"What are you doing, Fanghua?" Fu Hong shouted angrily, immediately snatched the phone from Dong Fanghua's hand, and held it to her ear. She smiled apologetically at the operator on the other end of the line and said, "I'm sorry, officer, my child is ignorant and made random calls. There are no scammers here. She's just making things up."
Dong Fanghua, who is almost sixty and has already retired, stared at Fu Hong with disbelief in her eyes: Do you know what you're saying, dear mother?
The operator sensed something was wrong: "But the voice just now didn't sound like a child's."
“That’s my daughter. In my eyes as her mother, no matter how old she is, she’s still a child. Besides, she just got Alzheimer’s, and now her IQ is about the same as a child’s. I’m sorry to have troubled you,” Fu Hong said with a smile.
Dong Fanghua, whose mother suffers from Alzheimer's, felt as if she had been struck a heavy blow to the heart. Is this really her mother? Is this still her mother? How could she spread rumors about her own daughter?
The operator understood: "Oh, I see. It's alright then. You're getting on in years and you still have to take care of your daughter. It must be tough for you. But please try to be more careful in the future. You shouldn't call the police so casually."
"Yes, yes, yes, I'm sorry to have troubled you. I'll definitely keep a close eye on her from now on," Fu Hong replied repeatedly before finally hanging up the phone.
She glanced at Dong Fanghua, meeting her accusing gaze, and guiltily touched her nose. She forced herself to return the phone, saying, "The police officer said you can't just call the emergency number randomly. Don't do it again, understand?"
Dong Fanghua gripped her phone tightly, her chest heaving, and glared angrily at Fu Hong: "Mom, are you even my own mother? How can you spread rumors about your own daughter? That's outrageous!"
"Who told you to make those random calls to the police?" Fu Hong said defiantly.
"I was only doing that for your own good, because I was afraid you'd get scammed," Dong Fanghua said matter-of-factly.
"I don't have dementia yet. Do you think I don't know if I've been scammed? Besides, I'm not your student. Don't always use the excuse of doing what's best for me to interfere with my actions," Fu Hong said angrily.
"When those elderly people were being scammed, didn't they all think they were experienced, insightful, and absolutely certain they wouldn't be fooled?" Dong Fanghua said through gritted teeth.
Fu Hong choked for a moment, then stiffened her neck and said, "I said I wasn't deceived, and that's it. Besides, how can Miss Xing be the same as those swindlers? I've known her for a long time."
"You've known that Lin Wan for more than just a day or two," Dong Fanghua said quietly.
It would have been better if she hadn't mentioned Lin Wan; the moment she did, Fu Hong's face turned pale.
Seeing Fu Hong's suddenly pale face, Dong Fanghua worried that she might have another relapse and felt annoyed. She quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, Mom, I shouldn't have mentioned her."
Fu Hong, clutching her chest which was slowly calming down, waved her hand at her: "Miss Xing is different from her. Anyway, you're not allowed to meddle in my affairs right now, or don't blame me for slapping you at my age."
Dong Fanghua sat down on a chair nearby, puffing out her cheeks. "Fine, I'm not going to bother with you anymore. Do whatever you want." She figured she could just keep watching from the sidelines.
Dong Fanghua stared intently at Xing Zhaozhao.
Xing Zhaozhao: "..."
Xing Zhaozhao was terrified when she saw Dong Fanghua make the call to the police. She didn't want to go to the police station again. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Fu Hong get rid of the police. But then Dong Fanghua's scrutinizing gaze followed her like a shadow, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
She couldn't help but glare at Qin Shi. It's all your fault! Why did you have to bring this up with Fu Hong?
Qin Shi was also quite regretful at this point, mainly because he hadn't expected Dong Fanghua to get involved. However, it was too late to say anything now.
Fu Hong sat back down next to Xing Zhaozhao, looking at her expectantly: "Is it alright, Miss Xing?"
Under Dong Fanghua's intense gaze, Xing Zhaozhao straightened her expression and nodded, saying, "It's possible, but only this once. Don't let it happen again. Also, I hope you won't mention my affairs to anyone else. I don't want to be disturbed."
Fu Hong was overjoyed to see Xing Zhaozhao agree and nodded repeatedly: "That's great, Miss Xing. Don't worry, I won't let anyone else know about your matter except for me and Xiao Shi."
Beside her, Dong Fanghua suddenly scoffed, "Still saying you're not a fraud? You're just putting on airs, making a big fuss. What else could you be but a charlatan? And Mom, why didn't you let a third person know? Don't I already know? Am I not a human being?"
Xing Zhaozhao's lips twitched, and she looked at Qin Shi questioningly: Do I really look like a charlatan?
Qin Shi glanced at her, considered for a moment, and nodded: "It does seem to be a little bit, but just a little bit." He even held up his thumb and forefinger to indicate that tiny bit, just a tiny bit.
Xing Zhaozhao: "..."
Fu Hong rolled her eyes at Dong Fanghua: "Get lost. You don't believe me anyway. Who do you think you are?"
Dong Fanghua: "..." So angry. Oh well, what can I do? She's my own mother, I'll just have to put up with it.
Fu Hong turned to the waiter and said, "Xiao Zhou, go to my office and get some paper and pen."
"Okay, boss." The waiter replied and immediately went to the office to get paper and pen for Fu Hong.
Fu Hong leaned over the table and immediately began writing.
Xing Zhaozhao and Qin Shi chatted while drinking tea.
“By the way,” Xing Zhaozhao remembered something, looked at Qin Shi, and asked, “Is the little villa where my godparents used to live still there?”
Dong Fanghua, who was sitting to the side, also ordered tea from the waiter and was slowly sipping it when she heard Xing Zhaozhao's words. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. She's really putting on an act.
"It's still there." Qin Shi nodded, looking at Xing Zhaozhao with surprise, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Is it in your hands?" Xing Zhaozhao asked. "When they moved away back then, they buried some things in the yard. If it's not in your hands anymore, they want you to go and see if the things are still there. If they are, don't let others have them. Get them back quickly."
Dong Fanghua's pupils contracted, and she almost choked on the tea she was drinking. She looked at Xing Zhaozhao and Qin Shi with disbelief. Really?
“I remember that little villa ended up in your uncle’s hands, right? There was even a commotion about it back then,” Fu Hong said, looking up at Qin Shi as she recalled the memory.
Dong Fanghua listened with wide eyes. Could it really be true?
Qin Shi nodded with a stern face: "It is indeed in my uncle's hands now. I remember when they first took over, they even repaired the yard, but I haven't heard of them discovering anything."
"Did you really find nothing, or did you find something and secretly keep it?" Fu Hong asked.
Qin Shi fell silent for a moment, then said, "I'll go ask them sometime. If they really did secretly pocket it..." We'll make them give it back.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com