Chapter 36 They're even pulling out their life savings...
Liu Lihua and Zhao Xiuying were both shocked when they heard her words; they hadn't expected that she knew everything.
“Zhenzhen, Zhenzhen, they really know they were wrong,” Liu Lihua still tried to fool her as if she were an innocent little girl, wiping away her tears and pretending to be pitiful. “Zhenzhen, your aunt has always treated you like her own daughter. Please forgive your uncle and aunt this time. I promise you they will never do it again.”
Zhao Xiuying also got anxious and accidentally blurted out her true feelings, "Zhenzhen, your father only has one daughter, and you will have to rely on your brother to support you in the future. How can you not care about him now? Tell your grandmother if someone has been saying something to you behind your back these past few days?"
Her last sentence was practically a direct attack on Bai Zhenzhen. Bai Zhenzhen had just said that she had gone back to her hometown with Shen Huai'an these past two days. Wasn't her statement implying that the Shen family had instigated her to distance herself from the Li family?
“Yes, Zhenzhen, you’re still young and don’t understand. Your grandma and I only want the best for you and would never harm you,” Liu Lihua’s eyes darted around and she immediately chimed in, “Your dad probably misjudged you. The Shen family is all from the countryside and they’re very poor. That Shen guy probably already had it all planned out when he married you. You’re all alone. If we don’t help you, one day he might just come and eat you up. Zhenzhen, you need to think this through. We’re the real family.”
They haven't even washed the mud off their own heels yet, and they're already calling others country bumpkins. They really forget their ancestral origins after enjoying a couple of good days.
Bai Zhenzhen didn't respond, but she had her own judgment. She wasn't sure what the Shen family was thinking, but the Li family really wanted to devour her completely.
Seeing that she remained silent, Liu Lihua and Zhao Xiuying pressed on. One of them said that she had no mother since she was a child, and they, as her elders, couldn't help but want to love her more. The other said that she was their precious darling, and they only wanted to see her well before they could die with the confidence to give her mother an explanation.
The two of them were so good at acting that they could talk a better game than they could sing. Bai Zhenzhen realized that she couldn't blame herself for being so easily fooled in the past.
But now she wouldn't be fooled. She scoffed inwardly, unmoved, but on the surface, she gradually put on an expression of softening.
“Aunt, it’s not that I can’t help my cousin with this,” Bai Zhenzhen said, intending to make them repent first. “But as you know, I don’t work at the company anymore, and my dad hasn’t been involved much in the business these past two years. If you want me to get my cousin and uncle out of trouble, you first have to fill the hole and satisfy the other shareholders of the company, right?”
Li Tiejun and Li Zhiqiang embezzled public funds, which directly led to the failure of the Jinxiu Jiayuan project and caused heavy losses to the company. Even though Liu Lihua did not understand business matters, she was aware of the seriousness of the problem.
But she had always held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that since the Bai family was so rich, even if they needed to fill the hole, Bai Zhenzhen could just help them. But now that she had brought it up directly, it meant that they had to make up the money themselves.
“Zhenzhen, your grandma and I don’t have any money. How about you…” Liu Lihua looked troubled. This time she wasn’t lying; she really didn’t have much money.
Before she could finish speaking, Zhao Xiuying sighed and interrupted her, saying, "Zhenzhen, don't worry. This time it was your cousin who made a mistake. I'll take out my savings to make up for this debt. Both of them are my flesh and blood. How can your grandmother let you help cover this deficit?"
"My old woman is half-buried in the ground, but as long as I live, I'll pay off my children's debts. When I kick the bucket, just wrap me in a straw mat and bury me."
She was trying to back down by feigning weakness, hoping to gain Bai Zhenzhen's sympathy and get her to say she would cover for Li Zhiqiang.
To everyone's surprise, Bai Zhenzhen didn't follow the script at all. She even nodded and said, "Grandma, don't be afraid. You love your cousin so much. He will definitely take good care of you in your old age and see you off when he gets out."
Zhao Xiuying: "..."
Liu Lihua, wanting to push her luck, said, "Zhenzhen, haven't you always been the most filial to your grandmother? How can you bear to let her worry about this? How about we give her the money..."
"You don't expect me to cover this hole, do you?" Bai Zhenzhen's expression changed, and she immediately stood up. "Then you can wait to go see them in jail!"
"Wait!" Liu Lihua was startled and quickly said, "We'll pay it back ourselves, we'll pay it back ourselves. Zhenzhen, don't say such hurtful things. Your uncle and your cousin are still waiting for you to find someone to help them. We'll go and raise the money right now."
“Then let’s wait until you bring out the money,” Bai Zhenzhen said, no longer insisting on refusing to help. “It’s best to do it as soon as possible, otherwise they’ll have no choice but to go to jail once the charges are settled.”
Li Tiejun was the backbone of the family, and Li Zhiqiang was Zhao Xiuying's most beloved eldest grandson. No matter how much they hated and resented Bai Zhenzhen, they were still waiting for her to save people. They didn't dare to completely break with her at this moment, so they had no choice but to do as she said and hurry back to raise money to cover the losses.
Unable to get in, Li Zhenzhu waited at the door. When she saw her mother and grandmother coming out, cursing as they walked, she quickly went over and asked, "Grandma, Mom, how is it? When will Bai Zhenzhen be able to rescue my dad and older brother?"
"You brat, all these years of spoiling her have been for nothing," Liu Lihua scolded Bai Zhenzhen while turning her gaze to her daughter and saying angrily, "You've been following her around all the time, but you didn't know when she got so close to the Shen family?"
“She’s always wanted a divorce, how would I know when she changed?” Li Zhenzhu pouted, not forgetting to tell them about how Bai Zhenzhen had made her jump up and down in anger earlier. “She doesn’t like me at all now. I should have realized it when she scolded me for that brat from the Shen family last time. It must be the Shen family who coaxed her away from us. Who knows what they’re up to? She’ll have her day to cry!”
She just wanted to see Bai Zhenzhen suffer, really suffer. Shen Huai'an must have married her to take advantage of her family's wealth. Otherwise, with Bai Zhenzhen's temper, what man would want to marry her?
Li Zhenzhu thought viciously to herself, but was scolded by Zhao Xiuying again, "You idiot, we told you to follow her and coax her, but all you can see is that little bit of profit in front of you. You're such a short-sighted person. What good will it do us to coax the Shen family to go with her?"
But it's too late to say anything now. Bai Zhenzhen is no longer on their side and is not as easily fooled as before. The Li family's plans have fallen apart, and now they have to find a way to raise money themselves. Where are they going to get so much money?
Liu Lihua gritted her teeth in resentment, "If all else fails, we'll have to sell the house we live in first. We also have some gold and jewelry at home, so we'll sell everything we can to get money. Right now, the most urgent thing is to rescue Tie Jun and his son. As long as they're alive, we won't have to worry about getting all these things back."
"That's the only way," Zhao Xiuying said with a long face. This time, she really had to take out her life savings. She continued, "No matter what, we still have to coax that girl Zhenzhen. Pearl, did you hear me? Especially you, you better control your temper. If you cause any more trouble, you'll be in big trouble!"
Li Zhenzhu's eyes reddened with grievance, but she dared not refute. Liu Lihua had given her this name so that she could be closer to Bai Zhenzhen, like sisters. But just one word difference, how could their fates be so different?
She was burning with jealousy, but on the surface she still had to agree politely, "Mom, Grandma, I understand. I'll try to appease her."
Bai Zhenzhen didn't care how the Li family raised the money; whether they had to sell everything they owned, they had to fill the hole themselves.
As for what happens next, she didn't say she would definitely get Li Tiejun and his son out. Not only did she not intend to get them out, she also didn't want to let Li Tiemin, who was living a carefree life outside, go.
However, her second uncle was even more cunning than her eldest uncle and his son combined, so if she wanted to deal with him, she would have to start with her eldest uncle, Li Tiejun.
Bai Zhenzhen quickly came up with a solution and took out her phone to call Zhu Jie.
She told Zhu Jie on the phone to go to a newly opened law firm and find a lawyer named Zhou Minghui to hire him as the lawyer representing Li Tiejun and his son. On the surface, she wanted him to get Li Tiejun out of jail, but in reality, she wanted him to subtly suggest to Li Tiemin during his visit to Li Tiejun in the detention center that Li Tiemin was behind all of this and wanted them to continue fighting like dogs.
The brothers Li Tiejun and Li Tiemin have been at odds with each other for years. Ever since Bai Chuxiong left the company to recuperate, they have both been eyeing the Bai family's company covetously. They must both have something on each other, and it remains to be seen whether Li Tiejun will reveal something.
When dealing with the Li family's affairs, Bai Zhenzhen originally planned to stay in Cuihu Bay for two days. However, when Shen Huai'an returned home at noon that day and did not see her, he made a phone call and took a taxi here that evening.
Bai Zhenzhen was surprised when she saw that he planned to live here with her, since he had refused to move in before, but now he actually came on his own initiative.
"Why did you come here?" Bai Zhenzhen asked Shen Huai'an as she saw him enter, recalling past events. "How about I have Aunt Wang prepare a guest room for you to stay in?"
“No need to trouble Aunt Wang,” Shen Huai’an walked over and sat down next to her, loosened two buttons on his collar, leaned closer to her and said, “Zhenzhen and I can share a room.”
The man's slightly open collar revealed a patch of pale skin, and below his sharp Adam's apple was an alluring collarbone. Near his left shoulder, a faint bluish-purple tooth mark was also visible.
Bai Zhenzhen glanced at it unintentionally, then coughed softly and fell silent.
The tooth mark was from last night when she couldn't take it anymore and bit him in a fit of rage while clinging to him. She didn't expect that even after a whole day, the mark would still be so obvious.
Just then, Aunt Wang came out of the room and saw Shen Huai'an busy. She asked with surprise, "Little Shen, you're back! Have you eaten? There's still some chicken soup in the kitchen. Shall I make you a bowl of noodles?"
It's almost nine o'clock now. Bai Zhenzhen had already eaten dinner and hadn't thought to ask him just now.
Shen Huai'an didn't mind these things. He stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and said, "It's getting late. Aunt Wang, you should go and rest. I can do it myself."
He hadn't eaten dinner yet, so he got up, went to the kitchen to wash his hands, made a bowl of noodles, and then dragged Bai Zhenzhen to eat with him before they went back to their room to sleep.
The next day, Shen Huai'an got up earlier than usual. He didn't let Uncle Liu drive him; instead, he took the bus to work at the procuratorate and picked up the newspaper that day when he passed the guardhouse.
After the morning meeting, Shen Huai'an quickly returned to his busy work. The newspaper he had picked up in the morning was buried under the documents and was not taken out again until lunchtime.
Newspapers are also a way to get information, but when Shen Huai'an opened this newspaper today, he quickly frowned. The headline on the front page was a bombshell: Zhenrong Real Estate Company's million-dollar investment in Jinxiu Garden had gone down the drain.
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