Ever since Mother Shen discovered she had two diseases and Shen Lan became entangled in money matters, she started pressuring Shen Lan to get married.
It was not easy to find such a treasured son-in-law as Cheng Yanqing.
How could they let these issues tear them apart?
Mother Shen suddenly became serious, "Shen Lan, if you still consider me as your mother, then obey my words. I won't get treatment. Many people don't survive the surgical table, I am scared, so let's not bring this up again."
As Shen Lan was about to say something, Chen Yan tugged at her.
Chen Yan then turned to Mother Shen with a smile, "Auntie Shen, why don't we start with conservative treatment first? Look, you've already fainted in the street and if not for a passerby finding you, where would Lan Lan have to look for you?"
"Being in the hospital will let Lan Lan feel at ease going to work, and she can focus on having a baby with her husband, right?"
Mother Shen found Chen Yan's words sensible and nodded, "Let's start with conservative treatment then, I still have health insurance after all!"
This left Shen Lan rather speechless.
But at the moment, it seemed that the only solution was to ensure her mother stayed at the hospital. They would deal with the timing of the surgery, and its costs, at a later date.
Because she needed to raise funds for the surgery, Shen Lan began to put up her resume on various online platforms, even offering her services at a lower price than her competitors.
With such attractive pricing, many consumers came to find Shen Lan, including a number of He Songquan's existing customers.
Seeing his customers being stolen away, how could He Songquan remain calm?
He furiously called Shen Lan accusing her, "Well done, Shen Lan! This underhanded trick of yours is truly deplorable! You think you can steal all my customers like this? I'll make sure you won't have the energy to serve them!"
In He Songquan's fierce words, was an implicit threat and warning towards Shen Lan.
But Shen Lan didn't care, she was in dire need of cash.
So, she did not even bother responding to He Songquan's words, and simply hung up the phone. She even put He Songquan's number on her blacklist.
She continued to add the customers who had reached out for consultation.
However, customers requested preliminary design sketches.
Of course, Shen Lan would not work for free, she asked for a thousand yuan deposit first.
A thousand yuan deposit was as low as it gets in the industry. Customers trusted her when they saw she was from a studio and, given her price-point, decided to make the deposit.
Once customers transferred money, Shen Lan left her mother in the care of nursing support. Shen Lan and Chen Yan returned to the studio to start drafting.
However, as they arrived at the entrance of the studio, He Songquan and his group surrounded them.
He Songquan looked at them with a cold, manipulative smile, "Shen Lan, it seems you don't care about the consequences. You're stealing my customers, it seems you don't want to stay alive!"
He then gave his men a look, they immediately approached Shen Lan and Chen Yan.
They even had sticks in their hands, making it clear that He Songquan had been driven to desperate measures.
But Shen Lan would not let He Songquan have his way.
She shielded Chen Yan behind her, and immediately started to fight back.
Shen Lan was trained in taekwondo, these men were clearly no match for her. After she knocked them down, she saw He Songquan trying to run away and quickly cornered him.
He Songquan immediately fell to his knees begging, "Madam, I won't dare to cross you again, please spare me, don't stoop to my level!"
What was He Songquan doing?
Capitulating when pressed?
But Shen lan had no intentions of sparing He Songquan.
She sneered and dislocated He Songquan's arm, "This will be your lesson. Cross me again or send people to cause me trouble, and I will ensure that your line ends with you!"
He Songquan suddenly let out a pig-like shriek and began to roll on the ground.
Chen Yan gave Shen Lan a thumbs-up, "Lan Lan, well done!"
The two then returned to the studio to focus on completing the design sketches for their customers.
However, the serene atmosphere was disrupted less than half an hour later by the arrival of a group of police officers.
Everything fell in place when Shen Lan saw He Songquan behind the police, along with the people he had brought to hold her and Chen Yan.
Before she could say anything, He Songquan pointed at her, "Officers, it's her! She's deliberately undercutting my prices online to steal my clients. I brought some people to confront her about her reasons but she attacked my employees and me just because she knows some martial arts. Officer, you must stand up for me!"
He Songquan was sobbing miserably.
Chen Yan was infuriated by his antics, "He Songquan, have some dignity! We did list lower prices online, but the people who came to us did it willingly, we didn't force anyone. When you brought people with bats to cause trouble, weren't we allowed to defend ourselves?"
He Songquan immediately retorted with a contemptuous chuckle, "Do you both have any injuries? Instead, look at the state of my employees and me!"
A police officer stepped forward: "Quit arguing, both of you! Come with me to the police station. We will investigate and figure out what exactly happened."
And just like that, the police took Shen Lan and Chen Yan back to the station.
Unfortunately, the surveillance cameras in the area were not working on the day of the incident. There was no way to prove that He Songquan and his men were the first to resort to violence. Now, Shen Lan was at a great disadvantage with He Songquan accusing her and inviting witnesses.
New grudges and old resentments, he wanted to settle all accounts with Shen Lan!