The noisy traffic and commotion of the outside world seemed to put all the burdens on the shoulders of this 18-year-old girl.
"He never stopped over all these years." Li Mengfu cried even harder, unsure if she should help him pay his debts.
If she paid it off today, what about tomorrow and the day after tomorrow?
He was a gambler, a gambler who had treated Li Mengfu as his cash cow for so many years.
Before she turned 17, everyone said she was just a child and was not allowed to make decisions, leaving it to her parents.
After turning seventeen, Qi Zhi taught her through words and actions that she had grown up, that she could make her own decisions.
Leaning against a tree by the asphalt road, Qi Zhi's low voice carried a convincing power that calmed Li Mengfu's heart:
"Walk your own life path, Mengmeng doesn't have to live for someone else."
"The debt for raising you for the past eighteen years has already been repaid. You are only 18, you shouldn't sacrifice your whole life for a gambler."
Hearing this, Li Mengfu suddenly felt at ease. She no longer choked up, her gaze gradually became resolute. "I understand."
Growing up, almost all her income from over a decade of acting had gone into her parents' pockets. To be honest, she really didn't owe Li Zhongshui anything.
That night, Li Mengfu couldn't sleep, sitting in silence, she stared at the moon obscured by dark clouds until she finally drifted into a light sleep until four in the morning.
The next day when she walked out of her room, her father looked at her hopefully.
Li Mengfu asked coldly: "Dad, who did you borrow from? Qi Zhi said he has a way."
Hearing Qi Zhi's name, her father's eyes suddenly lit up frighteningly. He trembled with excitement: "He is called Long-ge, lives on ** Street."
"Mengfu, don't help him!" Li's mother hugged Li Mengfu and cried out.
Unlike Li's father who only saw Li Mengfu as a cash cow, Li's mother's thoughts ran deeper.
When she was young, she followed Li's father to work everywhere and endured a lot of hardships. She hoped that Li Mengfu would marry into a rich and powerful family and enjoy the happy life of a wealthy madam.
And Qi Zhi, who was close in age to Li Mengfu and the heir of the Qi family, became the golden son-in-law in Li Mother's eyes.
"Since you got Qi Zhi involved in this, in the future, in the future..."
Li Mengfu's eyes flickered with confusion for a moment, not understanding what her mother meant.
Seeing this, her mother felt so anxious that she spoke bluntly: "Now that you've gotten Qi Zhi involved, if the Qi family finds out in the future that your father is a gambler, how could they let you into their family?"
Only then did Li Mengfu understood her mother's implication. She laughed angrily: "Mom, Qi Zhi and I are just ordinary friends, don't think too much."
"I'm only 18, and you're already thinking of selling me for a good price?" Li Mengfu said sarcastically.
Li's mother had treated Li Mengfu quite well, but only on the basis that Li Mengfu could bring her greater benefits.
Her mother smiled embarrassingly: "No no, that's not what I meant."
Li Mengfu took a deep breath and gave her parents one last look: "I have something to take care of, I'm going out."
Li Mengfu lifted her leg and left the house expressionlessly.
Downstairs from Li Mengfu's apartment building, Qi Zhi was leaning against a white Cayenne, waiting for her.
Seeing Li Mengfu from afar, her pure and sweet face tinged with coldness and her glistening eyes, Qi Zhi was worried this girl would soften and start crying again.
Gambling was illegal after all.
The two of them had decided last night to hand this matter over to the police.
"Good morning," Qi Zhi's eyes were gentle as he greeted her as usual.
A slight smile and pearly dimples appeared on Li Mengfu's face: "Sorry to keep you waiting."
"No problem," Qi Zhi shook his head.
Just then, a van suddenly stopped behind Qi Zhi's Cayenne, and four burly men got out of the car.
Despite the early March chill, the four men wore black vests, revealing incredibly terrifying blue tattooed arms.
The leader of the thugs took out his phone and looked at Li Mengfu again and again. His eyes were vicious and the scar on his face made him look particularly ferocious:
"Are you Li Mengfu?"
"Li Zhongshui's celebrity daughter?"
Hearing the other party mention Li Mengfu's father's name, Qi Zhi frowned and reached out to protect Li Mengfu behind him.
【Host, last night Long-ge found out that Li Mengfu is Li Zhongshui's daughter, so he directly wants to ask her for money.】
Qi Zhi already knew that trouble was coming without the system's reminder.
Seeing the pretty boy protecting Li Mengfu behind him, Scarface grinned sinisterly: "Your dad owes our Long-ge 40 million. We heard you're a celebrity so we came to find you directly."
"Every debt has its debtor and the one who owes is accountable. If you have the ability, go find Li Zhongshui." Qi Zhi frowned. Seeing no one around, he relaxed his brows as it was convenient for him to take action later.
"Hey, it doesn't matter if we find the father or the daughter!" Besides, the daughter is worth more money!
After speaking, Scarface tried to grab Li Mengfu.
Qi Zhi reacted quickly to block his claws. Before Qi Zhi could speak, Scarface took the lead and shouted loudly:
"Kid, this has nothing to do with you. If you continue to protect her, don't blame us for being ruthless!"
Scarface was burly in stature, and his voice was loud. He stared fiercely at the two of them.
The security guard at the entrance saw the four menacing men and didn't dare make a sound but he hid in the guard room and called the police.
Li Mengfu had never encountered such people before and was shocked. She grabbed the belt on Qi Zhi's windbreaker, looking frightened.
Noticing that the girl behind him was scared but pretending to be calm, Qi Zhi raised an eyebrow and blocked Scarface with his right leg.
Qi Zhi's eyes were chilling, his face as cold as frost, causing Scarface to temporarily step back.
"Mengmeng, sit on the chair at the back for a while," Qi Zhi said, gently stroking her hair and soothing her with warm, comforting eyes.
"The little pretty boy still wants to play hero," the four thugs sneered.
Qi Zhi, dressed in a khaki windbreaker, had a tall and slender figure. His face gradually turned dark and menacing, killing intent billowing from his handsome face.
Qi Zhi casually moved his neck, and a crisp sound came from his bones cracking. Then, he kicked the scarred man in the abdomen.
Seeing he was actually a nimble and powerful expert, the thugs' faces sank. After exchanging a glance, they rushed forward together.
But Qi Zhi's combat power was far beyond ordinary people.
Seeing Qi Zhi's steady and experienced movements Li Mengfu calmed down and immediately took out her phone to call the police.
Having gone through so many worlds, how could someone like Qi Zhi be matched by mere mortals like them?
In a flash, the four burly men were all knocked down by Qi Zhi.
Qi Zhi's attacks were ruthless, all four were injured in the bones and meridians.
The thugs lay sprawled on the ground howling in pain. Only then did the security guard in his fifties finally dared to come over and shout.
Qi Zhi glanced coldly at the security guard. Seeing the situation was bad, Scarface got up and tried to run away.
Qi Zhi extended his leg and kicked him to the ground again and said in an icy tone, "Be honest, or I'll kill you right now."
Qi Zhi said the word "kill".
Seeing his sinister and terrifying expression, as if he was a god-slayer coming from the darkness, the four suddenly fell silent like cicadas in winter, not doubting that the young man in front of them would really kill them.
A few minutes later, two police cars arrived.
The four thugs were pushed into the car, while Qi Zhi and Li Mengfu stayed behind to give their statements.
The second day Li Mengfu turned eighteen was destined to be a day she would never forget.
She personally reported her own father's gambling and helped the police crack down on the evil forces of usury.
The commotion caused by Qi Zhi and Li Mengfu was not small. Within a few minutes, the media had already started reporting widely, "Li Mengfu's father gambled and borrowed from loan sharks."
【Wang-ge, release the internet trolls to control public opinion】- Qi Zhi contacted his agent during the break when Li Mengfu was making her statement.
Today's public opinion battle was something Qi Zhi had been waiting for for a long time.
When one rises, all rise; when one falls, all fall. As news of Li's father's gambling debts broke out, it instantly ignited the public sentiment.
Li Mengfu was labeled as the "gambler's daughter" and "abetting evil", completely falling from the pedestal of "national sweetheart", reduced to a eighteenth line entertainer.
In less than two minutes, various marketing accounts started releasing related keywords like "Li Mengfu chose righteousness over family."
When the gossip-loving public and fans clicked in to look, they couldn't help but sigh.
【I always wondered why Mengmeng has been living in that old run-down neighborhood in the capital city all these years. Turns out the money was all gambled away by her dad! (crying emoji)】
This comment was quickly voted to the top.
With Li Mengfu's high popularity recently, her address had long been dug up.
At that time it also sparked a lot of discussion, with people saying the "national sweetheart" was very frugal in private, with the family home being an old neighborhood bought over a decade ago.
Thanks to Li Mengfu's extremely good reputation in the public, although she had an unsightly "gambler father", she stood up and reported his name earned applause from the public.
Of course, some did say Li Mengfu was "cold-blooded" for reporting the father who had worked hard to raise her for eighteen years.
【Those who stand and talk don't ache in the waist, wait until your family has a gambling addict, then you'll understand.】
【Before being signed by Xiao Qi, it was always Mengmeng's parents who helped her get jobs and appearances. She has been supporting that family all the way since she was in elementary school!】
This comment sparked resentment from a few old fans, who complained one after another that Li Mengfu's parents didn't care about her education when she was young, even letting her repeat grades just to accept endorsement deals for her.
Fortunately Li Mengfu performed well back then, she skipped two grades in high school and still made it into the Film Academy.
Comments calling Li Mengfu cold-blooded were soon overwhelmed by fans and marketing accounts, with fans highlighting just how miserable Li Mengfu's life was before she turned eighteen, even taking out photos and videos as evidence.
The public didn't expect that the young girl they were familiar with and watched grow up had actually been exploited and drained by her own parasite like parents.
On the other hand, Qi Zhi had long gotten various media outlets and marketing accounts on his side. Public opinion was unanimous, creating a situation completely opposite to the one in the past life where everyone was shouting for beatings.
The public opinion battle that had dealt a fatal blow to Li Mengfu was finally resolved two days later.
A month later, Li's father was sentenced to prison on charges of gambling and other offenses.
Meanwhile, because there was a gambling addict in the family, Li's mother faced constant gossip and scrutiny whenever she went out. Eventually, unable to bear the harassment, she used the allowance provided by Li Mengfu to travel abroad on vacation.
Li Mengfu stood in the empty living room, feeling a sense of emptiness in her heart.
"Knock knock," Qi Zhi knocked on the door twice. "All packed up?"
A few days ago, Qi Zhi had found a new place for her and they were moving.
"Mm," Li Mengfu gave him a faint smile. "It's enough to find a moving company, why did you skip classes and come all the way?"
Qi Zhi raised an eyebrow with a hint of a smile in his eyes. He ruffled Li Mengfu's hair and said meaningfully, "I came just for you."