Meng Zihan stared at Meng Xueyun in disbelief, as if she were looking at a stranger.
Her lips trembled, and it took her a long time to find her voice.
"Aunt...Aunt, what...what did you say?"
Meng Xueyun thought she was still arguing about money, and she became increasingly annoyed, rolling her eyes impatiently.
“I’m telling you, all the money you gave me before was illicit money you laundered! That money has to be handed over in full! So, you still haven’t paid back a single penny of the severance pay you owe our family! You have to go out and earn clean money to pay us back! That’s my and your uncle’s retirement money, our life savings, don’t even think about taking a single cent!”
"Retirement money... funeral money... I'd take yours?"
Meng Zihan murmured these words repeatedly, looking at Meng Xueyun's face, which was distorted by anger and scheming, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
This time, it wasn't an act; it was genuine heartbreak and despair.
This is her aunt who has spoiled her since she was a child!
Now, over such a small matter, she turns on me without any mercy!
She had treated Meng Xueyun as her closest relative, and whenever she encountered difficulties, she would be the first person she thought of coming to her!
"Auntie, how could you do this to me! How could you do this to me!"
Mencius could not bear such a cruel reality and collapsed.
She burst into tears, “Auntie, I’m down on my luck now, I’m desperate, and instead of helping me, you’re kicking me while I’m down. Are you trying to drive me to my death? You’re my only family in this world, how can you be so heartless!”
Seeing Meng Zihan's tears, Meng Xueyun felt no emotion whatsoever, only that they were crocodile tears, utterly hypocritical.
"How have I treated you? I'm your only family?"
She sneered, mercilessly exposing Meng Zihan's facade.
"When you used sweet words to swindle our family out of our severance pay, did you never think that I was your only relative? When you had money and lived a life of luxury in Hong Kong, looking down on us poor relatives, did you never think that I was your only relative? Now that you're down on your luck and have nowhere to go, I'm your only relative again? Meng Zihan, there's no such thing as a free lunch!"
"Money! Money! Money! Why do you keep talking about money!" Meng Zihan was almost driven mad by her words. "Is money that important? More important than family?"
“Yes! It’s that important!” Meng Xueyun retorted without backing down. “Without money, how will we eat? How will we pay for your uncle’s medical treatment? How will we send your two younger brothers to university? Money isn’t important, but you ran off to be an old man’s mistress for money in the first place?”
Meng Xueyun was too lazy to waste any more words with her. She stepped forward and said sternly, "Don't give me any more of this nonsense! Pack your things right now and come with me to turn yourself in! We'll follow the police's instructions after that!"
As she spoke, she reached out to grab Meng Zihan's arm.
Meng Zihan was unwilling to comply.
She screamed, forcefully shaking off Meng Xueyun's hand, and cried out as she backed away, "I won't go! I'd rather die than turn myself in! I don't want to go to jail!"
After saying that, she turned and rushed out the door, crying as she ran out of the home she once relied on for survival, without even having time to grab the suitcase that was placed in the corner.
Meng Zihan ran aimlessly through the streets like a headless fly.
In the 1990s, the streets of Wuhan were not very wide, and the buildings on both sides were low-rise buildings and lush plane trees.
Sunlight filters through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.
Meng Zihan didn't know how long she had been running, nor where she had ended up.
It wasn't until she stopped and looked up that she realized she had ended up in the steel factory cadre compound where she had lived as a child.
The red brick wall, the tall and sturdy iron gate, and the old locust tree with its lush branches in the yard—everything was exactly the same as I remembered.
She stood at the entrance of the compound, staring blankly.
The tide of memories instantly overwhelmed her.
At that time, my uncle Ye Zhenghua was the workshop director in the factory, full of vigor and ambition.
Her aunt, Meng Xueyun, doted on her.
Her two younger cousins followed her around like little shadows, calling her sweetly, "Sister Xiaohan."
The children in the compound all wanted to play with her. Gu Yifei would always stand quietly by her side, using his pocket money to buy her the prettiest hair accessories and the tastiest snacks.
Back then, she was the proudest and most beautiful little princess in the courtyard.
How did she gradually get to this point where she is now completely abandoned by everyone?
The more Meng Zihan thought about it, the sadder and more upset she became, until she felt like she couldn't breathe.
She strained her eyes to look at the building where Gu Yifei lived, but she couldn't see him.
That was once her most beloved husband, but in this life he has become her enemy.
Meng Zihan could no longer hold on, so she squatted down, buried her face in her knees, and began to sob.
She cried for an unknown amount of time, until her voice was hoarse and her tears had dried up, before slowly raising her head and haphazardly wiping the tear stains from her face with the back of her hand.
She will not turn herself in.
He went to jail, lost everything, and like his aunt said, he had to go out and work to pay off his debts...
She would never live that kind of life.
Since everyone has abandoned her and refuses to help her, she will have to rely on herself!
She will resolve this matter in her own way and reclaim everything that belongs to her!
Meng Zihan wasted no more time; she was going to take her evidence back to Hong Kong and confront Director Zhang.
Meanwhile, the Ye family.
Exhausted, Meng Xueyun slumped onto the sofa and began to cry helplessly.
At the other end of the sofa, Ye Linnan and Ye Linbei, who had been silent all along, exchanged a glance.
Ye Linnan spoke first, moving closer to Meng Xueyun to comfort her, "Mom, don't cry. Meng Zihan got to where she is today because of her own choices. She has only herself to blame, so it's not your fault."
"Besides, crying now won't help. We should think about what to do next."
Meng Xueyun's crying stopped. She slowly raised her head and asked in confusion, "...What should I do? What should I do?"
Ye Linnan replied, "Meng Zihan may have run away, but her crime is undeniable. Sister is right; from the moment we learned about this, we've been in the know. If the police come knocking one day and she's not there, even if we didn't do anything, we'll be implicated! Then, we'll all be finished!"
The words "It's all over" hit Meng Xueyun like a bucket of ice water.
She stopped crying instantly and asked, "Then... what should we do now? I... I can't let anything happen to either of you!"
Ye Linbei had been silent until now, but he spoke up: "Since she refuses to turn herself in no matter what, then don't blame us for not showing any mercy."
"Let's report her."
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