Chapter 44 The Gloomy Little Poor Boy from the 1970s
Inside the private room, a middle-aged man dressed in a Chinese-style long gown and wearing gold-rimmed glasses, who looked quite refined, was already waiting. He gestured for the three of them to sit down and slowly poured tea.
"You three have come from afar, thank you for your hard work."
"What brings you to see Ms. Shen Ci? And who are you to her?"
The man spoke calmly, but his eyes held an interrogative quality.
At this moment, Zhou Dayou was both hungry and angry, and eager to find allies. He spilled the beans, telling them all about their relationship, how he was tricked, and how he came to Shen Ci to ask for money and people back. His words were crude and full of resentment.
His words were full of emotion, not facts.
The man listened quietly, his face revealing neither joy nor anger. Only after Zhou Dayou finished speaking did he smile slightly.
"I see. Haven't you three eaten yet? Have something to eat first."
He clapped his hands, and the waiter brought out a sumptuous feast that was even better than the New Year's Eve dinner in the village: glistening braised pork, a whole steamed fish, translucent shrimp, and a large, bright red, sauce-soaked pork knuckle...
The three members of the Zhou family stared wide-eyed, their Adam's apples bobbing wildly, and saliva almost spilling out. They didn't care about anything else and grabbed their chopsticks to frantically rummage through the food.
He ate in a very messy manner, his mouth stuffed full, and he kept muttering to himself.
"It smells good! It smells fucking good!"
"It tastes even better than the feast at the village chief's house!"
Watching them wolf down their food, a barely perceptible hint of disdain flashed in the man's eyes. Once they had almost finished eating, he leisurely took out a thick envelope, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards them.
Inside was a thick stack of brand-new "Big Unity" bills.
The three members of the Zhou family stopped moving instantly, their eyes fixed on the envelope, their breathing becoming heavier.
"Just do as I say," the man said slowly.
"This is all your deposit. There will be more after the deal is done."
"What do you want us to do?" Zhou Dayou asked warily, but had already reached out and taken the money.
"It's very simple. Go to a newspaper and tell the reporters the story you just told about how Shen Ci abandoned her husband and children, ran off with the family fortune, and is now a heartless rich woman."
The bigger the commotion, the better.
The man smiled slightly, "Otherwise, with just the three of you, you wouldn't even be able to find out which way her front door faces, let alone gain any advantage. I'll help you build momentum from behind."
Looking at the dazzling banknotes in front of them, thinking about the glamorous appearance of Shen Ci and her son just now, and comparing it with their own hardships and the disheveled state just now, Zhou Dayou and his family of three felt both jealous and envious. What they wanted most was to drag the mother and son down with them!
"Okay! Let's do it!"
Zhou Dayou stuffed the envelope into his pocket, gritting his teeth as he said, "Why do they eat and drink like royalty while we can't even afford to eat? We have to teach them a lesson!"
Things progressed faster than expected.
The Zhou family of three took the wad of money and checked into the cheap guesthouse arranged by the mysterious man. The next morning, while they were still dreaming about how to divide up Shen Ci's family fortune, they were woken up by the man in the black hat, who handed them a slip of paper with an address on it. He had already told them some things to say the night before.
"Right there! In front of St. John's High School! Go there when the students are going to school!"
"We've already called all the reporters for you! Just make a scene! The louder the better! Make Chen Ci lose face!" the man in the black hat urged.
Zhou Dayou was thrilled by the scene he described. The thought of embarrassing Shen Ci in front of so many people and making it into the newspapers made him feel incredibly satisfied.
No matter what, for Zhou Dayou to appear in the newspaper even once in his life would be a great honor for his ancestors. If his photo is published in the newspaper, he should be buried with the newspaper when he dies.
Old Man Zhou and Old Woman Zhou were also eager to try, feeling that they could finally vent their anger.
Early in the morning, outside the quaint and elegant gates of St. John's High School, students were arriving one after another, dressed in their uniforms and behaving politely. Suddenly, a piercing wail shattered the tranquility.
"This is outrageous! Everyone come and see! Rich people are so heartless! They abandoned their husbands and children! They ran off with the family fortune! Now they don't even recognize their own fathers and grandfathers!"
Grandma Zhou plopped down on the ground, slapped her thigh, and cried with snot and tears streaming down her face, displaying superb acting skills.
Old Zhou held up the crumpled newspaper and shook it loudly at the few newspaper reporters who had been invited in advance.
"Look! Look! This is my heartless daughter-in-law and grandson! Enjoying a life of luxury in Shanghai!"
Five million was donated without hesitation! My wife and I were starving to death in the village and nobody cared!
Zhou Dayou even shouted directly into the school gate.
"Zhou Huai! You heartless bastard! Get out here! You think changing your surname means you're no longer my child?"
You have my blood in your veins! Don't even think about denying it for the rest of your life!
Their crude words and actions were completely out of place with the school's surroundings, immediately causing a commotion. Students stopped to watch, and reporters excitedly snapped photos – this was big news!
The school security guards tried to intervene, but Zhou Dayou shoved them away roughly.
"Get out of my way! It's only natural for me to look for my own son!"
The barefoot have nothing to fear. He's already so poor, what's the point if he can't help Shen Huai and his son Shen Ci?
Just as the scene was in chaos, and the reporters felt they had enough material to write an article denouncing the rich for their lack of compassion, a car horn sounded.
Two black sedans slid to the side of the road and stopped. The doors opened, and the first to get out were several well-dressed men and women with serious expressions, carrying briefcases and exuding a powerful and professional aura.
This is precisely the top-tier legal team that Shen Ci hired at a high salary.
Then, Shen Ci calmly got out of the car. Today she was wearing a smart suit and skirt, with exquisite makeup and a cold expression. Her gaze swept over the chaotic scene and finally landed on the three Zhou family members.
There was no anger, only a condescending scrutiny and coldness.
A general wouldn't care about the shouts of ants.
Her appearance instantly attracted everyone's attention, and even Old Lady Zhou's dry wailing subconsciously paused for a moment.
"It's her! It's that poisonous woman!"
Zhou Dayou seemed to have found the real culprit, and became even more agitated, pointing at Shen Ci and shouting insults. The reporters' cameras immediately focused on Shen Ci, waiting to see how she would handle the situation.
Shen Ci didn't look at the reporters, but nodded slightly to the leading lawyer.
The male lawyer wearing gold-rimmed glasses stepped forward, his voice loud and clear, drowning out all the noise.
"Dear media friends, and everyone present."
We are Ms. Shen Ci's legal representatives. We have recorded the entire incident of Mr. Zhou Dayou and his family's public defamation, slander, and harassment of our client today.
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three members of the Zhou family whose expressions had changed slightly, and the bewildered reporters.
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