Ji.”

Ji Ran wasn’t used to this kind of address and felt a bit awkward. He just gave a brief nod.

Qin Man, dressed in a white shirt with the buttons done up to the top just like when he wore his school uniform, listened to the employees’ reports without lifting his head. He occasionally responded with a hum to show he was listening.

As Ji Ran leaned on his hand, watching, he felt like he was back in middle school. Qin Man was part of the student council, and other students would report violations to him, to which he would respond with silence, only occasionally nodding.

Every week, Ji Ran would see his name written neatly by Qin Man on the school’s bulletin board of reprimands.

In high school, due to the heavy academic load, Qin Man stopped participating in the student council. Ji Ran lost interest and stopped causing deliberate infractions.

While Ji Ran was lost in thought, he noticed the once indifferent man suddenly look up, accurately capturing his gaze. Qin Man’s stern expression softened slightly, revealing a brief smile.

After the employees left, Qin Man put down his pen and said, “Junior, come here.”

“No.”

“Come on, I want to show you something.”

Ji Ran frowned, walking over with suspicion written all over his face.

Qin Man grabbed his wrist, pulling him closer, and then opened a drawer.

Inside was a picture frame with a photo of Ji Ran.

Ji Ran, now used to such things, remained very calm, “This picture is so ugly.”

Qin Man laughed, “That’s not what I wanted to show you…”

He took out the frame, revealing a dark brown file folder underneath.

Ji Ran asked, “What is it?”

“It’s about your mother,” Qin Man looked up, “Do you want to see it?”

Ji Ran froze, his gaze fixed on the file folder. After a long pause, he asked, “…What about her?”

“Details, more than you know,” Qin Man said, intertwining their fingers, “Ji Guozheng went to great lengths to hide it. It took me some time to find the right people.”

Ji Ran knew this would be difficult to uncover.

He had sought various channels, spent considerable money, and for years found no substantial information. The sudden revelation left Ji Ran swallowing hard, and he managed to ask, “Who did you find?”

“Your mother’s agent.”

Ji Ran took the file back to the sofa, hesitating for a few seconds before carefully opening it. The contents inside were surprisingly comprehensive.

There were transaction records from over a decade ago, printed text messages, and a USB drive.

Seeing his confusion, Qin Man explained, “The USB contains the recordings of conversations between your mother and her agent.”

Ji Ran held the small, black device tightly. “…Recordings?”

“Yes, recordings,” Qin Man said. “At the time, the agent tried to comfort your mother by promising to help her call the police. The recordings include your mother’s descriptions and later conversations between the agent and Ji Guozheng. The agent recorded these to protect herself and to extort money from Ji Guozheng.”

Ji Ran gripped the USB so tightly that his fingers turned white. After half a minute, he took a deep breath and said, “I’m going back home.”

“I’ll go with you,” Qin Man offered immediately.

“No need,” Ji Ran gritted his teeth. “…I want to listen to it alone.”

Qin Man frowned but still held onto his hand. “I’ll be fine. I need to listen to it by myself,” Ji Ran insisted.

Qin Man hesitated for a moment before stepping back. “Promise me that after you listen to it, no matter what decision you make, you’ll tell me. Okay?”

“…Okay.”

Qin Man nodded decisively. “I’ll have someone drive you back. You’re in no condition to drive.”

Ji Ran returned home and inserted the USB into his computer, putting on his headphones. His hand hovered over the mouse for over ten seconds before slowly moving to the audio file labeled “Z’s Statement.”

He clicked on it, and the agent’s voice came through: “Hold on, I’m adjusting the equipment, just a moment.”

There was a brief crackle, followed by a few seconds of silence, and then a soft female voice: “…Is it ready?”

It was a voice Ji Ran hadn’t heard in over a decade.

Zhao Qingtong was a woman from the south, and her speech was incredibly gentle. In the past, when Ji Ran listened to her bedtime stories, he would fall asleep within five minutes.

In the recorded audio, Zhao Qingtong’s voice was fragile and helpless, tinged with a hint of nasal congestion, clearly having just endured a traumatic event.

Ji Ran listened calmly to the five-minute recording.

Due to fear, Zhao Qingtong’s narration was somewhat disjointed, but he could still understand the general content, which was not far from what he had imagined.

Ji Ran’s gaze shifted to another audio file labeled “J Conversation.”

There were two files under this label, and he initially thought it was a single recording split into two parts. However, upon playing the second file, a slightly familiar, hoarse male voice came through.

This voice did not belong to Ji Guozheng.

Ji Ran knew whose voice it was.

…

That afternoon, as Ji Ran played the audios for the seventh time, his phone rang.

“Ji Ran, it’s me.” Ji Wei’s tone was serious. “Where are you right now?”

“What do you want?”

“Father wants to see you,” Ji Wei said. “He said if you don’t come, your name won’t be in the will.”

“The will?” Ji Ran chuckled lightly.

“Yes, the lawyer is coming this afternoon.” Ji Wei paused before adding, “I know my mother contacted you. Don’t listen to her. What’s yours, I won’t fight you for it.”

Ji Ran lowered his gaze, pulling his eyes away from the computer screen. “What time?”

“Two o’clock.”

“Will my dear grandmother be there?” Ji Ran picked up a pen from the table, twirling it between his fingers.

“Of course Grandma will be there…” Ji Wei sensed something off in Ji Ran’s tone. “What are you planning?”

“I’ll be there,” Ji Ran said, heading to the wardrobe. “Tell them to wait.”

—

A few months ago, the Ji residence was still bustling with activity, but today the atmosphere was unusually heavy, even the servants moved about listlessly.

Ji Guozheng sat at his desk, a far cry from his former spirited self. His face was pale, and his eyes were sunken. His patience had long been exhausted.

He slammed his hand on the desk. “Is he coming or not?!”

Ji Wei pulled out his phone. “I’ll check again.”

“Did you really inform him?” Grandma Ji frowned. “Did you specifically tell him about the will today?”

Ji Wei sighed. “Grandma, I wouldn’t lie about this.”

Ji Guozheng sat expressionless.

Recently, his life seemed to have accelerated, with everything happening suddenly and swiftly, catching him off guard. Diagnosed with a serious illness, family conflicts, and company upheavals—each issue demanded his attention. The tumor in his brain drained him of energy, yet he had to muster up the strength to deal with the chaos.

Chen Qianqiong sat elegantly on the sofa, her legs together and slightly tilted, exuding grace. Beside her sat the lawyer she had brought.

“He may not even want your inheritance,” she said calmly. “Otherwise, let’s get started directly and not waste each other’s time.”

“This is our family matter,” Grandma Ji’s gaze sharpened, cutting like a knife.

“Madam, legally speaking, I am still your daughter-in-law,” Chen Qianqiong smiled. “Regarding family matters, I naturally have the right to speak.”

The old lady’s chest tightened, unwilling to continue the conversation with her.

She had miscalculated.

Back then, she had eyed Chen Qianqiong because of her wealthy background, which could benefit them but wasn’t on par with the Ji family. This marriage prospect seemed ideal, a reason she had pushed for her son and Chen Qianqiong.

Although she had heard about Chen Qianqiong’s temperament, she had underestimated her. After all, no matter how capable she was, she was just a woman and shouldn’t have been able to cause such a stir.

Now, it seemed she was gravely mistaken.

Chen Qianqiong wasn’t about to let her off easily: “Madam, I’ve heard that over these years, you’ve been trying to pin the blame on me?”

Grandma Ji stiffened, her mind racing as she frowned at Chen Qianqiong. “Have you contacted Ji Ran? What did you tell him?”

“Well, I’m not someone who likes to take the fall. Who was it threatening Zhao Qingtong to have an abortion and pressuring her through the media? That’s the blame that should be pinned now,” Chen Qianqiong retorted.

“I had no choice!” Grandma Ji slammed the chair. “If she hadn’t seduced Guozheng… How noble were you yourself? Don’t think I don’t know why you kept him around!”

“Enough arguing!” Ji Guozheng was fed up. “If you keep arguing, I’ll kick all of you out!”

But Chen Qianqiong wasn’t afraid of him. She sneered and pointed the finger at Ji Guozheng. “If you had been able to control yourself, would we have so many problems now?”

Ji Wei stood by the wall, fists clenched tightly, struggling to keep himself from confronting them. He had never imagined that these dignified and elegant elders who usually faced him would be bickering and turning red-faced in front of him.

In a while, he feared he might have to join this farce himself.

He had to fight; he couldn’t let his mother down.

It was unbearable.

Xu Lin stood beside him, taking advantage of everyone’s distraction, gently patting his back and whispering softly, “It’s okay…”

Ji Wei glanced sideways, about to say he was fine, but caught sight of someone standing outside the door.

At that moment, Ji Ran had heard enough.

He exchanged a glance with Ji Wei for a moment, then pushed open the wooden door. The argument inside immediately quieted down.

“I’m late for something.”

Usually a person who’s forgettable at family banquets suddenly had a strong presence today. His hair was dyed back to black, dressed casually, yet seemed the cleanest and purest in the room.

Seeing the argument finally subside, Ji Guozheng eased his heart a bit. “Why are you so late?! You’re all grown up now, can’t even be punctual?”

“No big deal,” Ji Ran chuckled. “As long as you’re still alive, I’m not late.”

This remark momentarily quieted the study.

Grandma Ji closed her eyes, realizing it was all over.

This person was completely beyond her control now.

Ji Guozheng’s face flushed with anger. “What do you mean by that—”

Ji Ran pulled over a wooden stool and sat down. “Just showing concern for you. Aren’t you afraid I might be too late for your will? Didn’t you say you wanted to read it? Here I am.”

Grandma Ji calmed down and exchanged a glance with her son. Part of the will had to go to Ji Ran. Otherwise, with Chen Qianqiong’s capability, their marriage could still be legally challenged, potentially leaving them with nothing.

Ji Ran was at least more manageable than her.

Ji Guozheng grimaced and signaled the lawyer to proceed.

The lawyer picked up the contract. “On behalf of Mr. Ji Guozheng, I…”

Before he could finish, there were two light knocks on the door.

Who else could it be?

Inside the room, everyone eyed each other warily. Only Ji Ran continued to play Tetris with his head down.

The assistant opened the door to reveal a smartly dressed man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses, holding a black file bag.

“Excuse me, I’m Mr. Ji’s lawyer.”

Ji Ran looked up in confusion.

The lawyer glanced around, locating his intended recipient, and quickly approached. “Mr. Ji, sorry for the late notice from Mr. Qin. I hope I’m not too late.”

Originally, the whole room had no lawyer behind Ji Ran. So even if Ji Ran acted boldly when he arrived, everyone knew he was just a necessary part of the process without any real threat.

Amid the surprised gazes of the others, the lawyer took out a notebook from the file bag and lowered his voice. “Mr. Ji, this issue may be last-minute, but I must clarify: what are your demands in this will?”

Ji Ran snapped back to reality and couldn’t help but smirk.

Today, he wasn’t Old Dog Qin.

He was Doraemon.

“I won’t fight for what’s not mine.”

Chen Qianqiong’s brow relaxed slightly.

As long as Ji Ran stayed out of it, once she filed her appeal, Ji Guozheng would obediently hand over half of the assets to her. She was confident of this outcome.

But Ji Wei closed his eyes.

He knew too well, understood Ji Ran’s temperament—there was no way he would comply with someone else’s demands.

He didn’t think his mother’s words could sway Ji Ran.

Sure enough, before Grandma Ji could explode, Ji Ran chuckled and finished his statement.

“…But what’s rightfully mine, not a single bit less.”　

Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.