Chapter 76: Garden of Eden He lived in his Garden of Eden

I returned to Xu Sirui's house with the packed box and envelope. As expected, the house was empty and even the lights were not on.

Zhu Yingning put her things down and sat cross-legged on the floor in the middle of the living room. Her mind had been a tangled mess the entire time she'd been walking. It seemed she'd been thinking about a lot, and yet it also seemed she'd been thinking about nothing at all. Only now could she unravel the tangled threads of her thoughts, untangling them and recalling the details of her life since arriving in Beijing. She remembered the glint in Xu Zhengkang's eyes when he'd mentioned Zhou Tianlan's assignment. She remembered the few pieces of information that popped up when she'd looked up Xu Zhengkang's name online. She remembered the fraught relationship between Xu Sirui and Xu Zhengkang, and how Xu Sirui was always away from home.

If what Feng Da said was true, then all the abnormalities would have a reasonable explanation.

But why did she feel so uncomfortable?

The thought that she had learned the true situation of Xu Sirui's family from someone like Feng Da, a traitor, filled her with a surge of inexplicable anger. Even if Feng Da's account was true, it was laced with so much hostility that she didn't want to believe his story alone.

After thinking about it, she picked up the landline phone and dialed a number.

**

Sun Mingyuan was stunned for a moment after opening the door: "You really brought all the food?"

She held up the bag pitifully. "Because Xu Sirui and his father aren't home, I can't eat so much by myself. It'll go bad if I leave it out tomorrow." She was silent for a few seconds before adding, "It's shameful to waste food."

Sun Mingyuan wanted to say that he had just finished dinner, but he was naturally not cruel to women. Hearing this, he touched his bulging belly and muttered, "Then I'll try to help you eat some."

"Sun Mingyuan, you are a great person." She gave a thumbs up.

He let her into the house. Wang Xiaoqian was washing dishes in the kitchen. Her cooking skills were limited, barely enough to keep the food from killing people. For so many years, Sun Guoqing had been cooking, and she was responsible for washing the dishes. Hearing the noise, she wiped her dripping hands on her apron, rushed out enthusiastically, grabbed Zhu Yingning's hand and said, "You are Yingning, right? I've known you for a long time!"

Zhu Yingning thought Wang Xiaoqian knew her because Sun Mingyuan had mentioned her at home. Just as she was about to admit it with a smile, she heard her laugh and say, "I've seen that variety show with you and Si Rui. My god, it was hilarious!"

“…”

Well, no wonder there is an old saying that people from the same family tend to be similar. It seems that Sun Mingyuan inherited this character entirely from Ms. Wang Xiaoqian.

Wang Xiaoqian didn't worry that any girl coming to see her son alone might be planning to have a premature love relationship with him. She cut a plate of fruit for them, pushed them into Sun Mingyuan's bedroom with confidence, and turned around to continue washing the dishes.

Sun Mingyuan found a mini folding table from the corner of the bedroom, pushed it out, put the food and fruit plates on it, sat on the floor with his knees bent, and motioned Zhu Yingning to sit opposite him.

She sat down and they looked at each other in silence.

After an unknown amount of time, Sun Mingyuan finally sighed with a mature air and said, "Actually, Xu Sirui's family affairs shouldn't be told to you by me. It would be best if he spoke himself. But he's a stubborn person, and even a jack can't pry him open. By the time he opens his mouth, it will probably be too late."

Zhu Yingning deeply agreed.

"Since you've already heard the truth from others, I'll tell you the truth," Sun Mingyuan said nervously. "But you have to swear to heaven that you will never use these things to hurt him."

Of course, she chose to tell Zhu Yingning not because she believed in the validity of the oath, but because she trusted her character. But teenagers, after all, inevitably like to play with swearing and swearing. Zhu Yingning also calmly agreed, raising her right hand, clenching it into a fist and pressing it against her temples. She said seriously, "I swear, I will never use the truth to hurt Xu Sirui. If I break my oath, let me..." She thought for a moment, hardened her heart, and said, "Let my grades decline!"

"?"

Sun Mingyuan nodded reluctantly, "Alright...okay."

So the two sides officially began their meeting.

Sun Mingyuan shoveled noodles into his mouth and mumbled, "If you read the verdict, you'll find that Xu Sirui's mother was imprisoned for tax evasion and falsifying accounts, but that's not the case at all."

"What do you mean? Was she wronged?" Zhu Yingning's heart was in suspense.

Sun Mingyuan sighed deeply, put down his fork, and said, "Let me tell you from the beginning, from when his parents got married. Xu Sirui's mother's family was well-off, with an A8 asset. It might not be as good as others, but among ordinary people, she was definitely considered a white, rich and beautiful woman. And to be honest, his father was barely on the edge of being well-off before he got married."

"When they first talked about getting married, his mother's family strongly opposed it, insisting that she find a man of equal status. But Xu Zhengkang... when he wants to coax someone, he can coax them to the heavens. He's handsome, eloquent, and willing to take care of all the housework. He dotes on Xu Sirui's mother with all his heart. As time went on, his mother's family began to soften their stance and think, well, as long as their daughter is happy, that's all that matters."

"After the marriage, the parents-in-law certainly wouldn't sit idly by and watch their daughter live a life of poverty, right? They started investing in Xu Zhengkang and supporting his business. Xu Zhengkang is indeed capable and not a loser. On the other hand, he was lucky and rode the tide of the times, so he actually made this business a success. But he has the ability and luck, but his heart is not right. He has a childhood friend named Zhang Haisheng, who is a financial criminal and has been imprisoned twice before. But Xu Zhengkang still insists on associating with him. This actually shows some clues. Isn't there a saying that birds of a feather flock together?"

"That Zhang Haisheng gave Xu Zhengkang all sorts of devious ideas. He taught him to make Zhou Tianlan the legal representative and use Zhou Tianlan's accounts to falsify accounts and avoid taxes. He also used trust holdings and white glove operations... I don't really understand any of this, but the point is, over the years, Xu Zhengkang not only falsified the accounts, but also completely exonerated himself, shifting all the blame onto his wife, all while Zhou Tianlan himself knew nothing about it. Later, the company was investigated, Zhou Tianlan was imprisoned, and Xu Zhengkang, the actual decision-maker, escaped unscathed with Zhang Haisheng's help."

Zhu Yingning was so shocked she was speechless. Her worldview was shaken beyond belief. She stood there in a daze for a long time, her mouth hanging open. Then she asked, "Is it useless for Aunt Zhou to resist? ... Is she really going to take the blame like this without knowing the truth?"

Sun Mingyuan smiled bitterly. "That's the problem. Xu Zhengkang did a very clean job and left no evidence of his crime. As for Zhou Tianlan, she was innocent before the doubt was proven. As long as she insisted that she was framed by her husband, she wouldn't have gone to jail. But..."

"Let me put it this way. Aunt Zhou is very simple. She was well protected by her parents. She never suffered the slightest hardship from childhood to adulthood. She grew up smoothly as a child and married Xu Zhengkang directly after graduation without ever working a day. Such a simple person, she believes in Qiong Yao-style true love, believing that true love conquers all. Her mental age may not even be as mature as yours. After Xu Zhengkang made a few threats, saying, 'You don't have a job. If I go to jail, our Ruirui will probably starve to death and be bullied outside. But as long as you go to jail for a few years in my place, I can use this time to make a comeback and provide you and your son with a good life,' she believed it and took on all the things that didn't exist in the first place."

"Then...Xu Sirui..." She wanted to ask, did Xu Sirui just sit there and watch all this happen?

Sun Mingyuan rubbed his face and sighed, "Of course he tried to persuade her. Ever since their family got into trouble, he's been trying to persuade his mother to gather evidence and sue Xu Zhengkang. At the very least, don't be so stupid as to get yourself into jail, right? But it was all in vain! His mother didn't listen at all. She was completely immersed in a fairy tale of self-sacrificing love. In her mother's eyes, his words didn't carry as much weight as his father's. In the end, the verdict came out, Aunt Zhou went to jail, and Xu Zhengkang, that jerk..."

Perhaps feeling that his words were too vulgar in front of a girl, Sun Mingyuan swallowed his saliva and changed his words, "That bitch Xu Zhengkang not only didn't get punished, but he also used the remaining money for public relations and wiped the whole thing clean."

"Although their family is much better off than those that go bankrupt and end up with billions in debt, and they still have some extra money to squander, Xu Sirui is used to being treated like a star, and this family change is a devastating blow to him. Just think about it, overnight, his father became a Phoenix man who makes a fortune, and his mother is hopelessly love-brained. He originally thought that his parents were truly in love, but it turned out to be a scam constructed by one party for personal gain. Who could accept this? He has changed since then. Although he had a lot of bad habits before, I don't know if you can get it, but his bad habits before were due to being spoiled too much. The prince syndrome, the bit of spoiled behavior, and now..."

He picked up his fork again, rolled up a spoonful of pasta, and concluded, "Now he's completely lost his life's goals and has no motivation to do anything. And he's actually a very timid person, like a paper tiger that will be pierced at the slightest poke. He's afraid that others will see his poor family background and feel pity for him, so even though he clearly has no motivation, he's forced to pretend to be gentle, kind, and likable. He used to treat everyone who approached him like he loved them, but now? Now, look at that Feng Da. I've told Xu Sirui hundreds of times that this guy is obviously a sinister person and extremely jealous. Making friends with someone like him will backfire sooner or later. Xu Sirui knows it himself, but he subconsciously wants to please people like Feng Da. It's really fucked up..."

Zhu Yingning was speechless for a long time.

She remembered that Zhou Tianqing also said that Xu Sirui was timid. He lived in his Garden of Eden until one day the wind and rain destroyed the Garden of Eden, revealing the cruel and ugly true face of the poisonous snake.

Thinking of Zhou Tianqing, she naturally thought of the quarrel between Xu Sirui and Sun Mingyuan. Taking advantage of this opportunity, she asked casually: "The day you had a nosebleed..."

"Oh, that." Sun Mingyuan touched the tip of his nose. His nose had healed a long time ago, but when Zhu Yingning mentioned it, he couldn't help but feel a phantom pain. He said, "You may not know that the last day of National Day is Aunt Zhou's birthday. I went there mainly to persuade Xu Sirui to go see his mother, but, alas..."

"He won't go?"

"Right." Sun Mingyuan put down his fork again and said with a headache, "From the time his mother went to jail until now, he hasn't visited her once."

"Not even once?!" Zhu Yingning was truly stunned this time. After a long moment of shock, he stammered, "W-why? Aunt Zhou is his mother after all, right? How lonely must she be in there alone..."

Sun Mingyuan didn't answer for a long time. Just when Zhu Yingning thought he wouldn't reply again, he slowly opened his mouth and said, "...He's afraid, he doesn't dare to face it. He thinks that if he doesn't see his mother's miserable condition, he can continue to deceive himself. Actually, Zhu Yingning..." He lowered his eyebrows helplessly and looked at her, "Not everyone is as mentally strong as you."