16 Gamblers

◎Gamblers are unforgivable◎

Xu Jianshu was about to lash out again when He Qiongzhi gave him a meaningful look: What's wrong? What are you yelling about? Didn't we agree before we came that if Huaihuai didn't agree, you would...

Xu Jianshu finally realized what was happening. With He Qiongzhi's help, he collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest and groaning, "Ouch, my heart hurts so much..."

The entire set of staged accident actions was executed flawlessly and smoothly.

He Qiongzhi sighed with a bitter face, "Oh dear, Lao Xu, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me. Huaihuai, you really are something. Your dad already has high blood pressure, and you're deliberately trying to upset him. As a daughter, how can you not care about your parents?"

Xu Chengbin also knelt down beside his elder brother with a thud. He took his brother's hand, his face full of grief, as if his brother had already passed away. "Brother, brother! Please don't leave your little brother behind..."

Xu Jianshu secretly pinched his thigh hard, but he bravely turned his head and said to Xu Huaihuai with tears in his eyes, "I say, niece, you really are something. We're all family, why do you have to be so harsh on me? Look, my brother is lying on the ground, sobbing! Waaah! My poor brother!"

Liang Jiajia stood to the side, arms crossed, adopting the demeanor of an elder, and said, "Huaihuai, listen to your second aunt. Your parents sold their house in their hometown so they could come to the city to find you. Now you're kicking them out. How outrageous! You're not even giving your parents a place to stay. They are your own parents! As an elder, I have to say something wrong to you."

Xu Huaihuai chuckled lightly, "My parents came to stay with me, and what about you? Your whole family came to stay with me too?"

"Hey, niece, when you were little, your parents were always busy, and you ate a lot of our meals, right? You're rich now, but it's not good to forget your roots, is it? A person should know how to repay kindness. Look at you now, you don't remember even a little bit of our kindness!"

"Second Aunt, how could I ever forget the kindness of eating your leftovers?"

Xu Huaihuai ignored Liang Jiajia, whose face had turned ashen from choking, and looked at the group of people who were putting on a show in the living room.

Xu Jianshu, the elderly father who was lying on the ground pretending to be sick, He Qiongzhi, the mother who was pretending to wipe away tears but was heartbroken, and Xu Chengbin, the second uncle who was covering his face and only he knew whether he was laughing or crying.

Living like this is truly pathetic. But it's also despicable.

"Mom, get out of my way."

He Qiongzhi was overjoyed. Her daughter had called her "Mom" for the first time today, which clearly showed that her attitude had softened. It was a good omen!

"Hey, Mom knew you still care about Dad."

She quickly gave up her seat and even pulled Xu Chengbin, who was kneeling on top of her and completely oblivious to the world around him, up, afraid that it would affect the father-daughter's communication.

“Sister-in-law, what are you doing? I’m kneeling before my brother…” Xu Chengbin muttered.

"Shut up!" He Qiongzhi warned, giving her brainless brother-in-law a warning look.

"Oh." Xu Chengbin quickly hid behind his wife, only to be met with a glare from her.

"Mom, let Uncle and Aunt go out first. I have something to say to you and Dad."

He Qiongzhi nudged Liang Jiajia, "Jiajia, take them out first."

Liang Jiajia looked somewhat unhappy, afraid that if she left this door, she wouldn't be able to get back in.

He Qiongzhi lowered her voice and said, "Don't worry, I've remembered everything I promised your family."

"Okay, just don't forget, sister-in-law." Liang Jiajia chased her useless husband, her precious son, and her superfluous daughter out.

Xu Jianshu peeked through his cracked eyes.

Xu Huaihuai pulled a small blanket off the sofa with her left hand. The off-white blanket covered Xu Jianshu's face perfectly, making him look like he could be carried away without any emergency treatment. "Dad, go to sleep. If you like, lie down for a while. The floor is cold, so don't catch a cold."

Xu Jianshu sat up abruptly, shoving the blanket aside, his face grim. "You unfilial daughter! What are you saying! What do you mean by covering my face with your blanket!"

“How could it be sarcastic, Dad? I’m just worried about you. I’m afraid the ground is cold and you’ll get chilled.” Xu Huaihuai’s words were sincere, and the concern on her face seemed genuine.

Having witnessed Xu Huaihuai's toughness earlier, He Qiongzhi felt that her daughter's tone had softened considerably, indicating that she had genuinely become more compassionate. She tried to smooth things over for the father and daughter, saying, "Huaihuai, we are all very pleased that you have such filial piety and care for your father, but you can't cover his face with white, that's very unlucky."

"Dad, Mom, my right hand is still injured, and my left hand isn't very accurate. I was just worried that you'd be cold, I didn't expect it to end up covering your face."

"It's just acting, anyone can do that." Xu Huaihuai put on a wounded expression, her eyes filled with sorrow.

“Dad, Mom, from the moment I walked in the door until now, neither of you has shown any concern for my hand, nor asked how I got hurt or if it hurts. How are you any different from a stranger when you are so cold-hearted as parents? Who would let a stranger live in their home?”

Xu Jianshu and He Qiongzhi were somewhat embarrassed. Their trip wasn't to check on their daughter; they hadn't even gotten what they wanted yet, so how could they possibly have the energy to pay attention to anything else?

Xu Jianshu glanced at the gauze on Xu Huaihuai's right hand without saying a word. He Qiongzhi looked embarrassed. It wasn't that she had suddenly become aware of being a mother, but being pointed out like this made it difficult to pretend nothing had happened. She asked somewhat stiffly, "How did you get this? Does it hurt?"

Xu Huaihuai didn't pay much attention to this pointless attempt to salvage the situation. She didn't answer, but said with some surprise, "Hey, Dad, why are you sitting up? Is your chest no longer hurting? Then tell me why we sold the house in our hometown? What did you do with the money?"

"Dad, say something! Mom, why is Dad like this? He won't say anything. It can't be that selling the house was Dad's idea without consulting you, Mom? We only bought that house a few years ago, and the location is good. Why are we selling it all of a sudden? I paid three million for this house back then, right? The house price must have gone up quite a bit by now, right?"

A few million was no small sum for the female protagonist of a startup company at the time.

When asked about the house and money, Xu Jianshu and He Qiongzhi both fell silent.

Xu Huaihuai knew what was going on and was too lazy to play along anymore. Her face turned cold. "Gambling again, huh? It's gotten to the point where you're betting millions. Will it be tens of millions next time? Do you really think I can afford that?"

In the original novel, the heroine's father, Xu Jianshu, was a compulsive gambler. He met the heroine's mother, He Qiongzhi, at the card table. The idea of ​​two gambling addicts together is terrifying, and one can't imagine how miserable life must be in such a family.

The fact that the female protagonist did not develop a gambling addiction despite being in such an environment can be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

"Don't you have a company?" Xu Jianshu took out his cigarette case, wanting to smoke, but Xu Huaihuai slapped it away.

"What are you smoking, Dad? Not everyone wants to inhale your secondhand smoke; it's disgusting. How many companies do I own that you can gamble with? If you don't explain what's going on today, I won't transfer any more money to your accounts." Xu Huaihuai's eyes were sharp, and He Qiongzhi didn't dare to look up and meet her gaze for a moment.

Xu Jianshu, who had always thought his daughter was an easy target, was now surprisingly difficult to control. His face darkened completely after his father's authority had been challenged repeatedly all day. "Xu Huaihuai, you've really got some nerve. Threatening your parents, huh? If you don't support your parents, your mother and I can sue you."

“Supporting you only requires ensuring your basic living needs. I can take care of your food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, but no money will go directly into your hands. No law supports children providing gambling funds for their parents; you are welcome to sue.”

"Besides, several million in gambling funds is a considerable sum. It should constitute a gambling crime, right? Dad, Mom, you might end up working for the government for a few years. I remember a few years ago, Dad had a gambling buddy who gambled away everything and ended up in jail. I wonder if he's out yet?"

“Huaihuai, we are your parents! You can’t treat us like this!” He Qiongzhi panicked and grabbed Xu Huaihuai’s hand. “Your father and I really didn’t want to gamble so much at first. No, we didn’t gamble. Your father and I invested in a few really good stocks. Really, the profits are tens of thousands a day!”

“We wanted to earn more money so you wouldn’t have to work so hard in the big city, so we sold the house and invested all the money. But later we couldn’t withdraw the money. Your dad and I really didn’t gamble; we just made the wrong investment. Huaihuai, investments can result in losses. We definitely won’t invest so much next time, and we’ll definitely make it back. Huaihuai, trust your parents…”

If it weren't for wishful thinking, if it weren't for his gambling addiction, how could he have fallen into the trap of a "pig butchering scam"? Even now, he's still using the excuse of not wanting his daughter to suffer too much, and he's still thinking about a next time.

Unrepentant. I used to feel sorry for them lying on the ground at their age, trying to gain sympathy, but now it seems completely unnecessary.

All that remains is despicable and hateful.

Xu Huaihuai pulled her hand away from He Qiongzhi's. "You came here this time just to stay here and make me pay for your gambling debts, right? As for your second uncle's family coming, ha, you sold your house to stay at their place, right? I bet you promised them a lot of benefits, didn't you?"

"You made the promise yourselves, so you'll have to bear the consequences. There's absolutely no way I'll let my second uncle's family move in, and I have no obligation to provide them with any material or financial support. Either you go and explain it to my second uncle and his family yourselves, or I'll handle it."

"As for Dad and Mom, you can stay with me temporarily until I find you a new place to live. However, as I just made it clear, if you continue to gamble, I will not provide you with a single penny for gambling, no cash will pass through your hands, and I will suspend bank transfers until you quit gambling. A housekeeper will cook for you, and you don't need to worry about living expenses or medical expenses. I will hire a housekeeper to take care of your daily needs."

Knowing that the hope of getting the money was slim, He Qiongzhi slumped to the ground and wept, this time truly. Xu Jianshu stood to the side with his head down. Xu Huaihuai had nothing more to say to them; there were still a few people to deal with at the door, so she turned and walked towards the exit.

Before I even reached the door, I heard footsteps chasing after me.