"Dad, didn't I tell you ages ago? I'm not dead, and neither are you! We're both fine!"
"Those two Baoshen representatives who attacked us are also being watched by the authorities. They were intercepted at the villa before they could even act, and ultimately took their own lives."
"You two were just..."
Min Ziqiong explained.
But she trailed off halfway, looking towards Ying Chen.
She herself didn't understand why her parents had been trapped in this small backyard for a whole day and night.
She'd been to the backyard before, and not just a few times, and she hadn't noticed anything amiss!
And with such a square, completely visible layout, there was no reason it should be able to trap anyone!
Seeing her confusion, Ying Chen smiled slightly and casually said, "You were just affected by malevolent energy, a spiritual possession. It's what people commonly call 'ghosts blocking the way'."
"Once you encounter this, without outside help, it's very difficult to escape on your own. Unless your own yang energy is extremely strong, or you're a professional ghost dispeller."
As soon as he heard the words "yang energy," Min Ziqiong's father blushed deeply.
His lower back had always been problematic, and his yang energy was naturally very weak.
So, if he couldn't break through the "ghost blocking the way," there was nothing more to say.
"No wonder! So your yard is the problem! You really should find a feng shui master to take a look and remodel this yard. Otherwise, bumping into trouble the moment you step in is just too scary!"
"I'm not coming here again, not even if you beat me to death!"
Min Ziqiong's father said, still shaken.
Little did he know that this was precisely Ying Chen's intention.
This grand formation had cost Ying Chen a great deal of effort, and the concentrated spiritual energy within was meant for Nannan's cultivation.
How could it be wasted on people like Min Ziqiong's parents?
Making them fear the backyard and never dare to step foot in it again was exactly what Ying Chen desired!
"Old woman, wake up! We're not dead, we're not dead!"
"Look, open your eyes and see the moon, see the night sky, listen to the insects chirp, listen to the sea breeze! We haven't gone to the underworld; we're still in the land of the living!"
Min Ziqiong's father shook Min Ziqiong's mother, calling out to her.
But Min Ziqiong's mother showed no signs of waking. Instead, she kept muttering, "I don't want to be sent to the eighteenth level of hell, I don't want to be reborn as an animal..."
"Thirty generations of beasts! King Yama, you are so heartless!"
Min Ziqiong's father looked bewildered, "What's going on?"
"She might have been more severely possessed and needs a couple of days of rest to fully recover. You should take her home to rest first!" Ying Chen stepped forward to explain.
Her father, without any suspicion, nodded. He then struggled to lift Min Ziqiong's mother and started to walk out.
However, having fasted for a day and a night, his body was already weak. After only a few steps, he stumbled and fell to the ground with a thud.
This also caused Min Ziqiong's mother to be thrown down heavily.
Poor Min Ziqiong's mother thought she was undergoing torture in hell. With a wail, she cried, "Don't hit me, don't hit me! King Yama, please, stop! I'll confess, alright?"
"It's true that for my own selfish gain, I wanted to sell Xiao Qiong to Young Master Hu, and for my own selfish gain, I wanted to expel Xiao Qiong from the family. I also colluded with the Baoshen representatives for my own selfish gain... Even at the risk of Xiao Qiong's life, all I thought about was how to save Xiao Qiong and obtain the蜃境 formula."
"I am not human, I am guilty... King Yama, please spare me, I know I was wrong..."
Hearing her mother's confession, Min Ziqiong sighed deeply.
Then, without a word, she helped her mother up and said to her father, who looked awkward, "I'll take you home!"
Min Ziqiong's father tried to explain, "Xiao Qiong, your mother is a bit biased, but not to the point..."
But before he could finish, Min Ziqiong interrupted him, "Hurry up, I have important matters to attend to later."
"Sigh!" Min Ziqiong's father shook his head and said no more.
He silently followed Min Ziqiong towards the garage.
Ying Chen watched their retreating figures and mused, "It's hard for an honest official to settle domestic disputes."
"As expected, women only slow down a man's draw speed. True men should remain single and reject love."
"Wives are just burdens!"
The two-thousand-year-old straight man, who had never experienced the bitterness of love, looked wary.
He had seemingly taken the newly learned internet maxim, "With no woman in one's heart, one's blade naturally flies," as an unassailable truth.
...
After taking her parents home, Min Ziqiong immediately drove to Jianghai Commercial Bank.
This was the largest bank in Jianghai and held decisive sway in the banking industry there.
If Jianghai Commercial Bank agreed to loan Min Ziqiong the money, then funding would no longer be a concern.
The issues of factory site selection and company establishment would also become much easier to handle.
"I'm here to see Director Zhao. We had an appointment this morning," Min Ziqiong told the lobby manager as soon as she entered the bank.
The manager clearly recognized Min Ziqiong and, without a word, led her to the director's office.
"Hello, Director Zhao. Here is my business plan, and here are the necessary documents for the loan; I have prepared everything."
"Since this is our first collaboration, I won't make things difficult for you, Director Zhao. A loan of ten billion is sufficient."
"Given the quality and reputation of our 蜃境, we will achieve profitability as soon as the first batch of products is launched. I believe we can repay your bank's loan very quickly."
Min Ziqiong handed a stack of documents to Director Zhao, speaking politely.
However, Director Zhao didn't take the documents. He merely removed his glasses and sighed, "Ms. Min, from a personal standpoint, I strongly support 蜃境 and support you. But..."
"I am the director of Jianghai Commercial Bank, and I must be responsible to Jianghai Commercial Bank."
"I have reviewed your documents and believe you do not have sufficient eligibility for a loan. Ten billion is too large a sum for our bank and carries a high risk of becoming a non-performing loan."
"Therefore, the maximum amount we can offer is—twenty million."
Whoosh!
Min Ziqiong's expression changed.
Twenty million?
That wouldn't even be enough for the land rent for the production workshop!
"Director Zhao, do you have some misunderstanding about the value of our 蜃境? 蜃境 is a world-leading biotechnology product! It's impossible for it to be worth only twenty million!" Min Ziqiong said anxiously.
Director Zhao waved his hand, "No, no, no, I am well aware of the value of 蜃境. But Ms. Min, you haven't understood my meaning. My meaning is that based on Ms. Min's personal credit, you can only obtain a loan of twenty million."
"However, if Ms. Min is willing to use 蜃境 as collateral, then there will be no problem, and you can naturally obtain the ten billion loan."
"Let alone ten billion, even twenty or thirty billion would be within reach!"
"So, Ms. Min, are you willing to hand over the 蜃境 technology and formula as collateral?"
The true intention was revealed, and Min Ziqiong instantly understood Director Zhao's real motive!