Lin Bo's matter is basically settled. Cao Wenli's family is from a county under Qingdao City. Her older brother is married, and she has a younger brother and sister who are in school. Her parents are also factory workers. From what I heard, the family atmosphere is good.
Bonnie hasn't had much to do lately. The autumn vegetables on the island have already been planted, and it'll be a while before the corn harvest. The kelp is growing well too; she checks on it every few days. Teacher Gao's traditional remedy is very effective; none of the kelp have gotten sick, and everything is going well.
The island was calm and peaceful, but a shocking event occurred at the Gu Xiangdong family home in Beijing.
"Gu Ze, you can't just stand by and watch Gu Bei get into trouble! No matter what, he's still your brother!"
In the retirement home, in Grandpa Gu's room, Gu Ze was summoned.
Gu Xiangdong and Xu Fang also looked at Gu Ze anxiously, hoping he would help, otherwise, Gu Bei would be finished.
"As soon as I came in, you were all crying and wailing, begging me for help. It seems like something serious has happened. Tell me, what's wrong?"
Gu Xiangdong looked at Gu Ze, opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.
"Gu Ze, Gu Bei has been framed. Someone wants to target our Gu family, so they're using Gu Bei as a scapegoat. They found a shady woman to seduce him, but then accused him of rape. Our little Bei is only seventeen, still a child. What does he know?"
"Waaah, those damned bastards, they're so awful."
If one out of ten of Xu Fang's words is true, that's already a good thing. She always likes to shift the blame onto others, claiming that she herself is completely blameless.
"Wow, I didn't know our Gu family had such a big reputation that it would be worth such elaborate schemes to deal with them, and to target a child instead of the rest of the Gu family. Gu Bei is quite capable!"
Gu Ze is now finally experiencing the joy of Gu Ye's relentless teasing; it's so satisfying.
"Gu Ze, it's all Gu Bei's fault, but for the sake of the blood you share, help him this once, otherwise, he might be in trouble."
"Waaaah... My little Bei..."
Upon hearing this, Xu Fang burst into tears. This was a death sentence for her; he was her only son.
"Gu Ze, is there any way to turn this around? If this gets out of hand, it will also affect the Gu family's reputation."
Grandpa Gu was also having a headache. Gu Bei was spoiled rotten by his mother. He wasn't doing well in school, and he was about to graduate high school. His family could have easily gotten him a job, and he could have just stayed in one. Instead, he hung around with a bunch of good-for-nothings all day long. What good could he possibly be?
“Grandpa, the situation now is not about whether I can help or not, but about the victims’ demands. What do they want? Can I arrest them and silence them? I don’t have that kind of power.”
"That woman wants to marry Gu Bei, and she also wants a worker's position."
Gu Xiangdong knew that he couldn't hide anything at this point, otherwise Gu Ze would really abandon him.
"Tell me in detail what exactly happened? You're just giving me random information, and you haven't explained what exactly happened."
"Isn't Gu Bei about to graduate from high school? The school doesn't teach much. He hangs out with a bunch of guys every day, and we didn't pay much attention. We just played around and ate things. Who would have thought something like this would happen?"
That day, he and some friends went to the other party's relatives' house. They had a meal, drank some alcohol, and stayed at the house. Somehow, when he woke up in the morning, he was lying in the girl's bed, neither of them dressed, and the girl's parents had caught them in bed together.
The girl in that family is three years older than Gu Bei, already twenty. She used to have a boyfriend, but the relationship ended, and now she's slept with Gu Bei. She's threatening to kill herself. Her parents are demanding that Gu Bei marry her and find them a stable job; otherwise, they'll sue him for indecent assault.
Gu Xiangdong reluctantly revealed the truth, feeling his face burning with shame as he lost face in front of his son.
"Gu Bei was tricked by them. I found out about the girl's relationship. She has a bad reputation and no one wants to marry her. Her parents are thinking of using her to pave the way for their son."
Xu Fang now wanted nothing more than to beat that woman until her face was covered in bruises. At her age, she was still trying to harm her son. How shameless!
Gu Ze realized that they had been set up. It was actually quite good; with such a daughter-in-law, Xu Fang's future would be very bright. Let them lock her up, to prevent her from harming other good people's daughters in the future.
"What's the use of you coming to me about this? They've set their terms, there's no way we can settle. Even if they're deliberately scheming, what can you do? It's Gu Bei's own fault for jumping into the trap they dug."
"Gu Ze, is this something a son should say?"
Grandma Gu couldn't hold back any longer and launched into a scolding. She forgot that the Gu Ze before her was no longer the boy who had lost his mother and was easily manipulated. He was now over thirty and had held a high position for many years; he was not someone who could be easily intimidated.
"Grandma, that's not right. Instead of criticizing me for making a mistake, you're being harsh to me who hasn't done anything wrong. That's a bit inappropriate."
"You, you, you've really grown up, just like your mother, full of rebellious spirit."
"Clang!"
Gu Ze slammed the enamel mug on the table to the ground and looked at Grandma Gu calmly.
"Grandma, Heaven is watching what people do. No matter how much you have a problem with my mother, please watch your tone of voice and don't be disrespectful to the deceased."
"Shut up, all of you. If you don't want to listen, go inside. There's no point in talking."
Is Grandpa Gu at his wit's end with his wife? She's getting more and more confused with age, doing things that are utterly baffling. The time she secretly gave Gu Feng money was another example; I really don't know what she's thinking all day. Knowing full well Gu Ze's feelings for her mother, she still spouts nonsense.
The old lady was scolded and embarrassed, so she turned around and went inside.
"Gu Ze, don't argue with your grandma. She's getting senile. Is there really no way to help Gu Bei?"
"Grandpa, they've prepared so meticulously; they're going all out and determined to succeed. What can I do? Can I stop them from talking or threaten them not to report Gu Bei?"
Gu Ze's blunt words turned Gu Xiangdong and Xu Fang pale; there was nothing they could do.
“You’re such a high-ranking official, how come you can’t handle such a small matter? You’re just holding a grudge against me. If you hate me, just say so. I’ll kowtow to you and apologize, begging you to save your brother. I’ll kowtow to you.”
As soon as Xu Fang finished speaking, she rushed over to kowtow to Gu Ze, but Gu Ze didn't even blink and remained sitting there calmly. "Go ahead and kowtow, whatever."
“Gu Ze, no matter what, your Aunt Xu is an elder. How can you just sit there without moving?”
"She doesn't deserve it!"
Gu Ze tapped the table lightly with his hand, but his words sent a chill down everyone's spine. Back then, it wasn't just Gu Ye who hated his father and Xu Fang; Gu Ze hated them too, but he was able to hold back, and he did so even more successfully.
"If you don't want Gu Bei to eat peanuts, then do as he asks. There's nothing I can do about it."
After Gu Ze finished speaking, he got up and left. He had seen the joke!
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