After Liu Chen got home from school today, he received news that his eldest aunt had forged a signature, using Hu Xingfa's company to secure a total of three million yuan in loans from various banks, and had also absconded with all of Hu Xingfa's savings.
She had even sold three excavators to two construction companies.
In other words, Hu Jin, his eldest aunt Hu Jin, had absconded with almost all of Hu Xingfa's money.
Hu Min leaned back against the plush cushions of the European-style sofa, her eyes wide and her mouth agape in disbelief. "Over six million at least, six million! Big sister was truly ruthless. On the surface, it looks like she took half of big brother's net worth, but in reality, she stripped away everything of value in one go. The remaining excavators would struggle to repay the over three million in loans. By the time the loans are paid off, these excavators will be too old to be usable. This means, besides the few houses left at home, big brother's excavator rental company is practically finished."
Liu Fang vaguely suspected the motives behind Hu Jin's current act of revenge, but since the matter had passed, revealing it now would only make others look down on Hu Jin even more. She therefore remained silent, sitting by the side.
Liu Chen thought for a long time and was still convinced that in his past life memories, his eldest aunt had not succeeded, or at least, not before Hu Qian went to college. Otherwise, he wouldn't have heard Hu Qian boasting about buying a house right after graduation while he was wearing a mascot costume. Furthermore, he later heard from Mi Zhuzhu that Hu Qian's husband in his previous life was quite well-off. Had the changes in this life led to events that didn't happen in the past?
Liu Chen sat in the study, looking at the computer screen that had just finished its startup sequence under the desk lamp, and let out a long sigh. He logged into QQ and initiated a video call request to Ren Yu. Almost the instant the request was sent, the call was answered. Ren Yu's face appeared on the screen.
"What's wrong? You seem troubled."
"It's nothing. I'll send you today's problems. Please check them."
Seeing that Liu Chen didn't want to elaborate, Ren Yu didn't press further. After their usual tutoring session ended and the video call was disconnected, Ren Yu turned and made a call on his phone. The ringing on the other end went on for a long time before Ren Mo's voice came through.
"Hello? Brother... What do you need me for this late at night?"
"Tomorrow, ask about what's going on with Liu Chen's family."
"What?"
"Ask about you coming to Beijing to intern at the company this summer."
"Really!" Ren Mo's voice immediately perked up. He rolled over and said repeatedly, "A gentleman's word is his bond! I'll find out tomorrow!"
"Huh? Brother, how do you know something happened to Liu Chen's family?"
As soon as Ren Mo finished speaking, the call from the other end was hung up with a beep.
...
The next day, before Ren Mo could even ask, Liu Chen told Mi Zhuzhu about what had happened to Hu Xingfa. Mi Zhuzhu, who had been diligently studying and doing problems, listened to the convoluted story, shaking her head and clapping her hands vigorously. "Amazing, Chen Chen, your eldest aunt is quite capable! Ah... if that's the case, doesn't that mean little princess Hu Qian is also broke now?"
Hearing this name again, Liu Chen merely smiled faintly, without much schadenfreude. "Probably. Their family should only have two houses left now, and one of them is in Hu Qian's mother's name. Even that Mercedes-Benz has been mortgaged."
"Tsk tsk, it's true that heaven's justice is served. Let me tell you, Chen Chen, former classmates from Class Four said that ever since Hu Qian's mother gave gifts to the new homeroom teacher, the teacher doesn't even care about her anymore. In the homeroom teacher's math class, only Hu Qian dares to not pay attention and secretly play with her phone. She thinks she's so cool. She's so silly. She doesn't know that true love should be like our boss Lai, who, upon seeing our grades drop, tries every way to analyze where we're weak."
Liu Chen nodded with a smile. Having stayed in a positive environment for a while, Mi Zhuzhu gradually understood that for students, learning was the most cost-effective endeavor, and those who indulge your lack of learning were actually drowning you.
As the two girls were chatting enthusiastically, Lai Jielun's expression became a bit odd. After hesitating for a while, he tentatively asked, "Sister Chen, that hotel you mentioned that couldn't afford the subsequent fees and gave up the deposit, wasn't it the Grand Hotel where we celebrated your birthday last time? The manager there messaged me yesterday saying they could give us a discount. Someone canceled their booking for May Day, so I passed it on to Mom Liu..."
After saying this, Lai Jielun couldn't help but cover his face with one hand, feeling a bit embarrassed. How awkward this was! Big brother couldn't afford his full moon banquet and withdrew, allowing his younger sister to snatch up the booking for a wedding? How upset would Aunt Chen's aunt be if she knew?
Liu Chen, however, waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry. That hotel was also booked by my eldest aunt before she ran off. Hu Xingfa probably doesn't even know which hotel it was, let alone which banquet hall."
In fact, Hu Xingfa indeed didn't know. He was currently immersed in the shock of discovering that Zhang Lili was involved in this loan fraud case. Who was Zhang Lili? She had been with him for more than ten years, from her twenties to almost forty. He had never imagined that Zhang Lili would betray him. In his heart, Zhang Lili was a vine dependent on him; if the tree fell, the vine wouldn't survive.
Watching Zhang Lili being taken away by the police from her home, Hu Xingfa was plunged into intense self-doubt. He desperately wanted to find someone to lean on. Then, he came to Carnation Nursing Home. It was his first time stepping into the nursing home where his mother lived. After inquiring about the room number, he ignored the shock in the front desk nurse's eyes. He took the elevator upstairs and arrived outside the ward. He expected to see his mother playing mahjong and chatting with other patients, as was often the scene when he visited her at home. But when he pushed the door open, the room exuded a sense of loneliness. Luo Meihong lay on her back on the hospital bed, her eyes fixed on the ceiling. The room was silent; even the television, which his mother loved to watch, was off. She didn't even bother to turn her head when she heard someone enter. It wasn't until Hu Xingfa spoke:
"Mom..."
Luo Meihong blinked her eyelashes, then slowly turned her head and looked in the direction of the voice.
"My son!! You've come to see your mother! Quick! Quick, take Mom home! Let's go home!"
Hu Xingfa looked at the old woman, who had become gaunt after only a few months apart. He licked his lips, remembering that this nursing home was the best in C City and cost six thousand yuan a month. Their family wasn't well-off now. Since his mother wanted to go home, he would humor her.
Hu Xingfa stood by the bedside, silhouetted against the setting sun filtering through the window. "Okay, Mom, let's go home."