Zhan Mohan initially wasn't too worried upon learning Wei Yumeng had gone to the restroom. However, Wei Yumeng had been gone for an unusually long time.
He arranged for bodyguards to stay with the children while he went to find her.
"Yumeng! Are you in there?" Zhan Mohan felt a creeping sense of unease.
Wei Yumeng was startled, not expecting Zhan Mohan to actually come looking for her, and the man was still standing in front of her.
The man waved the knife in his hand again, a clear reminder to Wei Yumeng of what she needed to do.
Wei Yumeng glanced at him and finally answered loudly, "Mohan, I'm fine. I just saw a mouse in the restroom and it scared me. I was hiding from it."
The excuse was undeniably amusing. Could there be any issue with this?
But Zhan Mohan's voice remained calm. "It's good you're alright. When will you be out?"
Wei Yumeng looked at the man again. He simply raised his head and gestured towards the door, indicating their transaction was successful and he agreed to let her leave.
"I'll be right there."
A short while later, Wei Yumeng indeed appeared before Zhan Mohan. He took her hand, "Things have been unusual lately. Don't leave by yourself for so long."
Although Zhan Mohan's tone was mild, his eyes conveyed a message to Wei Yumeng, who silently nodded in understanding. It was as if she said:
"Was someone else in there?"
"Yes."
Only when they returned to their barbecue spot did Wei Yumeng finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Despite her efforts to appear fearless earlier, which was the only way to negotiate on equal footing with the man, her heart had been pounding uncontrollably.
Fang Xun, who hadn't appeared until now, suddenly approached, "Mr. Zhan, the people there have fled."
When Wei Yumeng had told Zhan Mohan about the mouse, he had already grasped the situation and had Fang Xun bring people to intercept them.
Zhan Mohan frowned and looked at Wei Yumeng with concern, "What exactly happened just now?"
"That man found his way here somehow. He didn't harm me, and he agreed that if we withdraw the charges against him from the police, he won't do anything dangerous to us anymore."
Wei Yumeng's safe return clearly indicated their deal was struck.
"He also told me that his employer is a woman, most likely Catherine," Wei Yumeng said, some regret in her voice, "I wish I had recorded his words."
But in that situation, she truly hadn't reacted in time.
In reality, Zhan Mohan and Wei Yumeng both knew that Catherine was likely behind these events, but they lacked any evidence to prove it. Even knowing this, they were powerless against her.
Although Zhan Mohan had initially planned for the family to relax completely today, with this incident occurring, he couldn't relax himself. And Fang Xun was conveniently present.
He turned to Fang Xun, "Are there any recent developments with Catherine?"
Fang Xun, however, shook his head. "Catherine has been like before lately, basically staying at home and not going out."
Compared to before, when there were still clues to investigate, they now had no options.
Wei Yumeng, however, was more worried about whether the man would uphold his end of the bargain.
The next morning, Wei Yumeng went to the police station and, as agreed, withdrew the charges against the man. However, Zhan Mohan remained concerned and kept bodyguards constantly protecting Wei Yumeng.
Despite her repeated assurances to herself to be stronger after these events, and Zhan Mohan's unwavering investigation, she couldn't relax.
Yet, upon returning home and reflecting on everything that had transpired, she still felt suffocated.
After all, some things could have been avoided, but they still happened. They had harmed the children, harmed herself, and disrupted their family's peace.
In the following days, it seemed the man had indeed kept his promise, and nothing further happened.
Only after Zhan Mohan's persistent investigations were the children allowed to return to school.
Due to the previous incident, rumors had already spread widely among the students. They were unclear about what had happened that day, only knowing that Zhan Shiqing and Zhan Jinzhi had seemingly been suspended.
And the two children, already from affluent backgrounds, had even been rumored to have entered this nationally renowned key school through family connections, leading some students to harbor resentment towards them.
Therefore, upon learning of their suspension, students naturally seized the opportunity to gossip.
As soon as Zhan Jinzhi and Zhan Shiqing arrived at school, they heard all sorts of rumors.
"It's such a relief that those Zhan siblings were suspended."
"I knew they didn't get in by merit. People like them who use connections are disgusting."
"Exactly. And Zhan Jinzhi, he just relies on his good looks, with all those girls fawning over him every day. What status do we guys have?"
"Right, right!"
Although Zhan Jinzhi heard these words, his expression remained unchanged, as if he had grown accustomed to such gossip. He simply continued to pull Zhan Shiqing forward.
"Brother, they've gone too far! Brother's grades are so good, and they themselves aren't good-looking, so it's not like they can blame others."
Zhan Shiqing was somewhat angry. If Zhan Jinzhi hadn't held her back, she would have probably rushed over to argue with those boys.
Zhan Jinzhi simply said calmly, "Let them talk."
Although Zhan Shiqing was still displeased, she ultimately listened to Zhan Jinzhi.
Considering the rumors during this period, Zhan Jinzhi ensured Zhan Shiqing was safely in her classroom without incident before returning to his own.
However, he wasn't as fortunate. After being absent for only a short while, his desk was littered with various pieces of trash, clearly intended for him.
"Isn't this Young Master Zhan? Weren't you suspended? How are you back? Thanks to your rich father again?"
The speaker was Lu Fang, a notorious underachiever in the entire grade. Compared to Zhan Jinzhi, who had always been outstanding academically, Lu Fang seemed more like someone who got in through family connections.
Hearing Lu Fang's words, the boys present joined in the taunting.
"What are you doing? If you're not good enough yourselves, you pick on others!" a girl said, unable to stand it any longer. However, she was immediately cowed by Lu Fang's glare.
Zhan Jinzhi clenched his fists, but he knew this was a school, and he couldn't do anything that violated school rules. Doing so would only cause trouble for his family, especially since they were already under so much stress lately.