But to assuage her mother’s worries, she fabricated a reason, saying, "Don't worry, I've found a friend to go with me. I'll be fine."
"Oh, that's good, that's good."
Mrs. Shi breathed a sigh of relief, nodded, and walked up to Shi Ran, her eyes red. "Ranran, your dad, your brother, and I have wronged you..."
The Shi family did not hold the outdated notion of favoring sons over daughters; they treated both children equally.
This time, Shi Junrui had 'harmed' Shi Ran so severely. The elderly couple was truly disappointed in him, yet they couldn't simply abandon him.
"Mom, it's okay. We're all family."
Shi Ran smiled faintly and waved her hand. "You stay with Dad. I'm leaving."
"Be careful. Call Mom if anything happens," Mrs. Shi followed her to the hospital room door, repeatedly reminding her to be safe.
Shi Ran took the elevator down and walked out of the inpatient department.
On the way from the inpatient department, she had been pondering who would be a suitable companion.
However, her closest friends were Meng Jingwei, Lin Meng, and Ivan.
Meng Jingwei was not in Lancheng, and Lin Meng had to take care of her child and was quite busy.
The only person left was Ivan.
But Ivan was a girl, and Shi Ran feared implicating her by taking her to meet those hoodlums from the underworld.
She clutched her phone, opening her contact list. Lu Yanming's number was right there in her call history.
Shi Ran hesitated.
Should she call Lu Yanming?
She had just asked him to transfer fifty thousand yuan this afternoon, and now she needed his help again. Was that really appropriate?
After much deliberation, Shi Ran finally took out her phone and dialed 110.
The call rang for a while. "Hello, this is the Lancheng Branch."
"Hello, I... can I ask for your help?" Shi Ran stammered.
She felt her idea was absurd, but she was at her wit's end.
"Please tell me."
"It's like this. I owe usury loans, and I'm going to return the money now. I'm afraid those people will give me trouble. Could you trouble yourselves to come with me?" Shi Ran asked cautiously, tightly gripping her phone.
"That's your private matter. You should handle it yourself. If we had to do everything for everyone, where would we find enough manpower?" the other party replied unpleasantly, reprimanding her, "You're wasting resources!"
Then, they directly hung up the phone.
Her hopes dashed, Shi Ran stood by the roadside, her heart filled with worry.
Finally, she set up four scheduled emails in her phone's inbox, all timed for an hour and a half later.
It would take forty minutes to reach the destination, and another half hour at most to meet the other party, pay the money, and get the IOU.
If she left safely, she would have ample time to cancel the emails.
The four recipients of the emails were Lin Meng, Ivan, Lu Yanming, and Qing Muye.
Earlier that afternoon, Lu Yanming had personally told her that Qing Muye's company was facing a thorny problem and he was preoccupied, so Shi Ran felt reluctant to bother him.
But if she were truly in danger, she would have no choice but to ask for their help.
Having made thorough preparations, Shi Ran hailed a taxi by the roadside. "Hello, driver. Please take me to the East District underground billiard hall."
"Alright."
The taxi driver started the meter and drove away.
During the forty-minute journey from the hospital to the billiard hall, Shi Ran, with her backpack on, was so nervous she felt like she could barely breathe.
She didn't know what situation she would encounter later, feeling both scared and anxious.
It'll be okay.
Everything will be okay.
Shi Ran comforted herself.
The agonizing forty minutes passed quickly. Upon arriving at the billiard hall, Shi Ran paid the taxi fare and got out.
The East District was Lancheng's prime spot for dining, drinking, and entertainment. It boasted the most bustling night markets and clubs, a vibrant scene where countless young people celebrated.