Chapter 244 The Fifteenth Day of Entering a Restricted Novel

Chapter 244: The Fifteenth Day of Being Trapped in a Restricted Novel

Time moved at a steady, unhurried pace.

Half a year was enough to bring many matters to a close and to bring down some once-invincible titans.

For six months, the Jiang family was at the heart of the storm.

An unannounced, top-down surprise inspection tore open the glamorous facade of the Jiang family, exposing the rotten core within.

A mountain of shockingly detailed criminal evidence was thrown out one after another—tax evasion, illegal transactions, self-dealing... Although they did not yet touch the death penalty, the ultimate crime, each and every piece was like a heavy boulder, pounding the ship of the Jiang family until it was riddled with holes, causing severe damage and draining its vitality.

This turmoil surrounding the Jiang family lasted a full six months. During this period, stock prices plummeted, assets were frozen, cooperation was terminated, and the once-thriving Jiang mansion now stood desolate and shrouded in gloom.

Jiang Lin, at the eye of the storm, felt it most keenly.

He was like a trapped beast, struggling in the crumbling family quagmire.

Although An Yi had never admitted anything, a voice in the depths of Jiang Lin's mind screamed wildly—all of this was done by An Yi!

That man who, at the restaurant entrance, looked at him with icy eyes and said casually, "You're next!"

Over the past six months, he had tried again and again to contact An Yi, trying to confront him, to plead with him, even to threaten him. But An Yi seemed to have completely vanished from their world; Jiang Lin couldn't even get a glimpse of him.

He had also thought of using some dirty tricks to cause trouble for An Yi. However, every time he made a move, he was immediately and closely watched by an invisible power from above, followed by a warning, rendering him immobile.

He was like a fly stuck in a spider's web—the more he struggled, the tighter the web tightened around him. And the spider hidden in the shadows watched coldly all along.

In countless midnight moments, Jiang Lin would always wake up from nightmares, his pajamas soaked with cold sweat.

He did regret it, but not for harboring ill intentions toward An Yi, or for cooperating with Wu Zhishang to set up that dirty trap.

What he regretted was that he hadn't succeeded in pulling it off!

If he had succeeded and gotten some leverage over An Yi, wouldn't he be able to blackmail him now?

He regretted even more that he had been blind, failing to see the hidden power An Yi possessed, and had foolishly, rashly taken on such a formidable opponent!

In the past, he and Wu Zhishang had done similar things. The people they targeted were either with no connections or weak and isolated. In the end, either they swallowed their grievances in silence, or under pressure, they met even more miserable fates, even disappearing without a trace.

Why, this time, did they wreck their boat in a ditch over An Yi and drag the entire Jiang family down with them?!

This twisted regret and helpless fury burned his heart day and night.

While the Jiang family was in turmoil and everyone was panicking, An Yi had already set his plans in motion.

When the official crackdown began, the An Group, with lightning speed, used massive capital flows and already-connected key channels to quickly devour most of the core assets of the Jiang family.

This operation was clean and swift, the timing precisely calculated, leaving other forces that had wanted a piece of the pie to only settle for scraps, grinding their teeth and cursing An Yi for being too ruthless and too fast.

Fuck! What a bastard!

After this battle, the Jiang family was completely finished, no longer a force to be reckoned with.

The once-mighty family was now reduced to selling ancestral properties just to barely maintain appearances.

As for the Wu family, the authorities dealt with it more quietly.

Specific details were not disclosed to the public, but within certain social circles, it had become an unspoken secret.

Chu Chen had a vague idea about the Jiang family's affairs.

Although he was not interested in the scheming in the business world, he eventually looked up the identity of that "Jiang Lin" who had stopped An Yi at the restaurant entrance, as well as the "Jiang family's downfall."

He didn't know the specifics, but instinctively connected "Jiang Lin" with "someone who'd wronged An Yi" and "the Jiang family's troubles."

Earlier, when the collapse of the Jiang family had just begun, during a break in the lab, Chu Chen called An Yi.

When the call connected, he first routinely reported on his day's experiment progress and lunch content, then shifted the topic: "An Yi, about that Jiang Lin... if this process involves you, do you need any help from me?"

"Anything!"

An Yi was flipping through a newly delivered project report. Hearing Chu Chen's earnest offer of help on the other end, he couldn't help but chuckle.

He put down the pen, leaned back in his chair, and his voice came through the receiver with a hint of laziness: "No need, thank you for your kindness, Dr. Curly. Just focus on your own projects. These little things aren't worth your attention."

The line went silent for a few seconds, and An Yi could almost picture Chu Chen frowning slightly, lost in thought.

Then, Chu Chen's voice came again, deadly serious: "An Yi, I understand."

He paused: "I'll bring you returns far beyond what the Jiang family at its peak could ever offer. I'll make sure, in my own way, that what you gain outweighs any potential loss from letting go of these insignificant things."

An Yi was momentarily taken aback, then a smile spread across his lips.

He didn't really care much about these commercial gains or losses; swallowing the Jiang family's assets was more about going with the flow and eliminating future threats.

"Alright," An Yi's voice carried an almost imperceptible tenderness. "I'll wait."

He waited to see what kind of starry sky Dr. Curly would create.

----------

The old Jiang family mansion was now showing signs of decay.

The once neatly kept garden was now overgrown, the staff had all left, and the air was heavy with a sense of foreboding.

Jiang Lin returned to his bedroom, utterly dejected.

Over the past six months, he had quickly become gaunt—hollow-eyed, with a gray pallor. The brash arrogance of the rich kid he used to be had been ground down by reality, leaving only a corrosive malice.

He paced back and forth in the room, replaying the humiliations and failures of the past six months.

He walked to the water dispenser, poured a glass of cold water, and downed it in one gulp.

"Bang!"

He slammed the glass down on the table, the force making it clink sharply, though it thankfully didn't shatter.

His chest heaving violently, he spun around to continue his meaningless pacing, trying to work off his pent-up rage.

But as he turned, a sudden, overwhelming weakness swept over him!

It was as if all his strength had been drained from him in an instant, his limbs going limp and unresponsive.

"Uh..." He let out a short, startled sound, his body staggering. His vision went dark, and he couldn't stay on his feet.

Behind him was the large window, designed to give a wide view, with one sash half-open, letting in the cool night breeze.