Chapter 97 - "Her Story"

"Yes. We are friends, " Zhao Yang answered without hesitation even though deep inside, he felt a bit guilty. 

'Though, at first...I didn't consider her a friend. I thought we aren't close enough to be friends. But, thinking again…' 

Zhao Yang recalled all the things he did with Lai Jiayi– starting from involving her in Zhao Yun's kidnapping incident, playing in the amusement park, going to dinner, lunch, and such...until drinking alcohol with her. 

Those things wouldn't happen if the girl weren't a friend. 

Realizing this fact, Zhao Yang slowly recognized the girl as his friend even though the barometer showed that the girl was still in an admired person area, not as far as a friend. 

For Zhao Yang, a friend was something hard to find. He admired people often, but to consider one as a friend, that was on another level. 

"B-boss, you are the first male friend I have…" Lai Jiayi confessed. The girl couldn't help but smile. "S-so, I want to share my story. I-it is okay. I'm fine!" 

Zhao Yang felt something warm enter his heart. He couldn't move his eyes away from Lai Jiayi's smile. 

'First male friend…' 

Zhao Yang coughed. His ears reddened again. "Alright. Since I'm your friend, I'll listen." 

Lai Jiayi's eyes lit up. The girl secretly thanked the dramatic gas effect. 

'Ahhh, it's now easier to talk to Zhao Yang! Okay, let's move on.' 

"Mmm...I s-said before that...my uncle brought me to a place. I-I thought he was going to bring me to a mall." Lai Jiayi gulped. She tried hard not to recall the scene in her mind. 

"B-but then, he brought me to an empty, abandoned building. A-and…" Lai Jiayi bit her lips. She took a deep breath and exhaled. 

"H-he starts to touch me…" Lai Jiayi's chest tightened. The girl squeezed her eyes as sweat kept dripping from her forehead. 

Zhao Yang saw this, but he couldn't do anything. The man could only offer his handkerchief and made sure he stopped the girl if she couldn't hold on. 

"Uh…" Lai Jiayi played with her fingers. She lowered her head and continued her speech. "A-and back then, s-somehow, I couldn't move...I-I think my uncle drugged me." 

'That's right. Thinking back, that bastard must have been planning to do disgusting things with me. He drugged me and brought me to an abandoned building.' 

Lai Jiayi gritted her teeth. Rather than fear, she felt anger instead. 

'Dad trusted his half-brother a lot, yet he did that. No wonder dad severed his ties with the Lai Family and built his own company.' 

Lai Jiayi slowly lifted her head and smiled bitterly. The girl didn't look at Zhao Yang. "I-I can't tell you what he did, b-but...if my dad didn't come to find me...I think…" 

'I would have lost my virginity. That uncle attempted to r*pe me, and he was already so close to taking my chastity.' 

Just remembering the scene made Lai Jiayi frown. The girl covered her mouth as the nauseous feeling struck back. 

At the age of 10, she saw a man's thing in front of her eyes for the first time. Not only that but, her dad's half-brother wasn't the only one at the scene. 

"A-at that time, u-uncle wasn't alone." Lai Jiayi continued her story even when she looked like she's about to cry. "M-my cousins...two of them...around 18 years old...were also there." 

Zhao Yang's face turned dark. The man clenched his fists, not knowing that to say. 

'So the incident involved her uncle and her two cousins?! How– why is there such scum in this world?' 

"Your uncle…" Zhao Yang gulped. He fell silent for a few seconds before asking, "Is he...still alive now?" 

'I want to ask if he's jailed or not. But I think it's a bit weird to ask that.' 

"A-ah, he is still alive." Lai Jiayi nodded. The girl guessed what's in Zhao Yang's mind and spoke, "A-a pity he got away from his crime. D-dad was so furious back then, b-but…" 

'The Lai Family' main branch is as powerful as the Jun Family. Dad can't do anything against them. They somehow manage to get away, leaving my dad only one option.' 

Lai Jiayi sucked in cold air. 

'To leave the family and build his own branch. But...that too, collapsed five years later.' 

Lai Jiayi didn't tell the details, but Zhao Yang already knew. He had investigated Lai Jiayi before, so he knew when her father's business went bankrupt. 

He didn't know the details of the girl's dark past because the report didn't say anything about the girl's relative being the culprit. 

From here alone, one could see how well the family hid the incident. It was as if they had planned this from the start and also planned to get away with it. 

"Your relatives... do they live in this city?" Zhao Yang asked again in a small voice. The man clutched his bangle as he waited for an answer. 

'If they're in this capital city, I can track them as long as I know their names.' 

Zhao Yang clenched his jaw. He secretly swore he would bring justice to the girl. 

"A-ah, I think they left the country after the incident. B-but...I'm not sure…" Lai Jiayi pursed her lips. 

'The people these days will only know about the Lai Family which my dad built. Not the Lai Family main branch. They had disappeared and went abroad.' 

Lai Jiayi took her hot chocolate glass and sipped it. 

'No wonder my dad can't find them and can't do anything about them.' 

Those people...vanished into thin air. 

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