Chen Guo took out her textbook from her desk and imagined what her parents' reactions would be if she told them. Her mother would probably be worried, but her father? Chen Guo couldn't guess how her father would react.
From childhood to adulthood, the only person he cared about was her brother.
Seeing Chen Guo remain silent, Liu Ru hesitated for a moment, then said, "Actually, Guo Guo, I called your brother last night."
Chen Guo paused in her book flipping through the pages. "Why did you call my brother?"
"...I told him about you."
Chen Guo was stunned for a moment, and then asked nervously, "Then, what was his reaction?" She was afraid that her brother would worry about her and that it would affect her studies and health, but she was also more afraid that he would be indifferent.
"He was so angry. When he asked who bullied you, his voice was so cold that I could feel the fear even through the phone." Liu Ruo wasn't exaggerating at all; Chen Ke's tone was truly frightening at the time.
"Really?" Chen Guo's eyes lit up instantly, as if she had been injected with new vitality, and her face radiated a dazzling glow.
Liu Ruo felt a pang of sadness, her eyes welling up with tears. "And he also said he would come back as soon as possible. Guoguo, don't be afraid, your brother will protect you." Fortunately, Guoguo's brother loves her very much.
"Yes, I'm not afraid. With my brother here, I won't be afraid of them."
Meanwhile, in Houqiao Village, at the Chen family's residence.
Chen Dasheng returned from the field carrying a hoe. His wife, Chen Guirong, came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands, and took the hoe from him. "How much land is left? I'll go dig it with you this afternoon."
“What are you going to do? The mushrooms on the mountain are almost gone. If you don’t pick more, what will Ake eat when he comes back? He loves wild mushrooms the most.”
“There’s so much food at home, how can Ake possibly finish it all? And we don’t know when Guoguo will be back; she didn’t come back last week during her monthly break.”
"Why are you worrying about that girl? She just doesn't want to come back to do farm work. She'll know to come back when she runs out of living expenses," Chen Dasheng said with a dark face.
Chen Guirong glared at him, "You're so stubborn. I wonder who was sitting at the village entrance for most of the day last week."
"So what if I sat there for most of the day? I was just enjoying the cool air. Did you think I was waiting for that girl?" Chen Dasheng muttered as he walked into the main room with his hands behind his back.
A moment later, Chen Dasheng's older brother, Chen Dawu, walked in anxiously. "Dasheng, Dasheng, are you there?"
"Yes, brother, come in and sit down. Gui Rong, please stir-fry some more—"
Before Chen Dasheng could finish speaking, Chen Dawu interrupted him, "Come with me right now. Jiang Zi got into a fight with some people from Renqianqiao Village and beat them up. They called the police to arrest Jiang Zi."
"What? That happened a long time ago." Chen Guirong came out of the house looking anxious.
"It's only this morning, your sister-in-law has fainted from crying. You guys come with me quickly."
"Hey, let's hurry up, brother, you lead the way."
The three of them rushed over.
At the border between Houqiao Village and Qianqiao Village, Chen Jiang was being held by two police officers with his hands behind his back. His face was flushed red with anger. "He started it first, why are you arresting me!"
Chen Jiang's mother, Xiao Hong, also struggled against the police officers, crying and wailing, "Why are you arresting my son? Let him go! Li Mangzi started it, arrest him!"
"Bullshit! We'll arrest you! Look what your son did to my son! His head is bleeding! We'll not only arrest your son, but we'll also make him pay compensation and go to jail!"
"You're talking nonsense! If your son hadn't hit him first, would my Jiangzi have been able to fight him?"
“I don’t care, your son didn’t bleed, but my son did. You’re fully responsible and have to pay compensation. Officer, arrest him and lock him up. Look at him, he looks like he’s about to pounce on my son again.”
"Oh dear, officer, is there some misunderstanding here? Why are you only arresting Jiang Zi?" Chen Dasheng hurriedly said as he walked over.
"Second Uncle, he started it first, I did nothing wrong." Chen Jiang became even more agitated when he saw Chen Dasheng arrive.
The two Chen brothers separated their households after their parents passed away. However, the elder brother, Chen Dawu, was impulsive and reckless, so his younger brother, Chen Dasheng, came up with many ideas. Moreover, Chen Dasheng had raised such an accomplished son as Chen Ke, so his status and influence in the Chen family naturally increased.
So the mischievous Chen Jiang is not afraid of his father, but is somewhat afraid of Chen Dasheng. However, when something happens, he subconsciously relies on Chen Dasheng more.
"Jiang Zi, don't get agitated. Explain things clearly to the police."
The police officer looked serious and had little patience for dealing with such trivial matters, having come all the way from town. "He broke someone's head, and now that we're holding him down, he's resisting. If we don't arrest him, who will we arrest? Okay, let's not talk about it here anymore. Let's go back to the police station and talk about it."
The group then followed the police to the town's police station.
On the way, Xiao Hong cried uncontrollably, completely losing her composure. Chen Jiang was her only son; if she really went to jail…
“Sister-in-law, call Ake and ask him. He’s a college student and knows a lot. Ask him what to do in this situation. Ah, if Jiang Zi goes to jail, I don’t want to live either.”
Chen Guirong glanced at Chen Dasheng with a troubled expression, worried that even if she asked Ake, he wouldn't be able to help much.
Seeing his brother looking dejected and aged ten years, Chen Dasheng comforted him, "Calling Ake now won't do any good. He can't explain the situation clearly. Let's go to the police station first and see what the police have to say, and then call Ake to ask. Don't worry, Ake will definitely help if he can."
Chen Dasheng made a confident promise, but in reality he wasn't sure, because he knew Chen Ke best—he had always been indifferent to kinship.
But after all, he was his only son. What could he, as a father, do if he didn't cover for him? Would people really think he was an unfilial ingrate? Chen Dasheng felt bitter.
Chen Guirong saw it all, remaining silent, but her heart was filled with sorrow.
In the capital, after signing the contract, Chen Ke declined Li Xu's invitation to dinner and walked out of the Dyson building alone.
Remembering that he had said he would bring Guoguo a pretty dress back, Chen Ke walked towards a department store, wanting to choose one for Guoguo himself.
With a transaction amount of 100 million, and an exchange rate of 10:1, Chen Ke would have 10 million in personal funds. Finally, he no longer had to worry about not even having money to eat.
Liu Yao and her best friend were walking out of a high-end clothing store, arm in arm. Her friend complained that the clothes were too expensive and she couldn't afford them, but Liu Yao spotted Chen Ke walking into a luxury store across the street.
Liu Yao thought she was seeing things, and it took her several glances to confirm that it was Chen Ke.
But how could Chen Ke possibly buy things from a luxury store?
Then Liu Yao's eyes lit up. She didn't care where Chen Ke got the money; as long as he had money to spend, that was enough.
At this moment, Liu Yao was still very confident that Chen Ke was going to the luxury store to buy something for her. She raised her chin and confidently followed her best friend.
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